The 2012 Crystal Ball
A new year ushers in a new era for ethanol in the U.S. New markets domestically and internationally are opening up just as new technologies for ethanol production begin commercial construction at new biorefineries around the country. What 2012 will ultimately hold for American ethanol production remains to be seen, but that shouldn’t stop us from positing some guesses.
Posted in E15, Engines, Ethanol, Exports, Land Use, Production
The Ethanol Shuffle
There’s a hot new craze called the “Ethanol Shuffle” that’s sweeping seaports from Sao Paulo to Los Angeles and Houston to Maceio. It’s not a new dance for longshoremen and ship captains; no, this is a shuffle of an entirely different sort. This shuffle is all about the confounded realignment of the global ethanol trade.
E15: Moving Forward
With EPA’s final label for E15 ethanol blends now in the books, the real work must begin. Educating retailers about the safe and legal sale of the E15 blends, expanding ethanol fueling infrastructure, and putting the concerns of consumers to rest about the use of E15 in their approved vehicles must be and will be at the heart of what the ethanol industry and the RFA do in the coming months and years.
When Engineering Fails…Blame Ethanol?
The fine folks at STIHL Incorporated have recently recalled 2.3 million gasoline-powered yard tools like edgers and trimmers. The reason? Ethanol, says STIHL. But an examination of the facts, and STIHL own warranties approving the use of 10% ethanol blends, demonstrates that the issue not with the fuel, but with the engineering of the equipment itself.
Can I use ethanol-blended fuel in my weed-whacker and lawnmower?
Today, nearly all of our nation’s gasoline supply contains up to 10% ethanol. With this, questions often arise about whether or not the ethanol-blended fuel is okay to use in engines like lawnmowers, weed-whackers, snowmobiles and marine equipment. To avoid confusion, the RFA has put together The Use of Ethanol-Blended Fuels in Non-Road Engines, which thoroughly goes though important issues surrounding ethanol blended fuels and non-road engines.
