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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
DPG and EPEC Biofuels Holdings LLC Form JV to Finance Sorghum Ethanol and Other Biofuels Projects; Up To $376M for Sorghum Ethanol Project Financing
November 12, 2009
DPG Investments, LLC has entered into a joint venture with EPEC Biofuels Holdings, Inc., a sweet sorghum ethanol company, to form a platform finance company which will provide project financing for EPEC and select financing initiatives in the biofuels and renewable energy sectors.
According to the joint venture agreement between the parties, DPG and EPEC have created EPEC Finance, LLC which has been granted the exclusive rights to fund up to $376 million of project financing for EPEC. These funds will be utilized by EPEC for the manufacture and deployment of EPEC’s proprietary Ethanol Production Units (EPUs) on select sweet sorghum farms throughout the country.
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Neste Oil and St1 to Collaborate in VTT’s TransEco Development Program; Focus on Bio-ethanol and Bio-components for Gasoline
November 04, 2009
Neste Oil and St1 have begun working together on a fuel project as part of the TransEco development program coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The project will focus on developing cost-efficient solutions tailored to Finnish conditions that will enable the 20% bio-component target set for automotive fuel in 2020 as part of national climate goals to be achieved.
The joint project between VTT, Neste Oil, and St1 will concentrate on car fuels, as a number of other projects are already working on biofuel research related to trucks and other heavy vehicles. St1 will concentrate on optimizing high-blend bio-ethanol designed to replace fossil gasoline for Finnish conditions and minimizing the environmental impact of its use, while Neste Oil will focus on developing other bio-components suitable for blending with conventional gasoline.
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UNEP Report Calls for More Sophisticated Approach to Developing Biofuels; Limitations of Current LCA Studies
October 19, 2009
| Rapeseed biodiesel as an example of the varied environmental impacts of a particular biofuel. Here, RME show advantages for primary energy and GHG, but disadvantages in terms of acidification, eutrophication and ozone depletion. Source: “Assessing Biofuels”. Click to enlarge. |
A far more sophisticated approach needs to be taken when developing biofuels as an environmentally-friendly energy option, according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. In the report, its first, the panel concludes governments should fit biofuels into an overall energy, climate, land-use, water and agricultural strategy if biofuels deployment is to benefit society, the economy and the environment as a whole.
An important analytical issue that needs to be addressed, the report notes, is the lack of lifecycle assessment studies focusing on a wider set of environmental impact indicators than greenhouse gas emissions. This lack makes it difficult to assess trade-offs between different environmental impact indicators.
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Corn Ethanol Producer POET Enters Green Chemical Sector with New Zein Co-Product
October 15, 2009
Leading corn ethanol producer POET has introduced a new ethanol co-product, “Inviz” targeted at replacing petroleum-based ingredients in household products ranging from pill coatings to plastic packaging. Inviz is POET’s brand of zein, a biodegradable, low-nutrient protein found in corn.
Zein is a class of prolamine proteins that has a number of unique characteristics and functionalities. Pure zein is colorless, odorless, tasteless, hard, water-insoluble, edible and biodegradable. Zein has also achieved Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status from the FDA. Inviz zein can be used as a gum base or in films, packaging, adhesives, coatings and glazes.
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Coskata Unveils Semi-Commercial Feedstock-Flexible Ethanol Facility; Springboard for Full-Scale Commercial Rollout
| Coskata’s semi-commercial facility in Madison, Pa. Click to enlarge. |
Coskata Inc., a syngas to ethanol company, officially launched its semi-commercial “Flexethanol” facility located in Madison, PA. The site represents the successful scale-up of the company’s feedstock-flexible bio-thermochemical technology, and will serve as a springboard for the construction of Coskata commercial facilities and licensing of the technology to other producers.
The Coskata process can produce more than 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of dry, ash-free biomass material at a cost competitive with expected gasoline prices—around $1.00 per gallon, according to Wes Bolsen, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer & VP, Government Affairs. Actual production cost will vary, either below or above $1.00 per gallon, based on the cost of feedstock and the cost of power for the specific plant, he noted.
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Researchers Sequence Genome of Sugarcane Ethanol Yeast; Potential for Cellulosic Ethanol
October 14, 2009
Researchers from Duke University Medical Center, the University of North Carolina, and Brazil have sequenced the genome of PE-2, a strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that thrives on turning sugarcane into ethanol. An open access paper on the work was published in the journal Genome Research.
When oil prices rose to new highs in the 1970s, Brazil invested in ethanol created from the its sugar cane crops. Commercially available baker’s yeast was used to break down the sugar cane into ethanol, but genetic tests showed that this yeast quickly disappeared in the harsh environment of industrial fermentation vats. However, a yeast that grows naturally on the sugar cane was still viable in the vats and lasted through many more generations: PE-2.
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Study Finds That Higher Ethanol Blends Result in Improved Energy Efficiency in Flex-Fuel Engines, Partially Offsetting Reduced Energy Density of Fuel
October 12, 2009
| BTU per hp hr at 65 mph for the four ethanol blends. Source: Hanna et al. 2009. Click to enlarge. |
A study of flex-fuel vehicles operating on different ethanol blends (E10, E20, E30, and E85) found that higher ethanol blend ratios provide better energy conversion within the engine. The E85 fuel blend consumed fewer BTUs per mile than all other ethanol fuel blends evaluated.
This improved efficiency partially offsets the lower energy density of ethanol (BTUs per gallon), which results in higher fuel consumption. The research was funded in part by the Nebraska Corn Board and through the Hatch Act (University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division). Additional support for the project was provided by the State of Nebraska Transportation Services Bureau and The Shop, Inc.
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GAO Report Concludes Industry and Government Face Significant Challenges in Meeting RFS Target While Minimizing Unintended Adverse Effects; Suggests Federal Research Give Priority to Non-Ethanol Biofuels
October 05, 2009
A report recently published by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) concludes that the US biofuels industry and federal agencies will face significant challenges in meeting the more demanding requirements for volumes of advanced biofuels in RFS2 while minimizing any unintended adverse effects.
As part of the report, which was requested by Senators Barbara Boxer (as Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works) and Susan Collins, the GAO makes several recommendations to Congress and for executive (i.e. Department or Agency-level) action. Among those is the recommendation that “to minimize future blend wall issues and associated ethanol distribution infrastructure costs...the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy give priority to R&D on process technologies that produce biofuels that can be used by the existing petroleum-based distribution storage infrastructure and the current fleet of US vehicles”—i.e., non-ethanol biofuels.
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Forecast: Global Biofuels Use to Double by 2015, Second-Gen Biofuels to Lag Expectations
October 01, 2009
Despite a number of key issues such as land use and competition for feedstocks supplies for traditional food and feed uses, global use of biofuels is excepted to more than double from 2009 to 2015, according to a new global analysis released by Hart Energy Publishing’s Global Biofuels Center (GBC).
Hart’s “Global Biofuels Outlook to 2015” (GBO 2015) concludes that the US will see a growth of total biofuels use of more than 35%. Brazil will grow domestic supplies by 30% and more than double export volume. Indonesia and Malaysia will more than double production of palm oil biodiesel, while Germany will remain the largest producer of biofuels in Europe, according to the analysis. Major new contributors to the growth of global biofuels between 2009 and 2015 include Indonesia, France, China, India, Thailand, Colombia, Malaysia, Philippines and Argentina.
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Auto Industry Backs Additional Funding for Research into Impacts of Mid-Level Ethanol Blends
September 25, 2009
| Status of research into the effects of mid-level blends. Programs with red borders are unfunded; red bars are gaps in research. Source: Joint IEPR/TC workshop. Click to enlarge. |
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) sent a letter to US House and Senate Energy and Water Appropriators in support of additional funding to complete research into the impacts of mid-level blends of ethanol.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is current considering a request to allow more than the current limit of 10% ethanol in gasoline to increase overall ethanol consumption in the US fuel pool. (Earlier post.) The auto industry in principle is not opposed to the introduction of such mid-level blends (i.e., above 10% but below 85%; but it wants the completion of current durability testing plans. (Earlier post.)
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Audi Adds A4 and A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI Flex Fuel Models; Optimized for E85
September 15, 2009
Audi has added new flexible-fuel versions to its A4 model series: The A4 and A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI flexible fuel can operate on up to E85 ethanol blends. The 2.0 TFSI flexible fuel engine is based on the 2.0 TFSI with Audi valvelift and start-stop system. Like that engine, it produces 320 N·m (236 lb-ft) of torque between 1,500 and 4,200 rpm and puts out 132 kW (180 hp).
The four-cylinder engine is optimized for operation on E85. E85 is currently available at nearly 300 gas stations in Germany, with Norway and Sweden having the densest network of E85 filling stations in Europe.
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Study Concludes That Use of Cellulosic Feedstocks to Meet US Biofuel Requirements Will Still Likely Result in Expansion of the Gulf Dead Zone
September 10, 2009
| Nitrate output within the MARB (colored bars, lefthand y-axis) and mean areal extent of hypoxia in the NGOM with “No Buffer” and “50% Buffer” (gray scale bars, righthand y-axis). Nitrate output columns represent mean values and the 80% credible intervals from modeling. Credit: ACS, Costello et. al. Click to enlarge. |
A study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh found that while moving from corn to cellulosics to meet the biofuel goals specified by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) for ethanol production may result in a 20% decrease (based on mean values) in NO3- (nitrate) output from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) relative to corn, this will still result in increased nitrate loadings, contributing to the expansion of the hypoxic “Dead Zone” in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM). (Earlier post.)
The findings suggest that an aggressive nutrient management strategy will be needed to reach the goal of a 5,000 km2 areal extent of hypoxia set forth by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force even in the absence of biofuels, given current production to meet food, feed, and other industrial needs. Their paper was published online 13 August in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
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Perspective: US Needs to Transition to Hydrous Ethanol as the Primary Renewable Transportation Fuel
August 30, 2009
by Brian J. Donovan, CEO Renergie, Inc.
[This opinion piece originally appeared in the Field-to-Pump blog, published by Renergie, Inc.]
Use of Hydrous Ethanol in Brazil
The oil price shocks of the 1970s led the Brazilian government to address the strain high prices were placing on its fragile economy. Brazil, the largest and most populous country in South America, was importing 80% of its oil and 40% of its foreign exchange was used to pay for that imported oil.
In 1975, General Ernesto Geisel, then-president of Brazil, ordered the country’s gasoline supply mixed with 10% ethanol. The level was raised to 25% over the next five years, which was intended to maintain a constant Brazilian gasoline supply for an ever-increasing demand. The government assisted the shift by giving sugar companies subsidized loans to build ethanol plants, as well as guaranteeing prices for their ethanol products. Already the world’s biggest producer and exporter of sugar, farmers reaped the benefits of this new demand.
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Saab to Introduce New 9-5 at Frankfurt
August 27, 2009
| The new Saab 9-5 will debut in Frankfurt. Click to enlarge. |
Saab provided initial information on its new 9-5 sedan, which will have its world debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The new sedan is slated to go on sale in 2010.
The all-turbo powertrain line-up is the broadest ever offered by Saab, carrying forward Saab’s rightsizing engine strategy through the development of efficient four-cylinder turbo engines. There is a choice of three fuels: gasoline, diesel and E85 bioethanol. A four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbo diesel with six-speed manual transmission diesel offers CO2 emissions as low as 139 g/km and fuel consumption of 5.3 L/100km (44.4 mpg US).
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US DOE Awards $300 Million in Clean Cities Grants to Support Alternative Fuels, Vehicles, and Infrastructure Development
August 26, 2009
| Geographical distribution of Clean Cities Recovery Act awards. Click to enlarge. |
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 25 cost-share projects under the Clean Cities program that will be funded with nearly $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects put more than 9,000 alternative fuel and energy-efficient light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on the road, and establish 542 refueling locations across the country.
The vehicles and infrastructure being funded include the use of natural and renewable gas, propane, ethanol, biodiesel, electricity, and hybrid technologies. And with the cost share contributions from the recipients, every federal dollar spent will be matched by nearly two dollars from the project partners.
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Study Finds Water Use for Switchgrass Ethanol Production Approximately the Same as for Gasoline
August 23, 2009
| Consumptive freshwater use for ethanol and petroleum gasoline production. Data: Wu, ANL/ESD/09-1. Click to enlarge. |
In the US, producing one gallon of ethanol from switchgrass consumes approximately the same net amount of water as does producing a gallon of gasoline from conventional crude or oil sands oil, according to a study by Argonne National Laboratory researchers presented at the 238th national meeting of the American Chemical Society last week.
The production of both bio and petroleum feedstocks and fuels requires substantial water input. Biofuel feedstocks such as corn, switchgrass, and agricultural residues need water for growth and conversion to ethanol; petroleum feedstocks such as crude oil and oil sands also require large volumes of water for drilling, extraction, and conversion into petroleum products. In many cases, the Argonne team noted, crude oil production is increasingly water dependent.
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TMO Closes £11M Funding Round for Cellulosic Ethanol Technology; Targeting US Entry With Novel Thermophilic Bacterium
August 06, 2009
UK-based TMO Renewables Ltd, the developer of a novel thermophilic bacterium and process for converting biomass into fuel ethanol (earlier post), completed an £11 million (US$18 million) financing round from a range of institutional shareholders and private investors. The funds will be used as working capital, primarily to support TMO’s entry into the US market.
The US is the key geographic area of focus for TMO; its board sees many opportunities in this marketplace for the bacterial ethanologen, whether it is retro-fitted to improve existing corn ethanol plant yields by 10% to 15%, or applied to new-build, ‘non-food’ cellulosic biofuel facilities.
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Dow Planning to Build and Operate a Pilot-Scale Algae-to-Ethanol Biorefinery with Algenol Biofuels
June 29, 2009
The Dow Chemical Company plans to work with Algenol Biofuels, Inc. to build and operate a pilot-scale algae-based integrated biorefinery that will produce ethanol, located at Dow’s Freeport, Texas site. Dow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Membrane Technology & Research, Inc. are contributing science, expertise, and technology to the project.
Algenol submitted its formal request last week to obtain a grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for financial support to successfully conduct the pilot. Upon approval of the grant, Dow and the other collaborators will work with Algenol to demonstrate the technology at a level to sufficiently prove that it can be implemented on a commercial scale.
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Scania Delivering 85 Ethanol Buses to Stockholm Suburbs; E95 in a Diesel Engine
June 28, 2009
| Scania ethanol buses for SL. Click to enlarge. |
Scania has sold 85 ethanol-powered articulated buses to Busslink, operator of bus services for Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), the regional public transport company in the Swedish capital. Scania’s ethanol bus features a modified diesel engine running on a mixture of 95% ethanol with 5% ignition improver. (Earlier post.) The buses that were just ordered will be equipped with third-generation Scania ethanol engines.
The order from Busslink is Scania Sverige’s largest single bus transaction in the Swedish market since 2004. Scania’s bus sales in Sweden began 2009 very strongly, and some 100 such vehicles have been registered so far this year.
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Study Finds Water Footprint for Bioenergy Larger Than Other Forms of Energy; Bioelectricity the Smallest, Biodiesel the Largest
June 06, 2009
| Total weighted global average water footprints (blue and green) for major ethanol and biodiesel crops in m3 water per GJ fuel. The yellow marker (also left axis) indicates the total weighted global average WF for bioelectricity from the same crops. The red marker (right axis) indicates liters of water required to produce one liter of fuel. Data: Gerbens-Leenes et al. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of Twente, Netherlands have calculated the water footprints (WFs) of bioenergy from 12 crops that currently contribute the most to global agricultural production: barley, cassava, maize, potato, rapeseed, rice, rye, sorghum, soybean, sugar beet, sugar cane, and wheat. In addition, their study includes jatropha, an energy crop.
In general they found that bioelectricity is more water-efficient than first-generation biofuels (due largely to the ability to use the entire biomass to produce energy, rather than just the starch or oil fraction of the yield for liquid fuel production). They also found that the WF of bioethanol on a m3 of water per GJ of fuel basis appears to be smaller than that of biodiesel. Their results appeared 2 June in an open access paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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Profile: Farmers’ Ethanol—Focusing on Sustainable Corn Ethanol Production and a Triple Bottom Line
May 27, 2009
by Bill Cooke
| Farmers’ Ethanol biorefinery process. Click to enlarge. |
Wendel Dreve and Marion Gilliland have dedicated the past five years to pursing their dream of transforming the corn ethanol industry. Their company, Farmers’ Ethanol, plans to combine energy and food production within the same facility and by doing so create a business that can survive the wild fluctuations in commodity prices that plague today’s corn ethanol business.
Their systems approach leads to synergies that have the potential to dramatically reduce corn ethanol’s carbon footprint. Finally, they believe that during the launch and operation of their business, located in Appalachian Ohio, they will bring economic opportunity to a rural community that has been struggling financially over the last several decades.
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Argonne Lifecycle Analysis Calculates WTW Petroleum Energy Use and GHG Emissions for PHEVs Fueled With Petroleum, E85 and Hydrogen
May 14, 2009
| Summary of WTW petroleum energy use and GHG emissions for combined CD and CS operations relative to baseline gasoline ICEV. Single markers indicate conventional hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have published results of a well-to-wheels (WTW) lifecycle analysis of petroleum energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles employing gasoline, diesel, E85 and hydrogen (fuel cell) fuels, with an all-electric range between 10 to 40 miles.
Compared to an internal combustion vehicle fueled with gasoline, PHEVs that employed petroleum fuels (gasoline and diesel) offered a 40-60% reduction in petroleum energy use and a 30-60% reduction in GHG emissions. PHEVs fueled by E85 offered a 70-90% reduction in petroleum energy use and a 40-80% reduction in GHG emissions. PHEVs equipped with hydrogen fuel cells offered a more than 90% reduction in petroleum energy use and a 10-100% reduction in GHG emissions.
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Volvo Upgrades Power, Lowers Fuel Consumption of 2.5L Flex-fuel Engine
Volvo Cars has boosted the power of its five-cylinder, 2.5-liter Flexifuel engine by 30 hp and delivered an additional 40 N·m of torque. (Earlier post.) The 2.5FT now produces 231 hp (170 kW) and 340 N·m (251 lb-ft) of torque. At the same time, Volvo engineers have cut fuel consumption by between five and six percent depending on transmission.
Fuel consumption (EU, mixed driving cycle on gasoline) for the upgraded 2.5FT is 8.8 L/100 km (26.7 mpg US) (V70) and 8.6 L/100 km (27.4 mpg US) (S80) with manual transmission, and 9.7 L/100 km (24.2 mpg US) (V70) and 9.6 L/100 km (24.5 mpg US) (S80) with automatic transmission. This is an improvement of about 5% for the manual versions and almost 6% for cars with automatic transmission.
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President Obama Establishes Biofuels Interagency Working Group; Push on Biofuel Development/Commercialization and Flex-Fuel Vehicle Use
May 05, 2009
US President Barack Obama has established a Biofuels Interagency Working Group, to be co-chaired by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to further the research, development and commercialization of biofuels.
The announcement came in conjunction with the EPA’s release of its notice of proposed rulemaking for the Renewable Fuel Standard (earlier post), and the Department of Energy’s announcement of $787.5 million in funding to be awarded to advanced biofuels research and commercialization projects (earlier post).
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Study Finds Strong Synergy Between Spark Ignition Engine Downsizing and Low-to-Moderate Alcohol Blend Fuels
May 01, 2009
A study by engineers from Mahle Powertrain Ltd and BP found strong synergy between spark ignition (SI) engine downsizing and fuel containing low-to-moderate amounts of alcohol, including ethanol and butanol. The team presented a paper on their work at the recent SAE 2009 World Congress in Detroit.
The researchers found that the combination of technologies allowed improvements in fuel economy over the engine drive cycle. Furthermore, a reasonable improvement in dilution tolerance could be achieved at higher engine loads, which could eliminate over-fueling requirements under such conditions.
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Glycos Biotechnologies and Eureka Genomics Sequence the Genome of a Proprietary Bacterium for Emerging Biorefinery Industry
April 28, 2009
Glycos Biotechnologies, Inc. (GlycosBio), a pioneer in metabolic engineering, and Eureka Genomics, a leader in analysis of next-generation genomic sequencing data, have sequenced the genome of a proprietary bacterium that could initially increase the ethanol yield from corn ethanol plants and will support the growth of an emerging biorefinery industry.
The new bacterial strain is targeted at producing ethanol from the thin stillage byproduct of the fermentation process. GlycosBio’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Paul Campbell said that the company is targeting a 5 - 7.5% yield increase at an existing ethanol facility via the fermentation of the thin stillage, at a target cost of around $1.00 - $1.25 per gallon.
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Ford E85 Direct Injection Boosting Study: A Less Expensive Alternative to Diesel
April 26, 2009
Using a separate E85 direct injection boosting system combined with gasoline port fuel injection (PFI) makes the engine more efficient in its use of gasoline, and can be viewed as a more cost-effective alternative to a modern diesel, according to a Ford study presented by Robert Stein, currently of AVL, formerly of Ford, at the SAE 2009 World Congress.
Proposed by John Heywood and colleagues at MIT in 2005, the basic premise of E85 boosting is that ethanol (or other lower alcohols) suppresses knock due to the large evaporative cooling effect it has on the air-fuel mixture when injected directly into the cylinder, supplemented by ethanol’s inherent high octane number. Using the E85 boosting concept requires two fuel tanks and vehicle owner acceptance of dual fueling.
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Group of Scientists and Economists Urge Inclusion of Indirect Land Use Change Effects for Biofuels and All Transportation Fuels in California LCFS
April 21, 2009
More than 170 scientists and economists have sent a letter to California Air Resources Board (ARB) Chairman Mary Nichols urging the board to account for greenhouse gas emissions from indirect land use change for biofuels and all other transportation fuels under the state’s proposed low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). The signatories include nine members of the National Academies of Science and two Nobel laureates.
During its meeting on 23-24 April, the Board will consider the adoption of the LCFS, which requires a 10% reduction in the carbon intensity (measured in gCO2e/MJ) of transportation fuels in California by 2020.
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Study Finds Regional Variations in Irrigation Practices Can Push Corn Ethanol Water Requirements 3x Higher Than Earlier Estimates; Need to Account for Regional Specifics in Mandates
April 08, 2009
| Top: County-level corn production and ethanol facilities in 2007. The graph illustrates the proximity of ethanol facilities to corn production. Bottom: EWe and TCW of each state as of 2007. The foreground bar height indicates the EWe of each state, with the portion of ground and surface water indicated by color. The TCW, as measured by a state’s EWe and ethanol production (seen in the background), illustrates local and regional ethanol-induced impacts. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have estimated state-level field-to-pump water requirements of corn ethanol production across the US. Their results find that corn ethanol’s water requirements can range from 5 to 2,138 L per liter of ethanol depending on regional irrigation practices. Prior studies have estimated that corn ethanol requires 263-784 L L-1of water from corn farm to fuel pump.
Based on their calculations using state-level water use data, Sangwon Suh and colleagues also found that the national ethanol-production-weighted average water requirement in the US was 142 L L-1 in 2007— much lower than what was previously estimated in other studies. The new paper is scheduled for the 15 April 15 issue of the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
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IEA Bioenergy Report Finds Improvements in Corn Ethanol Production Could Lead to Further 25% Reduction in Lifecycle GHG Emissions by 2015 Compared to 2005
April 01, 2009
A new report from Canada-based S&T2 Consultants Inc., commissioned by IEA Bioenergy, finds that lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to producing corn ethanol are not static and have shown continual improvement over time. By 2015, the report finds, corn ethanol could show greenhouse gas emissions of 40,068 gCO2eq/GJ (HHV)—a 25% reduction from the 2005 level of 53,466 gCO2eq/GJ and a 37% reduction from the 1995 level of 63,977 gCO2eq/GJ.
By comparison, gasoline shows full lifecycle GHG emissions of 88,764 gCO2eq/GJ in 2015, up 2.5% from 1995. The total GHG reduction from corn ethanol (E100) compared to gasoline thus would be 54.9% in 2015, compared to 39.0% in 2005 and 26.2% in 1995. For a 10% ethanol blend (E10), the fuel cycle reduction compared to gasoline could be 4.7% in 2015, compared to 3.7% in 2005 and 2.0% in 1995.
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New Legislation Would Require Half of US New LDVs in 2012 to be Alcohol Flex-Fuel, 80% by 2015
March 18, 2009
A bipartisan group of US legislators, led by Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17), have introduced legislation that would require half of all light-duty vehicles (LDVs) made or sold in America by 2012, and 80% by 2015, to be “fuel choice-enabling” vehicles. These fuel choice-enabling vehicles are defined as flexible fuel vehicles capable of running on gasoline and on up to 85% alcohol-gasoline blends such as E85 or M85, as well as diesel vehicles warranted by its manufacturer to operate on biodiesel.
The legislation would allow exemptions for manufacturers under certain conditions, including if the application of the fuel-choice enabling technology to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) caused such vehicles to fail to meet state air quality requirements.
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Bipartisan Group of US Senators Calls on EPA to Refrain From Including Indirect Land Use Change in Biofuel Regulations
March 17, 2009
A bipartisan group of 12 US senators led by Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to include calculations of indirect land use change (ILUC) effects as contributors to life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for biofuels in the upcoming rulemaking for implementation of the updated Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS-2) enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2) defined within the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires biofuels to meet specified life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to qualify. The law specifies that life-cycle GHG emissions are to include “direct emissions and significant indirect emissions such as significant emissions from land use changes, as determined by the Administrator.”
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Iowa State Researchers Developing New Thermochemical System for Ethanol Production from Biomass
March 10, 2009
Researchers at Iowa State University are developing a new thermochemical system for the coproduction of ethanol and thermal energy, based on a new low-emissions burner and a new catalyst for ethanol production. Both technologies will use the synthesis gas—a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen—produced by the gasification of discarded seed corn, switchgrass, wood chips and other biomass.
The burner will be designed to efficiently and cleanly burn biomass-derived syngas; the catalyst will be designed to convert the syngas directly into ethanol. The project is supported by a two-year, $2.37 million grant from the Iowa Power Fund, a state program to advance energy innovation and independence. The grant award carries a $922,112 committed match.
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Petrobras Biocombustível To Invest US$2.4B in Biodiesel and Ethanol Production
As part of its newly released business plan, Brazil’s Petrobras Biocombustível intends to invest approximately US$2.4 billion in biodiesel and ethanol production from 2009-2013; 91% of the investment is targeted for Brazil.
This investment is part of a total of $2.8 billion Petrobras earmarked for the biofuels business, which also foresees expenditures of US$400 million in infrastructure, such as ethanol pipelines. The total resources represent an 87% increase compared to the previous business plan. Petrobras also earmarked US$530 million for biofuel research in the period.
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Growth Energy and Ethanol Producers Request Waiver Allowing E15 from EPA
March 07, 2009
Growth Energy, a new advocacy group promoting ethanol and biofuels, has submitted, on behalf of 52 US ethanol manufacturers, a request for a “green jobs” waiver allowing an increase in the ethanol blend limit from 10% (E10) up to 15% (E15) to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The waiver does not seek to mandate use of E15, but to remove the barrier to its optional use.
Announcing the submission at an event at the National Press Club in Washington DC, General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.), co-chairman of Growth Energy, said that increasing the blend up to E15 would create 136,101 new jobs and inject $24.4 billion into the US economy annually. Growth Energy released a report earlier in the week on the economic impact of higher blends of ethanol.
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Study Concludes That Land Set-Asides Can Be Better Climate Investment Than Corn Ethanol
March 05, 2009
A new study concludes that, depending on prior land use, carbon (C) releases from the soil after planting corn for ethanol may in some cases completely offset C gains attributed to biofuel generation for at least 50 years. Based on an analysis of 142 soil studies, the study also found that soil carbon sequestered by setting aside former agricultural land was greater than the carbon credits generated by planting corn for ethanol on the same land for 40 years and had equal or greater economic net present value.
The study also found that once commercially available, cellulosic ethanol produced in set-aside grasslands should provide the most efficient tool for GHG reduction of any scenario examined. The researchers from DUke University, Texas A&M University and Universidad Nacional de San Luis om Argentina suggested that conversion of CRP lands or other set-aside programs to corn ethanol production should not be encouraged through greenhouse gas policies.
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Saab to Give 9-3X its Debut in Geneva; E85 Plus All-Wheel Drive
February 23, 2009
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| The 9-3X. Click to enlarge. |
Saab will introduce the new 9-3X to the public at the upcoming Geneva motor show in March. The 9-3X sport wagon offers a lighter alternative to heavier and larger crossovers or SUVs. The 210 hp (155 kW), 2.0-liter turbo engine couples Saab’s E85-capable BioPower technology with all-wheel-drive for the first time. A 180 hp (132 kW), two-stage 1.9-liter turbo diesel option is also available with two-wheel drive transmission.
Saab is splitting off from General Motors, which acquired 50% of Saab in 1990 and subsequently acquired the remaining shares. (Earlier post). On 20 February, the Vänersborg District Court in Sweden approved the request for a reorganization and restructuring which Saab’s representative had submitted earlier in the morning.
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USDA Long-Term Projections See Ongoing But Slower Growth in Corn Use for Ethanol
February 13, 2009
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| Projected US corn use through 2018. Source: USDA. Click to enlarge. |
While expansion in the ethanol industry will continue over the next ten years, there will be slower growth for corn-based ethanol, largely reflecting moderate growth in overall gasoline consumption in the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Long-Term Agricultural Projections released on 12 Feb. By 2018, ethanol production will account for about 35% of US corn use, and corn-based ethanol production will exceed 9% of annual gasoline consumption, according to the report.
Ethanol production in the United States has increased to more than 9 billion gallons in 2008, most of it from corn. Close to a third of total corn use is expected to go to ethanol production in the 2008/09 corn crop year.
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EPA Approves On-Road Testing for Hydrous Ethanol Blends
February 11, 2009
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted a testing exemption to Renergie, Inc. to investigate the in-vehicle use of different blends of hydrous ethanol. Under the test program, the first of its kind in the US, Renergie will use variable blending pumps, not splash blending, to precisely dispense hydrous ethanol blends of E10, E20, E30, and E85 to test blend optimization with respect to fuel economy, engine emissions, and vehicle drivability. Sixty vehicles will be involved in the test program which will last for a period of 15 months.
In ethanol production, the “beer” resulting from the fermentation is processed in distillation columns where an azeotropic mixture of ethanol and water is separated out from the rest of the stillage. This product is referred to as hydrous ethanol—about 95% ethanol and 5% water. To be used as a supplementary blend in low levels with gasoline, this hydrous ethanol needs to be dehydrated, resulting in anhydrous ethanol.
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VeraSun Obtains $280M “Stalking Horse” Bid from Valero for Six Ethanol Facilities; Seeking to Sell All Assets
February 07, 2009
VeraSun Energy Corporation, one of the US’ largest corn ethanol producers, has signed an agreement with Valero Energy Corporation, one of the US’ largest petroleum refiners, to sell substantially all of the assets relating to five VeraSun ethanol production facilities—Aurora, South Dakota; Charles City, Fort Dodge, and Hartley, Iowa; Welcome, Minnesota—and a development site in Reynolds, Indiana. The six sites have a combined ethanol production capacity of 670 million gallons per year.
The Valero purchase agreement provides for a purchase price of $280 million, plus the value of inventory and certain pre-paid expenses, subject to certain customary adjustments.
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Ricardo Introducing Ethanol Boost Direct Injection Engine Technology
February 06, 2009
Ricardo, Inc. is introducing Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection (EBDI) technology to optimize flex-fuel engines to a level of performance the company says will exceed gasoline engine efficiency and approach levels previously reached only by diesel engines.
Current flex-fuel engines pay a fuel economy penalty of about 30% compared to gasoline when operated on ethanol blends such as E85. The EBDI technology takes full advantage of ethanol’s higher octane and higher heat of vaporization to “turn the gasoline-ethanol equation upside down”, according to Ricardo President Dean Harlow.
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Dacia Broadens Fuel Efficient and Low Emission Offerings With LPG and E85 Engines, new 1.2L Gasoline Unit
February 03, 2009
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| The Sandero 1.4 LPG. Click to enlarge. |
Dacia, a member of the Renault group, is broadening its offerings of fuel-efficient and low-emissions engines. During 2009, Dacia will introduce the Sandero and Logan 1.4 LPG, Logan MCV 1.6 LPG, and the Sandero 1.6 E85 bioethanol. Sandero and Logan will also be available with a new gasoline engine, the 1.2 16V 75 hp, with CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.
LPG. The 1.4L LPG (75 hp / 56 kW) and 1.6L LPG (90 hp / 67 kW) engines reduce CO2 emissions by up to 12% compared with gasoline power, and offer lower emissions of criteria pollutants.
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Scientists Publish Complete Genetic Blueprint of Sorghum
January 29, 2009
Scientists at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and several partner institutions have published the sequence and analysis of the complete genome of sorghum, a major food and fodder plant with high potential as a bioenergy crop. The genome data will aid scientists in optimizing sorghum and other crops not only for food and fodder use, but also for biofuels production. The comparative analysis of the sorghum genome appears in the 29 January edition of the journal Nature.
Prized for its drought resistance and high productivity, sorghum is currently the second most prevalent biofuels crop in the United States, behind corn. Grain sorghum produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as corn while utilizing one-third less water.
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USDA to Advance Development of Advanced Biofuels and Other Renewables; Provide Support for Struggling Corn-Ethanol Industry
January 26, 2009
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will advance R&D and pursue opportunities to support the development of advanced biofuels, wind power, and other renewable energy sources, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack was discussing his priorities as Secretary of Agriculture during a teleconference call with the media.
Vilsack said that the USDA needs to make sure that the existing biofuels industry has the necessary support to survive the current challenging market. For example, the USDA will research, develop and promote best practices to improve the efficiency of corn ethanol plants, Vilsack said. USDA also will promote policies to accelerate the development of next-generation biofuels.
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New Catalyst Can Efficiently Oxidize Ethanol to CO2 at Room Temperature; Boost for Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells
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| Model of the electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation consisting of platinum-rhodium clusters on a surface of tin dioxide. Click to enlarge. |
A team of scientists at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Delaware and Yeshiva University, has developed a new ternary (Pt/Rh/SnO2) electrocatalyst that could make direct ethanol fuel cells feasible.
Consisting of platinum and rhodium deposited on carbon-supported tin dioxide nanoparticles, the new catalyst can split C–C bonds in ethanol at room temperature in acid solutions, facilitating its oxidation at low potentials to CO2—a capability which has not been achieved with existing catalysts, according to the researchers. A paper on the work was published online 25 January in the journal Nature Materials.
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Study Finds Recent Improvements in Corn Ethanol Production Result in 48-59% Less Direct-Effect GHG Than Gasoline
January 24, 2009
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| Net energy yield (NEY) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction compared to gasoline from different types of corn-ethanol systems used as default scenarios in the BESS model. NEY includes ethanol plus coproduct energy credit minus energy inputs. A closed-loop biorefinery with anaerobic digestion (CL) reduced GHG emissions by 67%. Credit: Yale Univ. Click to enlarge. |
Direct-effect GHG emissions from corn ethanol are equivalent to a 48% to 59% reduction compared to gasoline—a twofold to threefold greater reduction than reported in previous studies—as a result of recent improvements in efficiency throughout the production process, according to a study by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
The team of UNL researchers evaluated dry-mill ethanol plants that use natural gas. Such plants account for nearly 90% of current production capacity. An open-access paper on the study was published 21 January in the Journal of Industrial Ecology.
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Monsanto Moves Closer to Launch of First Drought-Tolerant Corn Product
January 07, 2009
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| Five years of field trials have shown yield improvements delivered by the drought-tolerant corn. Source: Monsanto. Click to enlarge. |
Monsanto Company’s first-generation drought-tolerant corn product has moved to the fourth and final phase of development before an anticipated market launch early in the next decade, according to Monsanto’s annual update of its Research and Development (R&D) pipeline. Monsanto has submitted the product to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for regulatory clearance.
Drought-tolerant corn is designed to provide farmers yield stability during periods when water supply is scarce by mitigating the effects of drought—or water stress—within a corn plant.
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GM Presents 2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover; New 3.0L Direct-Injected E85 Engine as Standard
January 05, 2009
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| The new direct injection 3.0L E85 capable engine in the SRX. Click to enlarge. |
GM presented the new 2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover, featuring a new design and more-efficient engine choices. The new SRX, a mid-sized luxury crossover, will debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.
A new, 3.0L direct injected and E85 capable V6 engine is standard and a new, 2.8L turbocharged V6 is optional. Direct injection enables a 25% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions. Fuel economy in the mid-20s on the highway is expected, but testing isn’t yet complete.
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USDA Reduces Forecast of Corn Consumption for Ethanol by 7.5%
December 23, 2008
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| Forecast corn use for ethanol. Click to enlarge. |
The December edition of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) drops the projected use of corn for ethanol production by 300 million bushels for 2008/09 to 3,700 million bushels from its November forecast of 4,000 million bushels. The lower consumption figure still represents a 22.3% increase over estimated corn use for ethanol in 2007/08.
Estimated corn consumption for ethanol production in 2007/08 was 3,026 million bushels, according to the USDA. Consumption for 2006/2007 was 2,119 million bushels.
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New US EIA Energy Outlook Projects Flat Oil Consumption to 2030, Slower Growth in Energy Use and CO2 Emissions, and Reduced Import Dependence; 2% PHEV New Sales Share by 2030
December 17, 2008
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| The AEO2009 reference case projects no increase in petroleum-based liquid fuels consumption, as biofuel use grows. Click to enlarge. |
The Annual Energy Outlook 2009 (AEO2009) reference case released today by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects virtually no growth in US oil consumption through 2030, reflecting the combined effect of recently enacted CAFE standards, requirements for increased use of renewable fuels, and an assumed rebound in oil prices as the world economy recovers.
With overall liquid fuel demand in the AEO2009 reference case growing by 1 million barrels per day between 2007 and 2030, increased use of domestically-produced biofuels, and rising domestic oil production spurred by higher prices, the net import share of total liquids supplied, including biofuels, declines from 58% in 2007 to less than 40% in 2025 before increasing to 41% in 2030.
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Study Concludes Wind-Powered BEV and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Best Options, Biofuels the Worst to Address Climate, Energy Security and Pollution
December 13, 2008
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| A combined weighted ranking of the 12 combinations of energy sources and vehicle type against 11 impact categories. Click to enlarge. |
A new study by Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson (earlier post) reviews and ranks major proposed energy-related solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security while considering impacts of the solutions on eleven different factors ranging from resource availability to mortality. To place electricity and liquid fuel options on an equal footing, Jacobson considered 12 combinations of energy sources and vehicle type: nine electric power sources (solar-PV, CSP, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, wave, tidal, nuclear, and coal with CCS) and two liquid fuel options (corn-E85, cellulosic E85) in combination with three vehicle technologies (battery-electric, BEVs; hydrogen fuel cell, HFCVs; and flex-fuel E85 vehicles).
The overall rankings of the combinations (from best to worst) were: (1) wind-powered battery-electric vehicles (BEVs); (2) wind-powered hydrogen fuel cell vehicles; (3) concentrated-solar-powered-BEVs; (4) geothermal-powered-BEVs; (5) tidal-powered-BEVs; (6) solar-photovoltaic-powered-BEVs; (7) wave-powered-BEVs; (8) hydroelectric-powered-BEVs; (9-tie) nuclear-powered-BEVs; (9-tie) coal-with-carbon-capture-powered-BEVs; (11) corn-E85 vehicles; and (12) cellulosic-E85 vehicles. His findings are published online in an open access article in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
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USDA Seeks Public Comment on Deregulating Corn Genetically Modified to Facilitate Ethanol Production
November 27, 2008
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking public comment on a petition submitted by Syngenta Seeds, Inc. to deregulate corn genetically engineered (GE) to express high levels of a novel alpha-amylase enzyme—a thermal-tolerant digestive enzyme that turns the corn’s starch into sugar for ethanol. (Earlier post.)
Microbially produced alpha-amylases are commonly used commercially in the starch-processing step during corn dry-grind and wet milling processing for ethanol production. Syngenta’s concept for its engineered corn, designated as transformation Event 3272, is that the grain will serve as the source of amylase enzyme in the dry-grind ethanol process, replacing the addition of microbially produced enzyme.
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VERBIO Grain Ethanol Can Emit Up to 80% Less CO2 on Lifecycle Basis Than Gasoline
November 26, 2008
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| Greenhouse gas emissions of the individual ethanol production process steps. Red line is the German BioNachV basic value. Click to enlarge. |
Bioethanol produced from grain (rye or wheat) by German biofuels producer VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG can emit up to 80% less CO2 than gasoline on a lifecycle basis, depending upon the feedstock and facility design, according to a study carried out by the Heidelberg IFEU Institute (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research) and commissioned by the VERBIO.
VERBIO is a leading producer and supplier of biodiesel and bioethanol in Europe, with nominal annual capacity of around 450,000 tonnes of biodiesel (~136 million gallons US) and 300,000 tonnes of ethanol (~100 million gallons US). The study examined ethanol production at VERBIO’s two facilities in Schwedt/Oder and Zörbig, with the aim of determining how much CO2 can be avoided under the prevailing production conditions. The results show that all the techniques and plants under investigation return significantly better CO2 savings than the 30% which are specified in the German Biomass Sustainability Ordinance (BioNachV).
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EPA Raises Renewable Fuel Requirement to 10.21% for 2009; 11.1B Gallons
November 19, 2008
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised the 2009 Renewable Fuel Standard to 10.21% to ensure that at least 11.1 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into transportation gasoline. This standard is used by obligated parties—refiners, importers and blenders (other than oxygen blenders)—to calculate their renewable volume obligation. The EPA expects the 11.1 billion gallons of renewable fuel required in 2009 ultimately to include approximately 0.5 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel.
The 2009 standard marks a 23.3% increase by volume of the 2008 RFS of 9 billion gallons, but a 31.6% increase by percentage volume from 7.76% in 2008. The larger relative increase is due to expectations of lower fuel consumption in 2009.
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Ethanol Trade Group Says Growing Grain Ethanol Production Is a Minor Factor in Land Use Changes
November 17, 2008
The amount of agricultural land required to produce 15 billion gallons of grain (e.g., corn) ethanol in the United States by 2015, as required by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), is likely to be less than 1% of total world cropland, according to projections from Informa Economics cited in a new report released by the Renewable Fuels Association, the national trade association for the US ethanol industry.
According to the report, “Understanding Land Use Change and US Ethanol Expansion,” gains in agricultural productivity, coupled with the contribution of feed produced as an ethanol co-product, are expected to mitigate the need for conversion of non-agricultural lands to support expanded US biofuels production.
