It has been a tough year for the ethanol industry.  Volatile corn markets, EPA’s delay until the last minute on granting a year-round waiver for E15 that effectively prevented the market from taking advantage, and, of course, the small refinery waivers.  But, another factor has been the reduced pace of petroleum refinery operations, which has slowed down the opportunity to blend ethanol.   Petroleum refinery runs, have increased each year since 2009, and reached a record in 2018, averaging 17.3 million barrels per day (bpd).  However, through the first half of 2019 and the forecast for the rest of the year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is projecting refinery runs to average 17 million bpd, desp...

TAGS – Biofuels, North America, China