Earth Day in Biofuels: Argonne says ethanol saved 10 million tons of CO2 in ‘07; Earth Day activities
April 22, 2008
Top Story:
Today, April 22, is Earth Day. Activities are planned all around the world, with an estimated 1 billion people taking part. Google has some Earth Day events and the web network StumbleUpon has promised to plant a tree for every web visitor that registers today.
Earth Day Network is organizing events in New York, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, San Francisco, Caracas, Chicago. Tokyo, Denver. Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Russia, and a main event in Washington DC.
Producer News:
In Texas, Gulf Ethanol announced that it will “discontinue” use of food-based feedstocks, and will switch to sorghum and switchgrass. “We won’t burn your food,” President J.T. Cloud said. “The answer to rising fuel prices is not to run away from alternative energy production. It is to move rapidly toward the use of non-food feedstocks that are abundant and cheap.” The company had targeted sorghum as of last summer, leading observers to suggest that this week’s announcement represents a marketing ploy rather than a change in strategy.
In Arizona, the Chandler Planning & Zoning Commission has shut down the state’s leading commercial-scale biodiesel plant, AZ Biodiesel, for code and safety violations. The company, which collects waste vegetable oil from 143 locations in Arizona, said it was caught unawares by the shutdown and was given no prior notice of safety or code concerns. Local resident complaints may have led to the withdrawal of the company’s use permits.
In California, Novozymes has projected that US production of cellulosic ethanol will exceed first-generation biofuels by 2022.
International News:
The European Biodiesel Board will request next week that the European Commission impose punitive taxes on US biodiesel imports. EBB officials told the Guardian that the complaint would call for anti-dumping duties and duties imposed to counterbalance illegal subsidies.
In India, Praj Industries has opened a biofuels R&D facility in Pune. The company’s commitment to increased R&D comes in the wake of announcements that the company is pursuing cellulosic ethanol research and has made undisclosed breakthroughs. Total investment in the R&D facility is $15 million.
In Zimbabwe, Tongaat Hulett said that it will restart ethanol production at the Hippo Valley Estates plant, and expects to produce 8 Mgy. The company said that it expects to increase sugar production in its Zimbabwe plantations by up to 40 percent, or 1 million tons.
World Opinion:
Bolivian president Evo Morales told the UN that “some South American presidents…were talking about biofuels but did not understand what they were talking about, and added “If we want to save our planet earth, we have a duty to put an end to the capitalist system.” President Alan Garcia of Peru added that using land for biofuels was making food unaffordable for the poor.
The Chairman of General Motors, Rick Wagoner, said that those who blamed biofuels as the cause of rising food prices were “shockingly misinformed.â€
Research News:
In Illinois, the Argonne National Laboratory released a report, based on ethanol industry data from 2001 to 2006, concluding that ethanol plants used 26.6 percent less water, 15.7 percent less grid electricity, and 21.8 percent less overall energy in producing ethanol, per gallon. The study also concluded that ethanol reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million tons in 2007.
Policy and Policymakers:
The German federal government announced a plan for an International Agency for Renewable Energies (IRENA). The government made the announcement at a meeting hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs , attended by 170 delegates from more than 60 countries. Government officials said that a coordinating international body was needed for renewable energy policies in developing and developed countries.
In Maryland, a trade association has been formed to advocate and lobby in behalf of second generation biofuels. Advanced Biofuels USA will serve individuals, farm co-ops, start-up companies and commercial-scale producers a voice in influencing policy. Bob Kozak, president of Atlantic Biomass Conversions, told Ethanol Producer that “All of us working in the trenches know we need help telling our story in Washington but we don’t have the time or money to do it right.†he said.
Consumer and Fleet News:
In Canada, HeatherGlen Golf Course will convert its power equipment to biodiesel in June, in a deal with Western Biodiesel. The blend that Heather Glen will use was not disclosed, but it will use animal tallow as a feedstock rather than food crops.
Financial News:
The Biofuels Digest Index™ (BDI), a basket of public biofuels stocks, rose 3.20 percent to close at 132.93, on strong agribusiness results. On the day, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) gained 3.68 percent to $48.18, while VeraSun Energy (VSE) led a general decline among ethanol stocks, falling 5.61 percent to $6.56. Among small caps, Green Energy Resources (GRGR.PK) rose 25 percent to $0.15.  Overall, declines and advances were even for the day.
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