Ethanol Week - March 7, 2016

‘Active acquirers’ interested in Abengoa plants Long before there was an official announcement, interested buyers started calling up management at Abengoa Bioenergy and touring the company’s first generation ethanol plant assets. READ MORE SHARE
Edeniq cellunators installed at Nebraska ethanol plant Mid American Agri Products-Wheatland, a small-scale ethanol plant located near Madrid, Nebraska, has installed Edeniq Inc.’s trademarked Cellunator technology and is considering the next step of cellulosic ethanol production from corn kernel fiber. READ MORE SHARE
	Vilsack defends biofuels, bioenergy during House hearing On Feb. 24, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on the state of the rural economy featuring testimony by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Biofuels and bioenergy were among the topics discussed during the nearly three-hour event. READ MORE SHARE
USDA awards loan guarantee to AD project in Oregon On Feb. 26, USDA Rural Development announced plans to support an anaerobic digestion (AD) project under development by Novus Energy LLC in Boardman, Oregon, with an $11 million loan guarantee. READ MORE SHARE
Industry asks White House to step into DDGS antidumping case Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association have asked the White House to take action with regard to preliminary results of an antidumping and countervailing duty case filed in China that were released March 1. READ MORE SHARE
USDA highlights bioeconomy investments The USDA recently published a fact sheet highlighting its investments in rural America, including several related to sparking innovation in America’s bioeconomy to support the development of biomanufacturing and advanced biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
DOE seeks pilot-scale capability for biofuels, biobased products Applications are due March 4 to respond to a U.S. DOE request for information about public and private sector capabilities in pilot scale verification of biofuels and bioproducts processes. READ MORE SHARE
DOE schedules biomass committee meeting for March 8-9 The U.S. Department of Energy has announced an open meeting of its Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled for March 8-9 in Arlington, Virginia. READ MORE SHARE
Smith featured at briefing focused on E15 Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., presented at a briefing March 1 to educate congressional staff on the impacts of a U.S. EPA regulation that currently prevents the sale of E15 during the summer months. READ MORE SHARE
RFA welcomes biofuels reporter Rachel Gantz to staff Biofuels industry veteran journalist Rachel Gantz has joined the Renewable Fuels Association as the organization’s new communications director. Gantz will serve as the RFA’s spokesperson. READ MORE SHARE
Japanese researchers improve biorefineries with bubbles A team of researchers from Japan's Tohoku University has developed a new method for the pretreatment of organic material, or biomass, which could lead to more efficient production of biofuels and biochemicals. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers: Chemical snapshot unveils path to greener biofuel Researchers at the University of Copenhagen are looking at family of enzymes, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), which ease the transformation of cellulose. Chemists at the university have now taken a leap ahead in understanding LPMOs. READ MORE SHARE
API’s understatement of RFS belies attempts to weaken program In a recent interview, American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard stipulated that his organization was pivoting its strategy toward reforming the renewable fuel standard (RFS) rather than continuing to call for an outright repeal. READ MORE SHARE
Growth Energy: Poll reaffirms Iowans support of ethanol and RFS A new poll conducted by Selzer and Co. and released by Mediacom and the Des Moines Register Feb. 29 showed 71 percent of Iowans support ethanol and the renewable fuel standard (RFS). READ MORE SHARE
RFA: EIA data confirms record US ethanol production, use Data recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration officially confirmed that new records were set in 2015 for U.S. ethanol production and blending. The data shows producers churned out 14.81 billion gallons of ethanol in 2015. READ MORE SHARE
USGC expands digital portfolio with new portal, app The U.S. Grains Council released a grains conversion calculator app and a U.S. grains-in-all-forms exports portal at its recent annual meeting in Sarasota, Florida, to help members of the global grain trade access critical information more easily. READ MORE SHARE
New way to reduce plant lignin could lead to cheaper biofuels Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shown for the first time that an enzyme can be tweaked to reduce lignin in plants. Their technique could help lower the cost of converting biomass into fuels. READ MORE SHARE
Ceres receives positive response from USDA regarding corn traits The USDA has notified Ceres Inc. that corn traits developed using its proposed methods and components would not be considered regulated items under the USDA's mandate to regulate genetically engineered crops. READ MORE SHARE