INEOS Bio breaks ground in FL on landmark cellulosic biofuels venture; ADM in sustainabl​e palm in Brazil

INEOS Bio breaks ground in FL on landmark cellulosic biofuels venture; ADM in sustainabl​e palm in Brazil

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February 10, 2011 
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Top Story
INEOS Bio, New Planet break ground on landmark advanced biofuels project
Cellulosic ethanol moves from shovel-ready to shovels-in-the-dirt, as syngas fermentation for advanced biofuels takes flight
For some time, critics of cellulosic ethanol have been known to ask rhetorically: "Where are the gallons?" 
 
Well, where are they? Of all places, the sleepy resort village of Vero Beach, Florida, which has become the temporary center of the universe in cellulosic ethanol with official groundbreaking yesterday on a $130 million Indian River BioEnergy Center project, a joint venture between INEOS Bio and New Planet Energy.
 
The biorefinery will have the capacity to produce 8 million gallons of ethanol and 6 megawatts of electricity per year-of which approximately one-third will be exported to the local community. The project is expected to commence operation in 2012.
 
One of the most interesting features of the project is its technology. It features one of the first at-scale appearances of a microorganism (in this case, a member of the bacteria kingdom) that ferments syngas directly into ethanol.
 
Why is syngas fermentation becoming a white-hot area of biofuels development and deployment? How is INEOS advancing the science and commerce of advanced biofuels - all in a special report at biofuelsdigest.com.
 

 

Producer News

In Washington, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 16 projects in 10 states for funding to create jobs and provide new economic opportunities. Among the winners, Heartland Power Cooperative was selected to receive a $740,000 loan to help fund a biodiesel refinery in Forest City, Iowa, that will create 16 jobs.

In Washington, the USDA lowered its forecast for the 2010-2011 global corn crop to 814.26 million metric tons, a drop of nearly 2 million tonnes from the last forecast in January. The crop declines are being attributed to poor weather conditions in Argentina, still compares favorably to the world record harvest of 812.34 million tonnes for the 2009-10 harvest.

In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association is teaming with the DOEâ?™s Clean Cities Coalitions to host nine ethanol safety training seminars across the country. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, the free seminars are also open to the general public.

 

 

The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference  
 
Discounted (advanced registration) rates - expire in 16 days - book now!
 
New speakers added for special panels on aviation biofuels for commercial and military markets.
 
  
Full conference info and registration here. 
 
New Speakers announced
 
John Rau, MD, Purchasing & Transportation, American Airlines

Mark Iden, Deputy Director of Operations, Defense Logistics Agency-Energy
Bill Hagy, Director of Alternative Energy Policy, USDA
Sarah Bittleman, Sr, Adviser to the Secretary, USDA
Mark Rumizen, Aviation Fuels Specialist, FAA
Nancy Young, VP, Environmental Affairs, Air Transport Association
John Heimlich, Chief Economist, Air Transport Association
Rich Altman, Executive Director, CAAFI
 
"THIS IS A 'MUST DO' CONFERENCE: The right people, the right place, The right time, the right content."
- Michael McAdams, President, Advanced BioFuels Association

Full conference info and registration here.
 
International News

In Brazil, Archer Daniels Midland announced plans to invest in sustainable palm production in Brazil. Spanning five years, the ADM investment will encompass approximately 12,000 hectares of palm production in the state of Pará and include the construction of a palm processing plant.

In Sweden, Scania has received an order for 158 ethanol and biodiesel buses from Keolis Sverige with 123 being urban and suburban buses that will service the greater Stockholm area, while the remaining buses will be for intercity routes. By the second half of 2011 Keolis' vehicle fleet in Sweden will consist of approximately 2,000 buses, of which over 60 percent will be running on renewable fuels.

In the UK, Dave Knibbs, CEO of Vireol told Reuters that the UK can supply enough wheat for its food, feed and fuel needs, saying that UK agricultural was running at 60 percent of its capacity. Vireol is constructing a wheat biorefinery that will produce 55 million gallons (200 million liters) of ethanol, and is expected to open in 2013.

 

Top Tweets - The Voices of Biofuels

TheEconomist: Why don't Americans believe in global warming? The US is less exercised about climate change than a lot of countries

soulfulmess: "Debunker" Michael Shermer Says Biodiesel Should Stand Tall In The Face Of Junk Science

DomesticFuel: Elixir Bio-Tech Wins Award: A New Mexico Algae Biotech company, Elixir Bio-Tech Inc. (EBT), has been named one one of...

epareporter: Vllsack announces funding to build biodiesel plant.

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Research News

In Norway, controlled experiments with irrigation and fertilisation of jatropha have been conducted at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. In this project, studies and field trials were conducted with jatropha in Ghana and Niger, the pest risk factors that threaten jatropha crops, and studied how to cultivate the tree in order to minimise pest problems and prevent mass invasion.

Policy & Policymakers

In Washington, the California Air Resources Board has appointed BIOâ?™s Manager of State Policy, Stephanie Batchelor, and the Renewable Fuels Association's vice president for research and analysis,  Geoff Cooper, the to sit on the advisory panel of the state's Low Carbon Fuels Standard program. Also serving on the advisory panel are reps from Solazyme, Amyris, POET, and Sapphire Energy.

Policy & Policymakers

In Washington, 25x25 appointed a slew of new members to its steering committee. New members include Len Bull, past chairman of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture; Brian Dubie, former Lt. Governor of Vermont; and Retired Vice Admiral Denny McGinn, a former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs at the Pentagon and commander of the U.S. Third Fleet

Financial News

The Biofuels Digest Index™ (BDI), a basket of public biofuels stocks, inched up 0.02 percent to 88.34 as Gevo opened strongly on its first day of trading. For the day, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) slipped 0.19 percent to $36.02, while Gevo (GEVO) jumped 9.60 percent in initial trading and closed at $16.44. Among other equities, Amyris (AMRS) fell 0.58 percent to $30.90. Overall, advances led declines 6 to 5 for the day.

Hot Topics from Past Issues

The 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy: 2010-11: the complete list

"Citizen Cane: Essays for New Days in Bioenergy" - featuring the best Digest columns since 2007 (plus originals) - available free only to Digest subscribers.

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These stories and more are available at BiofuelsDigest.com. Your comments and story requests are warmly welcome: email me at jlane@biofuelsdigest.com.

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