Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production
By Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
January 13, 2017
Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year. However, current research shows dual-purpose biofuel crops could produce biofuels nine months of the year, increasing profits by as much as 30 percent.
Corn distillers oil production was up a whopping 15 percent in the first 10 months of 2016 compared to the same period a year earlier, according an analysis of the USDA Grain Crushing and Co-Products Production report.
USDA ratcheted down corn supplies for the 2016-'17 crop year, lowering corn ending stocks by 48 million bushels from last month's World Agriculture Supply and Demand report. Corn production is estimated at 15.148 billion bushels.
On Jan. 12, the USDA released a report showing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with U.S. corn ethanol are currently approximately 43 percent lower than gasoline when measured on an energy equivalent basis.
Corn consumption for ethanol production is very likely to surpass the most recent USDA projection of 5.3 billion bushels and the prospect already is impacting the corn market, according to the weekly outlook by Todd Hubbs published in FarmDoc Daily.
The U.S. Department of Energy and USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently opened a $22.7 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support the optimization of integrated biorefineries.
The USDA recently published the January edition of its Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report, indicating total corn consumed for fuel alcohol was at 452 million bushels in November.
On Jan. 9, Gevo Inc. published an update describing fourth quarter operations at its Luverne, Minnesota, biorefinery. In addition, the U.S. EPA recently approved a fuel pathway for the plant regarding the production of butanol from corn and sorghum.
Syngenta recently announced that it has reached agreements with ethanol plants, from Arizona to Ohio, with a combined total capacity of nearly 2 billion gallons.
Two potential biofuel crops in Hawaii, sugarcane and napiergrass, may sequester more carbon in soil than is lost to the atmosphere, according to a study published Jan. 4 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
LanzaTech has been selected by the Department of Energy to receive a $4 million award to design and plan a demonstration-scale facility using industrial off gases to produce 3 million gallons per year of low carbon jet and diesel fuels.
Petrobras BiocombustÃvel S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Petrobras, has announced an agreement to sell its shares in Guarani S.A., a Brazil-based sugar and ethanol producer, to Tereos Participations SAS for $202 million.
On Dec. 28, the USDA Commodity Credit Corp. announced it does not expect to purchase and sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program during fiscal year 2017. The USDA is scheduled to issue its next quarterly update on the FFP prior to April 1.
Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds has released to the public the Iowa Renewable Energy Plan, which establishes priorities and provides strategic guidance for Iowa's energy future.
Maryland-based Advanced Biofuels USA has been awarded a $16,893 grant by USDA to study the feasibility of making bio-jet fuel from energy beets grown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has released its crop update for the second half of November, reporting that 789.46 million liters (208.55 million gallons) of ethanol were produced during the two-week period.
The Regional Feedstock Partnership recently published a report summarizing its strides from 2008 to 2014 toward addressing issues associated with the development of a sustainable and projectable supply of feedstocks in the U.S.
On Dec. 20, the U.S. EPA announced it will extend the public comment periods for its Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support proposed rule and its proposed denial to change the point of obligation under the renewable fuel standard (RFS).
A study from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has found that switchgrass improves soil quality and can be grown on farms that have lost fertile topsoil.
Pacific Ethanol Inc. has entered an agreement with the Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co. under which it will acquire ownership of the grain elevator. The transaction was part of a larger financial announcement made by Pacific Ethanol.
The USDA recently published the December edition of its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, announcing no changes have been made to the 2016-'17 corn supply and use projections.
In early December, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to open two biofuel-related funding opportunities. One is focused on the optimization of integrated biorefineries, while the other is focused on algae-based fuels.
Leaf Resources recently announced a collaboration with Novozymes, the world's largest producer of industrial enzymes, to further increase the yields and efficiency associated with Leaf Resources' innovative biomass conversion technology.
On Dec. 6, the U.S. EPA held a hearing on its proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support rule in Chicago. Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association were among the organizations that testified at the event.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, recently released a crop update for the second half of October, reporting ethanol production in the south-central region during the period reached 1.3 billion liters (343.42 million gallons).
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have conducted a detailed study of the reflectivity effects of converting land to grow biofuel crops.
On Nov. 16, U.S. EPA's proposed Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support rule was published in the Federal Register, officially opening a 60-day public comment period on the proposal. Comments are due Jan. 17.
ePURE was among a group of trade organizations that recently issued a letter to the European Commission strongly opposing any phase-out of European Union support for conventional biofuels produced in Europe from European-grown crops and feedstock.
The U.S. Grains Council recently reported that USDA export data for September, which is the first month of the 2016-'17 marketing year, showed a dramatic increase in exports of feed grains in all forms.
Biofuels operations under the right conditions can lead to improved household food security in developing countries, concludes a new study conducted by researchers in Ireland that reviews the limited development of biofuel production in Africa.
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