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ICIS reporters are covering this year's annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri.

At the conference, there was a talk that Brazil may ship ethanol to Iran. My colleague William Lemos was able to interview retired US general Wesley Clark on his opinion about this issue and he said that this potential sale would demonstrate how important it is that US does not become reliant on Brazil for imports of the biofuel.

See video below and more about this story on ICIS News (subscription required) ...

Here are more ICIS News stories from the Ethanol conference:

US ethanol group sees biofuel opportunity in BP oil spill

Ethanol maker POET confident US blend to get to 15%

US ethanol industry to fight E15 blend ban for older cars

US ethanol finds market abroad but keeps domestic focus

US ethanol risks biodiesel calamity if subsidy renewal slow

Ethyl lactate, other co-products lift US ethanol economics

Brazil ethanol demand up but prices fail to climb

US ethanol to shrink to 25 firms in 10 years - consultant

The battle over corn-based and sugarcane-based ethanol -- which one is cheaper? -- has been brewing for weeks, and I've received emails and tweets last week about statements released from both camps: the Renewable Fuel Association (RFA) and the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA).

RFA accused UNICA last week of making exaggerated and (in some cases) false claims about the cost benefits of sugarcane-ethanol product over American ethanol. RFA said a recent comparison of ethanol prices shows that E10 (10% ethanol/90% gasoline) made with American ethanol would be 7 cents less at the retail level than E10 made with imported Brazilian ethanol.

"UNICA engages in a number of instances of 'fuzzy math'," says RFA. "Data from Brazil's CEPEA, the Center of Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (collected via an agreement with UNICA and another sugarcane growers association), clearly shows that Brazilian ethanol prices have not been competitive with U.S. corn ethanol since the summer of 2009. An American driver who pulled up to the pump today would theoretically spend an additional 7 cents/gal if they filled up E10 from imported Brazilian ethanol instead of E10 from American ethanol."

And then Velasco challenged RFA's VP of research Geoff Cooper that whoever loses will buy the winner a drink: caipirinha vs bourbon...

BY JOSEPH CHANG FROM SAO PAOLO

First time at the UNICA (Brazilian sugarcane association) press tour, and it's a whirlwind I tell ya! In over 12 years of reporting, I've never had such a packed schedule. From the moment we landed, we went straight to a press conference.

Check out some video clips from the Pedra Agroindustrial sugarcane processing and ethanol facility in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state in Brazil.

The plant tour - hot, humid and noisy. But you really get to see the nuts and bolts of the operation, and the ethanol end product. Bottoms up!

Plus we went into the field and saw how the sugarcane is harvested - 12-foot tall plants sucked into a tractor-like machine and spit out into the truck.

My first self-made videos here - folks be kind!

UNICA sees Brazilian ethanol production almost doubling by the 2015/2016 harvest year to 46.9m tonnes/year, mainly to fuel the domestic market. But it also aims for higher exports driven by climate change legislation in the EU.

Plus, bioplastics from sugarcane is on the horizon. Pedra Agroindustrial plans to build the world's first sugarcane-based bioplastics facility with a capacity of between 35,000-40,000 tonnes/year by 2012.

See the stories on ICIS news (subscription required):

EU renewable energy law to drive demand for ethanol contracts

Brazil Pedra to build sugarcane bioplastics plant by 2012

More photos and updates to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to you - all of Doris de Guzman's ICIS Green Chemicals Blog readers!

Amid the current mess the financial industry is in, democratic congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland thinks this is the right time to create an independent, tax-exempt US-owned bank that will provide a range of green financing support.

The Congressman introduced last week the Green Bank Act of 2009 that would fund clean energy and energy efficiency projects within US. The bank will have an initial capital of $10 billion through the issuance of Green Bonds by the Department of Treasury, with a maximum authorized limit of $50 billion in Green Bonds outstanding at any one time.

He emphasized that it will operate at the highest levels of efficacy, accountability and transparency. Depends on who's going to handle the bank I'd say...remember Madoff??

The week before, Congressman Van Hollen also introduced the National Home Energy Savings Revolving Fund Act, which will enable over one million households across the country to save money and make their homes more energy efficient.

The Coalition for Green Bank (CGB) is definitely happy with this news and said that the funding will facilitate private investment in the green economy and create up to 1.5 million new and permanent jobs.

Billion dollar taxpayer funds in the hands of the financial industry again...I guess trust have to start somewhere. This might be better than just giving bailout funds to keep banks afloat.

In another financial news, an Aruba Exempt Corporation just launched a new financial private exchange called GREENDAQ geared to be the world's first global equity and commodities exchange focusing on the green sector.

"GREENDAQ ® was created to provide a missing mechanism in the marketplace. Our goal is to fund compelling -- and qualified - innovative Green Companies while providing qualified investors' access to the first global green centric exchange, including creating new classes of Green commodities," said Andrew McLean, CEO and Founder of GREENDAQ®.

According to this Reuters report, McLean expects the minimum investment for equity offerings will be about $100,000.

My Green Japan article in ICIS Chemical Business is now available online. In it are some examples of how the chemical industry is responding to the issue of climate change.

The article also reported about how carbon emissions from Japan's industrial manufacturing sector (including energy, steel, chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, cement, etc.) is closely being scrutinized by several Japanese green groups.

In relation to this, I just came across this news from Reuters about yesterday's government launch of a "voluntary" carbon trading market in Japan, which could become a forerunner of a mandatory carbon cap-and-trade scheme in the future.

Thanks to Paul from Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) for alerting me on this hot off the press market study on industrial biotechnology by the US International Trade Commission (ITC).

According to the ITC, research and development within the US bio-based chemical industry (including pharmaceuticals) grew strongly from 2004 through 2007, with R&D expenditures reaching $3.4bn last year, much larger than that of liquid biofuels R&D (at $152.5m). A small number of large pharma companies accounted for a larger share of bio-chemical R&D expenditures.

The rate of R&D activities in biofuels, however, is faster compared to biochems mostly because government support policies do not target this industry as much as biofuels (since the industry is also much less reliant on ag feedstock compared to biofuels - now you see the connection?).

ITC said that biochemicals (including pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics) account for 70 percent of products made with industrial biotechnology, while biofuels account for 30 percent. Still, for biobased chemical producers, operating income as a share of total net sales remained relatively flat.

Among the biggest challenge to the successful development and adoption of industrial biotechnology by the biofuels and biochemical industry, according to ITC, are the rising costs of feedstock and the inability to attract sufficient investment.

The moral of the study is that in order for bio-based chemicals to grow and flourish (and to help the world), more fundings are needed both coming from private and public sectors.

The German steel industry could buckle under the competitive pressure driven by Europe's carbon emission trading.

According to steel maker ThyssenKrupp, steel production outside Europe is not being impacted by costs for CO2 certificates leading to a divergence in competitive conditions. As a consequence, the industry could abandon Europe as a production location.

"As a consequence of a costly EU solution for emissions trading, we expect investments in steel production to be stopped, jeopardizing our integrated iron and steel making site in Duisburg with more than 10,000 jobs."

It seems that every trade shows on the planet, from electronics to cosmetics to auto, are now featuring green products or has a green theme.

In this year's National Hardware Show on May 6-8 in Las Vegas, new green products ranging from trash cans to purifiers to storage, will be highlighted on a separate show floor called Green Product World, according to Reed Exhibitions, which manages the event.

Here's a sneak peek on some of the green products to be launched at the show. Prepare your greens to leave your wallet if you want these green products to enter your home!

1. Miracle Toilet Faucet The Miracle Toilet Faucet allows the homeowner to drastically lower toilet paper and water usage while enjoying improved hygiene and comfort. The product uses the existing water supply from the toilet and can be installed with a few common tools in about fifteen minutes.

2. Smart Bin The Smart Bin makes home recycling and waste management easier then ever. The stainless steel design looks attractive in any home or office and can also be used for storage purposes.

3. Pop-Up Boxes The Smart Box is a reusable storage and gift-box system that is constructed from advanced biodegradable materials. Smart Boxes are available in dozens of different sizes, colors and set configurations and are ideal for storage and space saving.

4. The Smart Sac A 100 percent biodegradable and compostable refuse bag made of cutting-edge environmentally-friendly materials. The bags are stronger and more reliable than traditional corn starch-based compostable bags. They fit most large size kitchen receptacles.

5. Nestle Pure Life Purified Water Nestle Pure Life has developed a uniquely shaped bottle that is better for the environment because it is made with up to 30 percent less plastic.

6. Effbe Floating Recycle Bins Recycling no longer has to take up needed floor space in your home. Effbe’s Floating Recycle Bins can easily be affixed to any wall and support up to 50 pounds. The Bins can also be used for handy home storage.

8. Smart Stone™ Smart Stone is a new sustainable stepping stone made from 100 percent recycled raw materials. The lightweight stones are composed of recycled and sustainable resources that would otherwise end up in landfills and waterways.

9. Smart Dyer Smart Dyer is the ultimate clothes drying rack with 10 meters of drying space. When not in use, the Smart Dryer collapses to a mere six-inch width, saving more space then a traditional dryer. Not only does Smart Dryer cut back on unhealthy air emissions, but it saves consumers money on their electric bill and extends the life of clothing.

10. Brill Razorcut Manual Reel Mower Grandpa’s old-fashioned push lawn mower is back. This mower features a superior blade cutting system and light-weight design easy for pushing that saves energy.

11. LogEEZ This log splitter was developed for homeowners who want an easy way to reduce the cost of buying firewood and making their own kindling. It eliminates the use of an expensive, noisy, dirty, gas-powered machine and does not require frequent maintenance. LogEEZ is also cleaner and safer to use then a traditional maul or axe.