The Mt. Poso Cogeneration Co. is a 50 megawatt (MW) coal-fired electrical power plant near Bakersfield, Calif. In operation since 1980, the plant receives natural gas from an adjacent oil field and returns condensate, injecting the spent water into the ground, displacing the extracted oil. Coal from Utah is transported by train to a receiving station in Bakersfield where it is unloaded from railcars and reloaded into trucks for delivery to the plant. 
 
 The facility is in the southern San Joaquin Valley, where irrigation is used to produce citrus crops, nuts, row crops and grapes. The agriculture industry produces tons of waste every year. 
 
 California has embraced renewable sources of power. In September, the governor increased the percentage of renewable power that California utilities will be required to supply from 20 percent to 33 percent through an executive order, establishing the implementation deadline as 2020. 
 
 The permit allowing the Mt. Poso plant to use coal as a raw fuel expires at the end of this year. Rather than applying to extend the permit, Millennium Energy management, which owns and operates the plant, decided to convert the facility to exclusively use biomass. The plant has run short trials cofiring local agricultural wastes with generally good results. While adapting the boiler to use biomass exclusively will require some specific modifications, and the power output rating will be reduced from 50 to 44 MW because biomass has a lower fuel value, the technology for making this change is understood and commonplace.
 
 The real issues are biomass availability, seasonality and the challenges of receiving it; insuring that the size, cleanliness and handling characters are within normal operating parameters; storing and recovering the biomass; and delivering it to the boiler with high reliability. In addition, some agricultural residues are exothermic in storage and pose a serious threat of spontaneous combustion. Any storage system would need to take into consideration the need to segregate these fuels, keep the storage temperate below the threshold point for fire and be able to blend these materials with less volatile materials.
 
 Implementing a Biofuel Handling System
 
 The Mt. Poso facility will be composed of a few distinct system components, and all areas must be dust controlled using enclosed transfer points and collection ducting to bag houses or high-efficiency cyclones. A control system for the fuel yard will be integrated into the mill's distributed control system so no manpower will be required to operate the fuel yard equipment. Truck drivers will operate the unloading facilities, in communication with the power plant control room operator, and according to a protocol based on the specific fuel they are delivering. 
 
 Biomass receiving: The plant will receive biomass delivered by truck. Some trailers come equipped for self-unloading and some require a lifting platform to empty the trailer. Initially two hoppers will be installed to take the self-unloading trailer materials. The hoppers are covered to prevent dust escape, and have an air duct that draws air inside the unloading area to create negative pressure to prevent dust release. Another hopper can be added as required by the biomass supply availability. If additional hopper capacity is needed, space has been reserved and the common conveyor that transports the fuel from the unloading area to the screen/hog tower can be extended.
 
 Two tipping platforms empty back-on style dumper trailers with the cabs still attached. The platforms can cycle trucks and trailers in about six minutes, raising and lowering in four minutes. The hoppers have the capacity to hold two trailers of material if required.
 
 All four (or potentially five) hoppers discharge onto a common collection conveyor that transports the biomass to the screening and hogging tower. The aggregate flow rate from all hoppers is a maximum of 250 tons per hour. It is possible to mix the discharge rates from two or more hoppers at one time, if required.
 
 Screening and hogging: The biomass has to pass through a 4-inch-round-hole classification screen. Still, some variation will exist in raw particle sizes. The first step is to isolate the largest fractions and hog them into a smaller size. This is accomplished in a two-step process using a disc scalping screen fit with turning steel discs, set 3 inches apart, followed by the hog. The smaller particles pass easily between the turning discs of the screen and the larger chunks are rejected off the end. This style of screen has an active surface, tending to dislodge most lumps and clumps, and rarely jamming with foreign materials such as rocks and metal. The larger pieces drop into a hammer hog that reduces them to less than 3 inches. The hog has a discharge screen that retains the big pieces until they can pass through the holes.
 
 Most of the materials will pass through the disc screen at a rate of 50 percent to 60 percent to avoid overloading the hog.
 
 Storage and recovery: When the biomass is relatively uniform in size (less than 3 inches) it's ready for storage and is moved through a series of conveyors to one of two circular stacking/reclaiming towers. Each tower can hold 4 million uncompressed cubic feet of material, or approximately 32 days of running storage volume. 
 
 The stacking conveyor can pivot on the tower (called slewing) to cover 180 degrees of movement. This allows several zones to be set up in the control programming, segregating certain kinds of biomass to particular parts of the pile. If the plant is receiving walnut hulls, which are highly exothermic, they can be placed on the margins of a pile, where they are accessible to mobile equipment if a problem occurs. 
 
 The stacking boom can also be angled down during stack out, called luffing, to minimize the distance the material falls to the pile surface keeping airborne dust to a minimum. All of the conveyors and process equipment to this point has been sized to handle the 250 green tons per hour that will be placed on the conveyor at the truck dump area. 
 
 Recovery occurs at the rate required by the boiler, which is about 45 green tons per hour. The reclaim boom is positioned and operated to achieve this rate, recovering the desired material. Rakes will drag across the pile face, moving biomass to the center column. A lifting pan is used to raise the biomass so it can drop into the loading area of the recovery conveyor. The reclaim boom and chain operates automatically, moving back and forth across the face of the pile. Limit switches identify the ends of the slewing travel, indexing the boom down into the pile a short distance and reversing the movement to produce a uniform recovery rate.
 
 Screening for sand and truck loading: The recovered biomass material is passed over a shaking screen fit with a 3-millimeter-round-hole punched plate to remove sand and grit, and is moved to a truck loading station where it falls into open top trailers.
 Conveyor transport in the fuel yard: From receiving to delivery to the boiler feed surge bin, the biomass is transported in the fuel yard in covered, contained belt-conveying systems. The patented Tubulator conveyors use standard-style belts running inside a tube. Small fans push air into a space below the belt which suspends the belts on a cushion of air. Little air escapes from below the belt, as the air pressure holds the belt away from the inside of the tube's surface. The potential for dust to escape during transport is minimized because the fuel is completely contained, and dust collection is used at the head and tail pulley sections to control any emissions as the fuel falls at the transfer points. Additional benefits of this belt conveyor system are that there are only two moving parts, and the low friction in transport requires less power. 
 
 Silo modifications and boiler feed system: Processing biomass requires certain modifications to a surge bin located on the side of the boiler building, and a new boiler fuel feed and distribution system that actually places the fuel into the boiler.
 The new fuel system will be installed and running by the end of 2010. Delivery of agricultural residues from the valley will begin in the third quarter of 2010 to be stored in the new stacker/reclaimer circular storage piles. A brief tie-in period will occur and coal receipt will cease. BIO
 
 
 Desmond Smith is vice president, West Coast Office, BRUKS Rockwood Inc. Reach him at <a href="mailto:des@bruks.com">des@bruks.com</a>.

The Mt. Poso Cogeneration Co. facility will make the switch from coal to biomass starting at the end of this year. PHOTO: TERRY MILLS

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In switching from coal to biomass power, the most challenging issues facing the Mt. Poso Cogeneration Co. plant have been receiving and ensuring reliable sources of quality biomass that can be handled within the plant's 
operating, storage and recovery parameters.

Strategy and implementation of  biomass conversion at Mt. Poso

The Biomass Power Association recently addressed government officials and other renewable energy industry representatives at a Biopower Workshop in Denver, sponsored by the U.S. DOE. The focus of the workshop was to understand the developing trends in the bioenergy field in order to help the DOE focus its efforts on the research and development that would produce the best results. 
 
 Former BPA Chairman Bill Carlson made a compelling case for the importance of analyzing the optimal cost/benefit relationship between the location and size of traditional wood waste biomass power plants. His complete study "Bigger Not Necessarily Better or Cheaper," can be found at http://smallwoodnews.com/Docs/PDF/Supply/BIOMASS%20POWER%20AS%20A%20FIRM%20UTILITY%20RESOURCE.pdf. 
 
 My presentation focused on steps that Congress could take now, irrespective of research and development, to expand the role of biomass power in America and allow all renewable energy sources to operate on a level playing field. 
 
 Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, wood-fired biomass power plants were awarded half the production tax credit that other renewable energy sources such as wind and geothermal power received. What's worse, the tax credit was also awarded for half the time period, which is why BPA is currently fighting to get those production tax credits extended for an additional five years. 
 
 The disparity in the credit, however, does not stop with wind and geothermal power. As demonstrated in the table below, biomass power receives only $2.93 per kilowatt hour. When compared with ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, wind, geothermal and advanced nuclear power, wood-fired biomass power plants receive the least support, by a long shot. There is no legitimate policy explanation for this disparity.
 
 The table details the standard dollar amounts awarded to different renewable energy sources per million Btu generated. In other words, all of those renewable sources are calculated on the same scale. There is no difference in the quality of energy produced, just in some cases the type of energy; fuel versus electricity. Considering the economic and environmental benefits of biomass power, it is inexcusable that it would receive less support than its competitors.
 
 The BPA is urging Congress to level the playing field in the renewable sector by giving biomass power the same tax credits as other renewable energy sources. Congress must provide tax equity, or parity, in the production tax credit. No one should be picking winners and losers in the renewable energy industry. 
 
 Without parity, biomass power is at a competitive disadvantage. Additionally, this discourages the expansion of biomass power and undermines America's goals of meeting an aggressive renewable electricity standard. To protect and grow the biomass industry, tax equity is essential. 
 
 The value of a penny may seem inconsequential, even in today's weakened economy, but to a biomass power producer it can mean the difference between keeping the lights on and going dark. BIO
 
 
 Bob Cleaves is president and CEO of the Biomass Power Association. To learn more about biomass power, please visit <a href="http://www.USABiomass.org">www.USABiomass.org</a>.

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Bob Cleaves president and CEO, Biomass Power Association

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Parity in the Production Tax Credit

Almost two decades ago, utilities began to look for ways to lower sulfur, nitrogen and carbon emissions by cofiring biomass with coal. Biomass was already a contributor to the U.S. electricity portfolio at a level less than 3 percent, with most generated from small industrial plants and the pulp and paper industry. Projects sprang up to study the elements of acquiring, processing and incorporating biomass into coal boilers. Some of these early players-Xcel Energy, Tennessee Valley Authority, Georgia Power, Savannah Electric, New York State Electric and Gas, Foster Wheeler, Electric Power Research Institute, the Energy & Environmental Research Center and the U.S. DOE-conducted ground-breaking research at full-scale and pilot facilities with shoestring budgets. 
 
 DOE and the USDA jumped into the picture in 2000 to help promote cofiring by establishing the Biomass Power for Rural Development office. The program was designed to advance the development of electricity generation systems that use biomass instead of fossil fuels to lower emissions, reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, and increase rural benefits such as creating new income sources for farmers, more jobs and economic development. Even with the utility interest and federal programs and incentives, cofiring really didn't go anywhere. However, times have changed, and it appears we are headed for significant power generation from biomass. 
 
 Has anything changed since the 1990s to help sustain this newfound desire to cofire or direct-fire biomass? 
 
 First, most utilities' service areas cross many state boundaries so their coal-powered generating stations may operate under several different state laws. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which require a certain percentage of renewable energy production. Most utilities are impacted by some states' RPS. Biomass cofiring is an attractive option for utilities since it is a form of baseload power (unlike intermittent wind), it uses a fuel that lowers most emissions except nitrogen, and ideally can be done using existing equipment with some retrofitting. 
 
 Second, the U.S. Congress is drafting a global climate bill that may force utilities to consider options that reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 
 
 Third is the unprecedented amount of federal dollars being poured into renewable energy to make electricity, heat and transportation fuels from biomass. A significant portion of these dollars are for groundbreaking research and development to get new technologies to the small demonstration scale. 
 
 In addition to these one-time allotments are the programmatic incentives such as the biomass power producer credit (Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit) of 1.8 cent per kilowatt hour. Several USDA programs also provide dollars to help produce biomass, such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
 
 Fourth is the groundswell of biomass providers. Many large utility projects failed because of the lack of a sustainable biomass supply. Plus, the inevitable laws of supply and demand, and the demand for big dollars for the supply always occurs. Experience has shown that the minute a new biopower plant comes on line, the price for the local feedstock seems to rise. Right now, the U.S. is still in a phase where significant quantities of usable forest residues, clean manufacturing wood residues, agricultural residues and municipal wastes still exist. Entities are forming that can procure and deliver this biomass within consistent quantity/quality parameters. Current forest management, agricultural practices, and the future show a looming competition for biomass resources for the biopower industry and the biorefining industry.
 
 For now, as we crawl out of the economic downturn, there is an exciting biomass industry focused on making electricity. Biomass as contributor to the U.S. electricity portfolio at a level greater than 3 percent seems to be certain. BIO
 
 
 Chris Zygarlicke is a deputy associate director for research at the EERC. Reach him at <a href="mailto:czygarlicke@undeerc.org">czygarlicke@undeerc.org</a> or (701) 777-5123.

Chris Zygarlicke deputy associate director of research, EERC

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The Quest for Renewable Biomass Electricity

Schmack BioEnergy, a Cleveland-based waste-to-energy company, has changed its name to quasar energy group. "Our systems represent an aggregation of the best available technologies from over 30 European providers," said Mel Kurtz, quasar president. "We have changed our name to more accurately reflect our technological approach and to symbolize the contribution our systems will make to the national energy supply." Quasar designs, builds, owns and operates anaerobic digestion facilities using U.S. components to produce clean renewable energy. The first system to apply the quasar technology is currently under construction in Wooster, Ohio, on the Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus. The company's new Web site can be found at www.quasarenergygroup.com.

Schmack changes name to quasar energy group

There are several important stories in this month's magazine, but I would like to point out a couple that address what I believe will be ongoing issues for the biomass industry. In the first, "Stack Attack" (page 22), Associate Editor Lisa Gibson delves into biomass-power plant emissions and the heated opposition to the use of biomass for power in Russell, Mass. 
 
 Gibson did an excellent job covering both sides of this issue even though at Biomass Magazine, we are clearly proponents of biomass power. We do believe it's important, however, for our readers to be aware of this opposition and to see the kind of disruption it can provoke, whether the opponents are in the right or are totally off base.
 
 The biomass power emissions issue became even more pervasive when the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources suspended consideration of any new biomass projects for participation in the state's renewable portfolio standard until a study is conducted to evaluate the sustainability of biomass resources in the state and the carbon neutrality of biomass power. Furthermore, biomass opponents are circulating a petition to pass a law that "would require waste-to-energy and biomass renewable energy sources relying on combustion or pyrolization (decomposition caused by heat) to emit no more than 250 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour in order to be considered ‘renewable energy generating sources,' ‘Class I renewable energy generating sources,' or ‘alternative energy properties' under state laws concerning renewable and alternative energy programs." 
 
 We need to keep our eyes on these developments, and make sure that they don't become models for other states to follow. 
 
 Another feature I would draw your attention to is "Methane Migraine" (page 34) written by Associate Editor Anna Austin, who talked with air quality officials and dairy farmers in California about anaerobic digestion permitting headaches. 
 
 Even though, as pointed out in the article, digesters greatly reduce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than CO2, the dairy farmers are being told that they need to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx) released by the combustion engines they use to turn the biogas into electricity. This is especially onerous for dairy producers in regions considered severe non-attainment areas for ozone, where stricter NOx emissions standards exist.
 
 Although this issue is currently specific to California dairies, we should keep in mind that many air quality rules adopted in this country originated in California. 
 
 Despite these issues, the biomass industry continues to grow and government support hasn't waned. In fact, in early December, U.S. DOE Secretary Steven Chu and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack selected 19 integrated biorefinery projects to receive up to $564 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to speed up the construction and operation of pilot-, demonstration- and commercial-scale facilities. 
 
 As with any new industry there are going to be hills and valleys, we just have to make sure the valleys don't turn into sink holes.

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Navigating the Biomass Industry's Hills and Valleys

The use of wood biomass as fuel for energy production is not new. Utilities and other industries have been using a variety of technologies to turn wood waste into energy for decades. By some accounts, there are thousands of wood-fueled projects producing power and heat, largely for industrial applications throughout the world. What is new, however, is a trend toward advanced technology such as wood gasification, and an increase in the scale of wood biomass energy projects for uses such as base-load electric generation.
 
 Three factors appear to be driving this trend. First, as utilities anticipate significant regulation of carbon emissions, increases in state renewable portfolio standards, and the possible creation of a federal renewable portfolio standard, they are prudently planning to get ahead of the game by expanding their generation portfolio beyond current requirements. Second, although they can satisfy most states' renewable portfolio standards with a wide array of renewable technologies, more demanding renewable portfolio standards mean that utilities are become increasingly interested in renewable technologies that provide dispatchable, base-load generation supply, in contrast to intermittent, non-dispatchable resources such as wind and solar energy. Recent experience shows that implementing advanced wood biomass technologies in utility scale applications has its detractors, who are likely to intervene in any local or state approval proceedings to articulate their concerns. Those concerns fall into two general categories-economic and environmental. 
 
 On the economic side, the concerns will be that the introduction of a new user of wood resources in the region will have an adverse economic impact on existing users of wood by driving up prices for wood and rendering existing users-such as paper manufacturers and other forest product industry participants-unable to compete effectively in their markets. The answer to this concern is that as long as the new project focuses on using wood waste and not roundwood or tree boles, the economic impact will actually be positive, as wood suppliers will begin to benefit from monetizing the waste materials that normally would be left on the forest floor. Some in the forest product industry may argue that a trend of declining roundwood harvests will mean scarcity of wood waste, which may incentivize large-scale wood biomass users to harvest roundwood for energy production. The answer to this concern is that roundwood not harvested for forest products use should be available for any legitimate purpose, including energy production. 
 
 This brings us to the environmental concerns that stakeholders are expressing in opposition to large-scale wood biomass energy projects. These include concerns about over-harvesting, carbon neutrality and soil health. The answer, though not necessarily a panacea, is for developers to be well proactive with an environmentally sustainable fuel procurement plan. Such a plan could include voluntary harvesting guidelines to ensure that sufficient wood waste is left on the forest floor for bioregeneration, and that other environmental concerns are addressed. Another proactive approach is the development of energy plantations that can turn otherwise unproductive land-such as abandoned farmland-into productive new uses, resulting in less pressure on existing forest resources. Other strategies include the development of cooperative organizations to maximize the efficiency of wood waste harvesting and to help ensure a standardized approach to compliance with environmental regulations. As with any other development, the best strategy is to anticipate opponents' concerns, and resolve them in advance.
 
 Jordan Hemaidan, is a partner in the renewable energy group at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Reach him at (608) 283-4431 or <a href="mailto:jjhemaidan@michaelbest.com">jjhemaidan@michaelbest.com</a>.

Jordan Hemaidan partner, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

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Developing Large-Scale Wood Biomass Energy Facilities Challenging

EnerTech Environmental Inc. is expanding its project development efforts across the Atlantic with the formation of a new development team in the U.K. Working closely with developers in the U.S., the team's efforts will focus on delivering SlurryCarb and anaerobic digestion facilities in the U.K. The project team will be led by Andrea Gysin and Abigail Field who both join EnerTech from the U.K. consulting firm Mouchel. Gysin has more than 10 years of experience working in the water industry with an emphasis on new venture development. Field is a chartered engineer with more than 10 years of experience in engineering and project management.

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EnerTech enters UK renewable energy market

Gas Turbine Efficiency announced the appointment of Kevin M. Dotts as chief financial officer. Dotts contributes a solid executive management background to GTE, having served as executive vice president and CFO at EarthLink Inc. from 2004 to 2009. His financial career spans more than 20 years including 15 years at General Electric Co., where he held global financial leadership positions in the energy and industrial businesses, at its media subsidiary, NBC, as well as corporate audit. From 1999 to 2002, Dotts was CFO of GE Energy Parts Inc., a $1.2 billion revenue business. Magnus Nordgren, the current CFO stepped down as a director and will continue to provide leadership, while supporting GTE in a number of global financial process roles.

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GTE appoints Dotts as CFO

Morbark Inc., a manufacturer of wood reduction equipment, announced an agreement with Heat Transfer International of Kentwood, Mich. HTI is a technology company providing turnkey waste-to-energy systems which create renewable energy through its starved-air/low-temperature (SALT) gasification of biomass. The agreement, which will create dozens of green jobs in Michigan, includes a manufacturing agreement for Morbark and an equity investment in HTI. Morbark's investment in HTI is in line with the company's decades-old vision of sustainable energy through responsible forestry. "Not only will we manufacture the finest wood reduction equipment, but we'll be producing the systems which convert wood and other organics into usable electricity and steam," said Morbark President and CEO Lon Morey. "Our agreement with HTI will allow us to do what we do best-manufacture large custom equipment systems with world-class quality, and allow HTI to focus on managing the rapid growth of its exciting sustainable energy technology."

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Morbark, HTI form waste-to-power partnership

Metabolix Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. appointed Stan Haftka as director of business development, Europe, for Telles, the joint venture that is commercializing Mirel bioplastics. Haftka will lead European business development with the opening of Telles' first international office at ADM's Europoort facility in the Netherlands. Haftka has 20 years of experience in the global specialty polymer market and brings leadership assets important for the organization's international growth. Haftka joins Telles from the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corp., where he was responsible for managing the business segment globally. He successfully developed and implemented new business strategies, managed numerous product and application platforms, and received patents for new polymer applications.

Haftka joins Metabolix,  ADM's European Telles venture

Michiel van Lookeren Campagne has joined Syngenta to lead global biotechnology research and development at the company's key biotech facilities-the North American biotechnology headquarters, Syngenta Biotechnology Inc., in Research Triangle Park and Syngenta Biotechnology China Co. Ltd. in Beijing. Van Lookeren Campagne will be based in Research Triangle Park, where he will serve as president of Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. He has more than 20 years of experience working in university and industry settings in the U.S. and abroad.

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Syngenta taps industry veteran  to lead biotechnology R&D

Vermeer Corp. has introduced an attachment for its horizontal grinders that will help customers produce biomass feedstock for this growing market. The Vermeer Fuel Chip Attachment offers customers more versatility, allowing the use of one machine to process wood waste into mulch one day and biomass the next-simply by changing out the cutting mechanism in a few hours. The fuel chip attachment helps customers enter the biomass market without tying up capital resources in a separate machine. Designed for use with Vermeer HG6000 or HG6000TX horizontal grinders equipped with the Series II Duplex Drum, the fuel chip attachment changes the action of the cutting drum from ripping and shredding to a chipping action-offering the ability to produce a more uniformly sized end product.

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Attachment allows Vermeer grinders to produce fuel chips

Innovation Fuels, the New York-based renewable energy company that manufactures, markets and distributes second-generation biodiesel to customers in the U.S. and around the world, was recognized for its contributions to the local economy at the annual Syracuse Economic Champions luncheon and awards ceremony held in October at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter in Syracuse, N.Y. The annual event recognizes businesses that have added employees, expanded their space or relocated due to growth, or used capital expenditures. Innovation Fuels relocated its corporate headquarters to the Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse in June.

Left to right, Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, Joe Dickson, Innovation Fuels? senior vice president for corporate development and Syracuse Chamber of Commerce President Darlene Kerr

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Syracuse recognizes Innovation Fuels for contributing to economic development

When it comes to renewable energy portfolios, California is an archetype for other states developing standards to follow. Targets increasing the use of renewable power to 20 percent by 2010 and 33 percent by 2020 have set the clean energy bar high, especially when coupled with the state's stringent air quality regulations.
 
 Despite the benefits and incentives associated with generating renewable energy in California, complying with certain air pollution control regulations has become a major hurdle for some projects-in particular, for farmers attempting to install anaerobic digesters on their dairy operations. 
 
 California leads the nation in dairy farming, with some 2,700 farms, at which only 16 operate digesters, one-fourth of those are small in scale. While digesters significantly reduce methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) 21 times more potent than CO2, problematically, the combustion engine that transforms the biogas into energy releases a high amount of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a catalyst in the breakdown of ozone. 
 
 Certain areas in California, such as the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley regions, have been classified by the U.S. EPA as "severe non-attainment" areas for ozone, and therefore the air resource boards in those districts impose strict standards on NOx-emitting facilities. About 75 percent of all dairy cows are housed in dairies within the boundaries of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District.
 
 Farmers and environmentalists say Central Valley air pollution control agencies that refuse to budge on the matter are unwilling to compromise and are overlooking the positives associated with digesters. In 2009, six dairy digesters ceased operating as a result of regulatory and financial problems. Charged with controlling air quality, the boards insist the technology to meet the set NOx requirements is available today, and say those having trouble getting permits or meeting the standards should have checked with their local air district about requirements before engaging in their projects.
 
 Allen Dusault, program director for Sustainable Agriculture, says building new digesters in California today is "a nightmare." It all stems from a clash of interests and goals, he tells Biomass Magazine. "In California, we have the most progressive dairymen anywhere in the country who are looking to do the right thing; to capture the GHGs and reduce their emissions by hundreds of thousands of tons per year, while generating renewable electricity, another goal of the state," he says. "Even if the air district recognizes the GHG benefits, they are responsible for air quality, and that's solely what they focus on. What's been required of these dairymen is extraordinary." 
 
 Jorge DeGuzman, permitting program supervisor for the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, says that the regulations affecting dairy digesters have been in place for more than 10 years. "All other sectors of our economy have had to comply with these standards," he says. "If we were to relax the standards for dairies, we would have to impose even more stringent requirements on other sectors to make up for the increase in NOx emissions."
 
 
 Regulatory Red Tape
 
 In the spring of 2001, the California legislature passed SB5X, which provided $15 million to support the building of manure digesters for electrical generation, $10 million of which was earmarked for on-farm dairy digesters. The program covered up to 50 percent of the capital costs of the digesters. Many dairy farmers are now wondering why the state government encourages and provides grant money for projects that are extremely difficult to get permitted. 
 
 DeGuzman says while the program was being developed, there was no communication with air pollution control districts. "The grant program was overseen by an advisory group comprised of representatives from the California dairy industry, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Energy Commission, California State Water Resources Control Board, Sustainable Conservation (a small California nonprofit environmental group that focuses on agricultural and transportation issues), the University of California and U.S. EPA AgSTAR Program," he says. "Air pollution control agencies were not part of this advisory group nor were they aware of this advisory group." 
 
 The grants were awarded, the digester systems designed, and the equipment purchased, all before consulting the local air pollution control agencies, according to DeGuzman. "When these projects came to us, the dairy operators were pretty much expecting a simple, rubber-stamp approval. However, some discovered that the equipment they had purchased did not meet the standards that had been in place for approximately 10 years. Had they contacted the local air district before purchasing the equipment, as the law requires, we could have made them aware of the emission standards applicable and they could have designed compliant digester systems." 
 
 DeGuzman says air pollution control districts are in full support of the concept of electricity generation from the anaerobic decomposition of manure, but only if it's done correctly. "If properly designed, the dairy digesters could operate well within the required standards and permitting them would not be an issue," he says.
 
 Any dairy in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento districts must meet an emission limit of 9 parts per million of NOx, or 0.15 grams per brake horsepower-hour (the actual horsepower of an engine, measured by a brake attached to the drive shaft and recorded on a dynamometer), a difficult to achieve standard which Dusault says no dairy digester has previously been compliant. "The basis for the air district deciding that limit was achievable was based on a dairy in Atwater, Calif.," Dusault says. "We met with [the air district] and pointed out that we knew from investigating, that the dairy was not in compliance. The air district essentially didn't believe us, but went out there and checked and found out that in fact, it wasn't complying." 
 
 Dusault says the air district then recommended a different type of technology, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) rather than a three-way catalyst. "We said that there wasn't any dairy biogas facility, or any biogas facility in the country that we've identified that's meeting that limit using SCR and they responded by telling us that they believe there are other types of facilities meeting it, so these digesters must, too. They couldn't find anyone meeting it with biogas, but yet they still required it."
 
 
 Methane Migraine 
 
 John Fiscalini, owner of Fiscalini Farms, Fiscalini Cheese Co. and a 1,500-head dairy, knows first-hand the strife a dairy farmer can face when taking on a digester project. Fiscalini has a complete-mix digester system consisting of two 860,000 gallon tanks installed at his farm, a project originally estimated to cost $2 million, but in the end cost about $4 million. He received a $1.5 million grant from the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission, but the remainder came out of his own pocket.
 
 Fiscalini says initially, the biggest incentive for him to install a digester was to stay ahead of legislators who may pass laws requiring dairies to have them. He had anticipated the project would take eight to 10 months, but it ended up taking two years because of permitting issues with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the California Regional Water Control Board. 
 
 Aside from being prepared to handle mountains of paperwork from regulatory agencies, grant providers and power utilities, any dairy farmer in California considering installing a digester should "do a lot of homework," Fiscalini says. "Hire a consultant who knows the digester arena, get as many bids as possible, look for grant money, and be really careful about permits and which agencies have the power to impose regulations." 
 
 Now that his digester has been up and running for the better part of the year, Fiscalini believes he is well-equipped to help other dairy farmers who might be facing the same problems. He and his project manager have formed a consulting firm called Ag Power Development. "Because of what we went through with this project, we believe we are among the most knowledgeable people in the state of California about how to get through the regulatory process," he says. "Our experiences, although painful at the time, have educated us and also the regulators, about the process." 
 
 
 Recognizing Trade-Offs 
 
 Though each regulatory agency involved in the digester permitting process serves a sole purpose, environmental trade-offs should be kept in mind, says Steve Weismann, at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law.
 "Most importantly, state government at the top levels needs to recognize the assistance of these trade-offs," Weismann says. "Not every solution that would benefit the reduction of carbon emissions will necessarily uniformly benefit all of their environmental concerns." 
 
 Weismann points out that it will be necessary, in some instances, to recognize certain needs and set priorities. "The other major component is to assure that when agencies analyze projects, they are free and equipped to look at the full range of life-cycle impacts of the project, instead of first-level impacts that may relate to the particular thing that an individual agency regulates," he says. "For instance, if a concern is NOx emissions, there may be some NOx emissions directly related to the operation of a methane-based power generator, but there might be other NOx emissions that might come, for instance, from taking that same manure and transporting it to some other place to be processed. It's really going to be important for agencies to look at the full range of impacts." 
 
 The air district's stake isn't in GHG benefits, even if they recognize them," Dusault says. "Their charge is for air quality, and that's what they focus on-but there is an opportunity to come in with new technology to get that permit, and that's where [Sustainable Conservation is] at right now."
 
 Dusault admits that while there are other uses for biogas, all of which have barriers, electricity generation has turned out to be the most economically attractive-one incentive being that power providers are willing to pay more for renewable electricity to meet state mandates-yet most daunting from a regulatory point of view. "The air district is very powerful," he adds. "Ultimately, we've focused on looking at new technology that might help meet the requirements. Dairymen and the project developers can't afford to challenge the air district in legal proceedings; it's just too costly. So separately, we've begun developing technology on our own." 
 
 In the meantime, those who are in the midst of, or might soon be launching new digester projects, should pay close attention to significant air regulatory issues.
 
 
 Taking Notes
 
 "Based on experience, those taking on new digester projects should be aware of two major issues when designing their systems," DeGuzman says-biogas sulfur content limits and Best Available Control Technology for NOx.
 
 BACT is a pollution control standard under the U.S. EPA's New Source Review program. BACT standards vary in each district, but are at least as stringent as federal new source review standards. BACT requires an applicant to adopt the most stringent control technology that has been achieved in practice for a similar source, is technologically feasible and cost-effective, or is contained in a State Implementation Plan or New Source Performance Standard. In Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley, NOx BACT for internal combustion engines being used to produce power is 0.15 grams NOx per horsepower-hour (9 parts per million)-a standard that Dusault reiterates is difficult to achieve. 
 
 The opportunity for digester expansion in the state is not lost, however. His advice to dairy farmers pursuing new digester projects is simple. "If they're not in California, I say go for it," he says. "Nationally, there are lot of other states such as Wisconsin and New York, where digesters are proving to be viable and cost effective. It's worthwhile to look at the technology to see if your state and your location make economic sense."
 
 Digester projects will become much more important with federal GHG legislation, as well as national efforts to reward renewable electricity production, according to Dusault. "Over the long term, this will be more of a common solution," he says. "For California dairymen, we say come talk to us. We're developing some new technologies, which we think will be cost-effective, allow compliance with the stringent requirements, and allow them to make a profit on electricity production. [Sustainable Conservation] should have some demonstration projects starting early next year. So watch and see what we can do." BIO
 
 
 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.

Fiscalini installed a complete-mix digester system on his dairy that cost double the original estimate of $2 million. PHOTO: JOHN FISCALINI, FISCALINI FARMS

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Are stringent air quality regulations impeding dairy digester implementation in California?

Methane Migraine

Bob Petruzzi has joined Intersystems, a division of ESI, as sales manager in the southeastern U.S. territory. Petruzzi will be responsible for marketing the company's line of bulk material handling equipment to the feed, grain, pet food, ethanol and other related industries in the Southeast. Petruzzi has 30 years of experience in the animal feed, grain and pet food industries. He has served in various management and sales positions for companies such as Goldkist, Southern States, ConAgra and Anitox.

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Intersystems adds  Petruzzi to its sales team

Esteban Chornet, Enerkem co-founder and chief technology officer, received the Synergy Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The Synergy Awards for Innovation are granted by the NSERC to honor outstanding research and development partnerships between industry and universities in natural sciences and engineering. Chornet received the award and a $200,000 research grant on behalf of the University of Sherbrooke, Enerkem, Fractal Systems and CRB Innovations. In November, Vincent Chornet, CEO and president of Enerkem, joined his fellow award recipients at the Toronto Stock Exchange opening bell to announce the 2009 cleantech leaders. The Cleantech Next 10 list exhibits Canada's most promising privately held companies in the Cleantech sector. These leaders are chosen for their innovative approach, clear business objectives, business problem solving and potential for breakthroughs. The selection is made by an advisory panel of Canada's principal authorities on cleantech.

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Enerkem receives recognition for innovation

Posted January 7, 2010, at 2:31 p.m. CST
 
 Swedish AB Volvo subsidiary Terracastus Technologies and waste management firm Nordvastra Skanes Renhallningsbolag plan to jointly construct a liquid biogas plant in southern Sweden for the production of transportation fuel.
 
 In December, the two companies signed a letter of intent to begin a joint company for upgrading biogas to liquefied biogas. The first project will be located outside of Helsingborg, at the site of NSR's landfill. Tobias Elmquist of Terracastus said half of the produced biogas will be generated by an anaerobic digester. About 140,000 metric tons of waste will be required at the plant annually, to produce the equivalence of 15 million liters (4 million gallons) of diesel per year.
 
 Terracastus currently employs 10 people who are engaged in project development. The company is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a New York City location as well. Wholly owned within the Volvo Group, Terracastus was established in 2007 to manage the commercial development of CO2 Wash, a system that transforms raw biogas into high quality liquid biomethane, Elmquist said. 
 
 Elmquist said Terracastus technology is unique in using the CO2 in the raw biogas as a cleaning agent for removal of contaminants such as volatile organic compounds, sulfur and siloxanes. "Prior to establishing Terracastus, Volvo helped manage extensive testing and development of CO2 Wash including the construction of a successful pilot plant (cofunded by the U.S. DOE) at the Burlington County Landfill in Columbus, N.J.," he said. "The project at Burlington County became the first to accomplish a long sought goal of the landfill industry-continuous conversion of landfill gas to liquid methane truck fuel used in regularly scheduled commercial refuse collection." During the project, sample trucks accumulated more than 600 hours of operation using the fuel and post analysis showed no degradation of engines.
 
 The Gothenburg project is the one of the larger, if not largest, facilities for production of liquid biogas in the world, according to Elmquist. Construction is slated to begin the second half of 2010; completion in the third quarter of 2011.

Swedish companies plan liquid biogas plant

Faegre & Benson LLP announced a new service offering to anticipate and mitigate the legal risks associated with a rapidly changing regulatory environment and the "new energy economy." More than 50 attorneys from the Boulder, Colo., Denver,  Des Moines, Iowa, Minneapolis, Shanghai and London offices will collaborate to provide services in the new energy, clean technology and climate sectors, called the NECTC team. The firm will serve businesses developing solutions and new environmental technologies in the new energy economy. The firm will advise a broad range of businesses facing new regulatory mandates arising from energy and climate change legislation.

Faegre & Benson form clean  technology, climate team

A 5.4 MMly (1.4 MMgy) nameplate capacity Inbicon A/S cellulosic ethanol plant in Kalundborg, Denmark, is preparing to distribute its first stock of fuel in 2010. 
 
 The facility, one of the world's first demonstration plants for second-generation ethanol, was inaugurated Nov. 18 by Prince Joachim of Denmark and will run on about 30,000 metric tons (33,000 tons) of straw per year, according to Inbicon, a Dong Energy technology company. Danisco Genecor and Novozymes will provide enzymes to the plant, which will employ about 30 people. The plant also will produce 13,000 metric tons of lignin pellets per year, for use as fuel at combined-heat-and-power plants, and 11,100 metric tons of C5 molasses, for animal feed, according to Dong. It's a unique technology with minimum waste, according to Kathrine Westermann, international media adviser for Dong Energy.
 
 The total cost of construction is 400 million Danish kroner (DKK) ($80 million), supported by 76.7 million DKK from the Danish Energy Development & Demonstration Programme, according to Dong. Demonstration is supported by the European Seventh Framework Programme with 67.7 million DKK. The European Seventh Framework also supported plant design at an earlier stage. 
 
 Norway-based Statoil will distribute the ethanol to target markets in the U.S. and Asia, among others, Westermann said. Inbicon has already sold 5 million liters of ethanol to Statoil, according to Dong. A number of business delegations have been visiting the site in Kalundborg and Dong is close to signing a deal with a U.S. company, she added. 
 
 Part of the fleet of cars that transported delegates around Copenhagen at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in December ran on Inbicon's ethanol mixed with petrol, according to Niels Handrikson, Inbicon CEO.
 
 During the inauguration, Prince Joachim was accompanied by executives and representatives from Dong Energy, the EUPD program and the EU Commission.

The new Inbicon cellulosic ethanol plant in Denmark was inaugurated in November. PHOTO: INBICON

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The Denmark plant will use straw to produce cellulosic ethanol. PHOTO: INBICON

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Cellulosic ethanol plant in Denmark inaugurated

A Pennsylvania-based company that has made claims of being the largest producer of biochar in the world is being charged with fraud by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
 The SEC alleges that since about September 2007, Mantria Corp. principals Troy Wragg and Amanda Knorr raised approximately $30 million from more than 300 investors in approximately 12 fraudulent and unregistered securities offerings to investors, totaling at least $122 million.
 
 According to the SEC, Mantria investment opportunities were promoted through Denver-based Speed of Wealth LLC. Owners, Wayde McKelvy and Donna McKelvy, are also defendants in the case. Speed of Wealth "particularly targeted elderly investors or those approaching retirement age to finance such ‘green' initiatives," the SEC said in a news release. These include a "carbon negative" housing development in Tennessee, as well as the commercial production of biochar at multiple locations. 
 
 The SEC alleges that Wragg and Knorr paid a 12.5 percent commission, or "finders fee" to Speed of Wealth, while convincing investors to attend seminars or participate in Internet Webinars and liquidate their traditional investments such as retirement plans and home equity loans and instead invest in Mantria. Wragg and Knorr are also accused of falsely promising investors enormous returns on their investments, when none of the company's initiatives have generated any significant cash, and the only returns paid to investors have been funded almost exclusively from other investor contributions. 
 
 "[Mantria] overstated the scope and success of Mantria's operations in several ways to solicit investors," the SEC said. "For instance, they claimed that Mantria was the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of biochar and had multiple facilities producing it at a rate of 25 tons per day. In fact, Mantria has never sold any biochar and has just one facility engaged in testing biochar for possible commercial production. Furthermore, Mantria's only source of revenue has been from its resale of vacant lots for its purported residential communities in rural Tennessee, but those did not generate cash with which to pay investor returns because Mantria provided 100 percent financing for almost all of its vacant lot sales to buyers using other investors' funds." 
 
 A federal judge in Denver has ordered a preliminary injunction and has frozen Mantria's assets. 
 
 The company announced in August that it had opened a 32,000-ton-per-year biochar production facility in Dunlap, Tenn. The SEC alleges that little or no construction had ever taken place at that site or any other leased project sites, and that no facilities have ever been completed or operated and are not currently being pursued.
 
 Biochar lobbying group, International Biochar Initiative, said it became aware of the SEC's investigation in mid-November. "IBI's knowledge of Mantria's biochar activities is limited to what has appeared in press releases-IBI has not visited the site of Mantria's operations nor have we supported any of their projects," said IBI Communications Director Thayer Tomlinson. He added that the IBI has not received any funding from Mantria LLC or from EternaGreen, the name under which the company markets its biochar product. 
 
 A request for comment from a Mantria spokesperson was not immediately returned. At press time, the company's Web site was not functioning, and stated that it was being rebuilt for informational purposes.

Biochar company Mantria charged with investor fraud

U.K.-based Bronzeoak Thermal, a company that specializes in waste disposal operations, has proposed a 12.7 megawatt biomass power plant on its former special waste disposal site at Castle Cary, Somerset. 
 
 The facility would use about 136,000 metric tons (150,000 tons) of waste wood, virgin wood, energy crops and waste biomass per year, according to the company, and would create 20 jobs. The project will be designed to combust a small fraction-less than 20 percent-of refuse-derived fuel or solid recovered fuel, according to Hugh Unwin, Bronzeoak commercial manager. An animal carcass incinerator was operated on the site from 1999 to 2006, according to Unwin. 
 
 The plant will use moving grate boiler technology to generate electricity for the export grid. "We are currently exploring opportunities to co-locate an industrial heat user on site, but as of yet nothing is confirmed," he said. The fuel supply is under negotiation and a power purchase agreement is not yet in place.
 
 The company anticipates construction on the site will start in 2011 and take about 24 months. Planning and environmental consents are still needed, along with other contracts and agreements, Unwin said. Capital costs and sources of funding are commercially sensitive at this stage, he added, but disclosed that Bronzeoak intends to finance a significant portion of the project with nonrecourse project finance debt.
 
 The special waste disposal facility on the site was decommissioned in 2007 following the end of the U.K.'s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's Over 30 Month Scheme for cattle, which prohibited beef from animals over 30 months old from entering the food chain.

UK waste disposal company proposes biomass power plant

Waste Management and Linde North America have commissioned what they say is the world's largest landfill gas-to-liquid natural gas plant at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore, Calif., producing enough fuel to power about 300 Waste Management waste and recycling collection vehicles. 
 
 The $15.5 million project received contributions from four state agencies-the Integrated Waste Management Board, the Air Resources Board, the Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. 
 
 The project is the first of its kind for Linde, according to Steve Eckhardt, head of alternative energy business development. He said since commissioning of the plant, which began in September, production has been ramped up to full capacity-about 13,000 gallons per day. 
 
 In a simplified description, trapped landfill gas is sent into a purification system to create a high-quality biomethane stream, which is then introduced to a liquefier. "It's sent through a heat exchanger and passed against a cold mixed refrigerant, and that warm biomethane is turned into liquid natural gas," Eckhardt said. "It's sent right into storage tanks at the site, which are basically giant thermos bottles that keep the product cold." 
 
 A tractor trailer picks up the fuel and transports it to Waste Management refueling sites about once a day, Eckhardt said. The plant typically requires two people to operate, but it can run unattended and be operated remotely so personnel are not constantly required on-site. 
 
 "We're really excited about this plant's progress," Eckhardt said. "The commissioning phase went relatively well where we were able to get liquid natural gas produced in a timely fashion-we came on line without any major problems and that's not easy to do with first-of-a-kind projects." 
 
 Eckhardt says Linde will likely be involved in similar projects relatively soon. "We're very excited, being the largest one in the world," he said. "Today, conventional natural gas is used in many different types of fuels. What's exciting here is that we're using biogas, the lowest carbon fuel out there per the California Air Resources Board, to fuel a fleet of vehicles that already exists-it's a great bang for a buck, a more environmentally friendly fuel and it's produced domestically."

The Waste Management and Linde landfill gas-to-liquid natural gas plant produces about 13,000 gallons a day. PHOTO: LINDE NORTH AMERICA

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World's largest landfill gas-to-liquid natural gas plant on line

Posted January 12, 2010, at 12:07 p.m. CST
 
 The International Organization for Standardization has announced it will develop ISO 13065, a standard for bioenergy. 
 
 A new ISO committee, Sustainability for Bioenergy, will meet for the first time in April, according to an ISO press release. The ISO standard is expected, when complete, to help governments meet alternative fuel targets. 
 
 "ISO/PC 248 will bring together international expertise and state-of-the-art best practice to discuss the social, economic and environmental aspects of the production, supply chain and use of bioenergy, and identify criteria that could prevent it from being environmentally destructive or socially aggressive," the press release said. 
 
 The projected timeline of the project will be determined at the first meeting, according to Maria Lazarte, communication officer for ISO. However, it is currently estimated to take three years, or until about the end of 2012. 
 
 At this point, the press release said, 29 countries are involved in the project as either participants or observers. Brazil and Germany have an agreement to provide secretariat and leadership of the committee. Other countries, such as the United States and China, will serve as observers, which Lazarte explained as "following the process but not getting involved in the vote." 
 
 ISO expects the standard will help avoid technical barriers to trade and stimulate the pursuit of quality through research incentive. The standard is also expected to make bioenergy more competitive, being particularly helpful in allowing developing countries to compete in the international markets, according to the press release. 
 
 "We clearly need biomass as a source of renewable energy," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Ninth Conference of the Parties. "We cannot do without the contribution to climate protection made by sustainable and ecologically produced biomass. But we have to make sure there is no conflict of aims." 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

ISO committee to tackle bioenergy

When operational in 2010, the Buena Vista Biomass Power facility near Ione, Calif., will supply the Sacramento Municipal Utility District with 16 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power about 14,000 homes.
 
 The 20-year contract supports SMUD's goal of providing 33 percent renewable energy by 2020, according to Buena Vista Biomass Power LLC. The 18 MW facility is being reconfigured to utilize 210,000 tons of woody biomass from local sources within 50 miles, including forest-sourced wood waste generated as a byproduct of timber harvest, forest fuel treatment and forest restoration activities; agricultural waste such as orchard removals, orchard pruning, shells and pits; and clean urban wood waste such as tree trimmings, green waste, construction waste, pallets and clean demolition wood, according to BVBP. 
 
 USDA Forest Services awarded BVBP a Wildland Fire Management grant in excess of $2.4 million that will be used for the project, according to BVBP. The grant is derived from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is specifically geared toward the development and completion of projects that will result in local job creation and responsible wild land fire risk mitigation. 
 
 The BVBP facility will create more than 50 construction jobs, along with about 90 during service, including about 20 full-time jobs on-site to operate and maintain the facility, according to the company. The other 70 will be in various support areas, such as engineering, collection, processing and biomass fuel transportation.
 
 The repowering investment includes substantial efficiency upgrades, a completely integrated emissions system with control technology, a biomass fuel handling system, and an energy-management and operating control system, according to BVBP. The benefits to the region are numerous, including improved air quality, reduced landfill waste, creation of a market for hazardous forest fuels, economic development, a carbon neutral footprint and a contribution to the tax base, according to the company.

California biomass plant to supply local utility

Under a new partnership, Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy Corp. will produce its biochemicals using a supply of microalgae from algae producer Bionavitas, Redmond, Wash. 
 
 Thus far, Blue Marble has made biochemicals, specifically esters-a group of chemicals used in food, fragrances, plastics, resins and adhesives-using mainly the waste grain from a neighboring brewery, according to Danielle Hendrix, Blue Marble communications manager. The new partnership does not specify a fixed amount of algae, she said, and is an open research and development agreement. "We haven't decided on a cap," she said. 
 
 Blue Marble's conversion system Acid Gas and Ammonia Targeted Extraction can use wet biomass, bypassing the expensive, energy-intensive drying process, according to the company. Through anaerobic digestion and fermentation, the AGATE process manipulates microbial environments to produce methane, hydrogen, esters, amides and anhydrous ammonia. The process uses nongenetically modified microorganisms and can be adjusted to meet changing economic opportunities and market needs, according to Blue Marble. 
 
 Bionavitas uses its proprietary Light Immersion Technology to grow algae to remediate zinc, lead, cadmium, boron, mercury and other undesirable elements and components of industrial waste streams. The technology helps solve one major problem in algae growth: as it grows, it becomes denser and blocks out vital light. Light Immersion Technology brings light to the algae culture in both open ponds and closed bioreactors through a system of light rods extending deep into the algae culture, according to Bionavitas. By distributing light below the surface layer and releasing it in controlled locations, algae cultures can grow denser. In external canal systems, the rods distribute light from the sun into the culture, according to the company.
 
 The partnership project is still about 18 to 24 months away from actual consumption, Hendrix said, adding that off-take partners eventually will be established. Blue Marble already has off-take partnerships for the biochemicals it produces from waste streams.
 
 Blue Marble has a precommercial pilot site in Seattle, including a prototype AGATE platform to test and develop process improvements. The company's goal was to increase its biomass consumption from 0.3 tons per day to one ton per day by the end of 2009, according to the company. Feedstocks tested include wild grasses, duckweed, food waste and pulp mill waste, among others. Blue Marble is in the final stages of securing an industrial plot in Lincoln County, Wash., in collaboration with Barr-Tech LLC for an industrial plant slated for operation in the third quarter of 2010. It will use cellulosic biomass along with algae and food waste to produce biochemicals and energy, according to the company.

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Washington companies partner to  produce biochemicals from microalgae

Progress Energy Carolinas wants to add between 40 to 75 megawatts (MW) of biomass-based electricity to its capacity, starting in 2013. The utility accepted proposals for electricity generated from woody biomass through Dec. 15 as it looks to contribute to North Carolina's renewable portfolio standard of 12.5 percent by 2020, according to Scott Sutton, Progress Energy communication specialist. The company was looking for proposals from engineers and developers, who will build, own and operate their own facilities, but with purchase agreements in place with Progress for 100 percent of the power generated, renewable energy certificates and the biomass facility's capacity, Sutton said. Utilities need to guarantee to their overseers that they have enough capacity to provide power to their customers whenever it's needed and purchasing the biomass facility's capacity would allow Progress to count it toward its own capacity, he explained. The proposed facilities must be in North Carolina and run on woody biomass only. 
 
 Progress did not specify that all the energy needs to come from one plant, Sutton said, leaving the possibility of more than one contract with more than one developer. Bids were to go through a competitive bidding process and contracts would include timelines for construction and operation. Progress was expected to screen and evaluate proposals by Jan. 10 and a short-list determination, if necessary, was scheduled for Jan. 11, according to the company. Contract negotiations should be completed by Feb 14. The company has not ruled out building its own biomass plant, if the economics are better than simply purchasing power. 
 
 The company does not own any biomass power plants, but has about 300 MW under contract, although not all are operating currently, Sutton said. Most of Progress's biomass energy is generated in Florida-280 MW from wood waste and sweet sorghum-among other biomass feedstocks. The company also purchases power from a 25 MW plant in North Carolina that runs on wood waste, along with a 7 MW plant that uses municipal solid waste. Sutton said Progress has considered converting its existing coal-fired plants to biomass feedstock to increase its renewable energy resources. 
 
 More information about the request for proposals, along with guidelines, can be found at www.progress-energy.com/renewablerfp.

NC utility seeks more for electricity from woody biomass

The Jerusalem artichoke was sold to Midwestern farmers as a crop that thrives in dry soil conditions and could be used to make ethanol and for use in food products. The farmers initially grew it for seed to get the crop established. But the businessmen who were behind the effort turned out to be shady and eventually ended up in court, farmers already stricken by drought conditions were left with a crop they couldn't sell and "Jerusalem artichoke" became a dirty word. 
 
 The scandal is detailed in a book called "The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus: The Buying and Selling of the Rural American Dream" written by Joseph A. Amato and published by the University of Minnesota Press in 1993.
 
 The scandal involving Jerusalem artichokes doesn't faze Larry Whetstone, who, for the past 10 years, has been sending out information about its potential as a biobutanol feedstock and its health benefits, in an effort to get it established in North America.
 
 As the owner of Canuk Sales, an organic food ingredient company, he is particularly interested in the inulin or prebiotic soluble fiber produced by the tubers. "The opportunities for gut health are huge," Whetstone says. "The prebiotics feed the gut microflora of any single-stomach animal, whether it's an oyster, shrimp, chicken, pig, horse or a human. The probiotic thing has been pushed by major companies such as Dannon and anybody making probiotics are doing a big business now because they've indoctrinated mainly women to get their tummies in shape, and it's their digestive gut that's what they have to shape up."
 
 New research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital and Clinics also suggests that probiotics can enhance weight-loss programs. 
 
 "Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines," according to WebMD. "The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system." The Web site describes prebiotics as "nondigestible ingredients in foods that are used to spur the growth of probiotic bacteria in the body."
 
 Most of the prebiotics used today come from the inulin extracted from chickory roots that are mostly grown in Europe. Jerusalem artichokes are also produced in Europe as well as in China and south Asia. 
 
 "It took over eight years in Canada before they allowed the inulin to be called a soluble fiber," Whetstone says. "If you start to look at labels on cereal boxes you're going to see lots of soluble fiber inulin addition. It's also in breads, cookies and dog food in particular. Animals improve when eating it because they have the same gut as we do."
 
 Whetstone says that inulin added to milk helps the body absorb more minerals, calcium and iron, which is beneficial for people who suffer from osteoporosis and for children. 
 
 "I don't understand how so much of it can be used in North America and it's all being imported," he says. While people such as Whetstone believe in the benefits of prebiotics, which can range from helping in the treatment of hay fever, preventing asthma, reducing infections in athletes, reducing kidney stones and improving infant immune functions, there are some researchers who think more research needs to be done to determine its heath benefits. 
 
 
 Livestock Feed Market
 
 While Whetstone is particularly interested in the Jerusalem artichoke's human health benefits, John Timmons, a hog producer in Moberly, Mo., believes its greatest potential is for livestock feed. 
 
 Timmons is growing plots of the crop and says he can easily produce 50 tons of the bulk tubers per acre, which would yield 8 to 10 tons of dry matter per acre. 
 
 "The production rate in this area is just absolutely incredible … you are going to have a higher production rate than corn or any other crop," he says. "The problem with it right now is we're looking at how to dry it."
 
 Animal feed crops such as corn or soybeans are dried and then ground into a powder. A similar process has to be developed for the Jerusalem artichokes. 
 
 "I've got to develop a system where we can harvest this and dry it to a point where it can be stored," Timmons says. "The powder has to be lower than 20 percent moisture. Right now when you harvest it it's at 80 percent moisture so you have to chop it up into a product that can be air dried in the field and then it can be brought in and stored and then you can go into grinding it." Using dryers to dry the crop would require too much energy, he adds. 
 
 Timmons is also interested in the crop because often in his area it's too wet in the spring to plant. "With the ‘choke' there's no planting, it comes back every year," he says. "You can harvest the tubers and they will come back thicker than ever."
 
 Although Timmons and Whetstone are convinced that the crop has potential they are unable to sell it to the academic world. "I've tried to get people from the University of Missouri interested and they're not really," he says. "We're out here on our own and that's all there is to it." Whetstone has also had a tough time getting researchers interested in the tubers. "It's going to take someone to say, ‘we need biomass that's not food related and what are we going to use?'" he says. "I come along and say look at this and then they say they are not interested in Jerusalem artichoke. I say, ‘Why not let me send you some information.' I don't understand."
 
 Timmons says using Jerusalem artichoke in cattle feed can reduce the cow's methane production, which is a source of greenhouse gases. "I think it has tremendous potential for solving a lot of environmental problems, health problems, as far as livestock goes, and it produces more per acre [than other feed crops]," he says. "As an energy source, you can break it down into ethanol. But I think it's going to be much more valuable as a feedstock for cattle or hogs or any kind of livestock. But you have to overcome the problem of being able to harvest, dry and get the tubers to the point where you can grind them into a powder. Until you have that, you are not going to be able to bring it in as a commercial crop."
 
 A study conducted by University of Minnesota concluded that feeding Jerusalem artichokes to hogs improved their diets and made their manure smell sweeter (see sidebar on page 43). 
 
 Timmons came across information about the Jerusalem artichoke when he was studying energy producing crops. He is well aware of the scam and read Amato's book. "Several farmers in this area grew this with the hopes that it would be a savior as an energy crop," he says. "It's really too bad because the crop did have potential. It was just the way it was handled. It's just a shame."
 
 	 
 First-Hand Knowledge
 
 Chuck Gode, a semi-retired consulting engineer, also believes the crop deserves another chance despite its reputation and his own experience with the Jerusalem artichoke schemers. 
 
 In 1982 when he was living in Salem, Ore., Gode, who had an engineering consulting business called CRG Co. LLC, received a midnight phone call from a man named Bill Hawkey wondering if he could design a machine for him to harvest Jerusalem artichokes. 
 
 The conversation resulted in Hawkey buying him a plane ticket to Salt Lake City, where they met just two days later. "He met me there with a twin-engine airplane and we flew over Idaho and all over the West to visit artichoke fields and to show me the processes they were trying to use for harvesting," says Gode, who currently resides in Portland, Ore. In Idaho they were successful using potato harvesters, but soil conditions in Wyoming were hard on the potato harvesters. "We flew to Gillete, Wyo., and about halfway between Gillete and Sheridan-no mans land-they had three or four 40-acre plots of artichokes growing and doing just fine," Gode says. "They tried for three years to harvest them with potato harvesters and the potato harvester builders, and as soon as they hit the soil-I think one got about 12 feet-they bent and didn't work anymore."
 
 Hawkey hired Gode to design a harvester that would work in "junk" or marginal soils, and gave him 90 days to produce the machine. "I designed it in modules and [Hawkey] fabricated it; he was an excellent fabricator because I had virtually no tools to work with just what he brought," Gode says. "Ninety days later the machine is on its way to Wyoming. We get there and it takes about two weeks of debugging and tweaking this and that and by golly it started working."
 
 After debugging the machine his job was over but he was still owed $17,000. When he tried to collect it, Hawkey was nowhere to be found. The next time he saw him was in a Los Angeles courtroom. 
 
 Although Gode wasn't happy about not being paid, he was impressed with the Jerusalem artichoke. He has no idea what happened to the machine that he and Hawkey built, but he kept all of his drawings and photos. "My involvement with the artichoke machine at that time was strictly focused on harvesting in what I've termed junk soil," Gode says. "I figure what a great place to grow energy crops if we can get this harvested in soil with only antelope, jackrabbits and sagebrush on it." BIO
 
 
 Rona Johnson is the editor of Biomass Magazine. Reach her at <a href="mailto:rjohnson@bbiinternational.com">rjohnson@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4940.
 
 
 Jerusalem Artichoke Improves Pig Diets
 
 According to a study "Economic Evaluation of Nutritional Strategies that Affect Manure Volume, Nutrient Content, and Odor Emissions" conducted by the University of Minnesota's Department of Animal Science, Jerusalem artichoke would be a great addition to pig diets. The following are comments the authors made regarding the tuber: Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a native North American plant having a tuber that grows underground. The tubers are high in inulin, which can be broken down to fructooligosaccharide, a carbohydrate. Adding Jerusalem artichoke to growing pig diets has resulted in faster growth and improved feed conversion. In addition, inulin appears to increase growth of bifidobacteria in the pig, reducing diarrhea and swine manure odor. Farnworth et al., 1995, conducted a sensory evaluation study to characterize the smell of fresh (less than 4 hours) swine manure obtained from pigs fed 0 percent, 3 percent and 6 percent Jerusalem artichoke. As shown in table 1, swine manure from pigs fed Jerusalem artichoke smelled sweeter, less sharp and pungent, and had less skatole than pigs fed the control diet. The observed changes in pig manure and subsequent odor are most likely due to the positive influence of Jerusalem artichoke on bifidobacteria in the intestinal microflora.

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also referred to as sunroot or sunchoke, is a sunflower species native to the U.S. 

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Mention Jerusalem artichoke in some farming communities in the Midwest and there's a good chance you'll be run out of town on a rail. The tubers' reputation was tarnished in the early 1980s by scandal, but some people still believe in its potential as a biomass resource.

Bad Boy Crop  Deserves a Second Chance

South Dakota State University scientists have "re-discovered" an insect that was first described by a scientist in 1910, but hasn't been studied since.
 
 What they are learning about its diet and life cycle suggests it could be one of the first major pests of a new biobased economy that grows native grasses for energy.
 
 SDSU professor Paul Johnson, a research entomologist, said SDSU scientists found larvae of an unidentified insect that were responsible for losses on a private farm specializing in seed production of native grasses in 2006. At an SDSU research farm in 2007, professor Arvid Boe, a forage breeder, calculated that 40 percent or more of new tiller growth was lost to the caterpillar.
 
 Then in 2008, Johnson collected adult moths using simple emergence traps, and estimated population densities of male moths using freshly emerged virgin females. He also collected larvae and reared them to adults on an artificial diet provided by colleagues at the University of Illinois.
 
 Johnson, the curator of SDSU's Severin-McDaniel Insect Research Collection, said identifying the insect was a puzzle.
 
 "At first we thought it was an undescribed species. I started calling it the ‘switchgrass moth' because everything we know about it so far is that it feeds only on switchgrass," Johnson says. "We had no idea what this thing was. We had no identified material in the insect collection here that would allow us to identify it to any level. Suddenly this species, in an agronomic sense, was presenting itself as a pest of switchgrass."
 
 SDSU's search for answers finally led scientists to David Adamski, a research associate with the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Adamski, a specialist in small moths, identified the insect and told them it had been reported to science in 1910.
 
 "In this case, a worker named Dietz using electric light collected two specimens of Blastobasis repartella from Denver, Colo., and they weren't collected since," Adamski says.
 
 Adamski went to South Dakota in June to gather specimens of the insect and is currently rearing adults of the moth from larvae that were collected. He will co-author a paper about it with the help of colleagues including Johnson and Boe at SDSU, and another researcher from Illinois who has also found the insect in switchgrass plots.
 
 "We're going to redescribe it and put it in modern terms," Adamski says.
 
 The insect may not be rare as much as it has been simply ignored, Adamski says, since it apparently depends on a plant that previously was unimportant to humans.
 
 "This moth is, with wings spread, very small and generally would go unnoticed by anyone. It's not like it's hiding," Adamski says. "An insect like this, someone would ignore it without a thought."
 
 
 Insect Find Raises New Issues
 
 Johnson said the insect is an interesting example of issues that can emerge when a native plant is elevated to crop status.
 
 "Part of the question from a biodiversity perspective is how thoroughly do we know the insects of native prairie plants?" Johnson says. "As we convert native plants into crops, we are bringing with them the potential for new pests and diseases. Here we have a native, prairie grass-adapted species that apparently no one knew about."
 
 Encouraging large tracts of native grasses as agricultural crops would give insects that use those species the signal to thrive. "When you start encouraging large monocultures, it's like there's a Thanksgiving feast laid out for them," Johnson says.
 In fact, he says, the switchgrass moth is only one of several puzzling insects that SDSU scientists have found in the course of their research on various species of native grasses and other plants. One other switchgrass insect is a cecidomyid fly that was previously unknown to science. 
 
 "We now have a genus name, Chilophaga. And it is confirmed to be a new species," Johnson says. "Then there are different moths, midges, aphids and other insects on big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, cup plant and other plant species being studied as potential crops."
 
 For the scientists studying native grasses as potential feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol, the ongoing discoveries challenge an important assumption, Johnson notes.
 
 "Before these recent discoveries, the mantra in the national biofuels and biomass circles was that there were no significant pests of concern and that growing native plants as crops would be environmentally benign if not beneficial. Our basic insect natural history work here at the Severin-McDaniel Insect Research Collection has shown this presumption to be false and that native prairie plants are just as vulnerable to insects as other crops," Johnson says. "A major concern in the near future, then, becomes designing pest management programs."
 
 More information on both insects can be found at http://nathist.sdstate.edu/smircol/index.htm. Click on "Biomass/Biofuels/Bioenergy Insects" near the bottom right of the page, then click on the link beside "Switchgrass."
 
 Adamski says the incident raises other serious biological issues for entomologists. The switchgrass moth belongs to a family called Blastobasidae, commonly known as scavenger moths. Yet repartella and other newly discovered relatives are not scavengers but phytophagous insects that feed on living plants. These new discoveries may change the way scientists think about the group in general.
 
 About 400 species of Blastobasidae are known worldwide, Adamski said, and of those only about 6 percent are known to have host plant associations. In addition, Adamski said, the number of known Blastobasidae is increasing. For example, Adamski has yet to publish a work on Costa Rican Blastobasidae that will add 102 new species to the list.
 
 The incident points to the need for taxonomic expertise that focuses on insects that live inside the stems of plants, where the switchgrass moth lives for most of its life cycle.
 
 The moth was discovered in plots that were established and evaluated when Boe's forage breeding research was supported by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station; by the U.S. DOE through a contract with the Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development in Minneapolis; and by the DOE's biomass program through a contract with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. More recently, his work has been supported by the North Central Sun Grant Center at SDSU.
 
 Johnson's work to date on the switchgrass moth has been funded by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and by the Burruss McDaniel Insect Collection Endowment (SDSU Foundation). BIO
 
 
 Lance Nixon writes for SDSU Research News. Reach him at <a href="mailto:Lance.Nixon@sdstate.edu">Lance.Nixon@sdstate.edu</a>.

SDSU forage breeder Arvid Boe?s work in switchgrass has been complicated by the re-discovery of a tiny moth, first described a century ago. Only now when scientists are exploring biomass crops have they learned that it feeds on switchgrass and can ca

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The switchgrass moth isn?t considered a new or rare species. Researchers believe it was just ignored for years because it only feeds on a plant previously unimportant to humans. The top photo is of a switchgrass moth larva and the bottom photo is of 

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The rediscovery of the switchgrass moth indicates that native prairie plants are just as vulnerable to insects as other crops are, and that pest management programs will be needed if these prairie grasses are going to be produced commercially.

SDSU Scientists ‘Re-discover' Switchgrass Moth

Phase two of a two-part Resource Analytics study commissioned by northeast Wisconsin consortium New North Inc. recently concluded that the logistical resources for a woody biomass supply chain exist to support a cellulosic ethanol plant in Niagara, Wis.
 
 Previously, phase one had concluded that enough woody biomass is available to support a plant, along with existing paper mills in the area. The new cellulosic ethanol plant would be on the site of a closed paper mill, according to Joshua Morby, The New North spokesman. "The primary focus for this effort was how to keep jobs in the region," he said. "When that paper mill closed, we looked at some other potential uses of that facility, with cellulosic ethanol being one of them." Phase two brought together individuals and companies that would make up such a supply chain and found significant interest in doing so among them, according to New North Inc.
 
 New North Inc. is a consortium of businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development and other agencies in an 18-county region in Wisconsin. The organization's approach is unique on several fronts. Typically, developers looking to build a plant on a particular site would conduct the study. "We've done it preemptively," Morby said. "We've gone out and done the study and now we're marketing the study." The approach sweetens the deal for developers looking to build, he added. "If somebody comes to you and they've already paid to do the study and they already have the relationships and collaborations in place with the people that handle the logistics, it just makes it easier," he said. The consortium is in discussions with developers interested in converting the mill to a cellulosic ethanol plant, but no agreements are in place, he added.
 
 About 460,000 green tons of fiber from logging residue could be obtained from within a 65-mile-radius of the plant, phase one found, and policy restraints in harvesting it are minimal on all ownerships except national forests. It also found that agricultural sources of fiber could be used, but phase two found woody biomass to be a more beneficial and logistical feedstock. Switchgrass supplier cooperatives also could be established, according to findings. 
 
 "From our standpoint, the focus of this effort is to retain jobs and employ an existing skilled workforce while leveraging the available resources we have in a sustainable manner," Morby said.

A study has confirmed that the logistical capacity exists to supply a cellulosic ethanol plant in the The New North, an 18-county region in Wisconsin. PHOTO: THE NEW NORTH

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Study confirms logistical capacity  for Wisconsin cellulosic ethanol plant

California-based Environmental Developers Inc. plans to showcase a new biomass digestion system for the first time at Biomass Magazine's Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo being Jan. 11-13 in Sacramento, Calif. The company believes the process is three to 10 times faster than other digestion designs on the market.
 
 The Vacuum Retort Anaerobic Digestion system has been in development since 1977, after EDI President Herman Miller III initially observed an anaerobic digester. "Typically, its instrumentation was out of service and deep rust has penetrated everything ferrous in the vicinity, eaten up by the hydro-sulfurous acid products of raw digest gas," he said. "Realizing the potential energy possibilities for anaerobics and the disastrous impediment of the hydrogen sulfide byproduct as well as its usefulness, I was intrigued and challenged into a new avocation of work and study, while building other people's plant designs. Every solution highlighted another problem until 30 years and four or five patents later, we had VRAD." 
 
 At a typical plant, municipal solid waste (MSW) is weighed, sorted, crushed and ground as finely as possible. Miller said EDI has a design for a grinder that the company can build, but added that it would be more economical to buy a grinding system that is already in the market though none have yet met the system's exact specifications.
 
 The MSW is hydrolyzed, enzymes are added and the material then goes through three digestion stages. Hydrogen sulfide and inert materials are removed. "The sodium sulfate and sodium bicarbonate byproducts are taken off as part of the gas separation process," Miller explained. "We end up with clean water, a certain amount of which is used for washing, hydrolization, fire protection and general cleanup around the plant." The water is continually recycled, he added, leaving about 80,000 gallons per day for sale. 
 
 "The pure biomethane and carbon dioxide products are put through two stages of compression," Miller said. "The low-pressure stage (300 pounds per square inch) gas is used for mixing, pH control and to feed the high-pressure stage (3,000 pounds per square inch) gas that is bottled and sold, based on the highest and best use principle-to power electric cars, trucks and buses. Brazil and Argentina are already well into these vehicles, and they make the most sense on every count." 
 
 Miller said the most significant benefit of the VRAD process is its gas separation capability. "It not only allows us to sell a cleaner biomethane product with a higher Btu per cubic foot than pipeline natural gas, but also allows us to reduce greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions to zero," he said. This offers a serious carbon credit advantage over other processes. We didn't design the process with the carbon credit game in mind, it just made good sense." 
 
 As far as the cost is concerned, Miller said EDI expects it will take $35 million to get the first 1,000-ton-per-day plant on line. The plant would have a 10-acre footprint and generate a return on investment in five to seven years.

EDI to unveil biomass digester system

Posted December 30, 2009 at 11:12 a.m. CST
 
 A 25-megawatt biomass power plant proposed near the Rock Falls, Ill., Industrial Park in Whiteside County would run primarily on corn stover and add its capacity to the PJM Interconnection market, which operates in several eastern states and the District of Columbia. 
 
 Construction on the plant could begin in the summer of 2010, depending on securing project funding, with a planned date of operation in the second quarter of 2011, according to the Whiteside County Web site. BioPro Power Rock Falls LLC is developing the project and company President Philip Tollefson declined to release information on the cost or what types of funding BioPro is pursuing. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approved and issued an air quality permit for the selected site in October. 
 
 Keith Zoeller, of Zoeller Ag Services Inc., is working to develop agreements with local agents and farmers to secure a supply, according to the county. BioPro will be responsible for all aspects of the harvest and delivery of the corn stover to the plant. Tollefson declined to disclose information about supply contracts with farmers, or the level of interest among local farmers in growing crops for the plant.
 
 The construction of the facility could bring 100 to 200 jobs to Rock Falls, along with several more once completed including operators, technicians and managers. Pacific Construction Management, Lake Oswego, Ore., will assist BioPro with construction management and project startup, according to the county. 
 
 BioPro is a privately-owned company and its founders created its proprietary biomass combustion technology for corn stover.

Biomass power plant proposed in Illinois

A U.K. company originally focused on supplying materials for the solar industry has expanded to the biomass industry, providing wood chips, bamboo and palm kernel shells to customers on several eastern hemisphere continents.
 
 Opean Energy Managing Director Odera Ume-Ezeoke said the company has offices or partners in each country it sources biomass from, which includes Ghana and Indonesia. "We started out aiming to bridge the supply gap in the clean commodity market where there appeared to be a real problem tracking down reliable supplies of silicon for solar panel production," she said. "Now, we've expanded our products to focus and solve similar problems in the biomass industry by physically trading to supply our clients with the biomass they seek."
 
 Opean Energy was formed in 2005, Ume-Ezeoke said, but its focus on biomass didn't begin until early 2009, when it began developing its supply chain. "In the fourth quarter of 2009 we started marketing our supplies," she said. "We chose to expand from silicon to biomass because as clean commodities, the products shared a lot of similarities as bulk products focused on the production of clean power, and used by a mainly industrial client base. Our silicon background essentially gave us a jogging start in the industry." 
 
 Opean supplies customers with bamboo pellets, wood chips and pellets, and palm kernel shells, a waste product of palm oil production. "Smaller quantities of items like bamboo, we have around 5,000 metric tons (5,500 tons) per month at present," Ume-Ezeoke said. "For wood chips, pellets and palm kernel shells, we have a supply capacity of around 20,000 to 40,000 metric tons per month of each, either on a FOB (free on board) or CIF (cost insured freight) basis." 
 
 According to Opean Energy, on an annual basis there are 3.2 million tons of palm kernel shells available in Indonesia and 3.1 million tons in Malaysia. The shells compare favorably as a boiler fuel source due to their relatively high calorific value of 4,320 kilocalories per kilogram (16 Btu per 154 pounds), abundance of supply, ease of use and per tonnage cost. 
 
 Palm kernel shells are versatile and have multiple uses, Ume-Ezeoke added. "It can be used in its natural form for fuel at power stations, as a clean alternative to coal, to form activated carbon or to pave roads. We're reducing emissions of EU power stations by encouraging them to burn biomass instead of coal, and also promoting and enabling enterprise in developing countries where we source our biomass from."

UK company supplies palm kernel shells for biomass power

After a series of rigorous operational and burn characteristic assessments, Nebraska-based Next Step Biofuels is ready to move their corn stover pellets into the marketplace, and told Biomass Magazine negotiations are underway with several Midwest power utilities for supply contracts to begin next year.
 
 Will Gardenswartz, Next Step director of marketing, said all of the testing has been completed with satisfactory results, including the manufacture of the pellets at a commercial scale. Several months ago, Next Step worked with Loup Valley Alfalfa's pelletizing facilities in Burwell, Neb., to perform production tests, according to Gardenswartz. "We retrofitted the facility with what's needed to make our corn stover pellets-which is different-and we produced them there for a period of several weeks," he said. 
 
 Next Step also had tests conducted at the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota. 
 
 There are two main advantages to "Power Pellets" over wood pellets, Gardenswartz said. "Processing characteristics is one," he said. "What's necessary, in order to fold this into a coal-fired plant operation, is to pulverize whatever they plan to co-burn in the same way they do coal." Wood pellets can be difficult to pulverize, especially if they are made with binders, he said. "Binders create undesirable substances in the ash which can cause slagging problems, and you don't want to introduce impurities from the binders into the system." 
 
 The other advantage is the economics of using corn stover as a pellet feedstock, according to Gardenswartz. "Because corn stover is the most abundant biomass source in the U.S., in theory, [corn stover pellets] will sell for less than wood pellets," he said. "One problem with the wood supply market is that although they say it's renewable, if you look at the numbers on leftover waste wood and lumber resources, you'll see a lot of pressure." 
 
 Though the company hasn't yet built its own pellet plant, Gardenswartz said major off-take agreements with utilities will influence where and when one or more will be built. "For a lot of reasons, as you can imagine, we'll put the plants really close to where the pellets will be used," he said. A typical plant will produce 175,000 tons of the pellets annually, each pound containing just less than 7,300 Btu. The Midwest will host the plants, he added, due to an abundance of corn stover throughout the region. "We're actively contracting for corn stover right now and are seeing success doing that," he said. "These are seven-year, price-stable agreements, and involve a turn-key program. We come in, harvest, bale and shred the corn stover, using our own combines and crews." 
 
 Addressing concerns surrounding the possible effects corn stover removal might have on the quality of soil, Gardenswartz said it won't be a problem. "While leaving a certain amount of corn stover in the field is important for the soil, yield increases in corn have actually created a corn stover surplus, and leaving too much is a problem." 
 
 Though admitting that no pellet will compete with the cheap cost of coal, Gardenswartz emphasized the point of utilizing biomass pellets is beyond cost competitiveness. "Using them will be necessary to comply with state renewable portfolio standards, carbon credit gains, and will become especially important with the new U.S. EPA greenhouse gas ruling," he said. "Though the pellets could cost three to four times as much as coal, using them is all about reducing carbon dioxide emissions." 
 
 Biomass pelletizing is far from a new concept, Gardenswartz pointed out, but corn stover is a particularly stubborn substance to pelletize. "The reality is that people have been producing biomass pellets for a long time, but corn stover has been resistant for a variety of reasons-it just has bad processing characteristics. It took us a long time to figure out, but now we've solved the problem and have a novel, cost-effective process."

Next Step Biofuels is ready to market its Power Pellets made from corn stover to coal-fired power plants. PHOTOS: NEXT STEP BIOFUELS

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Next Step debuts corn stover pellets

Georgia-based SunBelt Biofuels LLC is prepared to sell registered and certified rhizomes of its Foundation Freedom giant miscanthus to several hundred licensed growers in the Southeast U.S. starting in the spring. 
 
 The plant was selected as the company's main biofuels crop after about 12 years of investigations by Mississippi State University researchers and named Freedom because they believe it can reduce the U.S.'s dependence on foreign oil. It was chosen because of its ability to grow well in the Southeast and its vigor, size, profitability and yield, according to Craig Patterson, of SunBelt. "It's important to know that it is not genetically modified," he said. "It was selected." Researchers are in the process of fingerprinting and patenting the crop, he added. 
 
 SunBelt has field trials of Freedom giant miscanthus in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia, for a total of 300 acres, and is the exclusive supplier of the plant. At full maturity, it yields up to 25 tons per acre. "Because of the high vigor and rapid multiplication of the plant rhizomes, we are able to harvest each year with high multiplication," said Phillip Jennings, president of SunBelt. Yield on 1-year-old material is 8 tons, second-year regrowth yields 14 tons and third-year regrowth yield is 20 tons, Jennings said. Some tests have revealed 27 tons per year is possible with some supplemental water after the fourth year of growth, he added. The company possesses enough material now to plant at least 1,000 acres, Patterson said. "Our work for the past few months has been concentrated on bringing the cost down for planting and doing it mechanically," Jennings said. 
 
 This is SunBelt's first biofuel crop and the company does not have plans for expansion to include more, Patterson said. "We think this is the best solution for farmers to plant in the Southeast," he said. While it is mainly a biofuel crop, it can be used for biomass power, animal bedding or can be pelletized and shipped. "We can ship it to wherever, whenever," he said. 
 
 An advantage to using grasses rather than woody biomass is moisture content, Patterson said. Freedom giant miscanthus has a moisture content of 12 percent to 15 percent, whereas wood has about 60 percent. Drying that material is energy intensive and costly. SunBelt has not used money from the government or large corporations, Jennings said, adding that it is a true grass-roots effort, from the ground up, among farmers.
 
 SunBelt offers a full growers assistance program including planting supervision, growing assistance and quality monitoring. Jennings says he'd like to see 25 million acres planted in low-grade soils and on abandoned farms in the Southeast over the next 10 years. "I want so much biomass produced in the Southeast that it looks like a mushroom cloud from outer space," he said.

Georgia company to sell exclusively licensed miscanthus rhizomes

California-based Mendel Biotechnology Inc. has more than 2,000 varieties of miscanthus under development on several different plots and hopes to have significant plantings for biomass power generation in the next two to four years.
 
 Fifteen research and development plots have been planted across the eastern U.S. and Canada to identify genetics and breeding materials, according to Mendel CEO and President Neal Gutterson, along with nine pilot locations to help understand the different varieties and their yields, as well as the best locations to plant them in order to work with off-take partners. In addition, a precommercial demonstration site in southwest Kentucky is helping researchers understand the logistics of harvest, collection and storage. "But also to get farmers interested," Gutterson said. Mendel also has collaborations in Europe, China and Brazil. 
 
 Currently, yields are being used mainly for testing, but plots, specifically Kentucky's demo site, have shown great potential for miscanthus as an energy crop. Interest in miscanthus is huge, according to Rasto Ivanic, director of business development, and Mendel is in discussions with several businesses interested in testing the company's crops for conversion to biofuels and power. It's just a matter of a few years before a substantial agreement is in place, he added.
 
 The Kentucky trials were done by a top grower, Gutterson said, and have accomplished yields comparable to a mature switchgrass field. First-year data is encouraging, he said, and the demo plot will be harvested for the next several years. Crops planted now are clonal offerings, but Mendel has long-term aspirations of moving to a seeded system, which would lower costs, Gutterson said. "We think the costs can come down five- to 10-fold," he said, adding that the seeded products will be game changing.
 
 Mendel is focused on a portfolio of crops, mainly miscanthus, and sees limitations on current offerings that they will address in their own varieties. The company's plants are not currently genetically modified, Ivanic stressed, adding that Mendel is leading the effort to make sure varieties of the crop will not pose issues or threats where they are planted and harvested. "We are extremely conscious about being good stewards of the industry," he said. "We can bring in important traits without having genetic modification," Gutterson added. Desired traits include improved and stabilized yield, improved energy content and maximized growing season and flowering time, he said. 
 
 Mendel's clonal offerings are seeing yields in the first year and results look promising, Gutterson said. "We're now seeing progress," he added. The industry still seems a bit sluggish and many questions have yet to be answered, but he is confident that in a couple years the company will have the data and information that will spur financing for miscanthus-based renewable energy projects. "We're very optimistic that this will be a good feedstock," he said.

California company sees potential in its miscanthus trials

The Ventura Regional Sanitation District in southern Ventura County, Calif., has officially commenced operations at its biosolids drying and electric generation facility in Santa Paula, a project the utility hopes will serve as a model for other regional governments and municipalities.
 
 It took about two years and $19 million to construct the facility, which is on three acres at the Toland Road Sanitary Landfill. The facility utilizes landfill gas to provide 100 percent of its required power (about 1 megawatt), and an extra 1.5 megawatts are sold to the local power grid, according to VRSD General Manager Mark Lawler. With some additional units, the facility could handle the biosolids produced by up to 700,000 people. 
 
 Within the 10-city county, VRSD is contracted to take biosolids from six cities that do wastewater treatment. "The remainders are special districts that don't have large volumes of biosolids, so they haven't contracted with us just yet, but we're working on those," Lawler said. "We needed these contracts with the cities in order to get the financing for the project-this project proceeded with no grants or special loans, so we went for conventional financing."
 
 The landfill gas, after going through a process to remove excess liquids and filtration systems, is conveyed to the facility by a blower that supplies low-pressure gas to the biosolids dryer and a compressor that sends high-pressure gas to fuel nine microturbines for electricity generation.
 
 Biosolids arrive at the facility via trucks, and are dried in two 80-ton batch dryers. Hot oil from process heaters circulates around the dryer shell and through a series of internal rotors that turn the biosolids to dry them evenly. Steam from the dryers is condensed to water, which is treated and then used for dust control at the landfill; exhaust air from the dryers is filtered to remove odors and particulates.
 
 The dried biosolids are conveyed to trailers at the receiving station and hauled to the landfill. "The end product from the biosolids qualifies under California's Solid Waste Law, and we're using that as daily cover at the landfill right now," Lawler said. California's Solid Waste Law AB 939 requires each city or county to divert 50 percent of all solid waste from landfill or transformation facilities through source reduction, recycling and composting activities by Jan. 1, 2000.
 
 Several people have contacted VRSD and are interested in securing the end product for commercial use as a fuel source or fertilizer, Lawler said. 
 
 Since the electric generation and biosolids processing facility began initial start-up operations in August, the two dryers have been ramped up to handle about 120 tons of biosolids per day. "It's the first of its kind, so we've been doing things slowly to make sure everything's done properly," Lawler said. "To our knowledge, this is the first of its kind in California-where somebody is treating biosolids regionally rather than individually. We'd really like to show other regional governments and municipalities what we have, and help those who are interested try to duplicate it."

The VRSD in Ventura County, Calif., has started operations at its biosolids drying and electric generation facility in Santa Paula. PHOTOS: VENTURA REGIONAL SANITATION DISTRICT

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The VRSD biosolids drying and electrical generation facility uses landfill gas to provide 100 percent of its required power, and an extra 1.5 megawatts are sold to the local power grid. PHOTOS: VENTURA REGIONAL SANITATION DISTRICT

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VRSD provides regional biosolids management solution

Proposed five years ago and still going through stringent state and federal permitting processes, Russell Biomass LLC's plant in Russell, Mass., would provide 50 megawatts (MW) of power to the local grid from clean, locally sourced wood waste such as forest management residue and stumps. But local opposition groups already have appealed several of the company's permits and continue to do so, inevitably delaying the construction and operation timeline.
 
 The Russell Biomass Power Plant will be the tightest permitted biomass plant in New England history, said Russell Biomass developer Peter Bos. The plant requires about 36 permits, but construction cannot commence during an active appeal process, which can take up to four years, Bos says. The company currently is on track to get all of its permits in place by March 2010, polish the design over the summer and begin construction by September 2010 with the goal of operating in the spring of 2013. But not if local grassroots opposition group Concerned Citizens of Russell can do something about it, which Bos fully expects.
 
 The group opposes the plant for several reasons outlined on its Web site, www.concernedcitizensofrussell.org, including trucking routes and frequency of travel, river impacts, forest sustainability and, of course, plant emissions. The area already has high levels of air pollution because of its location and geography, according to CCR spokeswoman Jana Chicoine. "This site is ringed by mountains," she says. "You've got a 300-foot smokestack next to a 1,100-foot mountain." 
 
 
 Emission Impacts
 
 Typical major emissions from biomass power plants include carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide and lead, along with particulate matter, among others. All these emissions, in high concentrations, have adverse effects on the environment, but also pose health risks. Carbon monoxide can cause issues such as asthma, headaches, unconsciousness and death; particulates can cause respiratory illnesses; sulfur dioxide can induce breathing difficulty or worsen asthmatic problems in children; and nitrous oxide can affect the central nervous system, along with cardiovascular and reproductive systems, among other side effects. 
 
 But the U.S. EPA regulates those harmful emissions and issues penalties, commonly in the form of fines, to facilities not in compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as per the Clean Air Act, passed in 1970. The law's administrators can require owners or operators of an emissions source, or control or process equipment, to continuously keep emissions records and use monitoring equipment. Administrators will have access to those records and the premises, according to the EPA. The administrator also can require an operator to enhance monitoring and control techniques, or submit compliance certifications, which include compliance status, method of determining that status, and whether it is continuous or intermittent, among other criteria. The EPA may also inspect facilities regularly to determine compliance in accidental release prevention or mitigation programs. 
 
 Section 112 of the CAA was amended in 1990 to require the EPA to issue emission standards and requirements for 189 cancer-causing air pollutants. The amendment resulted in more than 100 new rules for industrial and commercial sources of air pollution, according to the EPA. The EPA mostly conducted outreach and compliance assistance in the first few years the new rules were in place, but now has a standard enforcement process of identifying priority violators and taking enforcement actions, including issuing penalties. Since 1997, the EPA has issued enforcement actions for Section 112 violations in more than 600 cases, some involving penalties and environmental projects of more than $1 million each, according to the agency. Penalties for a violation of stationary emissions source requirements of the CAA can be up to $32,500 per violation (per day or per engine), according to the EPA. The federal EPA administrators, along with any state government, also have the power to prevent construction of a major emitting facility that does not conform to the requirements. 
 
 After an inspection of a biomass power plant site in Lufkin, Texas, in February 2009, the EPA ordered a stop work order on the 50 MW project because it found construction activities had been completed without required air permits, according to the EPA. The developer, Aspen Power LLC, had been previously granted a Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit, but it was rescinded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality because it was challenged by concerned citizens, according to Dave Bary, spokesman for the Region 6 EPA office. "Aspen Power decided to proceed with construction at its own risk in the absence of a permit from the state of Texas," Bary says. The PSD permit is required because Lufkin is near the Houston/Galveston area, which already is not in attainment of federal ozone standards, Bary explains. "In order to proceed with construction, it was necessary to demonstrate that their emissions would not contribute to an existing air quality problem in an area nearby," he says. It is unusual for the EPA to issue a stop work order because of permitting issues, he adds.
 
 Aspen was denied a motion to appeal in April, but construction has since commenced after an Oct. 26 re-issuance of the permit by the state, with the addition of more control technologies, according to the EPA. A message left with Aspen Power was not returned. The $130 million plant will burn clean wood debris generated by timber harvesting and municipal clean-up activities and is expected to begin operations in late 2010. For more information on the CAA, visit www.epa.gov/air/caa/.
 
 In addition, the EPA's Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule, announced in September, will require suppliers, manufacturers and facilities emitting more than 25,000 metric tons (27,550 tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent annually to report and continuously monitor their emissions. The rule goes into effect Jan. 1.
 
 
 Concentration, Not Weight
 
 Concerned Citizens of Russell lists expected emissions amounts of harmful compounds from the Russell plant on its Web site, but Bos says it's not the number of tons or pounds emitted, but the concentrations that indicate the health measure. "The numbers mean nothing when you're thinking about health impacts," he says. "You must know what the resulting concentrations in the air are of that pollutant or any pollutant." For example, the plant will emit 39 tons of particulate matter 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or smaller per year, but that goes up the 300-foot smokestack and into the air, where it disperses, resulting in a concentration of 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter, he says. The standard set by the EPA for PM2.5 concentration is 35 micrograms per cubic meter, he adds. In the 1,600-person village of Russell, particulates emitted from wood stoves in homes during the winter will result in an overall concentration of 5 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter, he explains, adding that emissions from each stove results in 40 micrograms per cubic meter right around the home emitting them. "The reason our concentrations are so small is we have a huge filter that captures over 99 percent of all particulates generated," he says. "Whereas a wood stove in a house only has maybe a 20-foot stack that goes up to the roof." The company has offered to replace 20 wood stoves in the community with clean-burning pellet stoves, effectively reducing the concentration of wintertime particulates and carbon monoxide. "I think this is the first time in history that a developer has created a program that will reduce pollutants of concern if the plant is built," he says.
 
 Chicoine disagrees with Bos's concentration measurements for the plant and has consulted a meteorologist who says conditions around the village, including surrounding mountains, make it harder to disperse air pollutants. But besides the smokestack emissions, Chicoine worries about the diesel exhaust from the trucks transporting wood on the route right next to her family's home. "You've got what I like to call an ozone factory," she insists. "This is a health threat." 
 
 Russell Biomass has acquired a number of the required permits and has a draft permit to discharge into the river under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System from the EPA. CCR has appealed three permits to date and two or three more appeals are expected, Bos says, adding that all appeal rulings thus far have gone against the opponents and sustained the project. 
 
 
 Broad Opposition
 
 A broad, statewide opposition to biomass has developed in Massachusetts, initiating a petition for a carbon dioxide emissions law that would prohibit biomass plants emitting more than 250 pounds per megawatt hour from operating. That's far lower than any biomass plant emits, along with any fossil fuel power plant, Bos says. 
 
 Biomass power should not be included as a renewable energy resource because it is not carbon neutral, Chicoine says, adding that a number of other organizations in the state have formed around opposition of biomass power plants. "Opposition to biomass power plants in Massachusetts is uniquely strong, organized, gifted, qualified, focused and accomplished, I think, in all the world," she says, adding that the idea of biomass being carbon neutral is a "fairy tale." The state has one operational biomass plant in Westminster that generates 17 MW and four more have been proposed, including Russell's. A number of coal plants are also considering switching to biomass. Additionally, Massachusetts has a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 15 percent by 2020, with smaller goals each year.
 
 At the beginning of December, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources suspended all consideration of new biomass projects for participation in the state RPS, as it awaits the results of a third-party study to determine the sustainability and carbon neutrality of biomass power generation. The study is fueled in large part by opposition to new biomass facilities proposed in the state and will focus on forest management as it relates to biomass collection, along with the life-cycle analysis of the carbon inputs to biomass growth, harvesting, transportation and combustion. The study, led by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, should be completed by June, with any new rulings released in about one year. 
 
 The study and suspension can delay development, but Bos says it will not affect his plant, as he already expects a delay because of appeals. It will not cause any further delays, he says, adding that construction should start in 2011. The study's chief function will be to help the DOER determine how many projects it can approve for renewable energy credits, based on the supply of feedstock, Bos says. He does not expect a ruling that allows no biomass power generation in the state at all. "The question is how much biomass will be allowed," he explains, "not if no biomass will be allowed. The answer to how much wood is available is not zero." Qualification for state RPS generates renewable energy credits, a key portion of a biomass power plant's revenue. "Without them, you won't likely have biomass power," Bos says. The study also will help identify specific sources of the wood supply that will be allowed for biomass power generation, limiting total megawatts to what's available. Different ways of supplying biomass and different sources have an effect on the GHG emissions, he adds. 
 
 "In all states, you find that environmental standards are tightening, but Massachusetts is clearly the tightest permitting state in New England," Bos says. That might not be the only reason fewer plants exist in the state than elsewhere, he adds, such as in New Hampshire, which has supported 200 MW of biomass power from woody biomass for years without clear cutting. More forest management activities take place in northern New England than southern, he says, providing more feedstock. If he had it to do over again, Bos says he would propose a site in New Hampshire over the former paper company site he chose in Massachusetts, one of two paper mills shut down in the village of Russell about 15 years ago. "It was a good paper company site and it's a very good power plant site," he says.
 
 A support group for the Russell plant, RussellFirst, also has emerged in the past six months and has about 100 members, who are concerned about losing the tax revenues the plant would bring in ($120 million over 50 years) and the 22 permanent jobs, Bos says. Even so, Chicoine calls RussellFirst an "astro turf group" and says it is indistinguishable from Russell Biomass. "Grassroots is genuine and astro turf is not," she says, adding that RussellFirst is more concerned with tax dollars than the other issues, such as health and sustainability. "RussellFirst just doesn't show an interest in the information," she says.
 
 But permitting standards are rigid, Bos argues, and no health or environmental risks are ignored. "It defies rational thinking that there are that many environmental impacts that have been overlooked by and allowed by the various permitting agencies," he emphasizes. "Unfortunately, the appeal stage is a typical final stage of project development in the northeast." BIO
 
 
 Lisa Gibson is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:lgibson@bbiinternational.com">lgibson@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4952.

The Russell Biomass LLC power plant will be built in Russell, Mass., on the site of a paper mill that was shut down about 15 years ago.

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Biomass power plant emissions, if not properly controlled, can cause health problems and stir up opposition groups that can impede a plant's development.

Stack Attack

It might be hard to fathom four separate companies developing and testing their biomass systems in the same laboratory without a certain level of competition, but that's part of daily operations at Technikon LLC's 60,000-square-foot Renewable Energy Testing Center in Sacramento, Calif.
 
 The center, operated in conjunction with Renewable Energy Institute International, provides a site for evaluating the performance of renewable energy and fuels technologies with respect to robustness, safety, energy efficiency, environmental effectiveness and other key performance specifications. "If you don't have the answers to those questions, you're not going to get anybody to give you money," says Jodie Crandell, senior project manager for Technikon. The four companies-Davis, Calif.-based Sierra Energy; PEAT International, which operates in locations such as Florida, India and Taiwan; Ternion Bio Industries, headquartered in San Jose, Calif.; and a fourth company that declined to disclose any information for this article-are working together on complementary and sometimes competitive technologies, even sharing expertise.
 
 The center has been operating for about 1½ years and is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Typically, the U.S. DOE solicits grant applications to build large-scale plants, but start-up companies that haven't proven their technologies don't often qualify. "The smaller guys, who don't have any data or information or a place to have people come in and look at their equipment, really kind of get squeezed out of the process at this point," says George Crandell, vice president of Technikon operations and Jodie's husband. "We're helping more and more small guys become successful." Companies using the space save money on facilities, electricity and other aspects of research and development that are already available at the RETC. It's a unique model of how to leverage government funding to accelerate the commercialization of pilot-scale technologies, Crandell says. 
 
 The four companies together have made in-kind contributions of about $4 million in areas such as personnel and equipment, according to Technikon. Four projects are all Crandell can support on current funding, but there are four or five waiting to use space in the center. A formal group reviews projects and determines who will occupy the RETC, and Crandell has found that he doesn't have to look far to find companies looking to use space. "We're also finding that venture capitalist groups are circling like vultures around us," he laughs. "They see us as a very good sorting and screening mechanism."
 
 Technikon also offers expertise in project management, finance, and chemical and mechanical areas, among others. The company does not have a large area for biomass storage and handling at this point because the systems currently occupying space are not big enough to warrant it. Process testing is also available for Technikon's clients in the areas of throughput, scalability and capacity, among others, along with emissions and biofuels testing. 
 
 "We initially thought that we'd just open the doors and let people bring equipment in and we'd help them test it," George Crandell says. "As we've been moving forward, we really realized that we wind up helping them do equipment development and modifications, so we're getting more into that."
 
 
 Projects in the Center 
 
 Sierra Energy is using its space in the RETC to develop its patented Fastox gasification system that modifies iron-making blast furnaces, converting exhaust gases into nearly pure syngas. Currently, the team is using a blend of charcoal briquettes (80 percent), coke and limestone to simulate the waste and hopes to eventually use municipal solid waste (MSW), according to George Crandell. Sierra is not converting its syngas at this point, but has an agreement with a New Zealand-based company that produces ethanol from syngas. That company will set up its production system in the RETC after the Sierra system is scaled up from the current 1-ton-per-day input level to 10 tons per day, Crandell says. That scale-up should happen in about three months, but it may take longer for the ethanol system to move in. The gasifier is currently producing a syngas composed of 30 percent hydrogen and 70 percent carbon monoxide, by adding water and steam to the bottom of the reactor, Crandell says. An existing blast furnace could consume about 30,000 tons of MSW per day. "It's very scalable because [the blast furnaces] already exist at the size [Sierra Energy] is starting with, all the way up to 30,000 ton-per-day sizes," Crandell says. "The technology is textbook, except for their modifications to it."
 
 PEAT International is working on its plasma torch gasifier, feeding it mostly wood chips. "It's a high-temperature conversion of pretty much anything to a synthesis gas," Jodie Crandell says. An electricity generator with the capacity to produce 75 kilowatts of electricity is hooked up to the back end of the system. "We actually make more syngas than the generator can handle," George Crandell says. The system is operating on about 1½ tons of wood chips per day and will use rice straw in the near future, but the company is also working with Sacramento County to permit plasma gasification of MSW or medical waste, he says. "The very interesting thing about that is the county wants that data as much as we do because people keep proposing plasma furnaces in our area and they feel uncomfortable that they don't know anything about it," he says. 
 
 Ternion is testing its 32-foot algae photobioreactor that can eat up to 28 tons of carbon dioxide per month. "They don't have a partner for the algae back end yet," Crandell says. "They're a good partner for someone who wants to make algae oil." Each bioreactor is the equivalent of about 2½ acres of pond and the company is looking into ganging several together, he says. 
 
 While the four technologies in the center don't currently compete, there could be friendly competition in the future, depending on the types of systems that are chosen to utilize the space. "It's up to them if they don't want to come in because they're worried about the other guy seeing what they're doing," George Crandell says. 
 
 
 Waste Wood to Watts
 
 Since 1989, Woodland Biomass Power, owned by DTE Energy, has generated electricity for the grid from locally sourced woody biomass, including agricultural residues and urban wood waste. About 60 percent of the feedstock comes from landfills, 35 percent from agricultural sites and 5 percent from a free local wood drop-off site, according to Kirk Bingham, environmental coordinator for the facility in Woodland, Calif. Residents and commercial operations can drop off their wood waste such as fencing, boards and wood furniture. While that feedstock is free for the facility, the wood waste that comes from the landfills and agricultural sites is not. That material, on average, costs about $27 per ton, but can range from $17 to $42 per ton, depending on the material and the demand for it, Bingham says. If not used, most of the feedstock material would be landfilled or open-field burned. 
 
 The plant's circulating fluidized bed combustor requires about 650 to 800 tons of ground wood per day, depending on its moisture and quality. While the purchased waste wood usually is already ground, an on-site portable grinder processes the local drop-off feedstock about once per month. A majority of the company's 27 acres is used to store the processed wood on-site. 
 
 The steam produced during combustion is run through a steam-driven turbine, generating about 28 megawatts (MW) of electricity per hour. Three MW are kept to power the equipment at the facility, while the other 25 MW are sold to local utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Woodland Biomass has the capacity to sell the steam it produces, but chooses not to, Bingham says.
 
 
 Effluent to Energy
 
 Each day, 165 million gallons of wastewater come in to the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Elk Grove, Calif., and through anaerobic digestion of the separated biosolids, methane is generated and turned into electricity for the local grid. But it's not quite that simple.
 
 "We have a couple of unique solids disposal processes that a lot of plants don't have," says Mike Donahue, senior civil engineer in the Sacramento County Regional Sanitation District Operations group. First, the wastewater goes through bar screens and grit tanks to remove large objects, dirt and rocks. Then, the solids are separated from the water through two processes. Primary sedimentation settles out all the large, heavy biosolids, and the lighter solids are consumed in a biological reactor by 10 or more naturally-occurring microorganisms, Donahue explains. Liquid oxygen produced on-site is injected into the reactor, resulting in a much smaller footprint. The secondary solids are then collected in secondary sedimentation tanks. 
 
 While the primary sludge is 3½ percent total solids, secondary sludge, only one-half percent total solids, needs thickening before anaerobic digestion. That is done through either dissolved air floatation thickeners or gravity belt thickeners, both common processes at wastewater treatment plants, Donahue says. After the secondary sludge is thickened, it is mixed with the primary sludge and sent to the anaerobic digesters. 
 
 The plant has five primary digesters where the sludge spends the majority of its 20-day detention time. From there, all the sludge is combined in the blending digester. Bacteria in the digesters-the type commonly found in anaerobic mud or the stomachs of ruminant animals-break down the organic compounds while 97-degree Fahrenheit temperatures cook off the methane gas. 
 
 About 1,700 cubic feet of methane per minute (2.5 million cubic feet per day) is sent from the digesters to the neighboring Sacramento Municipal Utility District power plant and used, along with natural gas, to generate enough electricity to power 5,500 homes each year. In addition, SMUD sells steam back to the treatment plant to heat the anaerobic digesters. The methane has to be scrubbed down to 40 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide before it's transported to the power plant.
 
 "But at the end of the day, we're still left with 75 dry tons of digested solids," Donahue explains. Thirty percent of that is sent to a nearby Synagro plant, where it's pelletized for use as fertilizer on local farmland. The other 70 percent is pumped into 125 acres of facultative ponds where it stays and breaks down further for about five years, he says, to about 40 percent of its original volume. Pond solids are dredged during the dry summers and injected into one of three 40-acre permanent biosolids disposal fields, lined to protect the groundwater. The storage ponds with permanent on-site disposal, combined with the production of biosolids pellets are what make the facility's process unique, Donahue says. 
 
 Technikon, Woodland Biomass and the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant are all stops on a tour scheduled in conjunction with Biomass Magazine's Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo being held Jan. 11-13 in Sacramento. BIO
 
 
 Lisa Gibson is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:lgibson@bbiinternational.com">lgibson@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4952.

The PEAT plasma gasifier is one of four technologies in the RETC. PHOTO: TECHNIKON LLC

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Woodland Biomass supplies power to the local grid. PHOTO: WOODLAND BIOMASS

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Biosolids are anaerobically digested to produce power at the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. PHOTO: SACRAMENTO COUNTY REGIONAL SANITATION DISTRICT

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The biomass industry is flourishing in and around Sacramento, Calif., where new biomass-based technologies are nurtured and innovative proven processes are embraced.

Building on its  Biomass Base

As a result of service agreement amendments with the city and county, Covanta Energy Corp. will expand its waste-to-energy facility in Honolulu, Hawaii, to increase its current capacity by approximately 40 percent.
 
 Covanta Energy operates more than 40 waste-to-energy facilities across the globe. These plants collectively convert 20 million tons-or more than 5 percent-of the nation's waste into renewable energy each year.
 
 The $302 million expansion project, will be designed, built and operated by Covanta, but funded and owned by the city and county of Honolulu. Covanta Honolulu Resource Recovery Venture's capacity, or "H-Power," is currently at about 2,160 tons of refuse per day. It will be increased by 900 tons per day, or the equivalent of handling the municipal solid waste (MSW) produced by 850,000 residents and six million visitors annually. The overall waste processing capacity of the facility will reach 900,000 tons when complete. 
 
 The agreement also includes the extension of Covanta's tenure as the facility's operator for 20 years from initial start-up of the expansion, which the company estimated to occur within 24 to 34 months. H-Power will have the potential to generate 84 megawatts, which will be sold to Hawaiian Electric Co.
 Covanta has operated the H-Power facility, which is located on 28 acres in Campbell Industries Park, Kapolei, Hawaii, for over 15 years after it acquired the facility in 1993 from Combustion Engineering. 
 
 Covanta spokeswoman Vera Carley said construction of the expansion will begin within the next 30 days. "We're waiting for the final permits to get started," she said. The renovation will consist of a new boiler building and tip floor, which will be half of the size of the boiler building and tip floor building in the existing plant, according to Carley. 
 
 For more information, read <a href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3089&q=Taking out the trash">"Taking Out the Trash," </a>featured in the October 2009 issue of Biomass Magazine.

Covanta launches $302 million expansion project

Washington, D.C. - The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued an Investor Alert today warning investors to be wary of green energy investments that promise large gains from investing in companies purportedly involved in developing or producing alternative, renewable or waste energy products.
 
 The new Investor Alert, Save Your Greenbacks-Don't Fall for Green Energy Scams, explains how these green energy scams typically work. In some schemes, con artists are using everything from tweets and text messages to webinars and faxes to lure investors with very aggressive, optimistic and potentially false and misleading statements that create unwarranted demand for shares of a small, thinly traded company. This is a classic "pump and dump" fraud where con artists behind the scheme then sell off their shares, leaving investors with worthless stock. Fraudsters are also using green investing as a hook for Ponzi schemes, where a scammer uses incoming funds from new investors to pay purported returns to earlier stage investors.
 
 "Right now there are a lot of legitimate stories in the news about green energy initiatives, and con artists want to leverage people's interest in green energy to make a quick buck at investors' expense," said John Gannon, FINRA Senior Vice President for Investor Education. "There is a lot of interest in companies that claim to provide green energy, but we issued this Alert to remind investors to be vigilant about avoiding investment scams, no matter how they are packaged."
 
 The Alert warns investors to ignore unsolicited investment recommendations and to question the source of investment information. Investors should also be wary of investments that claim to be the next big thing and promise exponential returns. For example, in one recent pump and dump scheme, a solar stock was touted as "set for a 200 percent gain," and in another instance, a fraudster suggested that stock in a company involved in green patents could rise 1,000 percent or more.
 
 Another red flag for a green scheme is a hard sell that pushes investors to go "all in" on a new investment initiative. In a recently alleged Ponzi scheme, investors were encouraged to liquidate their traditional investments, such as retirement plans stocks, bonds and mutual funds, and to borrow against their home or business, so that they could invest in one company's "green" initiatives. However, according to a complaint filed in federal court, the company did not generate any income from which the promised returns-ranging from 17 percent to "hundreds of percents" annually-could be made.
 
 In addition to giving investors detailed advice on how to spot potential scams and distinguish frauds from legitimate opportunities, the Alert also offers tips on how to make sound decisions and where to go to learn more about a company or stock before investing in it.
 
 
 SOURCE: FINANCIAL INDUSTRY REGULATORY AUTHORITY

FINRA warns investors of green energy scams

Posted January 18, 2010, at 4:19 p.m. CST
 
 After years of research and collaboration, a miscanthus rhizome regeneration harvester and planter system has been developed and was unveiled for the first time at the University of Illinois Bioenergy Feedstocks Symposium on Jan. 12.
 
 The new harvester and planter machine package is the result of a three-year collaboration between U I, Tomax Ltd., and Bermuda King USA. This machinery can lower the cost of miscanthus rhizome production by up to 40 percent and create opportunities for miscanthus to be used more widely as a high-yield bioenergy crop. 
 
 Gavin Maxwell, Tomax senior bioenergy consultant, said, "Bioenergy feedstock processors require security for supply and unless we dealt with regeneration and planting issues for miscanthus, we simply couldn't make progress."
 
 Miscanthus rhizome cultivation is a labor-intensive process involving multiple machines and costly manual selection and grading. 
 
 "The collaboration team had a very clear objective when beginning the design process of the harvester and planter," Maxwell said. "Our goal was to remove manual labor, integrate the digging and grading process, increase soil separation and improve both quality and volume to substantially reduce the cost of vegetative rootstock propagation."
 
 The result, the Rizomgen planter and harvester package, is expected to save 50 percent on existing rhizome harvesting and planting costs. 
 
 Recent trials in the U.S. have demonstrated a 200 percent increase in rhizome collection over manual systems – allowing the opportunity for regional nurseries to more efficiently expand to meet the demand for both solid and liquid fuel conversion.
 
 The new planter demonstrates a more uniform stream of rhizomes, enabling plant placement at a rate that matches rhizome weight, quality and ground conditions. The four-row planter incorporates separate feed hoppers and placement channels enabling it to be used for both two-row nursery work and larger scale plantations.
 
 The harvester does bulk lifting of rhizomes on a continual basis with a patented one-pass digging head and oscillating de-soiler. Rhizomes exit via bulk side discharger conveying rootstock to an adjacent trailer. The speed of extraction allows faster transfer of rhizomes to storage which is a real benefit given the seasonal weather restrictions and narrow window of time that may prevail during the rhizome winter dormancy period. 
 
 The nursery package is also supported by a software management package that allows nurseries to register and trace energy crop production.
 
 The harvester and planter package will be available for licensed U.S. and EU nurseries in 2010 and will be available for expanding grower crops for the 2011 season.
 
 Timothy Mies, deputy director of operations at the Energy Biosciences Institute at UI, said, "When this project started, the propagation of rhizomes was done with shovels and lots of manual labor. These machines will take miscanthus production to a new level."
 
 SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Miscanthus rhizome root harvester, planter unveiled

Scientists at the U.S. DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully engineered an enzyme that can be used to break down the lignin in plant cell walls, making it easier to convert the plant material into cellulosic ethanol. 
 
 Biochemist Chang-Jun Liu said that while the research is in its early stages, the ultimate goal is to apply the enzyme to feedstocks such as poplar in order to make the plants more easily digested and fermentable at an industrial level. "We tested this concept; we transferred those genes into the plant, but right now all of the work is limited to the laboratory level," he said. 
 
 Liu's work has focused on lignin alteration because it represents a major barrier for cellulosic ethanol production, he said. "Increasing the digestibility of plant matter is one main approach to making plants a viable alternative energy source. Our group has been working to achieve that goal by elucidating the catalytic mechanisms of plant enzymes, and then using that knowledge and the tools of molecular biology and protein engineering to influence the way plant cell walls are constructed." 
 
 Using natural enzymes as a template, Liu and his team first examined the structural models of the enzyme and its genetic code before comparing the data with the same information from enzymes involved in lignin synthesis. By comparing the data, the team identified the optimal alteration points and used that information to build a new enzyme model. The final enzyme prevented the plant cell's lignin precursors from linking up to form lignin polymer. 
 
 Liu said Brookhaven's engineered enzyme is novel and is "totally changed" from the naturally occurring enzymes that were used as a template. "Our hope is that this will introduce a new step at the end of the normal lignin biosynthetic pathway and redirect synthesis from the conventional lignin precursors to the specifically methylated ‘dead' products to yield less lignin," he said, adding that the team still needs time to determine exactly how the enzyme will affect lignin biosynthesis. 
 
 The DOE's Office of Science is providing funding for Liu's continued research and experimentation. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

DOE scientists create lignin-fighting enzyme

Posted January 4, 2010, at 12:34 p.m. CST 
 
 Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue recently announced that a demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant is under development near Thomaston in Upson County. The project, which is the result of a partnership between Valero Energy Corp. subsidiary Diamond Alternative Energy and American Process Inc., is expected to be operational in early 2010. 
 
 According to Valero spokesman Bill Day, Diamond Alternative Energy's primary role in the project is financing. A representative of API could not be reached to comment on the status of the plant. However, a statement released by Perdue stated that the facility will use API's proprietary biorefinery technology for the production of cellulosic fuels and chemicals. 
 
 According to API's Web site, the company's proprietary technology, which is referred to as American Value Added Pulping, is designed to coproduce pulp and ethanol from wood in an integrated biorefinery application. The company stated that AVAP utilizes alcohol sulfite cooking liquor to fractionate soft wood chips into three lignocellulosic components. According to API, the addition of alcohol speeds the pulping and preserves the strength of the cellulose. The company estimates that its process can yield up to 22.6 million gallons of ethanol from a mill producing 500 tons per day of pulp. 
 
 "The demonstration plant in Thomaston is an important milestone in the commercialization of cellulosic fuels technologies," said Theodora Retsina, API's president, in the press release issued by Perdue. "We have been welcomed by the Thomaston community and we look forward to a successful startup." 
 
 Once operational, the demonstration-scale plant is expected to create 25 to 30 jobs. Approximately 10 of these jobs will be research and development engineering positions at API's Atlanta office. The remaining jobs will be based at the facility in Thomaston. 
 
 "I proudly welcome Diamond Alternative Energy and API as our newest corporate citizens, and look forward to the positive economic impact this new facility will have for our area," said Thomaston Mayor Hays Arnold. "The city of Thomaston wishes these companies great success and looks forward to seeing them achieve their goals and enjoy a bright and prosperous future as part of our community." 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Valero partners for Georgia ethanol project

Posted January 4, 2010, at 12:39 p.m. CST 
 
 The North Carolina Board of Science & Technology is currently accepting proposals for the state's 2009-'10 Green Business Fund grant program. The fund, developed to promote environmentally friendly economic growth in North Carolina, will award grants to small- and medium-sized businesses (those with 100 or fewer employees) in three priority areas, including the biofuels industry, the green building industry and the renewable energy industry. Pre-proposals are due by Jan. 19. The solicitation period closes March 15. 
 
 According to the board, grants made in the biofuels category will target projects that maximize the development, production, distribution, retail infrastructure and consumer purchase of biofuels, as well as workforce development. Funding preference will be given to projects that directly benefit small-to-medium-sized businesses as well as save energy and/or generate renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create or retain jobs in economically distressed regions. Eligible projects must be based in North Carolina. 
 
 Funding for the 2010 grant program is being provided via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. More than $1 million of ARRA funding was utilized for Green Business Fund grants in 2009. Eighteen projects received grants ranging in amounts from $31,985 to $100,000 during the second round of 2009 grants. 
 
 Interested applicants are encouraged to complete an online pre-proposal at <a href="http://www.ncscitech.com/scigrants.htm">http://www.ncscitech.com/scigrants.htm</a>. The board will then determine if the proposed projects meets eligibility requirements before inviting the applicant to continue with the grant process.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

NC solicits grant proposals for bioenergy projects

Posted January 5, 2010, at 3:46 p.m. CST
 
 Advanced Trailer & Equipment announced Jan. 5 that it is offering a 25 percent rebate to the first biomass producers, suppliers and consumers that purchase an Advanced Trailer for biomass and use it in biomass operations in 2010. APT has long been a leader in supporting alternative energy and is providing a major incentive to promote biomass and the value of lowering carbon emissions. 
 
 "The Advanced Trailer for Biomass is the perfect vehicle for drying the wood chips that fuel biomass," Advanced Trailer President Randy Hill said. "With each trailer put into service, we will lower moisture, which will increase efficiency and decrease carbon emissions. So I want to begin 2010 by offering a substantial incentive for each of the first drying trailers sold for biomass. I encourage anyone involved in the biomass industry to take advantage of this offer while it lasts. These trailers are good for biomass and even better for the environment."
 
 For more information and free DVD informational video about the Advanced Trailer for Biomass go to <a href="http://www.drybiomass.com">www.drybiomass.com.
 
 SOURCE: ADVANCED TRAILER & EQUIPMENT

Advanced Trailer offers 25 percent rebate

Posted January 6, 2010, at 12:18 a.m. CST
 
 A city in west central Colorado is working to further pursue plans to construct a waste-to-energy facility that would utilize local agricultural and food processing waste streams to produce biogas for electricity generation, a project which could result in the state's first large-scale anaerobic digestion operation.
 
 In late January 2009, Greeley, Colo., was awarded $82,500 to conduct a feasibility analysis to look at the development of a Greeley Clean Energy Park, funding which was part of several New Energy Economic Development grants provided by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's Energy Office through the state Clean Energy Funds.
 
 According to the recently completed study, which was conducted by Symbios Technologies LLC, the most manageable and profitable scenario for a first-phase GCEP project would be a 2-megawatt anaerobic digester with a combined-heat-and-power unit for electricity generation, capable of processing more than 500 tons per day of waste from three main waste sources-cow manure from a JBS feedlot, and waste from Leprino Foods Cheese Plant and the city water pollution control facility-into more than 800,000 cubic feet of biogas per day which would be converted into approximately 16 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. 
 
 The facility could be built for an estimated all-in capital cost of approximately $17.3 million and would yield a 3.7 percent internal rate of return if funded with no public financing.
 
 The study found that the GCEP is uniquely positioned to host the state's first large-scale anaerobic digester project because of key attributes not found at any other known site in Colorado combine to create an economic and environmental advantage over other potential uses of the project partners' wastes. Attributes include but aren't limited to a cost share opportunity with the water pollution control facility, which is located adjacent to the GCEP site and includes an existing digester and de-watering plant that is budgeted for approximately $5 million in improvements that could be reallocated for a community digester project in addition to other infrastructure synergies; short waste hauling distancing from the projects three major possible waste providers; close proximity to energy demands and a unique confluence of significant high-energy waste generators, allowing for economies of scale not possible at other sites.
 
 Bruce Biggi, Greeley's economic development manager, said now the city is seeking funding for a phase two development planning effort. "The development planning effort should answer a few of the report's unanswered questions, and more importantly, address the key elements needed to move forward constructing an anaerobic digestion project," Biggi said. "For example: site selection, permitting, partnership formation, project funding and design." 
 
 Biggi added that ideally, project construction would begin prior to the end of this year to benefit from currently available stimulus funding. "This is a very ambitious schedule," he said. "We will have to make sure that the process progresses seamlessly from start to finish."

Greeley may host first large-scale digester

Posted January 6, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. CST
 
 Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics, announced Jan. 6 that it has extended its distribution agreement with A. Schulman Inc. to include all of Europe. A. Schulman is an international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins used as raw materials in a variety of markets.
 
 Cereplast's variety of bioplastic resins will enable A. Schulman to launch a new offering composed of biobased materials to customers interested in more environmentally friendly solutions. Under the agreement, A. Schulman will distribute Cereplast Compostables and Hybrids Resins to converters and manufacturers throughout Europe.
 
 "It is truly an exceptional opportunity for Cereplast to gain a competitive edge," said Frederic Scheer, founder, chairman and CEO of Cereplast. "Now that we have extended our distribution agreement with A. Schulman, our resins will remain stable and cost competitive in the European market, one that is already committed to and producing renewable resource based materials commercially."
 
 According to a 2007 European Bioplastic Market report by Frost & Sullivan, the bioplastics market in Europe has experienced an exponential growth and demand for bioplastics that has outstripped supply, as converters and end-users are rushing to take advantage of this resurgent technology. With demand still higher than supply, there is sufficient room for new participants as well as existing companies to grow.
 
 Thomas Koerlin, director engineered plastics Europe in Schulman GmbH, added, "A. Schulman and Cereplast are now able to supply bioplastic resins to a wider range of plastics processors with this distribution partnership, offering those that are looking to strengthen their positions in the sustainable market much more than ever before."
 
 Currently, bioplastics account for less than 1 percent of the European plastics market. All Cereplast resins replace a significant percentage of petroleum-based additives with starches made out of corn, wheat, tapioca and potatoes, allowing bioplastics to return back to nature within 180 days.
 
 "Our accord with A. Schulman also reinforces our commitment to help address the growing concern regarding the depletion of fossil fuels resources on the global stage," Scheer said. "Coupled with A. Schulman's success, which is seen in virtually every market in every corner of the world, we hope to continue to expand and capitalize on the bioplastics markets' potential in Europe, for our resins because they offer sustainability gains and other benefits versus traditional plastics."
 
 SOURCE: CEREPLAST

Cereplast expands bioplastic resin distribution in Europe

Posted January 6, 2010, at 2:45 p.m. CST
 
 A pre-industrial scale second-generation biofuel plant in Bure-Saudron, France, will be the first in the world to add external hydrogen to syngas for increased conversion efficiency.
 	
 The plant is expected to produce 23,000 metric tons (25,350 tons) of biofuels per year, including biodiesel, kerosene and naphta, using about 75,000 metric tons of local forestry and agricultural resources, according to the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). The CEA and its industrial financial partners are launching the first stage of the project, which will include a detailed study of the design, but the study is subject to a contract with partners. Construction will begin once the study is complete and is slated for June 2011, according to the CEA. The project aims to improve biomass-to-liquid mass performance, which the CEA defines as the quantity of input material divided by the quantity of output fuel, by adding external hydrogen.
 	
 The objective of the project is to demonstrate both the technical and economic feasibility of a complete chain of production of liquid biofuels from biomass in France, from harvesting to fuel synthesis, according to the CEA. The plant will be able to investigate production along a complete manufacturing line: collecting and conditioning, gasification, and conversion through the Fischer-Tropsch process. The pilot unit will be the first of its kind in France, combining the various components for manufacture of biofuels in one facility. The CEA says the fuels will be high quality, both in engine performance and pollutants emitted. 
 
 Bure-Saudron, in northeastern France, was chosen partly because it allowed research laboratories to dispose of nuclear waste in deep geological formations, according to the CEA. Members of the nuclear industry made a commitment in 2006 to support the economic development of areas that allowed such disposal. 
 Project partners include contracting group CNIM, France-based air gas producer Air Liquide group, German-based gasification company Choren, Canada-based engineering and construction firm SNC Lavlin, contractor and equipment supplier Foster Wheeler France and MSW Energies, according to the CEA.

French biofuel plant will add hydrogen

Posted January 7, 2010, at 1:01 p.m. CST
 
 GreenShift Corp. granted Global Ethanol LLC the right to use a GreenShift patented corn oil extraction technology at Global Ethanol's 100 MMgy ethanol plant in Lakota, Iowa. 
 
 The extraction technology "drills" into the back end of first-generation corn ethanol plants, tapping into the existing reserve of inedible crude corn oil. The corn oil, which has historically been trapped in the distiller's grain coproduct of ethanol production, represents a valuable second-generation feedstock for use in the production of advanced carbon-neutral liquid fuels. 
 
 GreenShift's extraction technologies increase biofuel yields 7 percent per bushel of corn, while reducing the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of corn ethanol production by more than 21 percent and 29 percent, respectively. These benefits correspond to increased ethanol producer income of about 8 cents to 12 cents per gallon of ethanol produced at current market prices, and can be realized for less than 10 percent of the capital cost of the host ethanol plant, according to GreenShift. 
 
 "GreenShift has shown that corn oil extraction enhances ethanol production efficiencies by increasing biofuel yield while reducing energy use," said Trevor Bourne Global Ethanol's CEO. "This in turn improves cash flow and plant profitability." An estimated 20 percent of the U.S. ethanol industry currently uses GreenShifts's technology. Kevin Kreisler, Greenshift CEO, hopes to expand the use of extraction technology. "Our chief goal for 2010 is to support the integration of our patented extraction technologies into as much of the U.S. ethanol fleet as possible," Kreisler said. 
 
 Global Ethanol will finance, build, own and operate a facility based on GreenShift's technology in exchange for an ongoing royalty payment of roughly 20 percent of the market price of the extracted corn oil at the time of shipment. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Global Ethanol licenses GreenShift technology

Posted january 7, 2010, at 1:10 p.m. CST
 
 On Dec. 28, the U.S. EPA closed the 60-day public commentary period for its controversial proposed rule to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG). Approximately 7,000 comments were received by the agency during the 60-day comment period and the agency must now review those comments before issuing its final rule. 
 
 The Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule would require all U.S. facilities emitting more than 25,000 tons of GHGs annually to obtain permits that demonstrate the facility is using best practices and technologies to reduce emissions. New thresholds for emissions would be established, resulting in a greater number of Title V permit program participants and the need for more facilities to acquire Prevention of Significant Deterioration permits. 
 
 On Dec. 23, Growth Energy submitted a comment to the EPA on behalf of its ethanol producer members, requesting that ethanol be exempted from participating in the proposed regulation program based on the industry's existing environmentally beneficial practices. "The modern grain ethanol industry is part of an ecosystem in which the crops that are processed into food, feed and fuel actually absorb inordinately large amounts of CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere (most often generated by the conversion or use of fossil fuels) and hence serve as a means of cycling CO2 rather than generating new additions to the overall loading of GHG's in the environment," Growth Energy President Tom Buis said in the comments. 
 
 Additionally, Growth Energy stated in its comment that if the rule is finalized as proposed, nearly every ethanol facility would be required to participate in the program, resulting in added operating costs that many producers cannot afford. 
 
 "We see the Title V rule as kind of a 'one size fits all' approach and the costs of getting an environmental consultant to help meet the annual permitting process is going to be an onerous cost for a lot of the single-plant operators in the ethanol business," Growth Energy communications director Christopher Thorne said. Thorne said that many of the big emitters, such as utility companies, operate more than one facility, are already regulated and are better equipped to handle the added costs of GHG regulation than most ethanol producers. In the comment filed with the EPA, Buis stated that many ethanol facilities rely on outside consultants to prepare permit applications. "Total fees for consulting, application and annual emission inventory can quickly reach over $150,000," he said. "It is one more additional financial burden these facilities may not be able to cover, especially during the current economic climate. Not to mention the lack of consistency in application and emission inventory fees among state regulatory agencies." 
 
 Growth Energy's highest priority, according to the comment, is to limit ethanol industry participation in the proposed GHG regulation program to only those facilities that exceed the emission threshold for non-GHG pollutants. "We'd like to work with the EPA to create an oversight program that's specific to the ethanol industry," Thorne said. 
 
 To view Growth Energy's entire comment, click <a href="http://growthenergy.org/static/docs/2009/12/ghg_tailoring_comments.pdf ">here</a>.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

GHG regulations unfair for ethanol

Posted January 7, 2010, at 2:39 p.m. CST
 
 GWD Energy LLC, a new energy firm in Pine Brook, N.J., will introduce its waste gasification technology to the market in early 2010. The company will offer scalable, turnkey plants that will convert 5 to 25 tons hourly of chemical, municipal solid and tire wastes into five to 25 megawatt hours of electricity. 
 
 "Our modular, emission-free technology is well-suited for industries and municipalities seeking waste disposal solutions and clean energy production, without the burden of costly, large-scale plant operations and their negative environmental impacts," said GWD Energy CEO Frederick Eiden. The company plans to construct, own, and operate each facility, and will sell the electricity to local utilities. 
 
 The company is currently in discussions with potential investors and hopes to announce a demonstration facility and location within the year.

GWD Energy introduces waste gasification technology

Posted January 7, 2010, at 3:30 p.m. CST
 
 More than 400 people will gather in California's capital city next week for Biomass Magazine's Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo. The event will take place January 11-13, at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. 
 
 Following an evening reception on Monday, the conference will get underway Tuesday with a welcome address from Sacramento city councilmember Steve Cohn and lead off presentations from James Boyd, vice chair and commissioner of the California Energy Commission, and Val Dolcini, state executive director of the USDA-Farm Service Agency of California. Boyd chairs the state's Bioenergy Interagency Working Group, which is implementing the Governor's Bioenergy Action Plan. Dolcini's agency oversees the progressive Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) aimed at advancing the adoption of biomass as an energy feedstock in California. 
 
 Boyd and Dolcini headline an event featuring more than 80 world-class presenters, 400-plus attendees representing 300 companies and organizations from the mainland Pacific West: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. The program will include four tracks and 18 panels featuring technical presentations on topics ranging from anaerobic digestion and gasification to combined heat and power and advanced biofuels--all forms of sustainable bioenergy that are contributing to the region's long-term environmental goals. 
 
 "We will connect current and future producers of biomass-derived electricity, industrial heat and power, and advanced biofuels, with waste generators, aggregators, growers, municipal leaders, utilities, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, investors and policy makers," says Tom Bryan, vice president of BBI International, event organizer and publisher of Biomass Magazine. "The Pacific West has huge amounts of biomass waste resources and the region is home to dozens of biomass power plants, advanced biofuels startups, research hubs and progressive public utilities like the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) which now derives more than 40 percent of its renewable energy from biomass."
 
 SMUD is one of 19 organizations and sponsors backing the event, which will also feature an expo with more than 40 exhibitors and a tour that includes stops at Woodland Biomass Power, the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, and Technikon Advanced Technologies. 
 
 Visit <a href="http://www.pacificwest.biomassconference.com">www.pacificwest.biomassconference.com</a> for complete details on the event, including the final agenda, expo hours, the tour itinerary, registration rates, and media access.

Sacramento to host biomass conference

Posted January 7, 2010, at 4:07 p.m. CST
 
 Biomass reaction, a patented technology by Iowa-based Kimberlin, Inc., combusts biowaste for heating or cooling in commercial spaces, and is being further developed to produce electricity.
 	
 The process combusts biomass, typically animal and poultry wastes, wood fuels and agricultural materials, from within the fuel mass, with what the company calls a tornado of fire. Instead of external energy collection, the process uses the energy created from the inside of the burn. "Nobody's ever done this before," says owner John Kimberlin. "It burns within itself." 
 	
 Heat output varies with the size of the furnace, but can range from 175,000 Btu per hour to 750,000. "Our piece of equipment will be your basic heat source for your building," Kimberlin said. The technology is used in two Kimberlin products currently: Nature's Furnace, which is a hot air combustor that can produce up to 500,000 Btu; and the Bio-Power boiler, which is a fluid unit that can produce up to 750,000 Btu, according to Kimberlin. Four Nature's Furnaces have been sold in Europe, with 20 to 30 pending, according to the company. Prices range from $150,000 to $500,000, depending on energy output and selected options.
 
 Texas A&M is also working on a prototype that will use biomass reaction to produce up to 15 kilowatts of electricity. The system bypasses steam production by using super-heated oil to change Freon to gas, instead of changing steam to gas, Kimberlin said. "We stay away from all the problems that come with steam," he said, adding that using steam would require the company and its clients to adhere to stricter standards. Kimberlin expects the system to be finished and available around the middle or end of this year. 
 
 Nature's Furnace units are built to run 24/7 and are made up of 11 moving parts. They are computer controlled and an optional monitoring system is available, Kimberlin said. "We can see what a machine is doing in Europe," he said. 
 Kimberlin Inc.'s target market includes horse race tracks and casinos, stud farms, breeding facilities, boarding stables, dairies, poultry producers, farms, ranches, tree services, landfills, recycling plants and seed stock facilities. "We're just starting to market," Kimberlin said. "We've been working on the technology for decades." 
 
 Prospective clients include a race track looking into purchasing six units. "Each one will keep up with about 100 stalled horses," he said. More target markets will be identified, as many waste streams exist and the system can use most biomass feedstocks. "Just about anything you can see out your window for fuel," Kimberlin said.

‘Biomass reaction' combusts fuel from within

Posted January 7, 2010, at 4:10 p.m. CST
 
 The Renewable Biomass Fairness Act, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif., would provide energy produced from biomass with the same tax incentives as that from wind and solar.
 	
 The federal legislation would promote the use of biomass, foster job growth in the Black Hills of South Dakota and help move the nation toward energy independence, according to Herseth Sandlin's office. It would improve the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the Farm Bill's Cellulosic Biofuel Tax. The bill would extend the PTC for five years for open and closed-loop biomass systems; increase the credit for renewable biomass electricity from 0.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 1.8 cents per kWh; and eliminate a loophole in the 2008 Farm Bill that allows paper manufacturers to claim a $1.01-per-gallon cellulosic biofuel tax credit based on their use of black liquor,- a byproduct of paper manufacturing-to produce energy, according to Herseth Sandlin's office. Paper manufacturers can already claim an alternative fuels tax credit established by the 2005 Highway Bill.
 
 The PTC for renewable biomass is set to expire in 2014. The act would extend that to 2019 and provide a five-year extension of the credit period for open-loop biomass power plants placed in service on or before August 8, 2005, which will expire at the end of this year.
 	
 Biomass Power Association President Bob Cleaves says the act includes numerous important features for existing and new biomass facilities, citing the closing of the cellulosic biofuel loophole and rate parity. "The association is obviously supportive of it," he said. "We think this legislation is going to get large bipartisan support. I don't see a lot of opposition." Several elements of the bill have been included in other renewable energy legislation in the past 12 months, he added, but this is an act that brings it all together.

Legislation promotes biomass use

Posted January 11, 2010, at 7:43 a.m. CST
 
 Novozymes has received an Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit of $28.4 million from the Obama Administration for the construction of its new enzyme manufacturing facility in Blair, Neb. The facility, which will produce enzymes used to make advanced biofuels, will create more than 100 green jobs for the state.
 
 "We believe our selection for this tax credit is a reflection of the tremendous potential of advanced biofuels to create green jobs and contribute to meaningful reduction of greenhouse gases in the near term," said Adam Monroe, president of Novozymes North America. "Novozymes applauds the continued support of the Obama Administration to further the development of clean energy technologies like advanced biofuels."
 
 The tax credit awarded to Novozymes is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In order to foster investment and job creation in clean energy manufacturing the act included a tax credit for investments in manufacturing facilities for clean energy technologies. A total of $2.3 billion in tax credits is being allocated for investments in 183 manufacturing facilities for clean energy products across 43 states. 
 
 Novozymes' tax credit is dependent on the production of advanced biofuels and would benefit the company in the shape of reduced tax payments. The benefit could be up to $18 million in total after tax. It would become available from 2012-'13 and received over a couple of years.
 
 Government incentives like this are critical to attracting the necessary private sector investment to ensure the commercialization of advanced biofuels. Novozymes will invest a total of $160 million to $200 million in the construction of the facility in Nebraska and applied for the credit in September 2009. The blending facility at the site became operational as of November 2009 and is currently shipping enzymes to customers globally. The facility is expected to be fully operational in mid-2012.
 
 SOURCE: NOVOZYMES

Novozymes gets $28.4 million tax credit

Posted January 11, 2010, at 8:11 a.m. CST
 
 With the uncertainty of how future U.S. EPA regulations might affect industrial boiler emissions, Georgia Power has decided to delay the conversion of coal-fueled Plant Mitchell in Albany, Ga., to biomass until the EPA rules are better defined in April 2010. 
 
 The anticipated industrial boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule, or IB MACT, would regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants, such as certain acid gases, organics, metals, and possibly other pollutants, from industrial boilers and would likely affect biomass boilers like the one planned for Plant Mitchell. 
 
 "Georgia Power is committed to furthering the development of renewable energy in Georgia," said Jeff Burleson, Georgia Power's director of resource policy and planning. "We're disappointed to have to delay this large biomass project and the benefits it can deliver. However, by delaying capital spending on the project we're significantly reducing the cost risk to customers." 
 
 Georgia Power had originally planned to begin retrofit construction at Plant Mitchell in April 2011 with the unit becoming operational in June 2012. A new project schedule has yet to be determined. 
 
 Once the new EPA rules are better defined, Georgia Power will evaluate the potential impact they might have on the conversion project at Plant Mitchell. The company plans to study other boiler technologies in the event the rules significantly impact the cost of the biomass boiler conversion currently planned for the plant. 
 
 Upon conversion, Plant Mitchell will have lower emissions and will be one of the largest wood biomass plants in the U.S. It will also have lower fuel and operating costs when compared to continued operation using coal, thereby making the plant more cost effective for customers. 
 
 Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Co., one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility with rates well below the national average. Georgia Power serves 2.3 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties.
 
 SOURCE: GEORGIA POWER

Georgia Power to delay Plant Mitchell biomass conversion

Posted January 11, 2010, at 8:26 a.m. CST
 
 President Obama announced awardees of the clean energy manufacturing tax credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 
 In order to foster investment and job creation in clean energy manufacturing, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a tax credit for investments in manufacturing facilities for clean energy technologies. The section 48C program will provide a 30 percent tax credit for investments in 183 manufacturing facilities for clean energy products across 43 states. 
 
 This tax credit program will help build a robust high technology, U.S. manufacturing capacity to supply clean energy projects with U.S. made parts and equipment. These manufacturing facilities should also support significant growth in U.S. exports of U.S. manufactured clean energy products. 
 
 The $2.3 billion in tax credits is being allocated on a competitive basis. Projects are assessed based on the following criteria,: commercial viability, domestic job creation, technological innovation, speed to project completion, and potential for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. DOE also considered additional factors including diversity of geography, technology and project size and regional economic development.
 
 The program is currently capped at $2.3 billion in tax credits and was oversubscribed by a ratio of more than 3 to 1, reflecting a deep pipeline of high quality clean energy manufacturing opportunities in the U.S. These tax credits for clean energy manufacturing will help rebuild domestic manufacturing and bring private capital off the sidelines.
 
 With this announcement, IRS has certified applications posted <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/100108-48c-Selection-Final-With%20Projects.xls">HERE</a>, and notified the certified projects with the approved amount of their tax credit. Awardees will receive acceptance agreements from the IRS by April 16, 2010. Credits will be allocated until the program funding ($2.3 billion) is exhausted. Subsequent allocation periods will depend on remaining funds.
 
 Estimated jobs impact and timeline of the 48C Manufacturing Tax Credits:
 
 Recovery Act investments of up to $2.3 billion for advanced energy manufacturing facilities will generate more than 17,000 jobs. This investment will be matched by as much as $5.4 billion in private sector funding likely supporting up to 41,000 additional jobs.
 
 Timing of projects: 
 
 The statute authorizing the 48C tax credits allows projects that are completed on or after Feb. 17, 2009, when the Recovery Act was signed. Projects must be commissioned before Feb. 17, 2013. The statute favors the selection of projects that are in service early. As a result, some of the selected projects already have been completed and begun operation.
 
 Applicant pool:
 
 The application deadline for the 48C program was Oct. 16, 2009. More than 500 applications were received with tax credit requests totaling more than $8 billion. The 48C applications pool was distributed across many clean energy technologies and was geographically distributed to more than 40 states. 
 
 Qualifying manufacturing facilities included the production of a wide range of clean energy products: 
 
 Solar, wind, geothermal, or other renewable energy equipment 
 Electric grids and storage for renewables 
 Fuel cells and microturbines 
 Energy storage systems for electric or hybrid vehicles 
 Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration equipment 
 Equipment for refining or blending renewable fuels 
 Equipment for energy conservation, including lighting and smart grid technologies 
 Plug-in electric vehicles or their components, such as electric motors, generators, and power control units 
 Other advanced energy property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may also be eligible as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 The statutorily specified review criteria included:
 
 Greatest domestic job creation (direct and indirect) 
 Greatest net impact in avoiding or reducing air pollutants or emissions of greenhouse gases; lowest levelized cost of energy 
 Greatest potential for technological innovation and commercial deployment 
 Shortest project time from certification to completion 
 
 Expanded support for 48C tax credits to accelerate manufacturing job creation:
 
 Because the 48C program generated far more interest than anticipated, DOE and Treasury have a substantial backlog of technically acceptable applications. Instead of turning down worthy applicants who are willing to invest private resources to build and equip factories that manufacture clean energy products in America, the administration has called on Congress to provide an additional $5 billion to expand the program. Because there is already an existing pipeline of worthy projects and substantial interest in this area, these funds will be deployed quickly to create jobs and support economic activity. In doing so, the administration will employ new approaches to ensure that we maximize private investment for every dollar we invest. 
 
 SOURCE: WHITE HOUSE

Obama announces $2.3 billion in clean energy tax credits

Posted January 12, 2010, at 10:22 a.m. CST
 
 UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced Jan. 11 it has been selected for negotiation of a $25 million award from the U.S. DOE to build a demonstration unit in Hawaii to convert cellulosic biomass into green transportation fuels.
 
 As part of the DOE's effort to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry and create new jobs, this project will use cellulosic biomass feedstocks such as forestry and agricultural residuals or algae residuals to produce the liquid biofuel pyrolysis oil, which will then be upgraded into green transportation fuels.
 
 The demonstration plant, which will be built at the Tesoro Corp. refinery in Kapolei, Hawaii, is expected to start up in 2014. "As we continue to seek alternatives to reduce our fossil energy consumption, cellulosic biomass is a readily available feedstock that has been proven to be a viable, effective alternative to traditional fuel sources," said Jennifer Holmgren, vice president and general manager of UOP's renewable energy and chemicals business unit. "We are pleased the DOE is focusing on this area, and we are confident that this project will show that commercially viable cellulosic fuels technology is only a few years away."
 
 If successful and fully implemented on a global scale, the new technology has the potential to create a significant number of new jobs, supplement the existing supply of petroleum-based fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 percent compared wtih petroleum-based fuels.
 
 The demonstration unit will employ the RTP rapid thermal processing technology developed by Ensyn Corp. RTP rapidly heats biomass at ambient pressure to generate high yields of pourable, liquid pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil will then be upgraded to green transport fuels using technology developed by Honeywell's UOP, working with DOE, the DOE's National Renewable Energy Lab and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
 
 A range of cellulosic feedstocks used in the demonstration unit, including selected waste agriculture products, pulp, paper, woody biomass, algae and dedicated energy crops such as switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum will be provided by Ceres Inc., Cargill, Grays Harbor Paper Co., HR BioPetroleum, Targeted Growth Inc., Imperium Renewables, and Mesa Engineering. The biofuel produced will be analyzed by a panel of petroleum refiners including Tesoro, CountryMark, Kern Oil
 and Refining Co. and evaluated for end-use by Honeywell, General Motors and Boeing. Life-cycle analysis will be performed by leading research university Michigan Tech University.
 
 Bruce Smith, Tesoro's chairman, president and CEO, said of the company's involvement in the project, "We are excited to utilize our existing assets and expertise in this innovative project to convert sustainable biomass feedstocks to next-generation fuels. This is an important effort in finding new and competitive sources of oil that will meet the changing fuel needs of our customers."
 
 In 2008, UOP announced it had partnered with Ensyn to form the joint venture, Envergent Technologies, to offer RTP technology and equipment and further develop technology for upgrading pyrolysis oil to transportation fuels. Earlier this year, UOP announced that Italian power company Industria e Innovazione selected the RTP technology for the development of a facility to convert biomass into pyrolysis oil for renewable power generation. The facility is projected to start up in 2012.
 
 SOURCE: UOP

Honeywell's UOP awarded DOE grant

Posted January 12, 2010, at 12:12 p.m. CST
 
 Iogen Corp. announced Jan. 11 that its cellulosic ethanol production in 2009 topped 581,000 liters, more than doubling the firm's 2008 fuel production, and surpassing the 1 million liter mark in cumulative production since 2004. 
 
 "This achievement is second to none," said Brian Foody, Iogen CEO. "Iogen remains at the technological forefront of cellulosic ethanol development. We've been operating our demonstration facility since 2004, and today's production achievement is a clear demonstration of our technology and the viability of commercial scale production." Now that we have achieved this milestone, we will continue down a path toward growth, delivering results that enhance value for our partners, and continue to lead in the dynamic cellulosic ethanol industry." 
 
 "This announcement is proof that Iogen is delivering on the promise of cellulosic ethanol," said Gordon Quaiattini, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. "Advanced renewable fuels such as cellulosic ethanol will play a critical role in meeting future energy demands, and Iogen is playing a vitally important role in the commercialization of this technology."
 
 SOURCE: IOGEN

Iogen doubles cellulosic ethanol production

Posted January 12, 2010, at 1:28 p.m. CST
 
 Cobalt Technologies, a company that specializes in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable fuel and chemical, Jan. 12 formally launched its first facility. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silicon Valley cleantech leaders were on hand, demonstrating the importance of clean technology to the state's future economic vitality.
 
 "It is great companies like Cobalt that will help California meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets under AB 32 and our Low Carbon Fuel Standard," Schwarzenegger said. "Cobalt shows us that what is good for the environment can also be good for the economy. In fact, within the next few years, Cobalt has plans to build an even larger plant that will create 1,300 permanent jobs. I want that plant and those jobs right here in California. That's why, in my state of the state address, I announced a jobs initiative that we estimate could create 100,000 jobs with one piece of this proposal exempting the purchase of green-tech manufacturing equipment from the sales tax. This proposal will help California attract and retain green businesses and create the jobs of the future. I want every CEO, entrepreneur and innovator to know that if you're investing in a cleaner future, California will invest in you."
 
 Cobalt biobutanol is an ideal fuel for California and the world. Cobalt uses nonfood feedstock, such as forest waste and mill residues, and its technology reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent compared to gasoline. A 12 percent blend of Cobalt biobutanol with gasoline, already permissible under U.S. EPA guidelines, complies with the requirements of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. 
 
 Cobalt's form of biobutanol (n-butanol) is versatile. It can be used as a standalone fuel; blended with gasoline, diesel and ethanol; converted into jet fuel or plastics, or sold as is for use in paints and coatings. Butanol packs more energy than ethanol and is less polluting. In addition, it is a drop-in fuel, and is fully compatible with today's automobile engines and pipeline infrastructure. 
 
 "Cobalt is leading the race to bring economic next-generation biofuels to market," said Rick Wilson, CEO of Cobalt Biofuels. "Based on the technology breakthroughs we have achieved, and the successful operation of our plant, we are on track to build a commercial facility within two years, and we are currently building a network of strategic partners in the fuels, chemicals, forest products, and construction industry to deploy our technology at the next scale. The governor's leadership in clean technology policy, like the proposed sales tax exemption for green manufacturing equipment will help accelerate commercialization and make California an attractive place to site a plant."
 
 One commercial-scale Cobalt plant employs 1,300 permanent green collar jobs at the plant and surrounding area, and adds more than $250 million annually to the state's GDP, according to a market study commissioned by Cobalt.
 
 Cobalt is backed by leading investors in the cleantech sector, including Pinnacle Ventures, Vantage Point Venture Partners, Burrill and Co., Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund, Life Science Partner, @Ventures, and Harris & Harris.
 
 SOURCE: COBALT TECHNOLOGIES

California governor launches low-carbon fuel plant

Posted January 11, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. CST
 
 Biomass is the No. 1 renewable energy resource for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, holding a steady 41 percent of energy from renewables, according to Michael DeAngelis, manager of SMUD's Advanced, Renewable & Distributed Generation Technologies Program.
 
 DeAngelis was the first speaker in the panel titled Securing the Position of Biomass in California's Energy Portfolio at the Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo in Sacramento. The Biomass Magazine event was held Jan. 11-13. "It's clear that renewable energy and biomass are here to stay," DeAngelis said. "Biomass has become a very significant portion of our energy supply in the Sacramento region. We expect it to remain a major portion of our supply." That biomass energy supply consists of primarily wood waste cogeneration, with five landfill and wastewater gas projects, along with utilizing biomethane in the pipeline, which he said is the fastest-growing of all SMUD's renewable energy options.
 
 The publicly-owned utility has the most aggressive energy efficiency goals of any large utility in the state of California, DeAngelis said: 15 percent over 10 years. In addition, the company expects to be the only large utility to meet California's renewable portfolio standards (RPS): 20 percent by 2010. 
 
 Overall, the state is not on track to achieve that goal, according to Michael Leaon, supervisor of the Integrated Energy & Climate Change Unit of the California Energy Commission. Additionally, the Governor's Executive Order establishes a 33 percent RPS by 2020, with 20 percent from biopower, Leaon said. Statewide, 20 percent of renewable energy in 2008 came from biomass, 70 percent of that from plants that came on line by 2000, he added.
 
 Financial support has the potential to spur biomass development, Leaon told attendees. The state offers the Existing Renewable Facilities Program, which provides incentive payments for energy generated from solid biomass. "This has been an important program for supporting solid biomass facilities," he said. 
 
 Gregg Morris, director of Green Power Institute agrees that California's RPS is too lofty a goal and current progress has not kept up. "There's not a chance that we will achieve that 20 percent target by 2010," said. "We want our renewable production overall in California to approximately triple compared with where it was in 2002." 
 
 The RPS requires utilities to increase renewable energy sources by 1 percent annually, but they have instead lost percentages since the RPS was established in 2002, he said. "They've actually fallen behind every single year since it went into effect." 
 
 Biomass made up 22 percent of total renewable energy in California in 2003, decreasing to 19 percent in 2008. In that time, the mandate required 43 percent renewable energy generation, but only 3.4 percent was achieved. The reason: Biomass is expensive, Morris said. "But the fact is, it's also expensive not to do it," he said, adding that landfill burial and burning of waste are more expensive alternatives. Since 1980, 60 biomass plants have been built in California, only half of which are still operational, he added. The next steps to increasing biomass use are continued support for existing facilities, bioenergy banding within the RPS, targeted credits for specific biomass facilities and generating credits for bioenergy, Morris said. 
 
 The final panelist, David Bischel, president and CEO of the California Forestry Association, talked about the largely untapped potential for woody biomass in California's forestlands. One-third of California's 100 million acres is forestland. The state has more than twice as much wood standing dead in forests as there is wood being harvested, Bischel said. More than 10 million acres are at high or very high risk of catastrophic fire, driven by accumulated fuel loads, and climate change could make that fire threat worse, he said. "The opportunities with sustainable biomass utilization is immense in dealing with this issue," he said. Reducing that fuel load also protects water quality, lowering the cost of cleaning it for consumption.
 	
 There are 14 million bone-dry tons of potential woody biomass that need to be removed from forests, Bischel said, with the potential of 1,750 megawatts and 17,000 new jobs. Challenges, though, include the cost, definition of biomass and regulations. "I couldn't agree more that California is really in a state of regulatory gridlock," he said. But the will, motivation and resources on the part of landowners is what will determine how far woody biomass can go, he added.

Conference: Panel addresses biomass's position, potential

Posted January 12, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. CST
 
 Forget gold. The biomass rush is on in California. A major consensus at Biomass Magazine's Pacific Northwest Biomass Conference & Expo held Jan. 11-13 in Sacramento, Calif., was that strong government support is essential for the biomass industry to reach its peak potential in the Pacific Northwest, and other regions across the U.S.
 
 The conference kicked off with special addresses from Sacramento City Council Member Steve Cohn, California Energy Commission Vice Chair & Commissioner James Boyd and USDA Farm Service Agency of California Executive Director Val Dolcini. "We have made sustainability a key goal here in Sacramento and California, and more importantly I think for our local area here in Sacramento, it's also a major source of jobs," Cohn said. According to him, green jobs in the city went up by 36 percent in 2009. "That's remarkable in the midst of the worst recession that we've seen since the Great Depression. In any sector it's impressive-and that was the highest percentage in California," he added.
 
 Dolcini emphasized the huge success the USDA-FSA's Biomass Crop Assistance Program has seen in the state since its inception. Historically, the FSA has worked closely with the growers of food and fiber, and is now working closely with the growers of fuel, he said. "In California, [the BCAP program is] off to a great start. Is the program working? I think the answer is yes."
 
 Dolcini said the FSA has approved 36 biomass conversion facilities in California-more than any other state-and allocated $15 million in fiscal year 2009. "So far in FY10, we're off to a great start. We've allocated about $30 million, and expect to allocate almost $20 million more before the end of the year," Dolcini said. "This is a program that has been met with real enthusiasm here in California and we anticipate that application number will continue to grow steadily." 
 
 There are currently about 360 qualified BCAP facilities across the U.S., he added, and California constitutes about 10 percent of them. "Facilities are getting all the materials they can handle right now, and I think that should continue into the next year," he said. "And this is only the first phase of this program; the second will stimulate the production of eligible crops for the bioenergy conversion." 
 
 From Dolcini's perspective, the economic recovery of the U.S. will largely depend on the continued development of a renewable energy economy. "Biomass energy has a lot to offer right now-but will it be easy to harvest? Let me just say this-all of the low-hanging fruit has been picked," he said. "We're doing things across the board that haven't been done before so there will be some experimentation and adaptation-but we're pretty good at that here in California. I know we can continue to light the path for the rest of the nation."

Conference: Biomass shines in the Golden State

Posted January 13, 2010, at 8:34 a.m. CST
 
 Lessons learned by feedstock supply company PowerStock in its 12 years of operation can serve as building blocks in developing biomass supply chains anywhere, according to PowerStock CEO Steve Van Mouwerik. He addressed attendees at the Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo as part of a panel titled Building Reliable Feedstock Collection and Supply Systems. PowerStock harvests and handles about 150,000 tons of biomass feedstock each year, while operating all necessary equipment.
 	
 The company, based in the Columbia River Basin in Oregon and Washington, got its start in the Asian Forage Export Industry in 1998 and has long-term relationships with its growers, a crucial element to a successful biomass supply company, Van Mouwerik said. Crops in the basin are varied, allowing for a selection of different feedstocks. 
 	
 The first step in PowerStock's business model is to control the supply. This is where growers are key, he said. "Give 100 percent service to that grower and that grower community," he said. Accurate inventory at the stack level is also important.
 	
 Step two in the company's model is to partner with the demand. Commit early and follow through, Van Mouwerik said. "Before you make commitments to customers, make sure you have commitments from suppliers," he said, adding that it's important to manage the entire process from seed to market. The bottom line of feedstock security is composed of several aspects: grower relations, harvesting, marketing, equipment utilization, proprietary techniques and agricultural economics, he said. 
 	
 John Shelly, cooperative extension adviser in the Forest Products and Utilization program at the University of California, Berkeley, addressed the available supply of woody biomass in the state. His definition of woody biomass, he said, is low-quality and low-value material. It can come from saw mill residue, landfill diversion, logging residue and slash, dedicated forests and trees killed by fire or disease. Potential uses for that woody biomass include energy, landscape materials and soil amendments. "The list is long as to what that can go into," Shelly said. 
 	
 More woody biomass is available than what's being used, but the challenge is getting it to the power plants at a low cost, Shelly said. To increase its use for electricity generation, several measures need to be taken, including educating the public on the value of well-managed, productive forests; improving conversion efficiency of power plants; and comparing life-cycle assessments of various alternative energy resources, among others. One problem, however, is that the biomass industry competes with higher-value markets that can use that wood, he added. 
 	
 But that's not the only problem. "We need an inclusive definition of biomass. Period," said Scott Miller, marketing consultant for Price BIOStock, a feedstock supply service company. Before the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which established a renewable fuels standard (RFS) of 36 billion gallons by 2022, 19 million acres of qualifying biomass existed in California. After its implementation, however, that supply dwindled to 500,000 acres. EISA changed several definitions relating to biomass-derived fuels. 
 	
 The mentality among environmentalists seems to be, "We'd rather see it burn than let loggers in," Miller said. "And that's killing our forests." Two important lessons to be learned from Miller's experience are that there is very little valueless waste, and that its mainly the location and feedstock flexibility that will determine wood cost, he said.

Conference: Speakers share supply chain know-how

Posted January 14, 2010, at 4:02 p.m. CST
 
 The paradigm shift in converting a coal power plant to biomass is riddled with permitting hurdles, along with technology and logistics issues.
 	
 "Going from a black hat to a green hat is hard to do," said Mike Hawkins, president and CEO of Ohio-based Red Hawk Energy LLC, who participated in a panel titled ‘Rightsizing and ‘Right siting' Biomass Power in the Pacific West at the Pacific West Biomass Conference & Expo in Sacramento. The company's 52 megawatt coal plant is transitioning to biomass power and should be fully operational with 100 percent biomass in the second quarter of 2011, he said. 
 	
 In converting, economics of size matter, he said, reiterating the point made by fellow presenter Peter Flynn, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Alberta. Flynn addressed attendees with his presentation Small is not Beautiful. Optimal plant size varies with biomass feedstock availability and processing technology, but is much larger than conventional wisdom suggests, he said. Although larger plants may have longer transportation routes, efficiency in larger plants comes out on top. "Capitol efficiency trumps transportation costs," he said.
 
 In large power plants, coal costs about $4,500 per kilowatt hour, with biomass at about $4,000, depending on the plant size, Hawkins said. Converting a coal plant to biomass, however, costs only $1,000 per kilowatt hour. 
 
 Conversion is a challenging development project that should not be underestimated, Hawkins said. Operating issues included fuel quality, erosion and corrosion, the capacity factor, operations training and fuel handling. Technology issues included a boiler study, unit de-rating, boiler and fuel feed modifications, and fuel receiving and storage. Companies can opt for a basic dump truck and storage system, or take the route Red Hawk Energy took: a state-of-the-art storage facility with dust and fire suppression, Hawkins said. 
 
 The plant is currently co-firing 20 percent biomass. "It's all about the fuel," he said. He recommends plants considering conversion perform a detailed fuel study, and analyze the reliability of suppliers and fuel contracts. "It's a whole different ball game than what we've been used to in the past," he said.
 Hawkins also discussed power purchase agreements, emphasizing the importance of obtaining the terms needed. "This is really the gift that keeps on giving," he said. 
 
 Other issues companies will face include lender issues and development and construction costs. The entire process from start to finish probably will take about three years, said Hawkins, who used a tortoise in his presentation to illustrate the slow permitting process.
 
 "California is a national leader in renewable energy, but also in regulatory complexity, uncertainty and confusion," said Frederick Tornatore, chief technical officer of California-based TSS Consultants. He discussed the "four Ps" of the permitting process: planning, perception, perseverance and patience. "There's no such thing as fast-track permitting," he said. 
 	
 But it is possible and more plants can be built. Black & Veatch, a global consulting, engineering and construction company, conducted a study assessing all renewable resources in California, identifying where transmission lines would need to be, according to speaker Scott Olson, senior consultant with the company. Black & Veatch based its analysis on several criteria. The study identified a potential 46 projects, for a total of 1,725 megawatts. "The economy of scale is absolutely true," he said.

Conference: Switching from black to green

Posted January 15, 2010, at 10:17 a.m. CST
 
 Five weeks after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office began a test program to fast track certain "green" technology patent applications, most of the 3,000 positions are still available. Only about one-third have been applied for.
 
 Businesses wishing to patent their proprietary green technologies are being given special "front-of-the-line" status in having their application reviewed. Unexamined pending applications that are accepted could have the processing time reduced by as much as one year.
 
 "This may be used in conjunction with other governmental programs to speed the prosecution of foreign applications as well" said Paul Craane, attorney with the intellectual property law firm Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP. "Assuming your application falls within the proper class, this program is tailored for an application focused on a single invention," Craane said. Craane recommended that applicants contact their patent attorney and get their petition in as soon as possible.
 
 The USPTO has indicated that if this program is deemed successful it could very likely be continued and expanded. For more information about the USPTO pilot program to accelerate the examination of certain green technology patent applications visit the Web site: <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2009/09_33.jsp">http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2009/09_33.jsp</a>.
 
 SOURCE: MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP

Fast track open for green tech patents

Posted January 15, 2010, at 11:58 a.m. CST
 
 Jim Stewart of the California Bioenergy Producers Association relayed a simple message to the 400-plus attendees of Biomass Magazine's Pacific Northwest Biomass Conference & Expo: it's time to begin confronting the real issues involved in developing a constructive statutory and regulatory environment for bioenergy production.
 
 Stewart referred to biomass as the "holy grail of sustainability," touting production of ethanol from organic wastes as the only pathway available that can meet or exceed the goals for greenhouse gas reduction established in California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. "Many of us here have attended conferences before where we have a chance to network, say nice things about innovative technologies we're working on, listen to a few speeches proclaiming the need for a better environment, and go home perhaps feeling a little better about ourselves without confronting the real issues," he said. "But the time has come for a frank discussion and coordinated action. We will never achieve our goals for renewable energy and a better environment for this nation without a cooperative effort between business, labor, government and the environmental community." 
 
 America generates 1.5 billion to 2 billion tons of carbon-based wastes annually, according to Stewart, about 500 million tons of which are readily available to convert into energy. In 2008, a recession year in which municipal solid waste (MSW) generation declined by 10 percent, California still landfilled 35.5 million tons of post-recycled material. "Just from this single source of biomass, thermal conversion technologies could coproduce 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and about 1,250 megawatts (MW) of power, turning the state into a net exporter of ethanol," he said. 
 
 Stewart referred to a recent study by the International Energy Agency that found that production in the world's oil fields is declining by 7 percent per year, and predicted that the world will need eight more Saudi Arabia's by 2030 to make up for the decline and meet projected global oil demand. "The way to achieve this goal is not to devastate the environment to recover oil from tar sands in Canada-to me that is direct and indirect land-use change of far greater impact than anything that could be projected from corn or cellulosic biomass, and yet it is just one of the factors relating to petroleum production that seems to be totally ignored by the U.S. EPA in its rulemaking." 
 
 Big Oil runs countless ads talking about how "green" they are, Stewart said, but for years behind the scenes they have been contributing millions of dollars to think tanks and university professors who write white papers that challenge global warming and attempt to undermine the viability of ethanol. "By doing so, they deflect attention from the more significant impacts of fossil fuels," he said. All of the industry needs to acknowledge that global warming is a threat if not a crisis, that the day of peak oil is fast approaching and that renewable energy is no longer an alternative."
 
 In 2009, the DOE awarded grants to a wide range of emerging renewable energy technologies including $193 million for six thermal biomass conversion projects supporting a total investment of $410 million, none of which will be built in California. "Why is this happening? It's happening because California has a statutory and regulatory environment that is driving biobased technology providers and investment capital out of the state," Stewart said. "As further evidence, the governor announced a list of 244 renewable energy projects now being proposed to help meet the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal of 33 percent by 2022, and only three were for biomass conversion." 
 
 Stewart said the BEPA is sponsoring legislation to expedite the introduction of new conversion technologies that will produce advanced biofuels and/or green power from organic waste materials. AB 222, which addresses the issues necessary to achieve this goal, passed in the California State Assembly 54-13 during the 2009 legislative session in Sacramento, after having been approved by a unanimous bipartisan vote in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. In July 2009, it was approved in the Senate Utilities, Energy and Communications Committee. However, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee elected not to act on the bill and converted it into a two-year bill, which cannot pass the State Senate and be signed by the Governor until 2010, and will not take effect until January 2011 at the earliest. During those intervening 17 months, the state will place another 50 million tons of post-recycled municipal waste in its landfills, which theoretically could support the annual production of 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and approximately 1,250 MW of power. Stewart urged attendees to contact the Senate and demand the legislation be passed.
 
 For several years, BEPA has seen opposition orchestrated by Californians Against Waste, which is funded by the recycling industry. "These are the companies that are sending California's recyclable materials to China, Nigeria and India where there are limited, if any, environmental controls. Their goal, in delaying the introduction of new technologies, is to force state sanitation districts to rely on existing recycling practices to meet their mandates for landfill diversion."
 
 The environmental abuses from the foreign outsourcing of recycling are well documented, Stewart added. "We believe they have a duty to address these abuses before challenging the viability of environmentally advantageous conversion technologies. The bottom line is that this is not an environmental battle; it's an economic competition to California's waste streams," he said. "California's population is expected to grow by some 10 million people in the next 25 years. Unless more flexibility in legislation and regulatory policies is put into place for its biomass resources to be better used for energy production and improving the business climate for biobased technology in California, the state will landfill more than 1 billion tons of MSW during the next 20 years."

Conference: Biomass needs regulatory, government support

Posted January 18, 2010, at 4:53 p.m. CST
 
 The conversion of Georgia Power's Mitchell Generation Plant to biomass feedstock has been delayed, awaiting a U.S. EPA ruling on the industrial boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (IB MACT) rule.
 	
 The rule would regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants such as certain acid gases, organics, metals and other pollutants from industrial boilers. It will likely affect biomass boilers like the one planned for Plant Mitchell, near Albany, Ga., according to Georgia Power Spokeswoman Lynn Wallace. "Our intent was always to convert this boiler with the understanding that we're meeting the EPA rules," she said, adding that undetermined rules make that difficult. 
 	
 The plant operates now on coal, generating 155 megawatts. When converted to biomass feedstocks, including waste wood such as tree limbs, tree tops, needles and leaves, the facility will have a capacity of 96 megawatts, according to the company. 
 	
 Georgia Power was set to begin spending a significant amount of capital on the $134 million project at the beginning of this year. "But now that the rule is in question, it's the prudent thing to do," Wallace said of the action to delay the project. Otherwise, she added, customers could be subject to a cost risk if expensive changes are necessary to meet any new requirements. 
 	
 The company had initially planned to begin retrofit construction on the plant in April 2011 and go on line in June 2012. A new project timeline has not been determined, but Wallace said the draft of the ruling should be out in April, at which time Georgia Power will have an idea of whether its already-established standards will suffice. A final ruling is not expected until December 2010. Depending on what the draft brings, the project could be back on track in April. "They may come out with something within our own guidelines," she said. The timing of the final rule release and the possibility of the company having to change plans may bring Georgia Power uncomfortably close to development deadlines for tax credits and other financial incentives. 
 	
 In the meantime, Georgia Power is looking into alternative boiler technologies, in case the ruling significantly impacts the cost of the planned boiler conversion. "We think it's in our best interests, just in case the current boiler doesn't meet their specifications," Wallace said. 
 The company does not expect to scrap the project altogether, but instead is preparing for possible changes. "We don't think that the project is going to be cancelled," Wallace said. "Our hope is it'll just be a matter of modifying our existing design, or adding new equipment."

Mitchell plant delayed for EPA ruling

Posted January 19, 2010, at 9:43 a.m. CST
 
 Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University's Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have genetically modified tobacco plant leaves to produce significantly more oil, proving that the plant could serve as biofuel feedstock. 
 
 Assistant professor Vyacheslav Andrianov said the research project began in mid-2007, when the University's Biotechnology Foundation director Hilary Koprowski received $1 million through Pennsylvania's Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program, to support research of engineering tobacco plants for the production of biodiesel and ethanol. 
 
 The researchers believe that tobacco has been largely overlooked as a biofuel resource. "The idea of using tobacco plants as a source of inexpensive biomass was known long before our project started and previous studies of others proved that it can be grown for other needs such as cheap plant protein," Andrianov said. "Other plants like switchgrass or algae were recently suggested as a source of inexpensive biomass for alternative fuel production; however, there are no advantages of these plants over tobacco in terms of oil yield or sugar accumulation. Tobacco is a traditional crop grown all over the country and it will be easy to switch to growing tobacco for biofuel, especially as the demand for smoking tobacco is decreasing because people are trying to live healthier."
 
 Another advantage of growing tobacco for biomass production is that it will not negatively impact food production, Andrianov said. Additionally, tobacco is well-studied genetically, and can be easily modified based. "There are numerous studies known from scientific publications on the pathways of oil biosynthesis in plants and several limiting steps of these pathways were previously identified," Andrianov said. "The idea of our project is to improve some of such limiting factors using genetic modification and to combine improved traits in one plant. Two genes were modified in engineered tobacco plants in our current study." 
 
 Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) is a key enzyme and a limiting factor in biosynthesis of the triacylglycerol (TAG) class of lipids, the major storage component of plant oil, Andrianov explained. "Overexpression of DGAT constitutively in green leaves changes the balance of oil accumulation like it normally happens in seeds. In our study, we demonstrated 10 to 20 times increase of TAGs accumulation that result in two to three times increase in total oil content in leaves." 
 
 In developing seeds, the expression of leafy cotyledon2 (LEC 2), a transcription factor that regulates many other genes and is normally active in storage organs like seeds turning on the process of embryogenesis, results in accumulation of oil in storage oil bodies. "Our idea was to express this gene in a way that we can turn it on in organs where it is normally silent-in leaves, switching the cell developmental program to something imitating embryogenesis and resulting in accumulation of storage compounds including oil accumulation," Andrianov said. "Both genes gave expected results in our hands and the idea is to combine them in one plant that will result in an even greater cumulative effect." 
 
 The team plans to continue its research, depending on the availability of funds. "We are going to try modification of other limiting factors like key enzymes of biosynthesis of precursors of fatty acids and combine them with those we have used in our publication," Andrianov said. "We expect that to give us even better results. Also, as biomass for cellulosic ethanol fermentation, tobacco has two main advantages over existing feedstocks-a high amount of easily fermentable sugars, and a low content of lignin, which in other lignocellulitic feedstocks significantly hampers the fermentation process and contributes to high cost."
 
 Recent progress in the optimization of biomass pretreatment methods, the decreasing cost of enzymes and the development of more efficient microbial strains makes the fermentation of optimized tobacco feedstock a very promising option for the production of biofuel ethanol, according to the researchers. "We intend to further optimize tobacco biomass for both ethanol fermentation and biodiesel extraction by overexpressing a combination of genes involved in sugar and lipid metabolism and to study the effects of these combinatorial modifications on both sugar and lipid profiles and plant growth," Andrianov added.
 
 Andrianov's research paper, co-authored by Dr. Nikolai Borisjuk, was published in Plant Biotechnology Journal in December 2009.

Tobacco studied as biofuel feedstock

Posted January 19, 2010, at 1:28 p.m. CST
 
 Flambeau River Biofuels has executed a letter of intent to engineer, procure, and construct (EPC) the largest second-generation green diesel plant in the U.S. at an existing pulp and paper mill in Park Falls, Wis. The $250 million project, funded in part with a grant from the U.S. DOE, is expected to be fully operational by 2013.
 
 Flambeau selected the team of AMEC, the international engineering and project management company, and Miron Construction Co. Inc., a premier Wisconsin-based construction firm as its EPC contractor. 
 
 "The Flambeau River biorefinery will create permanent, high-skilled operating jobs in the region, long-term logging jobs, and short-term engineering and construction jobs, contributing to the economic stimulus of Park Falls, Wis.," said Butch Johnson, majority owner of Flambeau River Papers and FRB.
 
 "The AMEC-Miron team was selected for its experience and innovation in developing green energy and biofuel facilities," Johnson said. "When completed, Flambeau will have the first integrated pulp and paper mill in North America to run on fossil-free energy."
 
 Tim Gelbar, President, AMEC's Power and Process Americas business said: "The Flambeau program has been a long-term strategic focus of AMEC's and it will play a key role in our continued development of new bioprocesses and the expansion of clean renewable energy." 
 
 "We have been working with Flambeau for two years developing this project" said David G. Voss Jr., president of Miron Construction. "The Flambeau BioFuels project is key to developing green fuel renewable energy alternatives and will have a significant positive economic impact in Wisconsin." 
 
 The plant will use patented process technology from ThermoChem Recovery International to convert 1,000 dry tons per day of woody biomass from bark, sawdust, wood and forest residue into green electrical power, steam and heat to the adjacent Flambeau River Papers operation, and green diesel fuel and wax to the domestic market.
 
 SOURCE: FLAMBEAU RIVER BIOFUELS, MIRON CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.

FRB signs LOI for green diesel plant

Posted January 20, 2010, at 8:53 a.m. CST
 
 DuPont-Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC and its partner Genera Energy LLC will hold a grand opening ceremony on Jan. 29 for their demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Vonore, Tenn.
 	
 The 74,000-square-foot facility has the capacity to produce 250,000 gallons of ethanol from corncobs, switching to a 100 percent switchgrass feedstock over the course of the next year, according to DDCE. The companies are working toward a commercial operation date for the facility in 2012. 
 	
 It is one of the first cellulosic ethanol demonstration plants in the country and is the first to use both agricultural residues and energy crops as feedstocks, according to DDCE. Genera Energy, wholly owned by the University of Tennessee, will work on a switchgrass supply chain for the plant, harvesting from its current 2,700 acres of the crop, expanding to around 7,000 acres in April, according to Genera President and CEO Kelly Tiller. Genera's crops will be more than enough to supply the plant, Tiller said, adding that the company and its farmer-controlled Tennessee Biomass Supply Co-op. will handle the entire feedstock operation with contracted farmers for the DDCE plant. 
 	
 Genera received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. DOE and USDA to research and improve the varieties of switchgrass in cooperation with Ceres and DDCE. In addition, Genera was awarded a $4.9 million DOE grant to optimize removal, transportation and storage, including in-field chopping systems instead of baling.

Cellulosic ethanol demo plant begins production

Posted January 20, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. CST
 	
 The breeding and germplasm of SG Biofuels, partnered with the biotechnology platform and gene sequencing capabilities of Life Technologies Corp., a life science solution provider, will help prove jatropha to be the most profitable and sustainable biofuel feedstock, according to SG Biofuels President and CEO Kirk Haney.
 	
 The two companies have formed a strategic alliance, initially with the intent to sequence the Jatropha curcas genome, allowing for the rapid introduction of new traits targeted toward increasing the yield of the oil-producing plant, according to SG Biofuels. The company has the largest library of jatropha genetic material in the world, along with field trials throughout Latin America, and is working to identify and develop valuable traits, including cold tolerance, which would mean the crop could be grown in many areas of the U.S. 
 	
 "It allows us to not only accelerate our breeding platform, but also now to start to develop our biotechnology platform," Haney said of the partnership. "By having them do [genome sequencing] for us, it not only saves us a lot of money, but it saves a lot of time." 
 	
 Life Technology's investment of equity and time into SG Biofuels signals a global opportunity for jatrohpa, Haney said. "As humbled and flattered as we are that they chose us, it's a really important signal to the market that they chose jatropha and that they chose us, because we have a clear sustainable advantage in the 3½ years we've been working on jatropha," he said. The partnership will allow SG Biofuels to bring a high-quality, profitable crop to market for customers much more quickly, he added.
 	 
 This investment signifies the first jatropha endeavor for Life Technologies and validates the near-term potential of the crop, according to Haney. Other potential biofuel feedstocks such as algae could be 15 to 20 years away from commercialization, he added. 
 	
 The first phase of the partnership will center on genome sequencing, followed by further development of synthetic biology. "It's a great partnership," Haney said. "Their technology platform combined with our breeding and germplasm was a perfect combination."

Partnership will expedite jatropha research

Posted January 20, 2010, at 12:06 p.m. CST
 
 Biodiesel catalyst technology company Catilin Inc. announced a new three-year, $5.3 million project as part of the $44 million U.S. DOE Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure award made to Catilin's consortium, National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Catilin and its partner, Iowa State University-Center for Catalysis, will provide key extraction, sequestration and conversion technologies. The NAABB consortium is made up of 26 groups from both the private and public sector and is led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. 
 
 Catilin and ISU-CCAT will build on their pioneering algal oil extraction technology using mesoporous nanoparticles to selectively extract and sequester targeted fuel-relevant and high-value compounds within the algal lipid mixture. The balance of the algal oil, which contains free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides, will be converted to biodiesel using Catilin's commercially available T300 catalyst. The pilot-scale work will be completed at Catilin's currently operating 300,000 gallon per year pilot plant. 
 
 "This award solidifies Catilin's position as a leading provider of extraction and catalyst technology for biomass conversion," said Catilin CEO Larry Lenhart. "We are enthusiastic participants in the NAABB consortium and believe that this unique consortium will bring cross discipline knowledge working together to advance the reality of biofuel from algae. As the largest private sector participant, we will make a direct impact on the ability to demonstrate the scalable and economic conversion of algal oil to biofuels while capturing and monetizing valuable coproducts." 
 
 Catilin has been closely aligned with ISU-CCAT since 2007 when Professor Victor Lin of Iowa State University founded Catilin with financial support from Mohr Davidow Ventures of Menlo Park, Calif. "Our technology is instrumental in several key steps of the algae to biofuels supply chain as the efficient oil-extraction and solid catalyst provides a cost effective conversion route," said Lin, who is also the director of ISU-CCAT and the director of the Chemical and Biological Sciences Program at DOE Ames Laboratory. 
 
 SOURCE: CATILIN INC.

January 2010

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Parity in the Production Tax Credit

Navigating the Biomass Industry's Hills and Valleys

What Happens Beyond 2012?

Upgrading to Next-Generation Technology

Featured

Methane Migraine

Bad Boy Crop Deserves a Second Chance

Stack Attack

Building on its Biomass Base

A Continuing Effort

Sweet Catalysis

Reinventing Oilheat

Biodiesel Brand Names

Contributions

Strategy and implementation of biomass conversion at Mt. Poso

SDSU Scientists ‘Re-discover' Switchgrass Moth

January 2010.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Parity in the Production Tax Credit

Navigating the Biomass Industry's Hills and Valleys

What Happens Beyond 2012?

Upgrading to Next-Generation Technology

Featured

Methane Migraine

Bad Boy Crop Deserves a Second Chance

Stack Attack

Building on its Biomass Base

A Continuing Effort

Sweet Catalysis

Reinventing Oilheat

Biodiesel Brand Names

Contributions

Strategy and implementation of biomass conversion at Mt. Poso

SDSU Scientists ‘Re-discover' Switchgrass Moth

January 2010