The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council brought Japanese business journalists to the United States last week to examine bioethanol production for sustainable marine fuel.
Tommy Hamamoto, USGBC director in Japan, led the tour with Tom Poole, ethanol economics and policy manager, and Lauren Sura, global ethanol programs coordinator.
“Innovations in the biofuel sector are rapidly developing and becoming increasingly viable for commercial transportation use, and SMF is the next step in harnessing the carbon reduction capacity of U.S. ethanol,” Hamamoto said.
The group met with biofuel experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington and held a working lunch with Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association. They visited Paul and Donna Jeschke’s farm in Mazon, Illinois, to learn about corn production practices.
In Chicago, the delegation toured a Marquis ethanol plant to view production processes. The University of Illinois-Chicago’s Energy Resources Center hosted a seminar on carbon intensity scoring and environmental benefits.
The tour concluded in Houston with meetings at the American Bureau of Shipping and Advario to discuss storage and transportation logistics.
Japan will soon introduce ethanol for on-road vehicles, Hamamoto said, making this an opportune time to expand understanding of biofuel applications.
