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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) … The zoning change coupled with a conditional use permit would have allowed VNA to construct its first US biomethane production facility. It was anticipated that the zoning and conditional use permit would be issued by no later than October 2018. Unfortunately, a group of Sumner
Kansas
January 10, 2019
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine provides a visual of prominent project development activities over the past year. READ MORE
January 5, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In October 2018, construction began on Ace Ethanol’s cellulosic ethanol plant in Stanley, Wisconsin. The plant will be the first to incorporate D3Max’s corn kernel fiber-to-ethanol process, and will help the plant increase its yields and produce higher-protein distillers dried grains with solubles, all without
January 2, 2019
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by John Duff (Delta Farm Press/National Sorghum Producers) … The Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership program is a grassroots effort to fund new infrastructure for e15. Selling higher blends of ethanol at convenience stores sometimes requires new equipment or modifications to existing equipment, and both require investment. With this in mind, the sorghum,
December 11, 2018
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(NGV Journal) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized 30 clean water infrastructure projects (from large wastewater infrastructure projects to small decentralized and agriculture projects) for excellence and innovation within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program. One of the initiatives recognized as “exceptional” is the Kansas – Dodge City
December 8, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … “There’s a very tight window between today and June 1,” says Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol. “The big-picture goal is for the proposed rule to be out for public comment and for EPA to wrap up a final rule prior
December 6, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Many prominent bioenergy critiques are feedstock-focused — for example, iLUC (Searchinger et al. 2008), carbon debt. Marginal land strategies identify areas where energy crops likely have competitive advantage for productivity and/or conservation based on Biophysical characteristics (land capability classification) and past/current land use (pasture/rangeland, ‘abandoned’ land.
December 3, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of October 24th. … #2 Oil and gas giant YPF to start producing biofuels In Argentina, Miguel Gutiérrez, President of oil and gas company YPF, made a
October 26, 2018
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by Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News Energywire) State utility regulators across the Midwest are revving up their interest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And the petroleum industry and its allies are urging them to hit the brakes. The American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, and Americans for Prosperity have all weighed
October 25, 2018
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the U.S. ethanol industry, three plants are under construction, while a fourth makes its way through the permitting process. — In an industry with more than 200 existing plants, four new projects is a small figure. Greenfield ethanol plant development is in a lull,
October 24, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two ethanol producers are adopting quite different innovative technologies to add value to their corn oil—one making biodiesel with supercritical methods, the other making renewable diesel. East Kansas Agri-Energy’s renewable diesel plant has been operational for about a year, after taking months to work
October 24, 2018
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Wilson Biochar Associates: Helping Your Biochar Project Reach Its Goals Biochar is an exciting new field with great potential but significant uncertainties. That’s where expertise from Wilson Biochar Associates can make all the difference for the success of your enterprise. Wilson Biochar Associates specializes in biochar technology, market development, education
October 15, 2018
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by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald) Nebraska will run 50 state-owned vehicles on a 30 percent ethanol blend to see how the corn-derived fuel performs in conventional engines. The pilot program will monitor the effects of E-15 and E-30 blends on vehicle performance, fuel economy and emissions control systems in state
September 26, 2018
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by Jesse McCurry (Wichita Eagle/Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission & Producers Association) … Our grains reach markets around the world and feed production at a dozen Kansas ethanol plants that produce nearly 500 million gallons of clean, renewable biofuel each year. Ethanol production alone supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the
September 14, 2018
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(Urban Air Initiative) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refused to acknowledge it used faulty science and blending practices to paint an inaccurate picture of ethanol emissions in a long-awaited response to the Urban Air Initiative (UAI). In January 2017, UAI, the states of Nebraska and Kansas, and the
September 13, 2018
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by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018
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by Tiffany Lane (KSNW) Residents expressed concern Wednesday night over a proposal to build a biofuel plant in Sumner County. A Michigan company is hoping to build a plant near Belle Plaine that would convert wheat straw into renewable gas. The company says the plant could add 100 jobs to the community. But
August 16, 2018
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by Tom Joslin (Bio-Based World News) … Few of you will have escaped the heatwave that seems to have enveloped most of the northern hemisphere. Soaring temperatures exceeding 46°C have been recorded in Alvega, Portugal, while seventeen of eighteen of the countries regions experienced temperatures above 45°C. This follows recent headlines reporting
August 10, 2018
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by Morgan Downing (KAKE) … VNA Corporation wants to build a biofuel plant north of Wellington. The company plans on harvesting natural gas from wheat stalk. It says it will be new source of revenue for Kansas farmers. “To me, it’s a smart move,” said Stacy Davis with Sumner County Economic Development. “It’s
August 1, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Sorghum sights are set high with EPA approval and recent genetic improvements — … U.S. EPA opened up pathways for sorghum oil to become renewable fuels. … Sorghum is a grass grown in many places and regions around the world, but also is increasingly being grown
July 30, 2018
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(Nebraska Public Power District) Nebraska Public Power District is taking another step forward in the carbon world with a second Department of Energy (DOE) study. This most recent initiative has a goal of developing an integrated carbon dioxide (CO2) collection, transportation, and storage infrastructure in the Midwest for ethanol facilities
July 20, 2018
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by Frank Jossi (Energy News) A federal tax credit passed earlier this year could increase the amount of carbon being stored underground. The revamped “45Q” tax credit boosts the amount of money available to companies willing to capture and store carbon emissions in geologic formations or use CO2 to extract oil
July 11, 2018
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by Kelsey Quargnenti (Renewable Fuels Association) Last month, the Renewable Fuels Association custom E85 motorcycle from Paul Jr. Designs made its debut on “American Chopper.” It seems that most companies that commission a custom motorcycle from Paul Jr. Designs never register it, and never ride it. They become corporate lobby trophies
July 6, 2018
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The Fuels Institute and the national laboratories that comprise the DOE Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative are co-hosting a series of collaborative, single-day stakeholder meetings to review current research on the role of octane and other fuel properties relevant to producing fuels that could enable the design of more
June 20, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel to Kansas this morning, where he’ll stop by East Kansas Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Garnett. The trip comes a week after the White House quashed the release of a plan to change the Renewable Fuels Standard amid
June 12, 2018
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by Tim Albrecht (Biomass Magazine) Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced three bills this week to boost rural economic opportunities by expanding USDA funding eligibility for clean energy projects. This funding would help improve electric grid security, create more energy choices for businesses, and advance the development and deployment of low-carbon, clean
June 8, 2018
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(GrainNet) Industry and government officials from 17 countries in Asia and Oceania are meeting with members of the U.S. ethanol industry and U.S. officials in Minneapolis this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific (Summit), focused on current and future prospects for expanded ethanol use throughout the region. The
May 22, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Technologies for feed coproducts are evolving, pumping out high-protein ingredient alternatives. Experts assure the market is ripe. — The pile of distillers grains at nearly a dozen plants is about to get smaller. Production of Fluid Quip Process Technologies LLC’s high-protein feed ingredient is expected
Driving Profit in Biofuels Production through Innovation: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to ICM
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ICM’s equipment and processes are already used in the majority of U.S. ethanol plants, and continues to develop processes to make ethanol production more efficient for customers. Among the latest tech advances? ICM and The Andersons are partnering to own and construct ELEMENT, LLC, a 70 MGY bio-refinery
April 23, 2018
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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee are getting ready to move ahead on drafting a farm bill, ideally in April, and will seek to avoid the rancor over food assistance that has tied up farm-bill discussions in the House. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat
March 22, 2018
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by John Abraham (The Guardian) Biofuels can help solve climate change, especially with a carbon tax — We’re not yet optimizing biofuel production for both economic and environmental factors … These are great starts but we will still need some liquid fuels and for those, we can make decisions about the best fuels
March 15, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) … In the U.S., nearly 3 billion gallons of clean, renewable fuel replacing its petroleum counterpart. A thriving and growing diesel vehicle market. And 64,000 jobs supported by biodiesel, many the highest paying jobs in the area. Diesel, who invented the engine that bears his name,
March 15, 2018
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by Susan Reidy (World-Grain.com) A $1.5 billion settlement has been reached in the nationwide class action suit over Syngenta’s genetically modified corn seed. It is believed to be one of the largest agricultural settlements in U.S. history. The settlement covers all U.S. corn producers, grain handling facilities and ethanol plants who
March 14, 2018
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by Mary Guiden (Colorado State University) … A study from Colorado State University finds new promise for biofuels produced from switchgrass, a non-edible native grass that grows in many parts of North America. Scientists used modeling to simulate various growing scenarios, and found a climate footprint ranging from -11 to 10
March 12, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board) National Biodiesel Board releases field of “Elite Eight” — March Madness kicks off next week, showcasing the very best of college basketball. In that spirit, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has released its own bracket of colleges and universities upping their game with a different kind of prowess –
March 8, 2018
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(ICM/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ICM Inc., a global leading biofuels process technology provider, and The Andersons Inc., a publicly-traded company with diverse interests encompassing a variety of agribusinesses, announced today that they are partnering to own and construct Element LLC, a 70 MMgy biorefinery located in Colwich, Kansas. This strategic collaboration will
March 6, 2018
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by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) Mixed prairie grasses that are used in Conservation Reserve Program lands did not live up to their potential as biomass crops for cellulosic biofuel production, in an eight-year study. D.K. Lee, associate crop science professor at the University of Illinois, tells Brownfield most of the CRP
February 21, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Continued investment and expansion took place in the U.S. biodiesel sector throughout 2017, despite rising political uncertainty and a lapsed tax credit. Here is an overview of some of the activity, plus a special sidebar story from Joe Jobe. As 2017 dawned with another expired biodiesel
by David Bennett (Convenience Store Decisions) Whether it’s teaming with Tesla to install charging stations or integrating alternative fuel solutions, retailers are part of a changing transportation marketplace. — … Some analysts insist the internal combustion engine has been around more than a century and should be around for decades to come,
January 19, 2018
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(Pearson Fuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine) East Kansas Agri-Energy of Garnett, Kansas, and Pearson Fuels of San Diego, California, announce the signing of an exclusive West Coast marketing agreement for the distribution of renewable diesel from EKAE’s recently commissioned plant in Garnett. Renewable diesel meets the traditional diesel fuel specification while being produced
December 11, 2017
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(Associated Press/U.S. News and World Report) Researchers in Kansas and China are using mathematical modeling to improve the process of converting wheat straw into pellets for the production of ethanol. Wheat straw, the plant residue left after wheat harvest, is abundant in Kansas. The straw has low commercial value, but one use
November 27, 2017
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Cellulosic technology companies have invested time and millions of dollars to explore ways to convert biomass into cellulosic ethanol for the better part of 20 years. Most technologies have fallen victim to high capital and development costs, changing political winds and economic recession. Many
November 22, 2017
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(National Biodiesel Board) “We Were Drawn to Your Explicit Promises to Our Farmers… But Now We Are Concerned” — Today four Republican Governors sent a letter to President Trump with concerns on the recently proposed changes to America’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), urging the president to keep his promises to rural America
October 17, 2017
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by Robert White (Renewable Fuels Association) … We decided on visiting some national parks and monuments in Colorado and Utah. Naturally, this adventure had to be done in a Flex Fuel vehicle, and we chose our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee as our mode of transportation. The goal – to make the
September 26, 2017
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by Dave VanderGriend (ICM Inc./Wichita Business Journal) I was driving home last week and was surprised to see the price differences on the gas station sign. Regular 87 octane gas was $.40 cheaper than “No Ethanol” 87 octane. Regular 87 has contained 10 percent ethanol in Kansas for almost 10 years
June 12, 2017
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(American Society of Agronomy/Biomass Magazine) A new study, led by Augustine Obour at Kansas State University, looks at how three varieties of camelina perform when grown in two different regions within the Great Plains. The end goal is to find the camelina variety that performs best in each location or
by Ron Swoboda (Wallaces Farmer) E15 provides motorists better value in addition to higher performance and reduced emissions. — In early May, the Kwik Trip convenience store chain announced it is joining other major fuel retailers in offering E15 — the corn-based biofuel containing 15% ethanol — to customers in
May 12, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ICM is a company on the leading edge of an exciting industry—one dedicated to realizing every benefit of biofuels technology. Our equipment and processes are already used in the majority of U.S. ethanol plants, and we continue to develop processes to make ethanol production more
May 12, 2017
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Midwest convenience store chain Casey’s General Stores will begin offering higher ethanol blends of E15 and E85 at 17 sites in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas. The Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, and Kansas Corn Commission along with Growth Energy are assisting Casey’s with
April 28, 2017
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(Biofuels International) Butamax Advanced Biofuels, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and DuPont, has announced the acquisition of Nesika Energy and its ethanol facility in Scandia, Kansas. Butamax will now start engineering work to add bio-isobutanol capacity to the facility. … The Butamax Advanced Biofuels partnership between BP and DuPont
April 3, 2017
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(Ethanol Producer Magazine) ICM Inc. will build a new state-of-the-art biorefinery—dubbed ICM Element—next to its headquarters in Colwich, Kansas. The facility will showcase the company’s cutting-edge technologies. … Elements are nature’s building blocks and the world is searching for cleaner, sustainable, renewable fuels. ICM President Chris Mitchell stated, “Element will
March 6, 2017
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by Jeff Broin (POET/Journal Gazette) … Plummeting farm income, falling land values and depressed commodity prices over the last few years threaten to undo the prosperity of the previous decade. All indicators point to farms in trouble. • Net farm income is projected to be down nearly 50 percent this year
February 27, 2017
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by Robert Walton (Utility Dive) The Sierra Club says six states have proposed legislation this year that would add to the cost of owning an electric vehicle, worrying clean energy advocates who say owning emissions-free vehicles should be incentivized rather than taxed. States with new EV-fee bills include Indiana, South
February 24, 2017
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by Steffen Mueller (University of Illinois at Chicago/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Strategically located ethanol sources cannot be economically replaced. — Carbon dioxide sourced from corn-ethanol plants is not a waste-recovery product but a coproduct that, in many regions, can only be replaced by higher-emitting, less-economical resources. A reduction in U.S. ethanol
February 20, 2017
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(Urban Air Initiative) Stakeholders including the states of Kansas and Nebraska joined the Urban Air Initiative (UAI) and the Energy Future Coalition as they petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to correct the agency’s flawed models that limit the use of higher blends of ethanol. According to UAI representatives, for years,
February 2, 2017
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by Hiroko Tabuchi (The New York Times) … Here in north-central Kansas, America’s breadbasket and conservative heartland, the economic realities of agriculture make climate change a critical business issue. At the same time, politics and social pressure make frank discussion complicated. This is wheat country, and Donald J. Trump country, and
February 2, 2017
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(University of Missouri) Switchgrass Can Improve Soil Quality on Eroded Farms, Study Finds — The loss of fertile topsoil from agricultural fields is an economic problem for modern farmers. When runoff water washes topsoil from agricultural fields in areas with claypan soils under the topsoil, including parts of Missouri, Iowa,
December 14, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Bottom line, Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas closed the sale of its cellulosic ethanol plant located in Hugoton, Kansas under the US Bankruptcy Code. Ocean Park was the sell-side advisor to Abengoa. This follows from our report from last week that the Bankruptcy Court overseeing
December 12, 2016
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(KRVN/Kansas Soybean Commission) Kansas fleets and individual motorists driving diesel vehicles now can get up to $2,000 of their annual fuel bills paid, just by using biodiesel blends. Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from vegetable oils and fats left over from food production. It can be used in any
December 7, 2016
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Kansas district bankruptcy court approved the top bid for Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas in an order signed Nov. 29 by Judge Robert Nugent. Synata Bio Inc. placed the top bid of $48.5 million, with Shell Oil Co. named as the backup
December 2, 2016
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by Dan Voorhis (Wichita Eagle) Colwich-based ICM is exploring whether to renovate and expand the recently purchased Abengoa Bioenergy plant in Colwich into a state-of-the-art energy-efficient biorefinery. Such a plant would showcase ICM’s latest technology innovations with the goal to have one of the lowest carbon indexes of any grain
November 15, 2016
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by KS Corn (Rural Radio Network) Sandra’s Quick Stop will celebrate new fuel choices for drivers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m Thursday, Nov. 10 in Garnett. The Quick Stop, located at the junction of Highway 169 and Highway 59, added blender pumps that offer higher blends of ethanol fuels
November 7, 2016
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(DTN/Progressive Farmer/KOOL) Shell Oil Company has agreed to buy Abengoa Bioenergy’s cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, for what could be a significantly discounted price of $26 million, according to court documents filed Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas. The plant was built at an
October 14, 2016
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by By Rachel Skytta (KWCH) A higher grade of ethanol blended gasoline will soon make its way to Wichita, giving consumers more options when they fill up. … “Ethanol is alcohol, we’ve been making alcohol and moonshine, vodka since the stone age and effectively we’ve taken ethanol from sugars.” said Jeff
October 3, 2016
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by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) Consumers will have the choice to purchase E15 at the pump again tomorrow, September 15, 2016. For drivers owning a 2001 or newer vehicle, E15 sales are restricted during summer months due to an arcane U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation on Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP).
September 14, 2016
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Sept. 13, the governors of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking her to remove the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) limit on E15. The letter explains the RVP is a significant
September 14, 2016
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by Mike Chisam (The Hays Daily News) A recent article in the Hays Daily News, titled “Subsidized madness,” makes erroneous claims about the Renewable Fuel Standard and ethanol. The article attacks the RFS by using the tired, false arguments that are often levied at the biofuels industry by opponents. For starters,
August 15, 2016
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by Hillary Borrud (The Oregonian) Supporters of Oregon’s controversial low-carbon fuels mandate, newly approved last year, hailed it as a chance to grow a local biofuels industry and reduce drivers’ reliance on imported fuel. But six months into the program, a review by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found, much of the
August 15, 2016
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by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) A contingency of ethanol producers from Mexico recently visited the U.S. to look at the option of sorghum as an ethanol feedstock as the country’s industry continues to grow following the announcement by Pemex, the country’s state-owned petro company, to blend ethanol into its gas. Hosted
August 2, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Missouri, Ocean Park Advisors has been retained by Abengoa Bioenergy to find a strategic partner or to complete a sale of Abengoa cellulosic ethanol plant, electricity cogeneration plant and related assets in Hugoton, Kansas. Additionally, there is an opportunity for interested parties to acquire the
July 19, 2016
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(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) … So it comes as little surprise that Sydney (Jaeger) has developed a love for biodiesel, and lists operating heavy equipment on the family farm and working in the biodiesel plant among her hobbies. As the Miss Kansas pageant approaches, the National Biodiesel Board sat down
June 22, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Kansas, ICM said it is is currently in discussion with a short list of those interested in being selected as an early adopter of its Gen 1.5 technology, and they anticipate construction of the first commercial cellulosic plant of its kind built next to
June 20, 2016
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by Chris Prentice (Reuters) Archer Daniels Midland Co and other supporters of biofuels on Thursday said U.S. regulators grossly underestimated the amount of higher-ethanol fuel blends at pumps when requirements for next year’s use of renewables were proposed. The comments came as oil companies, biofuels producers and farmers gathered at
(Kansas Corn) Kyle Bush won Go Bowling 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at the Kansas Speedway Saturday running on E15, 15 percent ethanol fuel. In fact, all NASCAR race vehicles have operated exclusively on E15 fuel since 2011. The Kansas Corn Commission educated race fans about high performance ethanol fuel
June 2, 2016
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by Charlie Good (Des Moines Register/Good and Quick) … Today, due to a combination of a quirk in federal regulation and the heavy-handed tactics of the oil industry, I walk out to my fuel pumps and change a sticker so that E15 can no longer be sold to 80 percent of
June 1, 2016
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(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The effort to stop the U.S. EPA from implementing a model that unfairly blames ethanol for increased emissions hit a “temporary setback,” according to officials from the Urban Air Initiative in response to action by the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Last
May 11, 2016
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by Robert Rapier (Forbes) Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that during the first quarter of 2016, just over 1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol were produced. In fact, production for the month of March jumped 64% from the previous month to 446,000 gallons produced, the highest levels
April 27, 2016
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by Keith Loria (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biodiesel tanks are popping up in the tank farms at some ethanol plants these days. — During the past decade, there has been a great deal of innovation and thought put into the synergies between ethanol and biodiesel production, as plants share infrastructure and process
April 15, 2016
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by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) … Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan Guarantee Program and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) were capped well below the funding
April 6, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we conducted a webinar on the state of cellulosic fuels as part of our 2016 March Madness series. You can experience the recorded version of the webinar here. Meanwhile, here is the primary slide deck, including slides from major technologies and slides on
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Poet Inc. is shipping fuel from Iowa facility, which could hit full output by year’s end. — Poet Inc., the nation’s first commercial-scale producer of cellulosic ethanol, is shipping the fuel from its plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, and could hit full production by the end
March 23, 2016
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by Mario Parker (Bloomberg Business) … Back in 2007, when crude oil was headed toward a record $147.27 a barrel, ethanol was being touted as a cheap alternative from abundant domestic resources. The U.S. is the world’s biggest corn grower and exporter. Then-President George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence and
(RPA News) Our top story this month is a blunt reminder of how deeply U.S. policy uncertainty cut down and yanked back the progress of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol over the past few years. The U.S. EPA’s epic indecision and sometimes indifference toward the law that is the renewable fuel standard (RFS),
March 22, 2016
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by Ann Purvis (Heartland Institute) … (A) new study from researchers at Strata Policy (SP) and the Institute of Political Economy (IPE) at Utah State University suggests RFS also harms the very farmers the ethanol mandate was designed to help. … According to the study by SP and IPE, the result
by Holly Jessen and Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Although there are challenges facing the second generation ethanol industry, progress is being made — U.S. EPA data shows 2.18 million cellulosic ethanol D3 RINs (renewable identification numbers) were generated in 2015. That news was one of three main highlights of 2015,
March 18, 2016
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Last week, we reported that potential buyers of Abengoa Bioenergy’s six first generation ethanol facilities have been looking at acquiring the assets even before the company’s announcement that they would be put up for sale. We reported last month that company has already received possible
March 8, 2016
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(Lux Research/MarketWired) Of the Six Existing Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Facilities, Raizen’s Projected Price of $2.17 per Gallon Is Lowest, as Innovations Help Bring Next-Generation Biofuels to Market, Says Lux Research Six companies have now brought cellulosic ethanol facilities online, but with widely varying costs that indicate where innovation is still
February 24, 2016
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by Susanna Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Eighty-nine ethanol producers west of the Mississippi River prepare for the revised LCFS. … After a couple of years in limbo due to challenges to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the California carbon credit market is heating up again. In mid-January, LCFS credits were
(Ocean Park Advisors/Ag Professionals) … “Our experience leads us to believe there will be an increased number of owners and boards of renewable fuel companies evaluating their options in 2016, if not testing the market for reasonable assessments of the value of their plants,” said Bruce Comer, founder and managing director
by Kenneth Riffle (Salina Journal) Opinion: … Ethanol utilized as an oxygenate in blended gasoline helps control carbon monoxide emissions. As an economic driver, ethanol has strengthened rural communities by adding value to agricultural production. If adhered to, the ethanol incentive model keeps profits in local communities along with jobs. George W.
January 25, 2016
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by James Hataway (University of Georgia) A team of researchers led by faculty at the University of Georgia have received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find new ways of combating Johnsongrass, one of the most widespread and troublesome agricultural weeds in the world. … This
January 20, 2016
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Although the cellulosic ethanol industry has had some challenges, there is hope for the year ahead. For some Midwest farmers, cellulosic ethanol’s launch in the past two years has allowed them to put their corn crops to wider use by providing stover to companies such
January 19, 2016
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … “Most investors are from South Dakota by far,” he reported, but the project did attract investors from Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. “Generally, from areas where they understand the ethanol investment,” he added. When completed, there will be between 150 to 200
January 4, 2016
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by Loni Kemp (NRDC/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) The next ethanol boom is most likely to come from cellulose feedstocks, yet US policy is unprepared to ensure that harvest of annual crop residues is sustainable. That’s the conclusion of a new report recently published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The drive toward truly sustainable
December 15, 2015
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by John Montgomery (The Hutchinson News) … Abengoa shut down the plant last month – eliminating about 50 jobs – a little more than a year after a grand opening celebration featuring high-level state and federal officials. The company also shut down its small traditional ethanol plant in Colwich. It’s
December 14, 2015
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) The South Dakota Farmers Union celebrated its 100th annual meeting by taking another step forward in history by unanimously passing a resolution that dedicates its members to use a 30 percent ethanol blend in all of their engines. … The resolution is what some call the
December 11, 2015
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by Rob Nikolewski (Kansas Watchdog.org) … “I think we have to see how this thing plays out. In the short run, of course, it’s a devastating blow,” said Neal Gillespie, Stevens County Economic Developmentdirector. “In the long run, I think there’s a lot of value in that plant out there, and I
December 7, 2015
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by Scott Canon (Kansas City Star) … The discussion of ethanol policy puts conservatives in an awkward spot — …Yet even in Iowa this year, Grain Belt concerns now draw less attention than in the past. That could mean that expansion of the Corning plant to include cellulosic ethanol production —
December 7, 2015
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(The Daily Caller News Foundation) Rep. Mike Pompeo is demanding information on Abengoa, a Spanish green energy firm on the brink of bankruptcy that could leave U.S. taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars. The Kansas Republican is worried Abengoa’s bankruptcy could stick taxpayers with the bill in light
December 4, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Kansas, Abengoa has decided to suspend production at its new cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton as well as its corn-based ethanol plant in Colwich as part of the recent financial troubles the company is suffering from that may eventually lead to bankruptcy. The company
December 4, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Kansas, INVISTA and LanzaTech have developed a metabolic ‘toolkit’ that has been successfully applied to generate novel metabolic pathways to bio-derived butadiene and key precursors, such as 1,3 butanediol and 2,3 butanediol, resulting in new direct and 2-step processes for butadiene utilizing gas-fermentation technology.
December 2, 2015
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by Amanda Bilek (Biomass Magazine) As cellulosic ethanol production facilities have come online, anaerobic digesters have been colocated at the plants to recover biogas from soluble residues inherent in the ethanol production process. These soluble residues contain a source of energy that can be recovered using anaerobic digestion, and the captured
November 30, 2015
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by WIlliam Tucker (Fuel Freedom Foundation) … Cellulosic ethanol, capable of recycling crop wastes into fuel, may be here. On the day before Halloween, the DuPont Chemical Company opened what it claimed to be the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa. The facility will use cornstalks, leaves and corn
November 18, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s building what, where, now. 29 projects in construction or in commissioning in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and the Americas Despite low oil prices, first-gen biofuels and advanced biofuels continue to develop, and especially in the developing world. In this report, we
November 18, 2015
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(Pacific Ag) For industries like mushroom composting to erosion technology as well as dairy and cattle feed, Pacific Ag is creating a supply chain for agricultural residue — — Pacific Ag, the nation’s largest crop residue harvest company, has recently completed its largest harvest of wheat straw on record. Working
November 16, 2015
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by Doug Kennedy (KWBE) A biodiesel plant at the northwest edge of Beatrice is getting ready for the start of operations, by planning to do some testing procedures, soon. … Crews have been retrofitting the former Beatrice Biodiesel facility to use various materials for manufacturing biodiesel. … According to Flint Hills
November 13, 2015
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by Ryan Fitzpatrick (Third Way) Although relatively obscure by Washington standards, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) carries a unique level of importance and visibility in many rural states. The fact that the RFS invariably becomes a priority campaign issue for presidential primary candidates passing through Iowa serves as evidence of
November 9, 2015
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by Jonathan H Harsch (Agri-Pulse) The escalating battle over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) added another front Thursday. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson warned President Obama that lowering the RFS volume requirements could result in Democrats losing otherwise winnable congressional races in the 2016 elections. Johnson warned that unless Obama
November 9, 2015
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(Associated Press/The Republic) The U.S. Agriculture Department has awarded Kansas $1.3 million in matching funds for a program to increase the availability of ethanol blended fuels for motorists. … The funds will allow a coalition called the Kansas Better Blends Initiative to begin a substantial effort to help Kansas fuel retailers
October 30, 2015
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by Alison Goss Eng and Daniel Adams (U.S. Department of Energy) … Earlier this year, we highlighted five cost-saving harvesting technologies that private companies and universities developed through $21 million in 2009 funding from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). At the time, several types of equipment, including Tigerats’ feller buncher, were
October 29, 2015
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(U.S. Department of Energy) How is funding from BETO a part of the emerging bioeconomy in some states? Find out with our new state fact sheets. For select states, these fact sheets give information about efforts to develop the advanced bioenergy industry. The U.S. Department of Energy provides joint funding
October 29, 2015
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by Ray Defenbaugh (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Prime the Pump/Growth Energy) Prime the pump, an effort to grow the ethanol market to accelerate the build-out of higher blend retail infrastructure, has had tremendous success, writes Ray Defenbaugh. — The ethanol industry is going on the offense to bring higher blends into the
October 27, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For two decades, ICM has adapted with the changing times, bringing technology solutions to the ethanol industry. — In 1995, ICM Inc. got its start with the purchase of the engineering, manufacturing and marketing divisions of High Plains Corp. located in Colwich, Kansas. On
October 27, 2015
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by Michael Bastasch (Daily Caller) Abengoa Bioenergy got nearly $230 million in federal loans and grants to build a massive cellulosic biofuel refinery capable of producing 25 million gallons of ethanol every year. The company, however, says it has paid back its federal loans without selling any cellulosic ethanol. “We have
October 22, 2015
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by Nichola Groom (Reuters) … The visitor represented Clean Line Energy Partners LLC, a Texas company established to build transmission lines for carrying wind and solar power. He had come to tell (Dave) Ulery about a planned line that would cut through the untouched woods of pine and oak trees on
October 20, 2015
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by T.J. Page (Des Moines Register/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Letter to the Editor– It’s disappointing, but not surprising to read a recent letter from a non-Iowan repeating discredited Environmental Working Group statistics to bash corn farmers and ethanol production [“Ethanol plays role in nitrate problem,” Sept. 20]. A review of the facts shows
October 5, 2015
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by Nicholas Bergin (Lincoln Journal Star) Sorghum, a grass with a colorful seed about the size of a BB, was selling at more than a dollar a bushel above corn thanks to China’s voracious appetite for grain free of genetically modified hybrids, which the Chinese government had tightly restricted. More
October 5, 2015
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by Keith Loria (Biomass Magazine) California’s Calgren Renewable Fuels uses renewable energy generated onsite to power its renewable fuel production process. When the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester officially opened in Tulare County, California, early this year, it represented a major commitment by the state of California to employ sustainable energy production. Located
by Lisa Olliges (KOAM TV) Today PSU automotive students are learning how bio-diesel works as the alternative fuel becomes more mainstream. First it was ethanol now its bio-diesel. Steven Benzel, an automotive technology major says the course gave him new insights into bio-diesel. He says, “It’s much cleaner but has the
September 22, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Commercial-scale production and harvest of several annual and perennial biomass feedstocks is under way, paving the way for biofuels, biopower and biobased products. — … There are, however, a handful of other feedstocks that are gaining traction as potential feedstocks of the future, says Kelly
September 21, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The goal of the Abengoa project in Hugoton, Kansas? To design, build and operate a commercial scale bioethanol facility that uses sustainable biomass feedstock, drastically reduces green house gas emissions while achieving output production, yield and cost targets. READ MORE
September 16, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA announces state finalists for the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership. Will it move the needle? The Digest investigates. In Washington, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable fuel to America’s drivers. Since announcing the program in May 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency
by Rob Nikolewski (Watchdog.org) … Brooke Coleman, executive director at the Advanced Ethanol Council, counters by saying the industry is at an inherent disadvantage compared to oil companies and is ready for prime time. “Once cellulosic biofuel breaks through on a commercial scale, there is no going back,” Coleman said. Cellulosic biofuel is produced
August 25, 2015
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by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) I’d like to introduce you to some of the people who are proof that good things come when the U.S. EPA and other policymakers in Washington have the courage to do the right thing by the renewable fuel standard (RFS).
August 25, 2015
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(US Department of Agriculture) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that enrollment begins today for farmers and forest landowners seeking financial assistance for growing new sources of biomass for energy or biobased products within designated projects areas. The funds are available from the
(US Department of Energy) The Energy Department today announced up to $9 million for the design of sustainable bioenergy systems that maintain or enhance the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of cellulosic bioenergy through the improvement of feedstock production, logistics systems, and technology development. This funding supports the Department’s efforts to
August 21, 2015
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by Kim Trinchet (Urban Air Initiative) New documents filed with the U.S Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. show that the model used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure tailpipe emissions inaccurately blames ethanol for increased air pollution, according to the Urban Air Initiative and several collaborating
August 21, 2015
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by Kim Trinchet (Urban Air Initiative) Many gas stations are promoting E0, or gasoline with zero percent ethanol. It not only costs more than regular gasoline which contains 10% ethanol, new data shows it also burns dirtier in your engine which then puts more toxic emissions into the air. Urban
August 21, 2015
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by PJ Griekspoor (Agri-View) St. Joseph, Mo., pilot plant completes tests of making cellulosic ethanol that also yields value-added co-products — The prospects for profitable cellulosic ethanol just got a little brighter with the completion of two successful 1,000-hour performance runs for ICM’s patent-pending Generation 2.0 Co-Located Cellulose Ethanol process. ICM performed
August 20, 2015
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by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) AGCO is well-equipped to aid the first U.S. cellulosic ethanol plants in devising efficient and effective feedstock supply chain models. Name the crop, and AGCO has baled it. Extensive work with kenaf, hemp, miscanthus, energy sorghum, energy cane, switchgrass and corn stalks—nearly all nonwoody biomass—has
August 19, 2015
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by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative) … The RFS is very important to our industry, but focusing on it alone, has caused us to take our eye off the dealer. The down card trumps everything in the deck and it’s called the MOVES model, which stands for Mobile Vehicle Emissions
August 17, 2015
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(US Department of Energy) “Sustainability in Bioenergy: A Nation Connected” is a short documentary highlighting personal stories and the efforts being made by communities across the United States to develop, produce, and provide bioenergy, while ensuring it is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. From farmers and families in the Midwest,
August 17, 2015
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(Kansas State University) A Kansas State University biochemistry professor has reached a milestone in building a better biofuel: producing high levels of lipids with modified properties in oil seeds. Timothy Durrett, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics in the College of Arts & Sciences, and collaborators at Michigan State University
August 17, 2015
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TERRA projects seek to accelerate the development of sustainable energy crops for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. To accomplish this, the projects uniquely integrate agriculture, information technology, and engineering communities to design and apply new tools for the development of improved varieties of energy sorghum, a crop
August 5, 2015
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(Urban Air Initiative/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Many gas stations are promoting E0, or gasoline with zero percent ethanol. It not only costs more than regular gasoline that contains 10 percent ethanol, new data shows it also burns dirtier in your engine which then puts more toxic emissions into the air. Urban
August 3, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Abengoa is active in three areas in biofuels: a. Traditional fermentation of cereal grains and sugar cane for the commercial production of bioethanol; b. Traditional transesterification for the production of biodiesel from cereal and vegetable oils.; and c. Commercial scale cellulosic fuel production. READ MORE
July 31, 2015
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(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The National Boat Racing Association recently held its annual Garnett Ethanol Hydroplane Shootout in Garnett, Kansas. The July 12–13 event, which was sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association, East Kansas Agri-Energy and the Kansas Corn Commission, invited boat racers from across the country to compete
July 27, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Already, biogas as a renewable fuel is accounting for 90% of all cellulosic RIN production under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Food and paper manufacturers, ethanol & biodiesel plants, cities, landfill operators, and animal feeding operations stand to benefit. How does it work? We spoke with
July 27, 2015
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by Dave Eckhardt (Colorado Corn Growers Association/Pueblo Chieftan) … Perhaps the EPA has forgotten the RFS is working. It’s helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, ethanol lowered CO2-equivalent GHG emissions from transportation by 39.6 million metric tons — akin to removing 8.4 million cars from the road. The RFS has
July 20, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) You may have heard the old joke, “you can make anything out of lignin, except money.” Well, I hope to still be writing about ethanol the day that’s been proven wrong. … Earlier this year, I wrote a story for the April issue of Ethanol
July 14, 2015
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by Ken McCauley (Garden City Telegram) … American farmers stepped up when called upon, increasing production levels of corn ethanol to meet the growing standards. We restructured our production plants and ways of life to help wean the United States off foreign oil from unfriendly nations, resulting in billions being injected
July 7, 2015
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(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Renewable Fuels Association member company East Kansas Agri-Energy recently hosted key officials from the U.S. EPA at its facility in Garnett, Kansas, 70 miles southwest of Kansas City. EPA personnel toured the 45 million gallon per year corn ethanol plant, examined progress on EKAE’s co-located
July 6, 2015
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by Amy Bickel (Kansas Agland/The Garden City Telegram) The wheat field here is shaved down to a schoolboy’s haircut, but Courtney Wilson’s harvest is just beginning. “I sometimes feel like a door-to-door salesman,” the man admitted as he stood in a field of stubble, watching as a crew operated swathers and
July 6, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Seen a number of high-profile cellulosic projects open in recent years, and not much ethanol being produced? Wondered why? Here are answers to your questions. As Jack Webb used to say on Dragnet, just the facts, ma’am. Fact one. There’s not much ethanol being produced at
July 2, 2015
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by Kelli Fulkerson (Ethanol Producer Magazine/National Sorghum Producers) Producers work to expand markets for sorghum distillers and oil. While exports are undeniably the hottest market for grain sorghum right now with China set to buy over 70 percent of the 2014-’15 U.S. crop, sorghum’s advantages as an ethanol feedstock remain
June 29, 2015
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Renewable-Fuel Advocates Turn out at KCK Hearing, Give the EPA an Earful on Reducing Ethanol Targets
by Greg Hack and Kasia Kovacs (Kansas City Star) When the Environmental Protection Agency proposed lowering the country’s ethanol-use mandates for this year and next, it set up a public hearing to let people tell it what they thought. On Thursday more than 280 people showed up to testify
June 29, 2015
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(Danforth Plant Science Center) Understanding key phenotype-to-genotype associations will enhance efforts to bring products to market — The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today it was awarded an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA–E TERRA program. Funds will be used for research to accelerate breeding
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) … Regarding the June 25 public hearing on EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the RFS, Dinneen says the agency has already received about 250 requests to testify and he is encouraging everyone possible to turnout. “I want chaos, I want farmers that care about what this proposal
June 19, 2015
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