Category Archives: Bioethanol

Savings available through biofuel vehicle ownership

November 02, 2011   Karl   No comments
ford_focus_bio_ethanol_green_car

Savings available through biofuel vehicle ownership

We are all more than aware that fuel prices are starting to become untenable. A recently survey conducted by MoneySupermarket.com revealed that nearly one million motorists are now prepared to give up driving altogether due to rising fuel prices.

The problems with electric

Major car manufacturers such as Nissan have been quick to develop vehicles which do not rely on fossil fuels. It currently costs the average motorist about £1,870 per year in fuel costs alone to run a normal fossil fuel vehicle such as a Ford Focus. In comparison, it is believed that it would only cost £350 per year to charge up Nissan’s new all electric Leaf model using mains electricity in order to complete the same distance.

However, one of the major problems with such vehicles is the high initial purchase costs which are beyond the reach of the average motorists. The Nissan Leaf costs over £12,000 more to buy from new than a Ford Focus; an additional expenditure which would take almost 8 years to recoup in fuel costs alone before overall savings began to be experienced.

In addition to this they are also very impractical; with Nissan new electric Leaf model only capable of completing 100 miles between charges; with recharges taking multiple hours to complete. This problem is compounded by the lack of recharging stations which are currently in place throughout the country.

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German motorists avoid filling with bioethanol

May 24, 2011   Karl   No comments

German motorists avoiding biofuels

The Germans have a famous passion for automobiles, but it has run smack into European Union directives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. So rather than ask German drivers to give up those highly tuned Mercedes or BMWs, the government is offering them “E10″ — gas mixed with 10 percent ethanol, produced from corn and wheat.

But there are two problems: German car lovers are refusing to buy it and environmentalists say it’s no greener than regular gas.

At a gas station in Berlin, Franziska Muller fills up her Volkswagen Polo on her way home from work. Its shiny, waxed finish mirrors her immaculately put-together business attire. And even though it’s cheaper, the 32-year-old says there’s no way she is going to risk putting the new 10 percent ethanol gas into her car.

“You bet I’m worried about my car — most of all about the motor,” Muller says. “Nobody can guarantee that it won’t get damaged. Of course, it means I pay a bit more for gas, but for now there’s no way I’m touching the stuff.”

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Volvo’s C30 Electric Generates Heat With Bio-Ethanol

April 05, 2011   Karl   No comments

Volvo C30 EV

Volvo is preparing to launch its C30 Electric vehicle but it has a unique twist. This car uses bio-ethanol to generate heat in the winter to keep passengers toasty warm. It is unusual in that the heater doesn’t draw power from the battery and thus doesn’t affect the driving range of the electric car (EV). The announcement came in conjunction with Volvo’s successful tests to drive the C30 Electric in extreme cold temperatures up to -20 degrees Celsius. In the past, some electric vehicles have struggled in winter conditions with the stress of cold temperatures significantly lowering the driving range of the EV.

Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars’ Special Vehicles said of the more than 200 tests they have performed on the EV, “We must ensure that the C30 Electric performs as intended when driving, parking and charging in a variety of conditions, from normal to very cold or hot. Northern Sweden is the perfect place to do sub-zero temperature testing.”

Speaking of climates, the C30 Electric has three climate systems. One system cools or warms the battery pack as necessary, and another climate system uses water to cool the electric motor and power electronics. The final climate system supplies passengers with heating or cooling and this system runs on bio-ethanol. The car’s ethanol tank holds up to 14.5 litres of bio-ethanol. It is also possible to operate the heater and air conditioning using electricity from the batteries. In electric mode an immersion heater warms up the coolant in the climate unit.

“The driver can program and control the climate unit to suit the trip. Ethanol is the default mode that is used when the battery capacity is needed for driving extend mobility to its maximum. However, on shorter distances electricity can be used to power the climate system,” concluded Stegland.

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Ethiopia to Increase Ethanol Content in Petrol to 10% E10

March 13, 2011   Karl   1 Comment
bioethanol fuel pump

Ethiopia to Increase Ethanol Content in Petrol to 10%

In response to skyrocketing oil price at the global market, the Ethiopian government on Friday unveiled that it will increases the volume of Ethanol content in gasoline to 10% as of March 15.

Since 2009, the country has been provided a 5% ethanol and 95% benzene blended (technically known as E5) for the market in which a Sudanese owned oil company, Nile Petrol, was a sole agent that was carrying out the blending process and distributing for all local oil station.

But now the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) declared that Oil Libya is awarded the task of blending the 10% ethanol-Benzene blend.

According to the Ministry of Water and Energy, the country has a plan to top up an ethanol blended oil to the local market to reach E25 (a 25% ethanol content blended in Benzene and biodiesel).

The State Minister of MoWE, Wondimu Tekle, said that the consumption of oil that is imported to the country is increasing with the booming of economy in the country.

According to him, Ethiopia spends more than 8.6 billion Birr every year to import fuel oil with hard currency.

“We want to increase the ethanol content from E5 to E10 to help lower the foreign exchange we spend on oil. This is also important measurement to stabilize the market by reducing the burden of the entire consumers,” he said.

“Since we import oil with huge amount of hard currency, the only solution we have is to develop alternative energy sources like bio-fuel,” he added.

He pointed that due to the introduction of this project, mostly in Addis Ababa and its surrounding areas, the country was able to blend over 13 million liters of ethanol blended oil (E5) and as a result saved over USD10 million in two years.

According to a document obtained from MoWE, from 2009 to the end of 2010, about 2.9 million liters of ethanol has been so far blended with over 245 million liter of Benzene.

In his briefing, the state minister confirmed that, while designing this massive plan of developing bio-fuels projects, the government had hoped that private investors would contribute a lot; however, most of them failed to so.

He also explained that his office has identified those investors and sent their name to the Ethiopian Investment Agency and other pertinent government organizations to take action against these companies who didn’t live up with their commitment. But the state Minister declined to mention the names of those companies.

Ethiopia has three state owned sugar factories which have been operational for long time, including Fincha, Metahara and Wonji.

However, the country produces ethanol from byproduct of sugar factory solely from Fincha which has been so far producing Eight million liters every year since 2009. Similarly, Metahara Sugar Factory is currently set to start producing Ethanol that amounts to 10 million liters per year as of this month.

The fourth factory which is under construction is the Tendaho Sugar Factory which was also said to be the biggest and most promising factory expected to produce huge amount of ethanol upon its completion.

According to the state minister, upon the completion of all sugar factories including the private factories, the country will be able to produce over 180 liters of ethanol after five years.

Of course, Ethiopia has been producing ethanol only for benzene consuming automobiles. But the state minister indicated that still another project is on the pipeline to produce biodiesel for diesel consuming motors.

According to MoWE, the bio-fuel is set to be produced from jatropha, caster seeds and palm trees in which the planting of these trees is being undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development in Amhara, Tigray and Southern regions.

 

Nadew Tadele, Director of Bio-fuel Development Coordination Directorate within MoWE told Ezega.com thatthe Organization of the Amhara Rehabilitation and Development Association (OARDA) is the first local company that will build biodiesel processing factory in Bati Woreda of Amhara Regional state.

The organization is also seeking the technological assistance from the MoWE. However, Nadew did not indicate the investment amount the organization has proposed.

OARDA has so far planted over 165 million seedlings of Jatropha in 50 woredas in degraded areas as part of preparation for the would be built biodiesel processing factory, according to Nadew.

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Study finds biodiesel benefits livestock producers

March 10, 2011   Karl   No comments
Study finds biodiesel benefits livestock producers

Study finds biodiesel benefits livestock producers

A study recently completed by CENTREC Consulting Group LLC shows the U.S. livestock industry actually benefits from biodiesel production. Without biodiesel’s market presence, the study determined higher soybean meal prices would have cost the livestock industry $4.8 billion during the 2005-‘09 market year timeframe. The study, titled “Soybean Oil and Meal Economics,” was funded by the USDA.

According to the study, when demand for soybean oil increases, the price of soybean meal tends to decrease. Using this rule of thumb, the study states growing demand from the biodiesel industry for soy oil has produced significant decreases in the price livestock producers pay for soy meal.

The study explains that unprecedented events have occurred in the soybean industry in recent years. This includes shifting demand drivers attributed to the biodiesel industry, declining livestock production and increased export demand. New competition from palm oil and dried distillers grains with soluble (DDGS) has also impacted the soy industry. While record soybean oil and meal prices in 2007 led many to believe these price increases were a direct result of increased demand from the biodiesel industry, the study determined this is false.

Rather, the study states that increased demand for soy oil cannot be blamed for increased soy meal prices, as increased demand for soy oil will actually reduce the price of soy meal so long as demand for soy meal remains unchanged. “The basic economic principle for these coproducts is that when demand for one coproduct increases, the price of the other coproduct decreases,” said the study. “Thus, an increase in demand for soybean oil benefits livestock feeders through lower meal prices.”

Furthermore, the study notes that recently price fluctuations in the price of both soy oil and soy meal can be explained by basic supply and demand factors. One example offered by the study is reduced soybean production in 2007, which substantially contributed to record prices increases experienced that year. The study also points out several other factors that have contributed to volatile prices in recent years, including:

-       Increased demand for protein worldwide

-       The economic recession

-       Fluctuating dollar values

-       Trans fat labeling requirements

-       Increased competition from other edible fats and oils

-       Fluctuating biodiesel production

-       Declining livestock numbers

-       Increased competition from alterative protein sources

-       Increased export demand for soy meal

While the study notes that it is impossible to determine the precise economic impact that changing demand mechanisms will have on soybean producers, processors and end users, the authors note it is possible to calculate approximate outcomes based on historical trends. Using a model developed by the United Soybean Board, the study determined that when all other factors are held in equilibrium, a decrease in soy oil demand from the biodiesel industry would lead to higher prices for soy meal. In fact, the study determined that only end users of soy oil would benefit from reduced demand from the biodiesel industry. “The lower demand would decrease soybean oil prices, and as a result, the oil end-users would experience lower input costs,” the study said. “Soybean meal prices would increase; livestock producers could possibly pay anywhere from $34 to $50 per ton more for their soybean meal by [marketing year 2015]. However, soybean prices would decrease; the annual net returns for the production sector would be lower than if there was the greater soybean oil demand for biodiesel use. Processing margins would be tightened, and the processing sector’s annual net returns would also decrease.”

“No matter whether you are feeding pigs or people, biodiesel is helping meet the world’s growing demand for protein,” said Illinois farmer and former economics and statistics professor Pat Dumoulin. “With these economics, we would all win if the trucks that brought our soybean meal ran on America’s advanced biofuel, biodiesel.”

A fully copy of the study can be downloaded from the National Biodiesel Board’s website.

Thanks and source Biodiesel Magazine

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Rocketing Oil prices drive US made Ethanol skyward

March 09, 2011   Karl   No comments

Rocketing Oil price drive US made Ethanol skyward

Corn-based ethanol is the renewable fuel environmentalists love to hate. But as turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has sent oil prices soaring, U.S.-made ethanol is making a comeback.

Plants mothballed during the economic downturn are reopening. Domestic ethanol production hit record levels last year, topping 13.2 billion gallons, according to the Renewable Fuels Association in Washington. Oil companies that snapped up facilities when the industry hit a rough patch a few years ago – including Valero Energy Corp., Sunoco Inc. and Marathon Oil Corp. – are looking to expand.

In Stockton, Calif., a once-shuttered factory is now thundering to life. Train cars laden with Midwestern corn arrive daily to feed the grinding mills and steaming pipes that distill the grain into the gasoline substitute. The surrounding air is pungent with the smell of yeast.

For the plant’s owner, Pacific Ethanol Inc., which weathered bankruptcy and is slowly reviving three of its plants, it’s a whiff of vindication.

“Ethanol is an important part of the country’s energy picture these days,” said Neil Koehler, chief executive of the Sacramento, Calif., firm.

That’s largely because of Uncle Sam. Concerned about U.S. reliance on foreign oil, federal lawmakers mandated that the nation quadruple its use of biofuels from 2008 levels, to 36 billion gallons annually by 2022. Corn-based ethanol is assured a 15 billion-gallon share of that market. Plus, it’s heavily subsidized. The federal government gives producers a tax credit of 45 cents a gallon. A number of states provide subsidies as well.

The liquid is blended into almost every gallon of unleaded gasoline sold in the U.S and accounts for about 10 percent of the fuel that motorists pump into their cars. That percentage is set to rise; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the use of blends of up to 15 percent ethanol for newer vehicles.

That’s good news for the ethanol industry with oil now topping $100 a barrel and motorists experiencing sticker shock at the pump.

But whether corn ethanol is good for the planet, U.S. taxpayers, the global food supply – or even an automobile’s engine – is a matter of intense debate.

Some scientists have concluded that growing corn, harvesting and distilling it, and trucking it to refineries causes as much environmental damage as burning oil. Many environmentalists want taxpayer subsidies devoted to developing next-generation biofuels – rather than supporting huge agribusinesses and the oil companies now operating ethanol plants.

Budget hawks also want to end ethanol subsidies, with the U.S. budget deficit is ballooning. About 35 percent of the U.S. corn crop will be devoted to ethanol this year, a figure that makes some agricultural and global food policy analysts uneasy.

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German motorists are avoiding filling up with Bioethanol

February 28, 2011   Karl   No comments

Motorists avioding biofuel blends

German motorists are avoiding filling up their cars with gasoline with a higher biofuel blend due to concerns it could cause engine damage, German oil industry association MWV said.

The German government has from Jan. 1, 2011, permitted a rise in the maximum level of bioethanol allowed in blended gasoline to 10 percent from 5 percent previously as part of German’s programme to protect the environment.

The new fuel is being introduced in stages in the first quarter of 2011, but the MWV said up to 70 percent of motorists are avoiding the new blend, called E10, in petrol stations where it has been introduced.

Many motorists were apparently concerned about possible engine damage from the new blend, although 90 percent of cars can use the higher E10 blend without difficulty, it said.

Motorists continue to use the old fuel with 5 percent bioethanol content called E5, it said.

If the trend continued, petrol stations would run out of E5 gasoline, it said.

The association said motorists should simply check whether their car is suitable for the higher blend.

Germany’s bioethanol industry is expecting a major rise in sales in 2011 because of the new fuel

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BEAUTY project developing new bioethanol engines

December 23, 2010   Karl   No comments
Biofuel pump

BEAUTY Project working on new biofuel engines

An EU-funded collaboration between universities and industry in Europe, Israel and the US is working to develop new engines, combustion technologies and fuels that will allow a substantial increase in the use of bioethanol in an urban context.


Co-ordinated by Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF), the BEAUTY project (Bio-Ethanol engine for Advanced Urban Transport by light commercial and heavy-dutY) is targeting an increase in powertrain efficiency by 10%; ensuring Euro 6 level emissions; and supporting cold startability down to -15°C (5 °F) ambient.
The 2-year, €6.15-million (US$8 million) program, which began in January 2009, is adapting and optimizing existing powertrains, systems (including aftertreatment), components and materials. The project covers a range of combustion approaches, including:
* Stoichiometric S.I. engine for HD applications    * Surface ignition Diesel engine for LD applications    * Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) S.I. engine for LD applications
Different fuel compositions are being used for the different approaches, not only in terms of gross bioethanol content, but also in terms of hydrocarbon composition, volatility, and octane number. The project is coupling experimental activities to life cycle analysis that will consider the entire impact of both first and second generation ethanol.

We have not yet completed our experiments but we are obtaining some very interesting results confirming the possibility of developing advanced internal combustion engines dedicated to bioethanol. With a spark ignited approach and also with a Diesel approach we have succeeded in using a high percentage of ethanol, with a high conversion efficiency and lower fuel consumption, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions.    —Andrea Gerini, CRF

Source and thanks: greencarcongress

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Singapore To Hold Biofuels Conference In March 2011

December 22, 2010   Karl   3 Comments
Singapore

Singapore To Hold Biofuels Conference In March

International academia, scientists and experts on biofuels will meet in Singapore in March to identify promising avenues to a viable biofuels future.

The experts will discuss economic and environmental considerations of biofuel technologies and the integration of biofuels into the existing energy infrastructure, while the academia, government and the private sector will discuss and comment on research and policy.

The six-day conference to begin on March 1 is being organised by a United States-based non-profit organisation, Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Singapore’s Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR).

In a statement here Wednesday, A*STAR said the conference titled “Biofuels” will discuss the options of biofuels for an economic and sustainable future, sustainability of cellulosic ethanol (biofuel produced from non-food biomass), algae biofuels (deriving fuel from algae), development of new biomass feedstocks and potential of biomass production in Southeast Asia.

Among the internationally renowned speakers at the conference includes Dr Adam Brown of the International Energy Agency, Professor Timothy Donohue of the University of Wisconsin-Madison/ Great Lakes Bioenergy, Dr Arthur Grossman of Solazyme Inc and Professor Lonnie Ingram of the University of Florida.

One of the conference’s scientific organiser Professor Stephen P. Mayfield of the University of California said one of the greatest challenges that mankind faced today was to develop efficient, sustainable and scalable processes for converting sunlight energy into the food and fuel the world needs.

“No single renewable-energy strategy will be able to provide a total solution but a combination of strategies that can be coordinated and integrated effectively has the potential to significantly decrease our dependence on fossil fuel,” he said.

He added that at this critical time in mapping a new global energy strategy, this symposium would address the potential of cellulosic and algal produced bioenergy as part of a sustainable future for the world.

Keystone Symposia held its first meeting on biofuels last year in US.

More information on the conference can be found at www.keystonesymposia.org/biofuels.

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Auto industry sues EPA over biofuel blend ruling

December 22, 2010   Karl   1 Comment

Auto industry sues EPA over biofuel blend ruling

Car and boat manufacturers launch legal action challenging EPA decision allowing higher blends of ethanol

The roster of court cases faced by the US Environmental Protection Agency was extended again yesterday, when a group of auto and engine manufacturers launched legal action against the watchdog over its decision to allow higher blends of ethanol for use in cars built after 2007.

The EPA ruled in October that cars with a model year of 2007 or later could safely use fuel containing up to 15 per cent ethanol, so-called E15, a richer blend than current ethanol blends that contain no more than 10 per cent biofuel.

The decision was made in response to federal mandates requiring increasing levels of ethanol to be used in the US. The EPA is also currently weighing whether to allow older cars built since 2001 to similarly use richer blends of ethanol – a decision that has been delayed until next year.

However, many car makers remain opposed to the use of E15 and a new coalition, dubbed the Engine Products Group (EPG), yesterday filed a suit against the EPA alleging that the decision would confuse customers and lead to engine damage if the fuel is used in older engines.

The petition, which was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, requests that the EPA reconsider the decision and calls for a judicial review of the E15 ruling. It also alleges that the EPA does not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to grant a partial waiver for some ethanol blends and not others.

The group claims to represent 400 million engine products and brings together the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.

Kris Kiser, an executive with the outdoor equipment group, told the influential Washington-based Hill blog that the group was concerned that the ruling would result in customers putting the wrong fuel in the wrong engine.

“While all members of the EPG have and continue to support the development and use of safe and sustainable alternative fuels, the action EPA has taken to permit E15 to be sold as a legal fuel, even if limited only to certain products, will have adverse consequences for the environment and consumers,” he said. “A partial waiver, by its nature, necessarily will result in the misfueling of products not designed or tested for E15 use.”

The ethanol and biofuels industry maintains E15 is safe for all engines and is pushing for the EPA to combat customer confusion by authorising the richer blend for use by all vehicles.

The EPA is currently carrying out tests on older vehicles and could reach a decision on whether to allow E15 for use in older vehicles as early as next month.

Wider use of E15 is widely regarded as essential for the take-up of the fuel as currently many filling stations are reluctant to invest in new pumps given only part of the US fleet are authorised to use the fuel.

The EPG suit is the second to target the E15 ruling and comes just weeks after the Grocery Manufacturers Association filed a similar suit challenging the EPA decision on the grounds it could push up food prices by increasing demand for corn.

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