Operations
BNSF Railway Co. reported it held only four ethanol unit trains and 105 grain unit trains short of designation or scheduled interchange for longer than six hours during the week ending Dec. 6. Canadian Pacific held six ethanol and six grain trains.
A new ASTM International standard will be used in isobutanol manufacturing to test its purity for use in the chemical and fuel markets. Isobutanol manufacturers and quality laboratories that work with fuels will be the primary users of ASTM D7875.
Supply and demand numbers for U.S. feed grains were mostly unchanged in the Dec. 10 World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report, with a small increase in projected corn food, seed and industrial use reducing ending stocks slightly.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the December issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, reporting new records for average weekly and monthly ethanol production. The EIA also increased its 2015 production forecast.
On Dec. 8, the Chicago City Council Committee on Finance passed an ordinance that would require filling stations within the city to supply E15. The measure now moves to the full city council for a hearing on Dec. 10.
University of Illinois economists Scott Irwin and Darrel Good recently addressed the potential impact of falling gas prices on ethanol and corn demand in a Dec. 4 FarmDocDaily post, theorizing that the risk of adverse impacts has been over-stated.
A new report prepared by economic research firm The Brattle Group showed that the proposed Department of Transportation rule on rail tank cars could cost the economy as much as $60 billion. The ethanol industry is expected to be impacted.
Reports filed with the Surface Transportation Board for the week ended Nov. 29 show that the BNSF Railway Co. held only 12 ethanol unit trains short of destination or scheduled interchange for long than six hours. For Canadian Pacific, it was seven.
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy LLC announced its financial results for the twelve months ended Sept. 30. SIRE reported net income of $48.6 million or $3,681 per basic unit for the twelve months ended Sept. 30.
Rex American Resources Corp. has released fiscal third quarter financial results, reported record third quarter net income of $23.34 million for the three-month period ended Oct. 31, up from $9.87 million during the same period of the previous year.
On Dec. 2, the USDA announced it is making more than $5.6 million grant payments to 220 producers under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. An additional $4 million in grants are being awarded though three programs supporting bioenergy initiatives.
A processor and convertor of wine and beer waste into fuel-grade ethanol and livestock feed is establishing operations in Marion County. Quality Farms is investing $1.9 million resulting in the creation of 27 new jobs in Mullins, South Carolina.
Trestle Energy LLC has received approval from the British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines for three fuel pathways that drive down the carbon intensity of corn ethanol. The approach focuses on leveraging the agricultural sector.
The Renewable Fuels Association will co-host free Ethanol Safety Seminars Dec. 10-12 at the Portland Fire and Rescue Training Center in Portland, Oregon. The events primarily target first responders and safety officials, but are open to the public.
Edeniq Inc. has announced a joint development agreement with Global Bio-chem Technology Group Ltd. The companies will cooperate on the development of technology to convert corn stover to cellulosic sugars for use in the production of biochemicals.
A new distillation technology is ready to be tested at pilot scale, according to Dick Burton, CEO of Distillation Technologies Inc. He and his brother Sam Burton, have spent seven years developing the technology trademarked Bubble Spray Distillation.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has released an updated sugarcane harvest report, reporting ethanol production for the current harvest season is up 5.11 percent through the first half of November.
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) recently released its third quarter clean energy jobs report, reporting that more than 18,000 clean energy and clean transportation jobs were announced in 23 states during the quarter.
The December issue of EPM contains several articles based on the issues theme of plant safety and emergency response, as well as more information about the E15 situation in Chicago and Abengoa's recent plant ground breaking, writes Tom Bryan.
Companies should take steps to improve safety, compliance and loss control because it's the right thing to do, rather than simply to avoid citations.
The U.S. EPA has published renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for October, reporting that more than 1.4 billion RINs were generated during the month across all five categories, including more than 7 million cellulosic RINs.
Construction on Abengoa's self-powered cellulosic ethanol facility is complete. But that doesn't mean efforts to innovate are over.
Although several new requirements in the FSMA may impact ethanol plants, writes Andrew Anderson of Faegre Baker Daniels, the preventative control rule is likely the one that will have the most significant impact on day-to-day operations.
Dyadic International has released third quarter financial results, reporting increases in net product revenue and gross profit. "The past quarter continues to be an extremely exciting time at Dyadic," said Dyadic CEO Mark Emalfarb.
Codes of practice outline best practices for reducing risks when loading ethanol tank cars.
Abengoa recently released third quarter financial results, reporting positive performance for the company's biofuels business. For the first nine months of the year, the company reported overall revenues in line with those achieved in 2013.
Class I railroads have filed their fourth weekly status reports with the Surface Transportation Board. The reports provide an overview of operational performance for the week ending Nov. 8.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the November issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting that ethanol production will average 934,000 barrels per day next year.
Exciting progress is being made at Gevo Inc.'s Luverne, Minnesota, renewable fuel plant, and also within the company's recent commercial activities, Gevo CEO Pat Gruber reported during the company's third quarter conference call.
Brazil-based Cosan has released financial results for the third quarter, reporting a 2 percent increase in the volume of ethanol produced despite a 9 percent reduction in sugarcane crush volumes.
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