Council, Members Attend ARACON 2026 In The Netherlands

Last week, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) Senior Manager of Global Ethanol Export Development Ankit Chandra and USGBC Manager of Global Ethanol Programs Emma Freebairn joined USGBC members ADM and Growth Energy in attending ARACON 2026, a maritime fuel-focused conference held in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Council's delegation hosted a workshop, "Ethanol as a Marine Fuel," held at the event, promoting the carbon reduction benefits and viability of ethanol in maritime shipping.

"As the shipping industry works toward lower-emission operations, interest is growing in fuels that can be deployed at scale without waiting for entirely new supply chains or infrastructure," Chandra said.

"Ethanol is increasingly part of that conversation. It is already produced and traded globally, can be handled as a liquid fuel and is gaining attention as part of the broader alcohol-fuel pathway alongside methanol."

The workshop examined ethanol's potential in the European maritime market, with a particular focus on sustainability, lifecycle carbon performance, policy treatment, engine readiness, bunkering and commercial deployment. It also looked at current evidence around crop-based feedstocks, food and fuel, agricultural productivity and ongoing improvements in U.S. corn ethanol production.

It gathered leading experts from across the ethanol, maritime, agricultural and industrial sectors to examine the commercial, technical, regulatory and sustainability considerations that will shape ethanol's role as a marine fuel.

"Identifying key commercial and regulatory barriers to wider sustainable marine fuel (SMF) adoption and helping industry leaders and policymakers understand ethanol's potential role in the marine fuel market will open up incredible new demand for biofuels that U.S. producers can meet," Chandra said.

Learn more about the Council's work in ethanol on the organization's website.