In the News
Nov 17, 2021
U.S. fuel ethanol production expanded by 2 percent the week ending Nov. 12, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Nov. 17. Stocks of fuel ethanol were down 1 percent.
Ethanol production averaged 1.06 million barrels per day the week ending Nov. 12, up 21,000 barrels per day when compared to the 1.039 million barrels of production reported for the previous week. When compared to the same week of last year, production for the week was up 89,000 barrels per day.
Stocks of fuel ethanol fell to 20.081 million barrels the week ending Nov. 12, down 205,000 barrels when compared to the 20.286 million barrels of stocks reported for the previous week. When compared to the same week of last year, fuel ethanol stocks for the week ending Nov. 12 were down 122,000 barrels.
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Nov 16, 2021
As the Biden administration continues to explore options for addressing high gas prices, the Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter to the White House late Monday explaining that strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and expanded ethanol consumption would help keep pump prices in check.
RFA’s letter follows media reports that Biden administration officials may be considering lowering RFS volumes based on the mistaken belief that the program somehow is a factor contributing to current high gas prices.
“To be clear, lowering biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) would not reduce the cost of gasoline for American households,” wrote RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper in a letter to National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. “In fact, cutting RFS volumes would most assuredly have the exact opposite effect on consumer gas prices. Reducing the domestic usage of low-cost renewable fuels like ethanol would increase demand for petroleum at a time when global oil inventories are already strained and prices are at seven-year highs.”
RFA noted that ethanol presently extends the U.S. gasoline supply by nearly 1.1 million barrels per day, equivalent to the combined crude oil production from Alaska, California, Utah, and Wyoming. According to a renowned economist and energy policy advisor to two former presidents, the use of roughly 1 million barrels per day of ethanol in the United States has lowered the average price of crude by $6 per barrel, thereby cutting the retail gasoline price by $0.22 per gallon.
The letter also pointed out that gasoline with just 10 percent ethanol (E10) is currently selling for 10-15 percent less (typically 35-50 cents per gallon) than “ethanol-free” gasoline (E0). Higher blends like E15 and E85 offer even greater savings.
“Rather than undermining the market for low-carbon renewable fuels, we encourage you to follow through on the President’s Day 1 pledge to ‘double down on the liquid fuels of the future,’” Cooper wrote. “This includes immediately proposing strong RFS volumes for 2021 and 2022, and taking swift regulatory action to facilitate the rapid expansion of E15 availability nationwide.
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Nov 15, 2021
Bioenergy accounted for approximately 3.52 million of the 12 million global renewable energy jobs in 2020, according to an annual jobs report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in late October. Total bioenergy jobs were down slightly when compared to the 3.58 million reported for 2019.
Liquid biofuels accounted for 2.411 million jobs in 2020. Solid biomass, biogas, and municipal and industrial waste accounted for 765,000, 339,000, and 39,000 jobs, respectively.
The report notes that global biofuels production fell 6 percent last year, from 161 billion liters (42.53 billion gallons) in 2019 to 151 billion gallons in 2020. The decrease is attributed to market impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethanol output was down approximately 8 percent, while biodiesel production was relatively steady.
The U.S. and Brazil remained the world’s dominant ethanol producers last year, with a combined 83 percent share of production. The U.S., Indonesia and Brazil produced a combined 45 percent of biodiesel in 2020. The European Union accounted for 31 percent of biodiesel production.
Latin America accounted for 44.4 percent of global biofuel fuels jobs last year. Asia accounted for 33.6 percent, while North America accounted for 11.8 percent and Europe accounted for 10 percent. The relatively low labor levels in the U.S. and Europe are primarily attributed to highly mechanized agricultural operations in both regions.
According to the report, 368,000 of the world’s 765,000 solid biomass jobs are located in the European Union. An additional 188,000 jobs are located in China, with 58,000 jobs in India and 44,500 jobs in the U.S. In the U.S., 32,442 jobs were in wood biomass fuels, with 12,039 jobs in biomass power.
China accounted for 145,000 of the 339,000 global biogas jobs last year. India accounted for an estimated 85,000 biogas jobs, while 76,000 biogas jobs were located in the European Union. The number of biogas job in the U.S. was not available.
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Nov 5, 2021
NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected so far one petition from an oil refiner to be exempted from the nation's biofuel blending laws for the 2019 compliance year, EPA's website showed on Friday.
The move comes at a time when the oil and biofuel industries await an indication from the Biden administration on how it will approach blending requirements under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Though the EPA, which administers the RFS, rejected the one petition from 2019, it still has to decide on 32 pending petitions for that year.
Under the RFS, oil refiners must blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation's fuel mix, or buy tradable credits from those that do. Refiners can request a waiver from the EPA that would exempt them from those requirements if they can prove the obligations would do them financial harm.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the EPA delayed a decision on blending requirements for 2021, and a finalized rule has been late by nearly a year. The deadline for 2022 requirements is the end of this month.
The oil industry and the biofuels industry have been at odds over the regulations for years. The biofuels industry says the exemptions hurt demand for their products, while independent refiners reject that claim and say that exemptions are needed for smaller refineries to stay afloat.
Aside from the 2019 compliance year, EPA's website shows that there are 28 pending petitions for 2020 and three pending petitions for 2021.
The EPA was to decide on a petition from United Refining Co (RAPPLU.UL) by Friday, after the company filed a lawsuit against EPA administration for the delay in deciding on the company's 2019 exemption petition.
United Refining did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Nov 4, 2021
The Renewable Fuels Association today thanked a bipartisan group of seven Midwestern governors for their efforts to explore what actions can be taken to allow the year-round sale of E15 in their states.
In a letter sent to EPA Administrator Michael Regan today, the governors seek guidance from the agency on how best to pursue a specific provision of the Clean Air Act that allows states to establish a “level playing field” for E15. The governors’ letter follows a recent D.C. Circuit Court decision that found in favor of oil refiners and overturned EPA’s 2019 regulation that finally allowed the year-round sale of E15 in conventional gasoline markets.
“In the wake of the court decision, we are exploring all of our options to ensure retailers are able to sell E15 to consumers all year long without interruption,” the letter states. “Fuel marketers and retailers, renewable fuel producers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state governments have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to expand consumer access to low-cost, clean-burning fuels like E15. Not only does the recent court decision threaten to strand these public and private investments, but it also jeopardizes the progress we’ve made toward cleaning up our fuel supply and reducing emissions from transportation.”
Commenting on the letter, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said, “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of these governors to protect and expand market opportunities for the region’s farmers and ethanol producers. The governors should be applauded for working together to proactively seek solutions at the state level, rather than waiting for Washington to clean up yet another regulatory mess created by the oil industry. Ethanol producers and farmers stand with these governors, and we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of an open and competitive marketplace for E15 and other lower-cost, lower-carbon ethanol blends. We encourage EPA to expeditiously respond to the governors and open the dialog needed to remove the outdated and absurd regulatory barrier to summertime sales of E15 in these states.”
Governors signing the letter were Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Tim Walz (D-Minnesota), Tony Evers (D-Wisconsin), Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota), Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota), and Mike Parson (R-Missouri). In addition, Gov. Laura Kelly (D-Kansas) sent a similar letter to EPA in recent weeks. This bloc of eight contiguous states consumes approximately 13 billion gallons of gasoline annually. A universal move from E10 to E15 across these states would expand ethanol consumption by nearly 700 million gallons and boost corn demand by 225 million bushels.
Read the original news release here.
Oct 28, 2021
As leaders from around the world descend on Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference, also referred to as COP26, the Renewable Fuels Association reminds them that ethanol and other renewable fuels are available—today—to jumpstart global decarbonization efforts. A new one-page fact sheet released by RFA today spotlights recent research and data proving that ethanol is an immediate solution for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
“Ethanol already cuts carbon emissions in half compared to gasoline; with smart policy measures, ethanol can do even more,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol can serve as a zero-emissions fuel for cars and trucks while also helping to decarbonize the aviation, marine, and stationary power generation sectors. That’s why our members have unanimously committed to achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050 or sooner. We urge world leaders gathering for COP26 to take a closer look at ethanol and encourage them to include a prominent role for renewable liquid fuels in their national decarbonization plans.”
In a July letter to President Biden, RFA’s members pledged that ethanol will achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by mid-century, if not well before, as the supply chain adopts CCUS technologies; uses more renewable energy to power biorefineries; and expands carbon-efficient feedstock production practices.
At the same time, they noted it also requires simple action from Washington. To support the achievement of its goals, RFA encouraged the administration to move forward with several key policy initiatives: development of a national Clean Fuel Standard; deployment of more flex-fuel vehicles; and support for broad adoption of carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technologies.
Ethanol producers from across the country, from California to New York, have signed onto this pledge, Cooper noted, and it is featured in an ad campaign currently running in select Morning Consult email newsletters.
For more information, visit EthanolRFA.org/pledge.
Recent Research on Ethanol and Carbon Emissions:
- In January, scientists affiliated with Harvard, MIT, and Tufts University published an analysis finding that corn starch ethanol produced in the United States reduces GHG emissions by 32 to 62 percent compared to gasoline, with a central best estimate of 46 percent.
- In February, Life Cycle Associates released a report showing that the use of ethanol and other biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard has reduced GHG emissions by 980 million metric tons since 2008.
- And in May, experts at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory published a study demonstrating that average corn ethanol reduces GHG emissions by 44 to 52 percent compared to gasoline, right in line with the findings from the January study.
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Oct 28, 2021
President Biden and Congressional leaders on Oct. 28 released a proposed Build Back Better budget reconciliation framework that includes nearly $1 billion for biofuels infrastructure, a four-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit and a new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
One section of the nearly 2,500-page proposed bill allocates $960 million through Sept. 30, 2031, to provide competitive grants to install, retrofit, or otherwise upgrade fuel dispensers, storage tank components and other infrastructure required to supply fuel ethanol blends of greater than E10 and biodiesel blends of greater than B20. The funds can also be used to retrofit certain distribution systems for these fuels, including rail lines and home heating oil distribution centers. Fueling stations, convenience stores, fleet facilities, terminal operators, mid-stream partners and heating oil distribution facilities are among the entities eligible for the grant program.
The bill also currently includes extensions of the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax credit and the second-generation biofuel production tax credit. In addition, the legislation creates a new tax credit for SAF. The SAF credit begins at $1.25 per gallon with an extra 1 cent per gallon for each percentage point by which the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction percentage with respect to such fuel exceeds 50 percent.
Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, issued a statement touting the biofuel provisions included in the proposed package. “Not only does the Build Back Better Act represent the largest investment in clean energy and combating climate change ever – it also confirms that my colleagues have listened to my central argument in our clean energy discussions: biofuels can and should be a part of our fight against climate change,” Axne said. “For months, I have been helping members of the administration, the Senate, and my own colleagues in the House understand the key advantages of biofuels – from the fact that it’s been proven to be more than twice as clean as fossil fuels to how much it can help the economies of states like Iowa. And now I will continue working to get these investments to the President’s desk.”
Growth Energy has issued a statement in support of the bill’s biofuel infrastructure provisions. “President Biden’s proposal to invest $1 billion in biofuels infrastructure is a welcome acknowledgment from this administration that access to higher blends of biofuels at the pump makes a real difference in decarbonizing transportation,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “Recent research shows that a nationwide E15 standard would reduce CO2 emissions by more than 17.62 million tons – the equivalent of taking 3.85 million cars off the road each year. Investing in fuel infrastructure that allows more American drivers to fill up on low-carbon biofuel blends, like E15, is crucial to helping our nation achieve our clean energy goals today.”
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Oct 26, 2021
Novozymes is introducing Innova Quantum, a new addition to its powerful Innova yeast platform. The robust new yeast enables ethanol plants with longer fermentation times of more than 60 hours to realize higher ethanol yields and processing efficiencies than ever before. And, most importantly, plants can achieve this industry-leading yield without trade-offs which put their operation at risk.
“Innova Quantum is the most advanced yeast available and sets a new industry benchmark for the highest yielding, most robust yeast to maximize producer yield and fermentation reliability,” says Rene Garza, Novozymes’ Vice President for Agricultural & Industrial Biosolutions, North America. “With its launch, we are redefining fermentation and operational performance, as new yeast strain and enzymatic developments unleash additional performance capabilities. Our primary goal is to help our customers protect their plant while enabling the highest level of conversion – and Innova does not require this trade-off.”
A boost for ethanol producers
Innova Quantum has significant robustness and works particularly well under differing processing conditions. This means that ethanol producers can maintain consistency in challenging conditions, maximize the fermentation process towards optimal starch conversion, and achieve the highest ethanol yields in the industry.
Producers can increase ethanol yield by 2-3% with the new yeast, which for a 100MGY plant translates to an additional $1-2 million in revenue. Designed to operate in fermentations >60 hours, Quantum with new strain development is capable of converting the most sugar to ethanol while significantly lowering fermentation by-products such as glycerol up to 40% – all without the trade-off and risk of robustness loss experienced with competing yeasts. And, Quantum expands plant flexibility fermenting to >16% w/v ethanol concentrations, while eliminating the need for expensive nutritional supplements.
“Innova Quantum is a boost for ethanol producers that enables them to realize greater profitability without trade-offs that rob plants of reliability and consistency. Quantum delivers higher ethanol yields without risking robustness,” adds Garza. “They can pursue greater yields while safeguarding their plant, yields, and profit.”
A platform for growth and protection
Novozymes’ Innova platform is already the most robust yeast in the industry. Within three years of its emergence on the market, nearly half of North American ethanol is produced using Innova yeasts, indicating how the platform fulfils a significant market need for groundbreaking bioinnovation that makes a real, tangible difference for producers.
Based on customer needs and Novozymes’ commitment to a better tomorrow, the launches of Innova Quantum and Element fermentation solutions, the Fortiva Hemi liquefaction solution, and Fiberex F2.5 for fiber-to-low-carbon ethanol production, together deliver the industry’s most holistic, sustainable, and advanced approach to ethanol production.
“Innova Quantum is our latest way of providing producers with peace of mind to convert at the highest level, while reducing plant risk,” says Rene Garza. “We aim to make a significant contribution to the ethanol production industry and support producers as they grow and protect their plants.”
Learn more here
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Oct 12, 2021
The USDA maintained its forecast for 2021-’22 corn use in ethanol in its latest World Agricultural Demand and Supply Estimates report, released Oct. 12. Estimated 2020-’21 corn use for ethanol production was reduced slightly.
The USDA said the current 2021-’22 U.S. corn outlook is for slightly higher production, increased exports, lower feed and residual use, and larger ending stocks.
Corn production is forecast at 15.019 billion bushels, up 23 million on a marginal increase in yield to 176.5 bushels per acre. Corn supplies are forecast up 72 million bushels from the September WASDE on slightly higher production and increased beginning stocks based on the Sept. 30 Grain Stocks report.
Exports are raised 25 million bushels reflecting larger supplies and expectations of reduced competition from other major exporters. Projected feed and residual use is lowered 50 million bushels based on indicated disappearance during 2020-’21.
The USDA maintained its forecast for 2021-’22 corn use in ethanol at 5.2 billion bushels. Estimated 2020 -’21 corn use for ethanol, however, was revised down slightly to 5.032 billion bushels, down from the estimated 5.035 billion bushels included in the September WASDE. Corn use for ethanol was at 4.857 billion bushels in 2019-’20.
Corn ending stocks for 2021- ‘22 are raised 92 million bushels due to expected increases in supply and lower forecasted use. The season-average corn price received by producers is unchanged at $5.45 per bushel.
Foreign corn production is forecast essentially unchanged as increases for the EU, Canada, Venezuela and Serbia are largely offset by declines for Ukraine, Russia and Guatemala. EU corn production is raised reflecting increases for Poland and Romania more than offset declines for France and Bulgaria. Corn production in Canada is higher reflecting favorable yield prospects for Ontario. Projected corn yields for Russia and Ukraine are lowered based on reported harvest results to date.
Corn exports are raised for India, the U.S. and the EU, with partly offsetting reductions for Ukraine, Russia and Vietnam. For 2020-’21, corn exports for Brazil are lowered for the local marketing year beginning March 2021, based on shipments through the month of September. For 2021-’22, corn imports are lowered for Vietnam, Chile, Algeria, Israel, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, but raised for Bangladesh. Foreign corn ending stocks are higher, mostly reflecting increases for China and Mexico, with a partly offsetting reduction for Ukraine. Global corn stocks, at 301.7 million, are up 4.1 million.
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Oct 20, 2021
U.S. fuel ethanol production soared to a near-record high of 1.096 million barrels per day the week ending Oct. 15, up more than 6 percent from the previous week and tied for the third highest production level on record, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Oct. 20. Ethanol stocks were up more than 2 percent.
The 1.096 million barrels per day of ethanol production reported for the week ending Oct. 15 was up 64,000 barrels per day when compared to the previous week, and the highest level reported since June 2019. Production was only 12,000 barrels per day below the record 1.108 barrels per day of production set the week ending Dec. 1, 2017, and tied with the 1.096 million barrels of production reported for the week ending June 7, 2019. The second highest production level currently on record was 1.1 million barrels per day reported for the week ending Aug. 3, 2018. When compared to the same week of last year, production for the week ending Oct. 15 was 183,000 barrels per day.
Weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol reached 20.08 million barrels, up 233,000 barrels when compared to the 19.847 million barrels of stocks reported for the previous week. When compared to the same week of last year, stocks for the week ending Oct. 15 were up 359,000 barrels.
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Oct 12, 2021
Argonne National Laboratory’s Systems Assessment Center on Oct. 11 announced the 2021 release of the suite of GREET models, an analytical tool that stimulates the energy use and emissions output of vehicle and fuel combinations.
Major expansions and updates included in GREET 2021 include those related to corn starch ethanol, corn fiber ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and a variety of other biobased fuels.
For corn starch ethanol, the updated model accounts for data showing that corn grain yields have increased in recent years while fertilizer inputs per acre have remained constant. In addition, the model reflects updated data showing that corn grain ethanol yield and reductions in energy use have reduced the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per megajoule (MJ) of corn grain ethanol produced and used. The updated GREET model also includes a reconfigured corn fiber ethanol pathway that links grain ethanol with corn fiber ethanol interactively.
Argonne updated and expanded the biodiesel (BD) and renewable diesel (RD) pathways in GREET 2021, and added carinata to BD/RD, palm fatty acid distillate to BD and tallow to RD pathways. Feedstock production data for soy oil and canola oil have also been updated.
In addition, the updated GREET 2021 model includes eight new SAF production pathways. Argonne also added a new coprocessing module to GREET 2021 that is intended to examine the impact of coprocessing biobased feedstocks in petroleum refineries.
Additional information, including a 58-page summary of 2021 updates to the GREET model, is available on the Argonne website.
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Oct 14, 2021
U.S. ethanol production expanded by nearly 6 percent the week ending Oct. 8, surpassing 1 million barrels per day for the first time in more than two months, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Oct. 14. Ethanol stocks fell slightly.
U.S. ethanol production averaged 1.032 million barrels per day the week ending Oct. 8, up 54,000 barrels per day when compared to the 978,000 barrels per day of production reported for the previous week. When compared to the same week of last year, ethanol production was up 95,000 barrels per day.
Weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol fell to 19.847 million barrels, down 84,000 barrels when compared to the previous week. When compared to the same week of last year, ethanol stocks were down 161,000 barrels.
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Oct 12, 2021
The FIA has announced it is targeting the wholesale use of synthetic fuels by 2025. Last year, the FIA announced the use of E10 biofuels in Formula 1 beginning in 2022.
F1 has partnered with both manufacturers and energy companies to develop and mass produce biofuels that will contribute to F1’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2030. These fuels will be manufactured with techniques that incorporate carbon capture, municipal waste or biomass methods in their production, offsetting some the carbon emitted when burnt inside an F1 power unit.
F1 estimates this will reduce emissions by up to 65%, with other carbon offset projects making up the rest of Formula 1’s net-zero 2030 target. The fuel will be ‘drop-in’, meaning that engines require no specific modifications in order to be compatible, while also matching the energy density of today’s high-octane racing fuels.
The FIA governing body’s in-house research team has already developed a carbon-neutral biofuel that meets the F1 engine specifications. The first barrels were sent to engine suppliers for initial development and testing in 2020, but the job now is creating scale, which will cover usage across F1 and eventually the logistics that go with it.
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Oct 7, 2021
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Today, Governor Tim Walz directed state agencies to explore ways to reduce climate change impacts from transportation fuels. Led by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Transportation, the process will engage a broad cross-section of stakeholders statewide to identify shared goals and opportunities that will help to inform a new Clean Fuel Standard in Minnesota. The agencies will provide a report summarizing the results and recommendations in February 2022.
“Minnesota can lead the way in addressing climate change in a way that supports new jobs, reduces pollution, and helps ensure our children have clean air to breath and clean water to drink ,” said Governor Walz. “That’s why our Administration will work with private, non-profit, and government partners and Minnesotans to address climate change while creating jobs across the state.”
“Minnesota has a long history of working together to tackle big challenges,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “More collaborative and creative solutions are needed to reduce future impacts of climate change on Minnesota communities. Listening to and learning from stakeholders and affected community members is key to our continued success. If we do this right, we can grow our economy while reducing climate impacts to future generations.”
“Transportation is the largest contributor to climate pollution in Minnesota and the United States. A Minnesota Clean Fuels Standard could reduce more than 50 percent of climate pollution from the transportation sector by 2050 ,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher. “Minnesotans want the cleanest fuels available, and a Clean Fuels Standard will help drive innovation and create new economic opportunities while supporting our state’s climate goals.”
“We have tremendous agricultural and forest resources and potential for renewable energy in Minnesota that could benefit from new market opportunities that a Clean Fuels Standard would bring,” said Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen.
This Clean Fuel Standard is part of a broader climate effort that includes achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040, improving soil health, planting 12 million trees, expanding energy efficiency, providing more opportunities for people to bike, walk and use transit, helping farmers and fuel retailers provide more biofuels, and building resiliency in Minnesota communities and landscapes.
Read the original press release here.
Oct 5, 2021
U.S. ethanol exports in August saw substantial improvement from the prior month’s slump, expanding 56% to 80.48 million gallons (mg). Canada was the top destination for the fifth straight month with imports of 33.9 mg, the largest volume since March (representing 42% of the August U.S. ethanol export market). Given that former key destinations Brazil, China, and India were again nearly absent from the market, the scope of U.S. ethanol exports extended to a broader range of customers than has been the norm. Larger markets included South Korea (9.9 mg, up 86%), the United Kingdom (up fivefold to a two-year high of 6.7 mg), Peru (6.2 mg, up from zero), Nigeria (5.0 mg, up from zero), the Netherlands (4.9 mg, up 22%), and Mexico (4.0 mg, up 83%). Shipments over the first eight months of the year were 796.3 mg, down 10% from the same period in 2020.
The U.S. imported 9.6 mg of undenatured ethanol from Brazil, along with a minimal volume of denatured ethanol from South Africa and Canada.
U.S. exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS)—the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants—spiked 17% to 1.24 million metric tons (mt). This marks the highest volume of U.S. DDGS exports since Aug. 2015, with much of the growth occurring outside of our largest markets. Exports to Mexico, our top customer for the last eleven months, declined by 18% to a four-month low of 203,666 mt (representing just 16% of all U.S. DDGS shipments in August). DDGS sales to Vietnam jumped 29% to 194,667 mt, its second-largest monthly purchase to date. Exports to Turkey slowed after a large bump in July, down 43% to 86,772 mt. Substantial export volumes also landed in Canada (86,238 mt, up 23% to the largest volume in over a decade), South Korea (79,859 mt, down 10%), Indonesia (64,853 mt, down 3%), China (56,573 mt, up 61% to the largest volume in more than four years), Thailand (55,554 mt, up 153%), and New Zealand (50,000 mt, up from zero). Total DDGS exports through August were 7.73 million mt, which is 10% ahead of last year at this time.
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Oct 5, 2021
AdvanceBio LLC has been selected by D3MAX to lead the process development and design for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded project that supports the newly announced Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge.
Launched by the DOE, U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Grand Challenge represents an effort to reduce the cost, enhance the sustainability and expand the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). D3MAX’s proposal to develop a pilot plant capable of producing SAF from corn stover was chosen as an awardee under DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office Scale-Up and Conversion funding opportunity announcement number DE-FOA-0002396, Topic Area 1b: Scale-Up – Pilot Scale for Biofuels and Bioproducts.
Based upon its extensive experience in biomass processing and process development, AdvanceBio was selected to provide process design services for development and construction of the pilot plant.
“We have worked successfully with AdvanceBio in the past and look forward to doing so again on this important project,” said Mark Yancey, chief technology officer at D3MAX. “We need to decarbonize aviation fuel and we expect that corn stover to SAF will play a major role in this effort.”
"We look forward to the opportunity to support the scale-up of such a transformative technology,” said Dale Monceaux, principal, AdvanceBio. “After literally decades of effort and billions of dollars of investment resulting in incremental improvements in biofuels technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) process offers the opportunity for the first truly revolutionary development in the quest for sustainable, cost-effective, biomass-based fuels and chemicals."
The project, called SAFFiRE (Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Renewable Ethanol), will demonstrate reliable, low-greenhouse gas (GHG) production of SAF from corn stover in a fully integrated, 10 metric ton per day pilot-scale facility. The novel process utilizes NREL’s low-temperature deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis using Novozymes commercial hydrolytic enzymes, C5/C6 sugar fermentation to an intermediate ethanol product using commercial yeast from Lallemand and LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) process to convert the ethanol to SAF. In addition to the low cost, high titer, highly fermentable sugars produced in this reliable low-cost pretreatment, the valuable, non-condensed lignin produced will be recovered, dried and pelletized for sale as fuel pellets or sold directly for upgrading, all contributing to the lifecycle analysis (LCA).
“We identified a new process pathway that permits attainment of a negative GHG emission target. This approach is so transformative that our LCA concepts will be adopted by many entering the field from now on,” said Mike Himmel, NREL Senior Fellow.
About AdvanceBio LLC
AdvanceBio provides expert technical support for commercial fermentation and related unit operations across a range of bio-based industries. Our team of leading technologists and engineers brings over 100 years of combined experience in operations management, technology development and process design in starch, sugar and lignocellulosic-based ethanol, as well as food manufacturing. For more information, visit www.advancebio.com.
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