In the News

Ethanol Producer Magazine

Dec 19, 2023

The U.S. EPA on Dec. 18 delivered its final rule to allow year-round E15 sales in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB reviews marks a final step before a rulemaking is promulgated. 

Several Midwestern governors  in April 2022 filed petitions with the EPA requesting that the agency remove the 1-psi Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver for summer gasoline-ethanol blended fuels, which would effectively allow E15 to be sold year-round within their states.

The EPA is required by statute to respond to such petitions within 90 days but, to date, has failed to take final action. The agency  released a proposed rule  to implement the requested change in February 2023. A comment period on the proposed rule was open through April 20. The agency has now submitted the final rule for OMB review. Information released by OMB indicates the target issue date for the final rule is “to be determined,” but the agency has stated as part of an ongoing lawsuit that it currently plans to promulgate the final rule next spring.

That ongoing lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of Iowa and Nebraska on Aug. 7  over the agency’s failure to respond to the Midwest E15 petitions. Documents filed as part of that ongoing lawsuit indicate that the EPA currently plans to issue a final rule by March 28, 2024.

The Renewable Fuels Association is urging the OMB to quickly finalize the rulemaking. “We are relieved to see that this rule has finally moved forward to the White House for review,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the RFA. “OMB review marks the final step in this long and arduous regulatory process. We are urging OMB to move quickly to finalize the Governors’ request so that the marketplace will have adequate lead time to continue preparing for implementation in 2024. Swift completion of this rule will ensure drivers in these eight Midwest states enjoy cleaner air and have uninterrupted, year-round access to lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 in 2024 and every year after that.

“While we strongly support the action being taken by these eight Midwestern states, the optimal solution for the marketplace is a permanent legislative fix that applies nationwide,” Cooper continued. “As a first order of business in the new year, we urge Congress to expeditiously adopt the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to provide the market certainty and stability that the entire nation is looking for.”

The American Coalition for Ethanol is also calling on OMB to move quickly with its review of the rule. "We are gratified EPA has at long last sent the final rule to allow Midwest states to offer E15 on a year-round basis,” said Brian Jennings, CEO of ACE. “Despite the upcoming Christmas holiday, we urge OMB to quickly perform its closing review so the final rule can be issued early in 2024. All market participants, including but not limited to retailers, wholesalers, terminal operators and refineries, should expect and plan for this rule to take effect in the eight states for the 2024 summer driving season and plan accordingly."

Growth Energy expressed gratitude that the rulemaking is moving forward. “This is a welcome step forward for farmers and drivers across the Midwest,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “We’re grateful to the governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin for pressing for uninterrupted access to low-cost, low-carbon E15, and we’ll continue to call on EPA and the White House to grant year-round E15 nationwide. Biofuels like E15 are a critical part of reaching our climate goals, and we urge President Biden to swiftly approve the expanded sale of E15.” 

Additional information is available on the OMB website.

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Renewable Fuels Association

Dec 6, 2023

U.S. ethanol exports decreased 3% to a still-healthy 117.1 million gallons (mg). Canada was our largest destination for the 31st consecutive month with exports of 64.6 mg (94% denatured) accounting for 55% of total sales on a 7% increase from September. This is the largest single-country purchase since Brazil’s offtake in March 2019. The U.S. exported 13.7 mg to India (following four months of near-zero volumes) and 12.6 mg to the United Kingdom (down 8% from September). Virtually all remaining ethanol exports were distributed among seven markets, with the largest volumes landing in the Philippines (6.5 mg, +176%), South Korea (6.0 mg, +17%), Peru (5.7 mg, +89%), and Mexico (5.1 mg, -9%). Brazil again was notably absent from the U.S. ethanol export market. Year-to-date exports, totaling 1.16 billion gallons, are steady with last year at this time.

There were no U.S. imports on record in October, according to the monthly data. Only 17.4 mg of foreign ethanol has been imported thus far in 2023, of which essentially all was sourced from Brazil.

Exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS), the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants, tightened by 13% to a 6-month low of 896,708 metric tons (mt). Mexico was our largest destination for the sixteenth consecutive month with exports of 193,524 mt—a 4% decrease from September. DDGS exports to Vietnam were robust at 121,271 mt despite a 13% decline. Shipments strengthened to Canada, up 47% to a 16-month high of 92,924 mt. Other larger markets included South Korea (76,456 mt, -31%), Indonesia (66,351 mt, +7%), Turkey (38,325, +22%), Japan (35,451 mt, +1%), and China (30,530 mt, -8%). There was a notable lift in exports to Central American countries (a 5-year high) as well as record volumes to Cambodia. Year-to-date U.S. DDGS exports total 8.99 million mt, which lags 4% behind last year at this time.

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US Grains Council

Nov 30, 2023

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently participated in a panel at the Latin American Energy Organization's (OLADE's) annual Energy Week. Pictured from left to right, the panel included Juan Diaz, USGC Latin America regional ethanol consultant; Julio Minelli of the Brazilian Association of Biofuels Producers; Flavio Castellari of the Brazilian Ethanol Cluster; Patrick Adam of the Chamber of Corn Ethanol in Argentina; Agustin Torroba of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture; and Yamila Hana of the National Alcohol and Portland Fuels Administration.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) was invited by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) to participate in a panel, “Opportunities for Liquid Biofuels in Latin America and its Role in the Decarbonization of the Transportation Sector,” during the VIII Energy Week event held in Montevideo, Uruguay.

OLADE offers technical assistance and helps ensure cooperation and coordination in promotion and use of Latin America’s energy resources.

“The Council’s participation, along with IICA and the Pan American Coalition for Biofuels, represents an opportunity to provide updated information on the role of biofuels in decarbonizing the transportation sector and illustrating the capability that the Americas, as a region, has to expand the use of biofuels and become a successful case to emulate in the world,” said Juan Diaz, USGC Latin America (LTA) regional ethanol consultant.

The  panel  featured USGC’s LTA Regional Ethanol Consultant Juan Diaz; Yamila Hana of the National Alcohol and Portland Fuels Administration (ANCAP); Patrick Adam of the Chamber of Corn Ethanol in Argentina (Biomaíz); Julio Minelli of the Brazilian Association of Biofuels Producers (Aprobio); Flavio Castellari of the Brazilian Ethanol Cluster (APLA); and Agustin Torroba of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), who discussed biofuel’s contribution to the decarbonization of the transportation sector. The discussion also highlighted the potential the LTA region has to expand the production and the promotion of biofuels.

The Council shared a timeline of the ethanol industry and how the United States was able to create an industry that is the largest ethanol producer in the world but also one of the most committed industries to reach net zero by 2050. The audience was impressed by the ambitious goals of the U.S. ethanol industry, including the 2030 milestone of ethanol creating a 70 percent carbon reduction compared to gasoline.

“While there has been a lot of attention paid to electro-mobility in the energy transition discussion, the organizations participating in this session elevated the use of biofuels as an alternate solution in determining a pathway to replace fossil fuels with other cleaner sources,” Diaz said.

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Congresswoman Angie Craig

Nov 30, 2023

WASHINGTON, DCU.S. Representatives Angie Craig and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding flex fuel vehicle production in the United States.

The  Flex Fuel Fairness Act  would incentivize automakers to manufacture flex fuel vehicles – which would provide consumers with more options and support Minnesota’s family farmers and producers.

“Renewable fuels are a solution we can implement to combat climate change right now, and we know that flex fuel vehicles help Minnesotans save money at the pump, support family farmers and producers and help protect the environment. That’s why I introduced this bipartisan bill with my colleague Rep. Miller-Meeks to expand flex-fuel vehicle production – and I’ll keep working to get our bill passed,”said Rep. Craig.

“As we look toward a cleaner energy future with options to lower carbon emissions, it’s imperative to amplify solutions like flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) and ensure that they are included as a low-carbon option,”said Rep. Miller-Meeks.“FFVs provide more options for consumers and the U.S. supply chain and unlock increased use of lower-carbon liquid fuel blends containing higher levels of ethanol, like E30 and E85. I am proud to lead the ‘Flex Fuel Fairness Act of 2023,’ and level the playing field for FFVs as a practical alternative to Electric Vehicles.”

“The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association applauds Representative Craig for her leadership in introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act in the House. To reduce transportation emissions quickly and meaningfully, we need to utilize clean energy vehicle technologies that accelerate the use of higher blends of low-carbon, renewable fuels that are produced here in Minnesota. This bipartisan bill will help unlock the carbon reduction potential of renewable fuels and flex fuel vehicles. We sincerely appreciate Rep. Craig’s work on it,”said Brian Werner, Executive Director of the Minnesota Biofuels Association.

“We thank Reps. Craig, Miller-Meeks, and all the co-sponsors for introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act. This bill acknowledges the important emissions benefits of flex fuel vehicles and promotes the continued production of these popular automobiles,”said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper.“This legislation would give automakers more ways to comply with increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards while providing more clean vehicle options for consumers. By leveling the playing field for all clean vehicle technologies, this bill allows low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol to work alongside clean electricity, electric vehicles, and other technologies to reduce emissions from transportation.”

Rep. Craig has long advocated for the expansion of biofuel production in Minnesota and across the country. Earlier this year, she was given the National Corn Growers Association’s President’s Award  for her work to support ethanol and biofuel producers in Congress.

Full text of the Flex Fuel Fairness Act  can be found here.

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Renewable Fuels Association

Nov 29, 2023

The Renewable Fuels Association today thanked Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Angie Craig (D-MN) and all co-sponsors for  introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act  in the House of Representatives to promote the production of more low-carbon flex fuel vehicles in the United States.

“We thank Reps. Miller-Meeks and Craig for introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, which acknowledges the important emissions benefits of flex fuel vehicles and promotes the continued production of these popular automobiles,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “This legislation would provide more clean vehicle options for consumers and give automakers more ways to comply with increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards. By leveling the playing field for all clean vehicle technologies, this bill allows low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol to work alongside clean electricity, electric vehicles, and other technologies to reduce emissions from transportation.”

The bill would help to level the playing field for FFVs by properly recognizing the emissions benefits associated with using E85 flex fuels (which contain 51-83 percent ethanol). A  Senate version  was filed this past summer by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

The legislation is designed to create more equitable incentives and market signals for producing a broader portfolio of clean vehicles. Under current EPA emissions regulations, battery electric vehicles (EVs) benefit from an assumption that there are zero carbon emissions associated with operating the vehicle. EPA announced plans to make the “zero emissions” assumption permanent for EVs in its recent proposed rule for 2027-2032 emissions standards. In essence, EPA’s regulations assume a battery EV will always operate on zero-carbon electricity over its entire lifetime.

To create an equitable incentive for the continued production of FFVs, today’s legislation creates a similar assumption that FFVs always operate on E85—a fuel that reduces lifecycle GHG emissions by 31 percent compared to gasoline. Thus, for the purposes of demonstrating compliance with vehicle emissions standards, the legislation allows automakers to use an emissions value for an FFV that is 31 percent lower than the emissions value for the corresponding non-FFV model.

“If EPA regulations are going to credit EVs for their maximum theoretical carbon emissions benefit, then it stands to reason that the agency should also credit FFVs for their maximum possible carbon emissions benefit,” Cooper said. “This bill would ensure that EPA is being fair and equitable in the way it uses emissions values as policy incentives to stimulate the production of lower-carbon vehicles.”

Even as demand for low-carbon E85 has soared in recent years,  the number of new FFV models has decreased significantly in recent years, Cooper said, as previous regulatory incentives for FFV production have been phased out by EPA. For the model year 2023, the only FFVs available to consumers are select Ford F-150 and Transit models. As recently as the model year 2015, more than 80 different FFV models from nine manufacturers were available to consumers. Click here to see a chart of models available as flex fuel.

More than 5,700 gas stations currently offer E85 in the United States, and the fuel typically sells for 20-25 percent less than regular gasoline. Click here for locations and a price tracker.

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News Medical Life Sciences

Nov 24, 2023

Ingenza  and  Phibro Ethanol  – a division of  Phibro Animal Health Corporation  – have joined forces to engineer a novel yeast strain that will increase yield in the commercial production of bioethanol under both challenging and conventional environmental conditions, further driving the switch to clean biofuels. This latest innovation – arising from a productive and long-standing partnership between the two companies – will help to make this valuable natural resource more widely available for processing into sustainable fuels across a range of industries.

In the US, bioethanol is produced by fermenting typically corn-based biomass with yeast. However, large volumes of enzymes, including glucoamylase (GA) must be added to render the glucose in this feedstock available to the yeast. In addition, the elevated temperatures generated in the production vessels can stress the yeast, resulting in reduced fermentation performance and, subsequently, lower ethanol yield.

The successful partnership between Ingenza and Phibro sought to solve this issue, and led to the introduction of  KinetX  yeast solutions – a highly thermotolerant yeast strain that secretes GA throughout growth and fermentation stages – into the market. The novel strain was obtained using Ingenza’s proprietary strain construction and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) platforms. It offers superior robustness and reliability at higher temperatures while greatly reducing GA addition in comparison to traditional yeasts, bringing significant financial benefits to bioethanol producers. Additional next generation yeast lines in the KinetX portfolio will shortly debut on the international market alongside other programmes incorporating other novel technologies to deliver even higher bioethanol yields.

Dr Leonardo Magneschi, Head of Molecular Biology at Ingenza, said: “Increasing the efficiency of bioethanol production is crucial to boost the commercial viability of biofuels as green alternatives to the fossil fuels we currently rely on. We are strongly committed to Phibro’s goals, and we are confident our ongoing collaboration will play a leading role in reducing the carbon footprint of the transportation sector, helping to achieve global sustainability targets.”

Dr Stephanie Gleason, Director of Technology at Phibro, said: “Ingenza’ s expertise in custom-built strain development, ALE, high throughput screening and technology transfer has been key to the successful implementation and scale-up of our industry-leading products. We look forward to working with Ingenza in the future to implement additional innovations that will further support the worldwide transition to environmentally friendly, bio-based fuels.

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05-03-2021 EPA Asks Court to Vacate, Remand 3 SREs Approved in January

APRIL

04-29-2021 Al-Corn Clean Fuel Celebrates 25th Anniversary

04-21-2021 Senators Urge Regan to Uphold the RFS

04-20-2021 Former Political Leaders Urge 50-State Strategy on Green Energy

04-15-2021 Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company Milestone 25 Years of Ethanol and Industrial Alcohol Manufacturing

04-15-2021 Column: U.S. Ethanol Trends Sightly Improve Ahead of Summer Travel Season

04-09-2021 USDA Increases Forecast for Corn Use in Ethanol

04-09-2021 Governor Walz Highlights Biofuels Infrastructure Budget Proposal To Strengthen Small Businnesses, Support Farmers, And Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

MARCH

03-31-2021 Ethanol Production Up 5%, Stocks Down 3%

03-25-2021 Fueling the New Year

03-26-2021 Canada Now Top U.S. Ethanol Customer

03-24-2021 USDA to Provide COVID-19 Relief to Biofuel Producers

03-18-2021 U.S. Grains Council Helps Ensure Ethanol Has Environmental Role As Recovery Begins 

03-17-2021 EIA: Ethanol Production Up 4%, Stocks Down 3%

03-16-2021 Vietnam Imports U.S. Ethanol as a Result of USGC Programming

03-15-2021 U.S. Senator Tina Smith Named Chair of Rural Development and Energy Panel on Senate Agriculture Committee

03-10-2021 EIA: Ethanol Production Up 11%, Stocks Down 2%

03-11-2021 Broad Coalition Supports Statewide Minnesota Clean Fuels Standard

03-09-2021 USDA Maintains 2020 - '21 Forecast for Corn Use in Ethanol

03-08-2021 Senators Urge Vilsack to Provide COVID-19 Relief for Biofuels

03-03-2021 EIA: Ethanol Productions Up 29%, Stocks Down 2%

FEBRUARY

02-28-2021 Ethanol Provided Essential Products During Pandemic

02-22-2021 EPA Signals New Position On Small Refinery Exemptions

02-19-2021 Representatives Craig and Johnson Lead Congressional Biofuels Caucus in Introducing Legislation to Ensure Transparency in RFS Small Refinery Waiver Process

02-17-2021 Polish Ethanol Producer BGW to Reduce GHG Emissions with Whitefox ICE®

02-17-2021 RFA Ethanol Industry Outlook Focuses on Essential Energy for Tomorrow's Challenges

02-16-2021 Study: Despite Pandemic, Ethanol Industry Generated $35 Billion in GDP, Supported Over 300,000 Jobs in 2020

02-12-2021 RFA: RFS Has Slashed GHG Emissions by Nearly 1 Billion Tons

02-10-2021 Governor Walz Urges Swift Action to Support Biofuels and Reverse Previous Administration's Support for Oil Refinery Exemptions

02-10-2021 EIA Maintains 2021 Ethanol Production Forecast

02-09-2021 Biofuels Can Contribute Now to a Cleaner Energy Future

02-08-2021 Klobuchar, Ernst Introduce Legislation to Expand Renewable Fuel Market and Consumer Access

02-05-2021 USDA: U.S. Ethanol Exports at 1.33 Billion Gallons in 2020

02-04-2021 Klobuchar, Grassley Highlight Need to Restore Integrity to Renewable Fuel Standard in Letter to Environmental Protection Agency

02-01-2021

Whitefox Technologies

Nov 21, 2023

Whitefox Technologies  is pleased to announce tha t BGW sp. z o.   has installed  Whitefox ICE®-XL  technology at its 108 MLPY plant in R?bczyn, and is producing both fuel grade ethanol and high grade ethanol through Whitefox engineering solutions. BGW is the first European Fuel Ethanol customer to install this technology, a big step for Whitefox as it continues to expand its global presence, with BGW having scaled up from their Whitefox ICE® installation in 2021. 

Bartosz Walkowiak, President of BGW said “By adopting a Whitefox ICE-XL system we can accept feed at high moisture content to achieve fuel grade ethanol and the flexibility to produce pharmaceutical grade in a single pass. This is a major breakthrough in our drive for continuous improvement delivering significant operational process benefits and reducing OPEX costs associated with reduced maintenance costs.”  

Tony Short, Head of Global Sales at Whitefox Technologies states “BGW’s vision and entrepreneurial drive was clear for all of us at Whitefox from the early days of our association. We are delighted that together we have been able to design a solution that provides the necessary product flexibility to adapt to market conditions whilst at the same time engineering an efficient solution by reducing energy and operational costs. We congratulate BGW, and we look forward to working with them as they continue to explore market opportunities.” 

Whitefox ICE-XL  is a proprietary integrated solution which fully replaces the existing molecular sieves. It continues to establish continuous dehydration and reduces the energy consumption per gallon of ethanol produced. Through reconfiguration of existing distillations, the Whitefox ICE-XL solution reduces energy consumption by up to 50% – up to 7 carbon intensity (CI) points. This not only reduces natural gas consumption by up to 8,000 BTU/gallon, but significantly reduces operational and maintenance costs. 

This is an exciting step for both companies, collaborating in working towards harnessing and optimising solutions within ethanol production through shared goals of minimising production waste, lowering CI scores and optimising plant capacity. 

ABOUT BGW SP. Z O.O  

BGW Sp. z o.o. (formerly BGW Wielobran?owe Przedsi?biorstwo Handlowe Sp. z o.o.) was established in 1990 as a civil law partnership, on October 6, 1997 it was transformed into a limited liability company, with an initial capital of PLN 13,500,000. Initially, the company based its activity on the trade of liquid fuels and motor oils. Over the years, through continuous investments, it has expanded its activity to other industries and currently the basic direction of the company’s activities is the production of ethanol at the Production Plant in R?bczyn. 

The company purchased the Distillery in R?bczyn in 2002, and as a result of the continuous modernization process, have a plant with industrial production capacity. In addition, the Company has firmly established itself on the market of components for the production of feed due to the fact that the production of ethanol produces dried corn decoction DDGS and corn oil. 

Presently, the company consists of Ethanol and Feed Production Plant in R?bczyn, Research and Development Centre in Pozna?, Oborniki Plant, Liquid Fuels Wholesaler, 2 Lotos Petrol Stations, Warehouse Base of Excise Products in Oborniki and Automotive Center,District Vehicle Inspection Station.  https://bgw.pl 

ABOUT WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED 

Whitefox specializes in technology development and process integration based on its proprietary membrane solutions. Whitefox ICE® (Integrated Cartridge Efficiency) is a bolt-on solution developed for the ethanol industry. With a small footprint, it is designed to de-bottleneck distillation and dehydration, which boosts output, improves CI scores by reducing energy and water consumption and reduces operation & maintenance costs by simplifying operations. Whitefox provides solutions for all types of alcohols, biofuels, and renewable chemicals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America.  www.whitefox.com

Website:  whitefox.com
Twitter:  @WhitefoxTech
LinkedIn:  Click Here

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