The agriculture committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have announced a bipartisan agreement on a new five-year Farm Bill. The House is expected to vote on the measure on Jan. 29, with a Senate vote expected soon after.
Much of the consternation over corn ethanol, including the current debate on the renewable fuel standard, is rooted in America's ability to produce sufficient corn to meet the needs of food and fuel. This, of course, is dependent on weather.
The grains complex has been tiresome compared to the whirlwind proteins of late. A big carryout looms in corn, and demand from China has been in question.
While the baling of crop residues and forage crops is nothing new, the sheer volume that will be required to supply a commercial biorefinery makes developing a reliable, cost effective supply chain a challenge.
A report issued by the European Commission's Agricultural and Rural Development department predicts that the medium-term outlook for arable crops in the European Union is relatively positive. The biofuels market is the most dynamic demand factor.
Ottawa-based Iogen Corp. announced it has developed and patented a new method to make drop-in cellulosic biofuels from biogas using existing refinery assets and production operations.
Corn kernel fiber conversion technology holds great promise, but RIN integrity standards are paramount to the value and marketability of advanced ethanol derived from this exciting new pathway. Fortunately, quality assurance plan services are here.
Although expensive, fluorescent microscopy provides colorful insights on bacteria and yeast, the tiny organisms that impact ethanol production. Now, the arrival of budget-friendly models may put the technology in reach of more plant laboratories.
Novozymes has released its 2013 results, reporting that all financial targets for the year were met or exceeded. Overall organic sales growth was 7 percent. Sales to the bioenergy and household care industries were the biggest drivers of growth.
Ethanol producers are enjoying generous margins in recent weeks, even as uncertainty over the fate of the renewable fuels standard (RFS) weighs upon the long-term outlook. Late November saw the best ethanol margins since the height of the 2006 boom.
The costs of fertilizer, land rents and seed, along with the associated expense of machinery depreciation, have spiked dramatically over the past several years. Has it reset the breakeven point for American corn farming?
In December, logistics were the primary market driver in the DDGS market. Whether in railcar turn times, empty container availability or even truck availability to move the product, transportation is affecting prices.
Ethanol prices saw a wild price shift in December leading to additional uncertainty through the ethanol and corn markets. Lack of active support in the corn market has kept corn prices hovering between $4.15 to $4.30 per bushel in the futures market.
Using a plant-derived chemical known as gamma valerolactone, or GVL, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have developed a process for creating a concentrated stream of sugars that's ripe with possibility for biofuels.
When it comes to biofuels, corn leads the all-important category of biomass yield. However, Michigan State University researchers show that looking at the big picture allows other biofuel crops to score higher as viable alternatives.
The 2014 Consolidated Appropriations agreement to be considered by Congress today leaves Farm Bill energy programs with no discretionary funding for the year, highlighting the need for Congress to prioritize consideration of the 5-year Farm Bill.
Genera Energy Inc. is showcasing some of the most cutting-edge, effective and innovative commercial harvesting techniques available in the biomass industry as it begins its latest harvest of biomass energy crops.
Rothamsted Research scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and funded by the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative, have discovered a gene that contributes to the coppicing response of willows.
With the harvest complete and actual numbers replacing estimates, the USDA increased the harvested acres for corn by 436,000 acres and lowered the yield to 158.8 bushels per acre, reducing the figure for total production to 13.9 billion bushels.
The USDA has released its January WASDE report, announcing that 2013 was a record crop year with a harvest of 13.93 billion bushels. The average yield was 159 bushels per acre. The forecast for corn use for ethanol was increased to 5 billion bushels.
Aphios Corp. has announced that it was granted U.S. Patent No. 8,540,847 entitled "Methods and Apparatus for Processing Cellulosic Biomass," for its Aosic enabling technology platform, which utilizes "SuperFluids," such as carbon dioxide.
Anyone working in, or on the edges of, cellulosic ethanol should take notice of the advanced biofuels panels taking place March 25-26 at the International Biomass Conference & Expo, in Orlando, Fla.
VIB has announced that the results of a field trial with genetically modified poplar trees in Zwijnaarde, Belgium, shows that the wood of lignin modified poplar trees can be converted into sugars in a more efficient way.
Dennis Pennington, bioenergy educator at Michigan State University Extension, recently reviewed a study on regional biomass feedstocks conducted by researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois.
Illinois researchers reported results from a decade of field trials with miscanthus. The average annual yield of miscanthus grown in seven Illinois locations over a period of eight to 10 years was 10.5 tons per acre.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has updated its state energy profiles and added new analytical narratives on the energy sectors of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.
Looking for new areas for future expansion of sugarcane production for ethanol in Brazil, new research begun on varieties with more drought and cold tolerance for Brazil's far south.
The Brazil ethanol industry saw record supplies for the 2013/2014 crush season just being wrapped up, and got a welcome boost from auto executives who said ethanol-powered cars are more viable for reducing pollution than electric vehicles.
Quality assurance programs in ethanol plant labs is the primary and most immediate feedback tool for monitoring plant efficiencies and internal practices, but only when procedural accuracy and precision are in place and working right.
Sweetwater Energy Inc. and Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced an agreement to supply sugars for the production of cellulosic ethanol. The agreement supports the construction of a cellulosic biorefinery at Pacific Ethanol's Stockton, Calif., plant.
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