January 2015 Ethanol Producer Magazine

INSIDE: SPOTLIGHT ON IOWA’S ETHANOL INDUSTRY

JANUARY 2015

Keeping Tabs on Quality Benchmarking In Plant Labs

Page 28

And

Software Takes Data To the Next Level

Page 36

www.EthanolProducer.com

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WE HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

THANKS FOR BEING SOME OF THE FIRST RETAILERS TO OFFER E15.

Growth Energy commends CENEX, MAPCO, Minnoco, Protec Fuel and Petro Serve USA for their pioneering spirit and their efforts to expand consumer access to higher blends of renewable fuels. They are offering consumers a choice and savings at the pump, while at the same time supporting a homegrown industry that supports farmers across the country.

Together we’re making progress towards the next generation of sustainable, renewable fuels.

Learn more at GrowthEnergy.org

CONTENTS

JANUARY 2014

DEPARTMENTS 6

EDITOR'S NOTE

7

AD INDEX

10

THE WAY I SEE IT

World Needs a Wake-up Call

By Mike Bryan

EVENTS CALENDAR

12

VIEW FROM THE HILL

16 18

QUALITY CONTROL

Benchmarking the Ethanol Lab

Lab managers aim for quality assurance in test methods and results

28

Putting Data to Work

DRIVE

Moving Forward, Not Backward

By Tom Buis

Analytical software can help harness lab data for increased profitability

GRASSROOTS VOICE

Not So Fast

By Brian Jennings

GLOBAL SCENE

EU Must Keep Benefits of Sustainable Biofuels in Sight

By Robert Wright

BUSINESS BRIEFS

22

COMMODITIES

24

DISTILLED

36

Spotlight on Iowa

The ethanol industry has had a deep impact on the Hawkeye State

MARKETPLACE

42

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

4 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

By Holly Jessen

PROFILE

ON THE COVER

Amanda Huber, process manager, Front Range Energy LLC.

By Susanne Retka Schill

SOFTWARE

The Year That Wasn't

By Bob Dinneen

20

50

FEATURES

Labs Leverage Benchmarking, Data

By Tom Bryan

11

14

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 1

By Holly Jessen

Ethanol Producer Magazine: (USPS No. 023-974) January 2015, Vol. 21, Issue 1. Ethanol Producer Magazine is published monthly by BBI International. Principal Office: 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Periodicals Postage Paid at Grand Forks, North Dakota and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ethanol Producer Magazine/Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58203.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Labs Leverage Benchmarking, Data The high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC), the spendy countertop machine at the heart of every ethanol plant’s quality assurance/quality control process is just one of many hightech gadgets in the toolkits of lab personnel. In this month’s cover feature,

Tom Bryan

President & Editor in Chief tbryan@bbiinternational.com

“Benchmarking the Ethanol Plant Lab,” however, we learn that HPLC and other analytical equipment like gas chromatographs, pH meters, moisture analyzers and hydrometers are only as accurate as their calibration, stability and method of use allows them to be. This page-28 story, written by EPM Senior Editor Susanne Retka Schill, gives us insight into how lab managers check their equipment, and their practices, through test result comparisons and other validation techniques.

Our lab theme continues in “Putting Data to Work,” on page 36, as we learn how data analysis software helps ethanol plant labs harness information that may otherwise be lost or ineffectively stored. Whether a lab manager is calculating average fermentation rates, optimizing enzyme dosage or troubleshooting a production slowdown, lab data software can really help.

The cool part, reports EPM Managing Editor Holly Jessen, is the helpful visuals the software quickly generates.

Also this month, we’re excited to bring you the first of six ethanol state spotlights that will be sprinkled into Ethanol Producer Magazine throughout the year. We begin with Iowa, the nation’s No. 1 ethanol and distillers grains producing state. The Hawkeye State’s ethanol story begins on page 40.

Letter to the Editor: I recently read “Clear Sign of Confusion,” a feature in the December issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine regarding perceived conflicts between the revised Hazard Communication Standard and the Hazardous Materials Identification System.

Although it is true that the HMIS Hazard Rating is different from the GHS Hazard Classification category, American Coatings Association and OSHA do not believe there is a conflict. The Globally Harmonized System hazard classification category is not meant to provide hazard communication information to the user. However, the HMIS Hazard Rating is meaningful for each type of hazard, and gives the employee information on the severity of the hazard associated with the use of the substance. The GHS hazard classification category is not required on the label, so the employee who uses HMIS will not see this perceived conflict. The use of HMIS requires training on the meaning of the HMIS Hazard Rating and the required employee responses, which will mitigate any perceived confusion. ACA has developed a new HMIS Implementation Manual (fourth edition) to guide employers in continued effective use of this important compliance tool, which will be available at the ACA website by the end of the year.

Sincerely, Stephen Wieroniey American Coatings Association FOR INDUSTRY NEWS: WWW.ETHANOLPRODUCER.COM OR FOLLOW US: 6 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

TWITTER.COM/ETHANOLMAGAZINE

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 1

EDITORIAL

ADVERTISER INDEX

President & Editor in Chief Tom Bryan tbryan@bbiinternational.com Vice President of Content & Executive Editor Tim Portz tportz@bbiinternational.com Managing Editor Holly Jessen hjessen@bbiinternational.com Senior Editior Susanne Retka Schill sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com News Editor Erin Voegele evoegele@bbiinternational.com Copy Editor Jan Tellmann jtellmann@bbiinternational.com

ART

Art Director Jaci Satterlund jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com Graphic Designer Raquel Boushee rboushee@bbiinternational.com

PUBLISHING

Chairman Mike Bryan mbryan@bbiinternational.com CEO Joe Bryan jbryan@bbiinternational.com

SALES

Vice President of Operations Matthew Spoor mspoor@bbiinternational.com Business Development Director Howard Brockhouse hbrockhouse@bbiinternational.com Senior Account Manager/Bioenergy Team Leader Chip Shereck cshereck@bbiinternational.com Account Manager Jeff Hogan jhogan@bbiinternational.com Sales & Marketing Director John Nelson jnelson@bbiinternational.com Circulation Manager Jessica Beaudry jbeaudry@bbiinternational.com

2015 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo 47 2015 International Biomass Conference & Expo 48 2015 National Ethanol Conference 9 BBI Project Development 50 BetaTec Hop Products 19 Buckman 24 Cereal Process Technologies 32 CHS Renewable Fuels Marketing 17 Conveyor Engineering & Manufacturing 21 CPM Roskamp Champion 31 Direct Automation 38-39 DuPont Industrial Biosciences 52 Eco-Energy Inc. 33 Fagen Inc. 3 Fluid Quip Process Technologies, LLC 45 Foundation Analytical Laboratory 26 Gamajet 30 Growth Energy 2 Husch Blackwell LLC 27 Hydro-Klean LLC 25 ICM, Inc. 11 INTL FCStone Inc. 34 J.C Ramsdell Enviro Services, Inc. 20 Jatrodiesel, Inc. 46 JC Cross Company 43 Nalco, an Ecolab Company 35 Novozymes 15 Phibro Ethanol Performance Group

8 POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels

51 Renewable Fuels Association

49 Tower Performance, Inc.

44 Tramco, Inc

13 U.S. Water Services 5 Vogelbusch USA, Inc.

42

Traffic & Marketing Coordinator Marla DeFoe mdefoe@bbiinternational.com Customer Service Please call 1-866-746-8385 or email us at service@bbiinternational.com. Subscriptions to Ethanol Producer Magazine are free of charge to everyone with the exception of a shipping and handling charge of $49.95 for anyone outside the United States. To subscribe, visit www.EthanolProducer.com or you can send your mailing address and payment (checks made out to BBI International) to: Ethanol Producer Magazine Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. You can also fax a subscription form to 701-746-5367. Back Issues, Reprints and Permissions Select back issues are available for $3.95 each, plus shipping. Article reprints are also available for a fee. For more information, contact us at 866-746-8385 or service@bbiinternational.com. Advertising Ethanol Producer Magazine provides a specific topic delivered to a highly targeted audience. We are committed to editorial excellence and high-quality print production. To find out more about Ethanol Producer Magazine advertising opportunities, please contact us at 866-746-8385 or service@bbiinternational.com. Letters to the Editor We welcome letters to the editor. Send to Ethanol Producer Magazine Letters to the Editor, 308 2nd Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203 or email to hjessen@bbiinternational.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or space.

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts or samples before recycling

COPYRIGHT Š 2015 by BBI International TM

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 7

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THE WAY I SEE IT

World Needs Wake-up Call

By Mike Bryan

The G20 Leaders’ Summit was held here in Brisbane, Australia, in November. World leaders came

in with their delegations from 20 of the leading economically developed countries, plus an entire entourage of reporters and other stakeholders. Having never witnessed such a gathering before, I must say it was impressive.

Vladimir Putin, who was destined to be taken to task over the Ukraine and the MH17 airline disaster, arrived late and left early.

The big stars, of course, were President Obama, arriving on Air Force One, and Xi Jinping of China. As he is the leader of one of the largest emerging economic superpowers, many were anxious to dance with Jinping, so to speak.

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott was determined not to put global warming on the G20 agenda. Obama, however, while speaking at the University of Queensland to a large group of students, politicians and others, placed it squarely on the agenda, and other countries followed suit.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR as its known here), one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is being decimated by rising sea temperatures and a host of other factors. “Here, a climate that increases in temperature will mean more extreme and frequent storms, more flooding, rising seas that submerge Pacific islands,” Obama said. “The incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threatened.” He went on to say that that while he had not yet had the opportunity to visit the GBR he wanted to be sure it was preserved for his daughters to visit. “I want them to be able to bring their daughters or sons to visit and I want it there 50 years

10 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

from now.” The auditorium thundered with applause.

I’m mentioning this because here in Australia, in the U.S. and countries around the world, we still have those who believe that global warming is a hoax. Science is not on their side, the facts are not on their side and the environmental degradation continuing to be levied on our world as a result of those who bury their heads in the sand is quickly becoming irreversible.

Renewable fuels like ethanol are just a part of the solution, but an important part. When I see the U.S. EPA dragging its feet, politicians acting on behalf of special interests and even the environmental minister of Australia supporting large increases in mining and dredging along the GBR, it infuriates me.

If Western countries invested hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars developing renewable energy projects around the world, which in turn would employ millions of people and at the same time help protect the global environment, that to me would make much more sense than new pipelines, more oil exploration and mining for coal. It’s not just America, the entire world needs a wake-up call before it’s too late.

That’s the way I see it.

Author: Mike Bryan Chairman, BBI International mbryan@bbiinternational.com

EVENTS CALENDAR National Ethanol Conference February 18-20, 2015 Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Grapevine, Texas The NEC provides attendees with timely information on critical regulatory, marketing and policy issues facing the ethanol industry. Experts will speak to the current market situation, and address how we as an industry can continue to grow through innovation, new technologies and feedstocks, and by developing more diverse and global markets.

202-289-3835 | www.nationalethanolconference.com

International Biomass Conference & Expo April 20-22, 2015 Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Organized by BBI International and produced by Biomass Magazine, this event brings current and future producers of bioenergy and biobased products together with waste generators, energy crop growers, municipal leaders, utility executives, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, project developers, investors and policy makers. It’s a true one-stop shop—the world’s premier educational and networking junction for all biomass industries.

866-746-8385 | www.biomassconference.com

International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo June 1-4, 2015 Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota The FEW provides the global ethanol industry with cutting-edge content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. The FEW is the largest, longest running ethanol conference in the world—and the only event powered by Ethanol Producer Magazine.

866-746-8385 | www.fuelethanolworkshop.com

National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo October 26-28, 2015 Hilton Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Produced by BBI International, this national event will feature the world of advanced biofuels and biobased chemicals—technology scale-up, project finance, policy, national markets and more—with a core focus on the industrial, petroleum and agribusiness alliances defining the national advanced biofuels industry.

866-746-8385 | www.advancedbiofuelsconference.com

VIEW FROM THE HILL

The Year That Wasn’t

By Bob Dinneen

Like the “Who Shot JR” season of “Dallas,” the U.S. EPA apparently thought 2014 was just a dream that never happened. When the agency awoke in November and announced that it would not publish the renewable volume obligation (RVO) rule for 2014 until sometime in 2015, refiners and ethanol producers alike were left to watch reruns of government dysfunction. But the year did happen, and quite a year it was. Ethanol production and blending broke records. Exports picked up. E15 and E85 sales increased. And the first cellulosic ethanol gallons were produced. So here, in satiric tribute to the year that wasn’t, is our annual in and out list.

OUT

IN

Annual RVOs

Multiyear RVOs

EPW Chairman Boxer

EPW Chairman Inhofe

Phantom fuels

D3 RIN production

Infographics

RFA advocacy app

DOT-111 Rail Car

Rail delays

Corn/DDG exports to China

Ethanol going global

Ice bucket challenges

E85 pump photo pontests

Food vs. fuel canard

Record corn production and yield

Big Food complains about $8 corn

Big Food Complaints about $4 corn

E15 hyperbole

E15 warranty coverage for two-thirds of new vehicles

Computer models predicting ILUC

Real world data showing no ILUC

$100-per-barrel oil

Saudi oil production quotas

EPA RVO hearings

Congressional RFS hearings

API RFS lawsuits

AFPM RVO Lawsuit

Infrastructure need

Prime the Pump

Midterm elections

2016 presidential campaign

API anti-RFS ad campaign

Fuels America pro-RFS ad campaign

RFA Chairman Neill McKinstray

RFA Chairman Randy Doyal

Author: Bob Dinneen President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association 202-289-3835

12 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

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DRIVE

Moving Forward, Not Backward

By Tom Buis

Homegrown, renewable biofuels like ethanol offer a secure, stable alternative to foreign oil that saves consumers up to $1.09 per gallon at the pump.

The ethanol industry provides job security for nearly 400,000 Americans, price security at the pump and energy security for all.

For renewable fuels to succeed, however, the administration needs to provide an equally stable policy environment. The uncertainty that has been introduced around the renewable fuel standard (RFS) is devastating to biofuels investment and innovation. The RFS is our nation’s most successful energy policy in the past 40 years, the only policy to ever have loosened the oil industry’s stranglehold on the liquid fuels marketplace and the only policy that will help us kick our dangerous addiction to foreign oil.

It is of critical importance that the U.S. EPA moves forward, not backward in meeting the goals of the RFS as it reworks the 2014 renewable volume obligation rule. I commend EPA for listening to all stakeholders and acknowledging that the proposed rule was flawed, and I commend you all for stepping up to the plate, submitting comments and making your voices heard. The decision to not finalize the rule is a win for the renewable fuels industry, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without your hard work and support. Although we are still surrounded by uncertainty, one thing is sure—it is important to take the time to get both the volumes and the methodology right for 2014 and beyond. The RFS enables competition that would benefit us all and would give consumers the sorely needed ability to choose a fuel that meets their price and performance needs.

It’s time for competition. It’s time for choice. And it’s also time to stick a fork in the tired food vs. fuel myth. We’re about to produce yet another record corn crop, global food prices recently hit a four-year low and ethanol production volumes are near the highest ever recorded.

Clearly, the success of the industry is not harming anyone’s grocery bill.

In fact, a 2013 World Bank study demonstrated that the primary driver

14 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

of increased global food costs is the rising price of energy, not higher farm commodity prices or ethanol production. It outlined how crude oil prices are responsible for more than 50 percent of the increase in food prices since 2004, a full year before the enactment of the RFS. This analysis has been validated by the USDA and countless other objective economic studies.

Likewise, the ethanol industry is not driving up prices in the feed store. Only 17.5 percent of net corn bushels are used for renewable fuels because only the starch in the corn is used to produce ethanol.

The rest is returned to the food chain in the form of a competitively priced, nutritious animal feed for cattle, hogs and poultry. As a result, both the corn and livestock industries are thriving, not in spite of one another, but because of one another. Since the enactment of the RFS in 2005, livestock production has gone up, livestock prices have gone up and the margin between livestock values and the cost of feed has grown appreciably.

In addition to providing livestock producers with feed, the ethanol industry provides American consumers with the ability to choose a high-performance, low-cost fuel that is grown here at home. Under the RFS, our dependence on foreign oil has been cut almost in half, from 60 percent to 33 percent. And, instead of sending nearly a billion dollars a day overseas, we are investing right here at home. The RFS is essential to our nation’s energy security, national security, environment and economy. The impact of the policy can be seen across the nation— in rural communities where farmers can once again earn a living doing what they love, in the cleaner, bluer skies out the window and in the wallets of consumers who are saving substantially at the pump. Let’s keep moving America forward.

Author: Tom Buis CEO, Growth Energy 202-545-4000 tbuis@growthenergy.org

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GRASSROOTS VOICE

Not So Fast

By Brian Jennings

I frequently remind members of the American Coalition for Ethanol that they are the best ethanol lobbyists. For the cynics out there, I don’t say this to make people

feel good. I say it because it’s the truth.

Before joining the ethanol industry, I worked for a U.S. senator on Capitol Hill. During that time, we met with thousands of people on energy and agriculture issues, from lobbyists sporting cuff-links and polished wingtip shoes to constituents with dirt under their fingernails and scuffs on their boots. (Digression: I’m a lobbyist. No cuff-links, but I confess to a pair of shiny shoes. It’s all the rage to condemn lobbyists, but we have an important job to do. Just like any other profession, some lobbyists are overpaid and not very effective; others are pretty darn good at their jobs). While the farmers with dirt under their fingernails and ranchers with scuffs or other stuff on their boots who we met with didn’t know what a quorum call is, they knew how the decisions we made in Washington, D.C., would impact their families, neighbors and communities. Their personal experiences were persuasive. The lobbyist’s talking points were not.

We need look no further for evidence that authentic grassroots advocacy can overcome a horde of overpaid lobbyists than to the U.S. EPA’s decision before Thanksgiving to reconsider its proposed reduction of the renewable fuel standard (RFS).

While there were rumblings, we had scored some points in trying to deter EPA from its indiscriminate cuts, most of the signs pointed to EPA taking an unprecedented (and probably unlawful) approach to changing the RFS. Big Oil lobbyists thought they had bullied the Obama administration into completely rewriting the 2014 RFS so oil companies could escape their legal responsibility to offer fuels like E15 and E85 to consumers. With feet kicked up on their desks, oil lobbyists were on the verge of uncorking the champagne. But you didn’t give up, and in the words of Lee Corso on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” EPA said “not so fast” to Big Oil. Thanks to your letters, comments and emails to EPA, your phone calls to members of Congress and your support of ACE, grassroots

16 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

advocacy prevailed, if even temporarily. EPA announced it would reconsider its ill-advised plan to reduce the RFS based on the socalled blend wall. Instead, the agency said it would finalize the 2014 standard in 2015, when it will also announce plans for setting the 2015 and 2016 blending volumes.

It’s a case of “power by people” overcoming Big Oil’s war chest. ACE and others asked you to write EPA and tell them your story about why the RFS is important. Many of you told the administration about how ethanol has reenergized your hometowns.

Others discussed the jobs and economic benefits of ethanol. A lot of you emphasized the clean air benefits of ethanol or the legislative history of the RFS. It worked. The White House and EPA realized their proposal would hurt rural America, cause pain at the pump for consumers and send innovation in advanced biofuels overseas.

They also appear to have recognized their method for changing the RFS was inconsistent with legislative history and the Clean Air Act. I jest at Big Oil lobbyists being on the verge of uncorking champagne, but our short-term victory is no cause for celebration.

At this stage, it isn’t entirely clear if EPA will abandon its flawed blend-wall methodology for setting future RFS volumes. The 114th Congress is sworn in this month and calls from those oil lobbyists to repeal the RFS will intensify. Powered by people persuasive and authentic, like you, ACE stands ready to reengage EPA and work with the new Congress to ensure the RFS serves as a tool to provide market access for higher blends of ethanol.

Author: Brian Jennings Executive Vice President American Coalition for Ethanol 605-334-3381 bjennings@ethanol.org

A WORLD OF SEAMLESS ETHANOL MARKETING SOLUTIONS IS RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SET IT IN MOTION. As a leader in ethanol and distillers dried grains marketing, no other company offers more expertise and experience than CHS. We provide ethanol plants with the most extensive local and global buyer networks and market access. CHS has the breadth of risk management, logistics and regulatory capabilities to create a smooth path to maximizing your plant’s netbacks. To set the partnership in motion, call 1-800-851-7949 or visit chsinc.com.

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GLOBAL SCENE

EU Must Keep Benefits of Sustainable Biofuels in Sight

By Robert Wright

These are still uncertain times for the European ethanol industry. Discussions in the EU are well underway to revise the current EU biofuels policy, which expires in 2020, and the EU has not indicated what type of biofuel rules, if any, will exist after 2020. This policy uncertainty is

the biggest challenge facing European ethanol producers.

The current framework, introduced in 2009, heavily influences and governs the ethanol market in Europe. In 2012, just three years after EU policy support was confirmed for biofuels, however, the European Commission introduced a major U-turn by proposing to cap the use of conventional biofuels at current consumption levels.

The Commission justifies the proposed cap as necessary to address indirect land use change (ILUC), incentivize biofuels with better greenhouse gas (GHG) performance and limit biofuels’ role in food prices. How an arbitrary cap will solve any of these issues is still open to question.

As an industry, we agree with the need for effective regulations to ensure that biofuels used in Europe meet the highest possible sustainability standards. In Europe, however, these biofuels are already heavily regulated and must meet mandatory and stringent sustainability criteria.

We are proud that the ethanol we produce in Europe is the most sustainable in the world. But Europe must be careful not to “throw the baby out with the bath water” by punishing all conventional biofuels equally.

The proposed cap is an ineffective policy tool because it does not differentiate between biofuels on the basis of GHG emission performance: the very purpose of the ILUC exercise.

18 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

A clear measure to incentivize biofuels with good environmental performance would be to establish a separate target for renewable ethanol in petrol. Such a target would help promote ethanol, and its proven benefits of high GHG savings and low, or no ILUC. The current policy discussions are important, but everybody agrees they have lasted too long. In Europe, biofuel investments have either dried up or European companies are investing elsewhere where the policy framework is more stable. It is now time to close the debate, move forward and provide the clarity and certainty that present and future investors need.

This diverse, versatile and young industry has a valuable role to play in decarbonizing transport, but the EU must put in place a clear, dedicated policy framework that includes long-term ambitions and policy stability. Such a framework will provide companies with a clear reason to invest, incentivize investments and go a long way to both realizing the potential of advanced biofuels and contributing to Europe’s bioeconomy.

In January, the European Parliament commences its second reading of the ILUC proposal. This is a crucial opportunity for legislators to regain investor confidence in the sector by producing a stable, long-term policy that will realize the benefits of ethanol, both conventional and advanced.

Author: Robert Wright Secretary General, ePURE, the European Renewable Ethanol Assoc. wright@epure.org

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BUSINESS BRIEFS

People, Partnerships & Deals

at Growth Energy, were appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. The committee provides advice on the development and administration of programs and policies to expand renewable energy and energy efficiency exports.

Kent Thurlow The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association board of directors has appointed Andrea Kent as its president. Kent previously held several senior roles in communications, media relations and issues management, including vice president of communications at the CRFA. She has nearly a decade of leadership experience in numerous federal departments and crown corporations. Kent’s appointment follows the departure of W. Scott Thurlow.

Davis

Miller

Kelly Davis, director of regulatory affairs at the Renewable Fuels Association, and Jim Miller, vice president and chief economist

20 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

Luciano

Woertz

Archer Daniels Midland Co. has named Juan R. Luciano as its next CEO, effective Jan. 1. He was also elected to the company’s board of directors in November. Prior to taking over the role of CEO, Luciano served as president and chief operating officer (COO) responsible for leading and running ADM’s global operations. Luciano will succeed Patricia Woertz, who will continue in the role of ADM’s chairman of the board and is expected to retire in May 2016. Luciano joined ADM in 2011 as executive vice president and COO, and was named president in February 2014.

He will be the ninth chief executive in the company’s 112-year history.

Mascoma Corp. has completed the sale of its yeast business to Lallemand Inc. As part of the transaction, Lallemand has acquired the Mascoma company name and trademarks, all of its proprietary and patented yeast strains and associated technologies, as well as its entire research and development team located at its facility in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Lallemand and Mascoma have been partners in the successful commercialization of the TransFerm line of products, including TransFerm and TransFerm Yield-plus.

Valero Energy Corp. has announced that Bill Klesse will step down as chairman of the board, effective Dec. 31. Klesse became CEO at the end of 2005 and was named chairman of the board in Klesse 2007. He stepped down as CEO on May 1, 2014. He spent his entire 45-year career with Valero and its predecessor companies.

Growth Energy has announced a multi-year commitment and new partnership with the National Future Farmers of America Organization to build on critical projects that prepare today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders in American agriculture.

Nixon

Branstad

zxczIowa Gov. Terry Branstad will serve as chairman of the 2015 Governors’ Biofuel Coalition, while Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has been announced as vice chairman. In 2016, Nixon will transition to the role of chairman. The 33-state bipartisan organization was founded more than 20 years ago to increase the use of ethanol-based fuels, decrease the nation’s dependence on imported energy resources, improve the environment and stimulate the national economy.

The National Association of Professional Woman has honored Darlene Gonzalez as 2014 Professional Woman of the Year for her leadership in sales. Gonzalez currently serves as regional sales Gonzalez manager at Lallemand Biofuels and Distilled Spirits.

Jeff Render has been named utilities manager for Aventine Renewable Energy Inc. He is responsible for overseeing efficient operation of the new natural gas boilers, cogeneration electricity turbine systems Render and water treatment system at the company’s 100 MMgy wet mill plant in Pekin, Illinois. He has returned to Pekin after serving as maintenance manager for the past year to support the restart of Aventine’s two dry mill facilities in Aurora, Nebraska.

Joule has named Serge Tchuruk as president and CEO. He will lead the company in its next phase of development aimed at commercialization. Tchuruk was appointed to the company’s Tchuruk board of directors in July and previously served as chairman and CEO of Alcatel and Total SA. He succeeds Paul Smith, who resigned after holding the position of president and CEO since early 2014.

B2 for the use of chemical additives to improve the separation of corn oil in the ethanol production process. The company first filed a provisional U.S. patent in March 2011. The patent was issued in September. In addition to yielding more corn oil, Solenis’ additives, marketed as Dimension corn oil extraction aids, also reduce solids in the oil. asdfTom Erickson has been named director of the Energy & Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Erickson has been serving as interim director since July. He previously Erickson served as associate director for business, operations and intellectual property at the EERC. U.S. Water Services Inc. has launched the rst in a new series of products developed for corn oil recovery. COR NS is a new nonsorbitol-based product line designed to aid in the extraction of corn oil as a coproduct for biofuels plants.

Sloenis, formerly Ashland Water Technologies, has received U.S. Patent No. 8,841,469

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 21

COMMODITIES

Prices & Market Analyses

Natural Gas Report

Volatility returns to natural gas market Nov. 25—Though historically volatile, natural gas prices traded in a relatively tight range from July through mid-October, from $3.72 to just over $4. In light of last winter’s price gymnastics, however, it was almost inevitable the tepid cycle would burst. Since the end of October, prompt natural gas traded between $3.54 and $4.54. From July through October, the average daily trading range of the prompt contract was 10.6 cents. In November, it more than doubled to 21.6 cents.

So what’s driving this volatility, and do we expect it to settle down? The answer to the first question is easier than the second.

Markets are jumpier in light of last winter’s experience and less robust inventories. With heating a critical factor, winter got off to a cold start with a December-like blast of cold in November. The natural gas market is extremely sensitive to 11- to 15-day weather forecasts. Unfortunately, models vacillated between warmer- and colder-than-normal weather from one day to the next, implying substantially increased or decreased consumption, and ultimately manifesting as increased price volatility.

Contributing to forecast instability are the broad environmental parameters that the weather models attempt to capture.

This summer’s observations of Pacific sea surface temperatures

by Ben Straus

were statistically indicative of a weak El Nino, introducing a substantial amount of complexity rather than increasing certainty. With the weak El Nino predicted to hold sway through February, lower-than-normal storage inventories and the stark memory of last winter, volatility in the natural gas market is likely to continue at least through the end of the year.

Corn Report

Strong cash market, user margins support corn prices

by Jason Sagebiel

Nov. 25—Corn markets found support from positive end-user The trade will look to the January USDA report for the final U.S. margins and a strong cash market. Spot ethanol remains choppy, with yield. In 2009, the previous record year, yield estimates from November margins following. The nearby spot ethanol market is allowing ethanol to final increased by 1.8 bushels, the biggest increase since 1992 when processors to be more aggressive in buying corn that, so far, has been the yield increased by 2.2 bushels per acre. slow to enter the marketplace. This year’s record harvest has been dawdling, thus giving producers plenty of time to store corn strategically.

USDA’s November supply and demand estimates surprised the trade with a 0.8 bushel lower yield estimate to place production at 14.407 billion bushels. With old crop carryout of 1.236 billion bushels, total supply is estimated at 15.668 billion bushels, up from 14.782 billion a year ago. Demand was calculated at 13.660 billion bushels. Ethanol use projections increased by 25 million bushels to 5.150 billion bushels. Exports remained steady at 1.75 billion bushels, down from last year as larger global stocks and a stronger U.S. dollar reduces demand. The feed sector is expected to use 5.375 billion bushels versus 5.13 billion bushels a year ago. The end result is a carryout just above 2.0 billion bushels.

World corn carryout jumped from 137.78 million metric tons a year ago to 172.99 million metric tons, thus limiting U.S. exports.

22 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

Regional Ethanol Prices ($/gallon) Front Month Futures (AC) $2.0900

DDGS Report

Spot

Rack

West Coast

2.710

2.700

Midwest

2.650

2.557

East Coast

2.550

2.699 SOURCE: DTN

DDGS market rebounds as winter weather returns Nov. 25—As Thanksgiving approached, markets rebounded a little, as colder-than-normal weather induced more domestic feeding demand. The higher protein prices that existed at the end of October did abate a little in November, but the tightness is still there and DDGS is being purchased as an alternative. Buyers also feel as though a Chinese solution is right around the corner, and don’t want to get caught with an empty pipeline, so they are buying with cautious optimism.

In spite of buyer optimism, there still is not a pathway established to easily import containers into China. Discussions are in progress and there have been windows of encouragement from the Chinese government. Imports are still occurring, according to the monthly statistics, and traders are hopeful of that continuing.

Bulk exports have been on the rise, but during the month it was confirmed

Region

Regional Gasoline Prices ($/gallon)

by Sean Broderick

that some boats bound for Turkey were turned away, ostensibly because of a nonapproved genetic trait. Since that news, though, we still see boats being loaded on a fairly regular basis, so it appears that it has not hampered additional trades.

Rail movements domestically are still slow, but buyers have gotten used to it and are either ordering appropriately, or are using other products. Truck prices locally are still a wide discount to rail, which is a big benefit to Midwestern feeders, and inclusion rates are still high.

Looking ahead, weather is becoming a bigger part of the pricing picture, and the cold and snow in places like Buffalo, New York, are sure to affect the run times of ethanol plants whose ethanol railcars are trapped out there. Also, any Chinese news is sure to affect future prices.

Front Month Futures Price (RBOB) $2.056 Region

Spot

Rack

West Coast

2.013

2.232

Midwest

1.988

2.627

East Coast

2.083

2.647 SOURCE: DTN

DDGS Prices ($/ton) LOCATION

Dec 2014

Jan 2014

Minnesota

95

95

210

Chicago

125

100

245

Buffalo, N.Y.

130

130

220

Central Calif.

195

169

288

Central Fla.

160

145

274 SOURCE: CHS Inc.

Corn Futures Prices

(Dec Futures, $/bushel) Date

High

Low

Close

Nov 24, 2014

3.72 3/4

3.65 1/2

3.67 1/2

Oct 24, 2014

3.65

3.52 1/4

3.53

Nov 25, 2013

4.26 1/2

4.22 1/4

4.24 3/4 SOURCE: FCStone

Cash Sorghum ($/bushel) Location

Ethanol Report

Supply concerns accelerate buying interest Nov. 25—Short-term evidence that overall ethanol supplies started to slip lower from summer and early fall highs has sparked some increased and widespread support through the ethanol complex. That has led to a buying frenzy that has been hard to contain. Since the end of September, ethanol futures have rallied nearly 65 cents per gallon, sparked by concerns about long-term availability of product. In addition, buyers faced challenges in securing enough spot product

Jan 2015

by Rick Kment

to keep demand in check. While ethanol futures prices have surged higher, gasoline prices and the entire energy complex have remained under pressure. This has quickly changed the dynamic between ethanol and gasoline markets and placed ethanol prices at a premium to RBOB gasoline futures.

The volatile start to the winter season may only be the tip of the iceberg as far as where prices may venture through the next several months. It is likely to be a rough and turbulent ride.

Nov 25, 2013

Oct 24, 2014

Nov 20, 2014

Superior, Neb.

4.20

3.63

4.21

Beatrice, Neb.

4.00

3.28

3.68

Sublette, Kan.

4.19

3.30

3.55

Salina, Kan.

4.35

3.70

4.18

Triangle, Texas

4.22

3.48

3.81

Gulf, Texas

5.30

5.03

5.43

SOURCE: Sorghum Synergies

Natural Gas Prices ($/MMBtu) Nov 25, 2014

Aug 31, 2014

Nov 25, 2013

NYMEX

4.40

4.07

3.79

NNG Ventura

4.48

3.93

3.86

Calif. Citygate

4.48

4.39

3.97

LOCATION

SOURCE: U.S. Energy Services Inc.

U.S. Ethanol Production (1,000 barrels) Per Day

Month

End Stocks

Sep. 2014

919

27,577

18,660

Aug. 2014

925

28,665

18,471

Sep. 2013

852

25,564

15,986

SOURCE: U.S. Energy Information Administration

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 23

DISTILLED Court rejects challenge to E15 misfueling regulation

Ethanol News & Trends

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently denied a petition of review filed by the American Petroleum Institute and other groups challenging the E15 misfueling mitigation rule published by the U.S. EPA in June 2011. In its judgment, the court said the petitioners do not have standing in the case because “they cannot show that their members have suffered or are threatened with suffering an injury in fact that is traceable to the regulation and redressable by a favorable decision.”

Growth Energy called the court’s decision a victory for ethanol and the American motorist.

“To continue to achieve the success of the renewable fuel standard, Growth Energy led the fight for E15, which is now being sold by over 90 retailers in 14 states,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “This decision is important because it continues to uphold the choice and savings for the American motorist with E15.”

EIA fuel ethanol plant production capacity Number of plants

Nameplate capacity (MMgy)

2014

187

13,681

2013

193

13,852

2012

194

13,728

2011

193

13,614

SOURCE: U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATIO

EIA updates fuel ethanol capacity data The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published updated ethanol plant production capacity data. As of Jan. 1, 2014, the EIA reports the U.S. was home to 187 operating fuel ethanol plants with a combined 13.68 billion gallons of capacity. According to the EIA’s data, 2014 capacity was down slightly when compared to the prior year.

The EIA’s data is broken down by PADD (Petroleum Administration for Defense District). PADD 2, which encompasses the Midwest, has the most ethanol production

Some chemical companies focus on this

capacity, with 167 plants and more than 12.5 billion gallons of annual capacity. PADD 1, which includes the East Coast, features three plants with a combined 260 MMgy capacity. PADD 3, which includes the Gulf Coast, has five ethanol plants with a combined 442 MMgy capacity. PADD 4, which includes the Rocky Mountain region, is home to five ethanol plants with 190 MMgy capacity. Finally, PADD 5, which includes the West Coast, features seven plants with a combined 285 MMgy capacity.

or that

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24 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

tailoring chemistries to boost production and increase profitability — from evaporator efficiency to corn oil recovery to water treatment issues. To find out more or to schedule a system audit, contact your Buckman representative or email ethanol@buckman.com.

.

DISTILLED

Fuels Institute predicts Oregon moves forward with Clean Fuels Program increase in E85 sales

A public comment period on the Oregon Clean Fuels Program closed in November. The program, which is similar to Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Low Carbon Fuels Standard, requires a 10 percent reduction of greenhouse gases from transportation fuels over a 10-year period.

The first phase of the program was adopted in December 2011. In February 2014, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality was directed to draft rules for the second phase of the program. The comment period on those rules is now closed. While the DEQ is moving forward to implement the program, it is currently subject to a statutory Dec. 31, 2015, sunset date, which, if not lifted by the state legislature, will prohibit implementation of the program after the end of the year.

The Renewable Fuels Association weighed in during the comment period, requesting several changes be made to the program. Among the RFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments was a recommendation that indirect effects be withheld from the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life-cycle intensity analyses for various fuel pathways.

E85 stations by state (as of June 2014)

The Fuels Institute recently published Minnesota 282 a study that predicts a substantial increase Illinois 226 in E85 sales over the next several years. At Michigan 197 minimum, the report forecasts E85 sales will double by 2023. Depending on specific Iowa 185 market circumstances, however, the report Indiana 176 predicts E85 sales could experience an increase of up to 20-fold over the same time Wisconsin 131 frame. Overall, the report projects that Ohio 113 E85 sales could increase from 196 MMgy Missouri 103 in 2013 to between 400 MMgy and 4.4 billion gallons by 2023.

Texas 103 Between 2,685 and 3,349 retail fuel California 92 stations in the U.S. currently sell E85, acSOURCE: FUELS INSTITUTE counting for up to 2.2 percent of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 152,900 retail fuel stations. As of the beginning of the year, there were 14.2 million 16 million flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) registered in the U.S. By 2023, the report forecasts that 8,907 to 11,151 stations could be selling E85 in the U.S., with 25.9 million FFVs on the road. Theoretically, if every FFV were to exclusively use E85, sales could reach as high as 31.9 billion gallons.

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JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 25

DISTILLED

Enerkem partners for projects in China and Europe

Enerkem Inc. has announced several agreements in recent months that could results in the development of biorefinery projects in China and Europe.

In late October, the company made three separate announcements regarding development plans in China, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Environmental Group Co. Ltd. to develop a project partnership to jointly develop a facility in China that would convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into biofuels and chemicals. The company also announced an agreement with Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute to develop a partnership to jointly build a waste-to-biofuels facility in China. A third agreement was made with Qingdao City Construction Investment Group Ltd. to develop a project partnership to jointly build an MSW-to-biofuels facility in Qingdao.

In November, Enerkem announced it has signed an agreement with AkzoNobel to develop a project partnership to explore the development of waste-to-chemical facilities in Europe.

26 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

EIA data highlights rail traffic increases

Increases in rail carloads of select commodities

(Jan-Oct 2014 vs. Jan-Oct 2013) The U.S. Energy Information Admin- Coal 0.30% istration recently published data indicating 8% U.S. rail traffic increased 4.5 percent during Nonmetallic minerals the 12-month period ending in October Chemcials 1% 2014.

Metallic ores and metals 3% Increased movement of grain repreGrain 15% sented the biggest commodity increase in rail traffic during the first 10 months of Motor vehicles and parts 4% the year, with a 15 percent increase. That Farm products (excluding 2% equates to 878,824 car loadings. grain) & food According to the EIA, rail car load13% ings of oil and petroleum products totaled Petroleum and petroleum 672,118 tank cars during the first 10 months products of the year, a 13.4 percent increase when Forest products 3% compared to the same period of 2013.

Other 6% While coal is the largest volume commodity moved by rail, with 4.9 million car SOURCE: U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION loadings during the first 10 months of the year, the volume of coal transported by rail increased by only 0.3 percent.

Rail service delays, caused in part by traffic congestion, have been an ongoing concern for the U.S. ethanol and agricultural industries. Since October, the U.S. Department of Transportationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Surface Transportation Board has been requiring Class I railroads to file weekly status reports. The EIA said the filings will lead to a better understanding of commodity movement by rail and potential issues associated with increased demand.

DISTILLED

Purdue researchers increase digestibility of distillers grains with calcium oxide

October 2014: Signs EPC contact with China International Water and Electric; Receives LOI from China EXIM; reestablishes 19 MMgy capacity

October 2013: Reconfigures project; new capacity 400,000 tons of wood pellets, 9 MMgy cellulosic ethanol

Purdue University scientist Jon Schoonmaker and his colleagues have shown that small amounts of calcium oxide can neutralize the acid in distillers grains, increasing the digestibility of the feed in cattle diets.

According to the researchers, distillers grains retains the sulfuric acid used to control the starch fermentation during ethanol production. Since the feed is highly acidic, it is difficult for cattle to fully digest. According to Schoonmaker, adding calcium oxide directly to the ration mix at a rate of 1 percent of the total dry matter has been shown to make distillers grains less acidic, more digestible and therefore more nutritious, leading to better growth performance among test cattle.

Tests have evaluated different dietary distillers grains concentrations, as well as different fiber sources. Overall, the groups that were fed distillers grains with the calcium oxide supplement performed better than the other test cattle, consuming less feed while maintaining a steady increase in body weight.

November 2011: Signs MOU with China Huadian Engineering Co. Ltd. to

finance Fulton project

June 2011: Completes initial site preparation for 19 MMgy Fulton project November 2010: Receives construction permits for Fulton project

BlueFire receives LOI from China EXIM bank Bluefire Renewables Inc. has announced a new source of funding for its proposed 19 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant in Fulton, Mississippi. In October, the company announced it has received a letter of intent from the Export Import Bank of China to provide up to $270 million in debt financing for the project. The announcement came less than a month after BlueFire reported it has signed a master engineering, procurement and construction contract with China International Water and Electric for the project.

Arnold Klann, CEO of BlueFire, said that the financing is currently expected to close at the end of the first quarter.

In late 2013, Bluefire had announced plans to reduce the capacity of the project to 9 MMgy and integrate wood pellet production. Those plans have now changed, with 19 MMgy of ethanol capacity once again included in the project. Klann said BlueFire is still considering adding wood pellet capacity to the site, but indicated those plans have not been finalized.

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JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 27

SAMPLE PREP: Front Range process manager Amanda Huber checks the pH of several samples.

Used heavily for process monitoring, pH meters are calibrated at least once per week.

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

28 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

QUALITY CONTROL

Benchmarking the Ethanol Lab Quality control depends on accurate test results, but how do ethanol labs control their own quality?

By Susanne Retka Schill

Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) standards for the front and back end of an ethanol plant are clearly set out by long-established federal grain inspection standards, ASTM standards and customer contracts. The process in the middle is a different story, however.

Not only are there no agencies or contracts prescribing testing procedures and equipment, but the process is inherently variable. On the surface, corn is quite uniform, but starch content does vary somewhat from field to field, and definitely from region to region and from year to year. Those variations, though often slight, affect enzyme dosing. The fermentation process itself is accomplished by a living organism, and the goal is

to keep yeast happily producing ethanol under optimal conditions. But, the same environment that keeps yeast productive is also ideal for bacterial growth, detected through monitoring acetic and lactic acid levels. To keep the process humming along efficiently, it is absolutely essential that potential problems be caught early.

Thus, every ethanol plant has a system in place to pull samples every few hours for testing, searching for key indicators that the process is moving along as expected. Many tests are done inhouse by the ethanol labs and others by third-party labs, often on composite samples sent on a weekly basis. Plant operators and lab technicians work under the supervision of a lab manager tasked with making sure the equipment, test methods and general procedures are up to the task. At the heart of fermentation monitoring is a complex piece of equipment that costs $50,000-plusâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC).

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 29

TRAINED EYE: Huber reviews acidity titration with a plant operator at Front Range. The color of the titration indicator is very subjective, so it is important all operators correctly identify the end point of the titration for an accurate measurement.

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

It can separate, identify and quantify multiple compounds in a sample in about 20 or 30 minutes. The ethanol lab uses it to monitor carbohydrates, ethanol concentration, glycerol, lactic and acetic acids, and more.

The HPLC may be the workhorse, but it is far from being the only sophisticated piece of equipment in the lab. Gas chromatographs are used for analyzing finished ethanol, pH meters and moisture analyzers are used to monitor several points of the process, hydrometers measure proof. Microscopes are used to monitor yeast health. To get accurate results, each of the instruments needs to be in

30 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

working order, calibrated and used properly. Lab managers routinely use check samples, statistical analyses and benchmarking to evaluate just how good their lab procedures are.

“Being able to measure the quality of your methods and benchmarking against another method or against a known standard puts you in a position to know when the numbers start changing, if it’s an analytical issue or if it could be a process issue,” explains Amanda Huber, process manager at Front Range Energy LLC, a 50 MMgy plant in Windsor, Colorado. “If you have no way of knowing it’s an analytical issue, you have no choice but to at-

MONITORING FERMENTATION: Front Range Energy plant manager, Phil Turchen, puts samples in the HPLC, the process quality control instrument most heavily used to monitor fermentation and, sometimes, distillation. Calibrating the HPLC using several standards, covering each of the eight to 10 analytes measured, is necessary for accurate measurements throughout the entire fermentation process.

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

tribute it to process and you start making changes to the process. Sometimes that’s not going to improve things.”

Huber uses several methods to check the accuracy of the equipment and testing methods in the lab she manages. The moisture analyzer used to measure the solids in mash or moisture levels in distillers grains can be difficult to get standardized, she explains. “We do a weekly comparison with the oven method in triplicate, keeping an eye on how the instrument and methods are performing. If it’s been within 3 to 5 percent agreement with the oven method for months and months, and suddenly it’s 8 percent, we’ll investigate.”

Going Standard

Close attention is given to calibrating the HPLC. Huber explains that when she began managing the lab at the plant startup, nearly nine years ago, they used a single standard for calibration, as recommended. After several months, she found that it wasn’t doing an accurate job of predicting alcohol production and yield. “At that point, we added a second calibration standard just for the ethanol peak, and definitely saw better correlation of our production with our analytical,” she says.

She now uses a custom-made standard along with a common standard and three data points for the HPLC. Because the HPLC is used to monitor fermentation

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 31

QUALITY CONTROL

and measure the success of fermentation at the finishing point, it is helpful to calibrate at more than one concentration of each analyte, she explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll measure anywhere from zero to 15 percent by weight ethanol and I think a lot of people are only doing a calibration at 12 percent. So you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know

your instrument response to concentrations other than that.â&#x20AC;?

Sabrina Trupia, research director at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, explains the core of the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is monitoring fermentations, relying upon HPLC data. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With HPLC, running several

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standards is a great idea, once a day, just to check on the stability of the instrument,â&#x20AC;? she says. NCERCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lab uses five standards each with different compositions of the eight components being tested for in the process, and runs a check sample every 10 or 20 samples. If the numbers from one production sample are abnormal, before any changes to the process are made, she suggests first checking the HPLC by running a check sample, rerunning the questionable production sample, and then running another check sample. If all three numbers are outside the norm, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an indicator the machine is off. If results from the two check samples return true numbers, then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to pull a second production sample to verify something is truly wrong with the process and begin investigating causes.

In addition to ongoing education through seminars such as the annual Fuel Ethanol Laboratory Conference, ethanol lab managers turn to instrument manufacturers and vendors for help in keeping their lab running at top performance. Some single-ownership plants work together in buying clubs and build on that working relationship to form a peer group of lab managers who periodically meet to share tips.

Plant QA/QC teams can also participate in round robins organized by NCERC or enzyme or yeast vendors. The round robin organizer prepares samples that are sent to each participating plant. Each lab runs the specified tests and sends the results to the organizer who compiles them all and reports back with comparison information.

Turning to Statistics

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32 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

Another method for monitoring lab performance is through statistical analysis.

QA manager Erin Robertson at GreenField Ethanol-Johnstown in Ontario explains GreenFieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s QA departments use measurement systems analysis for their instruments.

QUALITY CONTROL

ity (R&R) exercise. Everybody who uses the instrument participates, roughly 25 people at the plant, including operators and lab personnel. Each person runs the same sample multiple times (demonstrating repeatability) and the results from all participants are compared (showing reproducibility). “It

lets you know how much of the variation is coming from the different operators using it,” Robertson explains, “and how much from the actual measurement itself and the interaction between those.”

Darrell Veres, plant manager at the 65 MMgy Canadian plant, says this can help

You make it.

Together, we maximize it.

PROOF CHECK: A plant operator at Front Range checks a sample for proof using a hydrometer. Not only is the instrument certified, but the thermometers used for the temperature adjustment need to be certified in order to get a reportable final product certification.

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

“We use historical data, so we know how that machine should be performing from day to day. We use statistical process control charts. If you’re falling above or below a certain line or limit, it lets you know something has changed within your system.” Periodically, the QA/QC team organizes a gage repeatability and reproducibil-

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QUALITY CONTROL

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;With HPLC, running several standards is a great idea, once a day, just to check on the stability of the instrument.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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5HQHZDEOH )XHOV _ (WKDQRO *URXS 34 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

LOGGING THE WORK: Multiple fermentation samples are pulled every few hours, with a series of tests done to monitor fermentation progress and watch for potential issues. Recordkeeping on each step on the way is key to traceability.

PHOTO: ROBERT MORRISSEY

identify when additional training is needed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the variation is too wide, then you go back and retrain the operators to get that variation as tight as you possible can,â&#x20AC;? he says. Veres serves as the mentor for the QA peer group, which includes Robertson and the QA managers from GreenFieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three other plants in Ontario and Quebec. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When it comes to validating test methods and benchmarking, how weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re do-

QUALITY CONTROL

ing, it’s invaluable to have somebody in the same position at another plant where you can bounce ideas back and forth,” Robertson adds. “We can do interlab cross checks and round robins, where we’re testing the same sample and making sure we’re getting the same answer. We can tweak our methods based on that.”

explains. “It’s very helpful. If your methanol is systematically high over several tests and you’re using the method that ASTM is prescribing, then there’s something wrong with your instrument, or your calibration.

There’s something that is not working. You

can trace it back, if you have good records on your lab upkeep.”

Author: Susanne Retka Schill Senior Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4922 sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com

Time to Standardize the Middle?

With the goal of QA/QC programs being to tighten up the variation—both in the process and in the lab results—Trupia raises the question of whether it’s time for the ethanol industry to adopt a common set of good practices for the lab. “What I see now is a lot of variability between different ethanol plants,” she explains. The Renewable Fuels Association publishes a guide for quality assurance and quality control, but while it establishes basic principles that could be applied to process testing, the QA/ QC guidelines focus on end products—ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil and carbon dioxide. “I understand the concern on producing quality coproducts and ASTM compliant ethanol,” she says, adding that best practices for QA in the middle process are equally important.

Guidelines for the process would help establish best practices for sampling frequency, type of sampling, recommended replications, how often to run check samples, how to determine whether the staff is properly performing manual tasks such as pipetting or titrating, and more.

She also thinks the industry would benefit from more benchmarking activities so ethanol labs can compare reporting results on their process testing. “ASTM does this for ethanol,” she points out. “They send you a monthly sample and you test for all the requirements—ethanol, methanol, water, specific gravity, and so on. They send you your answer and where you stood,” she

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JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 35

SOFTWARE

36 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

SOFTWARE

Putting Data to

WORK

JMP, a data analysis software from SAS Institute, can help ethanol producers get a jump on plant efficiency and profitability.

By Holly Jessen

There’s no question ethanol plant lab workers do a lot of testing and record a lot of data. Some companies, however, put a higher premium on harnessing data.

Jenny Forbes, manager of new product development for Phibro Ethanol Performance Group, believes that JMP (pronounced jump) could help give ethanol plants an edge in this area. While some of Phibro’s customers use JMP, the majority simply use Microsoft Excel, meaning data is manually entered into an Excel document, Forbes says. In some cases, nothing more is done with the information. “They collect a lot of data that just gets filed away, month after month after month,” she says.

For some of these plants, analyzing the data might simply mean calculating average fermentation rates. “The average isn’t going to tell you statistical significance, average isn’t going to throw out the outliers and make some comparisons in the same way this software does,” she says. “I think you lose the whole picture, or the investigative picture, if you just rely on Microsoft Excel.”

One key constraint is time. Many ethanol plant lab employees literally have no time to spare to train for and implement a new software, says Forbes, who was an ethanol plant lab employee in the 2000s.

“If you have people on staff that have time to dedicate to data analysis, yes, I think this would be a very valuable tool,” she says of JMP. “There are a JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 37

with a PAYBACK for ETHANOL PLANTS PI in the Sky software in use at an ethanol plant.

PHOTO: DIRECT AUTOMATION

Pulling It All Together Direct Automation has a related product that is newly breaking into the market. PI in the Sky is a software that can be used with

(605) 428-4300 www.Direct-Automation.com

38 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

or without JMP, to store plant information in the cloud, which is viewable to ethanol plant customers on a custom dashboard, says Paul Zweifel, president of Direct Automation.

The product is now in use by two ethanol plants and another four will be using it by the end of the year. The company hopes it will have eight to 10 PI in the Sky customers by the end of next year. As the company’s customer base grows, it plans to add benchmarking to the its services.

Although PI in the Sky does offer some analytical tools, JMP is stronger in that area, Zweifel says. What Direct Automation’s software offers that JMP doesn’t is the ability to automatically pull data from multiple sources, such as the plant’s distributed control system, equipment in the lab and even corn price information pulled off the Internet, to name a few. “We create the data sources that JMP would then use to analyze,” he says.

It also provides ethanol plants with a single platform to enter and store other plant data, like operator logs (which are often scribbled down in paper log books), financial data or even board of director reports. It is then compiled in one place, so various data sets can be compared. “It brings a whole new context to data collection and reporting,” he says.

“There’s nothing else out there that currently aggregates all the data sources in the plant that are meaningful to a plant manager or an operations manager and puts them all in one reporting function.”

One example of data PI in the Sky can pull together is average enzyme rates, total slurry solids and the name of the operator who did the enzyme dosing. “We can tell you which operators might need additional training,” he says.

SOFTWARE

Paul Zweifel ‘There’s nothing else out there that currently aggregates all the data sources in the plant.’

lot of people out there, working at an ethanol plant, that have zero time to spare. And for them it wouldn’t serve any purpose at all, because it’s time-consuming.”

That’s where vendors like Phibro and Novozymes, which also utilizes JMP, come into play. Phibro uses JMP to help its customers with evaluating trial data or assisting with troubleshooting ethanol fermentation problems that impact yield. One of the best things about JMP is that, once the data is entered into the software, analysis is very fast. “I can make 20 graphs in 30 seconds,” she said.

“You can do pretty amazing things with the software, if you know what you are doing.”

Another bonus is that, as long as the data is in a compatible format, new JMP users can simply and easily upload the information in their Excel documents to the software.

An annual license for JMP is $1,540 in 2015. JMP Pro, which has additional capabilities, has an annual license cost of $14,900, according to an SAS representative.

Heron Lake BioEnergy LLC, a 60 MMgy ethanol plant in Minnesota, has been utilizing JMP since 2011, says quality control manager Amy Audette, who started working for the company in 2014. She doesn’t know if JMP is becoming more commonly used within the ethanol industry, but she hopes so, she says. Audette also feels the software’s main strengths are the graphs she can create using JMP and the speed with which she can generate them. “These visuals are extremely useful and help to provide quick insight into the plant’s workings,” she says.

One example is when Heron Lake was faced with rising sulfate levels. Audette used JMP to create fermentation data graphs and identified certain dates when sulfate rates peaked. “The result came down to a strong correlation between longer ferm times and higher sulfates,” she says. “The high sulfates were related to the plant slowing down.”

Another time, Heron Lake used JMP to optimize enzyme dosing rates. The end result was using less product without negatively impacting ethanol yield, which adds up to a direct savings, Audette says.

Author: Holly Jessen Managing Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4946 hjessen@bbiinternational.com

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JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 39

SPOTLIGHT on

� w I�

Ethanol Producer Magazine digs into the details of ethanol production in Iowa and how the industry got started.

By Holly Jessen

When Jerry Mohr, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association board of directors, talks to politicians, he often reminds them of what happened in Iowa on Oct. 5, 2005. That’s when Iowa corn growers forfeited a billion bushels of corn in one day through the loan deficiency payment program. “It cost the government $500 million dollars. That’s when we had farm programs that didn’t work,” he said. “Ethanol was the thing that lifted us out of those government programs and got us off the dole of the taxpayer.”

Another story Mohr likes to tell is about how the industry brought livestock business back to Iowa.

Cattle production had left the state and was growing in Texas, where cheap corn was sent by rail. Iowa ethanol production created a demand for corn, which leveled the playing field, and provided distillers grains as a livestock feed.

Small wonder that corn growers like Mohr are ethanol industry supporters. “Our top goal this year is to defend the RFS,” he said of the ICGA, adding that the association also wants to increase E15 availability.

1

billion gallons ethanol produced in 2005

2

billion gallons ethanol produced in 2008

3

billion gallons ethanol produced in 2009

JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 41

PROFILE

ADM’s Cedar Rapids plant starts up, likely the second 1981 wet mill in the state, after Grain Processing in Muscatine

Iowa’s first dry mill, Siouxland Energy Co-op in Sioux Center, starts up

IowaETHANOL

HISTORY LESSON

2002

IRFA is incorporated

IRFA works with state agencies to allow retailers to offer E85

2001

2008

2005 IRFA opens office and hires full-time staff Indianapolis 500 runs on E100

2003

2007

2008

Iowa’s renewable fuels infrastructure law enacted

100th E85 pump opened ADM’s dry mill plant in 2010 Cedar Rapids starts up, the state’s newest 1st-gen plant

A Marion gas station is the first to offer E15 in Iowa, second in the nation

2012

Iowa’s renewable fuels incentives law enacted

2011

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42 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

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ĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ŝŽĨƵĞůƐ Θ ŝŽĐŚĞŵŝĐĂůƐ

PROFILE

Iowa Corn Usage 2014/2015 The first dry mill ethanol plant to begin operations in Iowa was Siouxland Energy Co-op, which opened its doors to corn in 2001. Bernie Punt, now a field services manager for Noble Mansfield Commodity Services, served as the project manager, first board chairman and general manager for the facility. In the late 1990s, Punt was managing a 10,000-head feedlot for Farmers Co-op Society. Punt came to the conclusion that colocating an ethanol plant with an Iowa cattle operation made good business sense.

After attending a series of meetings about building an ethanol plant in Iowa, he got authorization from the co-op to pursue the idea. He organized a group of people, who ended up as the ethanol plant’s first board of directors, and launched an equity drive. “We sold all of our equity shares in about a month,” he says.

Today, Siouxland is colocated with the feedlot Punt used to manage and has brought big benefits to Sioux Center. “It’s still a farmer-owned ethanol plant,” he says, “We’re very proud of that.”

We’re No. 1!

If Iowa were looking for a slogan, “we’re No. 1” would be appropriate. The

Beef Cattle 58 MB

Poultry 51 MB

Hogs 160 MB

Other Animals 2 MB

Dairy 17 MB

Total Exports 191 MB

42%

8%

Residual Use 185 MB

Ethanol 935 MB

9% 13%

15%

Other Processing 290 MB

DDGS from Ethanol Production 327 MB

Ethanol and distillers grains production is the biggest user of corn grown in Iowa. (Shown in million bushels.)

In comparison, numbers for U.S. corn usage put ethanol production at 26 percent and DDGS at 10 percent.

SOURCE: USDA AND PROEXPORTER NETWORK

state produces more corn, ethanol and distillers grains than any other U.S. state.

Oh, and, it’s also the leading hog and biodiesel producer. Looking at corn production alone, Iowa has produced the largest corn crop of any state for almost 20 years.

In fact, according to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa produces more corn than most countries.

Boasting 40 first-generation ethanol plants, five of them wet mills, and three cellulosic ethanol projects, two of which are currently producing, the state has a total ethanol production capacity of more than 3.8 billion gallons a year. The products produced at Iowa ethanol plants added up to a gross value of $11.8 billion in 2013, according to a report prepared for

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Davenport | Des Moines | Omaha | Chicago JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 43

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PROFILE

Message

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to the Masses

The biofuels mobile education center is a 45-foot long trailer filled with interactive touch screen computers, educational displays, movies and more, to educate visitors about ethanol and other biofuels.

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44 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | JANUARY 2015

IRFA by ABF Economics, Agriculture and BioFuels Consulting LLP. Cedar Rapids could well be considered the capitol city of Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethanol industry. Archer Daniels Midland Co. has a dry mill and a wet mill at that location. The two facilities have a combined capacity of 240 MMgy. If that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, Penford Products has a 45 MMgy wet mill plant there as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More corn is processed in Cedar Rapids than any other city in the world,â&#x20AC;? says T.J. Page, communications director for IRFA.

Blend, Baby

The state is ahead of the pack in E15 market penetration as well, with 31 registered E15 stations in 28 cities, according

to the IRFA. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than twice as many E15 pumps than there are in Wisconsin, the state with the second highest number of E15 stations.

Looking at E85 numbers, Iowa has 194 gas stations that sell E85, 87 of which are blender pumps, IRFA says. The most recent Iowa Department of Transportation report puts the number of flex-fuel vehicles in Iowa at nearly 283,000.

The use of midlevel ethanol blends and E85 is on the rise in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue. The 2013 annual report showed that the use of blends from E15 to E69 increased more than 158 percent, adding up to more than 5.4 million gallons sold. E85 sales hit an all-time high as well, increasing 18 percent

The core sponsors are Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Growers Association, along with Absolute Energy, Big River Resources, Golden Grain Energy and Homeland Energy Solutions. Shown at left is Iowa's Gov. Terry Branstad, a big ethanol supporter, during a visit to the trailer. With him are Mike Moats, far left, a representative of the education trailer, and Kevin Buckallew, Iowa Corn district field manager.

Curt Froyen, project manager, tells EPM: TRAILER WITHOUT BORDERS: The biofuels mobile education center traveled to multiple locations in and out of Iowa in 2014.

We began our year at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, on Feb. 11 and concluded it with the AAA Texas 500 in Ft. Worth, Texas, on Nov. 11. We did 51 events in 14 states, from out west in California, south to Texas, Arizona, and Kentucky, north to Minnesota and Michigan and east to Delaware and Virginia. We had over 2,500 students and their teachers visit the trailer at college campuses, high schools and ag related student events throughout the Midwest.

SWAG: We handed out over 30,000 Koozies (fabric sleeve for beverages) at 12 NASCAR sponsored events, the Knoxville Nationals and the Iowa State Fair. We attended 12 county fairs in Iowa. Over 20,000 people had the opportunity to visit the trailer at three of this year's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa events. It would be hard to estimate the total number of visitors for all of our events but it would have to be well over a hundred thousand.

to a total of 11.1 million gallons sold.

The trend is continuing in 2014.

Some ethanol producers in Iowa are skipping the middleman and blending E85 on site and capturing RINs (renewable identification numbers). Although not every ethanol plant blending on site is on the list, the IRFA currently publishes data on about seven plants in its monthly wholesale E85 price listing service, which it launched last summer. The largest price gap between E85 and gasoline recorded since the service started was June 23, when Absolute Energy LLC offered its customers E85 for $1.59 less than the $3.23 OPIS listed regular gas.

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JANUARY 2015 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 45

Going

Advanced

Iowa is home to two ethanol plants currently producing cellulosic ethanol and one that is nearing construction completion. An estimated $1.7 billion was invested in biofuels R&D in the U.S. in 2013. Roughly a quarter of that, or about $435 million, was in Iowa, according to the ABF Economics report completed in 2014. Another notable project, seen below, is the commercial-scale algae bioreactors colocated with a corn-ethanol plant.

BioProcess Algae Shenandoah

Algae has multiple possible commercial uses, including advanced biofuels, animal feed, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals or biomass for energy production. Green Plains says the company is currently evaluating which options would be profitable.

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• Five acres of greenhouses currently growing algae.

• Operating continuously since 2009.

SOURCE: GREEN PLAINS

• Ramping up to 20 MMgy now.

• 5 MMgy expansion expected.

• About 285,000 tons of biomass will be needed annually.

• 30,000 yards of concrete, 1,500 tons of structural steel used in plant.

SOURCE: POET LLC

• 30 MMgy at full capacity.

• Construction completion expected in Q1 2015.

• 150 jobs for seasonal collection, transportation and feedstock storage.

• 375,000 tons of corn stover gathered yearly.

• 500 local farmers will supply feedstock.

SOURCE: DUPONT

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Author: Holly Jessen Managing Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4946 hjessen@bbiinternational.com

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5 REASONS to Love the RFS

Reason 1 – Ethanol and the RFS save us money In 2013, consumers saved between $700 billion and $2.6 trillion*

Reason 2 – RFS means less imported oil

Last year, ethanol displaced $48 billion worth of imported oil**

Reason 3 – RFS cuts greenhouse gas emissions Today’s conventional ethanol reduces GHG emissions 34-48%***

Reason 4 – RFS creates jobs

The ethanol industry supports 86,000 direct jobs and 300,000 indirect jobs**

Reason 5 – RFS means investment and innovation The RFS works for everybody

* Energy economist Philip K. Verleger, Commentary, Renewable Fuels Legislation Cuts Crude Prices, pkverlegerllc.com **ABF Economics, “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States,” February 17, 2014. ***Wang et al. (2012) using the Department of Energy’s GREET model

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