Posted July 9, 2010, at 11:10 a.m. CST
 
 Algae biofuel technology company OriginOil Inc. has unveiled yet another component to its portfolio of algae growth and harvest technologies, a hydrogen harvesting process that Chief Technology Officer Brian Goodall said is a critical development for the realization of a completely integrated algal biorefinery.
 
 Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth, frequently described as a perfect fuel. It does not exist in nature by itself, however, and research/methods to date have not been able to efficiently, cleanly and affordably generate hydrogen from renewable resources such as biomass. 
 
 OriginOil's Hydrogen Harvester does this, according to Goodall, allowing for the photosynthetic splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen using algae. Direct water-splitting technologies have been the focus of many research and development efforts over the years, being referred to by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as the "Holy Grail" of the hydrogen economy. 
 
 Today, there are two ways in which hydrogen is made commercially, Goodall explained. "Ninety-five-plus percent of the world's hydrogen is made from the reforming of natural gas. If you don't have to use natural gas, you'll have an even further improved life-cycle analysis on the fuels that you make," he said. "When you produce fuel from vegetable oils or algae biomass, you use quite a bit of hydrogen for hydrotreating to remove oxygen and meet the specs you need for winter/renewable diesel and jet fuel. That hydrogen comes from natural gas, so you're generating CO2." 
 
 The second method of producing hydrogen is through electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to pass a current through water to make hydrogen and oxygen, by burning fossil fuels. "What we're doing is using the same algae we are growing for biomass purposes by using the power of sunlight, while producing oil and biomass, and splitting the water to produce hydrogen and oxygen." 
 
 For privacy reasons, Goodall could not go into extensive detail about the Hydrogen Harvester, but he said the splitting process continues for many hours and produces a large amount of hydrogen. "It doesn't slow development or growth of algae; it's a supplementary product that we make through the same process," he said. "Our algae are doing this for us as a side task while also growing the oils and biomass." 
 
 But what's the real significance of the technology in relation to producing algae biofuels? There are several reasons why it is a breakthrough, Goodall said, the first being that recovering hydrogen provides the necessary ingredients for clean electricity generation using fuel cells. "The energy can be used to offset the electricity requirements of algae cultivation, harvesting and downstream processing," he said. The technology, which is currently patent pending, does not require considerable external energy inputs, sulfur deprivation or other "stressing" of the algae, and doesn't require genetic modifications to the algae, all methods that past research efforts have revolved around, according to Goodall.
 
 "In producing fuel from algae in an integrated way, a previous conundrum has been a need for hydrogen pipelines, or close proximity to existing refineries which are typically far removed from ideal sites for algae growth," Goodall said. "If there aren't either, it will have to be transported by truck or rail to where there is a pipeline or existing refinery to turn it into fuel. The Hydrogen Harvester eliminates the need for both." 
 
 Goodall said OriginOil has more work to do in terms of screenings, scoping optimizing and scaling up, but bench-scale results have indicated that so far the process is scalable to at least one order of magnitude. "We believe in order to be successful [in the biofuel industry], one has to have a variety of different revenue streams in order to be profitable, commercially successful and relevant, because at the end of the day, oil is a very cheap commodity," he added.

OriginOil reports hydrogen harvest breakthrough

Posted July 14, 2010, at 12:08 p.m. CST
 
 The Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo Aug. 4-6 at Westin Copely Place in Boston will feature a biorefining panel titled, Cutting-Edge Conversion Approaches: Breakthroughs in Biorefining. 
 
 Stephen Fitzpatrick with Waltham, Mass.-based Biofine Technology LLC will present on the Biofine Process for thermocatalytic biomass refining. The process employs high temperatures and dilute-acid catalysis for rapid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce levulinic and formic acids, and biochar. Fitzpatrick said the process is carried out in a novel continuous reactor system that enhances yield for commercial applications. 
 
 "The process is flexible enough to utilize a wide range of lignocelluloses such as forest residues, waste paper or straw," he said. "Derivative green products of interest include heating and transportation fuels, monomers and general chemicals." Fitzpatrick said that a semi-commercial-scale plant is now operational in Gorham, Maine, adding that, "the process could allow biomass to displace crude oil as the primary source of fuels and chemicals. … It was recently assessed to have a greenhouse gas life-cycle assessment that is more than 90 percent better than gasoline or diesel fuel and 40 percent better than soy-based biodiesel by independent assessors using the DOE-developed GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) methodology." 
 
 He said of particular commercial interest is the production of ethyl levulinate, a versatile fuel product that can be blended with heating oil, diesel or gasoline. "It is manufactured by a combination of levulinic acid with ethanol," he said. "The development of a renewable heating oil blending component that can be economically produced and used in the Northeast should be of great commercial interest." He projected that the process can allow profitable production of heating oil blendstock from wood or agricultural residues for less than $2 per gallon at large scale. "Ethyl levulinate can be blended directly or co-blended with biodiesel," Fitzpatrick said. 
 
 Waste plastic streams in municipal solid waste can be a real concern, much of which gets landfilled where it serves no good to anyone. Polyflow Corp. chairman Joseph Hensel said his company has developed a process to convert mixed and dirty polymer solid wastes into chemical intermediates and fuels. 
 
 "A unique value that this technology offers is the utilization of the mixed polymer stream without sorting by polymer type," Hensel said. "Today only 7 percent of all polymers are recycled because of the difficulty and expense of sorting, leaving 93 percent that are currently being landfilled. Unlike classic plastics recycling processes, this technology uses mixed, unseparable polymer waste. There is no requirement for sorting any of the polymers by color, type or grade. The process is robust, minimizing the need to manage the composition of the feedstock to maintain the process specifications and maximize output volume and quality." He said mixed polymer feedstock refers to hard packaging, flexible packaging, multilayer films, thermosets as well as thermoplastics, tires, carpet, agricultural film, e-waste plastic, expanded polystyrene and other polymers. 
 
 He said the process can make chemical intermediates that can be sold to the petrochemical industry, in addition to gas and diesel fuel, through a simple cracking process similar to how crude oil is refined. "These polymers were already refined once, so they're pretty easy to handle," Hensel said. "Thirty-seven percent of the energy used in this country comes from crude oil. Ten percent of that is used to manufacture plastics and rubber. We can take that 10 percent and bring it back into the energy stream. That can have a major impact." 
 
 Also presenting at the event in Boston is Bernhard Quirbach, who will discuss hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and pyrolysis, two systems designed to get a high-energy output without a high-energy input, he said. Quirbach's presentation will show the options of how to use HTC and pyrolysis for a "new biofuel and bioenergy generation," he said. 
 
 Kevin Gray, chief technology officer for Qteros, is scheduled to speak about the biomass-to-ethanol process based around the trademarked Q microbe, Clostridium phytofermentans, which he said has the natural ability to hydrolyze all types of polysaccharides in biomass and ferment those sugars into ethanol. "The genome sequence of the Q microbe shows the presence of over 105 different glycosyl hydrolases, and microarray analysis indicated that the glycosyl hydrolases were induced when the organism was grown in the presence of complex carbohydrates and down-regulated when grown on simple sugars," he said. "Enzyme titration data has shown that the Q microbe achieves maximal productivity with one-fourth to one-fifth the amount of exogenous enzyme required by Saccharomyces cerevisae." 
 
 Gray said a genetic system has been developed such that specific genes can be deleted or over-expressed in order to improve performance, adding, "this presentation will describe recent progress in strain and process development to meet commercial metrics." 
 
 Maxwell Morton with Grayhead Associates is scheduled to moderate this panel. 
 
 To register for the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo, visit http://ne.biomassconference.com.

Northeast BIOMASS Conference & Expo panel to focus on biorefineries

Posted June 22, 2010, at 3:32 p.m. CST
 
 Florida's Public Service Commission June 22 approved Gainesville Regional Utilities and American Renewables' joint petition for the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center, a planned 100-megawatt biomass power plant that will be located in Gainesville, Florida. When operational the facility will utilize a variety of waste wood materials to provide clean, renewable power to about 70,000 homes in the Gainesville area.
 
 In supporting the proposed plant, FPS Commissioner David Klement said he was satisfied the plant meets needs for reliability integrity, fuel diversity and supply reliability. "It is prudent to consider the longer range needs of this utility and of Florida's commitment to renewables. We want to promote renewables," he said.
 
 American Renewables of Boston, a U.S. developer of biomass power facilities, will build, own and operate the facility and will sell all energy and environmental attributes generated from the facility to GRU for a period of 30 years. The plant will be fueled by a plentiful, local supply of leftover clean woody waste using urban wood waste, wood processing wastes and logging residues. 
 
 "The PSC has taken an important step today toward significantly expanding Florida's commitment to renewable energy," said Jim Gordon, CEO of American Renewables. "The Gainesville Renewable Energy Center will bring reliable, cost-effective renewable energy to GRU customers and spur significant economic development in north central Florida."
 
 GRU General Manager Bob Hunzinger said the utility needs to add biomass to its power generation mix for three main reasons: to improve the reliability of an aging generation fleet; to protect customers from rising costs in any one fuel type by adding diversity to a fuel supply that is currently dominated by coal; and to provide long-term cost savings to customers.
 
 Gordon added, "Today's decision by the PSC will allow us to finish permitting our facility and begin the necessary financing process. We also intend to move forward aggressively with additional biomass project development across the U.S. and beyond, in order to meet the growing demand for renewable baseload power."
 
 Construction of the plant will bring more than 1,100 direct and indirect construction jobs to the area during its approximate 34-month construction phase. After the plant is completed, more than 200 direct, permanent positions will be created to operate and maintain the plant as well as procure biomass fuel. The project will support an additional 500 indirect, permanent positions in the region. 
 
 American Renewables plans to begin construction on the biomass facility in December 2010. More information about the project is available at <a href="http://www.amrenewables.com">www.amrenewables.com</a>. 
 
 SOURCE: FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND GAINSEVILLE RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER

FPSC approves Gainesville biomass power plant

Posted June 23, 2010, at 5:04 p.m. CST
 
 Just three months after Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter increased the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by 50 percent, he has signed into law a suite of bills that will help meet the higher RPS goal (30 percent by 2020) while promoting biomass energy development and job growth in the state. 
 
 In particular, Senate Bill 177 expands biomass resources that can qualify under the RPS to dead and dying lodge pole pines in the state, as well as municipal solid waste and biosolids derived from the treatment of wastewater. According to Gov. Ritter's office, more than 3 million acres of dead and dying pines remain in the state as a result of the western pine beetle infestation, posing high risks for wildfires. SB 177 House sponsor Christine Scanlan, D-Colo., said the law will revitalize the state's forest industry-which has declined substantially in the past few years-by allowing it to clear out the dead trees and smartly recycle beetle-kill timber, while developing green energy and creating new jobs. 
 
 In addition to the expanded biomass definitions, as of July 2013, the bill cuts property taxes for forestry industry equipment used specifically to produce wood for fuel purposes, such as wood chips.
 
 To further facilitate the growth of new green jobs, Ritter signed House Bill 1333, which provides grants to community colleges, vocational schools and other training providers to develop clean energy job training programs. Specifically, the training program will be a two-year pilot program that will offer grants to applicants who train individuals for jobs in the wind, solar, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. The bill specifies that the pilot program is to be funded by federal funds received by the department of labor and employment and funds received from the governor's energy office. 
 
 Complimenting SB 177, Ritter also signed House Bill 10-1363, which allows electric utilities to implement new technologies for the generation of electricity derived from methane produced biogenically.

Colorado expands biomass under RPS

Posted July 14, 2010, at 4:54 p.m. CST
 
 Illinois-based Unitel Technologies Inc., says it has developed a microalgae-to-biofuel process that skips drying and oil extraction altogether, representing a faster, cheaper and less energy-intensive route to clean fuels.
 	
 Instead of focusing on the algae oil, Unitel's patent-pending technology uses fatty acids in biofuel production. That's a night-and-day difference from most microalgae processes, whether manufacturing jet fuel, green diesel, or other fuels. "They all start with the oil," said Unitel CEO Serge Randhava. "But getting to the oil is expensive." Unfortunately, the energy required to extract a drop of algae oil can be more than the amount of energy that drop represents, he added. 
 	
 So instead, the Unitel process allows continuous treatment of the algae slurry in a special hydrolysis reactor to yield a fatty acid product, a sweet water stream that contains glycerol, and the deoiled algae biomass, according to Randhava. The fatty acids are then catalytically decarboxylated and converted into paraffinic hydrocarbons that go through mild hydrocracking and hydroisomerization to make biojet fuel. "Our focus is to forget oil and just get to the fatty acid," he said. "The fatty acid is a starting point for all the same things as oil." The other streams are not wasted in the process, as the glycerol can be reused in the algae tanks as a carbon source and the algae biomass can be dried and used in animal feed or gasified. 
 	
 Some of the features of the technology can be traced back to the 1990s when Unitel designed and built slurry-based coal liquefaction and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction demo units, according to Randhava. "The slurry pump loop and the depressurization module are two examples," he said. "The high-efficiency heat interchange system was developed in 1994 when I was chairman of Xytel-Bechtel in Houston." 
 	
 Randhava has not developed a timeline for commercialization of his process, as the news of its completion is "hot off the press," he said. "What I'm hoping to do is see if I can generate enough interest in the biomass community to enlist three or four strategic partners," he said, adding that developing a pilot or demonstration-scale system would be the ideal next step. "I'd like to see a strategic partnership over the next few months to take this ball and run with it," he said.

Microalgae-to-biofuel process skips extraction

Posted June 24, 2010, at 2:10 p.m. CST
 
 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on June 24 announced the award of more than $4.2 million in grants to 13 small businesses and community groups developing innovative renewable energy projects and new product development using woody biomass from hazardous fuel reduction projects on National Forest land. 
 
 "Energy derived from woody biomass, switchgrass and other sources has enormous potential benefits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, developing clean, home-grown energy and providing economic opportunities for rural America," Vilsack said. "Markets for woody biomass can also bolster forest restoration activities on both public and private lands, improving the ecological health of our forests and reducing the impacts of global climate change." 
 
 Earlier this week, Vilsack released a report which provided a roadmap on how America can meet the renewable fuels standard (RFS2) <a href="http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_Biofuels_Report_6232010.pdf">Biofuels Report </a>6/23/2010. All regions can contribute to meeting America's long-term energy needs, and USDA's Forest Service released its strategic direction for bioenergy and biobased products that ties directly to the Obama Administration push to develop alternatives to fossil fuel use in the U.S. The report, found at: <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/research/pdf/RD_Bioenergy_Strategy_March_2010.pdf">http://www.fs.fed.us/research/pdf/RD_Bioenergy_Strategy_March_2010.pdf</a>, said there are opportunities for America's forest resources to significantly contribute to U.S. energy security, economic development and environmental quality that will result in:
 
 •	Wood-based energy and bioproducts that enhance the environment;
 •	Secure, sustainable, renewable energy sources; and 
 •	Strong rural economies.
 
 Woody biomass includes small-diameter and low-value wood residue such as tree limbs, tops, needles and bark that are often byproducts of forest management activities. Innovative uses for such biomass can help offset expensive thinning operations and enhance the health and resilience of forest ecosystems. 
 
 Grant recipients are required to provide at least 20 percent of the total project cost. Nonfederal matching funds total more than $9 million. In Arizona, for example, Cooley Forest Products will purchase a mobile canter saw allowing them to process small logs at a forest landing, thereby reducing transportation costs. West Range Reclamation in Colorado can now acquire a delimber/debarker allowing them to efficiently process beetle-killed trees. 
 
 The Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization grant program was established in 2005 and is administered by the State and Private Forestry, Technology Marketing Unit, at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis. The program has provided more than &30.6 million toward various projects, ranging from biomass boilers for heating schools and prisons, to helping forest-based businesses acquire equipment to improve processing efficiencies. In total, 123 grants have been awarded to small businesses, nonprofits, tribes and state agencies working to improve forest health while promoting jobs, green energy and healthy communities. 
 
 The 2010 recipients were chosen from 185 applications. The following are the 2010 Woody Biomass Utilization grantees: 
 
 Headrick Logging, Anderson, Calif. $350,000 
 
 Sierra Resource Management, Jamestown, Calif. $329,000 
 
 Del Logging Inc., Bieber, Calif. $350,000 
 
 Cooley Forest Products, Phoenix, Ariz. $350,000 
 
 J. W. Bamford Inc., Oroville, Calif. $300,000 
 
 West Range Reclamation, Crawford, Colo. $350,000
 
 Arizona Log and TimberWorks, Eagar, Ariz. $350,000 
 
 JL Shavings, Tularosa, N.M., $350,000
 
 San Carlos Apache Timber Products, San Carlos, Ariz. $272,770 
 
 Warner Enterprises, Redding, Calif. $350,000 
 
 Foothills Firewood, Lyons, Ore., $325,014
 
 Restoration Solutions, Corona, N.M., $350,000
 
 ABCO Wood Recycling, Post Falls, Idaho, $200,000
 
 SOURCE: USDA

USDA Secretary Vilsack awards woody biomass utilization projects

The good news is the U.S. DOE and USDA continues to be supportive of renewable energy and have announced a couple of new funding opportunities. 
 
 The DOE and USDA jointly announced on May 6 up to $33 million in funding for research and development of technologies and processes to produce biofuels, bioenergy and biobased products. According to the release, these projects are subject to annual appropriations, and applications are due July 13.
 
 On May 28, the U.S. DOE announced up to $11 million in funding, spread out over three years, for research and development in the area of thermochemical conversion of biomass into advanced biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure. The funding is designed to improve the conversion of nonfood biomass to liquid transportation hydrocarbon fuels through pyrolysis. The DOE expects to fund three or four projects and requires a minimum cost share of 20 percent from the applicants. The applications for these funds are due July 9.
 
 On June 2, the DOE announced $5 million in funding for research on the sustainable production of large quantities of nonfood biomass for bioenergy. The closing date for that funding opportunity is July 16. 
 
 To find out more about these biomass funding opportunities, go to www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass.
 
 The bad news is while the DOE is concentrating its efforts on supporting renewable energy, the EPA is trying to regulate it out of existence. Its latest proposed Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology ruling would change the standards for biomass boiler units and those previously considered multifuel boilers would be classified as incinerators and be subject to new emissions limits for mercury, hydrogen chloride, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and dioxin. 
 
 A 45-day comment period on the new ruling opened June 7 and the Biomass Power Association held a press conference on June 8 to discuss how the ruling would affect biomass power. Bob Cleaves, BPA president and CEO, said he's been inundated with concerns from the biomass industry. According to one e-mail Cleaves shared during the call, a "mass exodus" from biomass to natural gas would occur if the rule passes.
 
 "This rule is unfortunate and inconsistent with the administration's stated goal of supporting biomass," Cleaves said at the press conference, adding that the BPA is willing to work with the EPA to develop health-based, rational and achievable standards.
 
 The EPA also recently released it's final Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Tailoring Rule, which doesn't exempt biomass power producers from GHG permitting requirements. This ruling treats biomass the same as fossil fuels, despite the fact that it is carbon neutral (see "EPA tailoring rule worries biomass industry" on page 28). 
 
 It's obvious to me, that the EPA should be included in discussions about renewable energy funding with the DOE and USDA. If not, we could have a situation where the federal government is funding technology that can't even be operated under EPA rules.

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Government Sending Mixed Messages

After a long, cold winter, the summer is finally here. For most Americans, this is the season of cookouts, bonfires and fireworks. But these warm months also bring a different, dangerous kind of blaze: forest fires. 
 
 Seemingly every year, forest fires burn through millions of acres across the country, devastating communities and causing billions of dollars in damage. The sad truth is that regular forest maintenance could greatly impede the speed and ferocity with which these fires spread; reducing costs to fight them and protecting homes and lives in harm's way. The climate legislation currently being considered by Congress should take into account that in addition to being a valuable renewable energy source, the biomass industry helps to reduce the spread of forest fires by clearing highly flammable debris from the forest floor. 
 
 According to the National Interagency Fire Center, in 2009 alone there were nearly 80,000 wildfires burning through almost 6 million acres across the United States. Forest fires are often fueled by excess small trees and brush that choke forests and create fire ladders that direct fires into the crowns of the largest trees. These varying tree densities and the dead, dry brush left behind act as kindling to allow crown fires to move across the landscape in a highly destructive manner. 
 
 The biomass power industry is uniquely positioned to improve forest health and reduce the threat of forest fires, while at the same time provide clean, renewable electricity to Americans in every region of the country. Without proper forest maintenance-including managed thinning and prescribed burns-forest waste is left to build up over time and stoke the flames of future fires. The biomass power industry is prepared to work directly with the U.S. Forest Service and other industry partners, as well as environmental groups, to ensure that forest material is carefully removed and converted to produce green electrical power. 
 
 Some environmental groups fear that the biomass industry will clear-cut forests for fuel. This fear can be put to rest. It is not the practice of the biomass power industry to clear-cut forests and it is simply not economically viable to chop down whole trees to generate electricity. Biomass power uses only waste material such as scrap lumber, forest debris, or agricultural harvest waste to generate clean electricity, material that would otherwise be dumped in landfills, openly burned, or left as fodder for forest fires. Currently, the biomass power industry removes more than 68.8 million tons of forest waste annually. 
 
 The biomass power industry effectively encourages regular forest management by creating a market for the excess small trees, slash and brush that are choking many of our forests. Removing this incentive to clear brush by discouraging biomass power would result in overgrown, unmanaged forests that pose an increased risk for forest fires.
 
 Furthermore, generating electricity from biomass actually reduces greenhouse gases. As dead brush decomposes it releases harmful methane gas and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. During the electricity-generating process, biomass power eliminates methane gas and reduces the carbon dioxide that would have been emitted otherwise. Accounting for displaced fossil fuels, the biomass power industry removes more than 30 million tons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere annually. 
 
 The climate legislation introduced by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., with its focus on stimulating the renewable energy industry, presents an opportunity for the biomass industry to gain the recognition it deserves as a viable and mature renewable energy source. Not only will more aggressive renewable energy mandates reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but these mandates will also spur new investment in biomass power and encourage the maintenance necessary to clear the waste debris responsible for fueling the massive forest fires witnessed around the country in recent years.
 
 Reducing the intensity and extent of forest fires by improving forest health will also lower costs for containment and keep firefighters and communities out of harm's way. Sens. Kerry and Lieberman are leading a new national agenda to build a clean energy economy. With the goals of reducing forest fires, creating jobs, and improving the environment, biomass power stands to lead the way in the renewable energy sector. 
 
 
 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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We Can Prevent Forest Fires With a Biomass Strategy

Renewable energy advocates are praising the 30 states and the District of Columbia for adopting regulatory policies requiring the increased production of renewable energy and the five states that set voluntary goals. It's a good thing right? After all, those states will be limiting fossil-based carbon emissions and will create green energy jobs to counter the effects of the recent recession. 
 
 But some of these renewable portfolio standards aim to achieve 25 percent renewable energy in just a decade or so, with much of that energy coming from biomass. Relying on biomass, without a good basis for that reliance, may violate some of the basic principles of supply and demand.
 
 No biomass is uniformly available across the U.S. or even within individual counties. The fact is one size doesn't fit all, and there is no single ideal biomass source. While some sources may have ideal combustion and cofiring properties, such as wood, other sources such as corn and soybeans are optimal feedstocks for fuel production. 
 
 The Energy & Environmental Research Center is advancing a suite of technologies that can be tailored to the resources available and the needs of each client.
 
 The best biomass resource for a particular energy production scenario will depend on multiple factors that need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis:
 
 Availability and cost of biomass depends on supply and demand. Many biomass sources are already used in other applications and may not be accessible or economical to use as an energy source. For example, agricultural residues are generally difficult to collect and are composted in the field to maintain soil quality.
 
 Physical and chemical properties of the biomass will vary depending on the species, geography, climate and harvest time. This variability is of particular concern when the impact is considered on the slagging, fouling and particulate emissions associated with utilizing the biomass as an energy source.
 
 Energy content/heating value can range from 14,000 Btu per pound, found in scrap railroad ties with nearly no moisture, to 2,600 Btu per pound, typical of leaves and grass clippings with up to 60 percent water.
 
 Transportation costs will likely be the determinant of acceptable moisture and energy content for given biomass applications. Transportation logistics also need to be considered for each scenario.
 
 Land ownership impacts biomass availability and future growth potential. About one-half of the total acreage in the U.S. has some potential for growing biomass. Nearly 60 percent of the land in the U.S. is privately owned, and the federal government owns 28 percent.
 
 Plant logistics such as size; feed ratio with coal (for cofiring scenarios); resource processing requirements (drying, shredding, pulverizing, separating); storage options; and availability of process utilities for conditioning as-received resources also need to be considered.
 
 The right mix takes a multitude of factors into consideration-not because the government mandates it, not because environmental groups support it, but because it makes sense for the particular situation. 
 
 The EERC has conducted numerous resource and technology assessments that utilize biomass, and in every case, it has been imperative to verify the information on a local level and test the specific biomass source to be used.
 
 Each application requires a thorough technoeconomic assessment and analysis of available feedstocks prior to being selected for energy generation or product development. In this way, biomass can be made to fit.
 
 
 Tera Buckley is a marketing research specialist at the EERC. Reach her at <a href="mailto:tbuckley@undeerc.org">tbuckley@undeerc.org</a> or (701) 777-5269.

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One Size Doesn't Fit All-Designing  the Right Biomass System for You

Last month in this column, Biomass Thermal Energy Council Chairman Charlie Niebling outlined the recent progress to raise the profile of biomass heating at the national level. However, on April 29, the industry was confronted with a major challenge. Because of action brought by the Sierra Club and other petitioners, the U.S. EPA proposed new emissions regulations. The proposed regulations would impact existing and new commercial, industrial and institutional boilers burning coal, oil and biomass. BTEC sympathizes with the need to decrease emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) and believes the best way to achieve this is through the application of practical performance testing and maintenance regimes that achieve significant emissions reductions without burdening boiler owners, especially small-scale ones, with onerous compliance costs. 
 
 The proposed rule differentiates between small boilers under 10 million Btu (MMBtu) and large boilers over 10 MMBtu. Existing large biomass boilers will not be tested for particulate matter (PM) emissions, but will be required to demonstrate carbon monoxide (CO) emissions of fewer than 160 parts per million (PPM) at 7 percent oxygen (O2). These facilities must also undergo a certified energy conservation assessment. Rightly, EPA believes that by reducing the heating load with conservation measures emissions will also be reduced. Existing small biomass boilers will not require testing due to technological limitations and relatively high costs for testing. However, a record of certified tune up must be submitted to the EPA every two years. This is a tough regimen, but it is doubtful that owners of these older, dirtier boilers will consider upgrading to more modern technology given the proposed requirements for new boilers.
 
 Under the proposed rule, new biomass boilers must meet strict emissions limits for CO and PM, which are 100 PPM CO at 7 percent O2 and PM limits of 0.03 pounds per MMBtu. Initial compliance must be demonstrated by a stack test and retested annually. After demonstrating initial compliance, a monthly fuel record must also be maintained. If the fuel type is changed a new compliance test must be performed. For biomass boilers, initial compliance cannot be obtained without the performance of a facility energy assessment. These emissions levels are, at a minimum, two times more stringent than what is required to meet strict German and Austrian Eco-Label requirements. New oil boilers will also be challenged to meet similar strict criteria at 1 PPM CO at 7 percent O2 and PM limits of 0.03 pounds per MMBtu. 
 
 Advanced boiler designs control fuel combustion time, temperature and turbulence to achieve complete burn-out of the fuel which results in low HAP, such as tars and creosotes. The remaining ash PM from highly efficient wood combustion is mostly inorganic salts (calcium, magnesium) not heavy metals (mercury, cadmium) as are found in coal or heavy oil. As a result, wood particulate emissions are less toxic than other fossil fuel sources; however in the proposed rule, only PM weight is considered, not composition. Consequently, the surrogate tests-CO for HAP and PM for heavy metals-may not accurately reflect the differences between biomass boiler and fossil fuel boiler emissions. 
 
 Installing exhaust testing ports and instrumentation along with advanced emissions control technology such as filter bag houses or electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and other equipment can add immensely to installations costs-approximately $100,000 for even the smallest sized boilers. Testing and control technology can easily cost more than the boiler itself. Annual testing alone is reported to cost $5,000 to $20,000 per boiler. For boilers under 3 MMBtu the required additional emissions controls and testing make new biomass boilers unaffordable. 
 
 Schools, churches and small businesses will be disproportionately affected by these regulations, which could turn a cost-effective, locally available, job-producing heat source into an economic nonstarter. Many of these applications may utilize more than one boiler, which could easily lead to a doubling, tripling or quadrupling of costs. There is a human component too. In small-scale installations finding trained personnel to manage the filter bag houses, ESPs and test reporting will be difficult. EPA's favored fuel, natural gas, is not available in many rural communities, where biomass has played a cost-effective heating role. In the Northeast, a region heavily dependent on fuel oil for heating, biomass has materially reduced that dependence, but now biomass heating could be bound and shackled by the proposed rule.
 
 As one reads this article the initial 45-day comment period is complete. The EPA administrator is under court order to complete the final rule by Dec. 16. It will then be three years before compliance is mandatory. Seemingly, this is reasonable time to achieve compliance until one considers that the rule is retroactive to the day it is published in the federal register, scheduled for June 4. Potential biomass boiler customers are now putting purchasing decisions on hold while the EPA reaches a final decision. This is a major blow to an industry that is already challenged by a struggling economy. Coordinating our industry's response, BTEC aims to ensure that the final air quality regulation integrates clean air goals with encouragement for cost-effective, renewable biomass heat for customers throughout the U.S.
 
 
 Scott Nichols is BTEC director and president of BioHeatUSA. To learn more about the BTEC, go to <a href="http://www.biomassthermal.org">www.biomassthermal.org</a>.

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Proposed EPA Emissions Rules Threaten  to Send Biomass Heating Industry Up in Smoke

As developers know, financing biomass to electricity plants in today's environment is challenging. Fortunately, the USDA will soon be reviving a significant funding source for biomass feedstocks.
 
 In June 2009, USDA issued a Notice of Funding Availability under its Biomass Crop Assistance Program for matching payments for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation of eligible wood, plants and other renewable materials for sales to qualified bioconversion facilities that convert biomaterials into heat, power, biobased products or advanced biofuels. The intent was to promote the use of renewable biomass products for the production of electricity and biofuels. However, like many laws, this one had unintended consequences. The matching payments resulted in a significant increase in the price of raw timber and undermined an industry that has used sawdust and wood shavings to make cabinetry. 
 
 As a result in February, USDA terminated the 2009 NOFA and issued proposed new rules for the BCAP program. Final rules are expected this summer, and the following summarizes the current proposals and discusses their implications for the biomass industry. 
 
 Matching Payments: Payments are available for the delivery of eligible material to a qualified biomass conversion facility to either the producer of the material, or the person with the right to collect or harvest the material. Eligible materials generally include renewable plant materials such plants and trees and waste materials, including wood wastes and wood residues, that would not otherwise be used for higher value products (to avoid sawdust and wood shavings). A qualified biomass conversion facility is one that converts or proposes to convert renewable biomass into heat, power, biobased products, advanced biodiesel or advanced biofuels and undergoes a qualification process with the Commodity Credit Corp.
 
 USDA offered three different payment formulas in its proposal, including $1 for each $1 paid by the facility per dry ton of eligible material: up to $45 per dry ton, but matching payments for wood or wood wastes converted into heat or power for on-site use would only be made if those materials exceeded the facility's historical use; up to $45 per dry ton for materials converted into advanced biofuels, with a lower cap for all other conversions; and paid in a way that rewards delivery to new facilities, newly converted public facilities, and facilities that are increasing their use of biomass. It will be interesting to see which one of these three options the USDA selects in its final rule. 
 
 Establishment and Annual Payments: BCAP also offers payments to producers in a designated project area to help cover the cost of establishing a biomass crop, as well as to incentivize long-term commitments to the crop. A project area is established by a group of producers or a biomass conversion facility in conjunction with the CCC. A project area must demonstrate a sufficient facility, and quantity and quality of producers. 
 
 Establishment payments can be up to 75 percent of costs such as seed and stock, planting and site preparation. Annual payments are made to producers who contract with CCC to establish or produce eligible crops, with contract terms up to five years for nonwoody perennial crops and up to 15 years for woody perennial crops. An annual payment is reduced to the extent that the producer also receives a matching payment. Eligible crops for establishment and annual payments include crops ineligible for matching payments such as algae and animal, food and yard waste.
 
 The new BCAP is expected to be a significant financing source for biomass plant developers. We believe that the new rules, when issued, will address the unintended consequences of the initial NOFA and serve their intended policy objectives of promoting the use of renewable biomass for electricity and biofuels.
 
 
 Gregory J. Lynch is managing partner of the Madison, Wis., office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. He is also the co-chair of the Renewable Energy Group and co-founder of the Venture Best venture practice. Reach him at <a href="mailto:gjlynch@michaelbest.com">gjlynch@michaelbest.com</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/Renewable_Energy">http://twitter.com/Renewable_Energ</a> or (608) 283-2240. Craig Johnson is a member of the Renewable Energy, Business and Health Care Practice Groups in the Madison office at Michael Best & Friedrich. Reach him at <a href="mailto:cjjohnson@michaelbest.com">cjjohnson@michaelbest.com</a> or (608) 257-3064.

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Financing Biomass  Plants Using the BCAP

LobeStar Pumps, manufacturer of the LobeStar Rotary Lobe Pump, has announced it will now be LobePro. LobeStar engineers pumping solutions for difficult applications such as pumping sludge, slurries, corrosives and waste. The quick growth and acceptance of the company's products in the global marketplace resulted in challenges in trademarking the LobeStar name throughout the world. LobePro notes that nothing but the name has changed. LobePro still has the same engineering and service team and the same Rotary Lobe Pumps. More info can be found at the new website <a href="http://www.LobePro.com">www.LobePro.com</a>.

LobeStar Pump is now LobePro

Clenergen Corp. has announced the appointment of MB Sanil Kumar as nonexecutive director and Bonnie Nelson as board adviser. Kumar is the managing partner of Kumar Biju Associates, a firm of accountants based in India and the Middle East. He has more than 20 years experience in the accounting and management consultant professions and works with an extensive portfolio of corporate and multinational clients as well as the government and public sectors. Nelson is a prior owner and CEO of the Wall Street brokerage firm, Vanderbilt Securities Inc., where she was responsible for taking companies public, over-the-counter trading, mergers and acquisitions, and the development of joint ventures and strategic alliances for her clients. With a career spanning more than 20 years of investment and merchant banking, Nelson has extensive experience in consulting and corporate finance for public and private companies.

Clenergen names Kumar nonexecutive director, Nelson board adviser

Morbark Inc. now offers a second quick-switch conversion kit, allowing grinder owners to further diversify their product offerings by simply modifying the hammermill of their Morbark horizontal grinder. The original conversion kit, introduced in 2009, gave Morbark grinder owners the ability to make high-quality standard-size chips. The new Sawdust Quick Switch conversion kit also allows grinder owners to supply the large-volume sawdust market. This gives Morbark grinder owners the capability to produce mulch, high-quality chips or sawdust with one machine. The conversion kit is available on Morbark horizontal grinder models 3800, 4600, 4600XL and 6600 from any model year, wheeled or track versions. For more information, go to <a href="http://www.morbark.com/quickswitch">www.morbark.com/quickswitch</a>.

Morbark launches Sawdust Quick Switch conversion kit

Sapphire Energy announced veteran oil executive Dan Sajkowski has joined the company as senior director, downstream technology.  After more than 24 years with BP (Amoco), Sajkowski brings his wealth of experience in the oil and refining industry to the burgeoning field of algae-based fuel. Sajkowski served as the business unit leader of BP's Whiting Refinery, the fourth-largest refinery in the country, for the past five years.  In addition to operational and financial accountability for the site, he was a primary driver behind the largest capital project in the history of Indiana and the most complex project BP has ever undertaken: the $3.8 billion modernization of the Whiting Refinery.

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Sapphire hires senior director, downstream technology

River Consulting was ranked as one of the Top 500 Design Firms in the country by Engineering News-Record for the third consecutive year. Published annually, the ENR Top 500 recognizes top-performing architectural and engineering firms. River Consulting took the 431st spot in ENR's April 21 issue. The ranking is based upon 2009 revenue, and is a rise from last year's spot at 440. River Consulting is a mid-major A/E to energy, food, process and industrial clients, providing engineering and project management services to companies around the globe and combines the capability of a full-service firm with the responsiveness and flexibility of a specialty engineering practice.

River Consulting ranks high in a down economy

Posted June 24, 2010, at 3:29 p.m. CST
 
 NextGen Biofuels Inc. and Iowa State University will conduct cofiring trials with coal, wood chips and wood pellets at ISU's coal-fired combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant, as the school contemplates switching to a biomass-coal blend.
 	
 Instead of spending millions on retrofitting, the project is designed to evaluate the efficiency of burning biomass in an existing coal boiler. "We're trying to demonstrate that you can run wood biomass through a currently operating coal plant," said Bob Ravlin, president of NextGen. The fuel does, however, need to be tailored to the boiler type, he added. NextGen procured pine wood pellets and wood chips from Rocky Mountain Pellet Company in Colorado for the 3½-month tests, which were supposed to start June 21, but have been postponed because of wet weather and will begin June 28, Ravlin said. 
 	
 The tests will begin with a 5 percent biomass blend, gradually increasing to 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent. Separate testing will be done for the two different forms, as they are handled differently for the boiler. "Each feedstock has its own benefits and drawbacks," Ravlin said. 
 	
 ISU has also done similar tests with construction and demolition waste, but the feedstock proved too dirty and was loaded with impurities, according to Jeff Witt, assistant director of utilities for ISU. "We are looking to displace some of our coal," he said. "We've been looking around in the past couple years." Although most biomass products will be more expensive than fossil fuels, there are clear benefits to the switch, Witt said. 
 	
 The testing is preliminary and the school has not looked deeply into supply chains or sustainability as of yet. "There's probably enough product, but there's nobody making it right now," Witt explained, using a cart before the horse metaphor. If any other kinds of biomass feedstock seem applicable, they will be tried also, he said.
 	
 Once testing is complete, results will be evaluated and the school will decide whether to proceed with further research into the wood chip and pellet feedstocks for the long term. "It's a work in progress," Ravlin said. "You've got to start somewhere. You've got to start simply and build up from there." Besides demonstrating that it is possible to burn wood in existing coal boilers, NextGen has other goals for the project. "We want to jumpstart the local economy," Ravlin said, adding that the logistics, know-how and equipment for lumber are already established. "You've got to get that area started." Fortunately, the tests have garnered a lot of attention from local utilities looking into the benefits of cofiring biomass, Ravlin said.

NextGen, ISU test biomass in coal boilers

New England Wood Pellet LLC and The Sandri Cos. announced a formal strategic partnership between the two companies, as well as the acquisition by Sandri of NEWP's commercial pellet boiler business, Propell Energy, which is central to the partnership. Propell Energy was founded in 2008 to market commercial- and industrial-scale pellet boilers for heating schools, office buildings, apartment complexes and other large buildings. Propell also provides economical bulk pellet delivery to large commercial accounts. Sandri will fold Propell Energy into its emerging renewable energy division. Sandri's renewable energy group will be led by Jake Goodyear, president of Propell Energy. The partnership also involves a multiyear exclusive supply agreement in which Sandri will buy and resell bulk pellet fuels exclusively from NEWP for resale to residential and commercial customers. The two companies also partnered to secure a $3.2 million dollar grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to install numerous commercial pellet boilers in western Massachusetts and increase the use of residential high-efficiency pellet boilers.

New England Wood Pellet, Sandri announce  strategic partnership, sale of Propell Energy

The new John Deere 900 KH-Series Tracked Harvesters offer extra power and productivity to take on the toughest trees, with dual power options at 300 horsepower (hp) or the industry-first 330 hp. The 900s feature a larger displacement Tier 3 PowerTech Plus 9.0 liter engine that delivers the power needed to move, swing and harvest faster due to dual swing motors for high torque and a power management system that makes sure no power is wasted. According to the company, the KH-Series boasts the lowest daily fuel cost in the industry, a 295-gallon fuel tank, a fully integrated measuring system that has been factory installed and fully documented for optimized performance and quick, consistent troubleshooting, a protected undercarriage with double flange rollers for maximum durability, and a best-in-class leveling system to keep the upper frame level, even when the tracks are climbing or tilting on tough slopes.

John Deere introduces 900 KH-Series Tracked Harvesters

Martin Engineering has introduced custom-engineered transfer chutes to help deliver material control from the time it leaves the conveyor discharge pulley until it reaches the receiving belt. By managing the material speed and direction, Martin Inertial Flow Transfer Chutes can minimize impact and wear on liners and belts, while containing the dust and spillage that are often generated at transfer points. The engineered flow chutes employ special geometries that capture and concentrate the material stream as it travels through the chute.  Every design is tailored to suit the specific material characteristics and conveyor systems of the individual customer, rather than using stock products and attempting to make them work.

Martin Engineering introduces custom-engineered transfer chutes

Qteros Inc. announced the appointment of Susan Hager as vice president of corporate communications and government affairs. In this role, Hager will report directly to John McCarthy, president and CEO. Jef Sharp, senior vice president of corporate communications and government affairs, director and a member of the Qteros founding group, will continue to serve the company as a member of Qteros' board of directors. Hager's career spans more than 16 years, and has focused on developing results-driven communications campaigns for a broad portfolio of unique life science companies within both the private and public sectors.

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Qteros appoints Hager as vice president, corporate communications and government affairs

Ze-gen Inc. has announced the addition of David Robertson as vice president of technology. He joins Ze-gen after a 30-year career with BP plc. Robertson will be leading the technology development, project deployment and operations activities at Ze-gen as it advances commercialization of its gasification process. His most recent role was technology vice president, conversion in the refining and marketing company in BP. He was responsible for developing a portfolio of technologies to create synthesis gas from a range of primary fuels and creating a range of clean fuels and fuel-related products from syngas.

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Ze-gen hires Robertson as vice president of technology

Enerkem Inc. has announced the expansion of its board of directors. Timothy J. Cesarek, managing director in the Organic Growth Group of Waste Management Inc., has joined the company as a director. As announced in February, Waste Management became a strategic investor in Enerkem during the company's last financing round. Cesarek's contribution as a director will enhance Enerkem's expertise in the waste sector. Currently, Cesarek is responsible for originating and commercializing innovative technologies that are consistent with Waste Management's core business. Prior to joining Waste Management, Cesarek was the president of Koch Genesis where he led the corporate venture arm, identifying and commercializing technologies external to the research and development effort of Koch Industries.

Enerkem announces new board director

Siemens has been awarded a major contract to design, manufacture and install a state-of-the-art SST 800 steam turbine for the largest biomass-fired combined-heat-and-power plant ever to be developed in the U.K. The new plant, utilizing Siemens technology enables Tullis Russell, the Fife-based paper manufacturer to meet its energy needs efficiently and in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way. Siemens received the order from Aker Solutions, a global provider of engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and commissioning services to the natural resources and energy markets. Aker Solutions is engaged as the EPC contractor to RWE npower renewables on this pioneering project. When fully operational, Siemens' turbine will be fired with 400,000 metric tons of harvested wood and waste and have an installed capacity of 50 megawatts.

Siemens to deliver steam turbine  for UK's largest biomass project

The USDA has approved two ArborGen permit applications for planting and growing genetically engineered eucalyptus trees, following the completion of an environmental assessment that concluded the field releases are unlikely to pose plant pest risks or impact environmental quality. 
 
 The decision will allow ArborGen to continue its research on the genetically engineered traits in eucalyptus, including cold tolerance, and authorizes the confined planting of the eucalyptus trees on 29 sites with 28 of the sites allowing trees to flower.
 
 Earlier this year, ArborGen announced an agreement with cellulosic ethanol company Range Fuels to evaluate the usefulness of woody biomass as a source of cellulose for biofuels and to help Range Fuels understand the issues surrounding the planting, management, harvesting, storage and transportation of purpose-grown trees as a biofuels feedstock.

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ArborGen permitted to grow genetically engineered eucalyptus

Researchers at the Great Plains Institute and the University of Minnesota created an online tool to study the impacts of policy options on the Midwestern economy. Users of the Energy Choice Simulator can "test drive" energy policies and study their effects on the region's energy production, state government budgets and greenhouse gas emissions, according to GPI.
 
 The ECS can model policy options such as incentives for renewable energy and carbon capture, low-carbon fuel standards, cap and trade, and moratoriums on polluting technologies. The online user interface is free and available to the public for constructing scenarios, changing data assumptions or performing new experiments. Learn more at www.energychoicesimulator.com.

GPI launches Energy Choice Simulator

Mirel F1005 and F1006, members of the Mirel bioplastic family by bioscience company Metabolix Inc. and agri-giant Archer Daniels Midland Co., are now cleared for use in nonalcoholic food contact applications by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to Metabolix. Mirel is now suitable for a wide range of injection-molded food service and packaging applications including caps, closures and disposable items such as forks, spoons, knives, tubs, trays and hot cup lids. The clearance also includes products such as house wares, cosmetics and medical packaging.
 
 Mirel bioplastics have the physical properties of petroleum-based resins, but are biobased and biodegradable in natural soil and water environments, in home composting systems and in industrial composting facilities.

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Mirel bioplastics grades cleared for food contact use

Scottish and Southern Energy will soon begin construction on what it believes will be the largest biogas plant in Scotland, a facility that will be located at a former landfill site at Barkip, North Ayrshire. 
 
 The plant will be capable of annually processing about 75,000 metric tons of waste to generate approximately 2.5 megawatts of electricity. SSE's project partner, William Tracey Ltd., has signed a 25-year contract with the company to supply feedstock to the plant. 
 
 SSE expects the project, which was awarded a £2.2 million ($2.9 million) grant from Zero Waste Scotland's Organics Capital Grants Program, to be operational by 2011.

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SSE to build Scotland's largest biogas plant

The Westervelt Co., a land resource organization, will supply Alabama Power with 7 megawatts of power from biomass through a long-term contract approved in May by the Alabama Service Commission. 
 
 Westervelt will generate power from wood byproducts from its Sustainable Forestry Initiative Chain of Custody Certified lumber production facility in Moundville, Ala., along with other sources, according to Westervelt. An incremental amount of 60,000 tons of feedstock is anticipated, according to Robby Johnson, Westervelt marketing manager. 
 
 Westervelt purchased a used steam turbine that is being reconditioned for the facility. Vendors have been selected and contracts are being finished, Johnson said, and commercial operation is expected to begin 14 months after engineering work begins. Enough biomass power will be generated to supply 3,000 residential customers.

Westervelt to generate  biomass power in Alabama

During July, the University of Vermont will be offering a four-week four-credit biomass-to-biofuels course that will involve hands-on experience in liquid/solid biofuels and biogas, cover environmental, economic, social and other biofuel/biomass-related issues.
 
 Topics to be covered include wood biomass-to-energy, grass energy, oilseed-based biodiesel, biogas from waste biomass, algae biofuels, integrated sustainability assessments of biofuels, economics of biofuels, and material and energy flows in combined food-energy systems for designing appropriate agricultural technologies.
 
 The university recommends the course to degree and nondegree seeking students, farmers, budding entrepreneurs, teachers (interested in developing curriculum, or projects at school or college levels) and others.
 For more information, visit http://learn.uvm.edu/igs/biomass_to_biofuels.

U of Vermont to offer biomass-to-biofuels course

The North Dakota Renewable Energy Council and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Mandan, N.D., have granted $450,000 to North Dakota State University to establish a dedicated biomass testing laboratory, the first of its kind in the state.
 
 The lab will be designed specifically to test the dimensional, thermal and physical properties of biomass and will be centrally located at the USDA-ARS site in Mandan, according to NDSU Biofuels Economist Cole Gustafson. One particular goal of the project is to develop a database of biomass characteristics obtained from samples coming to the lab from across the state.
 
 Development of the facility is expected to take two years before it becomes fully operational.

ND to establish biomass testing lab

The Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance's Bio Power Initiative launched a statewide media campaign to promote the positive benefits of biopower in Wisconsin. It includes editorial board visits, radio advertisements, media releases and other educational materials.
 
 A 60-second radio ad titled "Community" discusses the creation of family sustaining jobs from the proposed biomass cogeneration facility in Rothschild, as well as the potential improvement in air quality from the project. 
 
 The group is holding a series of editorial board visits around the state, talking with reporters about how the industry can positively impact their region, and is working to create a coalition of business leaders and organizations that support clean energy. The initiative has also released a series of fact sheets that help to clearly define and explain biopower and its role in Wisconsin.

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WBIA launches biomass news campaign

Three dozen states are collectively spending billions of dollars annually on imported coal, hundreds of times more than what they spend on renewable energy development and research, according to a Union of Concerned Scientists report released May 18.
 
 "Burning Coal, Burning Cash: Ranking the States that Import the Most Coal" ranks the 38 states that are net importers of domestic and foreign coal based on federal data from 2008. "Almost all states burn coal for electricity, but only a few mine for it," said Barbara Freese, report co-author and UCS senior climate and energy policy advocate, during a May 18 press conference to discuss the report. The subject of the report is the money spent on that coal, Freese said. "We maintain that ratepayers in the states would be better served if this money was [kept] at home and used [for] readily-available clean energy technology," said Marchant Wentworth, UCS assistant climate and energy legislative director. 
 
 About 63 percent of U.S. coal consumption comes from Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky. Foreign coal, which totaled about $1.8 billion for a 16-state supply in 2008 and accounts for an astounding 83 percent of coal consumption in Massachusetts, comes mainly from Colombia, according to the report. "One of the most surprising findings of the report is the amount of coal we import from foreign sources," said Jeff Deyette, report co-author and UCS assistant director of energy research and analysis. Although foreign imports tripled between 1999 and 2008, the U.S. still exports more coal than it imports.
 
 The first-of-its kind report uses six categories to rank state dependence on coal imports: total spending on net imported coal; spending on net imported coal per state resident; spending on international coal imports; amount of net coal imports by weight; spending relative to the size of the state economy; and reliance on net imports relative to total power use. A list of top 10 states was developed for each category. 
 
 Georgia spent the most on net coal imports in 2008 at $2.6 billion, followed by North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Indiana and Missouri, all spending more than $1 billion. The UCS has dubbed the group the "Billion Dollar Club," joined by South Carolina, according to the report. Georgia is the only state that appears on every list. 
 
 Twenty-four net-importing states ranked in one or more of the six categories, but states in the Midwest and Southeast dominate, according to the report. Of the 29 states that have adopted a renewable energy standard (RES), North Carolina is the only one in the Southeast, according to Deyette, a disappointing statistic when taking into account the abundant forest resources in the region. In addition, several wood pellet plants in the Southeast as well as on the East Coast are exporting their products to Europe instead of selling them domestically. 
 
 The U.S. has a reservoir of untapped renewable energy potential, Deyette said, citing the Southeast. Some states, such as Iowa and Massachusetts, have ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs, one of the lowest-cost means of decreasing coal imports, he added. "Many states that are the most dependent on imports are lagging in these policies," he said. 
 
 But it's not all bad news. Centerview, Mo.-based Show Me Energy Cooperative, the first non-profit, farmer-owned cooperative in the U.S., produces several tons of pellets per hour and sells them domestically at half the cost of propane, said Steve Flick, president of the board of directors. "We're the real deal." The cooperative manufactures its pellets using switchgrass, blue stem and other crops grown by farmers in a 100-mile radius, along with damaged wood. The feedstock is in ample supply and keeps up with the energy value of coal, Flick said. 
 
 Facilities such as Show Me Energy's, along with federal policies such as an RES, will help wean the nation off coal. An RES needs to be "stronger than business as usual" to be effective, Wentworth emphasized, in excess of 20 to 22 percent by 2020. "We already know this approach works because 29 states already have enforceable standards in place," he said.

A Union of Concerned Scientists report revealed that dozens of states are spending billions on imported coal. 

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U.S. states import billions of dollars in coal

With the help of a state program and Indeck Ladysmith LLC, schools in Wisconsin may have the opportunity to reduce fuel costs by switching to woody biomass. 
 
 Through a state-funded program, Focus on Energy's Fuels for Schools and Communities, Wisconsin schools have been able to obtain free prefeasibility assessments to determine whether replacing their old boilers and furnaces with wood pellet boilers would be economical. 
 
 Mike Curci, Indeck Ladysmith Biofuel Center superintendent, said he initially meets with school officials to determine what kind fuel the school uses-oil, natural gas or propane-what its requirements are and whether wood pellets are a better option. "Once the prefeasibility assessment determines it's worth the switch to biomass, Focus on Energy will do a full feasibility study and depending on a positive outcome, we look into long-term fuel contracts with the school to help offset the initial capital cost," he said. 
 
 Indeck Energy Services Inc., which offers biofuels production and electrical generation facilities, operates a 90,000 ton per year wood pellet facility in Ladysmith, Wis., that would supply the schools. A typical-sized kindergarten through fifth grade northern Wisconsin school would require about 250,000 to 300,000 tons of wood pellets annually, Curci said, at an [industry] average cost of $140 per ton, prior to delivery fee. Indeck Energy is also looking into working with schools in northern Minnesota.
 
 So far, the results of feasibility studies have been promising, as Indeck Energy has found about 10 schools that would be able to install the new boilers and eventually see cost-savings associated with the conversion. Curci said whether a school is a good candidate mainly depends on its current fuel contract. "Since natural gas prices are low right now it might not be as good [to switch from] a natural-gas fired boiler, but as natural gas prices increase over the next couple of years, that will change," he said. "If a school is using propane or No. 2 fuel oil, it's always a positive switch." 
 
 A Focus on Energy-funded study conducted in 2008 by the Biomass Energy Resource Center found that as many as 25 percent of Wisconsin schools could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs by switching from natural gas to wood or other biomass. According to the study, Wisconsin schools spend nearly $200 million a year on energy.
 
 Today, many schools have experienced declining income or funding, however, and may not be able to afford the initial capital costs of changing out their heating system. To help alleviate that financial burden, Focus on Energy will provide up to $250,000 to a school to go toward implementing a biomass system. These funds will allow Indeck Energy to lease boilers to schools that are strapped for cash along with a long-term fuel contract. After a period of years the school would own the system. 
 
 Indeck Energy's branch Indeck Keystone Energy Inc. designs and manufactures industrial boilers at Erie, Pa., but Curci said the company is also looking at several other commercial and industrial systems on the market to help schools select the best fit.

Indeck Energy has a pellet facility in Ladysmith, Wis., which would supply schools that want to switch to biomass boilers. PHOTO: INDECK ENERGY SERVICES INC.

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Indeck Energy helps schools cut costs with biomass

The USDA has released reports revealing what types of eligible materials have been contracted through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program as of May 18, as well as the number of contracts for each material and the total collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) matching payment value. 
 
 CHST funds allow matching payments to eligible biomass material owners in the amount of $1 per $1 paid per ton by a qualified biomass conversion facility-a facility that will use the material to produce power, heat, biobased products, advanced biofuels or any combination-to the producer, up to $45 per dry ton for a time limit of two years after the first payment is made. On Feb. 8, the USDA stopped accepting CHST applications and issuing payments until the final BCAP rule is in place, which is speculated to come out this fall. 
 
 On a national level, the USDA estimates that 5,423 contracts have been granted to date, totaling more than $224 million in matching payments. Bark contracted from nonfederal woody resources led the matching payment categories with 1,426 contracts valued at about $42.2 million in payments, followed by fuel wood (755 contracts at $31.4 million) nonfederal hardwood chips (818 contracts at $31.4 million), and forest harvest slash (389 contracts at $27.9 million). 
 
 Agriculture resources such as corncobs, grain, nut hulls and sugarcane bagasse have been granted 37 contracts totaling about $246,000. Energy grasses and legumes totaled 99 contracts at $200,000 in matching payments, and waste materials such as nonedible fats and oils, nonedible plant processing waste and scraps, orchard wood waste, pellets, roadway maintenance cuttings, sawdust and shavings have been granted 711 contracts totaling about $34.8 million in CHST payments. 
 
 On a statewide basis, Alabama has the most contracts at 585, which are worth $22.7 million in CHST payments; Maine's payment value is the highest at $33.7 million from 423 contracts. Nineteen states were not listed as having any contracts, though data for states with less than four facilities or less than four contracts were not reported for confidentiality reasons. 
 
 Though not definitive, the USDA has estimated BCAP spending to total about $2.6 billion, including $2.1 billion for matching payments over the next four years.

BCAP matching payments reach $224 million

Energy crop company Ceres Inc. and enzyme provider Novozymes will collaborate on research to co-develop customized plant varieties and enzyme cocktails to improve cellulosic ethanol production.
 
 The joint optimization project will lead to more effective enzymes and higher quality energy crops for greater fuel yields and lower capital and operating costs, according to Novozymes. Research will begin with determination of the best enzyme cocktails to biorefine Ceres' commercial switchgrass seed product, along with similar evaluations of sweet sorghum. Ceres' researchers will also develop customized plant varieties that can be degraded more easily by Novozymes' enzymes, in addition to crops that minimize the components in biomass shown to decrease conversion rates and yields.
 
 "The composition of biomass varies greatly, even within a crop like switchgrass and sorghum," said Gary Koppenjan, Ceres corporate communications manager. "Within this variability, we are looking for the optimal combination of biomass characteristics (the lock) and the enzyme cocktail (the key). The first step is to understand what locks and keys are available, and then which ones offer the best results." 
 
 Like feedstock characteristics, the process technology is also an important factor, according to Cynthia Bryant, marketing manager for Novozymes. The two elements can significantly change the specific enzyme complex needed to optimize biomass to fermentable sugar conversion. "This is why Novozymes has expanded our research from focusing on enzyme development to also researching process technology in the areas of pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation in order to optimize the feedstock, process and enzyme interrelationship," she said. 
 
 Other contributors such as the producer's business model can also play a role in the optimal enzyme and crop combination. "The challenge with cellulosic ethanol production is that unlike the corn-to-ethanol process, which basically has a standard process technology and business model, cellulosic ethanol will rely on a multitude of feedstocks, process technologies and business models," Bryant said. "If two producers use the same feedstock but have different process technologies and business models, the optimal enzyme complex could be different." 
 
 One way to address the needs of many unique combinations could be to develop enzyme complexes that are best suited for each combination, she said, adding that Novozymes has the capability to do that today and applies it in many of its industries.

Novozymes partners for cellulosic ethanol research

A bill (AB 222) that would expedite the introduction of new conversion technologies to produce advanced biofuels and/or green power from organic waste materials in California has recently gained support from three powerful state regulatory agencies. Without endorsement from two Democrats on the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, however, AB 222 will not reach the Senate floor and will die at the end of the year, allowing many barriers to bioenergy growth to remain in place.
 
 AB 222 passed the California Assembly with flying colors on June 1, 2009, by a vote of 54-13, after it was approved by a unanimous bipartisan vote of 11-0 in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. In July, it was approved in the Senate Utilities, Energy and Communications Committee, and since is awaiting action in the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality which elected not to act on the bill.
 
 Overall, AB 222 corrects scientifically inaccurate definitions and antiquated provisions in the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, and thus enables and expedites the in-state production of advanced, nonfood-derived biofuels and green power from biomass through new nonincineration technologies such as gasification, fermentation and pyrolysis. Despite receiving support from more than 80 major statewide associations, state and federal agencies, electric utilities, waste management firms and renewable energy industry groups, the SCEQ has not taken action on it. 
 
 AB 222's newly gained support is evidenced in a letter sent to SCEQ Chair Joe Simitian, signed by the Vice Chair of the California Energy Commission (and chair of the governor's Interagency BioEnergy Task Force) Jim Boyd; Director of CalRecycle (formerly known as the Integrated Waste Management Board) Margo Reid Brown; and Chairperson of the California Air Resources Board Mary Nichols. 
 
 Urging support for AB 222, the letter said the bill would assist California in meeting state renewable energy and low-carbon fuel goals. Particularly, it will enable electricity produced from biogenic waste streams-the stream left over after waste is sorted for recycling-to qualify as renewable energy under the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which is set for 20 percent by the end of 2010 and 33 percent by 2020.
 
 Implementation of California's ambitious Low Carbon Fuel Standard was approved in January and requires the reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California by an average of 10 percent by the year 2020. Reid, Brown and Nichol's letter states that new conversion technologies would assist in developing local fuel sources as part of the LCFS and as it is implemented additional sources for producing low-carbon fuel will be needed to meet the increasing demand. 
 
 AB 222 would also remove current statutory restrictions that require thermal conversion projects to have zero emissions, a standard required of no other energy generation technology or manufacturing process in the state, and it effectively precludes any municipal solid waste conversion technologies from qualifying for the state's RPS, according to the letter. 
 
 Jim Stewart, AB 222 advocate and chairman of the Bioenergy Producers Association, said the letter is a powerful endorsement as the three agencies rarely combine to publicly support legislation. He said traditional recycling methods won't be effective enough to control mounting waste, especially with the rapidly growing population. "In 1989, California passed a mandate for 50 percent recycling, and in that year we landfilled 40 million tons of waste," he said. "In 2008, we were supposedly at 58 percent recycling in California, but yet we still landfilled 40 million tons of waste. That means that after 20 years of effort-from increased population and per capita disposal-we have not reduced the amount of material we are putting in landfills. Over the next 20 years, we expect to put another 800 million tons of material [post-recycling], into California landfills if we don't provide new tools and new methods to dispose of the materials. That's what this [AB 222] is about-we can't achieve zero waste without having new technologies." 
 
 The way legislation is currently written, if a municipality provides waste (residuals left over post-recycling) to a bioenergy producer who converts it to biofuels or electricity, it counts as disposal-just as it would if that same material was sent to a landfill. "For example, if you take green waste or biosolids and you send it to a landfill for use as a daily cover, you get credit as waste diversion, not as waste disposal," Stewart said. "If we take the same material and make biofuels from it, it counts as waste disposal as though we put it into a landfill. If landfill biogas is combusted to make electricity, credit is granted under the RPS, but if you take the same waste and convert it to fuel or electricity using a new technology it doesn't qualify as renewable energy even though it's made from exactly the same feedstock that's put into the landfills. AB 222 would correct some of these illogical rules." 
 
 Stewart also noted that AB 222 would correct a scientifically inaccurate definition of gasification, which is fundamental to all new thermal technologies. "California has a definition which requires zero emissions from the entire production process," he said. "That means not only zero from the disposal and destruction of waste, but zero from the biorefining aspect as well. There are no oil refineries or electrical generation plants in the state that could have been built if they required zero air emissions; it's not even minimal or meeting the highest standards, but zero. When the statute was passed back in 1989, these new technologies hadn't even begun development." 
 
 Stewart recommended that the public write the California Committee on Environmental Quality and demand that AB 222 be passed. "We need to grasp and realize the immense importance of this issue," he said. 
 
 To learn more about AB 222, visit <a href="http://www.bioenergyproducers.org.">www.bioenergyproducers.org.</a>

California bioenergy stymied without bill passage

Dissolving cellulosic biomass in nonvolatile and recyclable solvent ionic liquids results in more sugars needed for biofuel production than using traditional acid catalyst extraction, as discovered by two Colorado State University researchers. Not only that, but the reaction is carried out more quickly. 
 
 Eugene Chen, professor of chemistry, and Xianghong Qian, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, discovered that ionic liquids-salts that melt at low temperatures-mixed with a suitable amount of water convert biomass directly to sugars. They made the discovery unexpectedly while examining the effects of ionic liquids as solvents when used together with acid catalysts, according to Chen. "We discovered that [ionic liquid]-water mixtures are actually trifunctional, serving as solvent (IL), reagent (water), and catalyst (intrinsic, suitable acidity of the IL-water mixture)," he said. 
 
 The acidity of ionic liquid-water mixtures Chen and Qian discovered was previously unrecognized but is now found suitable for conversion of biomass into sugars without common side reactions or additional catalysts. The process also eliminates environmental concerns over acids, creates a homogenous reaction, and has high conversion yields, along with the benefits of using a recyclable material.
 
 "ILs are currently expensive, so they must be recovered, recycled and reused," Chen said. "We have demonstrated the recyclability of ILs in the conversion process albeit in a small, laboratory scale." 
 
 After conversion to sugars, the next step is to use a metal catalyst to convert the sugars to 5-hydroxylmethyl furfural (HMF), which leads to biofuel with considerably higher energy density than current ethanol-based biofuel, Chen said. But the ionic liquid solvents can also convert the biomass directly to HMF in the presence of the metal catalyst, he added. 
 
 A paper on the work was published in the American Chemical Society journal Energy & Fuels. The next goal in the research is to investigate and increase the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, such as untreated corn stover and pine wood, into sugars and HMF, Chen said.

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Researchers discover cellulose conversion benefits of ionic liquid

Chromatin Inc. will use its expanding technology portfolio to optimize fit-for-purpose sorghum for use in biofuels, biopower and renewable chemicals. 
 
 Through compositional screen analysis, marker assisted breeding and gene stacking technologies, the company will deploy proprietary feedstocks near term and ultimately optimize sorghum for specific bioprocessors' needs, according to the company. "We really think it's the ideal energy crop," said Chromatin CEO Daphne Preuss. "We looked at everything and did a lot of analysis. Sorghum became the clear winner by a landslide." The globally cultivated crop can generate starch, cellulose and sucrose, distinguishing it from all others. "It gets us an opportunity to touch a lot of end users," she said.
 
 According to Preuss, the three most important elements when optimizing a crop include aiming for the right quality, making good use of the land, water and other resources, and matching the qualities of the crop to the user. Chromatin has taken the time to understand the needs of farmers and bioprocessors who would use the optimized strains and has developed solutions for them, she said. The company expects to have some seed products ready by the next growing season, but can employ some of its technologies immediately. "We think we can make an immediate difference," she said, adding that there is a lot of interest among growers and producers. 
 
 Chromatin, launched in 2001, began by developing its core technology platforms in crop improvement and now focuses solely on the optimization of sorghum for its recently-launched renewable energy endeavors. "I think that there's enormous opportunity in this area," Preuss said. "We're excited about optimizing these products and putting them in the hands of the farmers and bioprocessors." The company's Mini-Chromosome Platform gene-stacking technology was one of its first, but has since been joined by a number of others. "Mini Chromosomes is one of those game-changing breakthroughs," Preuss said. "But since that time, we've built an entire portfolio of technologies to optimize sorghum."
 
 The company also recently acquired the assets of hybrid sorghum developer, marketer and distributer Sorghum Partners Inc., along with Milo Genetics LP. The transaction provides Chromatin with access to SPI's well-established network of sorghum growers and distributors, as well as Milo Genetics' commercially viable sorghum germplasm.

Chromatin optimizes sorghum

Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy has plans to convert its 312-megawatt coal-fired R.E. Burger power plant along the Ohio River to biomass, but two state organizations have concerns with sustainability and the source of that biomass.
 
 The Ohio Environmental Council and Consumers' Counsel have asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to reject FirstEnergy's request for classification of its project as a renewable energy facility on the grounds that it has not provided enough information to warrant the qualification. That would mean First Energy could not count the energy generated from biomass there toward its state mandate of 12.5 percent renewable electricity from utilities by 2025, according to Will Reisinger, staff attorney with the Ohio Environmental Council. 	
 
 "We think that FirstEnergy has not explained enough about their project to identify why it qualifies as a renewable energy project," Reisinger said. The PUCO has agreed with the agencies' argument twice, indefinitely suspending the company's application, he added. The two agencies are now requesting dismissal of the application altogether. "We want some basic information about the source of the biomass material," Reisinger said. "The whole state could be deforested to produce energy for this one project." 
 
 The biomass plant would be one of the largest in the country, requiring about 1 million tons of biomass each year, according to Mark Durbin, FirstEnergy spokesman. FirstEnergy has yet to determine the type and source of feedstock that would be used at the $200 million retrofitted facility, but it could consist of woody biomass or agricultural biomass. "We're actually in the process of looking through the requests for proposals for fuel," Durbin said. "We would work with fuel suppliers." He added that the company does not agree with the arguments against it and has provided all the information required for the application. "We have done everything we need to do," he said, adding that he would not speculate as to the impact on the company or project if the PUCO rejects its application. 
 
 FirstEnergy is required by the U.S. EPA to convert the facility to biomass feedstock if it wants to continue generating electricity there, Reisinger said, adding that the concerns lie in the application and renewable energy qualification, not in the retrofit itself. The sole project would meet the state mandate for the company, while providing extra renewable energy credits to sell to other utilities, Reisinger said, adding that biomass is only one of a few options for renewable energy. "If this generates as much as they think it will, FirstEnergy can use that to comply with the renewable energy standard." No deadline exists for the PUCO to reach a decision on the application.
 
 "Ultimately, the PUCO will decide," Durbin said.

FirstEnergy encounters opposition to biomass plans

ZeaChem Inc. broke ground in early June on its 250,000 gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol and ethyl acetate demonstration plant in Boardman, Ore., and is still on track with previously mapped-out commercialization plans despite tough economic conditions that have hampered or halted other biofuels projects across the country.
 
 According to ZeaChem President Jim Imbler, the hard times are actually good for some developers. "It weeds out the weak," he said. Imbler added that strong support from local, state and federal government as well as investors and project partners have largely influenced the company's ability to maintain its momentum. 
 
 The first stage of the project will implement the company's core process––fermentation-to-ethyl-acetate, a salable chemical intermediate and precursor to cellulosic ethanol––which will be built and tested at Hazen Research facility in Golden, Colo. The following stage, supported by a $25 million grant from the U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will produce cellulosic ethanol. "The interesting thing about ethyl acetate is that it takes about half the equipment that ethanol takes to make, but sells for twice the amount," Imbler said. He said the company's "stage" strategy is similar to building with Lego blocks. "We build one block at a time, optimize it, and then add another," he said. "It's very traditional in the way that chemical plants are built; the majority of the time they are add-ons."
 
 Imbler said ZeaChem chose Boardman as the project's location because of the company's contract with GreenWood Resources, a Portland-based timberland investment manager, to obtain sustainable hybrid poplars from nearby farms held by GreenWood Tree Farm Fund LP. Wheat straw and other energy crops/waste streams will also be utilized at the plant, to produce about 135 gallons of ethanol per bone dry ton. 
 
 "We view our platform as more of a biorefinery," said Imbler, who has an extensive background in oil refining. "We have a process that allows us to take molecules off at different steps, which we can do based on market pricing. Our C2 platform, which we are focusing on right now, produces three products-acetic acid, ethyl acetate and ethanol-and we will be producing each of them at this plant for commercial testing." 
 
 The Oregon Employment Department calculated that the construction and operation of the demonstration biorefinery will create 292 direct and indirect jobs in Oregon, 167 of which will be located in Morrow County, where Boardman is located.
 
 ZeaChem hopes to have a license agreement signed by the end of this year to build its first commercial plant, and has begun work on its C3 platform to produce lactic and propionic acids. 
 
 Overall, Imbler said the company has simply stuck to its plan. "[Sticking to the plan] is what makes or breaks new companies," he said. "The world is your oyster, but you have to decide what you're going to do without being too flashy and just execute."

ZeaChem breaks ground on demo plant

The biomass power industry was unpleasantly surprised with the release of the U.S. EPA's final Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule, which does not exempt biomass power producers from greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting requirements despite past EPA affirmations that biomass is carbon neutral, and requires the same GHG reporting obligations as fossil fuel consumers.
 
 Because the EPA did not explicitly raise the issue of biogenic carbon in its proposed tailoring rule, the agency determined that it could not make a decision regarding the treatment of biogenic carbon in the final rule. This is despite receiving a number of comments requesting that the agency exempt emissions from biogenic activities or biomass combustion or oxidation activities, including solid waste landfills, waste-to-energy projects, fermentation processes, combustion of renewable fuels, ethanol, biodiesel and other alternative energy production that use biomass feedstocks. At the same time some commenters opposed the exemption of biogenic/biomass activities, the EPA said, claiming a lack of a valid scientific basis for treating these GHG emissions differently than other GHG emissions and that it should not be assumed that all biomass combustion is carbon neutral.
 
 While the EPA said it did not address the issue of exemptions for biomass combustion or biogenic emissions, the agency said it is mindful of the role that biomass or biogenic fuels and feedstocks could play in reducing anthropogenic GHG emissions. The decision, the EPA added, is not final and does not foreclose its ability to provide this type of exclusion at a later time when it has additional information about overwhelming permitting burdens due to biomass sources, or to provide another type of exclusion or other treatment based on some other rationale. "Although we do not take a final position here, we believe that some commenters' observations about a different treatment of biomass combustion warrant further exploration as a possible rationale," the EPA said. "…we plan to seek further comment on how we might address emissions of biogenic carbon dioxide under the PSD and title V programs through a future action, such as a separate Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking." 
 
 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued some brief statements on the EPA's decision, assuring that as the [GHG permitting] process moves forward, the USDA will work with the EPA to ensure that rules designed to reduce the buildup of GHGs in the atmosphere also encourage the development and utilization of biomass energy resources and avoid unnecessary regulatory impediments and permitting requirements. 
 
 Despite the EPA expressing intentions to revisit the issue, those relevant to the biomass power industry remain disappointed. American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman said the rule treats biomass fuels identically to fossil fuels, in effect undermining the administration's support for renewable energy policy in this country. "The forest products industry is proud of its voluntary reductions in GHGs and our increasing reliance on domestically grown, renewable and carbon neutral biomass to power our mills-all of which are important for a sustainable future," she said. 
 
 David P. Tenny, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners, pointed out that the U.S. has increased the amount of trees by nearly 50 percent over the past 50 years. "… our nation stores more carbon in its forests than it releases from them," he said. "That is why energy from forest biomass does not increase carbon in the atmosphere." Tenny also said that regulating biomass energy the same as fossil fuels would be a significant shift in federal policy and a powerful disincentive to use biomass to address U.S. renewable energy and climate needs. "The economic impacts on forest owners, mills using biomass energy and rural jobs would be significant, and the resulting devaluation of private forests could increasingly force this land into more economically competitive alternative uses with far fewer GHG mitigation benefits," he said.
 
 Biomass Power Association President Bob Cleaves emphasized that biomass power emissions add no new carbon to the atmosphere, and that they should not be regulated by the EPA. "Biomass power generates electricity from waste wood and debris on the forest floor already naturally emitting carbon and methane gas," he said. "The biomass electricity generating process only emits biogenic carbon-carbon that already exists in the atmospheric cycle. In many cases, biomass power actually reduces greenhouse gases by eliminating the harmful methane gas that would otherwise be emitted during decomposition."
 
 Cleaves added that emissions from fossil fuels are fundamentally different and significantly more harmful than emissions from biomass power, and that equating biomass emissions with fossil fuel emissions ignores the fact that carbon from fossil fuels has been buried for thousands of years deep in the earth, and burning those fossil fuels to generate electricity introduces massive amounts of new carbon into the atmosphere. "BPA is encouraged, however, by the EPA's recognition of the important role that biomass power plays in reducing greenhouse gases," he said. "Acknowledging that biomass emissions are not the same as fossil fuel emissions is a significant step towards forming policies that expand the use of clean, renewable biomass power and improve the environment."

EPA tailoring rule worries biomass industry

With their extreme versatility and often complicated nature, it isn't easy for most people to wrap their brain around advanced biofuels, and the definitions in the renewable fuels standard 2 (RFS2) aren't much help. 
 
 When Congress released RFS2, which was signed into law in December 2007 as part of the Energy, Independence & Security Act of 2007, biofuel volume requirements were separated into three categories: advanced biofuels, cellulosic biofuels and biomass-based diesel. An advanced biofuel is defined as a renewable fuel-other than ethanol derived from corn starch-that is derived from renewable biomass and achieves a 50 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. A cellulosic biofuel is defined as a renewable fuel derived from any cellulose, hemicellulose or lignin that is derived from renewable biomass achieving a 60 percent GHG emission reduction. The potentially perplexing factor is that some cellulosic biofuels won't meet the 60 percent GHG threshold but will meet the 50 percent threshold, and will therefore count as an advanced biofuel. In addition, though biomass-based diesels are advanced biofuels, the advanced biofuel quantity is reserved for biofuels outside of the cellulosic biofuel and biomass-based diesel subsets, such as sugarcane ethanol. 
 
 Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association, says he views them all as advanced biofuels despite the language in the RFS. In observing them, he suggests, three filters should be used: technology, feedstock, and final product or molecule. 
 
 
 Pathways and End Products 
 
 Generally, there are three technological pathways to advanced biofuels: oleochemical (using natural oils derived from plants and animal fats), biochemical (facilitates chemistry between living organisms using sugars/starches, enzymes or dedicated microorganisms) or thermochemical (cellulosic biomass conversion to syngas as an intermediate step) processes. 
 
 Using cellulosic biomass, the modern pathways are acid or enzyme hydrolysis, gasification and pyrolysis, and depending on which additional step is taken, can produce a number of biofuels. Acid or enzyme hydrolysis, through additional saccharification and fermentation steps, can produce ethanol, butanol or hydrocarbons. Gasification routes result in a versatile synthesis gas, which through additional syngas fermentation or Fisher-Tropsch steps can result in cellulosic ethanol, renewable diesel, green gasoline or jet fuel. Pyrolysis, which is the extreme heating of biomass in the absence of oxygen, will result in bio-oil, which can be further processed into biogasoline or renewable diesel. Pyrolysis can also densify biomass into biochar, a soil carbon sequesterer or fuel source. 
 
 Sugar and starch feedstocks are fermented to produce hydrocarbons, ethanol or butanol; biodiesel and renewable diesel can be made using natural oils and transesterification or isomerization/hydrotreating processes, and the overall possibilities don't end there (see page 33).
 
 McAdams says the Advanced Biofuels Association represents companies from all ends of the advanced biofuels spectrum-from UOP LLC, A Honeywell company, (green diesel/jet fuel) to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (sugarcane ethanol) to Solazyme Inc. (algae-based diesel) to Neste Oil Corp. (renewable diesel). Advocating technology neutrality, McAdams recognizes that out of the myriad of current and up-and-coming companies, only a minority will find a stable role in the fuel market. "The market will choose the winners and losers," he says. "We believe in that, rather than letting public policy choose. The market allocates resources better, and the market will make those determinations better than if something is prescribed in statute." 
 
 So what would make an advanced biofuel more apt to be embraced by the market? Production barriers aside, McAdams says there are five characteristics a perfect advanced biofuel should possess: scalability, fungibility, energy density, affordability and environmental sustainability/friendliness.
 
 
 Favorable Characteristics
 
 A fuel produced in small quantities in a laboratory or at pilot scale won't necessarily scale-up in the same way. Part of achieving a successful scale-up is securing a steady and sustainable feedstock supply, as the amount required dramatically increases. "A process needs to be tied to a feedstock that's available in a quantity such that you could make a lot of it, in a way that would help achieve [U.S.] energy diversity and security goals," McAdams says. 
 
 Once the fuel is successfully scaled to commercial quantities and is ready for the market, fungibility becomes an issue. "There are many companies using a range of platforms to transform renewable biomass into a hydrocarbon molecule with no oxygen atom, exactly the same as if it had come from a refinery or barrel of oil," McAdams says. "This means it lasts a long time and is totally fungible in existing systems. We wouldn't have to put new pumps into 127,000 gas stations, change whole automobile fleets, or build $20 billion worth of pipeline to transport it from the middle of the country to the coast. These are drop-in fuels compatible with today's systems." 
 
 Once fungibility is squared away, fuel consumers are likely to choose the one that will give them the best bang for their buck. If a biofuel is much cheaper than gasoline, the initial appeal is obvious, but it's necessary for that fuel's performance to adequately compare with traditional fuels. "From a consumer standpoint, you'd much rather have hydrocarbon molecules than ethanol, for example, because ethanol contains 70,000 Btu per gallon versus gasoline, which is 124,500 Btu," McAdams says.
 In some cases, advanced biofuels can be more expensive to make. "If the capital cost of the unit is $500 million, that's obviously a disadvantage," McAdams points out. "Looking at certain cellulosic or gasification facilities, generally there's a higher capital cost associated with building them. The enzymatic costs of reducing woody biomass to sugar slurry are certainly higher than the enzymatic cost of making corn ethanol. They need to be affordable-competitive with oil-such that you don't have to subsidize it forever because it will eventually be able to stand on its own." 
 
 Perhaps the most debatable desired characteristic is environmental sustainability/friendliness, which McAdams describes as the most complicated and contentious in terms of determining the right mix of environmental compliance and sustainability. "There's maintenance of habitat, conservation of land, reduction of the amount of water used in making a fuel/plant, maintaining ozone air quality and reduction in GHG formations, which depends on what your views are on the various models," McAdams says. "What's the right combination to determine an accurate life-cycle analysis of any given fuel from any given feedstock? When we look at wood or grasses, generally speaking, those kinds of feedstocks [when run through a range of different models] show a lower carbon footprint overall than first-generation feedstocks-that's a fair statement, but [carbon life cycles] can be debated to no end."
 
 The RFS sets the GHG emission reduction standards in its biofuel categorization, and if a fuel doesn't meet those standards it doesn't count toward the set quantities. In 2010, the RFS calls for 950 million gallons of advanced biofuels. The cellulosic portion was lowered from 100 million gallons set in RFS1 to a significantly lower 6.5 million gallons in 2010. 
 
 Will this year's advanced biofuel quantities be met despite the adjusted quantity? The answer depends on who you ask, McAdams says. 
 
 
 The RFS and Federal Support 
 
 "The EPA, which by statute sets the volume quantities by fall each year, clearly didn't think the initial RFS targets would be achieved," McAdams says. "The reduction specifically in the cellulosic target, which was very significant, will only get worse over time because the number is supposed to ramp up each year."
 
 The problem with meeting the mandate for most companies is a lack of initial capital to get the facilities built, McAdams says. Throughout the years, renewable energy industries such as solar and wind have been granted investment tax credits to get them off the ground, and the advanced biofuels industry is urging Congress to allow them the same opportunity. After all, without these facilities the RFS will not be met, and without adequate funding, the facilities will not be built. An investment tax credit would help, says McAdams, who was trying to convince lawmakers to approve one by mid-May. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., introduced a biofuels tax incentive bill that extends the investment tax credit to advanced biofuels, and would make available the 30 percent investment tax credit for qualified advanced biofuel production for companies whose sole and exclusive purpose is to produce advanced biofuels for sale. 
 
 Nearly 40 groups and companies, such as the Renewable Fuels Association, BlueFire Ethanol Fuels Inc., Coskata Inc., Enerkem, Verenium Corp., Range Fuels Inc. and Iogen Corp., have expressed support for the investment tax credit, pointing out that there will be no commercial cellulosic biorefineries commissioned before 2011 at the earliest, due to the lack of funding.
 
 "This is a discussion about the rate of speed we want advanced technologies deployed," McAdams says. "If policymakers want to expedite them, we need to decide if the government can assist with that by giving the advanced biorefining industry the same priviledges as wind, geothermal and solar have had. If we can fund them, the gallons will flow; it will take the pressure off the debate of whether the whole thing is a mirage because there are no gallons." 
 
 Once the facilities are built, will advanced biofuels need subsidies similar to other biofuels? "Depending once again on what your feedstock and technology is, right now you generally fall in one of these buckets: if you're Gevo (Inc.) producing biobutanol, you get 60 cents per gallon under the VEETC (Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit). If you're Tyson (Foods Inc.), Neste or Amyris (Biotechnologies Inc.) making a non-coprocessed renewable diesel, then you get $1 per gallon (blenders excise tax credit)," McAdams says. "If I'm Virent (Energy Systems Inc.) and I make speciated gasoline out of a catalyst technology using sugar or corn, I get 50 cents per gallon. If I'm a cellulosic company I have a $1.01 production tax credit, and if I'm algae, I don't know where I go. If I make a fuel, I guess I default to the alternative fuels mixture credit because it gives me 50 cents per gallon for a fuel. " 
 
 One aspect that needs to be examined from McAdam's perspective, is the technology/feedstock/fuel parity. "It isn't parity now and doing this will lead to determining at what stages of development various technologies and fuels are, and what should we do in terms of the efficient deployment of U.S. resources moving forward," he says. "We've had 25 years of the ethanol tax credit that has been sufficient to build a 14 billion gallon industry. Should we continue to help the ethanol guys to potentially lower the price at the pump by a cent or two, or should we take what's going to be about $6 billion each year if we continue the VEETC, and tailor that credit to build new plants deploying new technologies if they can compete affordably, fungibly and sustainably? These are decisions that have to be made and policy conversations that need to take place."
 
 Working together would help, he adds. "The whole industry needs to get out of their silos, step back and have a collective conversation to determine what's in the best interest of the entire biofuels industry, and then help the government sort through those questions," he says. "We need to ask ourselves, at what point should an industry's subsidy end, and whether the current statutes are tilted toward a certain technology and if that's ultimately good or bad. The industry is way too siloed right now." 
 
 
 Anna Austin is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:aaustin@bbiinternational.com">aaustin@bbiinternational.com</a> (701) 738-4968.

Michael McAdams president, Avanced Biofuels Association

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Pathways to Renewable Fuels Source: Advanced Biofuels Coalition

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McAdams was one of several presenters during the Biomass Priorities on the Hill general session at the 2010 International Biomass Conference & Expo that was held in May at the Minneapolis Convention Center. PHOTO: ELIZABETH BURSLIE, BBI INTERNATIONAL

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As the chief lobbyist for the Advanced Biofuels Association, Michael McAdams advocates for many different technologies, pathways and products, which are all seeking federal support to help get a foot in the door of the fuel market.

Advocating Advanced Biofuels

By the end of 2011, Rentech Inc. and ClearFuels Technology Inc. will have an integrated demonstration biorefinery that will serve as a model for their commercial-scale plans at sugar mills and wood products facilities. The two companies' technologies complement each other perfectly, they say, and the project will have a significant impact on the advanced biofuels industry. 
 
 The partnership will facilitate the installation of ClearFuels' biomass gasification system in Rentech's Commerce City, Colo., product demonstration unit (PDU). The gasifier will be attached to Rentech's syngas-to-liquid technology, which is based on the Fisher-Tropsch process. The PDU has been producing drop-in synthetic fuels from natural gas but the integration will allow production of fully renewable fuels from wood waste, sugarcane bagasse and other virgin biomass. 
 
 "Clearly, we think it is a major step forward to show essentially a shoot-to-tank demonstration from wood waste and sugarcane bagasse to RenDiesel and RenJet coming out the back end of the plant," says Harold Wright, Rentech's chief technology officer. The fuel produced currently with Rentech's technology is certified and ASTM-approved. RenJet was tested in April on an engineering validation flight by United Airlines, marking the first time a commercial airline has used synthetic fuel in flight, according to Rentech, although that fuel was made with natural gas. "We're substituting CO (carbon monoxide) and hydrogen from biomass," says ClearFuels CEO Eric Darmstaedter. "It doesn't matter where it comes from. The end product-the fuel-is the same. The fuel is already certified, whether it comes from coal, natural gas or biomass, it doesn't matter. Once we integrate with Rentech, it's a fully renewable fuel."
 
 
 How the Process Works
 
 Rentech believes its PDU is the only fully integrated synthetic transportation fuels facility in the U.S., producing about 420 gallons per day of fuels and chemicals. The technology uses a cheaper, proprietary iron-based catalyst and has a unique proprietary design, Wright says. "The beauty of our technology is it will work on a wide variety of renewable feedstocks as well as fossil-based feedstocks like natural gas," he says. Rentech chose ClearFuels' technology from a pool of more than 200 candidates because it has the capacity to maximize liquid yields and hasn't been deployed on a demonstration scale, according to Wright. "We had made an investment in ClearFuels' technology because of its ability to integrate well in an integrated biorefinery to produce high volumes of liquids," he explains. 
 
 ClearFuels' gasifier, dubbed High Efficiency Hydrothermal Reformer, is characterized as an indirect-fired steam reformer. With steam instead of oxygen or air, the system does not process nitrogen and needs no oxygen plant for operation, Darmstaedter says. It also allows for control of the residence time of the biomass and steam inside the reformer to adjust the syngas characteristics without redesigning the reformer. "We can operate it in one configuration to make 65 percent hydrogen," he explains. "In another configuration, we can make 40 percent hydrogen and 40 percent carbon monoxide. That's the same reformer." ClearFuels focuses only on unprocessed biomass such as crop residues, corn stover, sawdust and bark to allow for the simplest possible process and operation. 
 
 Coupling the two technologies results in the highest yield at the lowest cost for the best fit. "It's a great integration of our technology to theirs," Darmstaedter says. "We just happened to come together and see the fit." The project received $23 million from the U.S. DOE, and is one of 19 biorefinery endeavors to receive a total of $564 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate construction and operation of pilot, demonstration and commercial-scale systems. 
 
 "Our focus on advanced biofuels really has been one that's based on energy independence, and the idea is to replace foreign sources of fuel with domestic sources of fuel," says Valri Lightner, acting biomass program manager for the DOE. "Biofuels offer a near-term, clean, domestic source of liquid transportation fuel." The program's overall goals include achieving energy security, developing clean energy, advancing science and technology, and creating jobs, she says, adding that biofuels support all of them. 
 
 The DOE is currently cost-sharing 27 biorefinery projects, one of which is operating now-Verenium Corp.'s 1.4 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant in Jennings, La.-and the rest scheduled for operation by 2011 or 2013, Lightner says. The ARRA funding recipients were chosen through a four-step process beginning with a compliance review, which includes basic criteria such as ensuring all the proper forms were completed and submitted. Next is the technical merit review, where external experts evaluate the technical merit and rationale for the project, ensure it demonstrates credible economics and a competitive advantage, and assess the project management and execution. The policy review by DOE staff follows, ensuring geographic and technological diversity, and evaluating how well the project fits the DOE portfolio as well as its ability to meet the ARRA schedule. Last, a selection official makes the final decision based on all the criteria. Sustainability is an important aspect of a project's viability, Lightner emphasizes, saying the department considers 100 million dry metric tons per year of available feedstock to be a good standard. 
 
 "What we're really looking to do in these projects is to validate both the cost and the technology," Lightner says, adding that it helps bridge the "Valley of Death" between a proven concept at laboratory scale and enablement of a commercial reality in the future. Financers look for projects that are proven at one-tenth to one-fiftieth of commercial scale with data over a period of time, she explains. "We're trying to assist these companies in getting the data that would be necessary for them to go out and get private financing for the commercial replication." 
 
 When awarding money, the DOE favors fuels that meet the renewable fuels standard, including the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements, so the scale-ups can qualify toward the standard, Lightner says. Rentech's fuels meet the requirements, Wright says, reducing nitrogen dioxide, sodium oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and tailpipe carbon emissions. When made from biomass, the fuels also have low life-cycle GHG emissions. "We think that the fuels meet a demand for cleaner fuels from the tailpipe perspective, but also meet the needs of cleaner fuels from the overall carbon emissions perspective," he says.
 
 Wright adds that Rentech's fuels can be used today in planes, trains and automobiles. "We think that, because we have the ability to make drop-in fuels-diesel and jet fuel-that will fit into today's pipeline and today's infrastructure and today's engines, that this will be a major step forward for the industry," Wright says. "There will be other players in the industry, but many don't produce drop-in fuels. I think there will be a lot of interest in these drop-in fuels as we go forward." Not only that, but Rentech's fuels can be produced cost-competitively and at commercial scale, adds Julie Dawoodjee, Rentech's vice president of investor relations and communications. 
 
 Rentech now has a 25 percent strategic ownership interest in ClearFuels and the companies plan to polish their process during the demonstration, using its success as a blueprint for commercial biorefineries co-located with sugar mills and wood products facilities. The setup would allow for readily available feedstock with little transportation costs.
 
 
 Branching Out
 
 The first such project is planned for Hughes Hardwood International Inc. in Collinwood, Tenn., slated for operation by early 2014. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) specifies Hughes Hardwood will supply 1,000 dry tons of wood products per day for the production of about 16 million gallons of synthetic jet or diesel fuel and 4 million gallons of naphtha per year, along with about 8 megawatts of renewable power. The wood products will be mostly byproducts and waste from Hughes Hardwood, but may include slash and other residues harvested directly from the forest, Darmstaedter says. The only difference in the gasifier from demonstration to commercial scale is the number of tubes in the reformer, altering the capacity from 20 tons per day to 250 tons per day. The commercial systems will utilize four 250-ton-per-day modules. 
 
 "If the demonstration is successful, the next step is a commercial plant," Darmstaedter says, adding that he fully expects positive results and is in discussions with more possible co-location partners. "We're confident enough in the expected outcome of the demonstration that we're in project development on four commercial facilities, one of which we've announced." Darmstaedter believes ClearFuels' technology could be a good fit for other syngas-to-liquid processes, too, allowing for a wider imprint on the advanced biofuel market. "We won't fit with every application, but there are enough of them out there where we think we do fit well, where we think we'll help make a difference."
 
 Rentech is working on several projects separate from ClearFuels as well, developing two production facilities, both of which already have off-take agreements with airlines. The proposed Strategic Fuels and Chemicals Complex near Natchez, Miss., would use fossil fuel feedstock such as natural gas to produce about 30,000 barrels per day of synthetic fuels and chemicals, while exporting more than 120 megawatts of power. Thirteen domestic and international airlines have signed MOUs for a fuel supply from the facility.
 
 The proposed Rialto Renewable Energy Center in Rialto, Calif., would produce about 640 barrels of RenDiesel per day from urban woody green waste and export about 35 megawatts of power. The facility will employ Rentech's technology, coupled with the SilvaGas biomass gasification system. Rentech has multiyear agreements with eight domestic airlines to supply up to 1.5 million gallons per year of fuel for ground service equipment at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning in late 2012, when the facility is expected to go on line. "That allows the airlines at the airport to meet all of their environmental regulations without changing their ground service fleet," Wright emphasizes. "There are emissions issues around LAX and so they're under some mandates to reduce those and this fuel allows them to meet those mandates without actually changing any of the engines or any of the equipment they have on the ground today." 
 
 United Airlines will purchase 5,500 gallons per month of RenDiesel from Rialto for use in vans, trucks and specialized aircraft support equipment such as aircraft tugs, ground power support units and forklifts, according to United spokesman Mike Trevino. "From a business standpoint, United and other airlines at LAX have the opportunity to utilize a domestically produced fuel that does not depend on overseas crude oil, and hopefully will be available at a stable price," he says. The agreement will lower United's carbon footprint by 1.8 million pounds annually and, when combined with its addition of electric-powered vehicles, will bring emissions from United's ground equipment at LAX close to zero.
 
 
 Driving Development
 
 Progress in the advanced biofuels industry may not be speeding up, but the recent developments are encouraging, according to Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association. "I'm delighted to see the development," he says. "We've been waiting for it and now we're actually seeing some commercial demonstrations being brought forward." McAdams cites a 75 MMgy Dynamic Fuels LLC renewable diesel plant in Geismar, La., that is nearly complete. A 50/50 joint venture between Tyson Foods Inc. and Syntroleum will convert Tyson's large byproduct stream of beef tallow, pork lard, chicken fat and various greases to fuel. 
 
 But even with all the recent progress, the advanced biofuels industry could use a boost, one that could come in several forms, such as an investment tax credit or continued funding from the DOE, which has exhausted its integrated biorefinery funding for 2010-'11. "The No. 1 obstacle is financing," McAdams says, adding that mature technologies are emerging from the point of having been demonstrated in a lab or small pilot. "The roadblock has been financing the first new plants because the appetite in the loaning community has been very slow to react to funding the first type of any technology and so what you see that's exciting in the biofuels space, in the bioproducts space, are some things that are the first of a kind." 
 
 Companies such as ClearFuels and Rentech that received funding get a giant boost, enabling scale-up and possibly attracting more investors. "They should be very excited," McAdams says. "We're excited about this development. This shows the deployment of these new technologies. It shows cross-partnership and it moves us one step closer to commercializing that kind of development." 
 
 Wright agrees. "The future's bright for renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel," he says. 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.

ClearFuels and Rentech are integrating their technologies for a demonstration facility that will produce drop-in renewable fuels, one of several developments taking shape in the advanced biofuels industry.

Jetting on Biofuels

The biofuels industry might be a different arena if there were a gasification technology with the capacity to convert 100 percent of the carbon from biomass into carbon monoxide, increasing twofold the amount of biofuel that can be produced from a single acre of feedstock. Now, imagine a system that does it without producing char.
 
 Paul Dauenhauer, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Chemical Engineering, says he and his team of researchers from the department and the University of Minnesota have developed that system. 
 
 It began four years ago when Dauenhauer started designing a biomass gasifier that would use a high-temperature catalyst, but without the harmful byproduct biochar. His research has evolved and the team-led by him and University of Minnesota Professor Lanny Schmidt-now says it can alter the char-free process to convert all the biomass carbon to the essential biofuel element carbon monoxide instead of a mix of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. "When I got started in this, I wanted to find a process that would allow me to use wood fibers and switchgrass and things like that directly with catalysts," Dauenhauer says. "Now, since I've been able to have that breakthrough, the question is, what can I do with it? What's exciting about this current research is that since now we're able to use catalysts directly with biomass, we can do all sorts of crazy things like add methane and carbon dioxide and it does all the chemistry in a single reactor."
 
 
 Char-Free Challenge
 
 Inside the special catalytic reactor sits a hot surface that melts the cellulose immediately upon contact into a liquid droplet that is essentially melted sugar. The heat transfer is dominantly from the surface, at least 10 times higher than transfer from the hot air in the reactor, Dauenhauer says. "It makes it really easy to heat the biomass up extremely fast," he says, adding that the reaction takes place so quickly it cannot be seen with the naked eye, so the team used a high-speed camera to capture the event. "The fact that the biomass forms this liquid is very exciting for researchers such as myself because now we know how these things convert and we can use it to make reactors," he says. The discovery has already led to more research into how wood chips are converted into fuel. 
 
 Dauenhauer says the achievement of the liquid droplet without char is all in the reactor design. "If you design your reactor with different heating rates, and basically a different geometry will do this for you, it'll make the particle heat up really slowly and instead of seeing the liquid, you'll actually see char formation and things like that," he explains. A lot of processes make biochar, but when using high-temperature catalysts, the biochar will coat the catalyst, rendering it less effective. 
 
 "So the benefit of touching particles with this high-temperature surface is you get this conversion to a liquid due to the high heating rates," Dauenhauer says. "It basically makes the particle convert down a chemical pathway that's very favorable for making gasses and volatile organics." In addition, the reactor needs to control the heat flow to keep it moving in the right direction and allow the particles to hit the hot surface while permitting the heat to get to it. The team is using a rhodium-based reforming catalyst, but has also demonstrated its process with a nickel-based catalyst and will continue research into cheaper catalysts in the future, although the main focus is the reactor design, Dauenhauer says. 
 
 
 Carbon Conversion
 
 With existing gasification technology, only about 50 percent of biomass carbon is converted to carbon monoxide, the remainder emitted as carbon dioxide, according to Dauenhauer. The team's design, however, recovers all the carbon in the biomass and, with the right balance of carbon dioxide and methane, converts it all to carbon monoxide. 
 
 The team used Dauenhauer's ternary diagram (see page 45) to accomplish the perfect combination of fuel, oxygen and carbon dioxide that would facilitate the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. "If you operate the reactor within that teardrop, you can actually get all of your biomass carbon back as carbon monoxide," he says. But in order to do that, researchers had to co-feed hydrogen into the reaction to supply the energy needed to drive the RWGS reaction, they say. In lieu of a hydrogen injection, the team adds methane to create hydrogen inside the catalytic reactor. "Using this catalyst, now we can add the carbon dioxide, the biomass and, instead of adding hydrogen, we actually generate the hydrogen within the reactor and use it right away," he says. "Everything happens within a single reactor. That's why I get so excited. It does so many things at once."
 
 The system could be set up near an existing natural gas power plant, providing ready access to methane and carbon dioxide. The team has a ways to go before its project is ready for commercialization, although Dauenhauer believes it may be ready in as few as two years. While the hot surface reaction has been tested on aspen trees, cellulose, starch, polyethanelene and municipal solid waste, the team has only used pure cellulose in experiments with carbon dioxide and methane additives. 
 
 
 Mixed Reactions
 
 The response from the research community to the team's findings has been mixed, Dauenhauer says, and one crucial aspect of the process has yet to be determined: economics. 
 
 "As always, there are two questions: Does the process work; and is it economic compared with other uses of biomass?" says Peter Flynn, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alberta. Biomass gasification and subsequent Fischer-Tropsch conversion to liquid fuels are just not economic processes, Flynn says. "[The researchers are] getting a higher yield of syngas from the biomass by using methane, so in effect, they have a way of turning biomass and methane into a precursor of liquid fuels," he explains. "But today, if you just turn biomass into liquid fuel, it's not as attractive as other things you can do with the biomass and if you turn natural gas into liquid fuel, it's not as attractive as other things you can do with natural gas, unless you've got a stranded field [of natural gas]. So I don't know if putting these two things together will make favorable economics. But it is something new." 
 
 The process might modify the actual yield from the process for the same capital cost, says Doug Bull, thermochemical projects manager for Iowa State University's Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies. "That's how it might help the economics because they might actually get more product for a similar cost of plant equipment," Bull says. Understanding both the chemistry that's happening and the reactor that can double the yield of carbon monoxide does change the economic analysis considerably, Dauenhauer says. "If you derive twice as much fuel from an acre of land as before, you're doubling your return potentially," he says.
 
 Bull agrees with Flynn that gasification is not economic, adding that fast pyrolysis is pulling ahead in popularity with its cheaper cost and simplicity. Even the U.S. DOE is shifting more toward pyrolysis, Bull says, as investment is risky for costly gasification processes. At the end of May, the DOE allocated up to $11 million over the next three years for research and development of biomass pyrolysis for advanced biofuels. 
 
 Both Bull and Flynn are skeptical of some of the details of the team's process, having not experimented with the reactions themselves. "They're sort of just modifying the reaction chemistry to get more of the gasses they desire," Bull says, adding that complete conversion of all the biomass carbon is a difficult feat. "They might be able to increase it dramatically, but I don't think entirely all of it would be [converted]. I'm pretty sure they'd still have a little bit of carbon dioxide, even if it's only like 5 percent." The reaction can only be forced to a certain point, he explains. Dauenhauer says the amount of carbon dioxide that is converted to carbon monoxide depends on where inside the teardrop shape the reactor is operating. "The closer the reaction conditions are to the center, the higher the conversion of CO2," he says. Even some of the carbon dioxide added to the process is converted, he adds. 
 
 Since char production has been a problem in biomass gasification, a system that eliminates it would be a significant development, Flynn says, although there are other proposed solutions. "They are saying they have found a spot they can operate where they don't produce any char, and if that's true, it's a big deal." It's one of two reasons the process is intriguing, he adds, along with methane that in effect can be converted to liquid transportation fuels. "It sounds reasonable. I know enough to say to it sounds reasonable." 
 
 Dauenhauer says the ultimate goal of the research is to answer the scientific questions that will lead to a wide array of new biomass processes and reactions. "In terms of the university, we're focused on generating the intellectual property that American companies and start-up companies can use to get these new types of processes and reactors into the field as quickly as possible."
 
 
 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.

Dauenhauer?s ternary diagram illustrates the ?teardrop? zone where the reaction is optimal. SOURCE: PAUL DAUENHAUER

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Paul Dauenhauer, assistant professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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A team of researchers has developed a high-temperature catalyst biomass gasification system they say can double the amount of biofuel that can be produced with an acre of biomass, and with no char byproduct.

Double Down

Biomass has been in use at the University of Missouri power plant since 2005. The power plant boilers have been cofiring wood waste up to 5 percent with coal in the existing plant boilers, consuming between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of woody biomass this year.
 
 So far, using biomass as an alternative fuel source has had a positive impact on the university campus. Overall, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 7,000 tons per year and the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equivalent to planting 28,000 acres of trees. In addition, by sourcing locally grown biomass, the university has reduced diesel fuel consumption by almost 16,000 gallons per year that would have been used to transport coal to the power plant from neighboring Illinois.
 
 The university recently made the decision to replace an existing boiler with a 100 percent biomass-fired boiler that will produce 150,000 pounds of steam per hour. This will increase the power plant's steam output by 30,000 pounds per hour once the unit is replaced-enough to build capacity and meet anticipated growth. The new boiler should be in operation in 2012.
 
 "We needed to add steam capacity at the power plant, so we began looking at our options," says Gregg Coffin, superintendent of the University of Missouri power plant. "We could expand using coal, but that would be problematic from an environmental standpoint. Obtaining a permit would be difficult, and we anticipated push-back from the campus and local community in regard to adding another coal-fired boiler." 
 
 The university believed it could install a biomass boiler much more cost-effectively for the life cycle, compared with natural gas. Plus the biomass would provide several benefits that a natural gas boiler would not. Biomass is 100 percent renewable and would provide an investment back into the local economy instead of purchasing coal and natural gas from other states.
 
 "We have the potential-with this new biomass boiler-to displace about 25 percent of our coal consumption," Coffin says. "It's a pretty significant jump considering we're currently at less than 5 percent." 
 
 
 Creating a Sustainable Supply Chain
 
 The biggest challenge according to Coffin will be sourcing biomass fuel for the boiler and having adequate storage and handling systems in place to serve the unit. The new boiler will require 100,000 tons of biomass annually, which is a substantial jump from the 6,000 tons currently being sourced.
 
 Coffin sees about one-third of the woody biomass fuel coming from waste stream sources-mills, chopped pallets, development clearing, tree trimming and ice storm damage-one-third from forestry management and thinning efforts and another third coming from growing biomass instead of traditional crops. 
 
 "We are tapping into the resources here at the university," Coffin says. "The university forestry department has been actively involved with the project, helping source woody biomass from waste trees. They're highly interested in supporting a forestry thinning effort and establishing the criteria for that." 
 
 According to Hank Stelzer, a state forestry extension specialist for the University of Missouri, the state forests are not in the best of health.
 
 "Forest thinning would greatly improve the health and quality of our forests and at the same time provide a good, renewable source of fuel for the plant," Stelzer says. "We're developing a set of thinning and harvesting guidelines to make sure we protect the long-term integrity of the state forests, yet create a sustainable source of biomass, not just for the university but for other facilities across the state."
 
 
 Biomass-A New Value-Added Crop 
 
 The university is exploring options to grow woody biomass crops on marginal ground and in the river bottom areas across the state that were affected by flooding in 1993. The land in these areas is no longer economically viable for traditional row crops as the soil profile features a deep sand formation. While this type of soil isn't suited for row crops, it is ideal for certain species of trees, such as willow and cottonwood.
 
 Stelzer and other forestry faculty are in the process of establishing research plots that will test various species of trees to determine their potential as energy crops. The University of Missouri's Center for Agroforestry began experimenting with different species of cottonwood and hybrid poplar back in the late 1990s and over the years has identified select clonal varieties that are well-suited to the soil conditions in Missouri. Today, the research is being done in collaboration with the State University of New York, University of Minnesota and Mississippi State University.
 
 Traditionally willow and cottonwood trees have been planted in a 10-foot-by-10-foot spacing pattern and were allowed to grow for five to six years before being harvested. Stelzer says that current thinking is to plant the trees in a double-row configuration, however, where two rows will be planted close together on 2-foot-by-2-foot centers with a 5-foot space and then another double row of trees. 
 
 "Basically we will set the cuttings in year one and clip out the tops to help promote multiple sprouts," Stelzer says. "The trees will grow for three years and reach a height of up to 20 feet with several stems (eight to 10) coming from that clump. The neat thing is, especially with willow and cottonwood trees, is the ability to harvest the trees about every three years or six times over the 20-year life of the tree. At 20 years of life the trees will be removed and the process starts all over." 
 
 Stelzer says that producers can expect to produce 9 to 13 dry tons woody biomass per acre at the end of the three-year growing cycle, and this number will go up as the university identifies higher yielding varieties over time. At the current price the power plant is paying ($35 per ton) that would generate $315 to $473 in revenue to the farmer on just one acre. That's enough to get a farmer's attention considering the input and production costs are minimal. 
 
 Harvesting the woody biomass is another issue, but a team of researchers at the State University of New York have been working with New Holland, a leading agricultural equipment manufacturer, to develop specialized equipment to harvest the woody biomass. Basically, the team has created a harvesting head that is fitted onto a New Holland forage harvesting machine. As the machine moves through a field of trees, the harvesting head clips off the trees, which are then fed into the machine and a cutter drum chops the woody biomass into small pieces, similar to processing a tree in a brush chipper. The resulting processed woody biomass is placed onto trucks and transferred to a storage site.
 
 The MU Forestry Department, in cooperation with the MU Center for Agroforestry, is developing a pilot program at the Horticultural and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin, Mo., that will include test plantings of various tree species to produce woody biomass. The pilot will also test harvesting options and deliver the resulting wood chips to the power plant. The purpose of the pilot project is to show farmers how they can adapt this new crop to their farms. 
 
 "Woody biomass production has the potential to be more profitable and economical than traditional row crops, especially in the Missouri river bottoms laid waste by the floods of 1993 and 1995," Stelzer says. "It also allows farmers to regain lost production acres with fewer disturbances to the land compared with traditional agronomic production. We're also enabling the farmer to integrate forestry practices into other areas of the farm that will not only provide another source of income, but also serve as a sediment, nutrient and pesticide trap in the root systems of these trees."
 
 
 Considering More Than Woody Biomass
 
 Coffin and his team are also seriously exploring how to utilize corncobs in the new boiler as the university is located in the heart of Missouri corn production. Plus the new boiler technology burns at a lower combustion temperature making it more suitable to agricultural-based fuels. 
 
 "The new boiler can handle a full-size cob and the opportunities to source cobs as a fuel source are abundant in our state," Coffin says. "The biggest challenge is collection and storage. However, companies are developing innovative collection systems that are showing promise. We just need to address how to deal with such a large volume of material." 
 
 This project will truly be a test to see how the biomass industry can and will develop in the state. 
 
 Should the price of biomass become more expensive than natural gas, however, Coffin has the ability to switch the boiler over to gas until the price of biomass comes back in line with fossil fuels. 
 
 Either way, the university and the Columbia community will see a reduction in conventional emissions. 
 
 "I believe the campus community appreciates this opportunity to produce energy from a renewable crop and reduce greenhouse gas and carbon emissions," Coffin says. "We're creating something here that's a win-win for everyone involved and from the calls we're receiving, there's a lot of support for the direction we're taking."
 
 
 Greg Ehm is a features writer for Two Rivers Marketing in Des Moines, Iowa. Reach him at <a href="mailto:grege@2rm.com">grege@2rm.com</a>.

Private and public partnerships are being developed to design and build specialized equipment that will more efficiently harvest woody biomass. The State University of New York and New Holland have created a harvesting head that is fitted onto a New 

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In three years, the trees will grow up to 20 feet with eight to 10 stems per tree. An acre can be expected to produce 9 to 13 dry tons woody biomass. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

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The University of Missouri is creating initiatives to help develop biomass market in the state.

University Sees Biomass as  Future for Energy Generation

Posted June 21, 2010, at 4:19 p.m. CST
 
 There has been much press coverage of our study about using forest biomass for energy in Massachusetts. This study was commissioned and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. Many of the resulting press articles have oversimplified the results. Indeed, a key lesson of the study is that understanding the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts and benefits of using wood for energy is more complex than most people have assumed, and that a life-cycle assessment is needed in order to assess these GHG costs and benefits. 
 
 Here we seek to provide some additional clarifying comments about the study given the substantial press coverage that followed the release of our report on June 10. The study can be downloaded from www.manomet.org. We encourage interested parties to read the report, or at least the Executive Summary, to understand first-hand what the study concludes.
 
 One commonly used press headline has been ‘wood worse than coal' for GHG emissions or for ‘the environment.' This is an inaccurate interpretation of our findings, which paint a much more complex picture. While burning wood does emit more GHGs initially than fossil fuels, these emissions are removed from the atmosphere as harvested forests re-grow. As discussed in more detail below, the timing and magnitude of the recovery is a function of forest productivity, land management choices, and technology and fuel characteristics. To help stakeholders and policy makers gain a more accurate and complete understanding of the study results, we revisit some of the key points found in the report.
 
 • First, the study addresses only the carbon cycle implications of biomass harvested from actively managed, natural forests. We do not analyze woody biomass from other sources, for example biomass plantations, land clearing, tree work and landscaping wastes, or construction waste. These materials can be important potential sources of biomass-ones that likely have very different carbon cycle implications than biomass from natural forests-and merit careful and separate consideration in biomass policy development.
 
 • Second, we do not analyze the impacts of non-GHG pollutants emitted from energy generation facilities (e.g., particulate matter, NOx, SO2, or other hazardous air pollutants such as mercury). Emissions of these pollutants vary considerably between wood and fossil fuel energy systems, and are an important consideration in determining the relative merits of biomass and fossil fuels.
 
 • Third, we clearly state that the study is specific to the forest and energy situation in Massachusetts. While the study methodology is transferable to other regions of the country, the specific results of our analyses, particularly the carbon cycle implications, cannot be readily applied to states where the biophysical characteristics of forests, forest management practices and energy sector differ significantly from Massachusetts.
 
 • Fourth, based on the results of our economic analysis of potentially available wood supplies, we concluded that, overall, biomass harvests in the state would include a mix of logging residues (tops and limbs) and low-quality whole trees or logs (pulpwood and low-grade saw logs). The relative proportions of these materials in the biomass feedstock have an important effect the timing of GHG impacts and benefits to the atmosphere. We pointed out that these proportions will be different in other situations or states, and that conclusions about the impacts on the atmosphere will necessarily be different. Each state or situation (or even specific biomass facility) would need to do its own analysis to properly evaluate the GHG costs or benefits.
 
 • Fifth, there has been some confusion about whether our assessments of GHG implications are based on a ‘life-cycle' analysis of biomass and fossil fuel carbon emissions. In fact, the study considers the ‘upstream' costs of producing and transporting both biomass and fossil fuels, and the stack emissions from burning these fuels. Capture of carbon in growing forests is also part of our life-cycle framework.
 
 • Sixth, the study makes no recommendations regarding the development of specific policies to address GHG emissions from biomass. The intent of the study is simply to provide the best possible information and analysis of the carbon cycle implications to Massachusetts decision makers as they develop biomass energy policies for the state. These decision makers will need to carefully weigh the relative importance of nearer term increases in GHG emissions against longer-term benefits. The study did show that using wood for energy generally results in greater emissions of GHGs per unit of energy than using fossil fuel. These differences are a function of the lower embedded energy content of wood relative to fossil fuels, inclusion of emissions from upstream production and transportation of fuels, as well as differences in the efficiency of the various energy generation technologies. We called the excess emissions from burning biomass for energy the carbon debt. But because trees can grow back, this debt can be paid off and a carbon dividend can be achieved as GHG levels are reduced to levels lower than they would have been had only fossil fuels been burned.
 
 The length of time it takes to pay down the debt and realize dividends depends on four factors:
 
 1.The lifecycle of the wood (e.g., logging debris, whole trees, trees vulnerable to catastrophic events) in the absence of the biomass energy opportunity.
 
 2. The type of energy that will be generated (heat, electricity, combined heat and electricity), because different types have different efficiencies and thus different CO2 emissions profiles.
 	
 3. The type of fossil fuel being displaced (coal, oil, or natural gas), because different fuels have different emissions profiles.
 
 4. The management of the forest-management can either slow or accelerate forest growth, and therefore recovery of carbon from the atmosphere.
 
 Unless these factors have been assessed, as they have in our report for Massachusetts, it is not possible to estimate the time it would take to pay off the debt or the magnitude of the carbon dividends-making it difficult to draw conclusions about GHG implications of using wood. For example, when the wood used to fuel an energy facility is all, or nearly all, logging debris that would have decomposed in the forest anyway, the debt period can be relatively short, even for large-scale electricity generation where biomass replaces coal. 
 
 Conversely, fueling an electricity generating facility with mostly whole (live) trees will likely incur a longer carbon debt period (up to several decades) before GHG benefits are realized. Thermal uses of wood generally have a shorter debt period than electricity generation with wood. Renewable energy policy makers who seek to reduce GHG emissions by using wood for energy will be well served by assessing these four factors for the specific energy and forestry contexts of their state or region.
 
 Finally, there are many other considerations besides GHG emissions when making energy policy-these include energy security, air quality, forest recreation values, local economics, other environmental impacts besides just GHG emissions, and quality of place, among others.
 
 We hope these comments help to more accurately present the major findings of this study and to better inform policy makers and stakeholders. We welcome and invite feedback on our study, as well as improvements or corrections to our approach.

Manomet says press oversimplified study results

Posted June 22, 2010, at 3:22 p.m. CST
 
 The U.S. already has seen an increase in wood pellet exports to Europe in recent months and growth in the industry is likely to continue as a result of more stringent carbon caps in the European Union and a growing desire to produce carbon-free base-load electricity to offset the use of petroleum. Export opportunities for the U.S. biomass industry will therefore be an important part of meeting the goal of doubling exports by 2015, as outlined in the National Export Initiative announced by President Barack Obama in his 2010 State of the Union Address. 
 	
 To achieve that goal, and create 2 million new jobs simultaneously, the U.S. government is doubling its efforts to work with U.S. companies to help promote U.S. exports, particularly in clean energy, according to the Biomass Coordinating Council and the American Council On Renewable Energy. The two organizations, in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, co-hosted a webinar June 22 titled President Obama's National Export Initiative and the U.S. Biomass Industry, aimed at assisting biomass companies in joining the export markets. 
 	
 "We're pretty hopeful that there will be a significant export opportunity," said Ryan Mulholland, webinar co-chair and international trade specialist with the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. Mulholland said the ITA can be a matchmaker for other U.S. government programs, helping biomass companies get their export plans off the ground. He urged everyone participating in the webinar to contact the agency. The biomass industry has grown 4.3 percent annually worldwide since 2000, he cited, and common exports of biomass services include consulting, engineering, procurement and financing, along with the wood products are gaining in popularity. 
 	
 "Biomass power generation offers a premium dispatchable resource with a higher capacity than wind and solar, and environmental benefits for a carbon-constrained world for communities, industry and electric utilities," said webinar moderator Mike Zimmer of Thompson Hine LLP. In 2008, the top five biomass electricity generators were the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Japan and the U.K., he cited. "The growth forecasts in Europe are substantial," he said. European biomass capacity grew in 2009 by 40 percent, he said, and 130 new plants are in the development pipeline. In addition, the overall number of plants is expected to increase by nearly 50 percent between 2008 and 2013 to 1,050.
 	
 So the data shows a large advantage in biomass exports, but how do developers find the money for such an expansion? Alexandra McCann spoke on behalf of the U.S. Export-Import Bank and said there is money available. "We'll help you with your export business," she said. The bank is the official export credit agency of the U.S. government and its Environmental Exports Program offers loan guarantees, export credit insurance, working capital guarantees and direct loans for qualifying applicants. "We're moving ahead and we're definitely seeing an increase in exports covered by our program," she said. To qualify, applicants must adhere to the three Cs: cover policy-the bank must operate in the buyer's country; content-the U.S. export must have a significant U.S. content; and creditworthiness. "We are not a development agency," McCann said. "We look for a reasonable assurance of repayment." 
 	
 The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers several options for biomass companies looking to export, as outlined by Eric Benderson, associate general counsel with the organization. SBA loan products for exports include export development and working capital loans, along with financial development financing. Small business exporting has grown by 80 percent since 2003, Benderson cited, to $500 billion in annual sales. Small businesses should export for three important reasons: 96 percent of consumers live outside the U.S.; two-thirds of the world's purchasing power is outside the U.S.; and there's a global demand for high-quality U.S. good and services, according to Benderson. SBA offers an online export training course at <a href="http://www.sba.gov/training">www.sba.gov/training</a>. 
 	
 The first step to exporting is developing a realistic export marketing plan, Benderson said, encouraging the use of the SBA's free online guide, Breaking into the Trade Game, at <a href="http://www.sba.gov/international">www.sba.gov/international</a>. A network of 18 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the country provide trade promotion and export finance assistance, as well. A list of locations can be found on the SBA's Web site: <a href="http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/internationaltrade/useac/index.html">http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/internationaltrade/useac/index.html</a>. 
 	
 Webinar speaker Richard Stanbridge of U.S. Foreign Commercial Service London listed his agency's offerings, including trade counseling, market intelligence, business matchmaking and commercial diplomacy. "The bottom line is we're here to help you export," he said. He discussed specifics of biomass industry growth in the U.K., where it's by far the largest renewable energy source. Several companies are planning facilities for a total added demand of about 25 million tons of biomass per year, he cited. Now is a good time to be talking with utilities, he added, ending his presentation with some advice to developers: "Your first point of contact should be your local trade specialist." 
 	
 More information on exporting and how to start can be found at <a href="http://www.export.gov">www.export.gov</a>.

Webinar offers information on exporting biomass

Posted June 25, 2010, at 9:57 a.m. CST
 
 The USDA has released a report titled, "USDA Biofuels Strategic Production Report." The 21-page report offers a regional road map to meeting biofuels goals of the RFS2 by 2022, and states, "USDA's objectives for this report include: providing the practical knowledge from the field that can enhance various models for biofuel production, identify challenges and opportunities and help develop solutions to this massive undertaking." Citing multiple agencies including: Rural Development, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Forest Service, Farm Service and the Office of the Chief Economist, the report also aims to assess: existing eligible feedstock supply and land availability, current and potential infrastructure capacity and current and potential regional consumer demand. 
 
 By 2022, USDA has estimated which feedstocks will be in use and how many gallons each will provide to the RFS2 totals. For dedicated energy crops (perennial grasses, energy cane and biomass sorghum) the estimated number of gallons will total 13.4 billion gallons (bg). For oilseeds (soy, canola) 0.5 bg; crop residues (corn stover, straw) 4.3 bg; woody biomass (logging residues only) 2.8 bg; and for corn starch ethanol 15 bg. The estimates do not include tallow, municipal solid waste or algae. 
 
 Once again reiterated by USDA, is the push for a regional approach to biofuel production. "USDA recognized that different regions of the country have a comprehensive advantage to the type of feedstock that can be produced and utilized in biofuel production." The report also says that by leveraging these regional resources, biofuels can be a natural solution to the nation's dependence on oil. 
 
 Doing so however, means building more biorefineries. "Assuming an average biorefinery size of 40 MMgy, USDA estimates meeting the RFS2 advanced biofuels goals will require the building of 527 biorefineries, at a cost of $168 billion." The report estimated that "a steady cellulosic plant construction cost" to be $8 dollars per gallon. Part of the numbers on advanced biofuels production stem from a conservative approach by the USDA on technology changes, the report said. "The agricultural sector as a whole is incredibly productive and has consistently outpaced productivity increases in other sectors, in part, due to its investment in technology (e.g. drought resistant seeds)." 
 
 The greatest potential for production of advanced biofuels lies in the Southeast region and Hawaii including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The report stated that a significant amount of volume, up to 50 percent, would come from this region due to the robust growing season that supports the highest gallons per acre crops of all biofuel crops. The Northeast region will represent 2 percent of production potential capacity, the Central East will make up 43.3 percent and the Northwest region 4.6 percent. (The Western region is less than 1 percent.) 
 
 Of all the areas the USDA can provide immediate assistance, the report notes that blender pump assistance is one area that the department can address right now. But for the importance of the entire biofuels industry, the USDA "intends this report to provoke discussions and looks forward to further work on this issue which may prove to be one of the most important of the 21st century." 
 
 To view the full report: http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_Biofuels_Report_6232010.pdf. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

USDA releases road map for biofuels

Posted June 28, 2010, at 2:40 p.m. CST
 
 The U.S. DOE announced June 28 the investment of up to $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels. The selections will support the development of a clean, sustainable transportation sector-a goal of the department's continued effort to spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry while creating jobs. Developing cost-effective renewable transportation fuels is a key component of the administration's strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and move the nation toward energy independence.
 
 "Partnerships such as these focus the creative powers of the public, private and academic sectors on key challenges facing the development of renewable energy for transportation," said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi. "The United States must find effective ways to hasten the development of technologies for advanced biofuels made from algae and other renewable resources to reduce our need for foreign sources of oil." Zoi made the announcement while speaking at the Biotechnology Industry Organization 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.
 
 The consortia consist of partners from academia, national laboratories and private industries that are based across the country, broadening the geographic range and technical expertise of DOE partners in the area of algal biofuels. Projects are expected to continue for a period of three years. Together, they represent a diversified portfolio that will help accelerate algal biofuels development with the objective of significantly increasing production of affordable, high-quality algal biofuels that are environmentally and economically sustainable.
 
 The three consortia selected for funding are:
 
 Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium (Mesa, Ariz.): Led by Arizona State University, this consortium will focus on testing the acceptability of algal biofuels as replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Tasks include investigating biochemical conversion of algae to fuels and products, and analyzing physical chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates. (DOE share: up to $6 million)
 
 Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization (San Diego, Calif.): Led by the University of California, San Diego, this consortium will concentrate on developing algae as a robust biofuels feedstock. Tasks include investigating new approaches for algal crop protection, algal nutrient utilization and recycling, and developing genetic tools. (DOE funding: up to $9 million)
 
 Cellana LLC Consortium (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii): Led by Cellana LLC, this consortium will examine large-scale production of fuels and feed from microalgae grown in seawater. Tasks include integrating new algal harvesting technologies with pilot-scale cultivation test beds, and developing marine microalgae as animal feed for the aquaculture industry. (DOE funding: up to $9 million) 
 
 Despite algae's potential, many technical and economic challenges must be overcome for algal biofuels to be commercialized. To identify these hurdles and guide research and development activities, DOE convened the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop, bringing together more than 200 experts and stakeholders from across the country. The department synthesized workshop results and released a draft report for public comment in June 2009. The final National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap released June 28 reflects the substantive comments received and is intended to guide future work and investments in algal biofuels. Under the Recovery Act, the department awarded funding earlier this year to an algal research consortium to tackle a broad range of barriers identified in the roadmap report.
 
 See a copy of the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap at <a href="http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/algal_biofuels_roadmap.pdf">http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/algal_biofuels_roadmap.pdf</a>.
 
 Additional information on algal biofuels is available on the DOE's Biomass Program website at <a href="http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/">http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/</a>.
 
 SOURCE: U.S. DOE

DOE announces $24 million for algal biofuels research

Posted June 30, 2010, at 12:43 p.m. CST
 
 Biodiesel will be one of many panel topics at the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo in Boston, Aug. 4-6. One particularly relevant panel to the region, The Ongoing Pursuit of Biodiesel Production and Process Enhancements in the Northeast, will feature Don Scott, director of sustainability for the National Biodiesel Board. 
 
 Scott will address what role biodiesel can play in the Northeast to reduce fossil fuel dependence while providing jobs and economic stimulus for the area. He will also discuss regional-specific feedstock options, and what the future holds for new, alternative biodiesel feedstocks. He will also talk about heating oil applications in the Northeast; several New England states, and the city of New York, which have either already passed biodiesel or Bioheat mandates, or are seriously considering it. 
 
 University students researching and studying biodiesel applications are the future of the industry, so University of New Hampshire students Rebecca Wilson and Gina Chaput are scheduled to present on their two independent biodiesel projects. 
 
 Wilson is planning to present on her project to optimize biodiesel production. She's been working on a bench-scale two batch process. She said the project started last fall and she has spent the entire year putting the system together. Things haven't been seamless, she said, but that's how research projects go. "Six of the nine valves broke, we had to replace tubing, our main processor broke, then our soap adsorption column broke," she said. A few of the resultant biodiesel properties she's analyzing include the heat of combustion, viscosity, total glycerin count and acid number. 
 
 Chaput will present on her ongoing algae project, looking at various concentrations and makeup of wastewater streams for use as nutrients for algae production. She said some of the aspects of the project include looking at using urea rather than potassium nitrate as a chemical nutrient, and wastewater with and without salts. "Our metrics include cell counts, absorbance, biomass productivity, lipid content, determining if our hypothesis that substituting urea for potassium nitrate will increase biomass yield and oil content," she said. 
 
 Ron Kotrba, editor of Biodiesel Magazine, is scheduled to moderate this panel.
 
 For more information, go to <a href="http://www.biomassconference.com/northeast">www.biomassconference.com/northeast</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo will feature biodiesel panel

Posted June 30, 2010, at 4:09 p.m. CST
 
 The second anaerobic dairy digester developed by Washington-based Farm Power Northwest LLC should be operational by the end of the year, using manure from a nearby farm to provide 750 kilowatts of electricity to homes around its Lynden, Wash., location.
 	
 Farm Power aims to develop a number of dairy digesters that can take manure from multiple farms, sending it back processed and ready for use as organic fertilizer or cow bedding. All services are free of charge to the farmers, according to Kevin Maas, Farm Power co-founder. "Our strategy is we raise the money, we develop the project, we provide the service for free," Maas said of the development business he runs with his brother, Daryl Maas. Farmers are already feeling financial constraints and work plenty of long hours, so extra burdens are unnecessary, Kevin Maas emphasized. "Everybody wants to see farmers survive," he said, adding that by signing a contract with Farm Power, farmers get something for nothing.
 	
 While one large farm will supply manure for the Lynden facility, Farm Power's existing Rexville, Wash., location collects manure from two farms. It sits in between them, allowing for an underground piping system that's used to pump manure to the AD facility and back after it has been processed, Maas said. The underground piping system is the only responsibility and cost to the farmers, as even the processed manure is provided free of charge. "That's been more successful than we thought," Maas said of returning the manure. "The farmers are happy; the cows are healthier." Sending manure to the digester does help farmers reduce odors in their operations, but it's hard to assign a cost savings to that benefit. "It's easy to put a dollar sign on no more sawdust bills," Maas said. 
 	
 Projects in the future may not use underground piping systems, opting instead for trucking, although Maas said he doesn't know who would be responsible for that. "Every project is unique," he said. "You can't just stamp these out like you can solar projects." Farm Power has a few more projects in development including one in Oregon, it's first out-of-state plant. 
 	
 The Lynden project is funded through several agencies: $1 million from the Washington State Energy Program; a $500,000 USDA Rural Development grant; and a $2.4 million loan from Shorebank Pacific, according to Farm Power. 
 	
 The facilities co-digest food processing waste, as well, Maas added, but the main focus is on manure feedstock. "Manure is always our foundation," he said, adding that it can be risky to plan projects solely around food processing waste and other feedstocks. 
 	
 Farm Power has a power purchase agreement with Washington utility Puget Sound Energy through its Green Power Program. "PSE really has gone above and beyond the minimum standards and decided they want to offer a little longer contract than required," Maas said. PSE's ambition has contributed to the development of numerous AD facilities in the state.
 	
 "If they keep farming, we can make money selling that power," Maas said.

Farm Power builds second dairy AD plant

Posted July 1, 2010, at 10:19 a.m. CST
 
 In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., three ethanol industry groups have asked that legislators keep biofuels in mind. "It is likely that the Senate will take up an Energy Bill, heavy on provisions that respond to the Gulf oil spill, and we're hopeful that it will also contain important provisions for biofuels," said Brian Jennings, executive vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol. ACE is one of the three organizations that signed the letter. Also signing on were the National Corn Growers Association and Renewable Fuels Association. 
 
 The letter asked Reid to include two ethanol-related bills in the energy legislation. One, the Consumer Fuels and Vehicle Choice Act, a bill to increase the number of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) and provide grants for installing blender pumps, which was introduced in the Senate last year. On June 30, U.S. Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. The second bill is the Green Jobs Act, which has been introduced in both the House and Senate, to extend ethanol tax incentives. "One important component of the domestic policy response to the Deepwater Horizon spill should be further efforts to promote the domestic production and use of renewable fuels like ethanol," the letter said. 
 
 If there were more FFVs and more blender pumps, as the Consumer Choice Act would ensure, more consumers would have access to blends higher than E10, breaking down the blend wall. It doesn't cost significantly more to build FFVs, and blender pumps cost only slightly more than traditional fuel dispensers. In addition, the groups said, blender pumps can be installed over the next few years as pumps are being upgraded for more sophisticated card-reading abilities. "Thus, enacting this legislation will enable increasing levels of ethanol use in transportation fuels without posing a burden on auto manufacturers or retail fuel distributors," it said. 
 
 The Green Jobs Act would extend through 2015 income and excise tax credits for ethanol, and the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit. The volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC), commonly called the blenders credit, provides blenders with 45 cents for each gallon of ethanol blended with gas, enhancing cost competitiveness and reducing prices at the pump. In addition, the legislation, if passed, would extend the secondary tariff on imported ethanol. "VEETC will also help ensure that American biofuels producers can maintain profitability and that American taxpayers are not forced to subsidize foreign ethanol imported into the United States," the letter said. 
 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Group asks Senate to consider biofuels bills

Posted July 1, 2010, at 10:25 a.m. CST
 
 The bold vision created by a renewable energy advocacy coalition calling for 25x'25 is becoming a reality. Formed in 2004, the alliance initially aimed at meeting 25 percent of the nation's energy needs with renewable energy by 2025. A new report titled, "Meeting the 25x'25 Goal: A Progress Report," shows that between 2004 and 2009, renewable energy produced in the U.S. increased by 23 percent. In May of 2009, 11.5 of all energy produced in the U.S. came from renewable sources, a record for the clean energy sector. Those numbers and the influence of the vision don't appear to be shrinking. "Our vision was written into the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 by the 109th Congress," the report stated. "Since then, our coalition has grown to include more than 900 organizations and dozens of governors." 
 
 "The 25x'25 progress report demonstrates the tremendous progress that has been made by the renewable fuel sector to create a cleaner, more energy independent nation," said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. Citing a research study completed by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the report highlights significant progress for job growth. "Pew's research shows that between 1998 and 2007, clean energy economy jobs-a mix of white- and blue-collar positions-grew by 9.1 percent, while total jobs grew by only 3.7 percent," the report said. 
 
 The 2010 report summarizes the role several energy sources will play in the future including: biofuels, biodiesel, biogas, biopower, wind, solar, geothermal and hydro. In the bioenergy market, the report states that the market "has enormous growth potential both in the U.S. and around the world, but it is constrained by a number of factors." Policy constraints linked to tax extensions for both biodiesel and ethanol, the "blend wall," insufficient infrastructure and variances in biofuels blending all act as a hindrance to the industry, according to the report. 
 
 Also slowing the progress of bioenergy, are those seeking "'perfect' solutions to our climate and energy problems," the report states. "Clean, domestic fuels, like ethanol, can help break our nation's addiction to oil to help strengthen our national security, improve our environment and create U.S. jobs," Buis said. "Achieving the goals outlined by the 25x'25 coalition will help us secure a new energy future for our children and our grandchildren." 
 
 Along with bioenergy constraints, the 19-page document also highlights the benefits of renewable energy to economic growth, environmental improvement and energy efficiency. As for the path forward, the report said, "The bottom line is that significant progress has been made, but there is more to be done and major challenges to overcome." 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

25x'25 alliance progress report released

Posted July 1, 2010, at 1:32 p.m. CST
 
 Researchers at energy crop development company Ceres Inc. say a newly developed genetic trait that increases the salt tolerance in plants could potentially enable the revival of more than 1 billion acres of abandoned crop land across the globe, for both energy and food crop purposes.
 
 Upon analysis of a 2008 Stanford University study, "The Global Potential of Bioenergy on Abandoned Agriculture Lands," Ceres researchers inferred that a massive amount of land was unproductive and could benefit from trait improvements such as salt tolerance and others that make crops hardier and more resilient to stress, according to Ceres's Gary Koppenjan. "As reported by the U.S. Salinity Lab, there are 15 million acres in the U.S. where productivity is limited by salt buildup in the soil," he said. "This is especially problematic in California, and other areas where irrigation is used."
 
 Salt has been damaging to land in other parts of the world, too. "It's been a problem in Asia, where coastal flooding is common, and a staple crop-rice-is quite sensitive to salt. It's also a problem in the developing world where cropping practices and poor drainage damage cropland," Koppenjan said, adding that although salt is not currently a nuisance in the Midwest, where most of the row crops are grown, in the future it will likely be a bigger problem on the marginal acres where energy crops are being targeted. 
 
 So far, Ceres's work has focused on improvements in switchgrass and rice in a greenhouse. Researchers tested the trait against high salt concentrations, including trials where they dumped sea water from the Pacific Ocean onto the soil, and saw a significant salt tolerance. "We have seen [salt tolerance] levels five times greater than any previously published results," Koppenjan said. The salt tolerance improvement will likely work well in other energy grasses as well, Ceres believes, including sorghum and miscanthus. 
 
 Crop yields now need to be measured in the field, tests which Ceres plans to begin next year. Koppenjan noted that initial work was completed in a test plant used primarily for greenhouse testing (not a crop plant), a method that provides trait development advantages such as precision and a plug-and-play ability to add the trait to other crops. "Typically, we use rice as a model crop to study trait performance since it is a grass species, easy to work with and predictive of how traits will work in energy crops," he said. "Since the results were so impressive, we decided to move forward with additional work in rice for both business and humanitarian reasons. Clearly, rice is an important and valuable crop, but there are areas in the world like coastal region of Bangladesh where salt-tolerance would provide basic food security for millions of people."

Salt-tolerant trait may unlock land for energy, food crops

Posted July 1, 2010, at 1:50 p.m. CST
 
 The Iowa Power Fund board voted July 1 to provide San Francisco-based Syngest Inc. with $2.5 million for its planned biomass-to-ammonia plant in Menlo, Iowa. The vote solidifies funding that the company has been working toward for more than a year, but the money is contingent upon $3.5 million in matching funds, which Syngest CEO Jack Oswald believes is more than achievable. 
 	
 "As of today, we're off to the races," Oswald said. "This is a very important juncture. The state has put up a very big gesture." The amount is among the top five awards given by the Iowa Office of Energy Independence's Power Fund and in return, Syngest proposed to completely pay back the amount over time as it develops more facilities in the state. "We easily expect to be able to pay it all back," he said. 
 	
 The bio-ammonia plant will turn 150,000 tons of corncobs into 50,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia annually, enough to fertilize 500,000 acres of land. The process involves a pressurized oxygen-blown biomass gasifier operating in an expanding bed fluidized mode. After the resulting syngas is cleaned, the carbon monoxide portion is shifted to maximize hydrogen, which is purified and catalytically reacted with nitrogen to make ammonia. Syngest has procured 75 acres for the plant, five of which will be used for the facility itself and the rest for biomass storage. The plant will require 10 percent of available corncobs within a 30- to 40-mile radius. 
 	
 "As of today, the clock really starts ticking," Oswald said after the vote, adding that the plant should be operational about 30 months from now. 
 	
 "I realize the risks we have in this project," Tom Wind, Power Fund board member, said during the meeting. "I think this project is worthy of support because of the early stage and potential of long-term benefit. The rewards are big and outweigh the risk. If we don't step up and do this now, I'm not sure who's going to do it and if not in Iowa, I don't know where else it should be done. I see the risk, but I think the rewards are really large, so I'm supportive of this." 
 	
 The Syngest Term Sheet passed by a vote of 6-1 with some members absent, confirming Oswald's expectation that it would ultimately be approved. "It's a good fit for Iowa," he said. "There's no reason to continue using fossil fuels for nitrogen fertilizer." Had the funding been denied, the project would have proceeded, albeit more slowly and with more challenges. "It wouldn't have shut [the project] down," Oswald said of a no vote. "It would have made it a lot more difficult." 
 	
 Now that the votes are in, Oswald and his team are ready to move forward quickly and begin raising more money. "This is a big milestone for us and we're thrilled," he said.

Syngest gets state funding for bio-ammonia plant

Posted July 1, 2010, at 2:24 p.m. CST
 
 Policy goals for renewable biofuels and bioenergy could be achieved, but policymakers must take steps to protect the sustainability of the nation's forests in the face of increasing demands for woody biomass, according to "Forest Sustainability in the Development of Wood Bioenergy in the U.S.," a recently released report by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. 
 	
 National goals of achieving greater energy security and mitigating climate change together have created rapidly expanding demands on U.S. forests for wood-based bioenergy, according to the two-year study. The report contains several key findings, conclusions and recommendations:
 
 •There is a need for more reliable and accurate methods for assessing how much biomass is available and sustainable in the long-term at the national, regional and local scales.
 
 •Demands on forests are many and growing, and there is concern over the potential effects of meeting existing and proposed mandates for bioenergy. 
 
 •Adequate environmental safeguards are necessary to address the more intensive type of wood harvesting that is often conducted for energy purposes through state forest practices policies, through state and regional biomass harvesting guidelines, through nongovernmental sustainability certification programs, and through responsible sourcing policies by energy companies.
 
 •Policies to define the role of federal forests in biomass supply are inconsistent and clear policy direction is essential in developing guidelines to ensure continued conservation and sustainable use of forest lands.
 
 •Decision makers and stakeholders need to consider the full range of wood bioenergy and biofuel technology options before making facility siting decisions, including scale, type of facility and how it relates to local environmental and economic circumstances.
 
 •There is a need to better align federal and state policies for financial investments, tax credits and targets for renewable energy production with existing policies aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of both public and private forests. Federal policies need to be flexible enough to accommodate sustainable wood bioenergy strategies that may differ significantly from one major forest region of the country to another.
 	
 Information for the study was collected through one national and four regional workshops involving more than 280 experts and stakeholders across the U.S. and Canada. "We think it is a comprehensive primer that is the product of the industry and academic experts who are in the thick of the issue," said Star Dodd, director of communications for the Pinchot Institute. "We did not intend to reach any conclusions about biomass but rather to better define the more technical issues biomass raises." 
 	
 Dodd makes mention of the recent news coverage of a Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences study in which Pinchot was involved. Media reports falsely claimed that the study concluded biomass is dirtier than coal. "We welcome the attention to the issue but are concerned about the minimal reporting on the complex scientific and policy issues that local governments, states and the federal government need to grapple with to determine whether a biomass push makes sense," she said. "We think issues like the role of forest certification, the regional variations in the types and amounts of feedstock available for biomass facilities, the potential conflicts between renewable energy standards and renewable fuels standards, need to be addressed in the context of policy considerations."
 	
 The full report can be downloaded from Pinchot's Web site: <a href="http://www.pinchot.org">www.pinchot.org</a>.

Report links policy with sustainability

Posted July 7, 2010, at 10:04 a.m. CST
 
 The results of a study recently released by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences has stirred up some negative publicity for biomass, as some media outlets have overlooked the complexity of the carbon analysis and simply reported that burning woody biomass for power is dirtier than coal. That carbon accounting will be the topic of discussion for Tom Walker, Manomet consultant, during the general session panel titled Answering the Sustainability Question: Addressing Citizen Opposition to Biomass Derived Power at Biomass Magazine's Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo Aug. 4-6 in Boston. 
 	
 Although only one of many topics covered in the report, "Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy Study," it has by far generated the most controversy, Walker said. The study examined the question of carbon neutrality and developed a debt-then-dividend model of biomass greenhouse gas impacts which it used to look at the impacts of burning woody biomass for energy. "In this framework, the time dimension becomes very important, with forest biomass releasing more GHGs (greenhouse gases) initially," he said. "Over time, however, these can be re-sequestered in the re-growing forest and yield net GHG benefits. It is these short- and longer-term tradeoffs that make decisions about biomass development complicated." 
 	
 The study was commission by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and will be used by the agency as it determines whether to continue providing renewable energy credits (RECs) for biomass power plants. RECs are a large portion of plant revenue and without them, biomass power is not economic. While Manomet has made clear that the study pertains to Massachusetts only, DOER's decision could affect out-of-state operations that sell biomass power into the Massachusetts market. The study does, however, provide a useful modeling framework for evaluating the GHG implications of biomass energy development in other states or regions, Walker added. 
 	
 "The study methodology is fairly complex and I expect a lot of questions about exactly what we did and, perhaps more importantly, what the results might imply for biomass energy policies," he said. "I'm not going to get into how the results should be translated into policy; rather, I want to communicate the complexity of the decision making on this and the importance of the tradeoffs inherent in these decisions." 
 	
 The study was commissioned in response to heavy opposition to biomass power in Massachusetts, where grass roots efforts have popped up in almost every community with a proposed plant. Citizens have also been gathering signatures for a statewide ballot initiative that would strictly limit carbon dioxide emissions from biomass plants to no more than 250 pounds per megawatt hour, a standard no plants do or could meet. 
 	
 Panelist Bob Perschel, Northeast region director of the Forest Guild, said he is looking forward to discussing the study's exploration of carbon debt and payback trends from burning biomass and how it might influence policy. The right to practice forestry on private lands is part of a "social contract" that is constantly renegotiated, he said. The desire to remove more forest biomass is signaling that it is time for a new contract and it is incumbent upon the forestry profession and biomass energy users providing assurances to the public that increased amounts can be harvested while protecting ecological values, and that biomass can help mitigate climate change to the public's benefit. Perschel wants to cover both assurances and describe the steps necessary to provide them. He also plans to review the Forest Guild's Biomass Retention and Harvesting Standards for the Northeast, he said. 
 	
 Also speaking on the much-anticipated panel is Dave Tenny, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners. Biomass Magazine expects an interesting and in-depth conversation on this relevant and timely panel, as Massachusetts has become the epicenter of citizen opposition, fueled even more by the misleading portrayal of Manomet's findings.
 
 For more information, go to <a href="http://www.biomassconference.com/northeast">www.biomassconference.com/northeast</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo panel discussion includes controversial Manomet study

Posted July 1, 2010, at 2:32 p.m. CST
 
 Just two months after the Traverse City Light & Power board voted to move forward with plans to build a 10-megawatt cogeneration biomass power plant at Traverse City, Mich., those plans are off the table for the time being; potentially, even for good. 
 
 In a formal announcement, the company stated the decision was made because of concerns raised by local citizens, an issue that was raised prior to the board's vote in April to go ahead with the plant plans. A telephone survey conducted between March 23 and April 8, however, found that the majority of customers were either somewhat or very supportive of the plant plans, and that opposition was marginal. 
 
 For five years, TCL&P has researched plans for the facility, which would have required about 100,000 tons of wood chips per year from forest residue and other woody biomass. Several different studies performed by the Department of Natural Resources and other forest experts indicated there was plenty of feedstock to sustainably power the plant. Additionally, it was found that biomass power would produce the lowest rates for customers and yield the highest efficiency, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
 
 Now, TCL&P will investigate using natural gas for fuel at the proposed power plant, though Executive Director Ed Rice acknowledged that would essentially be replacing one fossil fuel (coal) for another. He added that with five new wind turbines and a new landfill gas plant, however, the company should still be able to meet its previously slated goal of achieving 30 percent of its power generation from renewable energy by 2020, and the state's mandate of 10 percent renewable energy by 2015.
 
 Board Chairman Mike Coco said the company is now going to take another look at all of its options, and hold a study session in July to re-evaluate the company's strategic energy goals and shift in direction.

TCL&P biomass plant plans halted

Posted July 1, 2010 at 4:00 P.M. 
 
 Interest in biomass-based power is on the rise as many U.S. states increase their renewable portfolio standards and others pass legislation requiring power providers to decrease their carbon footprint and utilize renewable energy. The Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo will feature a panel aimed specifically for those developing or planning to develop biomass-based power projects. 
 
 This regional event, which is being held Aug. 4-6 in Boston, will include 60 speakers who will address a host of topics of interest including biomass feedstock supply and logistics, combined heat-and-power applications, biomass briquettes, biorefining and biomass power plant conversions.
 
 The project development and financing tract will focus on issues such as finding financing, commercializing new technologies, state and federal funding opportunities and lean construction techniques.
 
 Conference attendees interested in government funding for biomass power plants and feedstocks will want to hear the latest information on USDA's Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Gregory Lynch, a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, will discuss the BCAP during his presentation called Notice of Funding Availability-Matching Payments. 
 
 The notice of funding opportunity for the BCAP was issued in May 2009 for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) of eligible biomass material intended for facilities that convert it into power, heat, biobased products or biofuels.
 
 "That program was halted in February 2010 and the USDA issued new proposed rules to correct some problems, and laid out a couple of ways to establish the new rules and to establish dedicated energy crops," Lynch said. "I am hoping that they will be implemented by the time of the conference but from what I've been hearing it probably won't happen. If not, I will provide an update on the status of the rules."
 
 Along with matching payments for delivery of eligible material to biomass conversion facilities, the BCAP will also offer payments to producers in designated areas to help with the cost of establishing biomass crops.
 
 "Our involvement is in assisting biomass conversion facilities and the suppliers in setting up supply arrangements using BCAP payments to help finance the facilities or for the producers to obtain financing based on that program," Lynch says. 
 
 On a national level, the USDA estimated that 5,423 contracts have been granted as of May 18, totaling more than $224 million in matching CHST payments. 
 
 Sherry Jean Olson, a financial forecast analyst with Christianson & Associates PLLP will join Lynch with her presentation called A Profitable Start-Up Business-The Importance of Creating a Financing Model.
 
 Sarah Hewitt, a partner with law firm Blank Rome LLP, will round out the panel with her presentation titled Incentives, Grants and Other Federal and State Benefits for Financing Biomass Power Projects.
 
 For more information, go to <a href="http://www.biomassconference.com/northeast">www.biomassconference.com/northeast</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo to offer panels on financing and building the biomass industry

Posted July 6, 2010, at 5:08 p.m. CST
 
 Biomass Magazine has officially announced the destinations of its dual-stop Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo industry tour in August, a conference precursor that is limited to the first 55 registered participants. 
 
 Mount Wachusett Community College in northern Massachusetts is the first tour destination. With increasing fuel prices and painfully tight budgets, many schools are searching for ways to cut costs, and MWCC is ahead of the game. Previously an all-electric heat campus, the school installed a hydronic biomass-fired district heating system in 2002, which has resulted in a savings of more than $2.4 million. 
 
 Powered by a Messersmith wood chip combustion boiler, the biomass system heats the college's entire campus, some 500,000 square feet of classrooms, libraries and laboratories. The system has reduced the college's CO2 emissions by 23 percent, and saves MWCC $300,000 in annual fuel costs. According to Bill Swift, Mount Wachusett director of maintenance and mechanical systems, the school uses about 1,400 tons of wood chips annually.
 
 Because of its cost-cutting benefits, the system garners high interest from others looking to install similar biomass heating systems, according to Swift. As far as what tour attendees might find notable about the operation, he says it's "just the simplicity of the entire system." 
 
 The second tour stop will be Jaffrey, N.H., which has been home to New England Wood Pellet plant for more than a decade. With an additional facility in New York and another under construction, NEWP is the largest pellet manufacturer in the Northeast. 
 
 Locally sourcing nearly 150,000 tons of green and dry wood waste and low-grade timber each year, NEWP's Jaffrey facility churns out 84,000 tons of high-quality wood fuel pellets that are sold for industrial and residential heating purposes. Tour participants will visit the plant's massive wood yard where feedstock is trucked in, while capturing a first-hand account of how the biomass material is handled and sent through the pellet production process, as well as load-out operations. As an added bonus, tour attendees will visit a 20,000-square-foot research and development facility that has served as the origin of some of the pellet industry's most recent innovations. 
 
 "We're excited to welcome attendees of the Northeast Biomass Conference to our flagship pellet plant," said Charlie Niebling, general manager for NEWP. "New England Wood Pellet has been around since 1992, and we've learned a lot about the art and science of pellet manufacturing over these years-lessons you won't find in a textbook anywhere."
 
 In response to innovations and increased regulatory demands, the Jaffrey plant has undergone re-engineering and expansion three times since 1999, Niebling said, most recently in response to new Occupational Safety and Health Administration dust regulations. "We hope that by opening our facility to others, we can help share information to encourage the growth and success of our industry in the years to come," he added. 
 
 The Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo industry tours will be held prior to the conference on Aug. 4 in Boston. To register for the tours or learn more about the conference, visit <a href="http://ne.biomassconference.com">http://ne.biomassconference.com</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo tour sites announced

Posted July 7, 2010, at 8:27 a.m. CST
 
 By the end of August, Fiberight LLC hopes to have its second municipal solid waste (MSW) to cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant up and running. The company, which completed its first plant in Blairstown, Iowa, in May, will install a second demonstration plant in Lawrenceville, Va., the current location of the company's pilot plant. 
 
 Fiberight is working with CleanTech Biofuels Inc. at the Lawrenceville plant. CleanTech will install its patented biomass recovery process, which uses steam and pressure to clean and separate MSW into biomass and recyclables. The biomass will then be processed into cellulosic ethanol using Fiberight's targeted fuel extraction process. "The Clean-Tech unit serves to help optimize the MSW-to-biofuels process," said Craig Stuart-Paul, Fiberight CEO. 
 
 The CleanTech proprietary process involves three steps, starting with removing large items such as appliances or furniture from MSW, according to the company website. The remaining material is then placed in a sealed and pressurized vessel for processing. The final step is to separate the sterile and crushed materials. Aluminum, steel, plastics and glass can be recycled and the biomass used to produce biofuels, to cofire boilers or for power or electricity generation. The process recovers 80 to 90 percent of the material in garbage for commercial use, leaving less than 20 percent to be sent to a landfill. 
 
 "The installation of our vessel at the Lawrenceville plant will demonstrate that valuable renewable energy products can be produced from municipal solid waste," said Ed Hennessey, CleanTech CEO. "This project will hasten commercialization of our technology and move us closer to realizing our goal of bringing combined waste-to-energy systems to municipalities, solid waste haulers and operators of solid waste landfills and transfer stations." 
 
 The two companies have a July 2009 joint research agreement. Fiberight will finance the transfer of the biomass recovery process vessel, as well as equipment upgrades and all operating costs for running it at the Lawrenceville location. CleanTech will have the ability to offer biomass produced there to other companies interested in testing it as a feedstock for their technologies. 
 
 The demonstration plant in Blairstown is in a converted first-generation corn ethanol plant. It's currently producing about 30,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol a month, Stuart-Paul said. The feedstock for the demonstration plant is paper pulp wastes, industrial wastes and MSW. At full production the plant will process more than 350 tons of waste into ethanol daily. "Our focus is on optimization rather than on volume given that a loophole in RFS2 delays value for renewable cellulosic RINs until 2011," Stuart-Paul said.
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Fiberight to build MSW demonstration plant

Posted July 7, 2010, at 8:39 a.m. CST
 
 Randy Hill, president and CEO of Advanced Trailer, has submitted an application to use trailer drying technology to help with the clean-up of the BP oil spill in the Gulf. The Advanced Trailer would be used to procure (dry) the wood chips in preparation to be used to absorb oil along beaches and shoreline in the Gulf Region. Advanced Trailers could also be a valuable tool in transporting large amounts of wood chips to various locations in the Gulf region affected by the BP oil disaster. Hill has offered BP free consulting and use of an Advanced Biomass Trailer to test how it can help in the clean up.
 
 "The environment has been one of our primary areas of research and development over the past three years," Hill said. "This is not something we originally had in mind for drying wood chips in an Advanced Trailer. But I believe I speak for all of our staff, employees and shareholders: we are happy and willing to do our part helping with cleaning up this horrible mess. We're not just selling a product; we're solving problems."
 
 Earlier this week, BP requested that Advanced Trailer submit an application to help with the clean-up process. A number of new technologies are being tried including Kevin Costner's water separation machine. On Tuesday the ABC affiliate in Dallas, WFAA, reported that BP had ordered mulch wood products from a local company to be bagged and used to absorb oil on beaches and marshes. Advanced Trailer has received national attention for its recent work to remove moisture from woody biomass, which is used in steam power plants worldwide. The use of an Advanced Trailer could potentially help lower moisture levels in the wood chips, which would prepare them and increase the efficiency and amount of oil the wood will absorb.
 
 During the past year, Advanced Trailer has provided funding and equipment to a number of U.S. universities and research centers for the drying of woody biomass products. Research at the University of Idaho using the Advanced Trailer successfully reduced moisture levels from more than 80 percent down to near zero. The dryer the wood, the greater its ability to hold more oil. 
 
 For further information, contact Advanced Trailer at (800) 860-1360 or visit the website at <a href="http://www.advancedtrailer.com">www.advancedtrailer.com</a>. 
 
 SOURCE: ADVANCED TRAILER

BP taps Advanced Trailer to help with oil spill

Posted July 7, 2010, at 8:46 a.m. CST
 
 Through an extension of the U.S. EPA's AgSTAR program, the EPA and USDA will provide up to $3.9 million over the next five years to help farmers capture their methane emissions and use them to produce energy. 
 	
 The collaboration will expand technical assistance efforts, improve technical standards and guidance for the construction and evaluation of biogas recovery systems, and expand outreach to livestock producers, assisting them with pre-feasibility studies. 
 	
 Many livestock feeding operations generate a continuous supply of biogas that can be recovered and used for multiple purposes. AgSTAR estimates that more than 8,000 dairy and hog farms in the U.S. are good candidates for feasible projects, yet there are only about 150 anaerobic digestion systems currently operating, according to the EPA. That's less than 2 percent of total potential. If all 8,000 farms implemented biogas systems, methane emissions would be reduced by more than 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, according to the USDA. Those projects could also generate more than 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy.
 	
 "The capture and use of biogas allows us to protect and conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce renewable energy and green products," according to an EPA spokesperson. "It expands opportunities for rural economic development and allows livestock producers to diversify their revenue sources. Finally, it builds interest and farm-based opportunities for the next generation of farmers."
 	
 In the initial phase of the AgSTAR project in the 1990s, the EPA contributed minimal direct funding to anaerobic digester projects to demonstrate farm-based digester technologies, according to the EPA. Under the current agreement, however, the agency is not planning to directly allocate money to biogas projects. Instead, funding will be used to expand the technical assistance, outreach and education efforts of the AgSTAR program. 
 	
 After the five-year agreement is up, the EPA and USDA will reevaluate the state of the market, as well as trends, to determine how the program can continue to have the most impact in encouraging biogas recovery systems at animal feeding operations, according to the EPA.

EPA, USDA invest in energy from farm biogas

Posted July 9, 2010, at 11:30 a.m. CST
 
 In a July 7 <a href="http://www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/eea/biomass/070710_biomass_sustainablity_carbon_regs_letter.pdf ">letter</a> to the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Resources, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requests swift revision of the state's renewable portfolio standard regulations, following the release of a study outlining a complex and less-than-favorable carbon analysis of woody biomass. That request raises concerns in the biomass industry, however, because it comes before the public comment period is over, July 9.
 	
 "We're perplexed by it to say the least," said Bob Cleaves, president and CEO of the Biomass Power Association. Cleaves said he is baffled by the process being undertaken for adopting regulations, as well as the language in the letter. "Two days before the comments are due, they essentially adopt a final rule and direct their agency to promulgate the rule," he said. 
 	
 The findings of the <a href="http://www.manomet.org/node/322">study</a>, by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, explain a debt-then-dividend carbon analysis of woody biomass, saying it initially releases more carbon dioxide than coal per unit of energy, but pays off its carbon debt as forests regrow and that carbon is resequestered. 
 	
 In the letter, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles wrote, "In light of the Manomet study, we have a deeper understanding that the greenhouse gas impacts of biomass energy are far more complicated than the conventional view that electricity from power plants using biomass harvested from New England biomass forests is carbon neutral. The findings of the Manomet study have changed the policy landscape for biomass energy production derived from wood fuels." He wrote that the state's policy should reflect the "current science" by supporting facilities with the greenhouse gas (GHG) profile needed to fulfill the state's emission reduction mandates of reaching 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and 10 to 25 percent by 2020. "Given the general findings of the Manomet study, our obligations under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, and the authority of the DOER to regulate state incentives for renewable biomass sources of energy, …I direct you and your staff at the DOER to move expeditiously to align our regulations with our better understanding of the greenhouse gas implications of biomass energy." 
 	
 The letter outlines six important changes to the policy: in order to qualify for renewable energy certificates, facilities must be designed, constructed and operated to achieve maximum practicable efficiency as determined by the DOER, providing significant near-term GHG dividends in a combined-heat-and-power (CHP) facility or comparable technology; renewable energy generating sources must yield at least a 50 percent life-cycle GHG reduction per unit of energy over 20 years; the fuel source must be grown, harvested and used sustainably; construction and demolition debris will not be eligible for renewable energy certificates; regulations will not apply to energy from anaerobic digestion of agricultural crops, animal wastes, food or sewage sludge; and regulations must address the use of forest residues. 
 
 Lack of Transparency?
 	
 Issuing such an order before the comment period is over shows a lack of transparency and implies a disregard for public input, according to Cleaves. "We think that the process is unfair and hardly what the secretary on page two of the letter calls a ‘transparent and robust public process,'" he said. "To the contrary, it's a backroom deal that has got nothing to do with science or law." Cleaves added that the standards outlined in the letter seem to be "made up" as they go along and he is concerned that the biomass industry in Massachusetts might not be able to meet them. 
 	
 Robert Keogh, spokesman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, doesn't see it that way. "The point of Secretary Bowles' letter at this point was to set out his expectations and essentially his first comment on the direction that he sees for policy coming out of the Manomet study," he said, adding that the rulemaking process will include public comment periods, hearings and comment periods on draft regulations. "This is an ongoing process of back and forth between the public and state officials, so that comment process is ongoing." 
 	
 Keogh said there's no doubt the policy will change and the letter represents the start of that process. "It's been very clear since the beginning of this process when we were even soliciting the study to be done for us," he said. "Going in, the goal was to provide a review of the best available science on biomass for the purpose of ultimately developing criteria for the sustainable feedstock and carbon impacts from biomass energy. But the intention from the beginning was to set a new direction in policy. The terms of that were and are to be determined by both the Manomet study and the rulemaking process to follow."
 	
 Despite the language and timing of the letter, which does add that questions remain to be answered, Keogh assured that public comments play a large role in drafting policies, although the intent to make policy changes will stand. "Certainly the final terms of the policy change will be very much informed by the public comment," he said. "The fact that there will be policy changes, I think, is not likely to change. We're not going to wind back the tape and say we don't need sustainability and carbon criteria for biomass after all. We do need that." 
 
 A Victory for the Opposition
 
 <a href="http://www.stopspewingcarbon.com">Stop Spewing Carbon </a> a Massachusetts grass roots effort to get an initiative on the November ballot limiting biomass carbon emissions to 250 pounds per megawatt hour, has backed off and announced it will not push for inclusion on the ballot, following the release of the letter, which it sees as a victory. "Ending renewable energy credits for dirty incinerators was the central goal of our ballot question and we have won," said Meg Sheehan, chair of the campaign, in a statement published on its website. "This is a groundbreaking development that means an end to commercial biomass electric power plants in Massachusetts," she is also quoted as saying. 
 	
 Keogh agrees that the goal of the ballot initiative was achieved, in that the state will more strictly regulate biomass emissions. "Our view is that the process we're going through is going to accomplish the legitimate goals of what that ballot initiative was looking to do, which was to restrict renewable energy incentives to those technologies that truly contributed toward meeting our greenhouse gas goals." He added that it's hard to say at this point whether Sheehan is correct in her statement that biomass power will be eliminated in the state. "That's what the rulemaking process will cover," he said. 
 	
 In that process, the question of the difference in carbon accounting for forest residues will be addressed, as the study did not take that feedstock into account in technical detail as it did with new, whole trees. That has been one of the main concerns about the study from the biomass industry, as forest residue, not whole trees, is the feedstock of most operating and proposed biomass facilities. When asked if it is a misrepresentation of the biomass industry and its operations, Keogh replied, "Well, we asked Manomet to study greenhouse gas emissions from sustainable forestry, so that was their take on how to do that. They recognized they were not analyzing forest residues and that the forest residues would likely have a very different carbon profile than harvested forest materials and addressing that question of how to account for the carbon impacts of forest residues will absolutely be a central question to be addressed in the rulemaking process." 
 	
 When asked if forest residues will be as thoroughly assessed as harvested wood was in the Manomet study, Keogh said, "It will be fully and thoroughly vetted through the rulemaking process, yes."
 	
 Bowles requests in his letter that the DOER draft regulations on or before Sept. 1 of this year, draft final rules on or before Oct. 31 of this year, and have final regulations in place by Dec. 31 of this year. 
 	
 The topic will be discussed further during a general session panel titled Answering the Sustainability Question: Addressing Citizen Opposition to Biomass Derived Power at Biomass Magazine's Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo Aug. 4-6 in Boston. The panel will include Tom Walker, a Manomet consultant who will discuss the study, specifically the carbon accounting, and moderator Dwayne Breger, director of renewable and alternative energy development at the DOER. 
 
 More information about the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo can be found at <a href="http://ne.biomassconference.com">http://ne.biomassconference.com</a>.

MA EEA requests swift policy change following biomass study

Posted July 9, 2010, at 11:50 a.m. CST
 
 The environmental superiority of biomass power over fossil fuels is obvious and great. Still, the industry must continue the ongoing pursuit of operation optimization, which includes many components, including selecting the right biomass boiler or emission control technology for a particular operation. The Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo Aug. 4-6 in Boston will address this issue with a panel titled Leveraging Technology for the Clean and Efficient Utilization of Biomass Energy. 
 
 John DeFusco of Babcock & Wilcox Co. will kick off the panel by comparing bubbling fluidized bed and stoker boilers, providing insight as to what should influence a decision on selecting an appropriate boiler technology for a specific renewable energy project. 
 
 Hand-in-hand with selecting boiler technologies is emission controls, and Anguil Environmental System Inc.'s Rich Grzanka will describe some new biomass boiler emission control technologies. "A new air pollution control regulation called the Industrial Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) is coming out this year that will require companies who own and operate a boiler to monitor and control their emissions," Grzanka said. "I will be discussing the different control technologies, specifically a multistage, high-efficiency, cyclone collector capable of high efficiencies, low operating costs and virtually no maintenance concerns." 
 
 Grazanka added that the new generation of cyclone technology has an impressive track record in the European biomass market and other high-temperature industrial applications. 
 
 Charlie Thannhaeuser, CEO of Concord Blue Technology Pvt. Ltd., will outline a waste-to-energy, close-coupled pyrolysis/gasification technology. 
 
 Concord Blue's technology processes a diverse range of organic solids from waste biomass, garbage, agricultural wastes, and municipal and hospital wastes in a completely inertized atmosphere by thermochemical degradation, to produce a hydrogen-rich syngas which is supplied to a gas engine to produce power.
 
 The final panelist is Robert Miller, senior executive vice president of Calnetix Inc., who will present and discuss six projects that utilize four different biomass-based technologies combined with Organic Rankine Cycle waste heat generation.
 
 To learn more about the conference, visit <a href="http://www.ne.biomassconference.com">www.ne.biomassconference.com</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo panel to aid MACT boiler rule compliance

Posted July 12, 2010, at 11:18 a.m. CST
 
 Cellulosic ethanol technology developer Inbicon A/S has been operating its 1.4 MMgy wheat straw-to-ethanol facility at Kalundborg, Denmark, at full capacity for three months and is already achieving better-than-expected results. 
 
 "When you first commission a plant, there's a lot of things to do and it takes awhile to get feedback from something like this," said Thomas Corle of G-Team Consultants, representing Inbicon Technology. "[But] we are seeing optimal results on the operational side and also on the capital investment side. We're getting better results than anticipated and better performance from the enzymes than we expected." 
 
 The enzymes being used at the facility are being supplied by both Novozymes A/S and Genencor, a division of Danisco. Corle said the over achievement of the enzymes so far are greatly responsible for reducing the capital costs for the plant. Inbicon plans to release data soon to prove its early success, according to Corle. 
 
 Additionally, Inbicon is in the early stages of deploying its biomass refinery design at three U.S. sites, located in North Dakota, New York and Illinois. Great River Energy is currently conducting a feasibility study to examine the possibilities of co-locating a 20 MMgy Inbicon cellulosic ethanol biomass refinery with its 64 megawatt Spiritwood Station near Jamestown, N.D. Genesee Regional BioFuels is preparing to begin a feasibility study on its plans to establish a refinery at a brownfield site in Rochester, N.Y., and Integro Services Group, is planning to integrate a 20 MMgy Inbicon refinery at a new 59 MMgy corn-based ethanol plant in Alton, Ill. According to Corle, all three projects will begin seeking government funding, as well as private sector financing, in the fourth quarter of the year. Corle said they hope to have a solid production timeline set in 2011. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

Inbicon demo plant achieves optimal return

Posted July 12, 2010 at 4:08 p.m. CST 
 
 Building the biomass industry won't be fast or easy, but attendees of the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo, which is being held Aug. 4-6 in Boston, will have a leg up after hearing the presentations during the Building Momentum: Positioning a Project in the Early Stages to Ensure Success panel. 
 
 The panel features speakers who know what it takes to build biomass facilities from conducting project analyses to reigning in costs. Jim Renner, vice president of Victaulic Co., will be making a presentation called How Lean Construction Techniques Promise to Improve Biomass Plant Development.
 
 "We're trying to demonstrate how lean manufacturing and lean construction techniques can be applied to biofuels construction projects to help reduce overall project cost, project risk and construction schedules," he said. That means removing waste through every single part of the project in a process called lean construction, he added. 
 
 Victaulic's expertise is in piping, which makes up 30 to 40 percent of the capital cost of building a biofuels plant, Renner said. "Using piping as an example, we can show ways that preplanning and coordination of process flow and reduction of material handling through the use of some innovative manufacturing techniques can actually reduce the cost of the overall project," he said. "We demonstrate ways that you can remove much of the risk of the project, which in many cases is the labor cost, by moving it into more of a shop environment, rather than a field environment, to help control the labor and other things such as the impact of weather."
 
 Renner said the rule of thumb that the industry uses is that for every $1 you spend on preplanning and coordination upfront, you should save $4 in the field. "With some of the prefabrication concepts for piping that we'll demonstrate, we'll show how you can achieve 20 times the efficiency of the traditional welding and flanging of pipes."
 
 Joining Renner on the panel will be Thomas Stringfellow, senior consulting engineer for R.W. Beck Inc., whose presentation is titled Making a Biomass Fueled Power Plant Financeable. 
 
 Stringfellow's primary focus is using modular design and modular construction techniques in order to achieve a lower cost project. "A lot of times these projects get hampered with so many change orders and things like that and a modular approach mitigates that quite a bit," he said.
 
 R.W. Beck has been involved in a number of biomass projects, including being the independent engineer on a 30-megawatt greenfield power plant in Modesto, Calif., said Stringfellow, who has been involved in the power generation engineering industry for about 40 years. 
 
 "There are so many different pieces and parts to these biomass plants that you can have the design engineer put out the request for proposals to a number of manufacturers and have them all manufacture or fabricate in various locations and then shipped to the field," he said. "Then the construction contract can do what we call plug and play-plug it in, operate it."
 
 Stringfellow said that modular construction has traditionally been performed in the oil and gas industry, where nearly everything is 100 percent modular. "What we're advocating is taking that concept and transplanting it into the biomass industry in order to control your costs and control your risks,'' he added.
 
 Rounding out the panel will be Brian KillKelley, director of supply orientation for NativeEnergy Inc., and Andras Marton, project analyst for Independent Project Analysis. 	
 
 To learn more about the conference, visit <a href="http://">www.ne.biomassconference.com.</a>

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo Features Plant Construction Panel

Posted July 12, 2010, at 4:34 p.m. CST
 
 Expansions scheduled for Waste Management's landfill-gas-to-energy project near Richmond, Mich., will make it one of the top energy-producing landfill gas facilities in North America. 
 	
 The Pine Tree Acres landfill gas project currently produces 5 megawatts (MW) of power and has been operated by Landfill Energy Solutions for more than 10 years, according to Wes Muir, WM spokesman. WM will now design, build and operate a $15 million facility that will add nearly 13 MW of energy, which will be sold to Consumers Energy Co. "Concurrent to our expansion LES is also expanding its facility to produce another 3 MW of energy," Muir said. When completed, the facilities will produce more than 21 MW.
 	
 WM has 273 landfills, 119 of which host landfill gas-to-energy facilities. Together they provide the equivalent of more than 470 megawatts of energy, enough to power approximately 400,000 homes and replace nearly 2 million tons of coal per year. The company announced in 2007 its plans to expand its energy-from-landfill-gas operations by more than 60 facilities by 2013, Muir said. "For those landfills that produce enough gas to host such a facility, we are developing other technologies to utilize this gas," he said. The technology used at the new Pine Tree facility will be the same the company has used for the past 20 years, but with modifications including reciprocating engines similar to the ones in a car, Muir said.
 	
 The gas is created naturally through the decomposition of waste in landfills and is a readily available renewable energy source. It can be collected and used directly as medium Btu gas for industrial use or sold to gas-to-energy plants to fuel engine- or turbine-driven generators of electricity, according to WM. For the company, landfill gas has lived up to its promise of being a reliable and economical form of energy.
 	
 "Landfill gas to energy is important for WM because we want to take advantage of the landfill gas we produce at our landfills and ensure that we utilize this gas to the greatest extent possible," Muir said. 
 	
 The company says its landfill gas-to-energy program is a vital part of North America's drive to develop alternative energy sources and promote environmental sustainability.

WM expands Michigan landfill gas project

Posted July 13, 2010, at 9:27 a.m. CST
 
 The Ohio Department of Development's Energy Resources Division has allocated $10 million in federal funding to its Transforming Waste to Value program and is accepting applications for project funding through Aug. 23. 
 
 The grant funding is part of $96 million allocated to Ohio through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act State Energy Program. Among other criteria, eligible applicants for Transforming Waste to Value funding will create jobs through projects that convert biomass feedstocks such as food and farm wastes or municipal solid waste into electricity, heat, fuel or other bioproducts. The request for proposals (RFP) is a direct result of the ARRA funding, according to Nadine Howard, director of the Ohio Energy Resources Division. 
 	
 "Ohio has a strong economic base in agriculture and food production," she said. The program will further work already being done in those areas, but will also expand waste-to-energy opportunities to other industries. "I don't want to say we'll be giving special attention to any technology," she said, adding that the important thing is how quickly the project can be completed and create jobs. 
 	
 No applications have been received since the request for proposals was released June 25 and Howard doesn't expect any soon. "I wouldn't anticipate we receive any until we get closer to the due date," she said, adding that the department will announce the winners in the fall. 
 	
 The maximum award amount is $1 million and the minimum is $500,000, so it is possible that not all the funding will be used. Howard said the department planned on the program only running this year, but it could reappear if the projects are successful. "We don't have plans to continue it now," she said. 
 	
 The U.S. DOE requires that projects applying for its funding be commercially available, so most demonstration plants most likely would not be chosen, but Howard said that's not a general rule. To be considered, all applicants must complete a two-step process: submit a one-page project summary to <a href="http://recovery.ohio.gov/opportunities/state/">http://recovery.ohio.gov/opportunities/state/</a> by 3 p.m. Aug. 16; and submit a proposal to the Ohio Energy Resources Division no later than 3 p.m. Aug. 23. 
 	
 Applicants will be scored against four criteria on a 150-point scale: project readiness; project financials; economic and employment impacts for Ohio; and energy impacts and innovativeness, according to the request for proposals. Applicants can also score points in a fifth and bonus criterion if they are certified as a Minority Business Enterprise, Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity, or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. 
 	
 For more information, visit the Ohio Energy Resources Division website at <a href="http://www.development.ohio.gov/Energy/">http://www.development.ohio.gov/Energy/</a>.

Ohio issues waste-to-energy RFP

Posted July 13, 2010, at 1:18 p.m. CST
 
 The Great Plains Institute has released a new Web-based energy modeling system that models the interaction of a wide range of federal and state energy data and policies in order to provide a context for the simulation of economic decisions between now and 2050. 
 
 The Energy Choice Simulator allows a user to compare or enter assumptions (such as feedstock availability, natural gas/electricity prices, annual state economic growth or fuel costs) about a state or region, experiment with policies (fuel subsidies, state taxes, low-carbon fuel standards or state efficiency mandates) that are or may be implemented by a state, and simulate outcomes based on those assumptions and policies. Assumptions and policies are different, explained GPI Energy Policy Analyst Dane McFarlane, as assumptions define the environment within which the policies operate.
 
 Outcomes created by interacting sets of assumptions and policies are labeled as model scenarios, McFarlane said. Scenarios can be compared with one another and by state to assess their relative impact on variables such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy usage and spending. "Users can compare potential scenarios imposed by specific policies in a given state or region, such as taxes on feedstocks or particular technologies, moratoriums on various fuel pathways, or any other policies that might affect them." 
 
 McFarlane said a key feature of the ECS is that it is of an open source nature. "If you see anything you disagree with, you can click on the assumptions tab, search for your parameter and then filter out all assumptions related to that," he said. 
 
 The tool, co-developed by GPI, Forio Business Simulations Inc. and the University of Minnesota, currently only caters to the Midwest. It took two years to develop, and involved input from hundreds of stakeholders from many sectors including environmental nongovernment organizations, electric utilities, public utility commissioners, state legislators, conservation organizations, oil companies, agriculture and biofuel producers, labor unions and investors, according to McFarlane. Through meetings, conference calls, and webinars, the participating stakeholders helped guide the development of policy recommendations.
 
 In terms of relevance to a state's biomass industry, could the ECS help a user understand how biomass materials would be best used in producing renewable energy in a given area-whether it may be more economic to make fuel, electricity or biogas? "There's no one answer to that question, because it depends on the relative prices [of feedstocks]," said Brendan Jordan, GPI bioeconomy and transportation policy initiative manager. "The model won't give you a single answer, but it will allow you to explore the implications of using biomass to make each product, based on relative prices and what the fuel is." 
 
 "[the model] does look at the amount of available biomass-grass, corn waste or livestock waste-and makes an economic decision every year as to how much to put into electricity, ethanol or any other energy use," McFarland added. "It won't tell you straight out what the best use of biomass is, but you can see what is implied by the model based on availability and economics." 
 
 To access the Energy Choice Simulator, visit <a href="http://www.energychoicesimulator.com/">http://www.energychoicesimulator.com/</a>.

New model projects energy policy impacts

Posted July 13, 2010, at 5:11 p.m. CST
 
 After evaluating the market availability of cellulosic biofuels, the U.S. EPA is proposing to lower the 2011 cellulosic biofuels volume target initially established in the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 by as much as 24 million gallons. The agency's proposed renewable fuel standard (RFS) for next year, released July 12, predicts that next year's achievable volume range for cellulosic biofuels will be 5 million to 17.1 million gallons. By comparison, the RFS put forth in EISA, known as RFS2, called for cellulosic biofuels to contribute 250 million gallons to the overall renewable fuel volume in 2011. 
 
 In its standard proposal, the EPA said it evaluated both domestic and foreign sources of cellulosic biofuel and found only five U.S. cellulosic ethanol producers with the potential to contribute to cellulosic biofuel volume next year, including: AE Biofuels, Agresti Biofuels, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, Fiberight LLC and KL Energy Corp. Ontario-based Iogen Corp. was singled out as the sole Canadian producer with the potential to export cellulosic biofuel into the U.S. in 2011. 
 
 Fiberight is pegged by the EPA to be the largest cellulosic ethanol contributor next year. The company is expected to ramp up its Blairstown, Iowa, facility to its full production capacity of 5.7 MMgy by late 2011 and said it could produce as much as 2.8 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol next year. Fiberight's process uses Novozymes enzymes for enzymatic hydrolysis to convert cellulosic waste materials to ethanol. 
 
 Agresti Biofuels is on the EPA's list to contribute 1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol from a 20 MMgy facility to be located in Pike County, Ky. The production process utilizes separated municipal solid waste to produce ethanol, using first a gravity pressure vessel and then a combination of weak bases and acids to convert cellulose and hemicellulose into simple sugars for fermentation. The company is currently in the final stages of setting up a demonstration-scale facility in Vietnam, according to program director Zig Resiak, and won't be able to begin construction on the Kentucky plant until the Vietnam plant is up and running. "Everything is dependent on Vietnam," he said. "It all comes down to that first demonstration project. We're literally down to the last few million dollars for the project, everybody's ready to go." Resiak said the plant is expected to start up in the fourth quarter of this year. The Kentucky site has been cleared and is ready for construction to begin as soon as the Vietnam plant is on line and all financing is secured. According to Resiak, the 1 million-gallon Agresti goal for next year is "absolutely" attainable and he believes the company can produce more than its allotted share. 
 
 The EPA expects AE Biofuels to produce 500,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol from a corn-based ethanol plant in Keyes, Calif. The AE Advanced Fuels Keyes facility is anticipated to begin producing late this year using starch feedstock, but the EPA said in its report the plant will transition to some cellulosic feedstock beginning in mid-2011. The company plans to eventually use up to 25 percent cellulosic feedstock at the 55 MMgy facility. 
 
 Wyoming-based KL Energy Corp. has been slowly ramping up its 1.5 MMgy cellulosic facility in Upton, Wy., since 2007. According to the EPA, KL Energy said it intends to produce 400,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol next year, using an enzymatic hydrolysis process to convert wood chips and wood waste to ethanol. 
 
 DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol's demonstration-scale facility at Vonore, Tenn., also made the EPA's short list of anticipated producers. The 250,000 gallon per year facility began operating earlier this year and uses an enzymatic hydrolysis process to convert corncobs to ethanol. DDCE told the EPA it does not plan to produce more than 150,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol from the facility in 2011, and so will be expected to contribute that amount to the overall total. 
 
 Finally, the EPA stated that while it is uncertain whether Canadian producers would export cellulosic ethanol, Iogen Corp. is producing cellulosic ethanol at its demonstration-scale facility now and could potentially participate in the RFS2 program next year. Iogen also utilizes an enzymatic hydrolysis process at its production facility, and uses wheat, oat and barley straw for feedstocks. According to the EPA's proposal, while all of the ethanol produced to date at Iogen's 500,000 gallon per year facility has been sold locally, the company is exploring the possibility of exporting in 2011 and could contribute up to 250,000 gallons of fuel to the total volume requirement. However, Iogen Executive Vice President Jeff Passmore said the company has no current plans to export large amounts of fuel to the U.S. in 2011. Additionally, he said Iogen doesn't plan to produce 250,000 gallons of fuel at its facility next year. "We have no plans to export," he said. "We're using our fuel for demonstration purposes. Some might get sent to the U.S. for small fuel demonstrations such as car races, but we don't have any plans for major exports." Passmore said Iogen has delivered approximately 8,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol to the U.S. this year, all of which was used for racing applications, and he anticipates a similar scenario to occur next year. 
 
 The EPA said in its proposed standard that none of the expectant 2011 producers are currently producing cellulosic biofuel at the rates they project for 2011. It also admitted several significant hurdles need to be overcome before the anticipated production rates can be achieved, including outstanding issues in the areas of technology, funding and construction. Producers said the lowered expectations are a reflection of the current state of the cellulosic ethanol industry and that financing continues to be the most difficult aspect of project development. 
 
 The EPA will accept public comments on its proposed standard for 30 days following the proposal's publication in the Federal Register. The agency does not plan to hold a public hearing regarding the proposal, but will schedule one upon request. The entire proposed standard, as well as instructions on filing comments, can be viewed at the EPA's at <a href="http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/rfs2011-standards-rule.pdf">http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/rfs2011-standards-rule.pdf</a>. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

EPA slashes 2011 cellulosic estimates

Posted July 14, 2010, at 8:14 a.m. CST
 
 Cow manure is being converted to energy at the first biogas cogeneration plant in the Ukraine. The facility, which is powered by 4,000 cows and a GE Jenbacher gas engine, has recently completed nine months of successful operation at the Ukrainian Milk Company Ltd., near Kiev. 
 
 The excess power produced at the plant is being sold to the grid. The Ukrainian Milk Co., which produces milk for baby nutrition products, received the license for selling power to the grid based on the "green" tariff, which is being approved by Ukraine authorities. According to the law, the "green" tariff is "a special tariff for electricity generated at the power plants with use of alternative energy sources." 
 
 The new combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant is powered by a GE JMC 312 containerized cogeneration model gas engine and is able to substitute the equivalent of 1.2 million cubic meters of natural gas annually and, therefore, is projected to reduce the equivalent of 18,000 metric tons of CO2. Once converted into biogas, the manure from the cows produces 625 kilowatts (kW) of electricity and 686 kW of thermal output. 
 
 This is GE's first order from the biogas plant construction company ZORG. The unit was sold to ZORG through GE's distributor and service provider in the Ukraine, SINAPSE. "Based on the top service provided by SINAPSE during the commissioning and operation of the new GE CHP plant, we look forward to working with them again and using GE's Jenbacher products for future projects we have planned," said Igor Aksyutov, commercial director of ZORG Ukraine. 
 
 The first stage of operation for the plant took place during the most severe winter in the past 20 years, with constant minus temperatures reaching -25 to -30 degrees Celsius. Despite the cold temperatures, the operation of the plant remained at a favorable level. 
 
 Biogas offers customers several advantages. It provides an alternative disposal of dung, liquid manure and organic waste, while simultaneously harnessing them as an energy source, a substitute for conventional fuels. It also has the high potential for reduction in greenhouse gases and is highly efficient for combined on-site power and heat generation. In addition, the remaining substrate from the digester can be used as high-quality, agricultural fertilizer, characterized by neutralizing the acid effect with a higher ph-value, keeping nutrients retained and nearly odorless. 
 
 "The disposal and treatment of biological waste represents a major challenge for the waste industry. Our Jenbacher biogas-fueled gas engines improve waste management while maximizing the use of cow manure, an economical energy supply," said Prady Iyyanki, CEO-gas engines for GE Power & Water. "We are pleased that our technology is a part of the first biogas plant in operation in the Ukraine and applaud the region for seeking new renewable and alternative ways to create cleaner energy." 
 
 GE has several biogas projects throughout the world. China has adopted both cow and chicken manure applications. Once completed, the recently announced project at the Liaoning Huishan Cow Farm in China will become the world's largest biogas project based on cow manure. In addition, GE's Jenbacher gas engines are using biogas created from chicken manure to generate needed power and heat at the Beijing Deqingyuan Chicken Farm Waste Utilization Plant, a large chicken farm north of Beijing, and in July 2009, GE's biogas engines began to power China's largest chicken waste biogas-energy plant at the Minhe Animal Husbandry. 
 
 Cow manure also is helping to address northwestern India's mounting energy environmental needs and is allowing a U.S. dairy farm to support the expansion of renewable energy production. A GE Jenbacher biogas engine is powering a successful demonstration cattle manure-methane cogeneration plant at Haebowal, a large dairy complex in Punjab, India, while GE's biogas engine technology is generating 633 kW of renewable energy at United States-based Crave Brothers Farm LLC, in Waterloo, Wis. Crave Brothers has been able to reduce operational costs and the environmental impacts of its dairy operations, and the surplus power it sells to the regional grid helps support the expansion of renewable energy production. 
 
 ZORG is a leading supplier of turn-key biogas solutions in the Ukrainian market. The company offers a full range of engineering services for biogas, as well as designs, builds and produces biogas plants. ZORG works globally and currently has a number of projects in CIS countries. 
 
 SOURCE: GE

GE biogas engine powers Ukraine milk company

Posted July 14, 2010, at 11:52 a.m. CST
 
 A regional renewable jet fuel collaboration will officially kick off at the end of the month, a project that will assess four states in the Pacific Northwest-Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana-to determine biomass feedstock growth, harvest, refining and transport options in relation to sustainable aviation fuel production.
 
 Washington State University will lead the research efforts. Other collaborative partners include Alaska Airlines, Boeing, the Port of Seattle, the Port of Portland and Spokane International Airport. Research will include an analysis of biofuel feedstocks native to the Pacific Northwest region, including algae, oilseeds such as camelina and woody biomass.
 
 The project will identify potential pathways and necessary actions to make aviation biofuel commercially available to airline operators servicing the Pacific Northwest region. A perfect candidate for its given role, WSU is well into biofuel research efforts, with numerous projects already underway. Though the biojet fuel collaboration was just recently publicly announced, it's been years in the making.
 
 WSU, under the leadership of Vice President John Gardner, has been working with Boeing, the U.S. Air Force, SeaTac airport, Targeted Growth, Weyerhauser, Tesoro, and others on an aviation biofuels effort for a couple of years, according to WSU Agricultural Research Center Director Ralph Cavalieri. "The first part of the project was to engage in the discussions among the partners so that a demand for the biofuel would be created," he said. "Experience has shown us that demand for the fuel is essential if there is to be investment in the production of the fuel and the acquisition of reliable quantities of biomass. Washington is a natural location for this effort with so many of the needed partners being located in the state." 
 Scientists at the college have been working on biomass-to-aviation fuel projects that are supportive of the effort for quite some time, according to Cavalieri. "Of course, the major research effort we are undertaking is the development of the cropping system to produce the oilseed crops that will go to the crusher and ultimately be processed into standard jet fuel," he explained. "The constraint that the aviation industry and the Air Force placed on the project is to produce the oil from nonfood crops."
 
 Two oilseed crops that are obvious candidates for the project are camelina and rapeseed, which is the nonedible version of canola. 
 
 "We have had a major effort underway for a number of years, funded by Washington (state), to examine biomass crops for biofuels," Cavalieri said. "The overarching biomass for biofuels project is led by professor Bill Pan, and it involves switchgrass and other fast growing perennial grasses, various oilseeds, etc." 
 
 A portion of that project, led by Cook Endowed Chair in Cropping Systems and Professor Scott Hulbert, involves camelina. Hulbert is the principal investigator for WSU's application for funds to USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative in an upcoming round of grant competition for creation of a regional biomass for biofuels research center. "In that proposal, we are partnering with Oregon State University, Montana State University, the University of Idaho, the University of Washington, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service and others," Cavalieri said. "The goal is to advance the knowledge of how to produce oilseed crops in an economically and environmentally sustainable way in the Pacific Northwest with the goal of providing the necessary nonfood vegetable oil to meet the aviation industry's needs in the region." 
 
 Another project WSU has implemented is led by Regents Professor Norman Lewis, who has expertise in the basic plant science of woody plants, particularly poplar trees. "His research adjusts the biochemistry of the trees to make them more suitable for use in making biofuels and other bioproducts," Cavalieri said. "Dr. Lewis is leading an effort to secure USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture funds for a multi-institutional group to advance the production of aviation fuel from lignocellulosic biomass." 
 
 To add to the general topic of plant improvement, WSU has a number of faculty members who are modifying plants to alter the chemical makeup of the oils they express, to examine the genetics of plants for production of biomass and improve their ability to be produced with minimal or no additional inputs. 
 
 Assistant Professor Manuel Garcia Perez is leading a project involving the thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass through pyrolysis to bio-oil. "This, too, can be used to make aviation fuels after appropriate processing," Cavalieri pointed out. "His efforts are in conjunction with the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering and with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory."
 
 Another relevant project, led by Professor Shulin Chen, involves efforts to optimize algae production in northern states. "He has a substantial program, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has already shown that oil from algae can be used to make jet fuel," Cavalieri said. "Dr. Chen is running a very large research program dealing with many other aspects of biofuel and bioproducts development." 
 
 In cooperation with PNNL, Professor Birgitte Ahring leads WSU's Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory. "There are many ways that the work there pertains to aviation biofuels, but her primary effort is in the production of ethanol through microbiological processes with subsequent conversion to other biofuels and bioproducts," Cavalieri explained. "Finally, we have economists who are examining the economics of agricultural production of biomass and of transportation issues associated with this developing industry."
 
 The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest project is being funded by participating parties, and is expected to be complete in six months.

WSU to lead Pacific NW aviation biofuel project

Posted July 15, 2010, at 10:42 a.m. CST
 
 The U.S. EPA has issued the proposed production volumes for the 2011 RFS2, calculating biomass-based diesel for 2011 at 800 million gallons. To formulate the production number, EPA examined both industry capacity and recent production rates. "As of April 2010, the aggregate production capacity of biodiesel plants in the U.S. was estimated at 2.2 billion gallons per year across approximately 137 facilities," EPA said. 
 
 "The biodiesel industry stands ready, willing and able to produce the wet gallons required to comply with the program," said Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board CEO. "By 2011, much of the uncertainty that has accompanied the start up and transition of the program in 2009 and 2010 will have been eliminated." 
 
 Advanced biofuels will total 1.35 billion gallons and cellulosic biofuels, according to the EPA, will total between 5 million and 17.1 million gallons in 2011. "Based on analysis of market availability, EPA is proposing a 2011 cellulosic volume that is lower than the EISA (Energy Independence & Security Act) target," EPA said. 
 
 The EPA believes, however, that it may be appropriate to allow excess advanced biofuels to make up for the shortfall in cellulosic biofuel, including excess biomass-based diesel. "If we were to maintain the advanced biofuel and total renewable fuel volume requirements at the levels specified in the statue, we estimate that 125 million to 144 million ethanol-equivalent gallons of additional advanced biofuels would be needed, depending on the standard we set for cellulosic biofuel." 
 
 "Biodiesel is well-positioned to meet volumes in this category relative to other advanced biofuels, and will likely play a significant role in meeting them," Jobe said. The markets, he added, will ultimately decide how much biodiesel is used to fulfill the generic category of advanced biofuels. 
 
 Under current market conditions, the EPA first considered whether the 800 million-gallon-volume can be met in 2011 if biomass-based diesel production may also qualify for the cellulosic biofuel volumes. "We believe that the 0.8 billion-gallon-standard can indeed be met," EPA said. "Since biodiesel has an equivalence value of 1.5, 0.8 billion physical gallons of biodiesel would provide 1.20 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons that can be counted towards the advanced biofuel standard of 1.35 billion gallons," adding, "Of the remaining 0.15 billion gallons, up to 0.026 billion gallons would be met with the proposed volume of cellulosic biofuel." 
 
 "We believe that Congress wanted to encourage the development of advanced renewable fuels and allow in appropriate circumstances for the use of additional volumes of those fuels in the event that the projected volume of cellulosic biofuel falls below the statutory mandate," EPA said. 
 
 Also included in the EPA's proposal report was information on domestic cellulosic diesel producers. The EPA sited two companies capable of producing cellulosic diesel in 2011, Cello Energy and Bell Bio-Energy. Producers using canola oil, grain sorghum, pulpwood or palm oil as a feedstock may soon qualify for RFS2 compliance. The EPA is proposing changes for those feedstocks if it is determined that certain greenhouse gas reductions are met. 
 
 Because the 2011 production values set by the EPA are only in the proposal stage at this point, Jobe said the recent rulemaking is only a formality put in place to allow public feedback. "NBB's comments on this rulemaking will be supportive of the EPA's decision, with the possible addition of some administrative and technical comments," Jobe said. 
 
 To offer changes on the proposed rule, the EPA will accept comments for 30 days after the proposal is posted on the Federal Register. To view the full rulemaking document, go to <a href="http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/rfs2011-standards-rule.pdf">http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/rfs2011-standards-rule.pdf</a>. 
 
 OURCE: BIODIESEL MAGAZINE

Biomass-based diesel an RFS2 option

Posted July 15, 2010, at 11:05 a.m. CST
 
 Verenium Corp. announced July 15 that BP Biofuels North America will acquire all of its cellulosic biofuels interests for $98.3 million. The sale includes the pilot- and demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities in Jennings, La., the research and development facilities in San Diego, and all of the company's cellulosic enzyme technology. BP will also become the sole investor in Vercipia Biofuels, a joint venture formed by BP and Verenium in 2009 to develop a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Florida. Verenium will revert back to its original business model, which includes commercial enzyme development, and said it intends to continue developing enzymes to be used in a range of different applications, including cellulosic ethanol production. 
 
 Verenium President and CEO Carlos Riva said that while the company still believes in the potential of cellulosic ethanol, it was determined that the best opportunity for Verenium to be profitable in that sector is through its enzymes business. "Building commercial [cellulosic ethanol] plants represents a capital intensive business model which, given the current state of capital markets, resides more properly with a large organization like BP," he said. By selling its cellulosic business, Verenium will be able to continue to explore cellulosic ethanol opportunities, but without the financial burden. 
 
 BP first acquired an interest in Verenium nearly two years ago when it partnered with the company to commercialize its cellulosic ethanol technology. As part of the initial investment, BP provided Verenium with $90 million in exchange for rights to its cellulosic ethanol technology. BP paid Verenium $24.5 million up front and delivered $2.5 million to Verenium monthly for 18 months to co-fund its cellulosic ethanol initiatives.Since that time, the partnership launched Vercipia Biofuels to construct a 36 MMgy cellulosic ethanol production facility in Highlands County, Fla., which is scheduled to become operational in 2012. 
 
 "We are very pleased that our strategic development partnership with BP has successfully advanced our cellulosic ethanol technology to the cusp of commercialization," Riva said. "We believe that BP is the right company to make the investment needed to carry this forward and expedite the commercialization of the technology." 
 
 It was not immediately clear as to what BP's total investments were in Verenium prior to the sale announcement. During a conference call to discuss the sale, Riva said complete investment disclosures will be made public at the close of the sale, which is scheduled to take place this quarter. BP said the sale agreement proves its commitment to becoming a leader in the U.S. cellulosic biofuels industry and leaves BP Biofuels well-positioned to accelerate cellulosic ethanol technology but did not provide an immediate comment related to future plans for operations at the Jennings site or the Florida facility. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

BP buys out Verenium for $98 million

Posted July 15, 2010, at 11:45 a.m. CST
 
 A team of scientists have released a paper that is the result of what they believe is the largest data base analyzed and compiled to date for energy crop yield comparisons in relation to geographically distributed variables such as site location, plot size, stand age, harvest frequency, fertilizer application, climate, and land quality.
 
 Oakridge National Laboratory and Dartmouth College researchers compiled 1,190 biomass yield observations for both lowland and upland types of switchgrass grown on 39 field sites across the U.S. These observations were extracted from 18 publications that reported results from field trials in 17 states, as far south as Texas, north to North Dakota, and east to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Among the several factors examined, the researchers found that much of the variation in switchgrass yields could be accounted for by variation in growing season precipitation, annual temperature, nitrogen fertilization and the type of switchgrass grown in a specific region.
 
 For example, lowland switchgrass outperformed upland varieties at most locations, except at northern latitudes. Annual yields averaged 12.9 metric tons (14.2 tons) per hectare (2.47 acres) for lowland and 8.7 metric tons for upland ecotypes. Some field sites in Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma reported biomass yields greater than 28 metric tons per hectare using the lowland cultivars Kanlow and Alamo.
 
 Overall, researchers also found that yields were relatively consistent with the natural geographic range of switchgrass, although significant yields were predicted along the Pacific Coast states. Yields were shown to be limited by precipitation west of the Great Plains, and to a lesser extent, by low mean annual temperature. Maximum switchgrass biomass yields were projected westward from the mid-Atlantic Coast region to Kansas and Oklahoma. 
 Stan Wullschleger, crop physiologist who led the study, noted that field trials are often planted to provide local estimates of crop production. "However, viewed in a broader context, results from individual field trials can contribute to a larger perspective and provide regional- to national-scale estimates of yield and the variables that determine that yield," he said. 
 
 The researchers concluded that future studies should extend the geographic distribution of field trials and thus improve understanding of biomass production as a function of soil, climate and crop management for promising biofuel feedstocks such as switchgrass.
 
 The paper was published by the American Society of Agronomy in the July-August 2010 Agronomy Journal. It can be accessed at <a href="http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/102/4/1158">http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/102/4/1158</a>.

Scientists evaluate switchgrass yields across US

Posted July 15, 2010, at 3:10 p.m. CST
 
 Wisconsin-based Cellulose Sciences International has received a $150,000 Small Business Innovation & Research grant from the National Science Foundation to put toward scale-up and optimization of its proprietary cellulose-conditioning pretreatment. The process allows faster biomass conversion and more economic cellulosic ethanol production by making the cellulose much more accessible to the enzymes, according to the company. 
 	
 The pretreatment is based on work started in the 1970s by Rajai Atalla, now CSI's CEO, chief scientfici officer and chemical engineer. "Now what we're doing is taking know-how from back in the day and sculpting it so it's a better fit for the biorefineries," said Tony Hartmann, who does business development for CSI. The process involves stirring in a proprietary pretreatment solution, followed by separation of the solids from the solution. Then, there is a series of wash cycles that use only solvent and water, according to CSI president Rowan Atalla. "That's it," Atalla said. "No cooking necessary." The procedure could take place inside any large stirred vessel, he added, and essentially swells the cellulose fibrils and opens them up. 
 	
 Lignin and hemicelluloses are removed, almost always at elevated temperatures, in the first step of conventional treatment of lignocellulosic feedstocks. "As lignin and hemicellulose is removed, the cellulose aggregates much more tightly and it becomes much more difficult for enzymes to hydrolyze it," Atalla said. "Our process opens the structure back up and makes it more accessible to hydrolytic enzymes." It's almost identical to the gelatinization step in the corn-to-ethanol process, Hartmann said.
 	
 The initial intent with the experiment was to reduce the residence time with the enzymes, Atalla said, but the researchers discovered that the process could also reduce the amount of enzymes needed. CSI has seen a 40 percent greater conversion rate with only one-quarter the amount of enzymes used in the control group, he cited. The company has gotten best results with corn stover, but has used cellulose derived from woody biomass as well as herbaceous feedstocks. 
 	
 Besides greater conversion and faster cellulosic ethanol production, the pretreatment has other benefits. It can be done at room temperature with ambient pressure and uses no exotic re-agents. "There's nothing really outlandish in there," Atalla said. "It's basically caustic and solvent." The process can also bring the costs of enzymes for cellulosic ethanol down from about 50 cents per gallon to only five cents per gallon, Hartmann said. 
 	
 Future scale-up of the pretreatment from bench scale to demonstration will be located at Didion Ethanol's Cambria, Wis., 50-million-gallon corn-ethanol plant. Feedstocks will include corn stover and low-value side streams from the Didion plant. "The scale-up and timeline are all guesswork," Hartmann said. "But we know this technology works now." 
 	
 The $150,000 is only a portion of scale-up costs and will most likely be spent in the next six months inside the lab, before the system is moved to Didion's plant, Hartmann said. He declined to speak about project finance in detail, but said, "Our best customers are going to be people who are already making ethanol."
 	
 Project partners include enzyme giant Novozymes, Great Lakes Ag Energy of Middleton, Wis., Didion, and pulp and paper industry consultants.
 	
 CSI's process makes economic sense, which is crucial, Hartmann emphasized, as nothing gets off the ground unless it's cheap enough. "[The pretreatment] is really economic and it stems from a really good understanding of cellulose and cellulosic properties," he said.

Making cellulose more accessible to enzymes

Posted July 15, 2010, at 5:04 p.m. CST
 
 New York-based Fortistar LLC will add 18 new landfill-gas-to-energy projects to its portfolio, bringing the total to about 60 plants in operation all over the country. The company secured $105 million in financing for the projects, which represent a 20 percent boost to its methane power plant arsenal. 
 	
 All the landfill gas plants built, owned and operated by Fortistar produce electricity, which is sold to utilities or municipalities, according to Fortistar managing director Jon Maurer. The company does not own any of the landfills where the plants are installed. Most of the projects use reciprocating engines, burning the methane that emits naturally from the landfills. 
 	
 The process is green because methane produces 21 times the amount of greenhouse gases as a similar amount of carbon dioxide, according to the company, and the process is renewable because it is the product of the decomposition of garbage in landfills. The U.S. EPA requires the methane to be collected, so projects are built adjacent to the landfills. "We then use that gas as fuel," Maurer said. 
 	
 The 18 new projects will add another 60 megawatts (MW) to Fortistar's existing capacity of more than 230 MW, according to Maurer. The Fortistar Methane Group owns about 12 percent of the developed landfill gas-to-energy projects in the U.S., according to the company. The group's capabilities include: landfill and digester gas collection systems; electrical generation systems; rapid project development; environmental compliance; renewable energy credits; construction management; and project finance, according to Fortistar.
 	
 Besides the Methane Group, Fortistar has a Biomass Group that specializes in wood waste biomass; and the Cogeneration Group, which maximizes output per unit of fuel used, according to the company.
 	
 "I think in this day and age, renewable energy has an attraction in this country and around the world," Maurer said.

Fortistar developing 18 new landfill GTE projects

Posted July 16, 2010, at 11:34 a.m. CST 
 
 Lake County, Ore., has experienced significant job loss in the past two decades due to the closure of several sawmills. An unfortunate case of cause and effect, the need to manage and thin the region's vast forestlands-the majority of which are publicly owned-is now at an all-time high. A new biomass plant coming to the area, however, may help alleviate both problems, and the community is welcoming it with open arms. 
 
 The project, which would consist of a 24-megawatt biomass cogeneration power plant built next to Lake County's last operating sawmill, Collins Company Freemont Sawmill, has taken years to come to fruition. It was owned by two other developers before Iberdrola Renewables Inc. took over, armed with a $1.7 million Recovery Act grant. 
 
 Iberdrola Renewables, which has traditionally been in the wind energy business, became involved in its first biomass project in Tacoma, Wash., in 2009, but is only charged with moving electricity at Simpson Tacoma biomass plant through the transmissions systems. The project at Lakeview marks Iberdrola's first fully owned and operated biomass power plant, according to spokeswoman Jan Johnson.
 
 Johnson said the wind energy giant became familiar with the Lake County project and determined that it was the most promising, advanced development project on the West Coast for a number of reasons. "When we purchased this project it was because of its very strong fundamentals-with Collins Company we have a very good fuel supply partner, the particular location has good transmission to attractive markets, and it enjoys enormous public, state and environmental community support." 
 
 Lake County Commissioner Brad Winters is enthusiastic that the project, Lakeview Cogeneration LLC, is finally moving forward. "There have been so many things that it has been contingent upon tax credits, land use and so on," he said. "We've known it would be a huge, huge project to land here and so beneficial to Lake County-the jobs, the whole works associated with it." 
 
 Winters, a native of Lake County, said the surrounding communities have been hard hit over the years bythe closings of all but one sawmill, which will utilize steam from the new biomass plant to power its operations. Sawmills have long served as the lifeblood of Lake County, and the remaining mill will be able to continue operating and benefit from the biomass power project, according to Winters. "We've been very much impacted by the decline in the timber industry," he said. "When you're a small, rural community, that's one of your major employment bases." 
 
 Electricity generated from the biomass power plant will be sold to local utilities, helping to meet the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Oregon's RPS requires the largest utilities in Oregon to provide 25 percent of their retail sales of electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2025, smaller utilities 10 percent and the smallest 5 percent. 
 
 The project will bring new jobs to the county, 20 at the plant and 50 in the forest while retaining existing jobs, Winters said. About 78 percent of the land in Lake County is publicly owned, he said, and roughly 3.5 million acres of that is forested. "So now, the federal government will be able to manage that land for a purpose that I believe is correct,-thinning and preventing catastrophic fires-for biomass power, and it will be great for our forest health." 
 
 Among the previously described benefits, the sawmill's use of steam from the biomass plant will improve air quality in the area, Winters added. "The old boiler that the sawmill uses now would come offline. Plus, the waste byproducts from the sawmill will be recycled to the plant. "It's just real positive for this community."
 
 Johnson said Iberdrola is working on gaining an air permit from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and expects to being initial construction on the project this fall.

Oregon county welcomes biomass plant

Posted July 19, 2010, at 9:05 a.m. CST
 
 The use of renewable fuels in commercial and light industrial boiler applications will be covered during the panel Innovative Processes and Technologies for Biomass Energy Generation during Biomass Magazine's Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo August 4-6 in Atlanta, Ga. 
 	
 "Due to the large population in the northeastern part of the country, there is a lot of waste gas generated and therefore there are a lot of opportunities to use these waste gases as an alternative fuel source," said panelist Eric Graham, regional sales manager for Webster Engineering & Mfg. Co. LLC, of his presentation, Using Biomass Fuels for Burner-Boiler Systems. Graham hopes his discussion will give attendees a better understanding of the types of applications where renewable fuels can or cannot be used. "I would expect the presentation to generate some questions about specific applications attendees have seen, or might have opportunities for in the future," he said. 
 	
 Speaker Philip Nuss, of the University of New Hampshire's Environmental Research Group, will focus on gasification and subsequent syngas combustion in a steam boiler as a route for transforming construction and demolition-derived biomass into renewable electricity and heat. "Considering organic waste … as alternative feedstocks could help to reduce pressure on global arable land and enhance landfill diversion," he said. Current research and policy initiatives focus mainly on the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as second-generation feedstock for biofuels and electricity, acting on the assumption that large amounts of biomass for nonfood purposes are available, he said. "However, given a certain productivity per area, the current massive growth in global biofuels demand may in the long term only be met through an expansion of global arable land at the expense of natural ecosystems and in direct competition with the food sector," he added. 
 	
 Nuss' presentation will explain the system-wide environmental benefits associated with waste gasification and syngas combustion, using life-cycle assessment. Results are compared to the use of virgin green wood biomass as an alternative gasification feedstock as well as to conventional fossil-based energy production. "It is hoped that results of this study will add to the current debate on sustainable biomass utilization and to support near-term options for enhanced waste utilization," Nuss said. 
 	
 Panelist Leo Dwyer, of New Hampshire-based Reciprocal Energy/Company, will discuss a process that can convert wood pellets to a fine flour-like powder for combustion in existing boilers as they have been designed for the past 100 years. "The advantage of that is you can use it in fire-tube and water-tube boilers," he said. The system has been used in Sweden for about 20 years, but has not made its appearance in the U.S. "[I'll] introduce folks to the technology," Dwyer said of the goal for his presentation, Suspension Combustion Biomass-Compact Industrial/Institutional Applications. "I don't believe folks know this is possible." 
 	
 The Northeast is home to plenty of industrial and institutional energy users, Dwyer said, making it a great place for Reciprocal and its technology partner, Sweden-based Petrocraft, to begin U.S. installations. "There's a huge opportunity to reset existing boilers that use oil in the Northeast," he said. Ideally, the system would be installed on-site very near the boiler, and wood pellets delivered to the site would be milled just prior to combustion, Dwyer explained. 
 	
 In keeping with woody biomass feedstock, panelist Daniel Theuer of Italy-based Truboden s.r.l., whose parent company is Pratt & Whitney Power Systems, will discuss an organic rankine cycle process for turning steam to energy. His presentation, Organic Rankine Cycle Technology in Biomass Fueled CHP for Industrial Processes and District Energy, will address why such a technology is advantageous for the Northeast, with its cold temperatures, significant wood resources and densely populated areas. 
 	
 "The principle is similar to a steam turbine but with a different organic working fluid," Theuer said. The working fluid, usually an oil, is evaporated by heat from the burning biomass. The vapor is sent to the turbine, where it is condensed and pumped back to the vaporizer, according to Theuer. "This is an intermediate heat carrier loop."
 	
 The technology is used for biomass applications in Europe, but has remained a geothermal installation thus far in the U.S. More "green thinking" exists in the Northeast than some other regions of the U.S., Theuer said, making it a great place to introduce the process to the nation. 
 	
 Biomass Magazine anticipates an educational and informative discussion from this technology-focused panel, led by moderator Tim Portz, BBI International's program manager. 
 
 To register for the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo, visit <a href="http://ne.biomassconference.com">http://ne.biomassconference.com</a>.

Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo panel discusses wood- and waste-to-energy technologies

Posted July 19, 2010, at 1:53 p.m. CST
 
 Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana are developing a new biofuel processing system based on fast hydropyrolysis, followed by catalytic hydrodeoxygenation. But for short, they call it H2Bioil.
 	
 In a fast-hydropyrolysis reactor, solid biomass is rapidly heated to temperatures of about 900 degrees Fahrenheit in the presence of hydrogen, breaking down the complex molecules of the biomass into smaller molecules. Then the oxygen in those smaller molecules is removed through a reaction with hydrogen and the resulting molecules are the high-energy density oil molecules, according to Rakesh Agrawal, researcher and professor of chemical engineering at Purdue. "The quality of biofuel produced using H2Bioil is estimated to be two to three times the output from conventional processes," he said. The researchers are currently undertaking the task of developing their idea into a product and have published their findings in a research paper in the online journal Environmental Science & Technology. Ideally, the system would process agricultural biomass in the Midwest, but can take any type of biomass, Agrawal said.
 	
 "Biomass grown on land and subsequently converted to biofuel offers a solution to meet the large demand for liquid fuels," he said. "However, the limited land available to grow biomass in a sustainable manner implies that in order to meet the large demand, the available biomass must be efficiently converted to biofuel."
 	
 It's typical during biofuel production to lose one-third to one-half the carbon atoms in the biomass as carbon dioxide to meet the processing energy requirements, Agrawal said. The use of supplemental energy forms like hydrogen along with biomass ensures that the majority of the carbon atoms are preserved, resulting in a biofuel of better quality. 
 	
 In a step to make the process more attractive in the short term, the team has proposed synergistic integration of H2Bioil with a small-scale steam methane reformer. In the integrated process, reformed methane will directly provide hot hydrogen gas for the fast-hydropyrolysis step, according to Agrawal. "This integration is not only synergistic in improving the process yield, but should also enable the construction of small-scale mobile plants," he said. That would alleviate expensive feedstock transportation costs, which are much higher than costs of transporting liquid fuel, according to the researchers. 
 	
 The team is currently conducting experiments to demonstrate and improve understanding of the H2Bioil method and Agrawal expects the synergistic interaction with methane reforming to be commercially available within the next five years. 
 	
 "As an efficient method of producing biofuels, the commercialization of H2Bioil would greatly advance the use of renewable fuels for transportation and reduce the dependency on oil from fossil fuel," Agrawal said. "By offering a means of converting the residual waste from agriculture into a valuable liquid fuel, H2Bioil, capable of being built on a small scale, has the potential to provide an economic boost to the farm sector as well."

July 2010

Business Briefs

LobeStar Pump is now LobePro

Clenergen names Kumar nonexecutive director, Nelson board adviser

Morbark launches Sawdust Quick Switch conversion kit

Sapphire hires senior director, downstream technology

River Consulting ranks high in a down economy

New England Wood Pellet, Sandri announce strategic partnership, sale of Propell Energy

John Deere introduces 900 KH-Series Tracked Harvesters

Martin Engineering introduces custom-engineered transfer chutes

Qteros appoints Hager as vice president, corporate communications and government affairs

Ze-gen hires Robertson as vice president of technology

Enerkem announces new board director

Siemens to deliver steam turbine for UK's largest biomass project

Business Briefs

Columns

Government Sending Mixed Messages

We Can Prevent Forest Fires With a Biomass Strategy

Proposed EPA Emissions Rules Threaten to Send Biomass Heating Industry Up in Smoke

The Dreaded 'What If' Question

Biodiesel in Stationary Use

Featured

Advocating Advanced Biofuels

Jetting on Biofuels

Double Down

Going Off-Road with Biodiesel

Fire Prevention and Hot Work Permits at Biodiesel Plants

Contributions

University Sees Biomass as Future for Energy Generation

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

Business Briefs

LobeStar Pump is now LobePro

Clenergen names Kumar nonexecutive director, Nelson board adviser

Morbark launches Sawdust Quick Switch conversion kit

Sapphire hires senior director, downstream technology

River Consulting ranks high in a down economy

New England Wood Pellet, Sandri announce strategic partnership, sale of Propell Energy

John Deere introduces 900 KH-Series Tracked Harvesters

Martin Engineering introduces custom-engineered transfer chutes

Qteros appoints Hager as vice president, corporate communications and government affairs

Ze-gen hires Robertson as vice president of technology

Enerkem announces new board director

Siemens to deliver steam turbine for UK's largest biomass project

Business Briefs

Columns

Government Sending Mixed Messages

We Can Prevent Forest Fires With a Biomass Strategy

Proposed EPA Emissions Rules Threaten to Send Biomass Heating Industry Up in Smoke

The Dreaded 'What If' Question

Biodiesel in Stationary Use

Featured

Advocating Advanced Biofuels

Jetting on Biofuels

Double Down

Going Off-Road with Biodiesel

Fire Prevention and Hot Work Permits at Biodiesel Plants

Contributions

University Sees Biomass as Future for Energy Generation

July 2010