Domestic Fuel

As the 2007 Farm Progess Show gets underway this in Decatur biofuels will be taking center stage.

“Everybody’s beginning to kind of see some reward for the biofuel talk,” said show manager Matt Jungmann. “When the economy’s like this is when the companies step up and bring out the new technologies.”

The show has 475 exhibitors this year and some 100,000 people, mostly farmers, are expected to attend the three day event which runs Tuesday through Thursday. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns will also be in attendance on Wednesday to discuss farm legislation and trade negotiations.

Chuck Zimmerman is attending the Farm Progress Show this year, thanks to the sponsorship of New Holland, so expect to see some biofuel-related posts from him in the coming days, or check out his full coverage of the event on AgWired.com.

The state of Alabama and the city of Montgomery (AL) have teamed up to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil for the city’s and the state agriculture department’s trucks.

This press release from the Alabama ag department says the announcement came during a joint press conference with Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks and Montgomery’s Mayor Bobby Bright:

“I can think of no better way to help clean our environment and fuel our trucks and heavy equipment at the same time,” said Sparks. “Our ability to make biodiesel right here in Montgomery is a significant step toward keeping our landfills and sewer systems free of used cooking oils and protecting our energy security.

“Commissioner Sparks contacted me and offered this great opportunity that was just too good to turn down,” said Bright. “This process is working in several other cities across the state and we are extremely pleased that we can put this into action for Montgomery’s citizens.”

Officials are turning the used cooking oil into the clean-burning B20 – 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent conventional diesel. Not only is it god for emissions, it will keep that much used cooking oil out of area landfills.

Abengoa Bioenergy was given a key to the city of Hugoton, Kansas last week after formally announcing plans to build a 300-million dollar cellulose ethanol plant near there.

The plant is expected to be the first commercial cellulosic ethanol facility and will eventually produce 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol and 85 million gallons of traditional corn-based ethanol per year.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was among the dignitaries at the event on Thursday. She told representatives from the local community that they should be proud of this “cutting-edge project” that will be home “for our new fuel supply” that the rest of the nation and world will be watching.

Abengoa‘s Kansas plant was one of six projects selected nationwide by the Department of Energy to create and develop the cellulosic ethanol industry.

Read more from the Garden City Telegram.

Indiana Senator Richard Lugar will give the keynote address September 15 at the official opening of the Central Indiana Ethanol plant near Marion. This will be the second plan Lugar will help open in two days next month – the first being POET Biorefining – Portland on September 14.

The founder of the CIE plant is Indiana farmer Jay Berry, who started pursuing the idea of building the facility five years ago at the age of 22. Senator Lugar was instrumental in helping Berry get the plant built.

Ground was broken in November 2005 and actual ethanol production began on July 17, 2007. The plant’s nameplate capacity is rated at 40 million gallons of ethanol per year, but it will actually produce 50 million gallons, which will be produced from 17 million bushels of corn, purchased from area and regional farmers.

Read more from the Wabash Plain Dealer.

The newest ethanol facility to mark its grand opening is uniquely designed to maximize efficiency and produce both food and fuel from the same corn kernel.

LifeLine Foods of St. Joseph, Missouri held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the public on Friday with about 1,000 people attending. Actual ethanol production is expected to begin at the facility next month. The plant will use approximately 26.5 million bushels of corn annually to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol and complementary food ingredients.

LifeLine Foods’ corn processing facility was established in 2001 by a group of corn farmers looking to add value to their product. Since then, LifeLine has been an ingredient manufacturer for dry cereal and the snack industry as well as tortillas. Thanks to an innovative partnership with designer and builder ICM, Inc, the majority farmer-owned facility will now possess the capability to produce both food and fuel.

“This is a one of a kind, state of the art facility for the nation, first of it’s kind, and ICM is responsible for that,” said LifeLine Foods President and CEO Bill Becker during the ceremony.

This new generation ethanol facility features a mill in the front of the plant that separates the corn kernel into fiber, protein and starches. This technique enables increased utilization of the starch within the kernel. The resulting higher quality starches will be used for food products while the lower quality starches will be used to produce ethanol.

In addition, the plant utilizes the fiber in the corn kernel to produce energy. This process reduces the plant’s dependence on natural gas and allows the plant to generate its own fuel. “Fifty percent of our energy needs are going to be supplied by the fiber that’s produced by the solar energy our farmers are harvesting,” said Becker.

“When people ask what we do,” Becker said. “The answer is, we convert solar energy into food for humanity and clean-burning, renewable fuel, that’s what we do.”

Listen to a portion of Becker’s remarks here: lifeline-open-becker.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (878.9KB)

Visitors to the Minnesota State Fair (now through Sept. 3rd) are able to take in an exhibit featuring wind energy.

St. Paul-based WindLogics is supporting Windustry’s – a non-profit organization working to increase community-based wind energy opportunities for rural landowners and communities – 2007 Wind Energy Center at the fair’s EcoExperience Building. This article on Renewable Energy Access.com says people from the company will be on hand to present wind energy information and answer the public’s questions:

“We believe public outreach is essential for maintaining the momentum of wind development within the state. WindLogics participated in the center in 2006, and we appreciate the opportunity to support Windustry in its efforts for 2007,” says Lee Alnes, WindLogics Vice President and General Manager.

The Minnesota Wind Maps developed by WindLogics for the Minnesota Department of Commerce will be a central feature of the WindLogics exhibit. The maps display average annual wind speeds at 30, 80 and 100 meters above ground level, along with wind turbine capacity factors and energy production for a typical 1.65 MW wind turbine. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about the maps and wind resource assessment as it relates to wind farm development.

Check it out between grabbing a candied apple and hitting the midway!

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) have teamed up in an effort to match up businesses who want to “ship green” with trucks that run on the green fuel, biodiesel.

This release from the NBB cites several testimonials from trucking companies which have taken advantage of the program:

The SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry. Its goal is to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. EPA SmartWay Grow & Go will also help reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum.

“The NBB and EPA SmartWay have a long working relationship with the goal of helping the trucking industry adopt renewable fuels to help reduce fuel usage and emissions from burning fuel,” said Mitch Greenberg, Program Manager, U.S. EPA SmartWay. “Grow & Go was developed to help increase the use and acceptance of biodiesel in the freight industry, and to educate truckers and small fleets on the benefits of biofuels. It became clear there was a need to help shippers identify carriers using renewable fuels.”

“I joined EPA SmartWay because of the Grow & Go initiative, and I’ve found it is a great resource for helping me save fuel and reduce emissions,” said Michael Frybarger, Owner Operator, Eastern Eagle Express, Inc. “I’ve been a biodiesel user for several years. I’m glad to see the EPA SmartWay program embracing biodiesel as a homegrown, renewable fuel that also reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”

The program was showcased at the Great American Trucking Show today in Dallas. You can check out the EPA’s SmartWay program by clicking here.

National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe (left) and Bob Dinneen (right), CEO & President of the Renewable Fuels Association have been recognized as “Friends of GROWMARK” – an agricultural cooperative and petroleum distributor.

This story on Grainnet.com says the award came during the group’s annual meeting today in Chicago, Illinois:

The company gives the award to individuals and organizations for their contributions to the well-being of cooperatives and agriculture.

“Recognition like this is truly an honor, especially coming from a forward-thinking company like GROWMARK,” Jobe said.

The article points out that during the past year the number of biodiesel plants in the country has jumped from 86 to 150! And the growth and acceptance of ethanol has grown so quickly in just the last couple of years that there have been fears the demand for the feedstocks would dramatically rise (although Cindy’s July 27th post shot a lot of holes in that thinking).

Congratulations guys!

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working on a storage system for hydrogen power… an elusive key to unlocking the clean fuel’s unlimited power.

This press release from the agency has more details:

PNNL scientists are using solid ammonia borane, or AB, compressed into small pellets to serve as a hydrogen storage material. Each milliliter of AB weighs about three-quarters of a gram and harbors up to 1.8 liters of hydrogen. Researchers expect that a fuel system using small AB pellets will occupy less space and be lighter in weight than systems using pressurized hydrogen gas, thus enabling fuel cell vehicles to have room, range and performance comparable to today’s automobiles.

“With this new understanding and our improved methods in working with ammonia borane,” said PNNL scientist Dave Heldebrant, “we’re making positive strides in developing a viable storage medium to provide reliable, environmentally friendly hydrogen power generation for future transportation needs.”

Scientists believe once they crack the regulation of the release of energy from the pellets it will be just like pushing the gas pedal.

A new computer program is making it easier for truckers to fill up on biodiesel. Commercial trucking software maker ProMiles has developed a program that helps truckers find biodiesel stations through their in-cab computers and laptops.

The software has the endorsement of the National Biodiesel Board:

“I’ve been a ProMiles user for years and I rely on it for all of my routing,” said Tony Hamilton, company driver, Dixie Midwest Express, Alabama. “Having biodiesel locations available helps me to use my fuel of choice and incorporate it into my planning instead of going out of my way to search for it when on the road.”
The NBB, ProMiles, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) are working together to produce a continuously updated and accurate list of truck-accessible biodiesel locations to be included in mapping software. This first set of locations is now incorporated into ProMiles XF® software and available for truckers.

“ProMiles is the first mapping software company to approach us about showing biodiesel locations in its mapping software,” said Tom Verry, Director of Outreach and Development, NBB. “They are pioneers in the industry and are looking to keep current with what their customers are demanding.”

Redfield Energy, LLC celebrated the start-up of production Thursday with a grand opening at the plant in South Dakota.

Located outside Redfield, South Dakota, the facility will produce 50 million gallons of ethanol per year from 18 million bushels of corn. RE is a South Dakota LLC comprised of 657 members who represent two share classes. Class A equity shareholders are required to deliver corn on an annual fiscal year basis and Class B equity shareholders do not have a corn requirement. Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC in Watertown, SD holds a percentage of ownership in RE and serves as the management team.

Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen congratulated the plant owners on their grand opening. “South Dakotans from every walk of life understand the importance of domestically produced renewable fuels and it shows in both their leadership within the ethanol industry as well as their representatives in Washington,” said Dinneen. “Redfield Energy will continue the long tradition of the South Dakota ethanol industry in providing economic opportunity in rural America and a value-added market for America’s farmers.”

Louisiana has become the 41st state to have at least one retail E85 fueling station with the grand opening Thursday at a Pumpelly Oil station in Sulphur.

According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, the facility is a partnership between CleanFUEL Distribution, CleanFUEL USA and Protec Fuel Management, and Pumpelly Oil. CleanFUEL USA manufactured the dispenser, CleanFUEL Distribution is providing the fuel, and Pumpelly Oil owns the station.

“This is something that’s good for the environment and promotes cleaner air for our state,” said Glenn Pumpelly, president of Pumpelly Oil. “We look forward to continued work with CleanFUEL USA and CleanFUEL Distribution to be a solution provider for people who want to use not only ethanol but also biodiesel and propane.”

“Marketing at Top Speed” was the title of the presentation made to agrimarketing professionals this week in Kansas City by the executive director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), Tom Slunecka.

Slunecka told the members of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) that ethanol has brought a major paradigm shift to agriculture that stands to benefit every segment of the industry, including the livestock sector, in the long term. He urged them all to become “ethanol evangelists” and promote the good news about the fuel to fight those who are trying to undermine it.

EPIC certainly has a great story to tell, growing an organization to promote ethanol in less than three years into what is a major success story. Just this year alone, Slunecka says they have generated over 700 million media impressions for ethanol – mostly due to their high profile with the Indy Racing League and other motor sports venues. Ethanol may seem to be generating a great deal of negative publicity, but as the saying goes “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” And there is no denying that ethanol has brought new life to rural America.

There’s a great feature story in the latest issue of the High Plains Journal that tells the story of how one Kansas Farmer took the journey in deciding to grow his own biodiesel crop… even refining his harvest into his own green fuel.

Check out these excerpts:

Luke Jaeger was fed up with high fuel prices.

Jaeger went online and searched the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service files, talked with seed salesmen and visited with biodiesel specialists to plan his farm-scale biodiesel facility. But it wasn’t until the first seeds were planted that Jaeger’s vision of energy independence began to take a definite shape.

Jaeger purchased canola seed from a Nickerson, Kan., dealer and planted his first 60 acres last fall.

But, growing his own oil crop was just the first step in Jaeger’s plan. He also committed to building his own oil seed crushing and fuel refinery right there on his farm.

“We put in two 10-ton crushers, and the goal is to provide crushing for other area farmers who will grow winter canola or sunflowers and bring them to us to crush and then refine the oil into biodiesel,” Jaeger said. “They can bring us their seeds and leave with biodiesel.” The family is in the permitting phase of construction now and has joined the National Biodiesel Board. Eventually they will have all of the proper permits to process biodiesel and their product will meet American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

The article is an interesting story of Jaeger’s work and a good read… in my humble opinion.

Grocery giant Safeway is converting its entire fleet of trucks in Arizona to 20% biodiesel.

The Arizona Star has more about the green grocer and the green fuel:

For the last 30 days, the company has worked to convert all 79 of its Arizona trucks to fuel that is 20 percent biodiesel made from domestically manufactured virgin soybean oil.
The conversion will reduce Safeway’s carbon dioxide gas output by 3,603 metric tons — equivalent to 780 passenger cars not being driven for one year, said Nikki Daly, company spokeswoman.