Study commissioned on transporting E20 across existing oil pipelines

In Washington, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines has commissioned a study on the possibility of transporting E20 safely using existing oil pipeline infrastructure. 10 percent of the $800,000 study will be funded by a federal research grant.

The US does not have an ethanol pipeline and ethanol cannot be pumped through oil pipelines because of corrosion concerns; transportation of ethanol is primarily by rail, truck and barge.
In September, an official at the Nebraska Ethanol Office confirmed that plans were under discussion by several private firms to develop an ethanol pipeline from the Midwest to fuel markets such as Chicago and California.

Currently, Nebraska’s 950 million gallons ethanol exports travel by two weekly 2.5 million gallon trains from Lincoln to California and a similar train to Chicago traveling at less than a weekly frequency. recent train accidents have highlighted safety concerns regarding rail transit of ethanol.

In Colorado last month, a train derailed at Windsor. The derailment occurred on a section of track that had been repaired following previous derailments, and involved an empty ethanol tank car.

Last month in Ohio, an ethanol train derailed, caught fire, exploded and forced the evacuation of 1300 homes of people from their homes. Thirty of the 112 cars derailed, including eight that carried the ethanol that caught fire. The train carried one tanker of liquefied petroleum gas, which did not catch fire. The train was bound for Buffalo.

In October 2006, 24 cars, some loaded with ethanol derailed in a remote section of southwestern Pennsylvania, near New Brighton. Nine of the cars caught fire, causing the evacuation of 50 homes.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

Colonial Pipeline initiates ethanol feasibility study

In California, Colonial Pipeline announced that it has commenced a feasibility study for transporting ethanol via pipeline. The company is using GIS software from ESRI to map the location of pipelines...

DuPont to launch UK biobutanol in UK this fall; cites breakthrough in energy density, compatability with gasoline infrastructure as keys to success

DuPont profiled its butanol prospects, in advance of the Washington Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change, called by President Bush for September 27-28. DuPont's biobutanol ...

California venture LS9 introduces higher-yield biofuel approach

Gristmill reports on the progress of LS9, which is developing a new synthetic biofuel from microorganisms. The venture, backed by ethanol venture capitalist Vinod Khosla's Khosla Ventures, predicts th...

Indian automotive group to study impact of E10 conversion on existing vehicle fleet

In India, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers is conducting a study to determine how many of India's 101 million existing vehicles will be able to handle the switch the E10 from E5 planned ...

LS9 wins Technology Pioneer Award at World Economic Forum for its synthetic hydrocarbon fuels

In California, LS9 executives attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where the company received a Technology Pioneer award for the company's development of hydrocarbon fuels made from cellu...

1700-mile US ethanol pipeline will connect Iowa to New York City via Philly and Pittsburgh

In New York, Magellan Midstream Partners and Buckeye Partners said that their proposed 1700-mile, $3 billion ethanol pipeline from the Midwest would connect Iowa with New York City, passing through te...