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Truly Sustainable Renewable Future
March 17, 2009 – 10:42 am | One Comment

Advanced Biofuels are high-energy liquid transportation fuels derived from: low nutrient input/high per acre yield crops; agricultural or forestry waste; or other sustainable biomass feedstocks including algae.  The key word is “sustainable.”
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Articles in North Dakota

North Dakota State University Partner in $1 Million Energy Beet Project
February 3, 2012 – 11:03 am | No Comment

(AgWeek/NDSU Agriculture Communication)  A project that will develop an advanced biofuel from energy beets and provide growers across North Dakota with a new industrial crop is taking another important step forward, fueled by a significant …

Rolling into the Forage Market
January 26, 2012 – 2:04 pm | No Comment

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Cattlemen are increasingly turning to value-added distillers grains products from SweetPro Feeds
…Using the coproduct from ethanol production as a medium for vitamins, minerals, yeast and enzymes provides benefits that …

Soybean Checkoff to Partner with Nine Clean Cities Coalitions
January 19, 2012 – 1:30 pm | No Comment

(Jackson County Times-Journal)  The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff have announced the participants in the 2012 biodiesel and Bioheat® communications program, which helps cities across the United States spread the word about the …

USDA Helps Install 266 Blender Pumps through REAP
December 30, 2011 – 2:41 pm | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   The USDA announced the final round of fiscal year 2011 Renewable Energy for America Program awards on Dec. 14. The awards included grants for 12 blender pump projects …

Risk Management Agency Announces Pilot Crop Insurance Program for Camelina
December 30, 2011 – 1:28 pm | No Comment

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  The USDA’s Risk Management Agency has developed a pilot program to insure camelina. The program, which will be available in selected counties in Montana and North Dakota for the 2012 …

Harvesting Both Corn Grain and Stover in Adverse Weather
December 29, 2011 – 6:30 pm | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson, Thein Maung and David Ripplinger (North Dakota State University/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  NDSU quantifies the cost and time involved in corn stover collection
…The research team at  North Dakota State University in Fargo recently …

Good Digestion: It’s Been a Bumpy Road to Full-Scale Adoption of Anaerobic Digestion Technologies at Ethanol Plants
December 29, 2011 – 5:51 pm | No Comment

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Despite the promise of methane from anaerobic digestion technology, low natural gas rates and other factors have kept ethanol producers from jumping in with both feet.
…On top of the …

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Funding To Create Jobs, Reduce Energy Costs for Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses
December 27, 2011 – 3:58 pm | No Comment

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (December 14, 2011) announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in …

Ethanol Critic’s Argument Relies on Faulty Information
December 23, 2011 – 12:32 pm | No Comment

by Kevin Skunes (InForum)  In response to Ross Nelson’s “Ethanol? I’ll supply the shovels” column on Nov. 27, we should take a look at these issues using current and correct information.
…Corn-based ethanol is a viable …

Metso to Deliver the First Commercial LignoBoost Plant to Domtar in North America
December 19, 2011 – 1:16 pm | No Comment

(Metso)  Metso will supply the world’s first commercial installation of LignoBoost technology to Domtar in North America. The equipment will be intergrated with the Plymouth North Carolina pulp mill. The LignoBoost process separates and collects …

Group Seeks Classification as Advanced Biofuel for Energy Beets
December 7, 2011 – 9:03 am | No Comment

by Sue Roesler (Farm & Ranch Guide)    Cole Gustafson, department chair of the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University, said while there’s more concerns about corn ethanol at the …

USDA Announces New Insurance Pilot Program for Biofuel-Friendly Oilseed Crop with Potential to Create Jobs, Stimulate Rural Economies
December 5, 2011 – 9:39 am | No Comment

(US Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a new pilot program of insurance for camelina beginning with the 2012 crop year. Camelina is an oilseed crop …

letter: Ethanol Can Fuel a New Job-Creation Machine
October 12, 2011 – 11:08 am | No Comment

by Russ Newman (Grand Forks Herald)  …Ethanol — made right here in America — is already creating jobs that cannot be outsourced and displacing foreign oil with a clean, renewable and uniquely American fuel.
But we …

North Dakota Grant to Coax Motorists to Use More Ethanol
September 26, 2011 – 4:01 pm | No Comment

(Chron.com)  A state Commerce Department official says many North Dakotans who drive so-called “flex-fuel” vehicles don’t even know it.
They’re among the people who are the intended targets of a proposed marketing campaign to increase ethanol sales.
North Dakota’s Industrial Commission has …

Filta Expands Waste Oil Collection Network
September 26, 2011 – 8:43 am | No Comment

by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine)  A growing number of restaurants and other industrial facilities that use cooking oil will be frying green as Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions opened three new franchise locations in the U.S.—North …

USDA Gives $2 Million for Blender Pumps in 22 States
September 19, 2011 – 10:25 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Thirty-three projects in 22 states have been approved for blender pump grants in the latest round of funding to be dispersed through the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. …

Filta Introduces Cooking Oil Micro-Filtration and Fryer Management Service Franchise to Fargo, ND
September 19, 2011 – 7:02 am | No Comment

(PR Web/Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions Franchise)   One of the truly unique services being introduced to the Fargo market is Filta’s FiltaBio service, which is essentially waste oil collection and recycling without the traditional collection bin. Once …

Ethanol Tax Credits to Expire
September 14, 2011 – 11:14 am | No Comment

by Sarah Gustin (KXMB TV Bismark)  …(Jeff Zueger / Blue Flint Ethanol) “We really need blender pump infastructure, we need flex fuel vehicle infastructure, so we can get to those higher level blends so consumers …

ENERGY: Biofuels Policy Supported, but More Needs to Be Done
September 6, 2011 – 2:33 pm | No Comment

by Alan Van Ormer (Prairie Business Magazine)  Many industry leaders support a biofuels policy, but also believe that more things can be done to help address any deficiencies in a national policy.
Hunter Roberts, State Energy …

Harvesting Both Corn Grain and Stover in Adverse Weather
August 22, 2011 – 5:03 pm | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson, Thein Maung and David Ripplinger (Ethanol Producer Magazine/North Dakota State University)  If cellulosic biofuel development remains on track, several commercial firms will be contracting for corn stover in 2012.  How will farmers balance …

Vilsack: USDA Will Continue to Push for Blender Pump Expansion
August 22, 2011 – 11:30 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA’s Aug. 17 announcement of 900 Rural Energy for America Program grants included just 21 awards for blender pumps. USDA officials promise, however, that more funding is on …

North Dakota State University Researchers Develop Revolutionary Biobased Technology From Crop Materials Produced in North Dakota
August 22, 2011 – 9:13 am | No Comment

(North Dakota State University)  Several crops produced in North Dakota could play a significant role in biobased resins and coatings recently developed by researchers at North Dakota State University. Scientists at NDSU have developed biobased …

It’s Out There
August 17, 2011 – 9:31 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  …Inbicon conducted an extensive crop study and biomass research project to show just how much biomass is available in the Midwest. “Our findings confirm that North America’s great abundance …

Corn for Hydrocarbons
August 17, 2011 – 9:10 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Add-on technology developed for corn ethanol plants
Rather than retrofitting a corn-ethanol plant to produce i-butanol, n-butanol or use other novel fermentation technologies, three companies are collaborating to turn a …

Scouting for Biofuels Crops in Indian Creek Watershed
August 15, 2011 – 2:02 pm | No Comment

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed.
During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by …

Hankinson Ethanol Plant Installing Demo-Scale Anaerobic Digester
August 1, 2011 – 8:10 am | No Comment

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Hankinson Renewable Energy LLC, a 120 MMgy ethanol plant in Hankinson, N.D., is in the process of starting up an anaerobic digester to produce 54 MMBtu of biogas a …

Building on the Success of Corn Ethanol to Corn Hydrocarbons
August 1, 2011 – 7:40 am | No Comment

by Holly Jessen (DomesticFuel.com)  Although the U.S. corn ethanol industry is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented, it’s the only domestic renewable fuel industry to reach significant scale and make a measurable impact on the U.S. fuel …

2011 Biomass Program Peer Review Meetings Final Meetings June 27-28, 2011 Chrystal City, VA
June 24, 2011 – 9:33 am | No Comment
2011 Biomass Program Peer Review Meetings  Final Meetings June 27-28, 2011 Chrystal City, VA

(US Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Biomass Program will be conducting detailed biennial peer review meetings of its activities throughout the first half …

Officials Expect USDA Blender Pump Financing to Be Successful
June 14, 2011 – 8:14 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA’s June 15 application deadline for blender pump funding via the Rural Energy for America Program is fast approaching and state energy coordinators say they have been busy …

N.D. Continues Expansive Biofuel Infrastructure Build-Out
June 9, 2011 – 1:25 pm | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  North Dakota is poised to continue its impressive expansion of biofuels infrastructure with the continuation of a program to encourage the installation of retail ethanol and biodiesel fuel pumps.
Originally …

Biomass ’11: Renewable Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Conference July 26–27, 2011 Grand Forks, ND
May 24, 2011 – 10:19 am | No Comment
Biomass ’11: Renewable Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Conference July 26–27, 2011  Grand Forks, ND

Biomass, such as agricultural residues, straws, grasses, wood residues, animal wastes, and algae, is increasing as a marketable renewable resource for production of electricity, heat, and transportation fuels. This will be the ninth conference dealing …

Talking Tubers—Energy Beets to Ethanol
May 19, 2011 – 12:22 pm | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson  (Ethanol Producer Magazine/North Dakota State University)  …Why beets? The Northern Plains is the nation’s lowest-cost producer of sugar due to a favorable growing climate and cold winters that extend feedstock storage and …

Grassley-Conrad Bill Boosts Domestic Energy Production
May 4, 2011 – 3:16 pm | No Comment

(Senator Chuck Grassley)  Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Kent Conrad of North Dakota today introduced bipartisan legislation to update ethanol tax policies in an effort to boost domestic energy production and increase America’s energy independence …

Researchers in Three States Work on Densification
May 3, 2011 – 8:28 am | No Comment

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  In order for ag residues and energy crops to be profitably converted to biofuels, it is expected that biorefineries will need to acquire all of their feedstocks from within …

Low Cost Sugars? The Beet Goes On
April 1, 2011 – 6:42 am | No Comment

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …For hot technology companies such as Amyris, Solazyme, LS9, Cobalt and Virent, it all comes down to low-cost sugars.
Which brings us to the case of that other sugar source: your …

Dakota Spirit AgEnergy Biorefinery Evolves into Hybrid Concept Based on Study Results
March 30, 2011 – 8:00 am | No Comment

(Dakota Spirit AgEnergy)   Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, a proposed cellulosic biorefinery near Spiritwood, N.D., has evolved from a 20 million gallon per year (MGY) cellulosic ethanol plant into a 58 MGY “hybrid” ethanol plant comprised of a …

Critic of Ethanol Got It All Wrong
March 28, 2011 – 8:35 am | No Comment

by Jeff Zueger  (Inforum.com)  To read Ross Nelson’s column on ethanol (“Ethanol’s promise is empty, “ March 14, Forum), one could come away with the impression that ethanol production is an inefficient and outdated technology.
The …

North Dakota’s Ag Commissioner Confident in Hybrid Ethanol Plant
March 16, 2011 – 11:21 am | No Comment

(The Republic)  …Doug Goehring earlier this month led a North Dakota delegation on a trip to Denmark to learn about that country’s efforts to develop a cellulosic ethanol industry.
…Goehring tells Prairie Public Radio that there’s …

Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Expands Its Feedstock Radius after Study
February 24, 2011 – 1:49 pm | No Comment

by Sue Roesler  (Farm & Ranch Guide)  …The biomass refinery would be a part of Dakota Spirit AgEnergy LLC and would be located next to the Cargill barley malting plant and the Great River Energy …

Tagging the Most Promising Feedstocks for Biofuels
February 7, 2011 – 1:16 pm | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson (Western Farm Press/North Dakota State University Extension Service)  A USDA-funded study is developing new pricing and trading standards for cellulosic biomass feedstocks. A first step in the study is to identify the …

E85 Sales More than Double in North Dakota from 2009 to 2010
February 2, 2011 – 2:08 pm | No Comment

(The Bismark Tribune)  Sales of E85 fuel in North Dakota last year more than doubled. State officials credit a grant program for retailers who install so-called blender pumps.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple said between January and November …

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Producer Payments to Promote Bioenergy Production in Rural America
January 21, 2011 – 4:18 pm | No Comment

(USDA) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced new investments in 33 states to support the production and usage of advanced biofuels. Vilsack highlighted these projects as ways the Obama Administration is working to reduce the …

Blender Pumps in North Dakota
January 14, 2011 – 9:47 am | No Comment

by KXMBTV Bismarck (KXNet.com)    Producing a new fuel mix…right at the station, ethanol blender pumps are helping push the demand for ethanol.
At Wilton Cenex they’re blending their own mix of gasoline and ethanol right at the pump.  Consumers …

Forum Editorial: Ethanol from Beets Promising
December 28, 2010 – 4:06 pm | No Comment

(The Forum of Fargo-Morehead)   The use of a specialized sugar beet to produce ethanol could be a breakthrough in weaning the industry off corn. An announcement a few days ago of plans to build a …

North Dakota Group Looks to Make Ethanol from Sugar Beets
December 14, 2010 – 9:59 am | No Comment

by Dave Kolpack (AP/The Daily Republic)   A North Dakota group said Monday it plans to open a test plant that would turn dry land sugar beets into ethanol, with hopes of building a dozen processing facilities …

The Case for Energy Beets as Advanced Biofuel
November 8, 2010 – 8:01 am | No Comment

by Alan Anderson (Energy Boom)  A few brave farmers up in North Dakota have taken on the fight of a lifetime.  The brave folks at Green Vision Group have been working with a high potential new …

BBI International Launches Biorefining Magazine and Conference
September 14, 2010 – 10:33 am | No Comment

(BBI International)  BBI International, a leader in globally recognized bioenergy events and trade magazines, has launched a new magazine and international conference. Biorefining magazine and the aligned International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show will provide …

Energy Beets Show Promise
September 6, 2010 – 9:25 am | No Comment

(Dakota Farmer)  New biofuel crop looks good in 2010 trials.
An organization called Green Vision Group is investigating whether biofuel can made from beets. It and the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, Syngenta and Beta Seed …

Beet as a New Energy Crop
August 25, 2010 – 12:55 pm | No Comment

(The Bioenergy Site)  For the past two years, North Dakota State University Biofuels Economist, Cole Gufstafson, has been working in partnership with Green Vision Group and Heartland Renewable Energy (HRE) to create an energy beet for …

New Energy Economics: 2010 Energy Beet Field Days
August 25, 2010 – 10:54 am | No Comment

by Cole Gustafson (North Dakota State University Extension Service)  Farmers observing the trials were quite excited to see a new crop being developed
Last week, I participated in North Dakota’s first energy beet field days. Energy …