Ethanol Week - February 16, 2015

Record ethanol performance brings top earnings to The Andersons The Andersons Inc. reported record earnings in 2014 with the ethanol group delivering full-year operating income of $92.3 million, far exceeding its prior best year of $40.6 million. The company also achieved record ethanol production and yields. READ MORE SHARE
EIA increases 2015 ethanol production forecast The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the February issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, reporting ethanol production is expected to average 938,000 barrels per day this year, increasing to 936,000 barrels per day next year. READ MORE SHARE
	EPA names 10 more efficient corn ethanol producers Ten more corn ethanol plants were approved through the U.S. EPA's efficient producer petition process (EP3) at the end of January, bringing the total to 19. The first round of nine approvals were announced in December. READ MORE SHARE
Washington solicits comments on potential clean fuel standard The Washington Department of Ecology recently published a discussion document to jumpstart dialogue on a potential rulemaking for a state clean fuel standard. The program would be similar to the California and Oregon low carbon fuel standards. READ MORE SHARE
USDA holds media call on $280 million REAP funding opportunity On Feb. 10, the USDA hosted a media call announcing more than $280 million is being made available to eligible applicants through the Rural Energy for America Program. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted recent improvements made to REAP. READ MORE SHARE
Blume Distillation lands $1 million Series B funding Blume Distillation LLC just doubled its Series B capitalization with a $1 million capital infusion from cleantech seed and venture capital fund Climate Change Investigation, Innovation and Investment Co. READ MORE SHARE
New president to lead Poet-DSM joint venture Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels' commercial activities will be moving forward under the leadership of the joint venture's first president, Dan Cummings. He joins Poet-DSM after serving as president and director of INEOS New Planet BioEnergy. READ MORE SHARE
USDA releases 10-year projections The USDA has released new 10-year projections for the food and agricultural sector, reporting that approximately 35 percent of total corn use is projected to go to ethanol production through 2024. READ MORE SHARE
BPI announces startup of pilot plant featuring LTSD technology Bio-Process Innovation Inc. has announced the completion of the construction of its 1-ton pilot plant and successful operation of its low temperature steep delignification (LTSD) pretreatment process at its facility in Otterbein, Indiana. READ MORE SHARE
Ascendant Partners adds plants to performance improvement group Ascendant Partners Inc. has announced the addition of Lincolnland Agri-Energy and Western Plains Energy to the ethanol performance improvement initiative, which is a group of independent ethanol companies that seek to improve shareholder value. READ MORE SHARE
E Energy Adams to upgrade plant with ICM technologies E Energy Adams LLC has selected ICM Inc. as its partner for a technology and capacity upgrade at its Adams, Nebraska, plant. The upgrade will will include installation of ICM's Selective Milling Technology and Fiber Separation Technology. READ MORE SHARE
UGA researchers develop super yeast that turns pine into ethanol Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a "super strain" of yeast that can efficiently ferment ethanol from pretreated pine, one of the most common species of trees in Georgia and the U.S. READ MORE SHARE
IRENA report highlights bioenergy growth potential in the U.S. The International Renewable Energy Agency has published a report that highlights the realistic potential for higher renewable uptake in all sectors of the U.S. energy system, including power, industry, building and the transportation sector. READ MORE SHARE
USDA ARS scientists develop higher yielding sorghum plants A new sorghum plant developed by scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service Cropping Systems Research Laboratory can produce 30 to 40 percent more seeds than conventional varieties currently grown by farmers. READ MORE SHARE
USDA projects 75M bushel increase in corn for ethanol production USDA put a number to a projected increase in ethanol use in its Feb. 10, supply/demand report. Based on the higher forecasts for 2015 gasoline consumption, the USDA raised expected corn use for ethanol production by 75 million bushels. READ MORE SHARE
Algenol closes on internal equity financing Algenol has closed on a $25 million dollar investment from BioFields, a Mexican business group devoted to the development of renewable and clean energy projects. This new investment follows a $40 million investment made by BioFields last year. READ MORE SHARE
RFA releases numbers on 2014 ethanol exports U.S. ethanol exports hit 836 million gallons in 2014, 6 percent of the total 14.3 billion gallons produced nationwide. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the 2014 export volume is second only to the 1.19 billion gallons exported in 2011. READ MORE SHARE
CropEnergies reports increased revenue European-based CropEnergies AG has announced revenues of EUR 626 million ($710.42 million) for the first nine months of fiscal year 2014/2015, up 9.4 percent from EUR 573 million in revenue reported for the same period of the prior year. READ MORE SHARE
Valicor announces patent for ethanol coproduct recovery process Valicor Inc. has announced that it has completed the acquisition of a patent that covers the extraction of protein from corn ethanol stillage and is designed to help ethanol producers maximize their coproduct recovery and value. READ MORE SHARE
Kansas Ethanol to install ICM's Fiber Separation Technology ICM Inc. has announced that Kansas Ethanol LLC, of Lyons, Kansas, has signed an agreement for purchase, license to operate, and full-scale installation of ICM's patent-pending Fiber Separation Technology. READ MORE SHARE