Glacier FarmMedia staff – Ethanol producers in the United States achieved another record year in 2018, with production climbing 1.9 per cent to 16.1 billion U.S. gallons processed from about 5.6 billion bushels of corn, or about 38 per cent of the 2017-18 crop. But ethanol producers are not content. They are vexed by the […] Read more
Tag Archives biofuel — page 12
U.S. ethanol future tied to bumper crop of D.C. politics
Politics is playing a significant role in the future of ethanol, which now uses more than 30 per cent of the corn in the U.S.
Trump’s EPA unveils plan to pump up ethanol as Big Oil cries foul
Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released its proposed rule lifting a summer ban on higher-ethanol blends of gasoline to help farmers, putting the agency on a collision course with Big Oil which has called the move illegal. The proposal to broaden sales of the so-called E15 rule marks the latest flashpoint […] Read more
U.S. EPA changed rules to help refiners get biofuel waivers, suit alleges
Reuters — U.S. environmental regulators quietly changed the way they assess applications from refineries for waivers from the nation’s biofuels law, making it possible for highly profitable plants to secure lucrative exemptions, according to court documents filed by a biofuels trade group on Thursday. The new documents, part of a lawsuit that began last year, […] Read more
U.S. EPA sends proposed new E15 rule to White House
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday it had sent a draft of its proposed rule allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline to the White House Office of Budget for review. The rule expanding sales of so-called E15 was promised by President Donald Trump late last year […] Read more
Making gasoline from wood pulp
Renewable energy: A Swedish researcher is using a pulp and paper byproduct to power cars
Lund, Sweden | Reuters – Might tree roots, twigs and branches one day be used to power cars? That’s what a Swedish researcher is hoping after developing a pulp byproduct that, on a modest scale, does just that. Chemical engineering scientist Christian Hulteberg, from Lund University, has used the black liquor residue from pulp and […] Read more
Scientists discover new ‘architecture’ in corn
Science Notes: Findings may improve biofuel production efficiency
New corn research has revealed a different internal structure of the plant than previously thought, which can help optimize how corn is converted into ethanol. “Our economy relies on ethanol, so it’s fascinating that we haven’t had a full and more precise understanding of the molecular structure of corn until now,” said Louisiana State University […] Read more
Biofuels group suing U.S. EPA over small refinery exemptions
Washington | Reuters — Biofuels group Growth Energy filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, challenging the agency’s renewable fuel mandate for 2019 as failing to address rising waived biofuel volumes. “EPA’s inaction on addressing lost gallons due to small refinery exemptions in this rulemaking is a clear violation of […] Read more
EU seeks to soothe U.S. by clearing soybeans for biofuel
Reuters — The European Commission said on Tuesday it had concluded that U.S. soybeans can be used in biofuels in the European Union, part of the bloc’s push to improve strained trade relations with the United States. However, industry sources said it was unlikely to lead to a flood of additional U.S. soybean imports into […] Read more
U.S. EPA lifts 2019 biofuels mandate
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday lifted its annual blending mandate for advanced biofuels, drawing praise from the U.S. biofuels industry, but disappointment that the government had not done more to protect the agricultural market. Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refiners must blend increasing amounts of biofuels into […] Read more
Trump raises ethanol use in gasoline, appeases farmers ahead of elections
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump launched an effort on Tuesday to increase ethanol use in the nation’s gasoline pool, delivering a long-sought political victory to the nation’s Farm Belt and angering oil refiners ahead of November’s congressional elections. Trump announced the lifting of a ban on summer sales of gasoline blended with […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
