Domestic Fuel

2010 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

The vice chairman of Global Product Operations for General Motors told attendees of the 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference that his company will keep putting more flexible fuel vehicles on the road, but more ethanol pumps are needed to fuel them.

Tom Stephens said GM is committed to making more than half of their vehicle production flex fuel capable by 2012. “GM is spending about $100 million a year adding flex fuel capability to our vehicles,” he said. “We can’t afford to leave this capital stranded.”

He noted that the majority of flex fuel vehicles are in highly populous areas, especially the east and west coasts, while the majority of E-85 fueling stations are located in the Midwest. He advocates the use of blender pumps to allow retailers to put both mid and high level blends in the pumps so consumers can choose the right fuel for their vehicles.

However, when it comes to increasing the blend level to 15 percent ethanol, he added a note of caution. “We believe it’s critical to complete the planned testing of mid level blends to understand the impact on light duty fleet, off-road vehicles, boats and other equipment,” he said. “Until the results of these comprehensive durability tests are fully understood, we remain concerned about customers using fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. If ethanol gets a bad name, it will be bad for everyone.”

You can listen to or download Stephen’s speech in the player below and watch part of his talk here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (12.4MB)

If you’ve ever attended a National Biodiesel Conference then you know Emily Richards and Jason Brock. These music stars are passionate about their belief in renewable fuels and have been regular performers at the conference.

This morning they took the stage during the closing general session and played some songs from a new album they’ve put together to promote biodiesel. I’ll have more on that in a later post as well as more stories from the conference. You can also find coverage on the Biodiesel Conference Blog.

In the meantime, I thought you’d enjoy a video of Emily and Jason being joined on stage by National Biodiesel Board Chairman, Ed Hegland and CEO, Joe Jobe. They did a variation of a song you’ll recognize and so give a listen to “Time For A Fuel Change.”

You can also listen to the song here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.3MB)

The media was treated to a biodiesel plant tour today at Direct Fuels Biodiesel in Euless, TX. It was a very comprehensive tour that included the facilities and learning about their process and even how they test for quality. Jacob McClernon, Quality Assurance Specialist showed us their cold soak filtration test.

We also heard from Mark Farrer, Director Biodiesel Operations. He gave us a very thorough description of their process and I recorded a portion of it for you to listen to. There are photos from the tour in our photo album which you can access from the link below.

You can listen to Mark’s comments below.

National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.6MB)

During today’s media ride and drive event I got to ride in a new Chevy truck that was fueled with B20 from Classic Clean Fuels. My driver was National Biodiesel Board Vice Chairman Gary Haer, Renewable Energy Group. Also along for the ride was Senior Communications Adviser for NBB, Jenna Higgins Rose. So ride along with us and hear about what’s new from GM in the future.

National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

A biodiesel-fueled boat that set the world record for circumnavigating the globe (see my post from June 27, 2008) has been sunk by a vessel accompanying Japanese whaling ships.

According to WCJB World News, the Earthrace (now owned by the environmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and renamed the Ady Gil), a 79-foot “batmobile-looking” trimaran, was sunk by Japanese sailors providing security to whalers during a confrontation in Australia’s territorial Antarctic waters:

The six men who on board were unhurt and have been rescued, said founder of the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson.

He said that this incident has the consequence of seriously escalating the situation between the Japanese whaling industry and environmentalists.

You can view the video below and decide for yourself who is at fault. But one thing that is not in dispute is that a great biodiesel boat now is at the bottom of the ocean.

The biotech industry would like you to become ‘biotech’. Biotechnology has been responsible for bringing many things to the world including vaccines, cures for cancers, and better ways to grow our food. It is also responsible for developing the natural enzymes that are being used to help spur the growth in the biofuels industry. Enzymes are better for the environment, more efficient and help to lower the costs of producing biofuels, this according to an Industrial Enzymes video segment I just watched that featured the biofuels work of Novozymes. Apparently, this is to be a topic of interest during the Copenhagen Climate Conference.

Today, the Biotechnology Industry Association is asking people to join their “I Am Biotech” movement.  If you join the online biotech community, you will be entered for a chance to win free roundtrip airfare and a complimentary registration to the 2010 BIO International Convention in Chicago.

The site offers insights on the direction of the industry from top CEO’s and thought leaders, networking opportunities, legislative updates, research updates and more. To learn more go to: www.IAmBiotech.org/join.

One of the companies exhibiting their developmental corn cob harvest/collection equipment at the POET Project LIBERTY Field Day was Case IH. Representing them again this year was Sam Acker, pictured sitting in their booth during the speeches. I first met him last year and got an update on what’s new from the company this year.

Sam says they’re demonstrating an Axial-Flow 8120 combine and biomass harvesting system. The combine features a massive 350 bushel grain tank and has an attached biomass cart which is receives power from the combine. The cart has an adjustable cleaning system to tailor the cob/stover sample how you want it.

You can listen to my interview with Sam below and watch a video clip of the equipment lined up and waiting demonstration starting with Case IH.

POET Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

I wasn’t the only one shooting video at the POET Project LIBERTY Field Day in Emmetsburg, IA. POET was too for POET TV. POET does a great job of using new media channels to communicate their activities. You can also learn more about the event by seeing their photos online and following along with their Project LIBERTY Blog.

In this video clip you’ll find:

Sitting inside a Claas Lexion 595 Combine as it goes through a corn field collecting corn and corn cobs. The cobs were carried in a Redekop H165 cob collection device towed behind the combine.

There were 16 different equipment manufacturers involved with POET’s Project LIBERTY Field Day. One of them was John Deere, represented by Dean Acheson, Manager, Solutions Development. Dean says that what they’re working on is completely customer based. He says they don’t want to be slowed down during harvest and they want to keep up a high level of productivity.

The prototype equipment they had on display was a one pass, two stream cob collection system. On the back of their combine they have a new prototype piece of equipment that allows the grain to follow a normal path and the cobs then flow out of an attachment on the back of the combine. He says the equipment allows you some flexibility in how you choose or handle what is being harvested. A wagon is pulled by a tractor alongside the combine to collect the cobs. They’re currently not endorsing the towing of equipment behind their combines but this is equipment that is in development for the future.

You can listen to my interview with Dean below and watch a video clip of their equipment in action.

POET Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.4MB)

I know I posted an interview I did with POET CEO Jeff Broin this week but I also recorded his speech to the attendees at their Project LIBERTY Field Day. I thought you would enjoy hearing what he has to say. He starts out pointing to the RFS as a huge opportunity for the ethanol industry and agriculture. He says that legislation is solid and “there’s no risk of that legislation going away.”

He says there is almost a billion tons of ag residue available as biomass to convert to ethanol. That’s the largest source of biomass available for this purpose. He says it’s a little known fact that “over the next 20 years ethanol can almost replace gasoline.” This can be attributed in part to the projected increases in corn yields in the next 10 years.

POET Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album