Whitefox Technologies announced BGW Sp. z. o. o. has installed Whitefox ICE®-XL technology at its 28.5-million-gallon-per-year plant in Rąbczyn and is producing both fuel-grade ethanol and high-grade ethanol through Whitefox engineering solutions. BGW is the first European fuel ethanol customer to install this technology, with BGW having scaled up from their Whitefox ICE® installation in 2021.
Bartosz Walkowiak, President of BGW said, “By adopting a Whitefox ICE-XL system we can accept feed at high moisture content to achieve fuel grade ethanol and the flexibility to produce pharmaceutical grade in a single pass."
Whitefox ICE-XL is a proprietary integrated solution which fully replaces the existing molecular sieves. It establishes continuous dehydration and reduces the energy consumption per gallon of ethanol produced. Through reconfiguration of existing distillations, the Whitefox ICE-XL solution reduces energy consumption by up to 50 percent — up to 7 carbon intensity (CI) points, according to the company. This not only reduces natural gas consumption by up to 8,000 BTU/gallon, but significantly reduces operational and maintenance costs.
Farm, Biofuels Coalition Responds to Fifth Circuit Small Refinery Exemptions Decision
Toward the end of November, the American Coalition for Ethanol, along with the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and National Farmers Union responded to a decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals remanding to the U.S. EPA its rejection of six small refinery exemption requests. The coalition issued the following joint statement:
“While we are disappointed by this decision, we will continue to vigilantly defend the Renewable Fuel Standard and fight against the illegal abuse of small refinery exemptions. As other Federal courts have determined, the RFS does not impose an economic burden on oil refiners because any compliance costs are passed down the supply chain. All refiners—regardless of their size or location—face equitable RFS obligations, and all of them pass through their costs to comply. This lawsuit was never really about purported economic hardship; rather, it was about a handful of entrenched oil refineries doing everything they can to dodge their legal obligations to blend renewable fuels and block consumer access to lower-cost, lower-carbon options at the pump.”
EPA Sends E15 Rule to White House OMB
A final rule to allow permanent year-round sales of E15 in eight states was sent December 18 by the U.S. EPA to the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review as a lawsuit filed against the agency continues to play out. It is considered to be the final step in the process that EPA was required by law to complete 17 months ago. "We are gratified EPA has at long last sent the final rule to allow Midwest states to offer E15 on a year-round basis,” said ACE CEO Brian Jennings. “All market participants, including but not limited to retailers, wholesalers, terminal operators and refineries, should expect and plan for this rule to take effect in the eight states for the 2024 summer driving season and plan accordingly."