The Indiana State Department of Agriculture has recognized Thorntons Inc. as the winner of the 2012 Paul Dana Excellence in Bioenergy Leadership Award. It recognizes those who have exemplified leadership and innovation in the bioenergy industry.
Advanced production techniques, informed growing practices and improved seed varieties helped corn growers achieve high yields in the National Corn Growers Association 2012 National Corn Yield Contest, in some cases doubling the national average.
Pacific Ethanol has agreed to increase its ownership interest in four ethanol plants and is taking steps to improve its debt position, it said Dec. 19. The company has now agreed to purchase $21.54 million of ethanol plant secured debt.
The Peterson Farm Brothers are at it again, having posted another video on YouTube. The videos are fun to watch, and would be a good thing to share over the holidays with family and friends.
Lux Research has published top-10 lists of 2012's top emerging technology companies, as well as emerging companies to watch in 2013. Biorefining companies, including Solazyme, Itaconix and Beta Renewables, top this year's lists.
Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. has announced that BlendStar LLC, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has completed construction and has begun operations at its 96-car unit train terminal in Birmingham, Ala.
On Dec. 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Petroleum Institute against the U.S. EPA challenging the 2011 cellulosic requirements of renewable fuels standard.
Today, the Antidumping Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from the EU Member States, endorsed a 9.6 percent penalty on U.S. ethanol exports to Europe.
The Advanced Ethanol Council on Dec. 19 released a nearly 20-page report profiling U.S. and Canadian cellulosic biofuels facilities and development projects. In addition, it contains information about efforts in other countries.
For the first time since the renewable identification number (RIN) system was established, there will be no RIN carryover on this year's production, due to high corn prices and reduced ethanol production levels, but stocks will not be depleted.
In December, two state representatives in Florida introduced a bill to repeal the Renewable Fuels Standard Act. The legislation, HB 4001, would remove the requirement that all gasoline offered for sale in Florida be blended with ethanol.
With new funding in hand, Proterro Inc. is poised to take its sucrose-producing process to the pilot stage, using full scale-bioreactors. The company expects the process can produce fermentation-ready sugar at a cost of less than 5 cents per pound.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs.
The latest data on ethanol exports and imports released by the U.S. Census Bureau show that, through October, U.S. ethanol exports are at 643.3 million gallons. Ethanol imports are during the same period measured nearly 390 million gallons.
Woodland Biofuels is on track to begin producing cellulosic ethanol early in the year, CEO Greg Nuttall said. The company has made progress as well on the financial front, announcing an investment from the MaRS Cleantech Fund LP.
Facts to fuel holiday conversations
December 17, 2012
Before the holiday gatherings with family and friends, take a moment to look a new website giving ethanol facts and supporting resources, particularly if you have one of those fancy phones.
The National Corn Growers Association has launched a new web-based resource, www.EthanolFacts.com. The home page of EthanolFacts offers links to short articles on hot topics in ethanol circles: flex-fuel vehicles, food and fuel, and many others.
Patriot Bioenergy Corp. joined the Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association and sees value in industrial hemp for biomass blending with bituminous coal for power generation as well as a possible cellulosic feedstock for biofuels.
Propel Fuels has closed on the initial phase of its Series D round of funding with $11 million in equity capital from existing investors and $10 million in debt financing from CapX Partners. The funding will allow Propel to accelerate expansion.
BP Biofuels has announced that it plans to invest $350 million to expand its ethanol processing capacity of Tropical, one of its sugarcane processing ventures in Brazil. The expansion is scheduled to start next year.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released its December Short Term Energy Outlook, showing that ethanol production is expected to remain near current levels through mid-2013, but will return to pre-drought levels by the end of the year.
The EU announced it will not oppose a European Commission decision to terminate the anti-subsidy proceeding concerning imports of U.S. ethanol and to terminate the registration of U.S. ethanol importers. An anti-dumping investigation is ongoing.
Flint Hills Resources LLC announced Dec. 7 that it finalized the acquisition of a 115 MMgy Fairmont, Neb., ethanol plant, formerly owned by Advanced BioEnergy LLC. The purchase brings Flint Hills total production capacity to 550 MMgy.
Although ePURE, the European Producers Union of Renewable Ethanol, is happy with the direction things are going with the anti-dumping investigation against imported U.S. ethanol, it isn't commenting specifically on whether duties will be imposed.
On Dec. 7, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission elected to begin implementation of the state's Clean Fuels Program. A spokeswoman for the Oregon DEQ confirmed the commission voted four to one to implement the proposed rules for phase one.
Delta BioRenewables LLC has announced that its collaboration partner Commonwealth Agri-Energy LLC has successfully produced ethanol from sweet sorghum sugars at its corn ethanol facility in Hopkinsville, Ky. using Ceres Inc.'s sweet sorghum hybrid.
Markets shape ethanol production, Nathan Kauffman, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, argues in the most recent issue of the Main Street Economist. The analysis addresses mandates, the blend wall, and waiver requests.
The USDA made no changes to its supply and demand projections for coarse grains in the U.S., including corn, in this month's supply/demand report, shifting its focus to global projections that indicate the global supply will be up by 7 million tons.
Ethanol imports from Brazil have surged into the U.S. in recent months, University of Illinois ag economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good point out, but not because it is cheap relative to ethanol.
Verenium Corp., an industrial biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes, announced on Dec. 10 the signing of a $22.5 million secured debt financing with Athyrium Opportunities Fund.
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