In This Edition
- Pennsylvania Senate Passes Biodiesel Legislation to Create Subsidies, Set Content Requirements
- Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Grants Noble Foundation $3 Million for Switchgrass, Alfalfa Research
- Missouri Governor Unveils Plan to Promote Use of E85 and Hybrids
Research and Technology Updates
- Report Finds Weak Correlation Between High Corn Prices and Consumer Food Price Inflation
- Scientists Study Termite Gut Microbes, Move One Step Closer to Efficient Cellulosic Ethanol Production
- Lasers to Analyze and Improve Performance of Biomass in Combustion Systems
- Kansas State Researchers Find High Levels of E. Coli in Cattle Fed Distiller’s Grains
- Shell to Grow Marine Algae for Biodiesel
- Energy and Environmental Research Center Receives $2.9 Million for Three Bioenergy Projects
- Gulf Ethanol Acquires Technology to Produce Powdered Cellulose
- BioGold Fuels Develops Efficient Process to Convert Municipal Solid Waste to Renewable Diesel
- 2009 Ford Escape to Contain Bio-Based Seating
- Germany Requires Renewable Energy Systems in Homes, Expects to Save Billions in Heating Costs
- Web Resource Provides Data for Businesses, Investors in Oregon Forest Products Industry
- Missouri Facility to Convert Sawmill Leftovers into Environmentally Friendly Heating Oil
- Operations Begin at Northeast’s First Ethanol Plant
- VeraSun and US BioEnergy Announce Merger
- Plan Unveiled for Closed-Loop Renewable Energy Park in New York
- Closed-Loop Ethanol Company Files For Bankruptcy, Cites Mechanical Failures
- Midwest’s Largest Biodiesel Plant Celebrates Grand Opening
- Unmanned Biodiesel Station Looks to Attract Trucks and Bus Fleets
- Akron, Ohio Turns Sewer Waste Into Electricity
- New Florida Power Plant to Be Fueled by Waste Wood
Quick Links
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
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EESI Interested in Collaborating on Community Planning Grant
The Orton Family Foundation is inviting proposals from small cities and towns and partnering organizations interested in and committed to plans for future growth inspired by their community’s “heart and soul” attributes. EESI would be interested in discussing collaboration with a community that identifies renewable energy, especially bioenergy, or energy independence as part of its “heart and soul”. The Foundation anticipates selecting two (2) communities in northern New England and Massachusetts and two (2) communities in the northern Rocky Mountain West in 2008. Each selected community will be eligible for up to $100,000 in supporting funds over two years.
More information on the grant program can be found at www.orton.org/rfp. Those interested in collaborating with EESI on a renewable energy component should contact Ruth Lampi at rlampi@eesi.org or (202) 662-1887.
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.South Carolina’s Biomass Boom
By the South Carolina Energy Office
South Carolina has long had a strategic disadvantage compared to many other states because it does not contain any coal, oil, or natural gas. Recently, however, state officials and various organizations have begun to recognize renewable energy – particularly biomass energy – as a previously untapped opportunity to decrease dependence on fossil fuels and significantly invest in the state’s declining rural economy.
In 2006, the South Carolina Energy Office created the South Carolina Biomass Council, with assistance from a U.S. Department of Energy Special Projects grant. Over one hundred stakeholders joined a dialogue about biomass, including electric utilities, research universities such as Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, several state agencies, numerous private businesses, and the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, a transportation fuels group previously formed by the South Carolina Energy Office by leveraging funds from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since the formation of the South Carolina Biomass Council, the state legislature has passed sweeping incentives for development, production and use of renewable energy.
These incentives include:
- Tax credits of 20 cents per gallon for production of conventional biodiesel and ethanol and 30 cents per gallon for production from alternative feedstocks in addition to a 25 percent tax credit for the cost of purchase of renewable fuel production equipment;
- Tax credits of up to $100,000 for research and development of renewable fuel feedstocks best suited for South Carolina, such as cellulosic ethanol and algae-based biodiesel;
- Tax credits for the purchase and installation of equipment to produce electricity and other process energy from biomass resources including wood and wood waste, agricultural and animal waste, sewage, landfill gas, and other organic materials;
- Incentive payments for biomass energy users ranging from one cent per kilowatt-hour to 9 cents per therm;
- A requirement that all state-owned diesel pumps provide a minimum of five percent biodiesel;
- Tax rebates of up to $300 for the purchase or lease of vehicles that are flex-fuel (E85 ethanol), hybrid, electric, or fuel efficient with an EPA city fuel economy of 30 mpg or greater;
- Five cents per gallon incentive payments available for retailers selling B20 biodiesel and E85 ethanol; and
- Funding for a biofuels marketing program to improve public awareness and for ethanol and biodiesel testing equipment to monitor the quality of alternative fuels produced and sold in the state.
A grants and low-interest loan program for renewable energy projects was also implemented. The Renewable Energy Infrastructure Development Fund provides grants for demonstration and research and development projects. The low-interest loan program provides financing for renewable energy equipment. The first rounds of grant awards were announced on December 28th and funded eight projects – six of which involved biomass energy demonstration and research and development projects. Two additional rounds of proposals are scheduled for winter and spring. Future rounds will be offered if additional state funding is obtained. To learn more about the program, visit the South Carolina Energy Office website.
Additionally, virtually all electric utilities serving South Carolina now offer, or will soon offer, the option for customers to purchase renewable energy produced in the state. A significant portion of that demand is being met through biomass energy – primarily landfill gas, wood waste, and anaerobic digestion. These utility programs include Palmetto Clean Energy and Santee Cooper’s Green Power Program.
Furthermore, the South Carolina Energy Office has teamed up with other state agencies and economic development organizations to prepare for new private investment in the biomass energy field. The South Carolina Renewable Energy One Stop Shop hosts a meeting each month to provide important background information, step-by-step analyses of state incentives and requirements, and concise answers to questions from potential investors.
Early signs of success include five biodiesel plants in production or under construction, 50 retail outlets offering E85 fuel and 50 retail outlets offering biodiesel to the general public. The University of South Carolina just completed construction on a state-of-the-art biogasification facility which produces the majority of energy for on-campus needs from waste wood generated in the Columbia area.
For more information about these and other biomass energy efforts, please visit the South Carolina Energy Office website.
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H.R.4271
December 4, Rep. Shadegg (R-AZ) introduced H.R. 4271 to amend the Clean Air Act to provide for a waiver of certain prohibitions and limitations on fuels and fuel additives, such as ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
S. 2423
December 6, Senator Feinstein (D-CA) introduced S. 2423 to facilitate price transparency in markets for the sale of emission allowances. The bill also charges the EPA with developing regulations to limit the negative effects of excessive speculation in allowances, including possible limits on the number of transactions in which an individual can engage. The bill was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
H.R. 4306
December 6, Rep. King (R-IA) and Rep. Latham (R-IA) introduced H.R. 4306 to amend the Clean Air Act and Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the use of ethanol and biodiesel. Among other provisions, this bill increases the mandate for biodiesel by 30% and makes fuels produced from woody biomass harvested in federal forests eligible for inclusion in the renewable fuels standard. Although the total mandate for renewable fuels is not changed from current law (36 billion gallons by 2022), there are no carve-outs for advanced or cellulosic fuels. Extension of tax credits for producers of alcohol fuels, biodiesel, and renewable diesel are also included in the bill. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
H.R. 4773
December 6, Rep. Young (R-AK) introduced H.R. 4773 to authorize the Department of Energy to grants funds for the production of electricity from renewable sources, including electricity produced from biomass. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
S. 2520
December 19, Senator Johnson (D-SD), Senator Smith (R-OR), and Senator Dorgan (D-ND) introduced S. 2520 to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow Indian tribal governments to transfer the credit for electricity produced from renewable resources from the tribal government to an individual or individuals with ownership interest in the energy production facility. The bill was referred to the Committee on Finance.
Department of Energy Selects Four Biofuels Projects to Receive Funding
On December 4, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman announced four biofuels research and development projects that will receive a total of $7.7 million in grants. “We are committed to expanding the sustainable production and use of biofuels and these projects will help develop cleaner methods for turning a wide variety of feedstocks into fuel,” said Secretary Bodman. “Successful completion of these projects stands to redefine the way we produce America’s fuels and follows the President’s call to end our dependence to oil.”
Utah-based Emery Energy Company (EEC) will receive up to $1.7 million to demonstrate a new way to mitigate tars and oils in biomass synthesis gas. EEC will be working with Ceramatec, Inc. and the Western Research Institute on the project. Iowa State University will receive up to $2 million to test an integrated biomass-to-liquids system that minimizes waste water treatment in partnership with ConocoPhillips Company. The Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina will receive up to $2 million to work with North Carolina State University and the University of Utah to generate syngas from woody biomass. Alabama-based Southern Research Institute will receive up to $2 million to use a 1 megawatt thermal biomass gasifier to generate syngas in collaboration with Pall Corporation, Thermochem Recovery International, and Rentech.
Source: http://www.energy.gov/news/5757.htm
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Pennsylvania Senate Passes Biodiesel Legislation to Create Subsidies, Set Content Requirements
On December 12, the Pennsylvania State Senate approved two bills to support the biofuel industry. SB22 amends the Alternative Fuels Incentive Act to give biodiesel producers a 75 cent per gallon subsidy, expiring at the end of 2010. It also increases the subsidy for production of other alternative fuels from 5 cents per 10 cents per gallon. SB36, the Biodiesel Study and Production Incentive Act, mandates that every gallon of diesel sold in the state must be composed of at least 2 percent biodiesel, starting when state production of the fuel reaches 60 million gallons. The required percentage of biodiesel increases incrementally up to 20% when state production reaches 600 million gallons. Non-sulfur diesel derived from coal may be substituted for biodiesel to meet these content requirements if the carbon emissions are fully offset through carbon sequestration or the purchase of carbon offsets.
Sources: http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=63897
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2007& sessInd=1&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0022&pn=0047 (pdf format)
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2007& sessInd=1&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0036&pn=0032 (pdf format)
Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Grants Noble Foundation $3 Million for Switchgrass, Alfalfa Research
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation was allocated more than $3 million by the governing board of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (OBC) to perform six research and evaluation projects. Goals of the projects include assessing the efficiency of nitrogen and water intake by various bioenergy crops, evaluating which varieties of switchgrass are appropriate for the Oklahoma region, establishing plans to integrate switchgrass into existing agricultural systems, developing and applying research tools to enhance the drought tolerance of alfalfa, and developing high-lignin biofuel crops designed for particular conversion technologies.
The OBC is a state-funded initiative that supports research across the bioenergy value chain, from growing crops to conversion processes. Researchers at both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University received $3.2 million in allocations. “We have taken a bold first step in making Oklahoma a primary contributor in the biofuels effort and assisting in our country’s overall effort to find energy independence,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Energy David Flieschaker. “However, it will take a sustained commitment from our state to continue the work of the OBC and those scientists, researchers and agricultural specialists who are making the breakthroughs that will lead to the ultimate success of the biofuels industry.”
Source: http://www.noble.org/Press_Release/2007/obc.html
Missouri Governor Unveils Plan to Promote Use of E85 and Hybrids
On January 3, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt announced a proposal to increase the use of alternative fuel through state tax incentives. In order to make E85 fuel (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) available to more consumers, $2 million in tax credits would be made available to help offset the cost of installing E85 pumps at gas stations; currently only 92 of the state’s 4,312 stations dispense E85. The governor also proposed an income tax credit of 25 cents per gallon for state residents who purchase E85; the credits would subsequently decrease to 20 cents and then 15 cents per gallon after the first year of the program, with a maximum credit of $500 per taxpayer per year. The third part of the plan is a 10 percent tax deduction (up to $1500 maximum) to encourage the purchase of qualified hybrid vehicles.
“When combined with our efforts that we’ve already undertaken to increase alternative energy production, these incentives will help to boost our efforts to create a healthier environment and a stronger economy,” said Governor Blunt. A Missouri law requiring gasoline to be blended with 10 percent ethanol took effect on January 1 of this year; the governor also has signed an executive order to require at least 70 percent of new vehicles purchased by the state Office of Administration be flex-fuel vehicles capable of using E85. Republican State Senator Luann Ridgeway expressed support for the plan as a way to reduce fuel prices; “There’s not much that we here in the Missouri Legislature can do to reduce the price that you pay at the pump… but this is one step that we can take.”
Sources: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5425917.html
http://www.gov.mo.gov/cgi-bin/coranto/viewnews.cgi?id=EEAAFlFpZZtBslNaXc
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Report Finds Weak Correlation between High Corn Prices and Consumer Food Price Inflation
On December 10, Informa Economics released a report that showed a “weak correlation” between corn prices and overall consumer food prices. The study, commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Foundation, found that only four percent of change in the food consumer price index is due to fluctuations in the price of corn. The majority of retail food costs are for non-commodity items such as labor, packaging, transportation, energy, advertising, rent, and taxes, collectively known as the marketing bill. The growing ethanol industry was found not to be the only driver of rising corn prices; a decreasing corn harvest between 2004 and 2006 combined with increasing demand overseas also contributed.
“This analysis puts to bed the argument that a growing domestic ethanol industry is solely responsible for rising consumer food prices,” said Informa Chairman and CEO Bruce Scherr. “The statistical analysis plainly details that energy-intensive activities such as processing, packaging and transporting, as well as the cost of labor, have a far greater impact on consumer food bills than the price of grain.”
The 55-page Informa report can be found here: http://www.informaecon.com/Renew_Fuels_Study_Dec_2007.pdf (pdf format).
Source: http://www.informaecon.com/NewsReleaseDec10.pdf (pdf format)
Scientists Study Termite Gut Microbes, Move One Step Closer to Efficient Cellulosic Ethanol Production
Research long anticipated by the biofuel industry, in which an international team of scientists sequenced and analyzed the genomes of microbes living in termite guts, was described in the November 22 edition of the journal Nature. The termite has been studied for more than a century for its ability to digest wood and plant material, but the quest to find a commercially viable method of producing ethanol from such cellulose has made this research even more important in recent years. Originating in the Costa Rican rainforest, the termites studied were discovered to host two major bacterial lineages in their hindguts: treponemes and fibrobacters. Fibrobacters have relatives in cow rumen known to break down cellulose into sugars, while treponemes are responsible for the fermentation of the sugars.
“Termites can efficiently convert milligrams of lignocelluloses into fermentable sugars in their tiny bioreactor hindguts. Scaling up this process so that biomass factories can produce biofuels more efficiently and economically is another story,” said Eddy Rubin, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, one part of the research team. “To get there, we must define the set of genes with key functional attributes for the breakdown of cellulose, and this study represents an essential step along that path.” The California Institute of Technology, Verenium Corporation, the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, and the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center also contributed to the project.
Source: http://www.timberbuysell.com/Community/DisplayNews.asp?id=1780
Lasers to Analyze and Improve Performance of Biomass in Combustion Systems
Dr. Terry Meyer, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, is using sophisticated laser-based sensors to analyze and improve the performance of biomass in combustion systems. The sensors can capture millions of images per second in the combustion systems of vehicles and heat- or power-generating plants; this data is used to detect unburned fuel as well as where pollutants such as soot, nitric oxide and carbon monoxide are being formed. “The goal is to probe this harsh environment to provide the knowledge required to reduce pollutant emissions and enable the utilization of alternative fuels,” said Dr. Meyer.
The research project is being supported by the Grow Iowa Values Fund, a state economic development program, and the Goodrich Corporation’s Engine Components unit, a producer of fuel system components.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205122527.htm
Kansas State Researchers Find High Levels of E. Coli in Cattle Fed Distiller’s Grains
Researchers at Kansas State University have found that cattle fed distiller’s grains, a byproduct of ethanol production, carry twice as much E. coli 0157:H7 as do cows on other diets. E. coli 0157:H7 is present in healthy cattle and is responsible for recent beef recalls and illnesses in humans who acquired the bacteria through undercooked meat, raw dairy products, or produce contaminated with cattle manure. "This is a very interesting observation and is likely to have profound implications in food safety," said Dr. T. G. Nagaraja, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology of Kansas State’s College of Veterinary Medicine who is working on the project.
The distiller’s grains market is important for the growing ethanol industry, which brings in additional income by selling the high-protein byproduct to feedlots. "Feeding cattle distiller's grain is a big economic advantage for ethanol plants," Dr. Nagaraja said. "We realize we can't tell cattle producers 'Don't feed distiller's grain.' What we want to do is not only understand the reasons why 0157:H7 increases, but also find a way to prevent that from happening."
Sources: Hegeman, Roxana. “YOUR HEALTH: Cattle fed distiller’s grain prone to e-coli.” The Journal-Standard 7 December 2007.
http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/dec07/distiller120407.html
Shell to Grow Marine Algae for Biodiesel
Royal Dutch Shell and HR Biopetroleum have formed a joint venture company called Cellana to research the commercial viability of growing algae for biodiesel. On December 11, Shell announced that construction of a facility that will grow marine microalgae species in open-air ponds would begin immediately at a site leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. Oils extracted from the algae will be refined into biodiesel.
Algae has been studied for decades as a potential biodiesel feedstock because some species produce more than 15 times the amount of oil per acre as produced by widely-used crops like soybeans and canola. Other benefits of algae are its ability to grow in coastal areas unsuitable for agriculture and its rapid absorption of carbon dioxide. The problem has always been producing the aquatic species on a commercial scale at a reasonable cost.
“Algae have great potential as a sustainable feedstock for production of diesel-type fuels with a very small CO2 footprint,” said Dr. Graeme Sweeney, Shell Executive Vice President Future Fuels and CO2. “This demonstration will be an important test of the technology and, critically, of commercial viability.”
Sources: http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article3244731.ece
http://www.shell.com/home/content/media-en/news_and_library/press_releases/2007/biofuels_cellana_11122007.html
Energy and Environmental Research Center Receives $2.9 Million for Three Bioenergy Projects
The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota was recently awarded $2.9 million for three bioenergy projects from Minnesota-based Xcel Energy’s Renewable Development Fund. In one project, the EERC will study a new process for converting dairy manure into biogas that will significantly reduce the amount of hydrogen sulfide produced as a byproduct. Another project will be the demonstration of the performance of a mobile gasification system that converts sawdust into methanol; the methanol will be tested as a fuel for small-scale power production. Finally, the EERC will develop and demonstrate a low-cost, low-maintenance, biomass gasification system that will produce enough electricity to power approximately three homes. “These projects exemplify the types of renewable energy technologies the EERC is focused on right now,” said Chris Zygarlicke, Deputy Associate Director for Research and manager of the EERC’s Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization. “Tremendous effort is being put forth to develop new technologies that will utilize locally available renewable fuels for the production of heat and power where other traditional fuels are unavailable.”
Source: http://www.undeerc.org/newsroom/newsitem.asp?id=302
Gulf Ethanol Acquires Technology to Produce Powdered Cellulose
Texas-based Gulf Ethanol Corporation has acquired an exclusive license to new cellulose feedstock processing technology developed by Meridian BioRefining. The “vortex implosion disintegrator” process uses extreme compression and sudden polarity shifts to convert plant material into a fine cellulose powder that can then be efficiently refined into ethanol. “The future of ethanol as a fuel additive and as an alternative to imported oil depends on developing large scale ethanol production from cellulose – rather than food-stocks,” said Gulf Ethanol CEO J. T. Cloud.
Sources: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071206/20071206005274.html?.v=1
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071210005682
BioGold Fuels Develops Efficient Process to Convert Municipal Solid Waste to Renewable Diesel
California-based BioGold Fuels Corporation has developed a low cost method of producing renewable diesel from municipal solid waste (MSW). While other biofuel producers spend up to 60% of the sales price on raw materials, BioGold is paid to take the MSW that would otherwise get sent to a landfill. The company then sorts the cellulosic material from the metals, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic waste by means of mechanical screening, magnetic separation, and eddy current separation. The cellulose is converted into diesel through a highly efficient catalytic depolymerization process. “Our processing plants will be one stop shops for all forms of waste to be processed with resulting renewable energy byproducts produced such as bio-diesel [sic] from this household garbage,” said Steve Racoosin, BioGold CEO.
Sources: http://www.biogoldfuels.com/images/BGF-PressReleaseBDprod-12-17-07.pdf (pdf format)
http://www.biogoldfuels.com/technology.html
http://www.biogoldfuels.com/images/BGF-PressRelease-12-6-07.pdf (pdf format)
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2009 Ford Escape to Contain Bio-Based Seating
The Woodbridge Group, a Canadian automotive supplier, and Intier Automotive Seating have announced the availability of BioFoam, a polyurethane foam derived from plant seed oils such as soybean oils. The bio-based foam will be introduced in the seat cushions of the 2009 Ford Escape. “Our organization has been working on ways to make automotive seating more environment-friendly for several years,” said Imtiyaz Syed, Intier Vice President of Engineering. “BioFoam is a good example of a product designed using natural, renewable and sustainable resources.” BioFoam can include up to 40% bio-polyol and could also be used in head restraints, arm rests, headliner and occupant protection products.
Sources: http://www.canplastics.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=76881&issue=11262007
http://www.woodbridgegroup.com/media/Pressrelease_BioFoamFordEsc.pdf (pdf format)
Germany Requires Renewable Energy Systems in Homes, Expects to Save Billions in Heating Costs
Germany has passed legislation expected to save 50 billion euros, or approximately 74 billion U.S. dollars, in heating costs by the year 2020. The Renewable Energies Heating Law requires that all new homes built in 2009 or later use renewable energy sources to meet 14% of total household energy consumption for heating and domestic hot water. "Using renewable energy for heating homes will not only significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions but also reduce heating bills as oil and gas prices surge," said Thomas Hagbeck of the German Federal Environmental Agency. Beginning in 2010, existing homes also will be required to derive 10% of their heating and domestic hot water energy needs from renewables. The German government will grant 350 million euros (US $517 million) per year to help homeowners make the transition to renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wood pellet stoves, boilers, and heat pumps.
Source: http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50746
Web Resource Provides Data for Businesses, Investors in Oregon Forest Products Industry
The Central Oregon Partnership for Wildfire Risk Reduction (COPWRR) has designed a new website that provides information on local forest and rangeland restoration projects on federal lands. The Coordinated Resource Offering Protocol (CROP) is intended to help businesses and investors in their analysis of the feasibility of investing in small-diameter woody biomass processing infrastructure. The user-friendly website, which can be found at http://www.coic.org/copwrr/crop.htm, provides data such as the volumes and weights of primary species expected to be produced from each project, anticipated date the material will be available, and NEPA status.
The COPWRR is a collaborative effort among various stakeholders in Central Oregon to reduce wildfire risk, restore forest ecosystems, and create jobs within local forest communities. Members of the partnership believe the new resource has helped stimulate the more than $80 million in forest products business investments recently made or currently in the works. The CEO of Oregon-based Warm Springs Biomass, LLC, Cal Mukumoto, said, “We just felt that CROP would be an excellent tool to help develop supply certainty from public lands, while at the same time ensuring that the supply is sustainable and coming from valid forest-restoration projects. It’s been a critical factor in developing our biomass power facility.”
Source: http://www.timberbuysell.com/Community/Displaynews.Asp?Id=1829
Missouri Facility to Convert Sawmill Leftovers into Environmentally Friendly Heating Oil
A $24 million commercial industrial biofuel plant is under construction by Dynamotive, a Canadian company, at a site in Willow Springs, Missouri. The Dynamotive facility will use fast pyrolysis to convert 200 tons per day of wood byproducts and residue from local sawmills into 34,000 gallons of BioOil, a substitute for conventional heating oils used in boilers and furnaces. During combustion, BioOil emits substantially fewer nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides compared to petroleum-based oil. "The commercialization of BioOil adds another element to our arsenal of renewable fuels that can help address a previously neglected segment of our oil use: industrial boiler fuels," said the Chairman of the Biomass Coordinating Council, Lt. Col. (Ret.) William C. Holmberg. "As such it complements, rather than competes with, fuel ethanol and biodiesel." The BioOil produced at this facility is expected to be sold to commercial users.
Source: http://www.gizmag.com/biooil-to-fuel-industrial-sector/8494
Operations Begin at Northeast’s First Ethanol Plant
In late November, Western New York Energy, LLC began production at the first ethanol plant in the Northeast. The $90 million biorefinery located in Orleans County will produce 50 million gallons of ethanol per year for the dense population centers of the East Coast – areas with high demand for clean transportation fuels. “We are closer to the ultimate ethanol markets,” said Western New York Energy Executive Vice President Michael Sawyer. “Ethanol’s being consumed here on the East Coast and the economics of moving ethanol are challenging. We do not have to move our ethanol as far to the ultimate market as the typical Midwestern plant.” The facility will employ about 50 people and purchase millions of bushels of corn annually from New York farmers.
Source: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=643524
VeraSun and US BioEnergy Announce Merger
On November 29, VeraSun Energy Corporation and US BioEnergy Corporation announced a merger agreement which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of each company. If approved by shareholders and found to meet anti-trust regulations, the combined company would have a total of nine ethanol plants and seven more under construction. “This merger is an opportunity for two leading companies in the renewable fuels industry to capitalize on synergies and provide value for shareholders,” said Donald Endres, Chairman, CEO and President of VeraSun. “It also underscores the commitment of each company to execute on its growth strategy to become a large-scale, low-cost ethanol producer.” By the end of 2008, the new company would be expected to have an annual production capacity of more than 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol. Current total U.S. production capacity is 7.2 billion gallons per year.
Sources: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS26693+29-Nov-2007+PRN20071129?symbol=VSE
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics/
Plan Unveiled for Closed-Loop Renewable Energy Park in New York
Owners of the Riverview Business Park in New York have unveiled an ambitious plan to turn it into a closed-loop renewable energy park, where each company’s waste would become another company’s input. An old Miller brewery will soon reopen as an ethanol plant. The owners hope to see the construction of a 25-30 megawatt biomass power plant that would use the ethanol plant’s leftover grains as well as a soda bottler that would use the ethanol’s carbon dioxide byproduct. The biomass power plant, which could also run on wood, would in turn provide steam to the ethanol plant and other park tenants. The lagoons of an existing wastewater treatment plant could be used to grow algae for biodiesel; the algae would also consume carbon dioxide produced by the power plant.
“What we were trying to do was look for different business applications where one business’s effluent is the influent for another process,” said Tim Barry, Senior Vice President of O’Brien & Gere, the engineering firm hired to design the strategic plan for the renewable energy park. “We try to close the loop, so you minimize or eliminate waste.” The plan also includes solar, wind, and geothermal components, a fish farm and dairy processing company, and a conversion of the wastewater treatment plan to an anaerobic digester to make methane.
Usually, renewable energy developers would receive financial assistance from the state government. However, incentives provided in conjunction with New York’s renewable portfolio standard – which set a goal of producing 25% of state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2013 – go mostly to power generators that sell their electricity to the grid. However, most of the electricity generated at Riverview will be used by the companies at the site. “Five years from now, if all we’ve done is build an ethanol plant, it’s something we’ll be proud of, but at the same time I’ll be disappointed because there are so many other opportunities that we need to pursue,” said Riverview co-owner Eric Will II.
Source: http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1195984780296940.xml&coll=1
Closed-Loop Ethanol Company Files for Bankruptcy, Cites Mechanical Failures
The country’s first closed-loop ethanol plant filed for bankruptcy on November 30 due to mechanical failures. The E3 BioFuels facility located in Mead, Nebraska opened in June 2007 and was praised for its environmentally-friendly design. Manure from an adjacent cattle feedlot was converted into methane by an anaerobic digester, reducing the water and air pollution generated by most feedlots. The methane was used to power the ethanol plant. In return, the protein-rich wet distillers grain leftover from the ethanol refining process were fed to the cattle.
R. J. Wilson, a spokesman for E3 BioFuels, said that the technology for the closed-loop system is sound but that damage created from an explosion in the boiler prevented the plant from ever reaching full production capacity, thereby reducing profits. “We are into a gradual phase down of operations,” Mr. Wilson stated. “And we’re hopeful that, through the reorganization of Chapter 11, we will be able to come out the other side and be fully operational.”
Sources: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10198039
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/12/03/news/nebraska/doc475426061ff5a375224251.txt
http://www.e3biofuels.com/technology/index.php
Midwest’s Largest Biodiesel Plant Celebrates Grand Opening
On November 30, the community of Algona, Iowa celebrated the opening of the Midwest’s largest biodiesel production plant. The East Fork Biodiesel facility will use soybean and other oils to produce 60 million gallons of biodiesel per year, bringing Iowa’s total annual biodiesel production capacity to 250 million gallons. “This is another big step toward Iowa’s renewable energy future,” said Randy Olson, Executive Director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board. “Producing a cleaner-burning fuel at an Iowa plant that will soon employ 36 people in full-time jobs in Kossuth County is a great achievement.” The biorefinery also employed more than 100 people during construction.
Sources: http://wallacesfarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=31201&fpstid=2
http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/501446.html?nav=5010
Unmanned Biodiesel Station Looks to Attract Trucks and Bus Fleets
Seattle-based Propel Biofuels plans to open an unmanned biodiesel station at a busy intersection in South Lake Union this March. Instead of a convenience store and gasoline pumps, the station will consist of four biodiesel pumps dispensing B99 (99% biodiesel, 1% diesel) and B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% diesel). Propel Co-founder and President Rob Elam hopes the multiple pumps will encourage car and bus fleets to convert to the biofuel; "We would love to get the new Microsoft buses running on biodiesel," he said. One high-flow pump will accommodate trucks with large tanks.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/343520_biofuel14.html
Akron, Ohio Turns Sewer Waste into Electricity
A new facility in Akron, Ohio is turning sewage sludge into electricity. The $7 million facility uses anaerobic digestion to convert 5,000 tons per year of solids from the city’s wastewater treatment plant into biogas, which is then used to power an electric generator. The 335 kilowatts of electricity produced will be used to power the sewage treatment plant as well as Akron’s composting plant. “We will save money by not having to purchase an equivalent amount of electricity, thus offsetting some of the $1.35 million we spend annually for electricity here,” said Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic.
The biogas system is the first of its kind in the United States. It was developed by Schmack Biogas AG of Germany, which has 200 similar operations in Europe and Asia. If the facility performs well over the next 18 months, Akron city leaders are considering expanding its operation to use all 15,000 tons of sludge produced by the city each year. This will also allow them to shut down the compost plant, which has triggered odor complaints from local residents.
Sources: http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50876
http://www.ohio.com/news/12452251.html
New Florida Power Plant to Be Fueled by Waste Wood
On December 21, Biomass Gas and Electric LLC (BG&E) announced plans to build a new electric power plant in Florida that will be fueled by waste materials, including yard trimmings, bark, and residues from pulping operations. The facility will utilize an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system. This type of plant uses two processes (or cycles) to maximize energy production. In the first cycle, synthetic gas is created by superheating the biomass fuel in a low-oxygen environment (gasification). This gas is then channeled through a turbine mechanism to generate electricity. In the second cycle, the heat from the first process is directed to a boiler and from there to a second turbine. This second process is able to capture energy that would otherwise be lost as waste heat.
BG&E, based in Atlanta, has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Progress Energy to buy the entire output of the plant, which is scheduled to come online in 2011. The 75 MW plant will produce enough electricity for approximately 46,000 homes.
Source: http://timberbuysell.com/Community/DisplayNews.asp?id=1967
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Event |
Date |
Location |
Further Information |
2nd Annual Ethanol Finance Conference |
January 23-24 |
New York, NY |
|
Appalachian Regional Commission Conference |
January 23-35 |
Rome, GA |
|
Harvesting Clean Energy Conference VIII |
January 27-28 |
Portland, OR |
|
National Biodiesel Conference & Expo |
February 3-6 |
Orlando, FL |
|
Midwest Ag Energy Summit |
February 5-6 |
Madison, WI |
|
Integration of Agriculture and Energy Systems |
February 12-13 |
Atlanta, GA |
|
Biomass Supply Chain & Logistics Update |
February 18-19 |
Nashville, TN |
|
POWER-GEN Renewable Energy & Fuels 2008 |
February 19-21 |
Las Vegas, NV |
|
ACEEE Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture |
February 20-22 |
Des Moines, IA |
|
Hybrid Truck & Alternative Fuels Summit |
February 25 |
Atlanta, GA |
|
13th Annual National Ethanol Conference |
February 25-27 |
Orlando, FL |
|
Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) |
March 4-6 |
Washington, DC |
|
Conference on the Ecological Dimensions of Biofuels |
March 10 |
Washington, DC |
|
World Biofuels Markets |
March 12-14 |
Brussels, Belgium |
|
Auto FutureTech Summit 2008 |
March 12-14 |
Vancouver, Canada |
|
OPIS 4th Annual Ethanol & Biodiesel Supply Summit |
March 16-18 |
Washington, DC |
|
Bioenergy North America 2008 |
March 27-28 |
Chicago, IL |
http://www.environmental-finance.com/conferences/2007/BioUS08/intro.htm |
International Biomass ’08 Conference & Trade Show |
April 15-17 |
Minneapolis, MN |
|
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing |
April 27-30 |
Chicago, IL |
|
30th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals |
May 4-7 |
New Orleans, LA |
| Top |
Writers: Jetta L. Wong, Jesse Caputo, and Laura Parsons
Editor: Carol Werner
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