BUSINESS BRIEFS PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS & PROJECTS
ND ethanol plant receives grant to study biomass thermal energy The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission has awarded Blue Flint Ethanol $155,000 to assess the viability of using biomass as a fuel and power source for its 70 MMgy ethanol plant near Underwood, North Dakota. Blue Flint Ethanol, owned by Midwest AgEnergy, currently sources water and steam from Great River Energy’s Coal
assessing all available clean and renewable options and will use the NDAPUC funds to evaluate wheat straw and corn stover as thermal energy feedstocks. The use of biomass as a primary fuel would help Blue Flint Creek Station, an 1,100 megawatt coal-fired lower the carbon intensity (CI) rating of its power plant that’s set to retire in 2022. In a ethanol, better positioning the company in quest to evaluate various forms of alterna- low-carbon fuel markets. tive thermal energy, Midwest AgEnergy is
USGC elects Raben chairman of board of directors The delegates of the U.S. Grains Council elected Jim Raben, an Illinois farmer representing the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, as chairman of its board of directors at its 60th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting, held virtually in late July.
“It’s always been my way to cultivate relationships because together we are stronger, our collective voices are heard more loudly, and we can work together to achieve our common goals,” Raben said in his incoming remarks. “The council works around the clock,
and around the globe, to find and expand new pockets of demand for the products we offer. That’s why I’ve chosen for my theme ‘Building Relationships, Building Trade.’” Raben will chair the USGC's 14-person board comprised of ag industry leaders from several states.
Raben
GranBio, NexChem partner on cellulosic ethanol GranBio has announced a strategic alliance with NextChem, a subsidiary of Italian engineering giant Maire Tecnimont, to colicense its patented technology for the production of second-generation ethanol. The partnership will focus on commercializing GranBio’s technology, combining its knowledge of biomass and second-generation biofuels with NextChem’s engineering intel-
ligence and global presence. The joint venture will offer an array of integrated services including feasibility studies, project development, engineering and construction. GranBio operates a next-generation
ethanol plant in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, and two facilities in the U.S., one of which is a demonstration plant. GranBio also developed a proprietary process for harvesting and preparing residual biomass (cane straw) and has registered 11 varieties of energy cane, the most competitive biomass in photosynthetic efficiency known to the world.
Industry celebrates 15-year anniversary of RFS On Aug. 6, the ethanol industry celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was initially signed into law by President George W. Bush as The Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded with the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The Renewable Fuels Association success of the program. According to the marked the date by releasing a report on the RFA, the number of U.S. ethanol plants has 16 | ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2020
increased by 153 percent since 2005 to more than 200 facilities. Ethanol production has expanded by 305 percent, from 3.9 billion gallons to 15.8 billion gallons per year. The production of distillers grains has expanded 247 percent to nearly 40 million metric tons. And the gross value of overall industry output, just $8 billion in 2005, is now greater than $28 billion.
