WBIA BLOG

WI Small Scale Gas & Liquid Biofuels Workshop & Expo

The Wisconsin Small-Scale Biofuels Producers Program (WSSBPP) from Fox Valley Technical College is presenting a new workshop – the Small Scale Gas & Liquid Biofuels Workshop & Expo – that will give participants an opportunity to visit with local biofuels equipment manufacturers, learn about starting a small-scale biofuels operation and hear about new funding opportunities.

The workshop will include a morning “lecture” session and and afternoon “hands-on” session. Speakers will include biofuels experts, business leaders, state officials and educators from Wisconsin.

The program will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fox Valley Tech College’s Agriculture Center in Appleton.

Registration is required.
Workshop Fee: $25.00*
Registration deadline: 4/5/2010
* WSSBPP members receive a $25.00 discount (cost is free)

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UW-Platteville Students to Compete with Ethanol Powered Snowmobile

Categories: Bio Fuels, Education

Every year the WBIA sponsors a team of students from UW-Platteville to participate in an engineering-design competition called the Clean Snowmobile Challenge.  Their task is to redesign an existing snowmobile to reduce emissions and noise.  An important part of this redesign is converting the snowmobile to run on ethanol blends.  Their modified snowmobile competes in a variety of competitions including emissions, noise, fuel economy/endurance, acceleration, handling, static display, cold start and design.

Their team captain, Ryan Kubat, recently shared with us this update:

We have been extremely busy working on the sled and finishing up the design paper and our suggested manufactured retail price (MSRP). I have attached the design paper for this year if you would like to read through it or pass it along to anyone else on the board. Our final MSRP cost for our snowmobile came to $14,823.24 this year!

We have just over one week before we head up to our competition and are just wrapping up some fine tuning and even looking at possibilities for next year already! The whole team has been investing a great deal of time over the past weeks to help get our paper finalized and to get the sled ready to go. We are all excited and looking forward to competition. The following email is where the schedule of events can be seen at:

http://students.sae.org/competitions/snowmobile/schedule.htm

To download their design sheet, please click here.

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Report Shows Feasibility of Cellulosic Ethanol Operation

New North, Inc. today released Phase Two of a study on the feasibility of a cellulosic ethanol plant in Niagara.

On July 29, officials released Phase One of the study conducted by Resource Analytics, which found that sufficient biomass resources exist in the surrounding area to support a cellulosic ethanol plant.

Phase Two demonstrates substantial interest among individuals and companies to provide biomass resources – particularly wood resources – to such a facility, provided the plant could support diverse types of feedstocks.

“As second generation biofuels emerge as a fuel source, the New North is well positioned to take advantage with the resources and infrastructure necessary to create them,” said Jerry Murphy, Executive Director of the New North, Inc. “This study has demonstrated that a cellulosic ethanol facility at the former Niagara paper mill site has a great deal of promise for potential investors.”

In addition to wood resources – which provide the best option in the short-term – the study also notes the possibility of creating switchgrass supplier cooperatives in conjunction with the establishment of an ethanol plant over the coming years.

Phase II of the study is available for download at www.tinyurl.com/biomassstudy2. Phase one is also available at www.tinyurl.com/biomassstudy.

New North, Inc. is a regional collaboration effort focused on promoting regional cooperation and economic development in an 18-county region in Northeast Wisconsin. The 18 counties included in the New North are Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee, and Waushara. To find out more information about New North, Inc., please visit www.thenewnorth.com.

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Tuesday Truth #14: Ethanol Production Generates Numerous Co-Products

Ethanol production generates more than simply a renewable fuel source. According to the US Department of Energy, numerous co-products emerge through the ethanol production process.

  • Ethanol is primarily produced from the starch contained in grains such as corn, grain sorghum, and wheat. Through a fermentation and distillation process, the starch is converted to sugar and then to alcohol.
  • During the process of making ethanol in a dry mill operation, the first co-product produced is a high-protein animal feed, known as dried distillers grains with sollubles (DDGS). 
  • The second co-product is CO2, which is captured and marketed to the food processing industry for use in carbonated beverages or the production of dry ice.
  • Wet-mill ethanol plants are also able to produce corn oil, corn sweetener, and starch.
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Tuesday Truth 11 – Ethanol Improves Engine Performance

Categories: Bio Fuels, Education


Tuesday Truth #11: Ethanol Improves Engine Performance

 

Ethanol provides a high quality, high octane fuel for exceptional engine performance and reduced emissions. Here are just a few points on how ethanol improves engine performance.

 

 

  • Ethanol helps prevent wintertime problems by acting as a gas-line antifreeze, allowing the engine to perform at top performance levels. [Source: Virginia Cooperative Extension: Fuel Ethanol, http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/bse/442-884/442-884.html, accessed 8/19/08]

 

  • Ethanol has a 113 octane rating, making it the highest performance fuel on the market, far surpassing unleaded with an octane of 87 and premium unleaded with an octane of 93. [Source: MSNBC, “Ethanol Boosters See Indy 500 Win,” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12740848/,  accessed 8/19/08]

 

  • Starting in 2007, the IndyCar Series has been using 100% ethanol as its official race fuel. According to Les Mactaggart, Senior Technical Director for the IndyCar Series, “Our decision to switch the IndyCar Series over to 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol was a reflection of our confidence in ethanol’s performance capabilities.” [Source: Driving Ethanol, http://www.drivingethanol.org/motorsports/indycar.aspx, accessed 8/19/08] 
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Ethanol Uses Only Small Amount of Water in Production

Categories: Education

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, it takes only three gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. Think that’s a lot of water? Here are some water statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey:

  • 1,000 gallons – amount needed to grow the wheat to make ONE loaf of bread
  • 50 gallons  – amount it takes to machine wash ONE load of clothes
  • 2 gallons – amount that goes down the drain while waiting for cold water
  • 1,800 gallons – amount needed to produce the cotton in ONE pair of jeans
  • 39,000 gallons – amount needed to produce ONE automobile
  • 150 gallons – amount needed to produce ONE average-sized Sunday newspaper
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BBI Distillers Grain Conference

Categories: Education

Submissions of abstracts are now being accepted for papers to be featured at the International Distillers Grain conference this October.  Papers on world & U.S. grain supply and demand, World & U.S. oilseed (protein meals) supply and demand, U.S. Ethanol, DDGS and energy outlook and related U.S. government policy review, DDGS export market outlook for 2008/09, U.S. export freight cost analysis and outlook, global energy and economic outlook, fractionated DDGS products and DDGS Nutrition are due July 11.

DDGS are active proof that the food vs. fuel debate is a false construct.  Even if you don’t have a paper to submit, join the BBI at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott to learn more about the process that turns corn into both food and fuel.

For more information or to register to visit go to distillersgrainconference.com

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Awesome Radio Ad

Categories: Bio Fuels, Education

This is an awesome radio ad from the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association talking about the positive benefits of ethanol! Great work and thanks for your support of biofuels! Click here for the WCGA Radio Ad.

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Journal Sentinel profiles Marquette biodiesel project

Categories: Bio Fuels, Education

In a sign of the growing recognition of the importance of biofuels, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is writing a five-part series on a group of Marquette University students working on a biodiesel project.
The first installment is available here: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=749368
The second is here: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=749368
Follow the next three over the course of this week in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel or at jsonline.com

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Press conference sets record straight on rising food costs

John Block, former Secretary of Agriculture, Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers, Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union, and Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, spoke today at a press conference about the rising cost of food.  All four pointed to statistics showing that ethanol plays a small role in determining the cost of corn, and an even smaller role in determining the price of finished food.  Rising demand from China and India, increasing oil prices, speculation, and the weak dollar were noted as the real culprits.  Mr. Dinnen remarked that rising gas price are the largest factor contributing to increased food costs and that ethanol is helping to keep those gas prices from rising even higher.

Dinnen also pointed that through fractionation, food and fuel can be extracted from the very same kernel, redefining the debate, with ethanol on the side of food and fuel.  Indeed, according to Mr. Tolman, American corn exports are at an all time high.
The entire transcript can be found at:

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/1692/food_and_fuel_presser.pdf

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