Web exclusive posted May 4, 2009, at 1:51 p.m. CST
 	
 Small-scale production of ethanol using the QMicrobe should begin by the end of the year, according to Jeff Sharp, founder and vice president of Qteros, (http://www.qteros.com/) formerly Sun Ethanol, the company formed in 2006 to develop Q microbe technology. 
 The pre-treatment phase, and maybe others, will occur at Solutia, a specialty products plant in Springfield, Mass. The site is advantageous because labs and other necessary facilities already exist there, according to Susan Leschine, a professor of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts. 
 "The Solutia site is where we are going to put at least one phase of our scale up," Sharp said. "Other phases may also be at Solutia. They are being engineered as well. The final site is yet to be determined."
 Developing the pre-treatment pilot at Solutia will cost about $6 million, according to Sharp. He declined to release costs for the other phases, as they are only in the engineering process and figures are rough estimates, he said. Since Q microbe technology development is only in the pilot process, ethanol will be produced in small quantities, Sharp said, not for distribution.
 The conversion rate depends on feedstock, he said, but is better than 80 percent. The microbe's feedstock is all cellulosic and includes corn stover, sugarcane, woody biomass and other energy crops. Just about anything we feed it, it breaks down and turns it into ethanol," Sharp said.
 The Q microbe, found in the soil near a Massachusetts reservoir, is unique because it simplifies the ethanol production process by condensing the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermenting processes into one step, according to Leschine, who has studied the microbe for several years. She is on the team of scientists that discovered the trait.
 It's a huge savings in capital costs, she says, because two separate facilities aren't necessary. The Q microbe also requires a less harsh pre-treatment, she added.
 "Definitely the financial aspect is the most important benefit," she said. "Making it viable and cost effective is critical." Since it is a naturally occurring element, it also creates fewer environmental concerns.
 The team was looking for microbes that make good enzymes when the discovery was made, Leschine said. "It wasn't until we looked carefully at how it does the conversion process that we discovered this," she said. "It's really different and exciting."
 For more information, see "The Holy Grail of Consolidated Bioprocessing" in the November issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine at <a href="http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3422&q=Q%20microbe&category_id=44">http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3422&q=Q%20microbe&category_id=44</a>.

Q microbe ethanol production to begin this year

Web exclusive posted May 6, 2009, at 11:05 a.m. CST
 
 Mascoma Corp. announced today that Michael Ladisch, chief technology officer, will be presented with the Charles D. Scott Award on May 6, 2009 at the 31st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in San Francisco, Calif. The award is administered by the Society for Industrial Microbiology. 
 
 The Charles D. Scott award recognizes contributions to the biotechnology fuels and chemicals field as a whole, particularly innovation in fundamental and applied biotechnology, insight into bioprocessing fundamentals, or commitment to facilitate commercialization of products from renewable resources. Ladisch is the third Mascoma executive to win this prestigious award. Company cofounders Charles Wyman and Lee Lynd were recipients in 1999 and 2005, respectively. 
 
 "We are proud of Mike and his accomplishments in chemical engineering and biotechnology," said Bruce Jamerson, chairman and CEO of Mascoma. "His contributions to our R&D and commercial scale-up activities have been invaluable. And we are delighted to now have three Charles D. Scott Award winners at Mascoma." 
 
 In his talk at the symposium on May 5, Ladisch reported on several breakthroughs in the development of proprietary biocatalysts, which are able to simultaneously hydrolyze lignocellulosic feedstocks into sugars and produce ethanol with little or no added cellulase enzyme. 
 
 In addition to his role at Mascoma, Ladisch is director of the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering and distinguished professor of agricultural and biological engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering at Purdue University and courtesy appointment in food science. He earned his bachelor's degree from Drexel University and his master's and PhD degrees from Purdue University, all in chemical engineering. 
 
 In February 2009, Mascoma announced that its pilot facility in Rome, N.Y., had begun producing cellulosic ethanol. The facility, which was constructed with the generous support from the state of New York through the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, has the flexibility to run on numerous biomass feedstocks including wood chips, tall grasses, corn stover (residual corn stalks) and sugar cane bagasse. The facility will provide process performance engineering data sufficient to support construction of one-tenth-scale and commercial-scale biorefineries in Kinross, Mich., with support from the Department of Energy and the State of Michigan. 
 
 SOURCE: MASCOMA CORP.

Mascoma's Ladisch presented prestigious research award

Posted May 18, 2009, at 3:10 p.m. CST
 
 Qteros, the Massachusetts company whose breakthrough Q Microbe technology turns biomass into ethanol, announced that Valero Energy Corp. of San Antonio, one of the nation's largest energy companies, has become a significant investor. Valero has established its investment in Qteros through its acquisition of certain assets of Verasun Energy.
 
 Qteros, originally known as SunEthanol, has developed a proprietary, game-changing technology known as "C3" (Complete Cellulosic Conversion), using the naturally occurring Q Microbe. First discovered in western Massachusetts by Qteros Founder and Chief Scientist Susan Leschine, the Q Microbe has the unique ability to transform virtually any cellulosic material into ethanol in a single step, avoiding the usual two-step process in which expensive enzymes are used to break down the biomass before it can be fermented.
 
 Qteros recently announced that it has received $2 million in U.S. government appropriations towards a pilot plant it plans to open this summer. The company has also received funding from Venrock, Battery Ventures, BP, and Soros Fund Management.
 
 "Investment from established energy companies like Valero enables us to continue developing and scaling-up our technology," said Bill Frey, Qteros' CEO and formerly head of Dupont's biofuels division. "Qteros is moving ahead with our plans to open a pilot plant this year, as we continue preparations to expand to commercial scale production."
 
 Valero is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio with 22,000 employees and 2008 revenues of $119 billion. The company owns and operates 16 refineries throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3 million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America. Valero also owns and operates six ethanol plants in the Midwest with a combined capacity of 670 million gallons per year, and is one of the nation's largest retail operators with approximately 5,800 retail and branded wholesale outlets in North America under various names including Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, and Beacon.
 
 Qteros recently announced plans to locate its pilot plant in Springfield, Mass. Over the past year and a half, the company has received four grants from the U.S. DOE for technological development. The Qteros lab team has already achieved a 15-fold productivity increase in its cellulosic ethanol technology. For more information visit Qteros's Web site at <a href="http://www.qteros.com">www.qteros.com</a>.
 
 SOURCE: QTEROS

Valero invests in Qteros

SynGest Inc. has secured a site in Menlo, Iowa, to build what it says is the world's first biomass-to-ammonia plant, to help supply the U.S.'s 18 million ton per year ammonia market. The San Francisco-based company has developed gasification and syngas technology to deploy in its first plant. The technology will be used to annually turn 150,000 tons of corncobs into 50,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia, which is enough to fertilize 500,000 acres of land. 
 
 The process involves a pressurized oxygen-blown biomass gasifier operating in an expanding bed fluidized mode. The company's patent-pending HarvestGas system gasifies biomass into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and is optimized to minimize the formation of methane. After the gas stream is cleaned, the carbon monoxide portion is shifted to maximize hydrogen. The hydrogen is purified and catalytically reacted with nitrogen to make ammonia. The plant includes an air separation system to provide oxygen for the gasifier and pure nitrogen for ammonia synthesis.
 
 The gasifier is a variant of existing designs used for coal gasification, explained Jack Oswald, SynGest chief executive officer. "We run at lower temperatures and pressures than comparable gasification units, thus we have our own design that is cheaper to build," he said. "Everything else is off-the-shelf technology to minimize technology risk." 
 
 The plant will fit on five acres of the 75-acre site at Menlo, with the remainder available for biomass storage. "The size of the facility is driven by the logistics of biomass collection," he said. The plant will require 10 percent of the available corncobs from a 30- to 40-mile radius. 
 
 Because 90 percent of the cost of anhydrous ammonia is determined by the cost of natural gas, the company's product may be more costly than conventional anhydrous ammonia when the price of natural gas is low, Oswald said. The higher cost will be offset, however, by the lower cost of transporting the product, which is predominantly produced in the Gulf, to the Corn Belt. 
 
 Financing for the $80 million facility is close to being finalized, according to Oswald, and negotiations are underway with a large agribusiness firm to handle both feedstock procurement and ammonia off-take. Depending on how the permitting process proceeds, groundbreaking will happen this fall or next spring. Construction is expected to take 18 months.
 
 As project development proceeds, SynGest is examining the provisions in USDA's new Biomass Crop Assistance Program. BCAP pays farmers 75 percent of the cost to establish bioenergy crops and helps with collection, harvest, storage and transportation of biomass to a production facility. Oswald said the initial discussions they've had with USDA were well received.

SynGest uses a gasification system to turn corncobs into anhydrous ammonia that farmers can use to produce more corncobs./SOURCE: SYNGEST

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Iowa to get first biomass-to-ammonia plant

In March, Montreal, Quebec-based Enerkem Inc. announced that it will enter the U.S. ethanol market when it chose Pontotoc, Miss., as the site for its proposed 75.7 MMly (20 MMgy) cellulosic ethanol plant. 
 
 The $250 million project will be co-located at the Three Rivers Landfill and will recycle and convert approximately 60 percent, or 189,000 tons, of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year into fuel-grade ethanol. Enerkem has secured a feedstock supply agreement with the Three Rivers Solid Waste Management Authority of Mississippi to supply its MSW. In addition to MSW, the plant will use wood residue from regional forest and agricultural operations. The company uses a thermochemical gasification and catalytic synthesis technology pathway, which has been refined and tested at the company's pilot-scale facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec, since 2003.
 
 A groundbreaking date for the project hasn't been determined, however, it's likely to happen sometime in 2010, according to Marie-Hélène Labrie, vice president of government affairs and communications for Enerkem. "We are still developing the project, and are negotiating the final binding agreements with the Three Rivers Solid Waste Management Authority for the MSW feedstock," she said. 
 
 Meanwhile, British Columbia-based Lignol Energy Corp. received a $1.82 million grant in March from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a nonprofit foundation established by the Canadian government in 2001, focused on financing the development of renewable technologies. In addition to this funding, SDTC previously contributed $4.42 million to Lignol for a total of $6.24 million. 
 
 According to Ross MacLachlan, Lignol president and chief executive officer, the additional funding from SDTC will allow the company to enhance the functionality of its industrial pilot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia, in addition to covering short-term operational costs this year. 
 
 "This funding has enabled us to extend this phase of operations well into the first half of 2009 with an expanded scope of our project, together with enhancements for enzyme utilization and process improvements," he said. 
 
 Enerkem's gasification, sequential gas conditioning and catalysis technology converts sorted municipal solid waste and forest and agricultural residues into second-generation fuels and green chemicals. The company's pilot plant in Sherbrooke, Quebec, has been operating since 2003. Its first commercial-scale ethanol plant in Westbury, Quebec, is "entering start-up phase," Enerkem said. Construction of a third plant in Edmonton, Alberta, has also been scheduled.

Canadian cellulosic ethanol projects progressing

It's unlikely the infant cellulosic ethanol industry will meet the 100 million gallon renewable fuels standard in 2010, said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of Biotechnology Industry Organization's industrial and environmental section. "Given the current economic turndown, the progress for commercialization has slowed down," he told a group of reporters in an early April press briefing. "A major federal investment in the entire value chain of advanced biofuels and biobased products commercialization is needed." 
 
 Erickson and 10 BIO members representing second-generation technology development firms held the press briefing as the group prepared to visit Capitol Hill to present the following set of six policy recommendations:
 
 ›Implement a comprehensive systems approach to advanced biofuels and biobased products deployment that recognizes the need for coordinated end-to-end infrastructure development.
 
 ›Inject immediate capital into biorefinery construction, feedstock development and fuel delivery infrastructure through the DOE Biorefinery Loan Guarantee program, the USDA Biorefinery Assistance Program and the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and expand biofuel blending facilities, E85 pumps, rail capacity and flexible-fuel vehicles.
 
 ›Ensure a strong market for advanced biofuels by maintaining the RFS, addressing the blend wall issue, extending the cellulosic producer tax credit beyond 2011 and funding the U.S. DOE Reverse Auction program.
 
 ›Incentivize the full range of biobased products produced by biorefineries by extending programs beyond support for liquid fuels.
 
 ›Aggressively fund ongoing research and development to maximize economic competitiveness, sustainability and greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of advanced biofuels and biobased products.
 
 ›Explicitly incentivize GHG-reducing biotechnologies in climate change legislation such as energy saving biotechnologies, sequestration technologies and yield-enhancing biotech crops. Use allowances or revenues from auctions to aggressively fund existing DOE and USDA programs for advanced biofuels and biobased products.
 
 The group also recommended any evaluation of emissions associated with land-use change uniformly apply rigorously developed and consistent scientific methodology.
 
 Despite the slowdown in commercialization efforts, Erickson was optimistic about the future of the biomass industry. "We're still very bullish about our future," he said.

BIO urges Congress to invest in advanced biofuels biobased products

Posted May 7, 2009, at 1:41 p.m. CST
 
 Colorado-based Agrosil Energy LLC has begun large-scale growing operations of Miscanthus x giganteus for use in producing heat and power or liquid biofuels. The energy crop has been used for years in the U.K. and Europe, and Agrosil is in the lead position for commercial production in the U.S., according to Agrosil Vice President of Energy Crops Tom Harrington.
 	Harrington has been involved with miscanthus for several years, and Agrosil's process has been approaching commercialization for about two years, he said. Growing miscanthus involves propagating rhizomes on a smaller scale and transplanting them to large commercial acreage. Because the sterile hybrid produces no seeds, it is grown by planting rhizomes or transplant plugs that have been vegetatively produced.
 Farmers in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Kansas, who have production contracts with Agrosil, will receive plants and specialized equipment to plant a total of 20,000 acres in 2010, he said. Land for planting was chosen based on agronomic data developed in Europe, at the University of Illinois and other universities.
 	Custom harvesting crews and machines will harvest the cane and then transport it to a central facility for upgrading according to customer requirements, which could include turning it into pellets, condensed bales or cubes. "We can put it in whatever feedstock format conversion facilities require," Harrington said.
 	He expects the crops will yield about 15 tons per acre, with the first harvest in the spring of 2012. Long-term contracts for fuel delivery will begin in 2013.
 Miscanthus lowers carbon dioxide by sequestering carbon in the rhizomes and by reducing combustion emissions. For more information on miscanthus, see "Miscanthus versus switchgrass" in the October 2007 issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine (<a href="http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3334&q=&page=all">http://ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3334&q=&page=all</a>).

Agrosil Energy to grow commercial-scale miscanthus

Posted May 11, 2009, at 2:31 p.m. CST
 
 Regulatory rules on land-use change issued for the renewable fuel standard (RFS) could set a precedent for regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under future U.S. legislation and international treaties. The Biotechnology Industry Organization thanked Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., chairman of the U.S. House Agricultural Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research for holding a timely hearing last week on the impact of land-use provisions of the national RFS. BIO today submitted testimony asking Congress to provide guidance to the Environmental Protection Agency on regulation of land use change emissions and.
 
 Jim Greenwood, BIO president and CEO, said, "Climate change is an urgent global issue, and I commend Congress and the Obama administration for their leadership in addressing the contribution of transportation fuels to greenhouse gas emissions. BIO believes that biofuels can significantly reduce U.S. reliance on imported petroleum and carbon emissions associated with climate change. Implementation of the renewable fuel standard and the life- cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions for transportation fuels will establish an important precedent for future legislation, so it is imperative that we get it right.
 
 "The EPA's proposed approach has profound implications not just for biofuels, but potentially for all agricultural activity and, arguably, climate policy the world over. By applying new, indirect land-use change penalties to biofuels, the EPA is assigning to U.S. biofuel producers responsibility for land-use decisions, and the resulting carbon emissions, of individuals and nations around the world. This is a sweeping policy decision that could well establish a precedent for all areas of economic activity. This approach could serve as an endorsement of the position of other nations who seek to shift the responsibility for at least a portion of their domestic carbon emissions to the United States and other developed nations. 
 
 "If land use change penalties are applied to biofuel feedstock producers, these penalties should arguably be applied to all agricultural producers and other land users. If this is the direction EPA seeks to pursue, it needs to approach this radical shift in regulatory policy very carefully, and with the greatest possible flexibility, to minimize economic harm and other unintended consequences. It is critical that EPA maintain the utmost care, open-mindedness, and flexibility in its continuing process of rulemaking for the national renewable fuel standard. To deliver the maximum real greenhouse gas reductions, EPA's computation of life-cycle emissions must follow consistently applied and thoroughly vetted methodology, be based on contemporary and complete data, and account for and encourage a range of future technology advances to ensure continued reductions in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and other related industries."
 
 BIO supports the production of biofuels from all feedstocks. Agricultural biotechnology is helping to increase crop yields, while industrial biotechnology is helping to convert crops, crop residues and other feedstocks into ethanol more efficiently. With ongoing advances in biotechnology, biofuels can help America meet nearly half its transportation-fuel needs by the middle of this century.
 
 SOURCE: BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION

BIO asks Congress to examine impact of RFS provisions

Posted May 12, 2009, at 11:25 a.m. CST
 
 The U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research held a hearing May 6 to review certain aspects of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), including the impacts of indirect land-use change and the definition of renewable biomass. 
 
 On May 5, the U.S. EPA released its proposed rule for the implementation of RFS2 and opened a period of public comment. As directed by the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007, the proposed rule calculates the life-cycle emissions of each fuel, including emissions that result from all stages of production. While petroleum-based fuels are graded on direct emissions only, biofuels are also charged with emissions that result from indirect land use. 
 
 "EISA requires EPA to look broadly at life-cycle analyses and to develop a methodology that accounts for each of the important factors that may significantly influence this assessment, including both direct and indirect emissions, such as significant emissions from land-use changes," said Margo Oge, director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, in her hearing testimony. 
 
 According to Oge, the EPA has worked with a variety of government and private sector experts to create a robust and scientifically supported methodology that identifies direct and indirect emissions. "The EPA proposed rule provides an important step in advancing the science behind measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biofuels production and use," Oge continued. "Comprehensive and science-based life-cycle analysis provides the very foundation upon which the climate benefits of the RFS program are realized." 
 
 Oge recognized that it is important for the EPA to address questions regarding the science of measuring indirect impacts. For this reason, the agency plans to hold a two-day public workshop during the comment period that will focus specifically on the life-cycle analysis. "We expect that this workshop will help ensure that we receive submission of the most thoughtful and useful comments to this proposal and that the best methodology and assumptions are used for calculating GHG emissions impacts of fuels for the final rule," she said. 
 
 In his hearing testimony, Bruce Babcock, professor of economics at Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, stated two primary reasons it is difficult to accurately estimate changes in foreign land use. The first is the sheer number of agricultural sectors in all countries that need to be well understood. The second is the lower quality and availability of data in other countries relative to what is available in the United States. 
 
 "If Congress and individual states want to be able to estimate with any degree of confidence how expanded production of biofuels changes greenhouse gas emissions, then significant improvements are needed in our understanding of the dynamics of crop and livestock production around the world," Babcock said. 
 
 R. Brooke Coleman, executive director of the New Fuels Alliance, testified as well. He said that proponents of indirect land-use effects argue that these effects are part of a fuel's carbon footprint. However, Coleman argued this is untrue. "Anytime you are talking about something ‘indirect' in the carbon world, you are talking about market-mediated, economically or behaviorally induced, carbon effect, which is a fancy term for ‘ripple effects' in the marketplace occurring, in most cases, far from the point of production or use of the product," he said. 
 
 Additional testimony was heard from Nick Bowdish, the general manager of Iowa-based ethanol producer Platinum Ethanol LLC. Bowdish stated that it is inherently unfair that the EPA's proposed rule examines both direct and indirect effects for ethanol, but does not calculate indirect effects for petroleum fuels. 
 
 "I am deeply concerned that the definition of life-cycle GHG emissions in EISA is being construed by EPA in a manner that unfairly penalizes domestic grain-based ethanol, based on dubious linkages made to land clearing and agricultural practices in developing countries," Bowdish said. "There is a growing effort on the part of some interests to push this ‘indirect land-use' theory without having done any rigorous analysis or peer review." 
 
 Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis released a statement in response to the May 6 hearing outlining his concerns regarding the inclusion of indirect land-use considerations in the rulemaking for RFS2. "It is unfair to penalize American biofuels producers for land use decisions in other countries that they have no control over," he said. "The fact is land use decisions are enormously complicated and involve many factors that have nothing to do with renewable fuels, including changes in currency, monetary policy, export needs, productivity gains and weather just to name a few." According to Buis, the indirect land-use change component of EISA should be repealed. "As we heard in today's hearing, it's clear it is not ready for inclusion in government regulations," he said.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

House subcommittee grills EPA on indirect land use

British Columbia-based Lignol Energy Corp., a technology company in the cellulosic ethanol and biorefining sector, recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Lignol Innovations Ltd., was awarded $3.4 million to produce cellulosic ethanol and other biochemical products from under-utilized forest resources, including lodgepole pine killed by mountain pine beetle. Premier Gordon Campbell announced the award from the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development at Lignol's facilities in Burnaby, British Columbia, in April. Lignol will use the funding to support production runs at its industrial-scale biorefinery pilot plant utilizing forestry residues indigenous to British Columbia. This will lead to the creation of an engineering design package for a commercial biorefinery within the province.

Lignol awarded $3.4 million to produce cellulosic ethanol

There has been a subtle change in my title that is not so subtle when it comes to my duties here at Biomass Magazine. My title has changed from features editor to editor, which means that from now on I will be assigning and editing the features, news and contributions. This work was previously divvied up amongst three editors. While this may sound like a lot of extra work, it isn't because before this title change I was the features editor for three magazines. Now I will be working with only one magazine. I think it's a positive change because it will allow me to be even more involved in the biomass industry.
 
 There has also been a change in the titles and duties of our staff writers. If you are an avid reader you are probably familiar with Anna Austin, who is now an associate editor. Bryan Sims, who is also an associate editor, will continue to write for Biomass Magazine, but only for a short time. He is a member of the North Dakota Army National Guard and will soon be shipping off to Kosovo for a year. We wish him well. Susanne Retka Schill's byline has appeared on many industry news stories and now, as assistant editor, she will be producing features as well, and helping me with some editing chores. As you may have noticed, we include the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of our staff at the end of each feature so that you can contact them if you have questions or concerns about their articles. Although they may not be able to answer all of your questions, they may be able to point you in the right direction. 
 
 These changes are also good because they will allow us to easily ramp up as the magazine and the industry grow. I know this economic situation has taken the wind out of a lot of sails but it can't last forever. We need to be ready for the day when the world realizes that new biomass-based industries are among some of the answers to our economic and environmental woes. I'm not saying it will be be easy, but we do have political momentum, and our legislators seem perfectly happy to throw good money after bad. Now we just have to convince them to throw our tax money into viable industries. OK, that's the last jab I will aim at the federal government, at least in this column.
 
 In the meantime, the focus of this month's magazine is anaerobic digestion and there are several features that you will want to read. This issue also includes a contributed article about Marlborough, Mass.-based Ken's Foods, which uses an anaerobic treatment technology developed by ADI Systems Inc. and Kubota Corp. to handle wastewater with high concentrations of organic matter.
 
 As always, let me know if there is anything more we can do to meet the needs of the biomass industry.
 
 Rona Johnson
 Editor
 <a href="mailto:rjohnson@bbiinternational.com">rjohnson@bbiinternational.com</a>

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Change is in the Air

Danny Kluthe may be the most knowledgeable person alive when it comes to the day-to-day details of operating an anaerobic digester on a hog farm. Kluthe is not a microbiologist, however, and he didn't design the digester on his farm, nor did he design the internal combustion engine that turns his biogas into electricity. Still Kluthe's digester works because of his knowledge. He understands how best to deploy this method of manure management and clean energy generation into his farm operation. Kluthe learned how often he needs to feed his digester, how to troubleshoot low biogas production, and how to deliver a consistent manure stream to his digester. All of this knowledge is crucial, specific and, for the most part, the domain of Kluthe alone.
 
 Ultimately, if biogas production from animal waste is to become a widespread method of manure management and clean energy production, Kluthe's knowledge has to be shared with other people-many other people. 
 
 This reality confronts each and every developing biomass industry. Before biomass gasification, algal cultivation, fermentation of crop residues and every other biomass industry can be scaled up, a means for educating a skilled pool of labor must be imagined, created and deployed.
 
 Fortunately, provisions for meeting this need are being included in the draft language of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. If this language is adopted, the U.S. secretaries of education and labor will be authorized to award monies to community colleges and universities to develop training programs to benefit these new industries. It is also incumbent on us in the biomass industry to be proactive and engage our educational institutions as we develop and scale these new industries. 
 
 I think one of the biggest challenges facing this industry and its educational partners will be synchronizing the pace of industry expansion with the growth of job training programs. 
 
 A chicken and egg scenario begins to unfold as educational institutions are reluctant to create programming for industries which haven't yet been commercialized and, at the same time, developing industries will struggle if skilled workers aren't available to fuel the expansion. 
 
 How then do we align ourselves as an industry with potential educational partners? Working relationships with educational institutions need to be included in business plans, on steering committees and on boards of directors. Through strategic relationships, the knowledge so unique to the Danny Kluthes of the world stands the greatest chance of finding its way to a workforce that the biomass industry will ultimately need.
 
 Tim Portz is a business developer with BBI International's Community Initiative to Improve Energy Sustainability. Reach him at <a href="mailto:tportz@bbiinternational.com">tportz@bbiinternational.com</a> or (651) 398-9154.

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Avoiding the Knowledge Bottleneck

Q. What one word defines what you want in a lawyer? 
 A. Passion. Entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with people who have a passion for the industry and their profession. Without that you are not bringing people to the party who share a common goal. As it relates to a lawyer, I believe that you need to align your company with someone who is not just there to bill, but truly cares about the profession, industry, and your company. 
 
 Q. How do you go about hiring a good lawyer?
 A. I do not lead with the "How much do you bill?" question. If that is the most critical thing to you, you should look through the yellow pages for someone cheap to do basic legal work. Cheap rarely equals good work. Think of this from your own business standpoint. Do you want to be the cheapest with no regard for quality? I believe in first having a good attorney with whom you share business principles, industry knowledge and passion. Second, I believe that you hire an attorney to be an adviser and counselor, not just someone to draft contracts. If you find the right attorney, you will save your company in the long run, and create opportunities that add value, more than any squabbling over a bill or a cheap lawyer will ever get you. 
 
 When interviewing multiple lawyers, which I strongly recommend, go in with a list of questions about their practice, their views of and experience in the industry, and personal interests. I want to know about why they do what they do and how they got there.
 
 Q. What do you expect an attorney to do for you?
 A. Again, the reason I hire an attorney is not to just draft contracts, but rather to help guide my business through unfamiliar situations. My favorite quote is from Malcolm Forbes, "Too many people overvalue what they are not, and undervalue what they are." I believe that this is applicable to my attorney: Guide us where you have skill, provide insight on the industry, counsel us on avoiding mistakes, and I think that he/she should complement the organization and should be approachable on multiple issues regarding the law, the industry and strategy.
 
 Q. Do you think an attorney should help you find financing?
 A. I don't expect it. With that said, they are there to be an adviser to the company and help in its success. Part of what I expect is to provide insight and access to a network of people and companies that can help my company. However, I hire an investment banking firm for financing. The attorney helps guide me through the legal issues related to fundraising and financing and if they can make an introduction that turns into something, so be it.
 
 Q. What is the No. 1 thing you don't want in a lawyer?
 A. One thing that I stay away from is a relative, friend, etc, of someone in the company. When someone says, we should hire so-and-so to be our attorney because he is related, I run. I have seen this fail more times than not. Look for someone who will represent the company not the personal interests of a shareholder, director or executive. 
 
 Q. I'd like to go back to your comment on how a lawyer should provide some added value.
 A. I hire an attorney not just to draft contracts. Our chief executive officer, who has been in the industry a long time, said that there is nothing better than a good attorney, one who takes the time to understand the business and how a lawyer can help the business succeed. Lawyers who only read the statute and tell you what you can't do are virtually useless. 
 
 To this day, our chief executive officer talks about one of the attorneys that he had in the past who he respects and adores. Imagine a lawyer a chief executive officer respects and adores. You don't often hear that about a lawyer, and that's too bad and when you have a lawyer you can say that about, it's a great thing.
 
 Todd Taylor is a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron's corporate, renewable energy, securities and emerging business groups. Reach him at <a href="mailto:ttaylor@fredlaw.com">ttaylor@fredlaw.com</a> or (612) 492-7355.

The following is a conversation between Scott Hughes, the chief operating officer at Visiam LLC, a renewable energy company, and the author, about the most important things a renewable energy company needs in a lawyer.

What Clients Want in a Lawyer

Cellulosic ethanol developer KL Energy Corp. has named a new chief executive officer, received an investment of $4 million and partnered with a Canadian company to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in the first few months of 2009. Steve Corcoran, previously KL Energy vice president of operations, is now chief executive officer. He said the new funds will allow KL Energy to complete the final steps in the implementation of its technology, and inspires new confidence in the company. KL Energy will provide its technology to Prairie Green Renewable Energy Inc., which is building a 5 MMgy to 10 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant near Hudson Bay in Northeastern Saskatchewan.

Steve Corcoran, chief executive officer, KL Energy

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KL Energy starts out strong in 2009

Arlington, Va.-based Logos Technologies Inc. announced in April that it had been awarded a prime contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to produce fully compatible jet fuel from cellulose-the structural component of all plants and algae. With this process, Logos scientists estimate the cellulose waste streams from agriculture, industries and cities could supply a significant amount of U.S. transportation fuel needs with a fossil-fuel substitute that does not introduce additional atmospheric carbon dioxide, does not adversely affect food prices and offers superior performance and engine compatibility when compared with current biofuels.

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Logos Technologies to make biomass-based jet fuel

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization's Industrial and Environmental Section, was appointed to the advisory committee of the Energy Biosciences Institute. The EBI, a collaboration among the University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of Illinois and BP, was established in 2007 with a 10-year, $500 million grant from BP. Its mission is to harness advanced knowledge in biology, the physical sciences, engineering, and environmental and social sciences to devise viable solutions to global energy challenges and reduce the impact of fossil fuels to global warming.

BIO's Brent Erickson appointed to EBI advisory committee

U.S. Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, introduced legislation recently to clear the way for a national "electric power transmission superhighway," unlocking the opportunity to dramatically increase the production of energy in rural states, such as North Dakota. The National Energy Security Act is aimed at boosting the nation's energy and national security by reducing America's reliance on foreign oil. North Dakota has a vast, diverse supply of energy resources, including coal, oil, wind and biomass, but expansion of the state's energy industry has been hampered by a lack of transmission lines that could carry North Dakota-produced electricity where it's needed.

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Senators propose bill to boost energy transmission grid

FirstEnergy has announced plans to repower units 4 and 5 at its RE Burger Plant in Shadyside, Ohio, to generate power using mostly biomass. According to the company, the capital cost for retrofitting the Burger Plant to burn biomass is approximately $200 million. Once the project is completed, units 4 and 5 of the Burger Plant would be capable of producing up to 312 megawatts (MWs) of electricity-its current capacity-which is enough to power approximately 190,000 homes. With the completion of this project, FirstEnergy's portfolio of renewable energy could reach more than 1,100 MWs, including 451 MWs of pumped-storage hydro and 376 MWs of wind power.

Ohio utility plans biomass conversion

Two enzyme research efforts are getting closer to their goals of perfecting enzymes for cellulosic ethanol production.
 
 In March, Royal Dutch Shell PLC expanded its collaborative partnership with Redwood City, Calif.-based biocatalyst developer Codexis Inc. to enhance the performance of enzymes and microbes used in cellulosic ethanol production.
 
 Under the agreement, Codexis will work with Canadian cellulosic ethanol producer Iogen Corp. to improve the efficiency of biocatalysts used in Iogen's ethanol production process at its demonstration facility in Ottawa. Iogen's plant, which opened in 2004, uses an enzymatic hydrolysis pathway to produce ethanol from wheat straw. 
 
 According to Codexis, the company uses DNA shuffling, a research technique that manipulates the DNA blueprint of an enzyme and recombines the DNA, to create new hybrid genes. The resulting gene library is screened to find enzymes that meet or exceed desired targeted performance characteristics. Codexis has been working with Shell since 
 November 2006 to tailor its technology to the biofuels industry. 
 
 Iogen and Shell first formed their partnership in 2002, when Shell acquired an equity stake in Iogen. As part of their collaborative agreement, Shell made a significant investment in Iogen by increasing its shares in Iogen Energy Corp., a subsidiary that is focused on technology development, from 26.3 percent to 50 percent. 
 
 Meanwhile, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and DNA2.0 Inc. are seeing the fruits of their labor as they develop a cost-efficient process to extract sugars from cellulose. 
 
 Frances Arnold, the Dick and Barbara Dickinson professor of chemical engineering and biochemistry at Caltech, and researchers from gene-synthesis company DNA2.0 Inc. created 15 highly stable fungal enzyme catalysts that efficiently break down cellulose into sugars at high temperatures using a method called structure-guided recombination. Prior to this finding, fewer than 10 such fungal cellobiohydrolase II enzymes were known to exist. 
 
 Arnold, along with Caltech postdoctoral scholar Pete Heinzelman, used a computer program to design where specific genes recombine by mating the sequences of three known fungal cellulases that make more than 6,000 progeny sequences different from any of the parents while encoding proteins with the same structure and cellulose-degradation characteristics.
 
 By analyzing the enzymes encoded by a small subset of the sequences, researchers at Caltech and DNA2.0 were able to predict which of the 6,000 possible new enzymes would be the most stable, particularly under high temperatures-a characteristic called thermostability.
 
 According to Arnold, the next stage entails using the structure-guided recombination process to perfect each of the six cellulases that make up the mixture of enzymes required for the industrial degradation of cellulose. 
 
 "We've demonstrated the process on one of the components," Arnold said. "Now, we have to create families of all of the other components, and then look for the ideal mixtures for each individual application."

Pictured are portions of three natural fungal cellulase enzymes that have been recombined to create a synthetic, thermostable cellulase. The recombined cellulase enzyme modeled here function at higher temperatures than any of their three parents./PHO

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Enzyme research speeds cellulosic ethanol development

Large emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) will have to file their first annual GHG emissions reports with the U.S. EPA in 2011, if a new rule is adopted as proposed. EPA held about 100 meetings with more than 250 stakeholders, including trade associations, industries, environmental groups, and state and regional governments, during the development of the rule. Hearings were scheduled for April 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C., and April 16 in Sacramento, Calif. Written comments will be accepted for 60 days after the official publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. To read the text of the proposal and supporting information visit the Web site at <a href="www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking">www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking</a>. 
 
 In general, the EPA proposed the new rule for suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial GHGs, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. The GHGs covered by the proposed rule are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and other fluorinated gases including nitrogen trifluoride and hydrofluorinated ethers. 
 
 The EPA estimated approximately 13,000 facilities will be covered under the rule, accounting for 85 percent to 90 percent of U.S. GHG emissions. The threshold is roughly equivalent to the annual GHG emissions from 4,500 passenger vehicles, 58,000 barrels of oil consumed or 131 railcars filled with coal. The vast majority of small businesses will fall well below the threshold and thus not be required to report. The EPA estimated that it will cost the private sector $160 million for the first year and $127 million in each subsequent year to comply with the new reporting requirement.
 
 In most cases, the required data will come from the facility level, with a few exceptions where the reporting will be done at the corporate level. Among the exceptions are vehicle and engine manufacturers, fossil fuel importers and exporters, and local gas distribution companies. Under the EPA proposal, the first emissions report would be due on March 31, 2011, for emissions that occured during calendar year 2010. At that time, reporters would need to present total annual GHG emissions as an aggregate as well as separate emissions data for each source and supply category identified by the EPA. Fuel use and feedstock inputs used to generate emissions are to be reported, but not emissions from land-use changes or carbon storage.
 
 EPA has published information sheets for each of the source categories covered in the proposed rule on its Web site under the resources link. In addition to manufacturers of chemicals and gases, the source categories include energy-intensive industries such as refineries, coal mines, electrical generation, cement production, electronics manufacturing, food processing and more. Emissions sources associated with agriculture, other than from certain very large manure management systems, are not covered by the rule.
 
 The GHG reporting rule focuses on bottom-up data and individual GHG sources which will be used to inform decision makers as new policies are developed for GHG reductions. While the rule provides detailed data and will allow geographic analysis and industry analysis, it does not provide full coverage of total annual U.S. GHG emissions. The EPA will continue the annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which uses national energy data and other national statistics, to provide a comprehensive top-down national assessment of GHG emissions. The EPA has been tracking the national trend in emissions and sinks since 1990, submitting the report to the United Nations in accordance with the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

EPA proposes GHG reporting program

AE Biofuels Inc., a vertically integrated biofuels company, signed a strategic agreement with Merrick & Co. to commercially implement AE Biofuels' patent-pending enzyme-based technology to convert nonfood biomass into ethanol and other materials through the design of new or the conversion of existing biofuels facilities. Merrick is a provider of engineering and architectural design-build, procurement, construction management and geospatial services. Under the agreement, the companies will work to deploy AE Biofuels' next-generation biofuels technology to address the demand for cellulosic ethanol created by the revised renewable fuels standard (RFS). The Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 increased the RFS to 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels, the majority of which must be advanced biofuels.

AE Biofuels and Merrick & Co. sign strategic agreement

The Biomass Thermal Energy Council recently announced that Christopher Recchia, executive director of the Biomass Energy Resource Center, has been elected to the board of directors. Recchia brings to the board deep experience in environmental conservation and a broad understanding of the impact that biomass thermal energy can have on reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy security. He was named executive director of BERC in May 2007. He has more than 22 years of experience as an environmental leader, developer of state and federal environmental policy, and implementer of programs that manage air, land and water resources.

Christopher Recchia, executive director, Biomass Energy Resource Center 

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Recchia joins BTEC board of directors

Florida Syngas recently announced that it has completed a significant overhaul of its Web site at www.FloridaSyngas.com. The site details the chronology of the organization and the technology development. The founders and the management team have bios on the site describing their skill sets. Featured are laymen's descriptions of the technical jargon that is germane to the field of plasma physics as well as an animated photograph of an actual toroidal plasma arc. A glossary is provided and the Web site creator hopes to use public inquiries for alternative energy definitions to add to the breadth of the page.

Florida Syngas revamps Web site

Enerkem Inc., an advanced biofuel technology and project developer, received the GoingGreen East Top 50 Private Company 2009 Award given by the AlwaysOn editorial team to 50 of the top private companies emerging in green technology. Winners were recognized at the GoingGreen East Conference in March in Boston. "The GoingGreen East 50 companies have demonstrated their tenacity even in the toughest economic conditions the technology world has ever encountered," said Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn. "We applaud their success in pushing the boundaries of innovation, creating market opportunities and transforming the industry even in the earlier stages of their businesses."

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Enerkem receives GoingGreen award

New England Wood Pellet LLC, a manufacturer and distributor of wood pellets in the Northeastern U.S., has announced the formation of Propell Energy. This wholly owned subsidiary imports, sells and services state-of-the-art European pellet boiler systems for municipal and commercial applications. Not only are these heating systems environmentally friendly, but their lower operating costs can also yield a significant return on investment. Considered carbon-neutral by the U.S. DOE and the U.S. EPA, the use of pellet fuel from sustainably harvested wood releases only slightly more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the natural decay of the forest. Propell Energy heating systems can be used in municipal, county and state government buildings; schools; hotels; office complexes; and health care and manufacturing facilities.

New England Wood Pellet forms subsidiary to market biomass heating systems

Poet Biorefining-Chancellor, S.D., and Sioux Falls, S.D., have completed a landfill gas pipeline that is now providing methane gas to help power daily operations of the 105 MMgy Poet LLC ethanol plant. The 10-mile, low-pressure pipeline from the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill began supplying methane to the plant at the end of February. The plant will utilize the landfill gas in a wood waste-fuel boiler to generate process steam. Combined, the two alternative energy sources will initially offset up to 90 percent of the plant's process steam needs, currently met using natural gas, and has the potential to replace 90 percent of the plant's total energy needs (combined with waste wood) over time.

Landfill gas powers Poet plant

Power providers have taken a keen interest in biomass due to its current cost competitiveness with coal and its clean-burning properties. Despite the new-found popularity, not every biomass power project gets the green light. The determining factor for whether a project moves forward or falls between the cracks is the amount of biomass being used-100 percent versus cofired. Lately, the sentiment seems to be all or nothing. 
 
 In mid-March, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved Southern Co.'s largest utilities provider Georgia Power's plan to convert its 164-megawatt coal-fired power Plant Mitchell Unit 3, located near Albany, Ga., to a 96-megawatt, 100-percent wood-fired biomass plant. Once completed, it will be the largest operating woody biomass-fired power plant in the U.S.
 
 "Georgia Power has indicated in its filing that conversion of the Plant Mitchell Unit 3 is consistent with the company's renewable expansion plans, adds to fuel diversity and maximizes the life and value of the unit," the GPSC said in a statement. "As part of the 2007 Integrated Resources Plan, the commission found Georgia Power's plan to develop cost-effective renewable resources to be effective." 
 
 Under the Integrated Resource Plan statute, new power generation cannot be added to the system nor can significant changes be made to the capacity of an existing facility without a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by the GPSC.
 
 The next step in the conversion process is for Georgia Power to obtain an air permit from the state Environmental Protection Division, which could take 15 to 18 months. The company plans to begin the transition in 2011 and bring the plant on line prior to the summer of 2012. 
 
 Upon project completion, Georgia Power expects to create 50 to 75 new jobs related to waste wood recovery.
 
 The approval of Plant Mitchell's conversion comes on the heels of the cancellation of Alliant Energy Corp. subsidiary Interstate Power and Light Co.'s proposed 649-megawatt Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4 in Marshalltown, Iowa. 
 
 Alliant Energy said it intended to cofire the plant with biomass, such as switchgrass or corn stover. The company estimated it would burn 110,000 tons of biomass annually at the generating station.
 
 A combination of factors led to the cancellation of Alliant Energy's proposal, including the current economic and financial climate, increasing environmental, legislative and regulatory uncertainty regarding regulation of future greenhouse gas emissions, and the terms placed on the proposed power plant by regulators, according to Alliant Energy.
 
 In November, the company's proposal for a similar cofired plant in Cassville, Wis., was shot down by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, marking the first time in state history that a coal plant proposal was rejected by state regulators.
 
 Commenting on the cancellation of both Alliant Energy projects, Peter Taglia, staff scientist at Clean Energy Wisconsin, said he thinks it is a great thing to move away from coal and biomass proposals that are not focused on biomass. "In the aftermath of Wisconsin's rejection of the coal plant proposed in Cassville, Xcel Energy has brought forward an application to convert a coal plant in Ashland, Wis., to 100 percent biomass via gasification," he said. 
 
 The Bay Front Power Plant project, estimated at $58 million, will require additional biomass receiving and handling facilities at the plant, an external gasifier, minor modifications to the plant's remaining coal-fired boiler and an enhanced air quality control system.
 
 Xcel submitted its application to the PSCW at the end of February. Following all state regulatory approvals, engineering and design work is expected to begin in 2010, and the unit could be operational by late 2012.

Biomass power conversions are becoming increasingly popular among power providers.

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100 percent biomass or bust gains ground

New Jersey-based Covanta Energy Corp. has purchased land in Northwest England and submitted an application for planning approval to build a new waste-to-energy plant in Cheshire County, according to the North of England Inward Investment Agency. 
 
 The North of England Inward Investment Agency is a British government-funded consultancy and UK-based inward investment agency, which advises and assists North American companies considering U.K./European expansion.
 
 Covanta's new facility will convert Cheshire County's residential waste into enough electricity to power up to 50,000 local homes. The company plans to utilize a mix of commercial and industrial wastes from shops, offices and other businesses in the region. 
 
 In addition to employing about 300 workers during its construction, the facility will create 50 permanent jobs upon completion. 
 
 Beyond providing residential electricity, Covanta will provide combined heat and power to British Salt, a major local employer. The company said it is also participating in ongoing discussions with other local businesses about using combined heat and power to see how they might benefit from the new facility. 
 
 The Cheshire County project is the second U.K.-based plant Covanta has announced in recent months. In February, the company unveiled plans to build a 70-megawatt waste-to-energy plant in Merthyr, Wales, that will produce enough electricity to power up to 180,000 homes. 
 
 The $575 million plant will be linked to rail-operated waste transfer stations across Wales, including municipal, commercial and industrial landfill sites. The facility is expected to process 875,000 tons of waste annually.
 
 Covanta Energy currently operates 38 waste-to-energy facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Covanta to build waste-to-energy plant in England

A university and a plastic recycling company are taking the lead in developing novel, cost-effective methods to produce saleable biobased products. 
 
 Researchers at Stanford University have developed a synthetic wood substitute made from hemp fibers fused with a biodegradable plastic resin called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which can be recycled to produce more of the same. PHB can also be used to replace the petrochemical plastics used to manufacture disposable water bottles, according to Sarah Billington, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the university. 
 
 Last year, the California Environmental Protection Agency awarded Billington and her colleagues a three-year $1.5 million grant to help the researchers develop biodegradable plastic beverage bottles. In 2004, the group received a two-year Environmental Venture Projects grant from Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment to develop durable and recyclable faux wood. 
 
 The hemp-PHB biocomposite material has several characteristics similar to wood from trees, according to Craig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, who collaborated on the project. "It's quite attractive looking and very strong," he said. "You can mold it, nail it, hammer it and drill it a lot like wood. But, bioplastic PHB can be produced faster than wood, and hemp can be grown faster than trees." 
 
 The biocomposite material is also stable enough to be used for furniture, floors and a variety of other products, Criddle added. The material is also degradable in anaerobic environments such as a landfill, where methane emissions can be captured and burned for energy recovery or reused to make more biocomposites. 
 
 The research has attracted the attention of private investors and, at press time, the group said it intends to form a new company within a few months. 
 
 While Stanford researchers concentrate on biocomposites, Agri-Plas Inc. is focusing its efforts on producing synthetic oil. 
 
 Agri-Plas uses a patent-pending "thermal reclamation" technology developed by Longview, Wash.-based Plas2Fuel Corp. that converts unwanted and unrecyclable agricultural plastics into a high-quality synthetic crude oil at its recycling facility in Brooks, Ore. The company is selling this reclaimed crude oil product to U.S. Oil & Refining in Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 In December 2008, Agri-Plas delivered its first full shipment of 8,200 gallons of oil. 
 
 According to Mary Sue Gilliland, vice president of operations and business development for Agri-Plas, the company currently recovers approximately 750 pounds of oil, 90 pounds of char and 160 pounds of nondestructible gases. The gases are burned and the heat from the process is recycled.
 
 Gilliland said the company is adding a four-vessel unit at its recycling center to increase throughput capacity. The company aims to have 20 plastic-to-oil vessels installed, which will have the capability to process approximately 30 million pounds of waste plastic per month. 
 
 Agri-Plas will operate its oil reclamation expansion under the name Agri-Plas2Crude.

The biocomposite building materials shown in the foreground are made of thin films of PHB and commercially made hemp fabric which, when layered and formed with heat and pressure, create a biodegradeable substitute for wood./PHOTO:LINDA CICERO, STANFO

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Novel processes developed to make faux wood, synthetic fuel

The potential for renewable energy production from public lands is significant and should be developed, Dan Arvizu, director of the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told the U.S. Senate Energy Committee in a March hearing. According to Arvizu, if 10 percent of the wind, solar and biomass potential on public lands were developed along with 100 percent of the known geothermal potential, the total energy contribution would be 640 gigawatts. "Given that total U.S. electrical generation capacity is 1,088 gigawatts, you can begin to see the significance of renewable resources on public lands," he said. 
 
 Arvizu also told Senate committee members that NREL has determined that enough cellulosic ethanol could be produced to displace 8 percent of U.S. gasoline consumption by using leftover residue materials from logging and milling operations as feedstock. He noted that the percentage doesn't include the harvesting of trees for energy. With the forest destruction caused by pine beetles, there is extensive additional feedstock in the Western U.S., he said.
 
 The director also posed several potential barriers to the development of public lands for renewable energy use. "Unduly burdensome fees and regulations in a leasing program could stifle development of the very clean energy resources that we as a nation are striving to encourage," he said, adding that the unique economics of these types of projects must be understood and reflected in future leases. Arvizu also recommended government agencies work together to ensure federal leases for renewable energy development are awarded to renewable energy developers, and to protect against those who would obtain leases only to drive up the cost or block development.

Tapping into renewable energy resources on public lands, including pine beetle-infested forests such as this one, could provide a significant contribution to the nation's energy needs./PHOTO: U.S. FORESTRY SERVICE

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NREL: Use public lands to produce energy

The American Forest & Paper Association has recently voiced concerns to Congress that it is not eligible to receive the same credits that utility companies will under several pending bills to develop a federal renewable electricity standard (RES). 
 
 A federal RES would require all investor-owned utilities to buy an increasing portion of their electricity from renewable resources such as biomass. Utilities that are unable to meet the new federal requirements can purchase credits from other entities who have obtained credits. Utilities can also bank credits for four years and borrow credits from up to three years in the future. 
 
 Several bills calling for an RES are pending, including one introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., that would create a 20 percent renewable energy minimum by 2021, and another introduced by Sens. Tom Udall, D-NM, and Mark Udall, D-Colo., requiring a 25 percent renewable energy minimum by 2025. 
 
 If either proposal is passed, the demand for biomass is expected to increase, which could cause prices to rise. Because the paper industry uses biomass to make its products and generate electricity, it is likely to be negatively impacted by an RES under the proposed legislation, unless it is granted a renewable energy credit. The AF&PA said the proposal creates "winners and losers between existing renewable energy industries, such as the forest products industry, and new power generators." 
 
 Like other businesses, the forest industry has been negatively affected by the economic downturn, losing 190,000 jobs, a 15 percent reduction in its workforce, since 2006. The AF&PA is asking the public to voice their concerns to key senators about the current RES proposals and the proposed modifications to improve it. The Senate is likely to consider RES legislation this spring.

Paper industry seeks equality in pending RES bills

Web exclusive posted April 24, 2009, at 12:30 p.m. CST
 
 Cellulosic ethanol developer KL Energy Corp. has announced it will expand into Brazil, as a result of a partnership with renewable energy business development company add blue Ltda. 
 
 Through an exclusive cooperation agreement, the companies will construct a demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil to implement KL Energy's enzymatic process. 
 
 KL Energy CEO Steve Corcoran told Biomass Magazine that the company began talks with add blue in mid-2008, when KL Energy executives visited several sugarcane mills, technology institutes and investors in Brazil. "Our interest was to add value to and improve the sustainability of the Brazilian sugarcane industry," he said. "Our highest financial and environmental returns would come from cellulosic ethanol and optimizing the 550 million ton crush capacity of the 360 existing mills. KL Energy and add blue quickly decided to team up and jointly develop the cellulosic and process optimization business in Brazil."
 
 The 5 MMly (1.3 MMgy) plant will utilize sugarcane bagasse as a feedstock. "The Brazilian sugarcane industry alone coproduces approximately 70 million dry tons of bagasse per year," Corcoran pointed out. "With the continued strong growth of the domestic fuel ethanol demand and ever-more efficient captive power generation, the bagasse quantities, which can be made available for cellulosic ethanol production, will increase rapidly." KL Energy and add blue plan to construct and operate the plant, which will be integrated into a sugarcane mill and will be expanded to commercial scale when the targeted yields are achieved.
 
 Corcoran said the sugarcane mill will supply approximately 15,000 to 20,000 tons of the bagasse feedstock in its first year of operation. The companies expect to have the facility operational by 2010. 
 
 KL Energy operates Western Biomass Energy, a cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Upton, Wyo., which uses woody biomass as a feedstock. The company recently signed an agreement with Prairie Green Renewable Energy Inc. to provide its technology for use at a 5 MMgy to 10 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant near Hudson Bay in northeastern Saskatchewan. The project is slated to begin construction in the third or fourth quarter of 2009.

KL Energy expands to Brazil

Web news posted April 28, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. CDT
 
 <a href="http://www.glycosbio.com/">Glycos Biotechnologies Inc.</a>, a Houston-based metabolic engineering firm, and <a href="http://www.eurekagenomics.com/">Eureka Genomics Corp.</a>, specialists in analyzing genomic sequencing data, announced this week they have completed the sequencing of the genome of a proprietary bacterium developed for the emerging biorefinery industry. The new bacterial strain plays an important role in GlycosBio's efforts to commercialize microbial strains to produce a variety of high-margin biochemicals from a diverse set of feedstocks and co-product streams that are traditionally considered waste or low value.
 
 Ever since ethanol replaced MTBE, a gallon of gasoline couldn't be sold without being blended with ethanol. As a result the U.S. ethanol producers became a critical and mandatory component to the entire gasoline value chain. Unfortunately, the U.S. ethanol industry is experiencing an industry-wide financial crisis, largely due to the industry's lack of financial stability and product diversity against price volatilities in corn, natural gas and petroleum. By providing microbial strains that can convert co-products from ethanol production into higher value chemicals, GlycosBio's technology platform will increase the economic stability of the ethanol industry by enabling a sustainable biorefinery. GlycosBio's proprietary bacterial strain will further aid the industry by accelerating the development of technology to convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol or valuable biochemicals.
 
 "We are very impressed with the assembly that Eureka Genomics was able to generate for us," said Paul Campbell, chief science officer of Glycos Biotechnologies. "This work effort will accelerate our strain development as we move towards commercialization efforts around converting cellulosic biomass for the emerging cellulosic ethanol industry. The genomic sequence data provided by Eureka Genomics were very easy to use. We wanted to look at new genes and could not have done this without them."
 
 "We were very glad to be able to work with GlycosBio on this project," said Yuriy Fofanov, chief technology officer of Eureka Genomics. "There is significant opportunity inside the GlycosBio lab to identify, modify and create unique microbial strains that will continue to prove beneficial to the biorefinery industry when commercialized. We believe that Eureka Genomics' Next Generation Bioinformatics Service and Tools will open the bottleneck that currently occurs between next generation sequencing data and the analysis of that data. This is definitely an exciting time."
 
 Eureka Genomics' proprietary algorithms and data structures allow the company to seamlessly and efficiently process next-generation sequencing data. In addition to providing GlycosBio with the gene analysis that will help transform agricultural waste material into a high-value cellulosic feedstock for biorefineries, Eureka Genomics is helping the biopharmaceutical industry, academe, and the U.S. government redefine what is possible in genetic, biological, and biomedical research through its powerful Next Generation Bioinformatics platform.
 
 Source: Eureka Genomics

GlycosBio, Eureka sequence biorefining bacterium

Web news posted April 28, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. CDT
 
 Four U.S. companies are developing plans for biomass-fueled power plants, relying primarily, if not completely, on wood waste. 
 
 <a href="http://www.peregrinecorp.net/">Peregrine Energy Corp</a>., Greenville, S.C., will invest $135 million in the development of a new woody biomass-fueled cogeneration plant at Sonoco's Hartsville, S.C., Manufacturing Complex. According to Peregrine, the 50-megawatt facility will generate enough electricity to power about 14,000 homes and will replace Sonoco's existing coal-fired boilers, using pre-commercial thinning and waste logging residues. The proposed facility will sit on a 12- to 15-acre site within the Sonoco complex and will use emission control technologies that meet Best Achievable Control Technology standards, according to Peregrine. Construction is slated to begin once the air permit, to be filed in May, is issued and the company hopes the plant will be commercially operational by the fall of 2012. 
 
 Once the facility is operating, Peregrine says it will sell the entire electrical output and all renewable energy certificates associated with the plant to Progress Energy Carolinas Inc., and low pressure steam from the plant to Sonoco for use in manufacturing recycled paperboard and other converted products in Hartsville. Peregrine also supplies air pollution control systems to its clients, including equipment, foundations, piping, wiring, controls and ductwork.
 
 <a href="http://www.eifgroup.com/">Energy Investors Funds LLC</a>, a private equity fund manager that invests in the U.S. energy and power sector, recently acquired a 30-MW biomass power project currently under construction in Watertown, Conn., that is expected to create more than 120 jobs, according to the company. Watertown Renewable Power LLC will run on small tree branches, stumps, old cargo pallets and trees taken down as part of forestry management programs, generating enough clean electricity to power about 30,000 homes. Hundreds of construction jobs also will be created during the 24-month building period, the company boasts. Tamarack Energy Inc. started the WRP project planning more than two years ago and recently sold it to EIF for an undisclosed amount. EIF has invested in other clean energy projects, including 16 hydroelectric facilities and 19 landfill gas-fired facilities across the U.S. that turn waste methane into electricity and pipeline-quality renewable natural gas. 
 
 In Indiana, <a href="http://www.bioenergydevelopment.com/">BioEnergy Development Co</a>. will further its clean energy endeavors through a biomass electric generation plant to be constructed on a coal strip mine site in Clay County, according to BioEnergy. BioEnergy Power LLC will generate about 27 MW of electricity from wood waste previously provided to a paper plant in Terre Haute, which closed in 2007, and is expected to create 25 to 30 full-time jobs. Rob Swain, BioEnergy Development Co. president, says he chose the location because of its fuel supply and logistics. BioEnergy signed a letter of intent with an area utility company and has secured the land for development. The company also is in negotiations with a wood waste aggregator to supply the plant with feedstock, mostly from within a 100-mile radius of the proposed site, it said. BioEnergy Power hopes to begin construction by fall of 2009 and finish by the end of 2010, employing 25 to 30 full-time workers. BioEnergy also is in discussions with other companies to capture carbon dioxide for use in developing other types of energy in an attempt to further lower the plant's carbon footprint.
 
 Florida Biomass Energy LLC, Bradenton, Fla., proposed to build a 60-MW plant on a 53-acre site northwest of Bradenton near Palmetto, Fla. The $185 million-project primarily will use wood chips, but could burn animal material and nonfood crops in a circulating fluidized bed boiler to heat water, thus generating steam that would power a turbine and generate electricity.

Four waste-wood biomass projects in development

Several biomass projects in the U.S. and Canada have received grants to help accelerate their biomass projects. 
 
 In the U.S., the Biofuels Center of North Carolina awarded $584,000 to three biomass-to-liquid fuel-related projects within the state. The impetus behind the funding is to help trigger the state's renewable fuels mandate, which requires replacing 10 percent of all liquid transportation fuels in North Carolina with biofuel consumption. The Biofuels Center is tasked to implement this initiative. 
 
 Notable recipients of this funding include: 
 
 ›Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, N.C., which is developing technologies to remove tars and other impurities from biomass-derived synthesis gas. 
 
 ›Abell Foundation, which is working collaboratively with energy crop research and development company Ceres Inc. and gasification technology company ThermoChem Recovery International Inc. to identify which energy crops could be grown in the state for thermochemical conversion to gases and liquids. The crops will be tested for their conversion potential at ThermoChem's gasification plant in Durham, N.C.
 
 ›North Carolina State University in Raleigh plans to demonstrate the use of a viable torrefaction pretreatment process in conjunction with a gasification process to produce liquid transportation fuels from woody biomass. 
 
 In Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a nonprofit that finances emerging clean technologies, awarded $53 million to 16 new clean energy projects, three of which involve biomass technologies.
 
 Recipients of this funding include: 
 
 ›Alterna Energy Inc., which aims to develop a multimodule biocarbon production facility that will convert 121,000 tons of woody biomass into 27,500 tons of biocarbon.
 
 ›Performance Plants Inc. plans to demonstrate improved cellulosic ethanol conversion processes by advancing trait development technologies that break down cellulose efficiently into biofuels and biochemicals.
 
 ›Greenfield Ethanol Inc. intends to develop a biochemical technology process for lignocellulosic ethanol production using corncobs as feedstock. If successful, Greenfield Ethanol says it could produce approximately 70 MMly (18 MMgy) of cellulosic ethanol from corncobs by 2015.

SDTC, North Carolina fund biomass projects

The natural gas fields in the North Sea, the body of water between the English Channel and the Norwegian Sea, are an important fossil fuel resource for the U.K. However, natural gas production there peaked in 2000 and has been declining sharply since 2003, according to the U.K.'s Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform in an October 2007 report titled "U.K. Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Production and Reserves."
 
 Meanwhile, landfill capacity has also been declining. A common sight in London is a Thames River barge laden with rubbish-filled containers destined for landfills elsewhere. 
 
 Alongside minerals, waste is among the two major types of freight cargos delivered to the wharves in greater London, according to an April 2007 report by Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd. titled "Assessment of Boatyard Facilities on the River Thames." The report says one major waste disposal company employs 200 people and operates a fleet of six purpose-built tugs and 47 container barges to transport more than 600,000 metric tons of waste by river each year. This is despite the fact that the Waste Strategy employed by the 
 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has managed to decrease the total waste delivered to landfills by one-fifth from 80 million tons to 65 million tons between 2000 and 2006, according to DEFRA's waste strategy progress report for 2007-'08. Londoners now recycle 20 percent of their waste and send the rest to landfills or incinerators at rates of 57 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
 
 DEFRA's efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle are in support of the U.K.'s Climate Change Act, which became law Nov. 26, 2008, and which sets targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.K. by 80 percent of the 1990 level by 2050 and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 26 percent by 2020. DEFRA's efforts also support actions at the European Union level, including the EU Landfill Directive, which aims to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills by 35 percent of the 1995 level by 2020.
 
 "Local authorities in the U.K. all collect green waste for compost, but they have an obligation to divert as much biodegradable waste as possible from the landfill and so food waste is the next key element that needs to be captured and treated," says Jeremy Jacobs, managing director of the Association for Organics Recycling, a trade organization for the biological waste management industry in the U.K. "Some will capture that with the green waste, but most of the work that is being done shows that collecting food waste separately gives you better capture rates and better participation by householders. [Also], you've got back-of-the-store wastes from the major supermarkets and you've got processors who are dealing with food waste all of the time who have the opportunity to provide significant volumes of this material consistently."
 
 DEFRA's efforts also support the EU's goal of sourcing 20 percent of its total energy from renewable sources by 2020. For the EU's goal, the U.K. will need to increase its share of renewable energy from 1.5 percent in 2006 to 15 percent by 2020. The U.K. is expected to publish its renewable energy strategy this year.
 
 Energy From Waste
 To help the U.K. lessen its dependence on natural gas and to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills, National Grid, an international utility that delivers gas and electricity to households in the territory of Great Britain and the northeastern U.S., commissioned Ernst & Young to look at the potential for using anaerobic digestion and gasification in the U.K. to produce biogas and synthesis gas. The report found that up to half of the country's domestic gas heating could be generated from manure, sewage, food waste and wood waste. The January 2009 report, titled "The Potential for Renewable Gas in the U.K," has been delivered to the U.K.'s Department of Energy & Climate Change.
 
 "After we published the report, the phones were red-hot with waste companies and local waste management authorities contacting us," says Isobel Rowley, press officer for National Grid. "It certainly rang a bell." 
 
 According to the report, a small quantity of biogas, approximately 1.4 billion cubic meters, is currently being produced in the U.K. from landfills and sewage plants. For the most part, the biogas is being used to generate electricity at a 30 percent efficiency rate.
 
 Jacobs says since BERR announced in June 2008 the department's intentions to change how many Renewables Obligation Certificates it will award to renewable electricity producers based on the technologies they use, more companies are looking at using anaerobic digestion or gasification to earn double ROCs beginning in April 2009. "The appetite is greater now than it has been in the past because of the financial incentives," Jacobs says, "and also because the price of energy has been extremely volatile. [In the current financial climate], proving the bankability of these projects is absolutely imperative; I think that the double ROCs will provide that. People who have been skeptical in the past now say that this is something which makes sense and payback is fairly quick."
 
 However, instead of using these technologies to generate electricity, National Grid says it would be more efficient-as much as 90 percent efficient-to scrub biogas and syngas to pipeline specifications and to inject the gas into the gas network, a practice already being deployed in Germany, France and Austria, and also by National Grid in Staten Island, N.Y. 
 
 "Because we are basically running out of landfill, a lot of local authorities are looking at tying up long-term contracts for their waste disposal. Our concern is that it doesn't all just go for incineration or for electricity generation, but that a good portion of it actually goes for biomethane, which we feel is a more efficient use of it," says David Pickering, development manager in National Grid's Sustainable Gas Group.
 
 The company says as much as 50 percent of the U.K.'s residential gas demand could be met with renewable energy if every person and business in the U.K. sorted and directed their waste to anaerobic digestion and gasification plants throughout the country.
 
 In London, a city that will host the Olympics in 2012, Dow Jones Architects LLP and the professional services firm Arup Group prepared a report for the Greater London Authority titled "Rubbish In-Resources Out: Design Ideas for Waste Facilities in London" that includes conceptual designs for anaerobic digestion and gasification facilities within the city. 
 
 The report supports London's municipal waste management strategy, first published in 2003, that envisions that by 2020, 85 percent of the city's waste will be managed within the city, up from 60 percent currently. The architects estimate that 328 hectares (811 acres) of land within the city will need to be utilized for 297 facilities, including 25 anaerobic digestion units and 11 gasification plants and supporting infrastructure. The architects suggest the facilities should be "bold and visible," like little Wren churches built for practicing the renewable energy religion.
 
 Nationally, the cost to build the infrastructure to support using anaerobic digesters and gasification plants to produce enough biogas and syngas to satisfy 50 percent of the demand in the U.K. is £10 billion ($14 billion), National Grid says, or about £100 ($140) per megawatt-hour, which the company says is similar to the cost of generating electricity using off-shore wind towers.
 
 Policies Needed
 The key to building a biogas and syngas industry in the U.K. is government policy and regulation, National Grid says. Producers must be given a commercial incentive to inject gas into the grid rather than use it to generate electricity. National Grid proposes a "biomethane injection incentive" which would provide enhanced returns to producers when biogas or syngas is injected into the grid rather than used to produce electricity.
 
 "We're working closely with DECC, which published a consultation paper back in February called the ‘Heat and Energy Saving Strategy' for the U.K., which is about providing the right incentives for a whole raft of energy conservation measures, in particular, heat. [The consultation] specifically mentions biomethane as a contributor to the renewable energy mix. We'll be responding to that consultation positively," Pickering says.
 
 "Presently, the playing field is somewhat tilted against renewable heat technologies and toward renewable electricity technologies," Pickering continues. "One of the things that we've argued for is this thing called the renewable heat incentive, [which will be determined] by April 2011 at the latest. We're hoping to get some kind of reasonably firm indication from the government on the level of the incentive well before then so that projects can take it into account."
 
 The "Heat and Energy Saving Strategy," published jointly by DECC and the Department for Communities and Local Government, lays out the U.K. government's vision for actions that should be taken through 2020 for "de-carbonizing" the way Brits heat their homes and businesses. The strategy is a request for input from the British people, which closed May 8.
 
 "It is clear that without financial support, renewable heat will not be forthcoming on the scale we need," the strategy says. "We already provide such support for renewable electricity and renewable transport fuels."
 
 The government says it plans to provide the incentive to all eligible renewable heat producers at all scales, from household- to industrial-scale generators. However, because renewable heat technologies vary widely in the amount of financial support they require to make them attractive, the renewable heat incentive will be applied differently for various technologies. The incentive amounts will be shared for consultation later this year. The incentives will be funded through a levy on fossil fuels used for heating.
 
 In addition, National Grid says policies need to be in place to direct wet and dry wastes to appropriate facilities for conversion to energy. Finally, gas network owners who control the pipeline must be provided with incentives to connect the pipeline to biogas and syngas resources.
 
 National Grid says the government must continue to support research and development to improve biogas and syngas production and upgrade technologies.
 
 Government Action
 Meanwhile, the U.K. government is working on policies to support biogas production through anaerobic digestion. In February, DEFRA published shared goals for the anaerobic digestion industry in the U.K., which is supported by farmers, technology providers, supermarkets, water and energy utilities, waste handlers, and the food products industry, as well as government officials and regulators. A DEFRA task group will develop an implementation plan for the shared goals, which are to make anaerobic digestion an established technology in the U.K. for converting food waste to biogas, including both post-consumer food waste and industrial food waste. This includes a pledge from the Food and Drink 
 Federation, the voice of the food and beverage industry in the U.K., to send zero food and packaging waste to landfills by 2015. DEFRA's Milk Roadmap includes establishing anaerobic digesters at 30 dairy farms by 2010. For the farming sector in general, anaerobic digestion will be used to process food waste, crop residues and energy crops, in addition to manure. The ultimate vision is to have 1,000 farm-based anaerobic digesters in place by 2020. The implementation plan will include recommended regulations for encouraging growth in the use of anaerobic digestion.
 
 To kick-start anaerobic digestion in the U.K., DEFRA is working with the Waste & Resources Action Program, a private nonprofit organization backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to construct three to six anaerobic digestion demonstration plants under the £10 million ($14 million) Anaerobic Digestion Demonstration Program, which is being jointly funded by DEFRA and BERR through the Environmental Transformation Fund.
 
 WRAP has set aggressive targets for turning waste into energy. The program wants to divert 8 million metric tons of waste using anaerobic digestion and other approaches, with the goal of providing government, businesses and consumers with £1.1 billion ($2.2 billion) of economic impact by 2011. WRAP's business plan for 2008-2011 includes developing a market for the solid digestate produced from anaerobic digestion. To this end, WRAP and The Environment Agency have developed a draft Quality Protocol, applicable for England and Wales, for the collection, storage, transport and use of digestate. The draft protocol was published in January and will be reviewed by the European Commission's technical standards committee this year.
 
 "[The protocol] provides confidence in the market," Jacobs says. "If you're going to be using digestate in the future, you need to be sure that it meets a standard. It also means that this material will be a product-and not a waste-and so when it is spread to land, waste regulations don't apply. It makes use of the digestate or the liquor fraction much easier for the processors."
 
 Challenges Ahead
 Renewables obligation certificates, the proposed renewable heat incentive and the quality protocol for digestate will help to bring more anaerobic digester projects for converting food waste into biogas to fruition in the U.K. However, space and financial considerations will continue to be stumbling blocks.
 
 "We live in a small, crowded island in the U.K.," Jacobs says, "and we have the issue around finding sustainable markets for digestate. I think planning is important in speeding up delivery of projects, because it seems to take an awfully long time to get anything built in this country.
 
 "They say a green waste composting facility takes 12 to 18 months and an industrial composting facility maybe two years and above," Jacobs continues. "I suspect an anaerobic digestion facility would not be dissimilar. It should be quicker than that, because we need significantly more infrastructure to comply with our landfill directive obligations and our diversion targets." 
 
 Ryan C. Christiansen is a Biomass Magazine staff writer. Reach him at <a href="mailto:rchristiansen@bbiinternational.com">rchristiansen@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 373-8042.

Barges laden with rubbish-filled containers destined for landfills elsewhere are a common sight on the Thames River in London./PHOTO: MATT SEPPINGS

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With natural gas production and landfill capacity declining, the U.K. is looking at converting waste to biogas and synthesis gas for heat, power, and fuels on a large scale

Her Majesty's Biogas

In the world of renewable energy, anaerobic digestion has swept across the globe like an epidemic. In today's economy, alternatives to ever-volatile energy costs are being aggressively pursued. 
 
 Although the concept of transforming what would normally be disposed of as waste into useable energy is not new, its applicability has expanded considerably. In addition to being a cheaper energy source, to some businesses it is a way to alleviate costly tipping fees associated with waste disposal.
 
 That‘s what StormFisher Biogas is counting on as it develops projects for up to 30 anaerobic digestion plants in North America. Although the company is only a few years old, it has set its goals high-and has $350 million in capital to fuel its efforts.
 
 Based in Ontario, Canada, StormFisher sees the value of being versatile. Leaning slightly away from the trend toward on-site farm animal manure digestion, the company is preparing to accept byproducts from beef, fruit and vegetable processing, brewing, winemaking and distilling, and ethanol, biodiesel, rendering and dairy operations that will be transported to strategically located digestion plants. 
 
 Ryan Little, vice president of StormFisher business development, says the initial appeal for businesses to contract their waste with StormFisher is to gain access to a cheaper alternative than landfill disposal. From a consumer's perspective, businesses would be seen in a more positive light, especially those involved in food manufacturing, if they are contributing to clean energy and sustainability, rather than adding to crowded landfills and emitting foul odors and pathogens. 
 
 Taking Off 
 London, Ontario, will soon be home to StormFisher's flagship project-the company's first $15 million biogas plant. Construction is slated to start in July, and Little says it has been long awaited. "Initially, we had planned to be operational this year, but since it's the first of its kind in Ontario the regulatory aspects are taking longer than we had anticipated," he says. "There are lots of moving parts in this business-from feedstock to energy off-take to [carbon dioxide], construction strategy and regulations-all of it is coming together pretty nicely, but it has been a long haul for sure."
 
 The London plant, which should be operational in the spring of 2010, will utilize approximately 140,000 tons of food processing waste from local grocery stores, meat processing plants and industrial bakeries. With an output of about 2.8 megawatts (MWs), Little says the plant will be able to supply power to about 2,800 houses. "That number could vary depending on whether they leave the lights on or run the dishwasher a lot," he jokes. "But I use the proxy of one house per kilowatt-which is about the equivalent of 2,800."
 
 StormFisher will construct, own and operate all of its plants, and sell the energy to the Ontario government for use in its power grid. Little says the company was formed partly in response to the province's Standard Offer Program, a feed-in tariff that was put in place in Ontario at the beginning of 2007. Feed-in tariffs are incentives to encourage the adoption of renewable energy through government legislation. Regional or national electric utilities are obligated to buy renewable electricity at above market rates, which are set by the government, to help overcome any cost disadvantages of using renewable energy sources. According to the program criteria, biogas projects under 10 megawatts are paid 11 cents per kilowatt hour.
 
 Spain, the U.K. and Australia have all adopted feed-in tariffs. "My co-founders and I viewed the enactment of the tariff as a chance to level the playing field and let entrepreneurs, rather than utility companies that had been developing 120-megawatt wind projects before, gain access to this market," Little says. "So that's what got us started-our goal was to start something that was environmentally friendly, one way or another."
 
 After extensive research and analysis of many different renewable energy technologies, Little and StormFisher co-founders, Bas Van Berkel and Christopher Guillon, believe that from an entrepreneurial standpoint, there is a huge opportunity for biogas, not just in Ontario but across North America. "It's something that made sense-taking a waste product and being able to create something valuable, in terms of the energy and fertilizer," Little says. "The three of us started that way, and attracted interest from a Boston private equity company (Denham Capital Management), which is supporting us for 30 projects over a period of five years. We've grown to a company of about 25 to 30 people, and now have our noses to the grindstone." 
 
 Development Methodology 
 When selecting a site for a biogas plant, as with plants of any type, several logistical issues must be considered.
 
 "Really, it's a soup of things," Little says. "The first thing we look for is a location that is a willing host-a province or state that supports green energy and wants a plant. It makes things a lot easier if they are on our side rather than resistant; some places just aren't keen on these types of things. We look at environmental regulations and whether they are supportive." 
 
 Another key factor is power-and the potential to enter into a long-term, fixed-rate contract. "Ontario's been great that way," Little says. "The government will buy all the power we create at a fixed price for 20 years." In the U.S., Wisconsin is considering a similar program that could kick in toward the end of the year, and there are 10 to 20 other states looking at feed-in tariffs. 
 
 The next step is to analyze feedstock market dynamics. "It's great if there is a huge food processing industry with tons of byproducts being generated," Little says. "But if there are landfills nearby that take it for $10 per ton, it doesn't work out as well. We look for places that need to responsibly manage these byproducts." In many cases, tipping and transportation fees can be more than $100 per ton, he says. 
 
 Feedstock logistics could influence not only the location but also the size of the plant. "It depends on how much feedstock is available in a certain area, because we don't want to be trucking it in too far," Little says. StormFisher's 2.8 MW London plant will be one of the company's smallest plants. The company also plans to build a second plant in DeForest, Wis., which will produce 5 MW and will likely be the maximum size of StormFisher's plants. "If more feedstocks are available, we could go bigger," he says. "We'd like to go bigger at some point, but five looks to be the maximum right now."
 
 Little says all materials will be transported via truck, but the hiring for trucking services will be done on a case-by-case basis. "A group using the same transport company for 30 years might want to maintain that relationship," he says. 
 
 In addition to the London and DeForest plants, StormFisher has developed a third project in Lethbridge, Alberta-a 3.2 MW plant that will power about 3,000 area homes. All necessary permits have been granted for this project, which is in its final stages of development and is slated to break ground in 2010.
 
 StormFisher's plants will utilize a continuous digestion system, where organic matter is constantly added in stages to the reactor-rather than a batch system, where material is added to the reactor at the start of the process in a batch, and is sealed for the duration of the process. 
 
 StormFisher doesn't own its own technology and has no plans to develop one. The company prefers to work with technology suppliers on a plant-by-plant basis and hopes to emulate the successful biogas industry in countries such as Europe, where more than 5,000 biogas plants are in operation similar to the ones StormFisher is developing.
 
 Although the range of possibilities for plant locations is broad, StormFisher will focus on the most promising and welcoming areas. "Ontario, Wisconsin and Alberta are our current areas of focus right now," Little says. "With being able to move ahead now-and the election of President Obama-it's really an exciting time." 
 
 Anna Austin is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:aaustin@bbiinternational.com">aaustin@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4968.

This biogas plant in Werlte, Germany, was designed by StormFisher's engineering partner Krieg & Fischer Ingenieure GmbH. The layout is similar to the configuration of StormFisher's plants./PHOTO: STORMFISHER BIOGAS

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StormFisher co-founders, from left to right, Ryan Little, Bas Van Berkel and Christopher Guillon/PHOTO: STORMFISHER BIOGAS

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StormFisher's plants will utilize a continuous digestion system where organic matter is constantly added in stages to the reactor. /PHOTO: STORMFISHER BIOGAS

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Ontario, Canada-based StormFisher Biogas is ready to cause a whirlwind of activity with its plans to develop up to 30 anaerobic digestion plants in North America within the next five years.

Taking Anaerobic Digestion by Storm

What started as an idea from an inventive, tinkering grandfather and his grandson could have a tremendous impact in biosolids management thinking. Kevin Bolin, president and chief executive officer of the biosolids processing company EnerTech Environmental Inc., tells Biomass Magazine about the humble beginnings of his company and the technologies that his company has developed. Bolin and his grandfather Norman Dickinson, an inventor, would talk about the elder man's inventions and the possibility of making them commercial. In 1992, Bolin and his grandfather started EnerTech as a vehicle to realize his grandfather's many ideas. Previously, the younger Bolin had no experience in biosolids treatment. 
 
 "At that time, all we had was my grandfather's ideas-what we called ‘lines on paper,'" he says. Bolin's career to that point was nonlinear, working as an accountant, then selling television time for a CBS affiliate. In 1992, he left his job selling air time and began a new venture with his grandfather. The basis of the new company was "really just a light bulb," Bolin says. "So what grandpa and I had to do was figure out how to take those ideas and first go into the laboratory and start proving those things out. Then building bench models, pilot- and demo-scale production, all the while trying to figure out how to fund the company." Friends, family and angel investors all helped with the latter. Demonstrating the technology, however, was up to the two founders of EnerTech. 
 
 The technology that developed from those "lines on paper" is trademarked the SlurryCarb process, which is short for slurry carbonization. It's a process that converts sewage sludge and other high-moisture organics into what EnerTech calls E-Fuel, which yields 6,500 to 8,000 British thermal units (Btus) per pound. Bolin says the fuel is comparable with lignite coal, but E-Fuel is renewable and carbon neutral. 
 
 In early spring, EnerTech is commissioning its first full-scale biosolids treatment plant utilizing the SlurryCarb process. The plant is in Rialto, Calif., and once fully operational later this year, the company will have the capacity to produce 160 tons of E-Fuel per day. EnerTech has made arrangements with five surrounding municipalities-Orange County 
 Sanitation District, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, the city of Riverside, the city of San Bernardino and the city of Rialto-to supply the new facility with biosolids. Mike Moore, OCSD environmental assessment division manager, says Orange County produces about 700 wet tons of sewer sludge a day, about a third of which the county has contracted with EnerTech for delivery. Moore says in addition to its contractual feedstock arrangement with EnerTech, OCSD takes on an advisory role with the company when needed. "We advise them on a number of issues-outreach and education, marketing-so we provide guidance when asked, and we require them to follow the tenets of our nationally certified biosolid management system," Moore tells Biomass Magazine. Not only does OCSD supply EnerTech's Rialto facility with feedstock, Moore says OCSD is also the recipient of the plant's liquid waste stream. 
 
 In addition to EnerTech commissioning its first owned-and-operated plant in Rialto, the company licensed its technology to Mitsubishi Corp. in Japan. "Outside the U.S. we're going to utilize a licensing model," Bolin says. In Abu Dhabi, the first-of-its-kind carbon- and waste-free city is being built and Bolin says EnerTech has been preliminarily selected to provide biosolids treatment. 
 
 The SlurryCarb process and E-Fuel
 "The process of carbonization-that's been around since the cavemen," Bolin says. "It's basically converting wood to charcoal." But biosolids are delivered at approximately 80 percent moisture, an extremely wet product, which is where the "slurry" in SlurryCarb comes in. After the sewage sludge is run through the SlurryCarb reactor, EnerTech employs centrifugation and drying to remove any excess moisture. The reactor is simply a plug-flow reactor, or a "wide spot in the line," Bolin says, which is a section in the process where pressure and heat can be applied to the biosolids for a 10-minute residence time. 
 
 "We don't like to evaporate water," Bolin says. "When you evaporate water, because of the latent heat of evaporation, you lose at least 1,000 Btus per pound. That's clearly a result of changing phase-going from a liquid to a gas or going from water to steam. You lose that energy and it's not recoverable." He says all chemical engineers are familiar with the saturation curve of steam or the liquid-vapor equilibrium. "If you add pressure to a liquid, it actually takes higher temperatures to change phase," he says. Under atmospheric pressure, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Add pressure, however, and the boiling temperature of water can increase-depending on how much pressure is added. "With an increase in pressure, you can actually raise the boiling temperature to 300, 400, 500 degrees F and still stay in the liquid phase, and not lose the latent heat of evaporation." 
 
 To demonstrate this, imagine 100 tons of biosolids at roughly 80 percent water. "A typical dryer is going to use a lot of muscle and heat in order to evaporate those 80 tons of water," Bolin says. Assuming a theoretical 1,000 Btus per pound necessary for evaporation, it would require 160 million Btus to dry the 80 tons of moisture resident in the 100 tons of biosolids. "That's a lot of energy," Bolin says. In the SlurryCarb process the biosolids are pressurized first and then heated. "In order to get to our reaction temperatures, we add some energy-roughly 32 million Btus as opposed to the 160 million Btus needed to dry down the material," he says. Once reacted, the material still has some moisture-it's about a 50/50 mix of cake and water at this point-so conventional drying methods are used, which takes another 32 million Btus. Added to the previously needed 32 million Btus of energy, the SlurryCarb process requires only 64 million Btus versus the 160 million that would have been necessary to evaporate the water from the sewer sludge. 
 
 The pressures and temperatures employed in the SlurryCarb process change the basic molecules of the feedstock, according to EnerTech. "The end result of this reaction we're driving with heat and pressure is that our reactive product, which once had an affinity for water, no longer has an affinity for water because it's become hydrophobic," Bolin says. No catalysts are used in reaction, and approximately 85 percent of the water resident in the incoming biosolids can therefore be removed by mechanical rather than thermal energy. Once the post-reacted sewer sludge comes out of the reactor, it's cooled down to 212 degrees F, then it's depressurized, and finally the remainder of the water is removed via centrifuging or with a filter press. Bolin says, "What's leftover is a nicely isolated carbon product that's conditioned for use as fuel." 
 
 The coal-comparable E-Fuel has multiple applications-virtually anywhere a solid fuel is being used, E-Fuel can be substituted in. "In Rialto, we have two cement-kiln customers utilizing E-Fuel," Bolin says. "And as a fuel for gasification, we recently entered into an agreement with a company that is actually going to convert the fuel into liquid transportation fuels. We can also utilize the fuel ourselves in our Rialto facility." 
 
 A Sound Model to Follow
 Moore says one of the key elements other companies can learn from EnerTech is its ability to get the political backing and to conduct successful public outreach before it began the process of project development. "Too often facilities have failed because they didn't do things right," he says. "Too often projects do the design, build and defend rather than getting the support they need before they even start. We talked with EnerTech early on about developing a relationship with the people in Rialto-and they did." 
 
 Conversely, municipalities and municipal agencies like the OCSD should consider an overall approach to managing biosolids, Moore says. "We were one of the early adopters of the environmental management system for biosolids and we were one of the first agencies in the nation to be certified by the National Biosolids Partnership," he adds. "That caused us to rethink the way we manage, to stop thinking of this material as waste and rather think of it as a product you typically don't dispose of, but can if you want to." 
 
 There are some benefits to landfilling biosolids. It could help breakdown the landfill trash already being dumped; more so than straight municipal solid waste. In so doing, the methane produced as a result is cleaner, so if landfill gas capture and utilization is to occur, the gas would require less cleanup, and it is higher quality. Also, Moore says some of the landfills where biosolids are dumped have reported higher quality leachate. 
 
 Bolin says permitting for the Rialto facility in Southern California-one of the most stringent permitting zones in the U.S.-was completed in a nine-month period. For air, EnerTech's Rialto plant is a minor source for major pollutants-nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter. 
 
 OCSD worked with EnerTech on permits for air emissions, and the liquid effluent, of which OCSD is the recipient. "Since we receive its liquid waste stream that goes through the Rialto treatment facility and then into the Santa Ana River Interceptor line, we talked to them about ammonia and salts that we allow to go into that line, which eventually comes to us," Moore says. When dewatering occurs at the plant, there is a centrate that comes off the centrifuge, which Bolin says is a high-strength wastewater. "We have to pretreat that [before discharge into the Santa Ana River Interceptor line], and in our pretreatment step we actually generate methane gas that goes back into our process," he says. 
 
 The most difficult aspect of bringing a biosolids technology to market is not an issue with technology, according to Bolin, but with commercialization-getting a first-of-its-kind commercial plant up and running. "As a company we're very well capitalized, and obviously the Rialto project has been financed," he says. Good technology and teamwork, and working closely with customers, the public and stakeholders to make sure they are all comfortable with the project is extremely important, he says. 
 
 Of the EnerTech SlurryCarb process and its approach to business, Moore says, "This will be the full-scale pilot, if you will, and it will be replicated all over the world. I'm sure of it." 
 
 Ron Kotrbaa is a Biomass Magazine senior writer. Reach him at <a href="mailto:rkotrba@bbiinternational.com">rkotrba@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4942.

Construction of the aerobic platform is underway at EnerTech Environmental Inc.'s Rialto Regional Biosolids Processing Facility./photo: ENERTECH ENVIRONMENTAL INC.

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Company President Bolin says environmental permitting of the Rialto Regional Biosolids Processing Facility was completed in a quick nine months./photo: ENERTECH ENVIRONMENTAL INC.

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Feedstock is delivered at the Rialto Regional Biosolids Processing Facility./photo: ENERTECH ENVIRONMENTAL INC.

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What started as a light bulb idea is now trademarked by EnerTech as the SlurryCarb Process and could become the future of biosolids management.

From Lines on Paper to a Model of Success

In 1981, Charles Buehler set out to solve the "organics diversion" dilemma to find an alternative disposal system for liquid organic residuals rather than disposing of it in a landfill. 
 
 The alternative he sought would deliver cost-effective, environmentally sustainable solutions for managing organic residuals and provide efficient customer service. Eight years 
 later, Buehler established Organic Resource Management Inc. in Woodbridge, Ontario, which specialized in the infield composting process and direct-land application of processed waste, but he soon realized that the two processes were not enough to sustain the business. After attending a conference and tradeshow on biogas and touring an anaerobic digestion facility in Germany, Buehler decided to expand the company's waste management services. Since then, ORMI has pioneered the collection, processing and management of liquid organic residuals, and has developed proprietary systems specifically for preparing and optimizing the energy value of organic residuals for reuse.
 
 Redirecting Organic Waste
 While ORMI was one of the first companies to dispose of organic residuals using the process of direct-land application, the company found that the process incurred regulatory issues with odor management that made it difficult to sustain. ORMI soon turned to anaerobic digestion as a low-cost, long-term recycling solution for organic waste. The company has since grown and now specializes in the collection of nonhazardous liquid organic residuals for delivery to recycling facilities and anaerobic digester locations for energy production and composting. 
 
 Industrial food and beverage processors such as restaurants, cafeterias and grocery stores typically generate large quantities of organic waste that must be removed from their wastewater prior to releasing it into the municipal sewer system. In most cases, grease interceptors and dissolved air flotation systems are not efficient enough, and other pretreatment technologies are required. ORMI provides its services to more than 8,000 food and beverage processing facilities in Ontario, Québec and Lower Mainland British Columbia that are challenged by managing wastewater effluent quality to meet sewer use bylaw limits.
 
 Using a fleet of specialized vacuum trucks, ORMI collects and transports liquid residuals to recycling facilities on a 24-hours-per-day, seven-days-a-week basis. The residuals are taken to the company's processing facilities to remove any excess water and are then transported to recycling and anaerobic digester locations. 
 
 In 2008, ORMI successfully demonstrated the process of converting organic residuals into valuable high-energy feedstock for the production of biogas. Armed with its financially viable technology for handling organic residuals, the company created the Organic Resource Recovery System. The process provides on-site management of solid organic food waste, grinding the material into slurry. The residuals are then stored on-site where they are hydrolyzed and acidified in preparation for anaerobic digestion. 
 
 The system, which includes a mill, holding tank and vacuum truck, reduces total waste volume by an average of 5:1. Despite being developed and patented in 1995, the ORRS process is not yet fully commercialized. Buehler reports, however, that the ORRS system has been working well in terms of cleanliness and odor issues at its two generator locations at Loblaws grocery store and Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto. "ORMI has continued to grow its core business right up to and through our last quarter," Buehler says. "We felt that with the anaerobic digestion world starting to move, it was the right time to completely focus on our core business, [which] allowed us to strengthen our balance sheet going into these uncertain economic times."
 
 On-Farm Contracts
 ORMI has secured an exclusive 20-year organic residual supply agreement with four Ontario farm-based anaerobic digesters. The company supplies 5,000 metric tons per year of liquid organic waste to Clearydale Farms in Spencerville, Donnandale Farms Inc. in Stirling, and Ledgecroft Farms Inc. in Seeley's Bay. The company pays a "tip fee" that is adjusted based on the amount of gas generated. ORMI also supplies 4,500 metric tons of organic residuals to Fepro Farms in Cobden. Of the 19,000 metric tons of off-farm feedstock supplied, more than 2,000 kilowatts of electricity are generated. "We have worked with ORMI for about two years now," says Paul Klaesi of Fepro Farms who has owned and operated an on-farm anaerobic digester since the spring of 2003. "Before working with [ORMI] we were running on farm manure and producing about 700 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day. Now we produce nearly 1,400." 
 
 On-farm anaerobic digestion of manure creates biogas, which is composed of methane and carbon dioxide and can be used to generate electricity and heat. The liquid organic residuals collected by ORMI have helped produce four to 10 times more biogas than manure alone, and is an ideal feedstock when used with manure for anaerobic digesters. "An important concept to remember, and one that often gets overlooked or its importance underestimated, is that ORMI significantly improves the value of an anaerobic digester and the organic residuals it collects," Buehler says. "We are able to blend and control the type and quality of the feedstock, making the operation of the anaerobic digester much more efficient than if it were run using raw, unprocessed organic waste." Using anaerobic digesters to process liquid organic residuals helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the reliance on landfills. The process also helps reduce odor and pathogens and improves the nutrient availability in the digestate, which can be used as an organic fertilizer to spread on farm fields.
 
 Remaining Competitive
 According to ORMI's 2008 annual report, the company says it believes that anaerobic digestion has not emerged previously in North America primarily because of an abundant supply of relatively low-cost energy. Anaerobic digestion has been successful in Europe due to its appropriately priced energy markets that support the purchase of electricity generated by the system, positioning organic residuals as a low-cost recycling solution. 
 
 In Ontario, ORMI's market, pricing regime and operational policies are slowly changing in favor of anaerobic digestion, but much progress is still needed. Currently, two government incentive programs exist in Ontario to drive the development of anaerobic digestion. The Ontario Biogas Systems Financial Assistance Program encourages the production of clean energy generating systems such as anaerobic digesters for biogas energy production within the province. The program assists farmers and rural businesses in formulating feasibility studies for the installation of biogas systems in addition to covering a portion of the construction and implementation costs. The Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program encourages the development of small renewable energy generators of clean, renewable electricity to contribute to the Ontario power grid. Generators can receive up to 11 cents per kWh.
 
 Much of ORMI's success depends on remaining competitive in the rapidly growing anaerobic digestion market. Competition in the nonhazardous liquid waste service industry has increased over the years from within the industry and other companies diversifying into the field. The challenge is for ORMI to overcome the capital cost of installing its ORRS equipment as compared with other collection alternatives. A lack of readily available, low-cost organic recycling alternatives in North America is another major constraint to the advancement of its system. 
 
 ORMI also continues to build its knowledge base on various types of recycling and disposal alternatives. The company is working with the University of Guelph through the Ontario Centre of Excellence to conduct a project titled, "The Economics and Feasibility of the Co-Substrates Anaerobic Digest for Farms in Ontario." The study investigates the costs and benefits associated with on- and off-farm waste streams and centralized anaerobic digesters, and helps determine strategies to control low-cost recycling and disposal alternatives within the organic waste market.
 
 ORMI sees a tremendous opportunity in the diversion of organic residuals from North American landfills, which combines both the concept of recycling and renewable energy through the process of anaerobic digestion. "We continue to forge ahead developing systems and infrastructure to position ourselves to take advantage of what we believe will be an unprecedented growth opportunity as the biogas renewable energy industry emerges in Canada and the United States," Buehler says. "We believe that the convergence of organics recycling with renewable energy through anaerobic digestion will create an excellent opportunity [for the company as well as the biogas industry]." 
 
 Khalila Hammond is the managing editor of Bioenergy Canada. Reach her at <a href="mailto:khammond@bbiinternational.com">khammond@bbiinternational.com</a> or (519) 576-4500. This feature appeared in the March issue of Bioenergy Canada.

In addition to typical produce wastes, the ORRS also accepts meat and dairy products, flower shop wastes, liquid beverages, waste fats and drippings from in-store food preparation./PHOTO: ORGANIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INC.

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ORMI has a fleet of specialized vacuum trucks that collect and transport liquid residuals to recycling facilities seven days a week, 24 hours a day./PHOTO: ORGANIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INC.

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In 2007, only 2.6 percent of the nearly 29.2 million metric tons of organic waste generated in North America was recovered, due to inefficient collection processes. Organic Resource Management in Ontario, Canada, is on a mission to make sure that waste doesn't go to waste.

The Value of Waste

Although all food processors have to deal with wastewater generated in their operations, the characteristics of the effluent exiting their facilities can vary greatly, requiring different processing technologies for the most efficient handling of the wastewater. Ken's Foods of Marlborough, Mass., a large-volume food manufacturer of salad dressings and marinades, recently upgraded one of its three wastewater treatment facilities to more efficiently process its high-strength organic content wastewater, effluents which contain a high content of fat, oil and grease (FOG) and present serious challenges for waste treatment. 
 
 The upgrade incorporated a unique treatment process called anaerobic membrane bioreactor (ADI-AnMBR), a relatively new form of anaerobic treatment technology developed by ADI Systems Inc. in cooperation with Kubota Corp. of Japan, which utilizes submerged membranes for biomass retention and solids-liquid separation. The system maximizes biogas production, increases solids digestion and provides a means to easily handle wastewaters with high concentrations of organic matter. The treatment plant is the largest of its kind in the world, producing effluent that is virtually free of suspended solids, with a level of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 99.4 percent, allowing its 100,000 gallons per day of wastewater to easily discharge into the municipal system. Considering the high-strength levels of organic content-COD, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and FOG-in the wastewater, this performance is exceptional by any industry standard.
 
 The company's existing low-rate anaerobic reactor, previously built by ADI Systems (an ADI-BVF system), was converted to operate as the reactor portion of the new AnMBR. As a byproduct of the combined system, 200,000 to 300,000 cubic feet of biogas are being produced per day, which are being captured to provide not only 100 percent of the wastewater treatment plant's heating requirements, but enough residual biogas capable of powering more than 50 percent of the company's manufacturing facility.
 
 Overloading the Original Wastewater System 
 The company's wastewater originates from wash-down of cleaning mixers, filling machines and other process equipment. It is then screened and pumped into an equalization tank to begin the treatment process. 
 
 After equalization, the wastewater is sent to the low-rate anaerobic reactor, which is capable of treating waste streams of moderate to very high organic strength. Before the upgrade, this was followed by a sequencing batch aerobic reactor (SBR) that was needed to polish the anaerobic effluent. These two stages of treatment achieved overall COD, FOG and total suspended solids (TSS) removals of 98 percent to 99 percent. 
 
 The plant was designed for a maximum flow of 550,000 gallons weekly and 100,000 gallons per day. Due to production increases, daily and weekly flows exceeded these design values causing excessive solids loading from the BVF reactor to the SBR. 
 
 "We had too many solids coming from our anaerobic digester," explains Dale Mills, treatment plant chief operator for Ken's Marlborough plant. "We were manually monitoring the SBR decant to the city and stopping it when the water quality was not good enough."
 
 The city of Marlborough allows the release of 100,000 gallons of effluent per day and limits the concentration of suspended solids effluent to 600 milligrams per liter (mg/l). The manufacturing plant's production had become inhibited by the overload in the treatment plant.
 
 Ken's brought in ADI Systems to engineer a solution to the problem. "The SBR aerobic system was never the bottleneck," says Dwain Wilson, director of process operations for ADI Systems. "The solution was to increase the capacity of the anaerobic reactor, and we suggested an anaerobic MBR application." 
 
 Existing BVF Anaerobic Reactor 
 Ken's BVF anaerobic system already in place has been removing more than 90 percent of the organic material from the wastewater. This system is capable of handling wastewaters that are high in FOG and variations in wastewater flow and characteristics. The BVF's organic loadings are low (typically 0.3 to 3.0 kilograms COD) and hydraulic retention times are relatively long (typically more than seven days), providing an inherent stability and robustness often not found in higher-rate anaerobic processes, and allowing for significant digestion of influent solids and waste activated sludge.
 
 The large volume and inventory of biomass within the BVF reactor eliminates the need for extensive primary treatment of the waste stream (such as a primary clarifier). 
 
 The BVF is equipped with a floating, insulated geomembrane cover. Built by Geomembrane Technologies Inc., the cover collects biogas, minimizes heat loss and provides odor control.
 
 New Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor 
 The existing ADI-BVF system was converted to an ADI-AnMBR to expand its treatment capabilities. One of the key components to any anaerobic treatment system is effective separation of treated water from the biogas generated by the anaerobic digestion process, while ensuring the biomass is retained within the reactor. The ADI-AnMBR process, based on technology developed by Kubota, is a form of high-rate anaerobic contact process that uses a submerged membrane barrier to perform the gas/liquid/solids separation and biomass retention functions. This near-absolute barrier to solids ensures efficient system operation, even under high organic loading and intense mixing scenarios. Membrane treatment technologies are often employed when higher quality effluents are required, or when wastewater characteristics make conventional gravity settling technologies difficult or ineffective. The biogas generated in anaerobic digestion is utilized to continually clean the membranes during operation via a gas scour system. 
 
 Ken's ADI-AnMBR provides for higher organic loadings and mixing intensities compared with other anaerobic technologies, increasing organic removals, improving biogas production, and allowing for treatment of wastewaters with very high suspended solids and FOG. The system is most applicable to processing wastewaters with strong, concentrated wastes with poor settling characteristics.
 
 The AnMBR system can operate at both thermophilic and mesophilic temperatures, yet it avoids common operating problems at thermophilic temperatures, such as biomass loss and unstable operation.
 
 "The anaerobic MBR increases the solids retention time within the system," Wilson says. "The longer the solids retention time, the lower the biomass yield, reducing the amount of biomass that will require disposal. It also allows the development of specialized bacteria that can acclimate to unusual organics and break them down." 
 
 The AnMBR has four anaerobic basins, each equipped with seven submerged membrane units. A removable GTI geomembrane cover system on each AnMBR basin provides a gas-tight seal with biogas collection capabilities. These covers allow the biogas to be captured in the headspace above the cartridges and then returned to the gas scour system for reuse. 
 
 The TSS concentration coming out of the AnMBR averages less than 1 mg/l, BOD is typically less than 25 mg/l, and the COD removal in the AnMBR is greater than 99.4 percent
 
 The ADI-AnMBR system at Ken's is the first installation of this technology in North America and the largest in the world. 
 
 Repurposing the Aerobic Sequencing Batch Reactor 
 The SBR's role is to polish the anaerobic reactor effluent to meet discharge standards, a function it was not able to do satisfactorily under the original system's higher-than-design loading conditions.
 
 The now very clean effluent from the AnMBR goes into the SBR, which has been repurposed for use as a sulfide oxidation and nitrification tank. Ken's purposely adds and maintains biological solids in the tank as a suitable biomass population for the treatment process. Now that the solids loading to the SBR from the anaerobic process have been eliminated, the SBR is used to easily oxidize sulfide and ammonia.
 
 Captured Biogas Powers Treatment Plant
 The biogas generated by the BVF/AnMBR process is proving to be valuable for the replacement of conventional energy sources such as natural gas and electricity. 
 
 "We capture the biogas produced in the anaerobic digester and we heat the processing building and the reactor with it," Mills says. "So we do not have any fuel costs for heating the treatment building, or the reactor which is kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. We also have a considerable amount of extra biogas that we flare right now, between 200,000 and 300,000 cubic feet per day."
 
 ADI provided a complete recovery and utilization system which included gas collection, treatment, storage, compression and delivery systems.
 
 "We are planning on using the flared biogas for a waste-to-energy project for cogeneration of electricity in our manufacturing facility," says Mike Kolakowski, engineering manager for Ken's Foods. "It is a combined-heat-and-power project-the amount of biogas that is generated from the reactor will reduce our draw from the utility grid by well over 50 percent."
 
 Improved Efficiencies
 In addition to significantly lowered TSS, COD and BOD levels, and captured biogas as an energy resource, 36,000 gallons of fats, oils and grease are removed and rendered per year, as well as 500 tons of dewatered residual solids.
 
 Also, the quality of the water in the SBR is consistently clean enough for automated, timed release, allowing the maximum 100,000 gallons per day to be decanted. This has eliminated the problem of manufacturing interruption previously caused by the challenges to the wastewater treatment system.
 
 "The system is extremely cost effective," Kolakowski says. "The overall cost of operating the AnMBR processing facility represents at least a 50 percent reduction compared to other more traditional means of water treatment." 
 
 Jim McMahon of Zebra Communications writes about water and wastewater systems. Reach him at <a href="zebracom.net">zebracom.net</a>.

Ken's Foods' upgraded wastewater treatment facility efficiently reduces chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids in challenging food processing wastewaters, and supplies 200,000-plus cubic feet of biogas per day, providing 100 percent of the heat required for the treatment plant's operation.

Streamlining Treatment of Challenging Food Processing Wastewaters

Much as race cars are different than passenger vehicles intended for street and highway use, military aircraft are different from commercial airplanes because their airframes, engines and fuels are specifically designed for high-performance flying. Just as airframe and engine technology have progressed, so has fuel technology. The U.S. Air Force currently recognizes jet propellant-8 (JP-8) as the standard turbine engine fuel for its fleet of turbine-powered aircraft.
 
 There are currently three sources of JP-8 for military use: petroleum-derived (not including tar sands Fischer–Tropsch-derived, and renewable-derived. Petroleum-derived jet fuel is the traditional fuel. It is obtained by refining crude petroleum. About 9 percent of a barrel of crude oil is refined to jet fuel for commercial and military use. FT fuels are those produced from either natural gas or coal. This technology was utilized by Nazi Germany during World War II to create liquid fuels from coal. Renewable fuels are more modern than either petroleum- or FT-derived fuels in use and development. As the term renewable implies, jet fuel from this source is produced from something that is produced in a repeatable cycle, such as farming.
 
 The current military specification for jet fuel utilized by the USAF recognizes all three sources. While the major portion of fuel utilized by the USAF is petroleum-derived, efforts are underway to qualify fuels derived from both FT and renewable sources. In the future, this will enable aircraft in the USAF fleet to utilize JP-8 from any source, either as a blend with petroleum-derived JP-8 or, eventually, as a standalone fuel.
 
 The technical criteria that JP-8 must meet to power a USAF aircraft are detailed in MIL-DTL-83133F, a 22-page document. It is important to realize that this document doesn't say what the fuel must be, but only what the fuel must possess in terms of physical properties. It is like the difference between saying you want a 75-pound animal that is yellow in color, has a great disposition and retrieves versus saying you want a Labrador.
 
 In this manner, MIL-DTL-83133F states what the fuel must do, no matter its origin. This includes properties that both petroleum- and FT-derived JP-8 must also satisfy, including a freezing point of minus 52.6 degrees Fahrenheit, a net heat of combustion of 18,700 British thermal units per pound and a distillation curve identical to petroleum-derived JP-8.
 
 Those interested in biofuels should be excited for the future, since airplanes, both military and commercial, will be fueled by jet fuel obtained from petroleum, FT technology, and renewable sources. In many ways, the military specification for jet fuel is paving the way for the production of fuels from renewable biomass resources, which can only help to keep our skies blue. 
 
 Paul Pansegrau is a research scientist at the EERC. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:ppansegrau@undeerc.org">ppansegrau@undeerc.org</a> or (701) 777-5169.

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The Low-Down on Military Specs for Renewable Jet Fuel

Landfill gas will be piped from Texas to California to help the Sacramento Municipal Utility District meet its renewable portfolio standard. SMUD announced April 20 it had signed a 15-year contract with Shell Energy North America for 6 billion British thermal units of gas per day. Most of that will be from a landfill near Dallas, supplemented by a variable amount of conventional natural gas. The gas will be used to fuel the SMUD Cosumnes Power Plant near Sacramento, Calif.
 
 "Shell is the intermediary and providing balancing services," explained Barry Brunelle, SMUD supervisor for natural gas operations. "We were concerned about how this variable supply would work with our system." Shell worked out the contracts with both SMUD and the landfill gas developer, and will supplement the landfill gas volumes with a varying rate of conventional natural gas to supply SMUD with a consistent supply. "At the end of the month, Shell will bill us and let us know how much was conventional and how much was renewable," Brunelle said.
 
 SMUD expects the landfill gas to provide about 8 percent of its renewable target in 2010, or 200 to 300 gigawatt-hours of renewable power per year. SMUD will pay Shell approximately $21 million a year for the landfill gas, which works out to approximately $90 per megawatt-hour of electricity. "The cost of this supply is higher than our expected energy prices for nonrenewable energy but lower than the expected cost of renewables," Brunelle said. 
 
 One month earlier, on March 19, SMUD announced it had signed a 15-year contract with Gas Recovery Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Fortistar Methane Group, for the purchase of approximately 1.5 megawatts of renewable energy from a plant near Santa Cruz, Calif., generating electricity from landfill gas. The expected output is 12 gigawatt hours per year.
 
 SMUD's goal is to have renewable energy account for 33 percent of its power supply by 2020. Last year, renewable energy accounted for approximately 19 percent of SMUD's power supply.

SMUD to purchase landfill gas from Texas

Web news posted April 28, 2009, at 5:05 p.m. CDT
 
 <a href="http://www.environmentalpower.com/">Environmental Power Corporation</a>, a leader in the renewable bioenergy industry, announced that <a href="http://www.xergi.com/default.aspx">Xergi A/S</a> of Denmark has entered into a new technology agreement better reflecting EPC's build/own/operate business model. In addition, Xergi has agreed to acquire, in a private placement transaction, $3 million of EPC's 14 percent convertible notes on the same terms as the $5 million of EPC convertible notes issued in March 2009. Upon next month's expected closing, Xergi's $3 million payment obligation for the notes will be netted against Microgy's $3 million payment obligation for technology rights for certain upcoming projects.
 
 Under terms of the new agreement, EPC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Microgy Inc., will continue to have exclusive licensing rights for Xergi's anaerobic digester technology in North America, while reducing the license fees on Microgy's current and future projects. In addition, EPC and Xergi will continue to collaborate on development and use of other technologies and techniques such as the use of micro-organisms and enzymes, which enhance the production of biogas from manure and other organic substrates.
 
 "This investment and agreement demonstrate Xergi's continued confidence in Environmental Power's business model and its commitment to support the company's growth in the renewable energy market in North America. Together with Xergi, we will continue our work on technological advancements that will increase energy production from existing feed stocks, while lowering capital and operating costs for large-scale renewable energy projects," said Rich Kessel, president and CEO of Environmental Power. "We look forward to developing innovative solutions that maximize renewable energy from agricultural and other waste organic feed stock."
 
 "Environmental Power and its subsidiary Microgy have established themselves as the leader in development and commercialization of RNG(R) projects in North America," said Frank Rosager, president and CEO of Xergi. "We look forward to learning more about how to produce the equivalent of Environmental Power's RNG(R) product in Europe while supporting Environmental Power's continued growth in North America. This is truly a mutually beneficial relationship."
 
 Environmental Power Corporation is a developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy production facilities. Its principal operating subsidiary, Microgy Inc., develops and operates proven large scale, commercial anaerobic digestion based projects which produce a versatile methane-rich biogas from livestock waste and other organic sources. 
 
 Xergi A/S is a contractor and O&M operator with more than 20 years of experience within development, delivery, operation and maintenance of turnkey energy and environmental plants. The biogas and manure separation activities of the company are focused on exploitation of energy and nutrients in organic waste, while effective energy transformation of biogas, natural gas and landfill gas is the main element when it comes to power, heating and/or cooling solutions. 
 
 Source: Environmental Power Corporation

Environmental Power Corp., Xergi A/S enter into cooperative agreement

Web news posted April 30, 2009, at 3:39 p.m. CDT
 
 The 2009 International BIOMASS Conference & Expo in Portland, Ore., April 28-30 drew a record crowd of more than 1,000 attendees representing 25 nations. With six unique tracks and over 100 speakers, the event served as a timely and informative opportunity for networking across the biomass utilization and optimization industries. 
 
 "Biomass will change the world's energy future," said Mike Bryan, CEO of BBI International, who gave the opening remarks. "[Biomass-derived power] will do this in a way that does not create global conflict ... as an ambassador for peace." 
 
 The importance of biomass as a solution to ever-increasing energy demands was emphasized by each opening speaker at the first general session. America's dependence on foreign energy sources was a particular concern highlighted by the speakers, all of whom acknowledged the importance of passing legislation that supports the aims and initiatives of the biomass industries as a major component of any forward-looking agenda. 
 
 In his keynote address, Biomass Power Association (BPA) President Robert Cleaves spoke directly to the substance of continued energy and environmental policy reform. "In order to lead and have value, we need to be successful in the next era of environmental policy in this country," he said. "This industry needs to fight for every scrap it is given and the BPA is doing just that."
 
 Oregon DOE Director Michael Grainey reminded the general session crowd of exhibitors, project developers, technology providers, academia and other attendees of the great energy challenges the U.S. faces. "In Oregon, we spend over $12 billion a year on energy; half of that is for oil-most of it goes out of state, and much of it goes out of the country. Your state may be similar." 
 
 Grainey pointed out that the U.S. imports over two-thirds of the oil consumed in the U.S., twice the amount imported when the oil embargo drove fuel prices high over 30 years ago. "While the recent drop in oil prices provides relief, we are all still paying over five times the price we paid for oil just a few years ago," he said. "Oil is the largest cause of our trade deficit, our balance payments deficit, and the single largest cause of inflation."
 
 Major renewable energy initiatives have been taken in Oregon that are especially important to biomass, Grainey said, including an energy loan program which provides loans up to $20 million to cover capital costs of constructing renewable energy facilities. "We have over 30 biomass projects-totaling more than $100 million in landfill gas, cogeneration, and biofuel facilities. We also have two tax credits-a capital investment tax credit called a business energy tax credit, and a production tax credit to encourage biomass use." Oregon also has a renewable fuels standard (RFS) for ethanol which has been in effect for more than a year, and has legislation pending to activate a biodiesel RFS this fall. 
 
 Grainey said the new U.S. administration has shown good signs of support for biomass, particularly President Obama. "Even before his campaign, from his remarks you could tell that his forwarded belief in renewable energy is deeply felt," he said. "It is encouraging to know that we now have a strong ally at the very top of the White House-we have some fundamental choices to make about our energy future, and obligations to weigh the impacts of our energy choices. Your efforts will decide whether biomass and other renewable energy will play an increasing role in our future, or whether we will continue on a path of increased fossil fuels, increased pollution and increase imports," he concluded.

BIOMASS draws more than 1,000 to Portland

Powerbase Energy to commercialize waste-to-energy technology
 
 The Canadian government is contributing up to $480,500 in repayable funding to Powerbase Energy Systems Inc. (<a href="http://www.powerbase.com">www.powerbase.com</a>) a company that designs, markets and services renewable energy systems in Carleton Place, Ontario. The funding, allotted over a three year period, will help Powerbase Energy train employees, and cover the cost of equipment and other eligible expenses related to the commercialization of its 250 kilowatt (kW) modular power-generating units that convert agricultural waste into energy. 
 
 "We are very pleased to have the financial support of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the rollout of our Synergy Biogas product line. We are creating jobs locally and economic opportunities for farmers with renewable energy technology," said Rob Morley, president of Powerbase Energy. 
 
 The company's Synergy BioPower System involves a two-part process that transforms livestock and crushed oilseed waste into heat and electricity. Each modular system is capable of generating enough electricity to supply the electrical requirements of 200 homes. Each system also produces approximately 1 million British thermal units of heat energy per hour, which can be captured and utilized for a variety of on-farm applications. Excess electricity can also be sold to the Ontario power grid. 
 
 Commercialization of the Synergy BioPower Systems will provide farmers with additional income through the sale of surplus power to the Ontario power grid and will help reduce or eliminate their electricity costs. In addition to energy savings, other benefits include reducing greenhouse gases, manure odors and other pathogens in the environment, and simplifying the manure handling process. 
 
 The compact Synergy BioPower System is manufactured in a factory and shipped to customers as a finished product to be commissioned and coupled with a Powerbase Energy designed and constructed anaerobic digester, according to David Robinson, manager of sales and marketing at Powerbase Energy. The company is also in the process of developing bio-oil produced from seed and bean crushing equipment. 
 
 The $480,500 investment falls under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agri-Opportunities Program, a $134 million five-year program aimed at increasing market opportunities for the Canadian agriculture industry. 
 
 Source: Bioenergy Canada

Powerbase Energy to commercialize waste-to-energy technology

Research networks and technology organizations are collaborating on a project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using microalgae to convert carbon dioxide into renewable fuels and bioproducts. 
 
 The <a href="http://www.i-can.ca/cars-project">Carbon Algae Recycling System</a> project is designed by <a href="http://www.i-can.ca">Innoventures Canada </a>(I-CAN), a not-for-profit consortium of 10 Canadian research corporations including the Alberta Research Council, Saskatchewan Research Council and Quebec's Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec and Manitoba's Industrial Technology Centre. 
 
 The objective of the project is to create a technically and economically feasible algae conversion system suitable for Canadian weather conditions that can be integrated into large-final emitters such as power plants, refineries and other major carbon dioxide emitters. By providing an algae-based carbon management tool, I-CAN researchers can offer industries the opportunity to mitigate and convert carbon dioxide into value-added products such as biodiesel, ethanol and fertilizer. 
 
 The CARS project feeds low-grade waste heat and industrial flue gas directly into man-made ponds to heat and feed the growth of microalgae, which can be harvested and processed into biofuels and other bioproducts. 
 
 Stage one of the project was completed in 2008 and focused on identifying the conditions in which algae strains thrived. Ninety-eight percent of the world's commercial algae facilities use an open-pond system for producing algae, while the remaining 2 percent use photobioreactors, said Project Manager Quinn Goretzky. "After looking at the option between open ponds and photobioreactors, we came up with a hybrid system," said Cindy Jackson, lead engineer on the project. 
 
 CARS researchers are now developing a 90 centimeter (cm) deep, in-ground, covered pond that is subject to an intense lighting system that will penetrate every layer of algae and capture approximately 233,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. While traditional ponds are 30 cm deep, the covered pond system helps maintain a consistent temperature and environment and is able to achieve greater results by optimizing light conditions, lowering capital costs and reducing its overall environmental footprint. CARS researchers will test its concepts at a bench-scale level and then will progressively scale up from a small pond to a large pilot pond as the project develops, Jackson said. 
 
 The ultimate goal of the project is to produce a demonstration facility that can grow algae commercially year-round and is integrated with a large emitter, Goretzky said. "[We hope our research] takes the traditional industry base in Canada, reduces its carbon footprint, maintains jobs and adds a whole new industry base that is carbon neutral and environmentally friendly," he said. 
 
 The next stage of the study will involve the engineering and construction of a lab-scale demonstration facility at an industrial site. The project is anticipated to be complete in 2012. 
 
 Source: Bioenergy Canada

Microalgae used to develop a carbon recycling system

The California Energy Commission has voted to adopt the state's first <a href="http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CEC-600-2009-008/CEC-600-2009-008-CTF.PDF ">Investment Plan </a> for the Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program, which allocates a total of $176 million over the next two years to stimulate green transportation projects and encourage innovation to help meet the state's aggressive climate change policies. 
 
 The Investment Plan seeks to expand the use of low-carbon fuels and cleaner vehicles that are available today, while opening the market for more exotic technologies that will be required in the future. Over the next two years, the plan allocates $12 million for advanced ethanol fuel production facilities and E85 fueling stations. Of that $12 million, $3 million is expected to support ethanol feedstock and project feasibility studies for new plants, $5 million will support the establishment of E85 fueling stations, and $4 million will be allocated for fuel production incentives for existing ethanol production plants and new pilot plants. 
 
 "This program will provide an economic stimulus to create California jobs and businesses by encouraging the invention and in-state production of the fuels, technologies and services necessary for the future transportation system," said Energy Commission Vice Chair James Boyd. 
 
 The Energy Commission's first <a href="http://www.energy.ca.gov/contracts/index.html">grant solicitation</a>, released April 22, is focused on those who are applying to the federal government under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the funding of transportation projects. 
 
 A <a href="http://www.energy.ca.gov/proceedings/2008-ALT-1/notices/2009-04-27_staff_workshop.html ">public workshop </a> will take place April 27 at the Energy Commission in Sacramento to discuss the solicitation's objectives, process, timeline, and the potential projects that could be funded. 
 
 For more information on the Investment Plan, please see <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=5556">"California Energy Commission to invest in ethanol</a>." 
 
 Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

California adopts renewable fuels, vehicle plan

Cap-and-trade policies are part of many options being considered by Congress this spring as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 is crafted. The House Energy and Commerce Committee launched a week of hearings starting April 20 taking testimony on options for climate and energy policy. It's too early to tell which direction cap-and-trade legislation is headed, Rob Kelter, senior attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center said. "Cap and trade can mean a lot of very different things," he explained, "How you set the prices and where that money goes makes all the difference in the world." 
 
 At the beginning of the week, an economic analysis by national energy and environmental experts was released, countering industry claims that carbon-cap-and-trade legislation will be too costly for consumers. The report suggests energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy standards will make cap-and-trade legislation affordable, create 300,000 jobs by 2025 and save consumers more than $200 billion. 
 
 "This report shows that the doomsday predictions utility companies are making don't take into account the consumer benefits of this bill," Kelter said. "This legislation will be good for the economy and good for the environment."
 
 The Environmental Law and Policy Center was joined in the analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Energy Future Coalitions, Environment NorthEast, National Resources Defense Council and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The <a href="http://www.energyfuturecoalition.org/files/webfmuploads/Efficiency%20Docs/Three%20Pillars%20Approach%20for%20Electricity%204-13-09%20FINAL.pdf">full analysis </a> is available on the Web site, <a href="http//www.energyefficiencyworks.org">http//www.energyefficiencyworks.org</a>, as well as a fact sheet summarizing the <a href="http://energyefficiencyworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/fact-sheet-efficiency-renewables-climate-41609-final.pdf">report's findings</a>. 
 
 The report points out that the American Clean Energy and Security Act creates a three-pillar approach to climate and energy legislation. An Energy Efficiency Resources Standard would reduce electricity usage by at least 15 percent and natural gas usage by at least 10 percent by 2020. A Renewable Electricity Standard would increase renewable energy production to at least 20 percent by 2020. And a global warming cap would cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 percent below current levels by 2020 and by at least 80 percent by 2050.
 
 Some are saying the EERS and RES are overly ambitious and would increase costs to utility companies trying to meet emission reduction targets. The report argues that eliminating the standards or combining them in order to weaken both would be a mistake for the following reasons:
 
 1. Weakening or eliminating the EERS or RES results in fewer new jobs, lower utility savings for consumers and businesses, and fewer opportunities for new economic development-at a time when jobs and economic growth are top national priorities.
 
 2. Energy efficiency and renewable energy investments can help lower the cost of electricity under cap-and-trade legislation, saving consumers money. Energy efficiency reduces energy demand, providing utility bill savings and making the RES target easier to meet while renewable energy sources provide energy without the carbon dioxide emissions associated with traditional generation sources. Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources reduce the need for expensive new power plants, which in turn reduces the cost of generating power and cuts greenhouse gas emissions.
 
 3. An American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy analysis shows that electricity prices under cap-and-trade legislation will be 15 percent less if an EERS and RES are in place. In other words, investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy will help minimize the cost of complying with climate legislation.

Analysis finds benefits in clean energy bill

The <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:1:./temp/~bdLlWJ:@@@L&summ2=m&|/bss/111search.html">Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009</a>, or H.R. 1105, was recently signed into law. The $410 billion legislative package contains appropriations bills that were not completed in the 110th congress. Several biofuel projects, including those in Michigan, Minnesota and Louisiana, received funding under the legislation. 
 
 The bill awarded $1.4 million in U.S. DOE funding to the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Tree Improvement Center in Escanaba, Mich. The funding will be distributed by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and will allow MSU and Michigan Technological University scientists to research the use of woody biomass as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. 
 
 According to Dave Reed, Michigan Tech's vice president for research, the funding will be used to complete a state-wide assessment of woody biomass resources to understand how much wood is available for use as a biofuel feedstock. "In this part of the country we have a surplus of woody biomass available," Reed said. "In fact, the growth is about three times what is being utilized today. The question is if we can-in a cost effective way-capture some of that low-value material and use it for biofuel production." 
 
 In Louisiana, the bill allocates $1.9 million in funding to the Clean Power Energy Research Consortium, which is a joint venture among Louisiana universities to promote alternative fuels. Participating universities include Louisiana State University, the University of New Orleans, Tulane, Southern University, Nicholls State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 
 
 According to Donal Day, a professor at the Audubon Sugar Institute at Louisiana State University, a portion of the funding will be used to support an ongoing project that seeks to add cellulosic biorefining capabilities to existing raw sugar mills in the state. Part of that project includes investigating the pretreatment of cellulosic feedstocks. 
 
 An additional $427,250 in funding was awarded to Louisiana Tech University to support bionanotechnology research that will focus on alternative energy, including cellulosic ethanol. According to Les Guice, Louisiana Tech's vice president for research and development, the research on cellulosic ethanol will focus on using pioneering nanoassembly techniques to immobilize cellulose on the walls of bioreactors, thereby reducing costs. 
 
 The bill also awards $713,625 in funding to the Center for Renewable Energy at Minnesota State University, Mankato. A portion of the funding will be used to support ongoing research into producing cellulosic ethanol from alfalfa and wetland plants. The funding may also be used to develop program curriculum and support hybrid vehicle testing. 
 
 Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

Omnibus Appropriations Act funding supports ethanol research

Posted May 18, 2009, at 3:32 p.m. CST
 
 A steam generating biomass facility approved for the U.S. DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina will be a critical part of operations upon its completion, slated for December 2011.
 
 The DOE tasked Ameresco Federal Solutions, Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn., with its largest-ever Energy Savings Performance Contract to construct at the site one of the country's largest biomass facilities. The $795 million project will replace a deteriorating D Area coal powerhouse and oil-fired boilers, for a savings of about $34 million a year in energy, operation and maintenance costs, according to DOE. The plant also will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100,000 tons per year, a significant contribution toward the goal of reducing energy intensity by 30 percent and water intensity by 16 percent by the end of 2015, according to the DOE.
 
 The plant will run on about 322,000 tons of woody biomass per year, including waste from non-SRS timber companies, pellets and wood debris, according to Julie Petersen, DOE public affairs officer. The primary purpose of the facility is steam production, but it will produce about 20 megawatts of electricity as a byproduct, Petersen said. "Steam is a pretty critical part of our day-to-day operation," she said. Steam is used at the site to transport waste, reduce the volume of waste, control nuclear ventilation systems and operate turbines, among other functions. "It's a pretty big deal," she said. "This biomass plant will be much more efficient."
 
 As per the ESPC, Ameresco will finance, install and maintain the equipment-a steam cogeneration plant and two steam boilers-in the federal facilities. The government pays no up-front costs, offers a savings to taxpayers and the company's investment is repaid over time by the DOE from the cost savings the project generates, according to the DOE. Ameresco will be repaid during a 15-year debt service payback period. "It's no more than what we pay to operate the (D Area) facility now," Petersen said.
 
 The project will create 200 to 250 construction jobs, along with 20 more to maintain day-to-day operations once the facility is operational. Construction is scheduled to begin in August.

Biomass plant will provide steam for SRS operations

Web exclusive posted April 24, 2009, at 7:48 a.m. CST
 
 California's adoption of a low-carbon fuel standard jeopardizes continued development of the advanced biofuels it is intended to promote. Biotechnology Industry Organization Executive Vice President Brent Erickson issued the following statement regarding the decision today issued by the California Air Resources Board:
 
 "The biotechnology industry supports and applauds California's attempt to mitigate the impact of transportation on climate change through adoption of a low-carbon fuel standard. Unfortunately, the rule adopted today – in particular the inclusion of indirect land-use change measurements and methodology – may discourage investment in continued research and development of the same low-carbon biofuels that are needed by California to meet its goals.
 
 "California's regulation assigns to both conventional and advanced biofuels responsibility for international land-use changes – a source of greenhouse gas emissions as large as those from fossil fuels for transportation. The model incorporated in California's regulations to measure these emissions uses highly uncertain assumptions and may in fact be fundamentally flawed by its assumptions.
 
 "BIO has proposed to California's Air Resources Board that it maintain flexibility in its regulations to consider alternate models in the future that can more accurately measure land-use change. In its official comments on the regulation, BIO references a simple dynamic model currently under development for directly accounting for land-use change. BIO believes that a rigorous scientific and economic analysis will demonstrate that U.S. biofuels can make a positive contribution to the goal of reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and overall greenhouse gas emissions.
 
 "California is setting a precedent for the United States and possibly other countries with the adoption of this rule. It is imperative that they consider further development and refinement of the study of indirect land use change."
 
 For a copy of the comments from BIO, contact Paul Winters, director of communications, 202-962-9237, or pwinters@bio.org.
 
 Source: Biotechnology Industry Organization

BIO: California LCFS could hamper biofuels

Web exclusive posted April 24, 2009, at 7:53 a.m. CST
 
 The California Air Resources Board's vote to enact a standard that unfairly penalizes biofuels as compared to other fuels, including gasoline, according to Growth Energy.
 
 "We're disappointed with the board's vote," said General Wesley Clark, co-chairman of Growth Energy. "This was a poor decision, based on shaky science, not only for California, but for the nation. It is unfair to selectively single out the indirect effects of one fuel pathway while ignoring the significant indirect effects of all other fuels, including petroleum. Today's decision puts another road block in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels and stifles development of the emerging cellulosic industry."
 
 The regulation adopted by CARB unfairly penalizes biofuels by adding an "indirect land-use change" figure to the carbon intensity of biofuels.
 
 Growth Energy argued that applying indirect effects only to biofuels set an unequal standard since other fuels also have indirect greenhouse gas emissions effects. However, Growth Energy is pleased the CARB has agreed to continue its study of indirect effects, including indirect land-use change as well as the indirect effects of all other transportation fuels. Indeed, in a letter to Growth Energy sent by CARB Chairman Mary Nichols April 23, she noted that an "ongoing investigation" was needed to "evaluate the land use and other indirect effects of all transportation fuels."
 
 A study looking at one indirect effect from petroleum was published in the academic journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. The authors from the University of Nebraska found that the indirect emissions from safeguarding oil supplies in the Middle East double the carbon intensity of our gasoline imports from that part of world. This is just one of the many potentially significant indirect effects of fossil fuels that deserves further analysis.
 
 Today's ethanol has been getting cleaner, greener, and more efficient. Over a recent five-year period, ethanol production saw a 21.8 percent decrease in energy usage while corn yields increased by 6.4 percent. A recent study published in Yale's Journal of Industrial Ecology found that modern ethanol plants reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 59 percent in comparison to gasoline.
 
 "The inclusion of an indirect land-use change penalty against ethanol is not based on universally accepted science, puts our industry at an unfair disadvantage and would likely lead to increased dependence on foreign oil and stall efforts to create a greener economy," said Tom Buis, Growth Energy's CEO. "We're very supportive of a low-carbon fuel standard because ethanol is a low carbon fuel. Corn ethanol can thrive if all fuel pathways are calculated on a level playing field."
 
 According to the U.S. DOE, advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 86 percent relative to gasoline. The U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture found that 1.3 billion tons of U.S. biomass feedstock is potentially available for the production of biofuels - more than enough biomass to meet the new renewable fuel standard (RFS) mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Further, a recent study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors found that plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could sustainably replace nearly a third of gasoline use by the year 2030.
 
 Source: Growth Energy

CARB votes to include unfair, unproven theory in regulations

Web exclusive posted April 24, 2009, at 12:02 p.m. CST 
 
 Following months of consideration and public commentary sessions, members of the California Air Resources Board held a final day-long hearing April 23 to consider the adoption of a low-carbon fuel standard. Board members voted 9-1 in favor of the regulation, setting in motion a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the state by 16 million metric tons by 2020 and to require biofuel producers to meet "carbon intensity" standards, which include indirect land-use change (ILUC) considerations. 
 
 From its inception, the inclusion of ILUC in California's standard sparked controversy among members of the scientific community. At issue is whether or not ILUC can be accurately measured. As well, the ethanol industry has lobbied that ethanol is being held to unfair standards because petroleum producers would not be required to include ILUC in their carbon calculations. 
 
 CARB members agreed in their vote to reconsider the ILUC portion of the standard – a bright note in an otherwise dismal decision for the ethanol industry. The Renewable Fuels Association expressed disappointment in the passage of the standard but said members are confident the work group assigned to reassess the land-use analysis will determine a more balanced assessment of indirect GHG effects on all fuels. "Adopting this standard sets a dangerous precedent about the application of unproven science to industries across the country," RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen said. "In unfairly penalizing ethanol, ARB is relegating California to more petroleum use as biofuels are the only viable alternative liquid fuel." 
 
 Industry group Growth Energy also expressed its disappointment with CARB's decision. "This was a poor decision, based on shaky science, not only for California, but for the nation," said Growth Energy co-chairman Gen. Wesley Clark. "It is unfair to selectively single out the indirect effects of one fuel pathway while ignoring the significant indirect effects of all other fuels, including petroleum." Clark said California's decision will stifle the development of the cellulosic ethanol industry. 
 
 Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis said that if the work group establishes ILUC standards for all fuels, including petroleum, the ethanol industry will prosper. "We're very supportive of a low-carbon fuel standard because ethanol is a low-carbon fuel," he said. "Corn ethanol can thrive if all fuel pathways are calculated on a level playing field." 
 
 Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

California adopts LCFS 

Web news posted April 29, 2009, at 8:38 a.m. CDT
 
 <a href="http://www.verenium.com">Verenium Corp.</a>, Massachusetts-based developer of cellulosic ethanol and specialty enzymes, today announced the appointment of James Levine to the position of executive vice president and chief financial officer. 
 
 "As we advance to the commercial stage of our development Jamie will play a critical role in identifying and securing the necessary financing for individual projects and in building a healthy capital structure for the company," said Carlos A. Riva, president and CEO of Verenium. "His extensive experience in corporate and project finance, as well as in other advisory and investment banking activities within the energy industry, will be important assets as we continue building Verenium into a leading next-generation biofuels company. I would also like to thank Jeff Black for his stewardship as acting CFO and others on the senior team for their leadership these last few months," he added. 
 
 Prior to joining Verenium, Levine held various positions with Goldman Sachs & Co., most recently as a managing director in the power and utilities group in New York. Prior to that, he was a managing director in the energy group in London. The majority of his tenure at Goldman Sachs & Co. centered on investment banking in the oil and gas industries, with a particular focus on the refining and marketing sectors. Levine previously held positions with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Industrial Economics Inc. 
 
 Source: Verenium Corp.

Verenium names Levine CFO, executive vice president

Web news posted April 29, 2009, at 8:47 a.m. CDT
 
 With the 100 MMgy White Energy ethanol plant already in production there, folks in the self-proclaimed "Beef Capital of the World" of Hereford, Texas, eagerly await the next steps for Société Générale Group, the French financial services giant who acquired the unfinished 115 MMgy Panda Ethanol Inc. plant in Hereford last week for a $25 million credit bid in bankruptcy court. 
 
 "We're all hoping that, in a relatively short period of time, someone will purchase the ethanol plant and open it," said Sid Shaw, director of the Deaf Smith County Chamber of Commerce in Hereford. "We have one plant that's up-and-running and doing just fine and we think ethanol has a future. Hopefully, someone will come along here and purchase this plant and that it will ultimately become a viable producer of ethanol. It would be opportunistic for someone to get started in the business or maybe for some existing ethanol producer." 
 
 The Panda ethanol plant in Hereford was destined to be a unique operation in the Beef Capital, fueled by cow manure from nearby feedlots and supplying wet distillers grains with solubles to the cattle there. "This would have simply been a good opportunity for the feedlots in regard to the fact that there would have been a source that they could have taken that manure to," Shaw said. "[The ethanol plant] certainly would not have utilized all of the manure production that there is, (but) it might have made a pretty good-sized dent in the manure that we already have to process and dispose of. A lot of that over the years has been disposed of on farmland as fertilizer." 
 
 Shaw said there are approximately 1.5 million fed cattle within a 30-mile radius of Hereford. He said providing a manure-for-fuel disposal opportunity would not provide opportunities to expand feedlots in the area. "We already have all of the cattle in the world," he said, "so to speak." 
 
 Shaw said he is not aware of any local efforts to purchase the ethanol plant. Bill Pentak, director of corporate communications and investor relations for Panda, said the timing for closing the sale has yet to be determined. Jim Galvin, the media spokesperson for Société Générale, did not return phone calls.
 
 Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

French financiers acquire Panda Ethanol on credit bid

Posted May 12, 2009, at 1:07 p.m. CST
 
 A pilot project for growing algae in a wastewater treatment plant in St. Paul, Minn., will serve two functions: removing nitrogen and phosphorus from the water before it's flushed into the Mississippi River and flows into the Gulf of Mexico; and producing algal biomass for future use in the manufacturing of biofuels. In addition, the extracted nitrogen and phosphorus will be used to produce fertilizers. 
 
 A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota partnered with the Metropolitan Council for the project, using centrate-liquid waste separated from the solids-to grow several species of algae that can thrive in wastewater. The project started in 2006 on a much smaller scale, using wastewater in labs, and recently moved to Met Council's treatment plant.
 
 "It's an opportunity to grow algae on a larger scale in colder climates," said Todd Reubold, director of communications for the Institute on the Environment. "Rather than flushing all these nutrients, we're recycling them."
 
 "We view this [project] as an alternative for removing nutrients," said Bob Polta, lead project engineer at Met Council.
 
 Heavy research and experimenting went into choosing the strains, and the discovery that centrate is the optimal element. "After screening all kinds of algae, we found types that can grow in concentrated wastewater without any additional nutrients," said Roger Ruan, professor of bioproducts and biosystems engineering at the university, and director of the Center for Biorefining. 
 
 Using a wastewater plant to grow the algae saves a significant amount in capital and energy, said Rod Larkins, associate director of IREE. "You have to fertilize algae, but in our case, the fertilizer is already there," he said. "You save significant money by not having to add nutrients to the algae." The necessary high volume of water and heat are available, also. 
 
 The project will eventually save Met Council the cost of removing phosphorus to meet Minnesota Pollution Control Agency mandates, which is usually done by adding salts to the water. "We're looking at capital in the hundreds of millions of dollars to do that," Polta said.
 
 Using an enclosed photobioreactor allows algae growth to happen in a smaller area, is maintenance-free and allows growth throughout the tank, instead of just on the surface, Larkins said. 
 
 The team hopes to use gaseous waste from the Met Council's fluidized bed gasifier in the future, but currently gets its carbon dioxide supply from a pure tank. The team also is in early discussions with Xcel Energy to obtain waste carbon dioxide and maybe nitrogen oxide, according to Ruan. 
 
 Harvesting is done by centrifuge and the team uses pyrolysis to convert the biomass to bio-oil, but has not begun the process of converting that to biofuel. "We're working diligently on the pyrolysis oil," Larkins said. "The next logical step will be converting that to biodiesel." Ruan said it's uncertain when conversion will begin, as the team still is exploring processes. The biodiesel produced from that oil eventually will be used in Met Council's buses. 
 
 About 185 million gallons of wastewater come through the plant, which is Met Council's largest, on a given day, Polta said, producing about 1 million gallons of centrate. The pilot project treats about 200 gallons per day and currently is producing 2 pounds of dry solids-algal cell biomass and bacterial cell biomass-a day, Polta said. The team's goal is to eventually produce four grams of algae per liter of centrate, Larkins said, and the short-term oil production goal is 30 percent by weight. "In the long term, it'll be better than that," he said.
 
 "If we were to do this full-scale, my estimate is we could generate 1,000 to 4,000 gallons of oil per day," Polta said.

Algae project removes toxins, produces biomass

Web news posted April 29, 2009, at 1:34 p.m. CDT
 
 A new biogas cleanup technology has successfully passed first-phase trials conducted by United Kingdom-based <a href="http://www.aquafuelresearch.com/">Aquafuel Research Ltd. </a> The technology offers a low-cost treatment for landfill gas used in diesel engine electricity generators.
 
 Landfill gas, like sewage gas and other biogases, contains corrosive hydrogen sulfide which shortens the life of the lubrication oil in the engines used for electricity generation. Aquafuel's technology doubles the life of the engine's lubrication oil resulting in reduced oil consumption while reducing downtime and operational costs. 
 
 Paul Day, Aquafuel CEO, explained that the company's system reduces costs by treating only the portion of acidic sulfur gases that ends up in the crankcase – or about 5 percent of the total gas. "It's [in the crankcase] that the vital damage is done by degrading the lube oil," Day said. "This is where we protect, rather than scrubbing the whole incoming fuel." 
 
 The company estimates the process will work for one-tenth the capital and operational cost of conventional biogas scrubbing systems. Aquafuel's technology also senses and remotely monitors hydrogen sulfide levels in incoming gas, and automatically matches the dosing. 
 
 Aquafuel has run over 1,000 hours of trials at a European site with very high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the incoming gas flow. Lube oil consumption was reduced 57 percent in the trials. The engine was independently examined after the trials to verify no adverse effects occurred. Due to longer gaps between oil changes, the associated engine downtime was reduced by about 50 percent.
 
 Aquafuel is continuing second-phase trials on the same site to validate its automatic system monitoring the doses of consumables used to cleanup the gas.
 Detailed running costs will be calculated at the end of the full trial, but preliminary results indicate the final total savings will be around 30 percent, Day said. All phases of the trial are being monitored and verified by an independent consultant, and a full report will be available on completion. The company expects its technology to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2009.
 
 "Landfill gas is an important energy source worldwide. Unlike natural gas its electricity is renewable, and it prevents emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas," Day said. "Our cost effective technology makes electricity from landfill gas, bio gas and sewage gas more competitive by dramatically lowering operational costs."

Aquafuel tests new biogas cleanup technology

Web news posted April 29, 2009, at 1:37 p.m. CDT
 
 If Wisconsin would take advantage of "low hanging fruit" and cash in on the state's biomass potential via small-scale distributed energy systems, advantages would reach both the agricultural sector and rural communities, according to a recently released Program on Agricultural Technologies (PATS) policy perspective. 'How Could Small Scale Distributed Energy Benefit Wisconsin Agriculture and Rural Communities?' was published in late April.
 
 Authors Gary Radloff, director of policy and communications with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Alan Turnquist, outreach specialist at the Program on Agriculture Technology Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, say a distributed energy system in the state might curb logistical challenges that come along with large-scale, industrial production, such as biomass feedstock aggregation, short-term storage and transportation. "In policy discussion, we need to keep in mind policy incentives for smaller-scale operations," Radloff said.
 
 "For me, the thing that struck home was that all of these logistics behind biomass are so dependent on location," Turnquist said of his research. The small-scale distributed energy option is obvious, he said, creating a marriage between the idea of hundreds of thousands of producers and smaller-scale uses.
 
 Wisconsin has almost 15 million tons of potential biomass, the paper states, and if smaller local operations use that feedstock, it could increase energy production opportunities and increase returns for rural communities. It's not just the scale of biomass potential that makes distributed energy a powerful tool in Wisconsin, but also its diversity, Turnquist said. "The single biggest benefit is that we have the capacity to do it right now," he said. 
 
 Small-scale operations are starting to pop up around the state, according to Radloff, mostly at rural schools. Starting small and building out might be a way to build the biomass-to-energy infrastructure in the state, he added. Some larger projects also are in the works such as Governor Jim Doyle's order for four university campuses in the state to "come off the grid" and switch to biomass, Radloff said.
 If more energy is produced locally and used locally, it can complement other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, Radloff said. The two researchers compare local energy production to something most Wisconsinites can relate to, a local farmer's market; the money locals spend goes to other locals they might know personally.
 
 It is possible to construct a system in which a portion of the renewable energy dividend stays at home and the long-term benefits are shared by the landowner, farmer, forester or local community, Turnquist and Radloff write, as several biomass technology options can be economically efficient when located in rural settings, as indicated by studies and real world examples.
 
 But what if local people don't want the energy systems in their communities? According to Radloff and Turnquist, local systems would require local participation, including organization and decision making, that could eliminate the Not In My BackYard (NIMBY) opposition wind farms and new ethanol plants have met. If the payoff and decision-making process stay in the community, locals may rally more support toward community renewable energy products, they said. "It's not just about natural resources and infrastructure," Turnquist said. "It's also about people and communities."
 
 Opportunities also exist for small-scale projects to partner with larger-scale operations, according to the authors. They cite as an example Xcel Energy's 2008 proposal to add a biomass-to-energy burner to their existing plant in Ashland, which already uses woody biomass. 
 The amount of biomass that can be produced and harvested in Wisconsin still is an open question, the paper states, along with how much the communities actually will benefit from bioenergy and other renewables. But, it adds, local energy production is an important part of the state's economic future and policies should be crafted to ensure the economic and energy returns go to rural Wisconsin residents and that groups undertaking distributed energy projects can manage the risk in the bioenergy market.

Small-scale distributed energy benefits Wisconsin

Web news posted April 29, 2009, at 1:51 p.m. CDT
 
 Dynamotive USA Inc. secured a supply of 220,000 tons per year of sawdust from Southeast timber producer Springhill Land and Timber for a proposed bio-oil plant in southern Arkansas. That's more than enough to operate the facility, according to Delphin Thebaud, a Dynamotive representative, as it will require 200 tons per day, operating about 330 days per year.
 
 The contract secures the feedstock supply for an initial term of 10 years with pricing linked to energy prices in the region, according to Dynamotive USA, a subsidiary of Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. The company is working with El Dorado Chamber of Commerce on development of the plant, it said. Dynamotive Energy uses fast pyrolysis technology to convert waste celllulosic biomass into bio-oil for power and heat generation. Bio-oil can be further converted into liquid transportation fuels and chemicals.
 
 No specific site has been named for the $40 million plant, but the state of Arkansas was chosen because of its strong alternative energy policies, according to the company. A final selection should be made by the end of the year and construction should begin in 2010. The plant will incorporate Dynamotive's new technology on upgrading of bio-oil from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis, scheduled to be deployed in 2011, according to Dynamotive. The cost of the upgrade module is $7million, included in the $40 million figure.

Dynamotive secures feedstock supply for planned bio-oil plant

Web news posted April 30, 2009, at 4:09 p.m. CDT
 
 Participants in the 25Farmers Network will grow sunflowers, sweet sorghum and switchgrass this summer for use in manufacturing biomaterials and biofuels. It is the first crop they will plant for the program.
 
 The network is coordinated through Memphis Bioworks Foundation's AgBio initiative and consists of 25 western Tennessee farmers who will plant five acres each of experimental crops, a step toward identifying crops that can be grown locally for several potential products ranging from novel health products to biobased materials. The farmers will learn first-hand how to manage the new crops in the region and assess their variability as a long-term source in an ongoing pipeline, according to Memphis Bioworks. Their crops could be used in manufacturing biobased plastics, cleaning products, automotive components and consumer products like high fashion clothing and industrial plastics.
 
 "We picked three crops to start with and we hope to expand the range and increase acreage of the crops each year," said Hillary Spain, Memphis Bioworks representative. "We start with growing anything and everything on small plots to see what grows the best and has a potential market." The farmer participants have a say in which experimental crop they grow. 
 	
 Sunflowers have an oil market in Oklahoma, Spain said, and sweet sorghum can be used in manufacturing ethanol. "It's looking like it'll be a better crop for producing ethanol than corn," she said. Switchgrass production is targeted for future cellulosic ethanol production. "We're hoping there'll be a market for that in the next few years," Spain added. 
 
 For more information read an <a href="(http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2058&q=25%20Farmers%20Network).">October 2008 Biomass Magazine article on the 25Farmer Network.</a>

25Farmers Network plants 2009 trials of new crops

Web news posted May 1, 2009, at 7:38 a.m.
 
 Issues surrounding biomass-related greenhouse gas reduction opportunities and cap and trade systems were the topic of discussion during the second general session at the 2009 BIOMASS Conference & Expo in Portland, Ore.
 
 The session, which investigated possible issues surrounding carbon capture and trade in the U.S., included speakers Rena Gelb, vice president of Carbon Credit Capital; Bill Holmes, Stoel Rives LLP partner; and Peter Weisberg, offset project analyst of Onsite Power Systems.
 
 During her presentation, Gelb emphasized that although the U.S. market for carbon credits is in an early stage, numerous initiatives currently underway could affect project development according to type and location. "Regionally, cap and trade schemes create current demand for carbon credits, and a federal scheme is under discussion," she said. "Eligible projects, with respect to types and locations will vary with the different regional schemes, and hopefully a federal scheme will help this."
 
 The voluntary carbon markets create demand for a wider variety of projects, however voluntary carbon markets have limited liquidity and less developed financing structures. "Carbon finance have been used successfully in international compliance markets to assist with project financing, and this can serve as a model for the U.S. compliance models," Gelb said. 
 
 Holmes steered the panel toward legalities involved with carbon cap and trade. "These credits have value, and this is an initial point you need to keep in mind-whether in a voluntary market, or a regional compliance market, or under some sort of a federal cap and trade system," he said. "It's going to have greater value under a federal cap and trade system, but from a lawyer who sees a fair number of project documents, if this thing has value, everyone involved in the project needs to give very careful thought about who actually owns the carbon offset. It is by no means obvious, and that can create problems." 
 
 Holmes pointed out that if carbon credits become extremely valuable at some point, ownership will become something worth fighting over. "Is it the developer? Is the lessor, or is it some other party? Don't assume the answer to that question," he said. "The need to communicate that effectively in agreements is essential."
 
 A complete 2009 BIOMASS Conference & Expo review, including general sessions and track sessions, will be published in the June issue of Biomass Magazine.

BIOMASS examines carbon cap and trade

Web news posted May 1, 2009, at 10:04 a.m. CDT
 
 The 2009 International BIOMASS Conference & Expo, the largest conference in North America dedicated to biomass derived power, fuels and chemicals, grew by more than 20 percent with a record attendance of 1,034 conferees in Portland, Oregon. More than 700 companies from around the world were represented, and the sold-out expo hall had 133 booths.
 
 "It's tough to imagine a better turnout," said Mike Bryan, CEO of BBI International which owns and operates the event. "We are all pioneering an industry that will take us to unimaginable heights. We expect this conference to catch on like wildfire in the coming years."
 
 With six unique tracks dedicated to the feedstocks utilized by the biomass family of industries, attendees benefited from presentations by the 117 speakers at the event. Attendees themselves came from 47 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, 24 countries in all representing six continents.
 
 Preparation is underway for the third annual event to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "The 2010 International BIOMASS Conference & Expo promises to provide an even more engaging and targeted environment for suppliers, developers and emerging industry leaders," said Michael Clarke, Director of Conferences for BBI.
 
 With investment in green technologies on the rise, the conference was designed by BBI International as a format for the diverse family of industries that utilize biomass-derived power, fuels and chemicals to reach their constituent industries.

BIOMASS conference breaks attendance record

Web news posted May 1, 2009, at 10:07 a.m. CDT
 
 As part of the Obama administration's plan to improve the U.S. energy strategy, a new organization has been created within the U.S. DOE with the sole purpose of funding research and development of transformational energy-related technologies.
 
 The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy has a $150 million budget to aid in financing potentially disruptive technologies. According to the agency's funding announcement, it is willing to take on high-risk projects and will have the flexibility to work with companies that have traditionally been unable to work with the federal government. "ARPA-E's role is more than simply providing R&D funds," the announcement stated. "ARPA-E will actively work to make your R&D succeed." The agency anticipates awarding between $2 and $5 million to the majority of accepted projects. Certain projects may be selected to receive up to $10 million and, in extremely exceptional cases, the agency may choose to accept efforts for up to $20 million.
 
 Interested parties are encouraged to submit concept papers for projects. Submitted papers should explain the "kernel of the R & D idea" and, if accepted for funding, will form the basis of the full project application. Papers can be submitted at www.fedconnect.net and will be accepted from May 12-June 2. 
 
 All types of entities are encouraged to apply, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, academic institutions and research foundations. Partial participation from foreign entities is allowable, but the lead organization must be based in the U.S. According to the agency, the call for concept submittals is intentionally broad on applications and technologies, so as not to rule out any possibilities. However, concepts must be focused on transformational R&D and potentially cover all aspects of the agency's mission areas.
 
 The mission areas of ARPA-E are to locate and advance immature technologies that promise to reduce U.S. consumption of foreign energy sources, reduce energy-related emissions, improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors and to ensure a U.S. lead in energy technologies. While it is yet unclear how ethanol projects may be viewed by the agency, the program has the potential to provide funding for projects that have so far been unable to secure financing due to the high-risk and unproven nature of their technologies.
 
 Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

New DOE agency seeks concept papers for energy projects

Web exclusive posted May 4, 2009, at 10:07 a.m. CST
 
 A network in development between scientists and universities in the U.S. and Brazil should help forge partnerships and collaboration in biofuels-related research.
 Funded by the U.S. Department of State and coordinated by the Fulbright Commission, Brazil, the Brazil–U.S. Higher Education Network's Biofuel Network aims to promote awareness of research activities, improve communication, and develop and enhance scientific exchange between the two countries in the biofuels field, according to Fulbright Brazil.
 
 This is the first such program coordinated by Fulbright, according to Thais Rodrigues Coser, Fulbright Secretariat–Thematic Networks coordinator. "I believe this network could help not to duplicate efforts," she said. "The basic objective is to work as a clearinghouse so people know what is going on in Brazil and what is going on in the U.S. in research."
 
 The Biofuel Network's Web page, <a href="www.brazil-usa-henetwork.org/biofuels">www.brazil-usa-henetwork.org/biofuels</a>, includes for its members a forum, a virtual library and database with educational and research background, and contact information for members divided by area of interest. When collaboration begins, information about joint research projects, published articles, products, patents and other topics will be updated in the network and on the Web page, according to Fulbright. Network participants also will meet periodically for workshops.
 
 The network advisory boards, one in each of the two countries and made up of researchers from academic, federal and private sector firms, are taking applications for membership and will base decisions on specific criteria including a doctoral degree and at least one article published in a scientific journal or a research project on biofuels in the works, according to the network's Web site. Graduate students may join if they are recommended by a thesis adviser or coordinator and if they possess required qualifications, it says. The registration form for membership can be found on the Web site.
 
 As Brazil and the U.S. are global leaders in biofuel research, drawing them together through a cohesive mechanism makes sense, according to Andre Boehman, advisory board member from Pennsylvania State University. "There are more opportunities for contact and collaboration."
 
 The Brazil–U.S. Higher Education Network also will develop networks for research collaboration in the areas of environmental sciences and health, but partnerships in biofuels research will be especially beneficial, Coser said. The network also is expected to provide information and access to funding opportunities for research and projects. 
 
 The network initiative developed from a meeting in August, 2007, when U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and a U.S. university delegation visited Brazil to discuss areas of mutual interest, according to Coser. Together with Brazilian university rectors, the delegation identified the need for closer information sharing between higher education sectors in the two countries. 
 
 Board members have identified nine important sub-fields of biofuels research on which to focus: feedstocks; biodiesel; alcohol fuels; hydrocarbons and synthetics; hydrogen; coproducts; engines and lubricants; life-cycle analysis; and environmental, social and economic sustainability, according to the Web site.
 
 The Biofuels Network advisory boards met face-to-face for the first time in late February in Florida. Each had met in their respective countries previously. February's meeting established the first short course on biofuels technology offered to graduate students and professionals from both countries. It is slated for July 27 through Aug. 7 this year at the University of Sao Paulo Institute for Advanced Studies, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Forty participants, 20 from each country, will be admitted to the course, Coser said, and instructors also will hail from both countries. 
 
 The course is an important tool and vehicle for people who want to learn and discuss the best ways to serve the biofuels community, according to Michael Haas, of the USDA'a Agricultural Research Service center in Philadelphia and one of two network co-leaders. Information on the course and registration can be found on the Biofuel Network Web site. 
 "The Biofuel Network is intended to and very likely will be successful in bringing people together," Boehman said. That facilitated collaboration among researchers is the key benefit to the network, he added.

U.S-Brazil develop biofuels network 

Web exclusive posted May 4, 2009, at 12:55 p.m. CST
 
 Disconnected information on biofuels scattered across numerous Web sites and geographical areas can make it difficult to find the right source. The Biofuels Center of North Carolina launched a global wiki in April to address the problem.
 
 The Biofuels Wiki is designed to create a one-stop hub for interconnected information about renewable liquid fuels and establishes a virtual community of biofuels industry experts, agronomists, foresters, entomologists, researchers, environmentalists, college professors and anyone else interested in the future of biofuels, according to the Biofuels Center of North Carolina. Information on the wiki comes from its members, who will post their knowledge on their topic of interest or expertise, sharing it with all other registered members. Edits and additions to topic pages are done in real-time and the more contributors, the cleaner and better the wiki content will be, according to the center. 
 
 The wiki makes it possible to educate members and the public about issues related to large-quantity sustainable production of biofuels all in one place, including feedstock, research, training, logistical solutions, policy, commerce and distribution, among others.
 
 Members can find information via search or through cross links between terms and topics. Registration is required to add or change information.
 
 Unlike traditional, static Web sites, wikis allow ongoing creation and collaboration from their members. The Biofuels Wiki also allows for professional networking within the biofuels community, promoting partnerships and providing a window for biofuels companies to find employees and interns through a searchable resume database, according to the center. Companies also may use the wiki to explain their technologies and what makes them unique to potential investors.
 
 For more information or to register on the wiki, visit the homepage at <a href="http://www.biofuelswiki.org">www.biofuelswiki.org</a>

Biofuels Wiki makes information gathering easier

Web exclusive posted May 5, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. CST
 
 Creation of a federal working group promises the government commitment needed by industry to ensure that biofuels will become a significant part of the U.S. transportation energy mix. The proposed rule for the renewable fuel standard confirms that biofuels done the right way can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce U.S. dependence on gasoline. The Biotechnology Industry Organization today applauded President Barack Obama's announcement of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group tasked with developing a comprehensive program to support sustainable production of biofuels and welcomed the opportunity to offer comments on the U.S. EPA's proposed rule for the renewable fuel standard.
 
 Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO's industrial and environmental section, said, "The Obama administration is sending a strong message to the industry that the federal government is committed to biofuels. This working group can better coordinate programs and help to stimulate the new investment needed to improve current biofuels production and rapidly commercialize advanced biofuels.
 
 "Though a number of federal programs support biofuels, the resources to coordinate and fund these programs has been lacking. This working group can coordinate the development of new feedstocks, transportation and delivery of products, alternative fuel distribution networks and vehicles, and many other parts of the biofuel value chain. This decisive move by the Obama administration to form a high-level group to oversee the continued advancement of biofuels is the strong signal the marketplace has been waiting for in these tough economic times. BIO and its member companies thank President Obama for his leadership on this issue."
 
 BIO previously asked federal policymakers to implement a comprehensive policy approach to support biofuels and biobased products deployment and to inject immediate capital for biorefinery construction, feedstock development, and fuel delivery infrastructure. The current economic crisis threatens to slow the deployment of advanced biofuel technology that is ready for market. Advanced biofuel producers must invest now in infrastructure and construction of biorefineries to meet the growth trajectory of the renewable fuel standard in coming years.
 
 Jim Greenwood, BIO president and CEO, added, "The proposed rule announced today by the EPA highlights ways that biofuels producers can continue to improve energy efficiency and reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Both conventional and advanced biofuels that employ industrial biotechnology can reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transportation significantly compared to petroleum gasoline. Biotechnology can help farmers and biofuel producers reduce carbon emissions by increasing yields from existing crop land; increasing yields of fuel per ton or bushel of raw material; and reducing fossil fuel inputs in agriculture and biorefining.
 
 "The Energy Independence and Security Act called on EPA to conduct a life-cycle analysis that fairly and accurately compares the amount of U.S. carbon emissions from biofuels and petroleum. The EPA's analysis has singled out biofuels for both domestic and international land use change impacts. Measuring carbon emissions from land use change is a new science that still contains many uncertainties, and changing basic assumptions about biofuel production, agricultural yield, and land management can dramatically affect the outcome of life cycle analysis models. We believe – and the EPA's initial analysis shows – that biotechnology will have an increasingly beneficial impact on energy intensity and land use within the biofuel production cycle.
 
 "Advanced biofuels are a key part of the low-carbon economy of the future. Rapidly increasing U.S. production of advanced biofuels is a sound way to significantly reduce U.S. reliance on imported petroleum and carbon emissions associated with climate change. Continued federal support can help the industry weather the current credit crisis and the risk of oil price volatility. Development of the advanced biofuels industry could have the added benefits of producing hundreds of thousands of new green jobs and contributing more than $140 billion in economic growth."
 
 BIO supports the production of biofuels from all feedstocks. Agricultural biotechnology is helping to increase crop yields, while industrial biotechnology is helping to convert crops, crop residues and other feedstocks into ethanol more efficiently. With ongoing advances in biotechnology, biofuels can help America meet nearly half its transportation-fuel needs by the middle of this century.
 
 
 SOURCE: BIO

BIO applauds Obama for sending a positive signal on biofuels

Web exclusive posted May 5, 2009, at 12:45 p.m. CST 
 
 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson held a joint press conference May 5 to announce the development of an interagency working group that has been formed at the request of President Barack Obama to expedite advanced biofuels research and commercialization. 
 
 The interagency working group, which will include members of the USDA, DOE and EPA, will evaluate roadblocks to the continued development of biofuels, and determine ways in which they can be reduced or eliminated. "What the President is suggesting is the need for integration within these departments, and then further coordination within the industry," Vilsack said. "I suspect that the interagency working group will learn a lot about these rules, regulations, concerns and barriers. We'll work with our colleagues in other agencies of government to try to reduce those." Members of the working group will work with members of the biofuels industry to restructure previous investments, expand the use of flexible-fuel vehicles, and coordinate compatible infrastructure with the goal of expanding the use and availability of biofuels. 
 
 The president has also requested that the USDA begin to implement Farm Bill programs to aid in the development of advanced biofuels within the next 30 days. This includes more than $1.1 billion in funding to support the development of advanced biorefineries, assist existing facilities to convert from fossil fuel use to renewable power use, and create opportunities for producers to receive assistance to produce new cellulosic crops. "He has also asked us to immediately take our credit programs and see if there are ways in which we can assist existing facilities who are currently stressed to restructure their investments and their financing in a way that gives them additional time to get through these difficult times," Vilsack said. 
 
 During the press conference, Jackson also announced that EPA's proposed rulemaking for the second stage of the renewable fuel standard as enacted by the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 (RFS2) will be released later today. According to Jackson, the law calls for indirect land use to be part of the analysis. She also said that EPA is soliciting peer reviewed scientific feedback to ensure that the finalized rule reflects the best available science. Specific areas of review, she said, will include a peer review of the satellite data that is used to project future land-use changes, land conversion greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions factors, the estimates of GHG emissions from foreign crops, the methods to account for variable timing of GHG emissions, and how the various models are used together to provide overall lifecycle GHG estimates. 
 
 Although Chu acknowledged that the ultimate goal is to transition away from corn ethanol, it was noted that corn ethanol is an extraordinarily important bridge necessary for the development of next-generation biofuels. According to Jackson, the proposed rule currently shows that corn ethanol is 16 percent better than gasoline in respect to life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Obama administration outlines biofuels agenda

Web exclusive posted May 5, 2009, at 12:57 p.m. CST
 
 Algal oil extraction company OriginOil Inc. reported it has partnered with Beligum-based oil and fats technology developer Desmet Ballestra to create a more cost-efficient algae oil extraction system.
 
 OriginOil CEO and President Riggs Eckelberry announced the partnership during a speaking engagement at the National Algae Association's fifth quarterly meeting, where he discussed potential gains from OriginOil's technology breakthrough. Eckelberry's presentation from the conference can be found on the OriginOil Web site at <a href="http://www.originoil.com/">http://www.originoil.com/</a>.
 
 Eckelberry said that like most current algae oil extraction systems on the market, the Desmet systems are quite expensive, but in early studies when implemented with OriginOil's system, the companies have estimated that energy efficiency gains may reach 90 percent in certain configurations.
 
 Recently, OriginOil announced it is making progress toward reducing the cost of harvesting algae and extracting the oil in a rapid, one-step process utilizing an ultrasound-based Quantum Fracturing process with pH modification and electromagnetism. (See "OriginOil achieves rapid algae oil extraction" at <a href="http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3417">http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3417</a>.) 
 
 Desmet Ballestra North America President and CEO Timothy Kemper said the companies expect to announce further industry-impacting details in the months to come.

OriginOil partners with Desmet Ballestra

Posted May 12, 2009, at 1:55 p.m. CST
 
 Vancouver, Canada-based biomass-to-fuel company Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. and BlueLeaf Inc., a Canadian private applied environmental research company, have released the results of a year-long test applying Dynamotive's CQuest Biochar in commercial farming test plots. The tests revealed an overall increase in crop yield from 6 percent to 17 percent in plots where biochar was applied versus the control plots 
 
 The field trial using Dynamotive's biochar, which is produced through fast pyrolysis of hardwood waste material, was performed as a preliminary evaluation of the use of biochar in commercial farming operations in Canada, as well as in relation to local climate and soil conditions. The test plots were located on a farm in eastern Quebec.
 
 Objectives of the experiment included determining the influence of biochar on certain basic physicochemical and biological soil and plant parameters, the ability of biochar to retain certain nutrients and moisture in the soil, the influence of biochar on soil microbial communities and crop and biomass yields, the influence of biochar on greenhouse gas emissions from the soil, and to evaluate a method of handling and application of biochar to the soil.
 
 According to the report, the biochar was packed at the Dynamotive production facility in 45-gallon (200-liter) steel drums, each containing approximately 55 kilograms (approximately 121 pounds) of product, and shipped by truck to the farm trial site. The product used in the trial was produced in 2007 and kept in storage by the producer until shipment to the trial site in 2008.
 
 The targeted application rate for the biochar was 2.5 tons per acre. A significant concern during the spreading of this material was loss due to biochar's fine particle size, according to the report. Although some biochar was lost at various stages of handling, losses while it was being spread on the fields were the highest. Although wind velocity was low at the time of spreading, loss rates were visually estimated to be significant, totaling approximately 30 percent. Assuming this rate of loss, the actual application of biochar for this trial would be 1.75 tons per acre. "It appears therefore essential from this experience to find methods to reduce such losses," the report said. 
 
 Crop and plant yields were measured using three different methods, including plant density at harvest, individual plant analysis and yield at harvest using harvester machine calculations. In certain planting methods, plant density increased up to 41 percent. The overall average was a 24 percent plant density increase with biochar use. 
 
 Test results in full are available here at <a href="http://dynamotive.com.c9.previewyoursite.com/wp-content/themes/dynamotive/pdf/BlueLeaf_Biochar_Field_Trial_2008.pdf">http://dynamotive.com.c9.previewyoursite.com/wp-content/themes/dynamotive/pdf/BlueLeaf_Biochar_Field_Trial_2008.pdf</a>. 
 
 In the U.S., Dynamotive is supporting several different research efforts including a study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service to quantify the effects of amending soils with CQuest Biochar on crop productivity, soil quality, carbon sequestration and water quality. Initial findings from that study are expected to be available later this year.
 
 The company recently reported that it had secured a supply of 220,000 tons per year of sawdust from Southeast timber producer Springhill Land and Timber for a proposed bio-oil plant in southern Arkansas (for more information see "Dynamotive secures feedstock supply for planned bio-oil plant" at <a href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2642">http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2642</a>.

Dynamotive, BlueLeaf release biochar test results

Posted May 12, 2009, at 5:17 p.m. CST
 
 Oglethorpe Power Corp. recently purchased a 355-acre site in Warren County, Ga., for a planned 100-megawatt biomass electric generating plant. The site is one of five considered last fall as potential sites for two, possibly three, facilities, according to the company.
 
 Each plant will use about 1 million tons of woody biomass-wood from sawmills, forest residue, whole tree chips and chopped pulpwood-per year, according to Greg Jones, director of public relations for Oglethorpe. Studies determined that nearby forests will be able to provide the necessary biomass supply. "More is already being grown than harvested," he said. "The bottom line is there's adequate supply."
 	
 Each biomass facility will require a capital investment of between $400 million and $500 million, according to the company, which will try to get funding from the rural utilities service, Jones said. The sites must undergo an independent environmental review and evaluation, required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The process will include public meetings at the potential sites to gain input. The review at the Warren County site, and one being considered in Appling County, will take place in the next 18 to 24 months, during which time Oglethorpe will work on acquiring the necessary environmental permits.
 
 Each plant will provide about 40 permanent jobs, plus several hundred workers in the construction process, according to the company. In addition, about 400 to 500 more jobs per plant could be generated to gather and transport the biomass.
 
 Construction on the first plant is expected to begin in 2011 and it should be commercially operational by the summer of 2014, according to the company. The second plant will be operational by 2015 and if a third is built, it also will be operational at that time.
 
 The second plant might be in Appling County and Oglethorpe has a third option in Echols County, along with two alternative sites in Washington County, according to Oglethorpe, although no other sites have been purchased yet. The sites in Warren and Appling counties are preliminarily preferred.
 
 For more information on the projects, see the September 2008 Biomass Magazine article titled ‘Oglethorpe Power to Develop Three Georgia Plants' at <a href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2030&q=Oglethorpe%20Power%20Corp">http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2030&q=Oglethorpe%20Power%20Corp</a>.

Oglethorpe purchases acreage for biomass plant

Web exclusive posted May 5, 2009, at 1:13 p.m. CST
 
 The newly funded Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation at Pennsylvania State University will be home to investigations into plant cells to produce better biomass fuels. The U.S. DOE will fund the center with $21 million for over five years as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the university.
 
 Daniel Cosgrove, a professor of biology, will direct the center in its efforts to increase knowledge of the physical structure of biopolymers in plant cell walls-cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin-and improve methods for the conversion of plant biomass to fuel, according to the university. Jeffrey Catchmark, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering, will serve as associate director.
 
 "It's fundamental research to help understand the structure and formation of this material," Cosgrove said.
 
 Nanoscale investigations of lignocellulose-the part of the plant made up of biopolymers-will reveal the rules and principles behind how the plant manufactures those biopolymers. Researchers will look for the "rules of assembly" for the plant wall, including cellulose synthesis, lignocellulose assembly and the relationship between nano-scale structure and macro-scale properties, according to the university.
 
 Research conducted at the center will be distributed among its 18 labs and researchers, said Cosgrove, who hopes to begin by Aug. 1.
 Materials such as cellulose and lignin make up wood, paper, cotton and other everyday materials, according to Cosgrove, and represent a huge untapped reserve of biorenewble energy. 
 
 "Our new center will try to pry loose the secrets of how these molecules interact to form these substances that have so many practical uses as an energy source and a material," Cosgrove said. 
 
 The lignocellulose center is one of 46 DOE Energy Frontier Research Center facilities formed nationwide to address issues in fields ranging from solar energy and electric storage to materials sciences, biofuels and carbon capture and sequestration, according to the university.

Center to investigate plant cells

Posted May 6, 2009, at 1:10 p.m. CST
 
 A new method for converting algae into renewable natural gas for use in pipelines and power generation has been transferred from the U.S. DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to the marketplace under a license between Genifuel Corp. and Battelle. 
 
 The method, called catalytic hydrothermal gasification, creates natural gas out of algae - more quickly, more efficiently and at higher yields than other biofuel processes. Genifuel expects the process also requires less capital investment. The license agreement moves this technology for renewable energy production a step closer to commercial reality. Battelle operates PNNL for DOE.
 
 "Algae and other aquatic biomass hold significant promise for our country's ability to produce renewable energy domestically," said Genifuel President Jim Oyler. "At Genifuel we have developed efficient growth and harvesting techniques for the aquatic biomass. With this gasification process, we can convert the biomass to a clean fuel that is almost completely carbon-neutral." 
 
 He calls the PNNL process an "elegant system," noting that more than 99 percent of the biomass is gasified to produce renewable natural gas and byproducts such as carbon dioxide which can be recycled and reused in the algae growth ponds. 
 
 PNNL originally developed the catalytic gasification process to clean up industrial and food processing waste as an alternative to incineration. Over the past 10 years, PNNL scientists advanced the technology to include a more stable catalyst that enables it to also convert wet biomass, such as algae. PNNL has tested the gasifier with terrestrial plants, kelp and water hyacinths. It works especially well for aquatic biomass such as algae, because the feedstock doesn't require drying before fuel production.
 
 Battelle granted Genifuel an exclusive license for the technology. As a national laboratory, one of PNNL's missions is to advance science and technology toward solutions that industry can take to the marketplace.
 
 "Electricity produced from this natural gas can help electric utilities meet renewable portfolio standards that require renewable energy sources," Oyler said. "Existing natural gas pipelines can deliver the fuel, or it can be used to produce electricity onsite in conventional natural-gas turbine generators." 
 
 The PNNL gasifier runs at relatively low temperatures - 350-degrees Celsius compared with 700-degrees or more for other systems - in a small stainless steel reactor. 
 
 According to Doug Elliott, the PNNL scientist who invented the gasification process, "It is simple - we put wet biomass like algae in the gasifier, where it is catalytically converted, and we collect fuel gas and byproducts. 
 
 "It's serendipity that our system creates carbon dioxide as a byproduct that Genifuel needs naturally to grow the algae," he said. "It's a completely green process."
 
 Compared with other methods of gasifying biomass, such as anaerobic digestion, PNNL's process works 400 times faster and gives higher yields.
 
 While simple in concept, the science behind the gasification process is actually quite complex. The technology has been under development for a number of years. PNNL scientists have achieved significant advances in the chemistry of catalysts and the selection of the optimum temperatures and pressures for the process, as well as improving the systems to protect the catalyst from impurities in the biomass.
 
 PNNL scientists have extensive expertise in catalysis and reaction engineering, with particular focus on solutions for efficient use of bioproducts, converting biomass and renewable feedstocks to fuels and chemicals, and reducing environmental emissions.
 
 Genifuel grows aquatic biomass, such as algae, in shallow ponds or troughs, then harvests and processes the biomass for conversion using the PNNL technology. Water used in the growth ponds doesn't have to be high-quality fresh water, and can be treated wastewater, brackish or alkaline water, or even salt water, Oyler said. Noncrop land can be used, so the process doesn't compete with food production. 
 
 SOURCE: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

Low-cost process produces natural gas from algae

Gilbert, AZ – <a href="http://www.diversified-energy.com">Diversified Energy Corp.</a>, an alternative and renewable energy technology development company, is seeking to extend its international patent protection for its Centia™ second-generation biorefinery technology. Based on technology exclusively licensed from North Carolina State University, the Centia™ process can use virtually any triglyceride feedstock (virgin oils, waste greases, animal fats, algal oils, among others) to produce fuels similar to petroleum-derived gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The fuels produced will closely match the chemical, kinetic, and combustion characteristics of petroleum, therefore allowing the fuels to be stored, distributed, and used in vehicle engines without infrastructure modifications. 
 
 In fact, expectations are that cetane number (for diesel), octane number (for gasoline), and cold flow characteristics will be superior to petroleum fuels. The process is not based on traditional hydrotreating approaches and therefore results in a very low carbon footprint and the ability to economically build and operate distributed fuels production plants placed in close proximity to the sources of feedstock and fuel usage.
 
 Since 2006 Diversified Energy and North Carolina State University have funded and conducted research and development to validate the technology and scale-up the architecture. The technology is also currently advancing under a government grant. Lab scale demonstrations of each of the process steps have been successfully completed to showcase the technical and economic viability of the approach. Diversified Energy has recently submitted multiple proposals to the federal government and private investors for funding to continue to develop and optimize the architecture.
 
 Diversified Energy recently received a positive patentability analysis from the European Patent Office, whose purpose is to assess the novelty, inventiveness, and industrial applicability of patents for the European market. As a result of this review and the excellent technical progress to date, Diversified Energy is planning to extend its international patent protection into DEC000680 approximately 55 countries around the world. These include some of the largest worldwide consumers of petroleum transportation fuels such as China, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Russia, the UK, and India. Such actions will preserve the opportunity for Diversified Energy to build plants in these countries or sublicense the technology to international strategic partners.
 
 Jeff Hassannia, vice president of business development, commented, "Based on the technical results generated to date, coupled with positive indications of the strength of our IP claims, we believe this to be one of the most attractive biorefinery technologies emerging in the marketplace. This has resulted in our desire to seek wide international protection for Centia™."
 
 Headquartered in Gilbert, Ariz. (a suburb of Phoenix), Diversified Energy is a privately held alternative and renewable energy company focused on maturing innovative technologies, developing commercial energy projects, and providing engineering services support to project developers. Principal areas of expertise include biofuels, gasification and algal biomass production. Diversified Energy is an exclusive worldwide licensee of the Centia™ biorefinery technology.
 
 Source: Diversified Energy Corp.

Diversified Energy Corp. files patent protection for Centia technology

Posted May 6, 2009, at 4:12 p.m. CST
 
 Fibrowatt LLC's plans for three poultry-litter fueled power plants in North Carolina are raising questions about the environmental impact. The three plants include a 40 megawatt (MW) facility near Elkin in Surry County, a 55 MW plant near Biscoe in Montgomery County and a 55 MW plant near Faison in Sampson County.
 
 Fibrowatt, a Pennsylvania-based development company, brought its first plant online in 2007 in Benson, Minn. Fibrominn LLC uses more than 500,000 tons of poultry litter annually as feedstock for the 55 MW power plant. Fibrowatt, owned by Homeland Renewable Energy Inc., was founded by the management team that built the world's first three poultry-litter-fueled power plants in the U.K. in the 1990s. 
 
 Terry Walmsley, vice president of environmental and public affairs for Fibrowatt, doesn't consider the recent citizen concerns as opposition. "What we've worked very hard on is being out there and answering any questions," he said. "You can characterize it as opposition, but what we've found is that in many cases it is a need to further communicate and better understand and explain the situation than anything." The company has been doing just that by holding open houses to answer questions, and posing common questions and answers on its Web site.
 
 One of the questions was whether the Fibrowatt poultry-fired plant would be dirtier than coal-fired power plants. It is difficult to compare Fibrowatt's biomass-fired plant with the new coal-fired plant being proposed for the state, Walmsley said, partly because of the difference in scale and the inherent difference in fuels, and their impacts on emissions.
 
 In Minnesota, the startup optimization took longer than what the company would have liked, he added, "and it's been reflected in the emission profiles." It took nearly a year to fine-tune two technologies that had never been used at that scale with poultry-litter-biomass fuel-a unique, high-nitrogen fuel. It was the first use of selective noncatalytic reduction for nitrogen oxide (NOx) control. "As we started the plant up we had instances as we were going fully commercial, where we did have elevated NOx emissions. It wasn't where we would have liked to be, but it's not unusual for the start up of a new plant. We also have the first application of a spray dryer absorber for a biomass plant. We took some knocks as we started, but it's been operating very well for the past year or so as we learned our way into it." 
 
 The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency refused to comment for this story, but the North Carolina Division of Air Quality commented on its preliminary analysis. "We've not received a permit application yet, so we can't really comment on Fibrowatt's plan," said Tom Mather, spokesman for the North Carolina Division of Air Quality. "We have looked at an existing facility in Minnesota and other facilities in North Carolina using wood waste." In the agency's preliminary analysis, they found that arsenic emissions may exceed permissible levels in North Carolina. "It doesn't mean they wouldn't get a permit, but they might need additional controls or other measures," Mather said. Under the North Carolina toxics rules, proposed plants provide information in the permitting process that is used to evaluate 100 potential air toxins. Modeling is done on any that appear to exceed limits, which Mather said often amounts to just a half-dozen compounds. The modeling is used to determine required controls, permitted production levels, types of fuels or other requirements. 
 
 With locations selected for the three North Carolina plants, Fibrowatt is now negotiating power supply agreements. The company is also laying the groundwork for the permitting process which will be initiated once the power supply agreements are in place. 
 
 The state's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard passed in 2007 phases in a 12.5 percent renewables requirement by 2021, starting with 3 percent of North Carolina retail sales in 2011. As the standard is phased in, utilities can meet up to one-quarter of the standard through efficiency savings, and up to 40 percent after 2021 through efficiency. The statute also specified portions be met from solar, swine waste and poultry waste. The REPS calls for 170,000 MW hours to be generated from poultry waste by 2012, 700,000 MW by 2013 and 900,000 MW by 2014. The statute requires facilities to use the best available control technology for emissions. 
 
 To learn more about the Fibrominn plant in Benson, Minn., see "Generating Poultry Power" in the July 2007 issue of Biomass Magazine at <a href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1196">http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1196</a>.

Fibrowatt fields emissions questions

Posted May 14, 2009, at 11:10 a.m. 
 
 Bio-Blend Fuels Inc. began operating its 2.6 MMgy biodiesel plant at a new location in Manitowoc, Wis., using animal fats as its feedstock. The plant was designed by Dan Kaderabek, company founder, and his wife Traci Kaderabek. The couple had been producing biodiesel on a smaller scale since 2005, improving their process and learning how to meet ASTM specifications, Dan Kaderabek said. Bio-Blend Fuels recently moved to a new location in Manitowoc and began operating May 1. The pair have started another company, American Fuel Blending Systems to market a free-standing biodiesel station incorporating heated tanks and a blender pump to facilitate blending of the animal-fat-based biodiesel at optimal temperatures.
 
 SOURCE: BIODIESEL MAGAZINE

Bio-Blend Fuels begins Wisconsin operations

Posted April 23, 2009, at 10:40 a.m. CST
 
 An innovative MaxWest gasification system, first approved by the city of Sanford, Fla., in 2008, will begin operating May 21 at Sanford's South Water Resource Center. The occasion also marks the official dedication by the city of its new Water Resource Center.
 
 The MaxWest system will gasify Sanford's treated wastewater sludge to provide renewable "green" thermal energy to replace energy from natural gas for the city's sludge dryer. The energy in sludge is converted to heat safely and economically. 
 
 Because it is scalable, the gasification facility has sufficient capacity to meet Sanford's expected growth over coming decades and also to serve as a disposal site for other nearby cities and private waste haulers. 
 
 This first of its kind, industry-changing technology will provide Sanford with a long-term, green solution for sludge disposal while saving millions of dollars in natural gas fuel costs. Sanford's 20-year contract with MaxWest also provides long-term energy price stability. And, as the system grows, the opportunity to produce renewable green electricity is available.
 
 The city of Sanford has grown considerably over the past 25 years as the central Florida region has expanded. Sanford has decided to seek environmentally friendly solutions for its waste streams. The MaxWest system fit the bill perfectly. 
 
 Paul Moore, Sanford's utility director says, "We're pleased to be leading the country in using waste-to-energy technology by being the first to utilize the MaxWest gasification system to convert our biosolids into green energy." The MaxWest system is not only cost effective, but it is carbon neutral and reduces emissions of greenhouse gases compared to other disposal methods. 
 
 "For MaxWest and for the wastewater treatment industry, this a major milestone." said Bill Baker, Vice President for marketing at Maxwest, "The Sanford gasifier will serve as the MaxWest operational education center for interested municipalities across the country. We're ready to show it off!" 
 
 MaxWest gasification systems are also in commercial operation for animal and industrial waste. The company has several projects in design or under development in Florida and other states, including plans to gasify horse "muck" in Ocala/Marion County in Florida, the "horse capital of the world." 
 
 The Sanford grand opening will take place on May 21 at 11 a.m. at Sanford's South Water Resource Center. City and state officials will be on hand with comments about this industry-changing, renewable energy technology. For more information about MaxWest and the grand opening ceremony, visit <a href="http://www.MaxWestEnergy.com">www.MaxWestEnergy.com</a>.
 
 SOURCE: MAXWEST

First of its kind poop-to-power facility begins operation

Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. and BioProcessAlgae LLC recently announced they have executed a grant award agreement with the Iowa Office of Energy Independence for a $2.1 million research and development grant with the Iowa Power Fund to build an algae pilot project at Green Plains' Shenandoah, Iowa, ethanol plant. 
 
 The Iowa Power Fund grant provides matching funds that will support the installation of a series of photobioreactor units at the ethanol plant. Water, heat and carbon dioxide will be recycled from the ethanol manufacturing process to support continuous algae production. The grant provides funding through the end of the first quarter of 2010. The pilot project is expected to be operational by July 2009. 
 
 According to Scott Poor, Green Plains' corporate council, the photobioreactor is a self-contained apparatus that will be modular in design. "It is an enclosed, self-contained environment where light, heat, carbon dioxide and water are all controlled to maximize algae growth," Poor said. The algae that will be utilized within the pilot plant is expected to capture approximately 60 percent of the carbon dioxide that is fed into the system. 
 
 While many companies are investigating algae as a feedstock for biodiesel, Poor said his company will initially consider using the algae produced at the pilot plant in the animal feed industry. 
 
 BioProcessAlgae is a joint venture among Green Plains, NTR plc, CLARCOR Inc. and BioProcessH2O.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Green Plains to install photobioreactor

Posted May 7, 2009, at 9:13 a.m. CST 
 
 The U.S. EPA released its proposed rulemaking for the second stage of the renewable fuels standard (RFS2) on May 5. The proposed rulemaking lays out the agency's strategy for increasing the supply of renewable fuels as mandated by the Energy Independence & Security act of 2007, which requires the production of 36 gallons of renewable fuels by 2022. 
 
 The agency was originally scheduled to issue its final ruling on RFS2 on January 1. However, in July 2008 the EPA announced that due to the inclusion of new elements that add complexity to the program, a final ruling on the matter would not be issued until mid-2009. 
 
 The proposed rulemaking for RFS2 expands the scope of the program to include all transportation fuels, which includes gasoline and diesel fuel intended for use in highway vehicles and engines, and nonroad locomotive and marine engines. Similar to RFS1, the EPA is proposing that these provisions apply to refiners, blenders and importers of transportation fuel, and that the percentage standards apply to the total amount of gasoline and diesel they produce for each use. 
 
 Under EISA, the proposed rulemaking establishes four categories of renewable fuels, including: 
 • Cellulosic biofuels; 
 • Biomass-based diesel; 
 • Advanced biofuels; and 
 • Total renewable fuel 
 
 In 2022, the proposed rulemaking would require: 
 • 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels; 
 • 15 billion gallons annually of conventional biofuels; 
 • 4 billion gallons of advanced biofuels; and 
 • 1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel 
 
 The proposed rulemaking for RFS2 requires that some renewable fuels must achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions compared with the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace. In order to receive credit toward meeting the new standards, refiners must meet these requirements. For each fuel pathway, the proposed rulemaking takes into account GHG emissions produced over the full life cycle of the fuel. This includes production and transport of the feedstock, land-use change, production, distribution, blending of the renewable fuel and use. The resulting life-cycle GHG emission level is then compared with the life-cycle GHG emissions of 2005 petroleum baseline fuels that are displaced by the renewable fuel. In order for renewable fuels to quality for RFS2, they must meet or exceed the minimum GHG reduction thresholds. 
 
 The thresholds for the four categories of renewable fuels are as follows: 
 • 20 percent less GHG emissions for renewable fuels produced from new facilities; 
 • 50 percent less for biomass-based diesel; 
 • 50 percent less for advanced biofuels; and 
 • 60 percent less for cellulosic biofuels 
 
 According to EPA, the process to determine life-cycle GHG emissions combines a suite of peer-reviewed process models and peer-reviewed economic models of the domestic and international agricultural sectors to determine direct and significant indirect emissions. The analysis uses economic models to determine the area and location of cropland conversions that occur in each country as a result of the RFS, as well as satellite data that is used to predict the type of land that could be converted into cropland. While the EPA's results suggest land-use changes produce significant near-term results, the agency's draft also suggests that the displacement of petroleum-based fuels with biofuels in later years can pay back earlier land-use impacts. The EPA highlights two options for taking this factor into account. One option is to assume a 30-year time period for assessing future GHG emissions impacts, which values all emissions impacts equally (0 percent discount rate); the other is to assess emissions impacts over a 100-year time period and discount future emissions at 2 percent annually. 
 
 The 60-day comment period on this proposal will begin upon publication in the Federal Register. EPA will hold a public workshop on life-cycle analysis during the comment period in order to assure full understanding of the analyses conducted, the issues addressed and the options that are discussed. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

May 2009

Business Briefs

Lignol awarded $3.4 million to produce cellulosic ethanol

KL Energy starts out strong in 2009

Logos Technologies to make biomass-based jet fuel

BIO's Brent Erickson appointed to EBI advisory committee

Senators propose bill to boost energy transmission grid

Ohio utility plans biomass conversion

AE Biofuels and Merrick & Co. sign strategic agreement

Recchia joins BTEC board of directors

Florida Syngas revamps Web site

Enerkem receives GoingGreen award

New England Wood Pellet forms subsidiary to market biomass heating systems

Landfill gas powers Poet plant

Business Briefs: Companies, Organizations & People in the News

Columns

Change is in the Air

Avoiding the Knowledge Bottleneck

The Fight Goes On

NBB Members: Take Heart

Featured

Her Majesty's Biogas

Taking Anaerobic Digestion by Storm

From Lines on Paper to a Model of Success

The Value of Waste

Modular Production: Co-locating Plant and Feedstock

Minimizing Oxygen's Destructive Tendencies

Mission: Jatropha

Contributions

Streamlining Treatment of Challenging Food Processing Wastewaters

May 2009.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Business Briefs

Lignol awarded $3.4 million to produce cellulosic ethanol

KL Energy starts out strong in 2009

Logos Technologies to make biomass-based jet fuel

BIO's Brent Erickson appointed to EBI advisory committee

Senators propose bill to boost energy transmission grid

Ohio utility plans biomass conversion

AE Biofuels and Merrick & Co. sign strategic agreement

Recchia joins BTEC board of directors

Florida Syngas revamps Web site

Enerkem receives GoingGreen award

New England Wood Pellet forms subsidiary to market biomass heating systems

Landfill gas powers Poet plant

Business Briefs: Companies, Organizations & People in the News

Columns

Change is in the Air

Avoiding the Knowledge Bottleneck

The Fight Goes On

NBB Members: Take Heart

Featured

Her Majesty's Biogas

Taking Anaerobic Digestion by Storm

From Lines on Paper to a Model of Success

The Value of Waste

Modular Production: Co-locating Plant and Feedstock

Minimizing Oxygen's Destructive Tendencies

Mission: Jatropha

Contributions

Streamlining Treatment of Challenging Food Processing Wastewaters

May 2009