At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors from around the [...]]]> President Barack Obama this week announced a series of steps his Administration is taking as part of its comprehensive strategy to enhance American energy independence while building a foundation for a new clean energy economy, and its promise of new industries and millions of jobs.

At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors from around the country, the President laid out three measures that will work in concert to boost biofuels production and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to implement the long-term renewable fuels standard of 36 billion gallons by 2022 established by Congress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a rule on the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) that would provide financing to increase the conversion of biomass to bioenergy. The President’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group released its first report – Growing America’s Fuel. The report, authored by group co-chairs, Secretaries Vilsack and Chu, and Administrator Jackson, lays out a strategy to advance the development and commercialization of a sustainable biofuels industry to meet or exceed the nation’s biofuels targets.

In addition, President Obama announced a Presidential Memorandum (linked below) creating an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage to develop a comprehensive and coordinated federal strategy to speed the development and deployment of clean coal technologies. Our nation’s economy will continue to rely on the availability and affordability of domestic coal for decades to meet its energy needs, and these advances are necessary to reduce pollution in the meantime. The President calls for five to ten commercial demonstration projects to be up and running by 2016.

President Obama said, “Now, I happen to believe that we should pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill. It will make clean energy the profitable kind of energy, and the decision by other nations to do this is already giving their businesses a leg up on developing clean energy jobs and technologies. But even if you disagree on the threat posed by climate change, investing in clean energy jobs and businesses is still the right thing to do for our economy. Reducing our dependence on foreign oil is still the right thing to do for our security. We can’t afford to spin our wheels while the rest of the world speeds ahead.”

“Advancing biomass and biofuel production holds the potential to create green jobs, which is one of the many ways the Obama Administration is working to rebuild and revitalize rural America,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Facilities that produce renewable fuel from biomass have to be designed, built and operated. Additionally, BCAP will stimulate biomass production and that will benefit producers and provide the materials necessary to generate clean energy and reduce carbon pollution.”

“President Obama and this Administration are strongly committed to the development of carbon capture and storage technology as a key part of the clean energy economy. We can and should lead the world in this technology and the jobs it can create,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu

“The actions President Obama has taken today will create jobs, slash greenhouse gas emissions and increase our energy security while helping to put America at the leading edge of the new energy economy,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “The renewable fuel standards will help bring new economic opportunity to millions of Americans, particularly in rural America. EPA is proud to be a part of the President’s effort to combat climate change and put Americans back to work – both through the new renewable fuel standards and through our co-chairmanship with the Department of Energy of the Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage.”

Background on today’s announcements:

Renewable Fuels Standard. EPA has finalized a rule implementing the long-term renewable fuels mandate of 36 billion gallons by 2022 established by Congress. The Renewable Fuels Standard requires biofuels production to grow from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons in 2022, with 21 billion gallons to come from advanced biofuels. Increasing renewable fuels will reduce dependence on oil by more than 328 million barrels a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than 138 million metric tons a year when fully phased in by 2022. For the first time, some renewable fuels must achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions – compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace – in order to be counted towards compliance with volume standards. Read the full Renewable Fuel Standard Program rule.

Biomass Crop Assistance Program. USDA has proposed a rule for Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) to convert biomass to bioenergy and bio-based products. USDA provides grants and loans and other financial support to help biofuels and renewable energy commercialization. BCAP has already begun to provide matching payments to folks delivering biomass for the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of biomass to eligible biomass conversion facilities. Read the full Biomass Crop Assistance Program rule.

Biofuels Working Group: In May, President Obama established the Biofuels Interagency Working Group – co-chaired by USDA, DOE, and EPA, and with input from many others – to develop a comprehensive approach to accelerating the investment in and production of American biofuels and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Today the Working Group released its first report: Growing America’s Fuel – a new U.S. Government strategy for meeting or beating the country’s biofuel targets. The report is focused on short term solid government solutions supporting the existing biofuels industry, as well as accelerating the commercial establishment of advanced biofuels and a viable long-term market by transforming how the U.S. Government does business across Departments and using strategic public-private partnerships. Read the Growing America’s Fuel report.

Speakers and sessions will focus on [...]]]> The Renewable Fuels Association’s 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference: Policy & Marketing, “Climate of Opportunity,” which will be held February 15-17, 2010 in Orlando, Florida.  This conference is recognized as the premier event to interact, network and learn about the important marketing and public policy issues affecting the ethanol industry.

Speakers and sessions will focus on the historic opportunities facing our industry.  As a renewable fuel, as an industry continuing to reduce energy inputs, and an industry diversifying into new feedstocks, ethanol is poised to make a significant contribution to our planet’s environment. Climate change is a seminal focus of the Obama Administration and an increasingly important issue to the public at large, and the momentum is in our favor.  With steadfast resolve to increase ethanol’s marketshare in blends and E85, and a commitment to the best science, technical knowledge and quality, we have an opportunity to improve the industry as well.  It’s clearly a Climate of Opportunity for the ethanol industry.

To view the agenda, click HERE.  According to Organiser’s of the event; 

Why Folks Attend

“It’s the one industry event each year that brings all my customers together in one place.  It’s great for business, and I wouldn’t miss it.”
Randy Hahn, CEO, RPMG, LLC

“In these tough times, face-to-face meetings are more important than ever.   At the NEC, I have an opportunity to spend quality time with dozens of customers in one location”
Robert Zmudka, Vice President & Executive Director – Strategic Sales, GATX Corp.

“The material presented at the NEC is timely, providing me with the information I need to make sound  business decisions throughout the year.”
Mike Jerke, General Manager, CVEC

Inviz is POET’s brand of zein, a biodegradable, low-nutrient protein found in corn. It can be [...]]]> POET is one step closer to gleaning the maximum value from each part of the corn kernel with a new ethanol co-product, “Inviz,” which is set to replace 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. It can be used as a gum base or in films, packaging, adhesives, coatings and glazes. Inviz zein is extracted using a patent-pending process developed by POET.

Inviz is derived from the less valuable protein in POET’s Dakota Gold HP® distiller’s grains. It differs from other zein products because POET’s production process fractionates the corn kernel and ferments ethanol without using heat. For that reason, Inviz is a more pure corn protein than other zein products, which are typically exposed to sulfur dioxide in the wet-milling process.

POET’s research into zein started in 2004 through collaboration with the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Ill. Those efforts ramped up considerably 2.5 years ago with the hiring of Senior Scientist John Lawton, a leader in zein research, from the NCAUR. Lawton was intrigued by the potential for zein in POET’s no-cook ethanol production.

“Inviz can be used to make biodegradable plastics, time-release capsules for pills and other substances, varnish, there are just so many possibilities,” Lawton said. “It has been the focus of much of my research throughout my career, and I’m excited to see this product brought to market.”

POET CEO Jeff Broin sees a lot of unrealized potential in the zein market, and he expects Inviz to open up many new uses for corn.

“The corn kernel has so much untapped potential,” Broin said. “With Inviz, we are still providing fuel and high-protein feed to the world while using the least nutritional part of the kernel to replace even more petroleum-based products.”

Some of Lawton’s previous research regarding zein includes: Zein: A History of Processing and Use and Plasticizers for zein: Their effect on tensile properties and water absorption of zein films.

Zein is a class of prolamine proteins found in corn 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 (G.R.A.S.) status from the FDA.

Inviz is zein extracted from POET’s Dakota Gold HP distiller’s grains. This high-protein feed is possible thanks to POET’s patent-pending technologies, BFRAC™ and BPX®. BFRAC separates the corn into three fractions: fiber, germ and endosperm. The endosperm is fermented to created ethanol, while the remaining fractions are converted into value-added co-products such as Dakota Gold HP. BPX, POET’s raw starch hydrolysis process, converts starch to sugar and ferments to ethanol with the use of enzymes rather than heat.

An interview with POET Senior Scientist John Lawton is available on the POET Web site.

E Energy Adams, a corn ethanol producer in Adams, Nebraska has agreed to implement EdeniQ’s Corn3 Yield Enhancement Program. Corn3 employs three discreet phases of biological and mechanical [...]]]> EdeniQ, a California-based technology company serving biofuels producers worldwide with solutions that enhance productivity, profits and environmental results, announced today deals with producers in the U.S. and Brazil.

E Energy Adams, a corn ethanol producer in Adams, Nebraska has agreed to implement EdeniQ’s Corn3 Yield Enhancement Program. Corn3 employs three discreet phases of biological and mechanical processes to boost corn ethanol yields to over three gallons of ethanol per bushel of corn, which, for most corn ethanol plants, represents a 10 percent plus gain in productivity.

Several producers are implementing Phase 1 of EdeniQ’s Corn3 program that uses LGY- 100™, a patented, low-glycerol yeast, to boost ethanol yields. E Energy is the first producer to implement Phase 2 of the Corn3 program. Phase 2 utilizes a device EdeniQ dubs the Cellunator™, a proprietary milling device that liberates more of the corn’s starch for fermentation by reducing the cornmeal made by the ethanol plant’s hammermill into uniformly smaller particle sizes. The Cellunator’s smaller particle sizes do not adversely affect the plant’s downstream separations.

E Energy Adams CEO Carl Sitzmann believes that such productivity enhancing technologies are vital to the industry. “We feel that steady, cost-effective gains in productivity are essential to achieving and maintaining healthy margins,” said Sitzmann.

“The technology that EdeniQ supplies doesn’t cost much to install, it’s not disruptive to operations and it delivers immediate results to our bottom-line. Plus, using less corn to make the same amount of ethanol further reduces our environmental footprint.”

EdeniQ has engaged ICM, Inc., the North American ethanol industry’s leading engineering and design firm of biorefineries, to conduct the installation of the Cellunator. Comanche, a leading sugarcane ethanol producer in Brazil, has started implementing EdeniQ’s Eden3 Yield Enhancement Program at its Tatui and Canitar plants. Eden3 is roughly analogous to Corn3, but for sugarcane. Comanche is EdeniQ’s first customer in the Brazil, the world’s largest and fastest growing ethanol market.

Comanche Chairman Tom Cauchois explained that until recently Brazilian producers did not have to focus on technologies to boost productivity. “For years, Brazilian ethanol producers could make money even with relatively inefficient operations, but today it’s a different story,” said Cauchois. “Now, we’re a maturing industry, with big, sophisticated players. Efficiency is a hot topic, and Comanche has an ongoing program to seek out and implement the world’s best technologies to boost both industrial and agricultural yields. EdeniQ’s solution is a smart, cost-effective way to quickly increase productivity and protect margins.”

EdeniQ CEO Larry Gross believes that helping so-called first-generation producers become more efficient, profitable and green is the fastest way to make secondgeneration cellulosic production a reality. “EdeniQ has always viewed the movement from legacy ethanol production to cellulosic production as an evolutionary process,” explained Gross. “Given the current financial environment, migrating the billions of dollars of capital deployed in today’s corn and sugarcane ethanol industries toward more advanced production makes a lot of sense. Our first suite of yield enhancement technologies helps producers all over the world shore up their financial and environmental results, which, in turn, lets them make additional investments in next generation technologies. This is how the industry will evolve.”

Qteros has entered into a joint development project with Applied CleanTech (ACT), a commodities recycling company based in Israel, [...]]]> Recyllose™, a recycled solids-based material produced from municipal wastewater, can now be turned into fuel for cars, announced Applied Cleantech and Qteros, the advanced biofuels company whose breakthrough Q Microbe™ technology can turn biomass into cellulosic ethanol.

Qteros has entered into a joint development project with Applied CleanTech (ACT), a commodities recycling company based in Israel, to use ACT’s Recyllose™-based feedstock, produced from municipal wastewater solids, for even more efficient and low-cost ethanol production. ACT’s Sewage Recycling System (SRS), a revolutionary solution for recycling wastewater solids, produces high-quality alternative energy sources for the production of electricity or ethanol, while reducing sludge formation and lowering wastewater treatment plant costs and increasing plant capacity.

The companies said they are the first to demonstrate commercial success in creating ethanol from the cellulose in municipal and agricultural liquid waste, and to offer a process that all municipalities can use to help reduce expenses.

“Our customer is every municipality that has a wastewater treatment plant,” said Jeff Hausthor, Qteros co-founder and senior project manager. “It will provide a value-added product for municipal wastewater plants, thereby making treatment plants much less expensive to run and helping local governments throughout the world with their constrained budgets.”

Israel Biran, ACT’s CEO, added, “It also helps answer the question of what municipalities can do with their sewage sludge, a major challenge now facing every wastewater treatment plant operator.”

ACT has spent six years developing its integrated sewage recycling solution. Its high quality Recyllose™-based feedstock offers high cellulose content and low moisture, facilitating more efficient ethanol production. The SRS is already in commercial use, with facilities in Israel and the United States currently making Recyllose™-based products from sewage sludge and other cellulose-rich waste while reducing sludge output and wastewater treatment plant costs.

By using ACT’s proprietary feedstock, Hausthor said Qteros and ACT’s researchers have found that an ethanol production plant can produce 120–135 gallons of ethanol per ton of Recyllose™.

Since Recyllose™ is low in lignin (a major component of plant cell walls that is difficult to degrade), and lignin can be inhibitory to efficient conversion to ethanol, Hausthor said the material improves cellulosic plant operational efficiency 20 percent over higher lignin content feedstocks.

Qteros’ CEO William Frey said that with previous technologies, a cellulosic ethanol plant would have to produce roughly 20-30 million gallons per year (MGY) in order to be profitable. With the proposed Qteros-ACT process, Frey said, production with these economics could be viable at a smaller scale.

ACT President Dr. Refael Aharon said that a wastewater plant that handles 150 million gallons a day (serving a population of about 2 million people) can be sufficient to supply a smaller-scale ethanol plant with cellulose.

Qteros and ACT said that by applying the proprietary one-step Qteros fermentation technology to ACT’s Recyllose™ feedstock, they have achieved a high-yield, waste-to-ethanol production process that is superior to other industrial-scale processes both technically and economically.

The research has been supported in part by a grant from the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. The BIRD Foundation funds joint efforts between Israel and the United States, and their financial support has resulted in the very successful collaboration of Qteros’ and ACT’s technologies.

The U.S. government has set a goal of increasing annual production of alternative fuels like ethanol from today’s 10 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Qteros predicts that this announcement will move the country one step closer to realizing its goal. “Ethanol is the best next-generation fuel,” said Frey

The plant, which initially began operating in July 2008 before being idled in October 2008, has an annual production capacity of 110 million gallons. The purchase price of $92 million will be financed primarily through non-recourse [...]]]> Murphy Oil Corporation announced that through a subsidiary, it has purchased a corn-based ethanol plant located in Hankinson, North Dakota.

The plant, which initially began operating in July 2008 before being idled in October 2008, has an annual production capacity of 110 million gallons. The purchase price of $92 million will be financed primarily through non-recourse debt offered via the sellers. Additionally, an estimated $15 million in working capital will be invested into the facility.

Murphy Oil Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, David M. Wood, said, “We are adding this capability to supplement our growing North American fuels business. It also marks our initial entry into the manufacture of bio-fuels. Given the current ethanol mandates and our subsequent blending needs, having more of a presence in the supply chain better balances our business.” He also added, “This plant is favorably located near the feedstock supply and has accessible rail service for carrying the finished product. We should see first production shortly.”

This will be the first time an advanced biofuel has been used in the [...]]]> Shell is demonstrating its commitment to fuels innovation and the development of sustainable, low-carbon fuels with the blending of 10% cellulosic ethanol into its Shell V-Power race fuel at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in France on 13 June, 2009.

This will be the first time an advanced biofuel has been used in the gasoline at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Cellulosic ethanol, as an end fuel, is identical to ethanol but it can offer up to 90% less lifecycle CO2 emissions than gasoline.

The biofuel is produced at Iogen Energy Corporation’s demonstration plant in Ottawa, Canada. Iogen and Shell are partners in the plant.

Richard Karlstetter, Shell Global Technology Manager, Racing Fuels, said

Shell is proud to be the offical fuel supplier for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We see motorsport as a technical test bed and we are excited about demonstrating Iogen cellulosic ethanol in our Shell V-Power gasoline race fuel this year.

This year will also be the second time Shell is blending another advanced biofuel, BTL (Biomass to Liquid), into its Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A small amount will be used again, together with the established, high-performance GTL (Gas to Liquid) component.

Daniel Poissenot, Sport Vice President from Automobile Club l’Ouest (ACO), the Le Mans governing body said

The use of advanced biofuels in both Shell V-Power gasoline and diesel race fuels at Le Mans highlights the role of the racing series in demonstrating new technologies.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 100 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For further information, visit http://www.shell.com

Iogen is a leading biotechnology firm specializing in cellulosic ethanol – a fully renewable transportation fuel made from agricultural residue that can be used in today’s cars. The company has been producing cellulosic ethanol at its Ottawa demonstration plant since 2004. Iogen also develops, manufactures and markets enzymes used to modify and improve the processing of natural fibers within the textile, animal feed and pulp and paper industries. In operation since 1974, Iogen is a privately held company located in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, visit www.iogen.ca – opens in new window.