Research Aims For More Efficiency in Harvest and Handling (10/1)
Shinner, a professor of biological systems engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has focused research on corn stover, the stalks and leaves left behind when grain is harvested and has embarked on a similar line of research on cost-effective harvesting of forage grasses, such as switchgrass, for both feed and fuel production. The goal is to develop a one-pass system that would simultaneously harvest corn and stover, while leaving enough residues on the ground to curb erosion and maintain tilth.
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DOE's Ethanol Pipeline Study Will Determine Feasibility of Constructing Dedicated Infrastructure to Transport Ethanol (10/4)
U.S. Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced a bill Sept. 29 requiring the U.S. Department of Energy to study the feasibility of constructing one or more dedicated ethanol pipelines to transport ethanol from the Midwest to the East and West coasts. The "Ethanol Infrastructure Expansion Act" addresses the feasibility of a dedicated pipeline system that could enable Midwest ethanol producers to deliver alternative fuel to states on both sides of the country.
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DuPont and Broin Partner to Advance Development of Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass (10/5)
Two technology leaders in the growing biofuels industry, DuPont and Broin, today announced a partnership in the United States to take the next steps needed to bring cost-effective ethanol derived from corn stover to market. Mike Muston, Broin's executive vice president of corporate development said, "The ability to combine the global science of DuPont with Broin's ethanol production technology puts us in position to make the commercialization of cellulose to ethanol a reality much sooner."
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PA Governor Rendell's Energy Initiatives to be Featured at International Showcase in China (10/23)
For the fifth time in the last year, Governor Edward G. Rendell's clean energy efforts are drawing international attention - this time at "The Great Wall Renewable Finance Forum 2006" in the People's Republic of China. Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty will deliver a keynote address on behalf of the Governor and meet with Chinese energy and environmental business leaders and government officials to discuss potential trade and investment opportunities.
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Do You See a Silk Purse Here? (10/27)
Where the land isn't suitable for row crops, farmers will harvest and sell a deep-rooted perennial crop like switchgrass. The goal is to take agriculture's sow's ear - hilly, fallow CRP land - and make a silk purse. Known as the Chariton Valley Biomass Project, this electric-generating plant is where they mix switchgrass with coal to heat the boilers and spin the turbines. The project is a joint effort of USDA, Chariton Valley RC&D, Alliant Energy, and U.S. DOE. DOE has provided much of the funding, while USDA has granted permission to harvest the CRP acres (farmers participate voluntarily, without being paid). Alliant offered their biggest and newest power plant because "switchgrass contributes to a clean environment, and it's renewable," says Roger Morton, Alliant's senior project engineer.
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Closed-loop ethanol plant planned for Nebraska (10/30)
E3 BioFuels will launch the first-ever closed-loop ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska, in December. Company officials say the facility's processes will eliminate the need for fossil fuels in ethanol production altogether. Dennis Langley, Chairman and CEO of E3 BioFuels, says the Genesis plant will begin production in December 2006 as the first-ever closed-loop system for distilling commercial quantities of ethanol using methane gas recaptured from cow manure instead of fossil fuels.
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