| The News Source for the Ethanol Industry |  |
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- USDA raises outlook on U.S. corn surplus
The U.S. corn surplus will total 632 million bushels at the end of the marketing year on Aug. 31, up 5% from the 602 million bushels predicted in January but down from last year's ending stocks of 989 million bushels, according to a Department of Agriculture report, which cites slowing demand. About 4.5 billion bushels will be diverted to ethanol production, the same amount forecast in January and less than the 5.011 billion bushels last year, the USDA said. Bloomberg Businessweek
(2/8)     
| Market Update | | |
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- N.D. ethanol project gets EPA certification
Great River Energy's proposed Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol plant in the Spiritwood Energy Park near Jamestown, N.D., has secured Renewable Fuel Standard certification from the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing GRE to secure financing for the project, according to Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and GRE. The plant will be built next to a combined heat and power plant that will provide steam for the biorefinery's operations. Jamestown Sun (N.D.)
(2/8)
- Ethanol producers hope for an end to drought
Twenty of the 211 ethanol plants in the U.S. have temporarily halted production over the past year because of the drought-induced spike in corn prices, according to data from the Renewable Fuels Association. Although experts don't expect a corn shortage, there is concern about what might happen if the historic drought persists through another season. "There's a lot of anxiety in the industry right now about the drought and a lot of folks watching the weather and hoping and praying this drought is going to break," said Geoff Cooper, RFA's vice president of research and analysis. The Topeka Capital-Journal (Kan.)/The Associated Press
(2/10)
| Technology & Trends | | |
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- Saltwater is eyed for algae production
A research group based in the University of Aberdeen in Scotland is looking for ways to grow commercial quantities of algae using saltwater or brackish water. AccliPhot aims to grow the algae in bioreactors situated in abandoned industrial sites or on marginal land. "Cultivating algae using water that can't be used for irrigation, like saltwater or brackish water, makes sense because it's so vast -- it's all around us and there's no competition to use the land to grow other things," one of the researchers said. OilPrice.com (U.K.)
(2/10)
- Advanced biofuels would end "fuel-versus-food" debate, exec says
Advanced biofuels offer a path for the ethanol industry to end the "food-versus-fuel" debate on corn-derived ethanol, said Howard Marks, president and CEO of K Street Alternative Energy Strategies, on the sidelines of the National Ethanol Conference in Las Vegas. "Even though it is a misconception that first-generation ethanol compromises the food supply, advanced biofuels produce high-grade ethanol from crops that are not interested for consumption," Marks said. ICIS News (U.K.)
(2/8)
| Policy Watch | | |
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- Vilsack: Biofuels can help rural economy
The Department of Agriculture remains dedicated to strengthening the biofuels industry, including reaching a goal of 14 million gallons of production this year by advanced-biofuels companies, writes Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "In the months ahead, USDA will continue to provide support for research and infrastructure. At the same time, we'll explore new efforts to provide flexibility for folks all along the supply chain," he writes. The Bladen Journal (Elizabethtown, N.C.)
(2/11)
| Global Agenda | | |
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- Molasses-to-ethanol plant is planned in Indonesia
Indonesia's state-owned sugar and tobacco firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara will diversify into ethanol production and electricity generation to make up for soaring costs in its sugar division. The firm is building a molasses-to-ethanol plant at one of its sugar mills in Indonesia's East Java province. The facility is expected to achieve full operational status in October. The Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
(2/9)
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