Posted March 25, 2010, at 2:03 p.m. CST
 
 Accelergy Corp., a producer of clean liquid fuels, based in Houston, has established a corporate office at the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks in order to support its numerous research, development and commercialization activities taking place at the EERC and in North Dakota. It is part of the EERC's regional economic development strategy to attract and serve as a major regional hub for clean tech companies.
 
 "Accelergy Corporation is pushing to commercialize the EERC Foundation's proprietary jet fuel technology as part of its coal–biomass-to-liquid process and is accelerating the development of specialty fuels used by the military," said Carsten Heide, EERC associate director for Intellectual Property Management and Technology Commercialization. 
 
 "This substantial development program has been structured around the EERC and Accelergy's unique combined technology platform producing ultraclean drop-in-capable transportation fuels from domestic coal and biomass resources, which are competitive with petroleum fuels in both price and greenhouse gas emissions," Heide said.
 
 The partnership with Accelergy is leading to significant infrastructure investments at the EERC and will push commercialization opportunities in North Dakota to build an advanced tactical fuels production complex. 
 
 By the end of 2011, a demonstration-scale advanced biomass refinery will potentially be developed jointly by Tesoro, Accelergy, and the EERC for location at Tesoro's Mandan, N.D., refinery. A team of about 20 engineers and scientists is currently involved in the preliminary and final study design. 
 
 "Accelergy is committed to growing the U.S. green economy, and we will play a critical role in developing a clean technology industry in North Dakota," said Tim Vail, president and CEO of Accelergy. "In particular, our current estimates show that construction and operation of the plant, as well as the development of associated technologies, will result in about 70 new jobs for people in North Dakota."
 
 "A critical pillar of the EERC's business model is to continually build partnerships with national and international corporations to promote economic development within the region," said EERC Director Gerald Groenewold. "To meet the growing needs of the EERC and its partners, the EERC is looking to build additional specialized facilities to engage in cutting-edge research, development, demonstration, and commercialization in the energy sector. We believe the partnership with Accelergy will certainly help us accomplish that."
 
 Accelergy is receiving global, exclusive licensing rights to the EERC Foundation's proprietary jet fuel technology and will move into its new office space at the EERC by mid-April.
 
 SOURCE: EERC

Accelergy establishes corporate office at the EERC

Posted April 15, 2010, at 11:58 a.m. CST
 
 The first ARIES biodiesel production system was delivered to U.S. Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, Calif., for the final phase of a collaboration on its development.
 	
 The Navy, Biodiesel Industries Inc. and Aerojet Inc., a world aerospace and defense leader, formed a cooperative research and development agreement to build a process that would make ASTM-quality biodiesel using local sources and it seems they have succeeded with ARIES (automated, real-time, remote, integrated energy system). The unit delivered to the base is a commercial-scale system and will be run through demonstrations for a final validation of the process.
 	
 ARIES is equipped with a new and revolutionary element: remote control technologies that provide real-time sensing and management of key chemistry and processing parameters. The tools were developed by Aerojet, the same company that developed remote sensing and automated technology that sent man to the moon. 
 	
 Real-time sensing can eliminate lengthy testing steps such as transesterification, which can take up to 1.5 hours, according to Russell Teall, Biodiesel Industries founder and CEO. When the reaction can be seen as it's happening, those tests become unnecessary. "It's a major advancement," he said. "It's the first time that sort of technology has been applied to biodiesel. It speeds things up by a factor of two." The system includes stop points where it will show readings, asking if the operator would like to proceed with the reaction. 
 	
 The system also monitors the feedstock characteristics in real time. It can take several kinds of feedstocks including yellow grease, animal fat, energy crops, waste agricultural products and more. Not only that, but they can be mixed together. "You have to know what sort of characteristics the feedstock has," Teall said. "Separating is burdensome, but ARIES can mix them up and tell you what the characteristics are on the fly." The system will also recommend the best formula for the process with those particular feedstocks, leaving less room for operator error. The best feedstock mix depends on the location and climate. Teall cautions dependence on one feedstock can be unsustainable and vertical integration is crucial. 
 	
 The Navy will make good use of the remote-controlled system, as it has identified 20 locations for the initial rollout, Teall said, adding that he doesn't know a timeline for their establishment. The Navy has an obligation to meet between 20 percent and 50 percent of its energy needs internally by 2012. "So it's going to be a fairly rapid rollout," he said. The Navy's immense consumption of fuel prompted the seven-year project, which began in 2003. "They're the largest user of biodiesel in the world and it's important they have access to their fuel," Teall said. 
 
 The integrated energy system makes ARIES applicable to non-Navy endeavors, as well. The system produces about eight times more power and heat than it needs for its own processes. "In the international market, there's a huge need in rural communities to create income and businesses that don't exist right now," Teall said. He cites India, where about 150,000 villages are without electricity. "It becomes a very efficient source of local heat."

U.S. Navy biodiesel project nears completion

This month's magazine is mainly about algae and its potential use as a biomass feedstock. There is no doubt that algae-based fuels could significantly reduce carbon emissions. However, despite the many research efforts and scientific breakthroughs that occur every day in the algae space, there is still disagreement over if and when it will be possible to cost effectively produce it commercially.
 
 At Biomass Magazine we are constantly trying to get a handle on the potential for algal biomass by talking to companies that are working on commercializing algae production, scientists in the field and associations dedicated algae's commercial success.
 
 In this issue we look at some of the companies and experts researching algae's potential and the different methods that are being used to produce algae (see "Biofuels or Bust" on page 32). One of the big debates occurring in the industry is which method is more economic to produce algae on a commercial scale open ponds, closed bioreactors or a combination of both (see "Open Ponds Versus Closed Bioreactors" on page 38). The answer to that question may not be apparent until commercialization is a reality, but it's always good to hear what the experts have to say. This issue also features a contribution from Todd Taylor, an attorney with Fredrikson & Byron, who writes about major corporations and their interest in algae (see "Great Green Hope: The Corporate Love Affair With Algae" on page 54). Taylor's point is that although algae commercial production may be 10 years away and there are still some production challenges involved, it probably shouldn't be ignored when so many of the world's largest companies are investing heavily in it.
 
 If you are looking for in-depth information about algae, I suggest that you continue to read our magazine, but also to contact organizations such as the Algal Biomass Organization and the European Algae Biomass Association. Whereas we cover all types of biomass, these organizations concentrate all of their efforts on algae. 	
 
 Although algae is this month's theme, this issue also provides information about the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (see "BCAP Rule Revision" on page 44) as the proposed rule was released in February. We tried to find out which parts of the program were in dispute and it seems that the list of eligible woody biomass and how to measure moisture content are just two issues being discussed. At press time, it still wasn't clear what changes will be made in the program, and we probably won't know until after the USDA goes through all of the comments, which probably won't happen until the end of April or the beginning of May. We'll keep checking in with the USDA to see if there is anything noteworthy between now and the release of the final rule.

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Assessing Algae's Potential

Increasing America's use of biomass power will improve the health of our nation's forests and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. 
 
 On average, the biomass power industry removes 68.8 million tons of forest waste annually, improving forest health and dramatically reducing the threat of forest fires. This forest waste includes dead debris and brush left to rot on the forest floor. 
 Clearing this debris is a part of regular forest maintenance and is frequently done by state forest services in the form of open burns. By using this waste to generate electricity, the biomass power industry is preventing the need for open burns and significantly reducing the risk and spread of forest fires.
 
 Waste byproducts from other industries and organic waste from the forest floor continue to be the only economically viable fuel sources for biomass power. 
 
 Areas of the country that have robust forest-based industries often create the biomass necessary to operate and sustain a power plant. Biomass power facilities cannot operate at a loss. If there are not sustainable resources available in the surrounding area, biomass power plants will not be built. The decision is whether to allow these woody byproducts to decompose, or instead use them to generate clean, renewable electricity. 
 
 A 2008 Pacific Institute study found electricity generated from woody biomass to be "carbon neutral" because the carbon that is released is already part of the atmospheric carbon cycle. For example, fossil fuels increase the level of carbon in our atmosphere because their carbon has been sequestered for centuries deep in the Earth. Biomass power taps into a fuel supply that is already actively releasing methane and carbon during the decomposition process. This carbon is already in the atmospheric cycle, and biomass power plants simply use it to create electricity.
 
 Furthermore, by removing decomposing waste debris from the forest floor and using it to generate electricity, the biomass power industry eliminates the harmful methane that would have otherwise been released during this decomposition. Generating electricity from biomass power actually reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that would have been emitted if the material simply decomposed on the forest floor. What's more, the electricity generated from clean biomass will reduce demand for other dirtier sources of energy. In this way, biomass power is without question carbon neutral, and in many cases reduces greenhouse gases.
 
 The forest products industry plants trees as part of a continued devotion to forest health. By planting these trees, the industry is ensuring the forest will flourish and produce a steady supply of waste debris and other organic biomass in the future. Replanting trees, however, is not the reason that biomass power is carbon neutral.
 
 Biomass power is carbon neutral electricity generated from renewable organic waste that would otherwise be dumped in landfills, openly burned or left as fodder for forest fires. Increasing our use of clean, renewable biomass power by tapping into vast resources, particularly in the Southeast U.S., will reduce carbon emissions, improve forest health, and move America closer to energy independence.
 
 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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Biomass Power Improves Forest  Health, Benefits the Environment

At a recent conference in Texas, I was so impressed by a presentation on waste-to-energy that I'm setting aside my original idea for this column and reporting instead on what I learned in the presentation.
 
 California, as we all know, is the quintessential center of clean energy and environmentally sound practice. It's also the setting for one of the Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs of all time by the Mamas & the Papas-California Dreamin'. So when the hauling of hundreds of truckloads of biosolids (type of sewage sludge) from Ventura, Calif., to a central California landfill (150 miles) became too problematic, the Ventura Regional Sanitation District decided to deal with the problem. Their solution: process the biosolids into a more benign fodder at a closer facility-using very little if any fossil fuel to accomplish the task. That's dreaming.
 
 The solution involved four major elements: a closer existing landfill, two 80-ton per day batch dryers, nine microturbines, and $19 million. Sounds simple doesn't it? 
 
 It was determined that an old landfill closer to Ventura than the other "long-haul" landfill had enough inherent gas to sustain gas burners on the two batch dryers plus power nine 250-kilowatt microturbines for a total of 2.32 megawatts of electricity. Within two years, the gas extraction pipes, gas treatment systems (to remove water, sulfur and siloxane), blower/compressor units (to fire the burners and the turbines), batch dryers, and receiving hoppers were all installed. Southern California Edison and other entities provided incentives and a million-dollar grant, and the project was installed with likely payoff in about 10 years. 
 
 The process seems fairly efficient. Biosolids are hauled to this closer facility and dumped into receiving hoppers where they are dried to a dirt-like material consisting of 70 percent solids and no pathogens. The U.S. EPA Class A recyclable solids are currently used as daily cover for garbage material entering the landfill. In the future, these solids may also serve as fertilizer or biomass fuel. Water that is extracted is used as dust suppressant. About one-third of the electricity produced by the microturbines is used to power the facility. 
 
 This project has taken a problematic biosolids waste and turned it into a fuel for a money-making, renewable-energy-producing power plant. Greenhouse gases have been substantially reduced by converting biosolids- and landfill material-derived methane to carbon dioxide and by reducing transportation fuel consumption. 
 
 Advances at the Energy & Environmental Research Center give this project an opportunity to push the economics even more into the black, especially for regions that don't have southern California incentives. One way to improve on the cost return for this model might be to improve on the landfill gas cleanup technology. EERC has performed extensive research in gas cleanup systems and sees that technology as a developmental area. 
 
 In short, this particular situation with the proximity of the existing landfill, southern California incentives, and financial backing may not be the same in other regions of the U.S. But the simple concept of using renewable energy to drive off moisture from wet "biomass-like" material is not only a concept worth dreamin' about, it's worth repeating.
 
 Chris Zygarlicke is a senior research manager at the EERC. Reach him at <a href="mailto:czygarlicke@undeerc.org">czygarlicke@undeerc.org</a> or (701) 777-5123.

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California Dreamin': Dealing with Biosolids

Biomass market drivers-such as renewable portfolio standards and the potential to generate carbon credits for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions-are not getting much federal attention, but rather are ramping up on state and regional levels. In contrast, regulation of GHG emissions is getting attention at the federal level. Recently, federal agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Council on Environmental Quality, have issued guidance that may require private corporations and the federal government to evaluate and report on potential impacts from climate change and GHG emissions. The most important federal action, however, is the U.S. EPA's impending GHG regulation. 
 
 In the first quarter of 2009, EPA issued a determination, known as the endangerment finding, that GHGs may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare. EPA's endangerment finding provides the foundation for EPA to regulate GHGs pursuant to its Clean Air Act authority. Although the endangerment finding has been challenged by industry groups and several states in U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals and by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in Congress, it appears EPA will continue to develop a comprehensive GHG regulatory scheme until Congress acts to prevent such regulation. 
 
 Since issuing its endangerment finding, EPA finalized the mandatory GHG monitoring and reporting rule, which required certain GHG sources to begin emissions monitoring on Jan. 1 and requires subject sources to submit annual reports starting in March 2011. EPA has also proposed two rules that would regulate-within the existing CAA regulatory framework-GHGs from mobile sources and stationary sources. It is these two proposed rules that are generating the most concern. 
 
 In February, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson issued a letter responding to economic concerns of several U.S. senators and outlining the agency's timeline for finalizing rules to regulate GHG emissions within the CAA framework. As indicated in its September 2009 proposed rule and reiterated in Jackson's letter, EPA, in coordination with the federal Department of Transportation, intends to finalize the mobile source rule in late March. The EPA mobile source rule will set GHG emission standards for light-duty motor vehicles and the DOT standard will raise the nationwide fuel-economy standards for vehicles starting with model year 2012. 
 
 According to EPA interpretation, finalizing the mobile source rule will trigger a requirement to also regulate GHG emissions from stationary sources under the CAA. EPA intends to finalize what is known as a "tailoring rule," at the same time it finalizes the mobile source rule, to limit the number of stationary sources immediately subject to CAA regulation. If GHG emissions from stationary sources are made subject to the CAA without the tailoring rule, EPA estimates the number of facilities required to obtain CAA permits would increase by tens of thousands, paralyzing federal and state regulatory agencies charged with processing permit applications.
 
 EPA has indicated that the final tailoring rule will not require any stationary sources to comply with CAA regulations until 2011, and then only sources that are currently subject to CAA permits will be required to account for GHG emissions. Between the end of 2011 and 2013, EPA expects to phase-in CAA permit coverage to "other large sources" of GHG emissions. It is unclear at this point what will be considered a large source, but Jackson indicated that, between 2011 and 2013, the GHG emission threshold to trigger CAA requirements will be "substantially higher than the 25,000 ton limit that EPA originally proposed." The smallest sources of GHG emissions are not expected to be subject to CAA requirements until at least 2016.
 
 In President Obama's proposed federal budget, EPA is slated to receive $47 million to implement GHG regulations; of that, $4 million will be allocated to implement the GHG monitoring and reporting rule; and $43 million will be allocated to implement the GHG regulations described above. So, unless Congress acts to prevent it, EPA regulations should be in full swing by 2011. 
 
 
 Anna Wildeman is a member of Michael Best & Friedrich's land and resources practice group. Reach her at <a href="mailto:ajwildeman@michaelbest.com">ajwildeman@michaelbest.com</a> or (608) 283-0109.
 
 David Crass is a leader in the firm's renewable energy practice. Reach him at <a href="mailto:dacrass@michaelbest.com">dacrass@michaelbest.com</a> or (608) 283-2267.

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Federal Regulation of GHG Emissions Continues to Grow

Posted April 16, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. CNT
 
 Pond Biofuels Inc. is utilizing flue gas emitted from a cement plant in southern Ontario to cultivate algae, effectively capturing the carbon dioxide (CO2) present in the emissions. According to Pond Biofuels CEO Steven Martin, the project has been under development for approximately three years. 
 
 Martin said the project is unique because development did not begin with lab-scale work to optimize an algae strain. In addition, Pond Biofuels has elected to employ a locally sourced strain of algae that has not been genetically engineered. "We have actually started at the top end, at the industrial-scale implementation and worked backwards to build the smallest possible facility that we can based on industrial implementation," he said. "To that end, we are using a local strain of algae. It provides a little bit more security and lowers the risk threshold when you are working with an industrial partner… We are looking to improve the process of growing algae. This doesn't deny us the ability to use a genetically engineered algae, it just means that in the current implementation, we're [using a local strain] that came from within 100 meters of the plant." 
 
 Currently, Pond Biofuels is operating a process validation facility located adjacent to a cement plant owned by St. Marys Cement Group. "It's not meant to be a large production [facility], and it's not a demonstration plant," Martin said. "It's actually part of a large-scale plant. To build a large-scale algae facility, you need seed material – seed algae – just as you would if you were seeding a field of corn … The process validation facility validates the process conditions that will allow us to grow seed material so that we can actually seed a much larger plant." According to Marin, Pond Biofuels is currently producing between 10 and 90 kilograms (22 and 198 pounds) of algae per day. 
 
 Marin also said the process validation facility is able to capture all of the CO2 it takes in. "We don't take very much because we are currently operating a process validation facility in order to prove and allow us to size out a full-scale implementation," he said. "Another thing is, we are taking in fairly insignificant quantity in that we are trying not to impact the existing process of making cement. When you are implementing a new technology and you are working with a well-established industrial partner, you want to make sure that you don't do anything bad to their process stream, so we are trying to make as little impact as we can." 
 
 Another unique aspect of the project is that flue gas sourced from the cement plant is not purified before it enters Pond Biofuels' algae-containing tank bioreactors. "We don't treat [the flue gas] in any way beyond what is already done by the plant," Martin said. "We just take what comes out of the top of the smokestack and put it directly into our algae tanks." 
 
 While Martin was unable to offer any specific details on a timeline for commercial development, he noted that specifying timeline for any new technology can be challenging. "It's when people begin to become comfortable with the technology," he said. "Our industrial partner has been very supportive and very positive, so I believe that we're on a fast track to get this implemented on a grander scale than what we are currently doing." 
 
 In addition to operating the process validation facility, Pond Biofuels is also exploring possible market opportunities for the algae it plans to produce. According to Martin, possible markets include biodiesel production, the production of a coal replacement for use in power plants, and animal feed. "We have capabilities to do it all," he said. "Our business guys are exploring the various markets and what makes the most financial sense. Because of how our implementation works, we have flexibility in that we can simply move the output stream to whatever makes the most financial sense. We are not married to any one concept." 
 
 SOURCE: GHG MAGAZINE

Canadian company uses algae to capture CO2

Posted April 19, 2010, at 11:24 a.m. CST
 
 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has invited public comment on several proposed rules designed to increase the production of advanced biofuels and the development of biorefineries. The programs are authorized under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). 
 
 "We view these proposed rules as part of the strategy to help meet President Obama's goal to accelerate the commercial production of advanced biofuels and create a viable alternative fuels industry," Vilsack said. 
 
 The proposed rules affect the following three renewable energy programs administered by USDA Rural Development: 
 
 Biorefinery Assistance Program-The proposed rule will establish guaranteed loan regulations to develop and construct commercial-scale biorefineries and to retrofit existing facilities using an eligible technology to develop advanced biofuels. Under the proposed rule, USDA Rural Development proposes a rolling application process for the consideration of loan guarantee requests. The agency will consider a technology that is being adopted in a viable commercial-scale operation that produces advanced biofuels. 
 
 Under the proposed rule, the maximum loan amount will be $250 million; there is no minimum amount. The amount of a loan guarantee for a project will not exceed 80 percent of the total eligible project costs. 
 
 Repowering Assistance Payments-USDA is proposing to make payments to eligible biorefineries to install new systems that encourage renewable biomass energy use and replace fossil fuels. Under the proposed rule, USDA Rural Development will propose procedures for eligible biorefineries to receive a payment equal to 50 percent of the cost of installing eligible systems, up to $5 million, whichever is less. There is no minimum payment amount. The initial payment would be a percentage of the cost of installing eligible systems. The remaining payment would be based on the amount of energy produced from renewable biomass. 
 
 Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels-USDA Rural Development is proposing to establish a payment program for eligible producers of advanced biofuels. To be eligible for payments, advanced biofuels must be produced from renewable biomass, excluding corn kernel starch. USDA would enter into contracts with advanced biofuels producers to support and ensure an expanding production of advanced biofuels. 
 
 Additional information on the proposed rules and instructions on how the public can offer comments are available in the April 16, 2010 Federal Register: <a href="http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html#Rural%20Business-Cooperative%20Service">http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html#Rural%20Business-Cooperative%20Service</a>. 
 
 SOURCE: USDA

USDA invites comments on renewable energy programs

Posted April 19, 2010, at 11:30 a.m. CST
 
 The Bioindustrial Innovation Centre on the University of Western Ontario campus will house a cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant slated for operation in mid-2011. Ontario-based Woodland Biofuels Inc. will develop the facility, with an expected price tag of CA$12 million ($11.8 million) and the capacity to produce about 750,000 liters (198,000 gallons) of ethanol annually. 
 	
 "The Bioindustrial Innovation Centre … is designed to house demonstrations that use biomass as feedstock," said Woodland President and CEO Greg Nuttall. "It is ideally suited for our process." The plant will use Woodland's patented Catalyzed Pressure Reduction gasification process, which can convert multiple feedstocks into syngas for the production of ethanol, acetic acid, reformulated water or power. The demonstration facility will use mainly wood waste. "Our process is capable of producing multiple different industrial chemicals, but we are focused on ethanol for now and our first commercial plant will produce a single product-ethanol," he said. 
 
 Woodland Biofuels and its partners received CA$4 million from the Ontario Innovation Demonstration Fund for the demo project. Nuttall said the plant was given more monetary awards, but he declined to release details. The province's investment will help create jobs as part of its Open Ontario Plan, a five-year strategy to strengthen the economy and create employment opportunities. Construction and operation of the plant will create 35 full- and part-time jobs, according to the Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation, and if the technology is proven successful, Woodland could potentially hire another 585 employees over the next five years. 
 	
 After completing the demo plant, Woodland expects to begin construction of a 20 million gallon waste-to-ethanol plant, which should come on line about 18 months later, according to Nuttall. 
 
 Woodland uses its CPR technology to develop plants worldwide for companies or organizations looking to manufacture products with waste streams. A typical plant buyer would have access to unused biomass including wood and agricultural residues or biosolids such as sewage sludge, according to Woodland.

Woodland develops demo cellulosic ethanol plant

Posted April 19, 2010, at 1:43 p.m. CST
 
 East Fork Biodiesel LLC, a 60 MMgy biodiesel plant in Algona, Iowa, is hoping to collect corn oil from surrounding ethanol plants, providing those plants a higher-value option for their coproduct and helping East Fork reconfigure for operation using a new feedstock. 
 	
 Because of market conditions, the plant was not put on line as scheduled but is currently configured to produce biodiesel from soy oil, according to David Kreitzer, vice president of the Capital Division for Corval Group, a construction, fabrication and business solutions company working with East Fork. The plant is perfectly positioned, surrounded by 91 ethanol mills within a 150-mile radius, but only a few will need to provide their corn oil in order to break escrow and move ahead with plant modifications, Kreitzer said, adding that three or four have said they are not interested and the rest are on the fence. "To make this plant work, it's not going to take a tremendous amount of plants," he said. "We only need five or six plants to raise capital and move forward." 
 	
 The value of the corn oil will be assessed based on the prices East Fork can secure for its biodiesel, ensuring ethanol operations get the highest value for their corn oil, Kreitzer said. Since East Fork recently entered into a marketing agreement for its biodiesel with C&N Cos., a division of Mansfield Oil, those prices will remain favorable because Mansfield focuses on optimizing and controlling fuel-related costs. C&N Cos. focuses on sales, logistics and regulatory reporting and represents more than 500 million gallons of ethanol production in the U.S., many from the plants surrounding East Fork. "We're encouraging our ethanol plants in the region to devote their corn oil for this project," said Jon Bjornstad, C&N president, adding that his group is also encouraging plants to install extraction processes, if necessary. "Our plants are all going to have to decide how they'll divvy up their corn oil supply."
 	
 Corval will help plants secure financing for extraction processes, if they are interested in contributing their corn oil. "If an ethanol plant doesn't currently have extraction capabilities, we believe we have some tools that can help," Kreitzer said. "We're trying to incentivize ethanol plants. We've got their attention and we think this is a viable option."
 	
 East Fork will be responsible for the transportation and logistics of securing the corn oil, giving as much of the excess funds from biodiesel sales back to the ethanol plants as possible, Kreitzer said. 
 	
 "We're in support and encouragement mode," Bjornstad said. "It's really good for the industry. It's about time we consolidate things like this."

Biodiesel company taps ethanol plants for feedstock

Biobased plastic manufacturer Cereplast Inc. reported commencement of operations at its new production facility in Seymour, Ind., in the beginning of March. 
 
 The company also announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters to El Segundo, Calif., from Hawthorne, Calif. The new production facility occupies 110,000 square feet on a 14-acre site. It houses Cereplast's bioplastic resin research and development operations as well as its state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.

Cereplast begins  bioplastic production in Indiana

Gas Turbine Efficiency plc announced that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has awarded the company the ISO 9001:2008 certification for its Fuels and Combustion Facility in Duncan, S.C. With the ISO certification, GTE validates meeting international requirements for its total quality management systems, which are particularly important to engineering and technology companies. GTE's South Carolina office is its third ISO 9001:2008 certified location, joining the Orlando, Fla., and Järfälla, Sweden, facilities.

GTE's SC office awarded quality management system certification

Fast, accurate and easy to use, Electromatic Equipment Co.'s new  Check Line BM2 biomass moisture meter measures the moisture content of wood chips, barks, wood, straw or miscanthus pellets, elephant grass, wood shavings and saw dust. It allows moisture-related machinery issues to be detected early before serious problems arise. It also helps biomass producers, suppliers and end-users ensure that they are not paying for excessive water content. To learn more, go to www.checkline.com.

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Biomass moisture meter ensures fair pricing

Climate Change Business Journal, a climate change industry publication, awarded Gas Technology Institute and partners a Technology Merit award in the transportation category for the business achievement awards. Nominated by the climate change and environmental industry, winners were honored either for business performance in the form of revenue growth, or for gaining traction in new service practices, new technology or unique projects. GTI, Linde North America and Waste Management Inc. earned the award for building and starting up the world's largest facility for converting landfill gas to liquefied natural gas, at the Altamont landfill near Livermore, Calif. The Altamont project was also recognized by the U.S. EPA as one of the Landfill Methane Outreach Program winning Projects of the Year for its innovation in generating renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

GTI and partners win transportation award

Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics, has appointed David J. Homyak as West Coast regional director, sales and marketing. He has been an executive level sales professional for more than 30 years. His numerous successes in the plastics industry include leading a 210 percent business growth over a four-year period while serving as western business region general manager for General Electric Plastics; the development of 20 million pounds of product growth in new market opportunities for PolyOne; and his efforts to put Spectra Color on a course to exceed its sales goals by $50 million by 2012.

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Cereplast hires sales,  marketing veteran

Terrabon Inc., a waste-to-fuel conversion technology company, has relocated its corporate headquarters to 20329 State Highway 249, Suite 350, Houston, Texas 77070, in the Chasewood Technology Park. The company's phone number will also change to (281) 803-5960. According to Terrabon CEO Gary W. Luce, the new offices will accommodate the company's current staff and will enable further expansion for future growth. The company was formerly located at 20333 State Highway 249, Suite 200.

Terrabon relocates to accommodate growth

Glycos Biotechnologies Inc. a biochemical company, appointed Rich Cilento as CEO. A venture adviser for DFJ Mercury and an executive chairman for GlycosBio, Cilento will now be responsible for the daily operations of the company. With more than 20 years of leadership and technical experience in the petroleum, alternative energy, information technology and biotechnology industries, Cilento has a proven track record of creating and managing successful businesses. GlycosBio also appointed Daniel J. Monticello, as vice president, research and development. Monticello will be responsible for directing the lab operations for GlycosBio, including research, development and the overall efforts associated with scale-up and commercialization of GlycosBio's proprietary microbe technology. In addition, he will be responsible for overseeing GlycosBio's ongoing demonstration and commercialization efforts in Latin America.

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Glycos Biotechnologies appoints CEO, expands management team

Qteros Inc. announced that Mick Sawka has joined the company as vice president, business development, to help accelerate the company's technology and commercial initiatives in the worldwide cellulosic ethanol marketplace. Sawka's 19-year experience in the specialty chemicals industry includes negotiating and leading numerous large-scale strategic partnerships, alliances, and acquisitions as well as complex product introductions throughout the world. Additionally, he has been responsible for the development of numerous technology platforms and associated strategic business plans within both development-stage and large-scale specialty chemical organizations.

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Qteros names Sawka VP of business development

Veraventure Oy and a group of other investors have made a capital investment in MHG Systems Ltd., which produces bioenergy enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. "The investment made by Veraventure and other investors will speed up the commercialization of MHG's ERP solution in selected and rapidly growing target markets," said Seppo Huurinainen, the managing director of MHG Systems. "The solution is already available in 13 languages. In addition to money, the new investors will also bring about new business know-how, which is required especially for achieving rapid international growth."

Veraventure, others invest in MHG Systems

BinMaster Level Controls has announced the appointment of Doris Sotelo as sales manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. She will be responsible for expanding BinMaster sales in the territory and growing and supporting BinMaster's distributor network in the region. Doris is multilingual and has almost 10 years of international sales experience in Latin America and Asia, where she has been responsible for developing dealer and distributor networks and providing sales support in the telecommunications industry.

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BinMaster appoints sales manager for Latin America, Caribbean

Purolite and TransBiodiesel announced a joint effort to manufacture and market enzyme loaded ion exchange resins to replace traditional transesterification processes. "Our enzyme loaded ion exchange resin replaces the use of sodium methylate and provides the simultaneous esterification of free fatty acid and transesterification of fats and oils," said Don Brodie, vice president of operations at Purolite. The resulting biodiesel is easy to separate from crude glycerin because of the absence of emulsifying soaps. Crude glycerin is significantly free of contaminants and can be more readily refined. The use of low-grade oil feedstocks, especially those with free fatty acid higher than 3 percent and even up to 100 percent can now be employed.

Purolite, TransBiodiesel  announce joint technology effort

Evolugate LLC, a biotechnology company, announced the appointments of Russell J. Howard and Terrance J. Bruggeman to its advisory board. Howard currently serves as CEO of Oakbio Inc., and is on the boards of several leading companies and foundations in the biotechnology industry. He brings scientific and operational expertise having served as CEO of Maxygen Inc. Bruggeman's experience managing biotechnology companies, including Diversa Inc. (now Verenium Inc.) will be an asset to Evolugate. He currently serves as executive chairman of BioTork, the spin-off company recently created from Evolugate, to capitalize on the biofuels opportunity. He also serves on a number of industry, corporate and nonprofit boards.

Evolugate announces  advisory board appointments

With a goal to move away from nonrenewable resources, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station has renamed its Escanaba, Mich., facility to better reflect its vision for the future. The new name, Michigan State University Forest Biomass Innovation Center, is closer to its overall mission, said Ray Miller, the MSU forest biomass development coordinator. The facility, where several types of renewable resources that could be used as an alternative energy source for Michigan are analyzed, was formerly known as the Upper Peninsula Tree Improvement Center.

MSU renames biomass center

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) between Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Mt. Poso Cogeneration plant LLC near Bakersfield, Calif. 
 
 The contract will allow the Mt. Poso plant, which is managed by Kern County-based Millennium Energy LLC, to be converted to a 44-megawatt biomass power plant that will be fueled with urban and agricultural wood waste. Mt. Poso has been operating as a coal-fired base load cogeneration facility since 1989. The conversion is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

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California coal plant PPA  allows biomass conversion

Ohio-based AdvanceBio LLC is increasing its product line to include a bench-scale biomass pretreatment system for production of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and renewable chemicals. The systems are designed with researchers in mind, according to the company. 
 
 The target market for the product includes developers of next-generation microorganisms, enzymes, feedstocks and crops, according to AdvanceBio. The company expects the equipment will replace the batch steam guns currently used by researchers at universities and technology development companies. 
 
 The inclusion of the system extends the size range of development equipment offered from bench scale (11 kilograms per hour) to lab (75 kg/hr), to pilot (190 kg/hr). AdvanceBio also offers systems up to 600 tons per day for companies planning industrial-scale facilities.

Ohio company expands product line

Massachusetts-based Converted Organics Inc. will use additional manufacturing equipment at its Woodbridge, N.J., organic fertilizer manufacturing facility to boost food waste processing rates. The company is conducting new tests designed to enhance its ability to process food waste into fertilizer and soil amendments. 
 
 Converted Organics currently processes approximately 100 tons of food waste per week at the Woodbridge plant, and expects to process approximately 175 tons per week by the end of the first quarter of this year. The company uses its proprietary High Temperature Liquid Composting system, a proven microbial digestion technology, to process various biodegradable food wastes into dry pellet and liquid concentrate organic fertilizers. Converted Organics sells and distributes its environmentally friendly fertilizer or biostimulant to the retail, turf management and agribusiness markets.

Converted Organics  increases food waste processing

Innovia Films has achieved CarbonNeutral certification for its NatureFlex range of food packaging films, made of a transparent cellulose base manufactured from sustainable wood pulp. The announcement could help the development of anaerobic digestion, according to Innovia. 
 
 Food packaging film is difficult to segregate and recycle economically. But packaging from a biopolymer can go into an anaerobic digester along with the food waste, simplifying waste disposal for consumers, diverting biodegradable waste from landfills and providing renewable low-carbon energy, according to Innovia. 
 
 By adding specially formulated biodegradable and compostable surface layers, Innovia is able to control the moisture permeability of these films to produce material suitable across a whole range of applications.

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NatureFlex could help AD development

The advanced biofuel industry is urging Congress to grant an investment tax credit to help producers develop commercial-scale projects. Advanced biofuel producers are eligible for a federal production tax credit, but the incentive is unused because there are no operating commercial-scale facilities. 
 
 Nearly 40 groups signed a letter pointing out that no commercial cellulosic biorefineries will be commissioned before 2011 because of a lack of funding due to the economic downturn. Attracting private capital is virtually impossible, according to the letter, as conversion technologies for advanced or cellulosic biofuels are precommercial and most investors are unwilling to take technology risks.

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Advanced biofuel  industry pushes for tax credit

Indiana-based White Technology LLC announced it will coordinate with affiliate Bianchi Energy Solutions to produce mass quantities of Miscanthus giganteus and Arundo donax (giant reed) plantlets for sale in a complete planting, monitoring, harvesting and transport package for the end user. 
 
 White Technology has an exclusive license from the University of South Carolina for a micropropagation technology for miscanthus and arundo and other potential energy crops. Having researched farming techniques for the grasses, Bianchi Energy Systems has determined that certain crop-specific techniques are required to ensure productive yields and has developed a turnkey energy crop offering.

Companies further energy crop  micropropagation technology

The Philippines Department of Energy signed 112 renewable energy contracts Feb.1, including 22 for biomass, for a total of about 2,260 additional megawatts.
 
 It was the third in a series of contract signings that will generate investments of about $1.5 billion. The DOE will raise $9 billion to $10 billion from renewable energy projects in the next 10 years and will raise the generating capacity of renewable energy sources to 9,000 MW to effectively address the need for additional power generating capacity and the effects of climate change, according to the DOE. 
 
 During a Feb. 1 signing and announcement ceremony with Secretary Angelo T. Reyes, the Pricing Methodology and Rules of Qualified End-users for Net Metering were likewise endorsed to Reyes by the National Renewable Energy Board.

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Philippines signs 112  renewable energy contracts

Researchers in Maryland studied the effects of delaying the harvesting of sweet sorghum cane by one month and found it was beneficial in cooler climates. The group is halfway through an additional project to evaluate long-term storage of sweet sorghum, results of which may help pave the way for an ethanol plant to be built in Maryland. 
 
 Last fall, Jeffrey Brenner of Solar Fruits Biofuels and researchers from Salisbury University, the University of Maryland at College Park, the Lower Eastern Shore Research & Education Center and local farmers collaborated to perform field trials to determine the effects of delaying the harvest of sweet sorghum cane by one month in cooler climates. 
 
 In preparation for the study, eight different varieties of sweet sorghum were established on one acre on a farm in Wicomico County in southeastern Maryland. "We did a comparison of an early harvest in September, and then a month-late harvest," Brenner said. "We did that because sweet sorghum is mostly grown in tropical areas where it can be harvested multiple times per year. But here (in the Northeast) and in parts of the country that see colder climates, you're not going to have more than one crop per year because of the short growing season." 
 
 Generally, the research indicated that when comparing the harvests, the delayed harvest resulted in a decrease in biomass, a decrease in juice volume and a decrease in sugar content, Brenner said. "When you looked at the total sugar and alcohol yield, there was a reduction of 14.5 percent from the first harvest to the second, by delaying it approximately one month," he said. 
 
 However, when harvested early the researchers found that the sweet sorghum was much too wet, containing a moisture level of about 29.5 percent, significantly above marketable grain levels. "By waiting a month and leaving it in the sun to dry, moisture levels came down to 18 percent, which is usable," Brenner said. "So by waiting a month you've lost a little of your theoretical alcohol yield, but you've gained 1½ to two times (the amount) of grain per acre to be sold-so it's reasonable to delay it for a month."
 
 The most recent study began in early November, and was performed mainly to investigate the "souring problem" of sweet sorghum, which happens when the crop is cut and left unprocessed for more than five days. "This occurs in tropical or hot climates-the same thing happens to sugarcane-where when you cut it, the sugar quickly disappears if you don't get it processed and take the juice out."
 
 When sweet sorghum is crushed it becomes coated in bacteria, which access the juice inside of the plants and quickly divide, replicate and eat up the sugar. "So delaying your harvest will bring in a crop that doesn't contain a lot of sugar," Brenner said. The researchers aimed to test the five-day premise in cooler temperatures in which bacteria don't effectively grow.
 
 The researchers also wrapped 100-pound sweet sorghum bales in plastic, and plan to leave them for six months to compare with unwrapped bales. After three months, results indicate that there is no significant loss of sugar or juice in the unwrapped bales compared with the wrapped bales. "This indicates that if you are up north, you may be able to plant more than your capacity, cut it and stockpile it like lumber, instead of using it all up right away," Brenner said. "In places such as Louisiana and Florida they can't do this, but they can plant three or four crops a year and harvest year-round." 
 
 Overall, the group believes that if the remaining three months of data is consistent with the first three months, stockpiling of long cane sweet sorghum could extend the operation of an ethanol plant in the northern climates beyond four months, which is what is currently thought possible with one crop per year.
 
 Next year, the group will likely compare storing long cane sweet sorghum in billets (small chunks), different ways of making silage and temperature effects, Brenner said.

Researchers in Maryland determined that it?s reasonable to delay sweet sorghum cane harvest by one month to allow the crop to dry to marketable grain levels. 

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Sweet sorghum studies yield notable results

Mounting interest in agave as a biofuel feedstock could jump-start the Mexican industry, according to agave expert Arturo Valez Jimenez. 
 
 Agave thrives in Mexico and is traditionally used to produce liquors such as tequila. It has a rosette of thick fleshy leaves, each of which usually end in a sharp point with a spiny margin. Commonly mistaken for cacti, the agave plant is actually closely related to the lily and amaryllis families. The plants use water and soil more efficiently than any other plant or tree in the world, Jimenez said. "This is a scientific fact-they don't require watering or fertilizing and they can absorb carbon dioxide during the night," he said. The plants annually produce up to 500 metric tons (551 tons) of biomass per hectare (2.47 acres), he added. 
 
 Jimenez developed The Agave Project, which began four years ago when he was the national administrative coordinator at the National Confederation of Forestry Producers in Mexico, with a goal to explore and promote the potential of the plant. He is now developing the project separately from the agency, and said the project extends into all 17 agave regions of Jalisco State (Central-Western Mexico) and will soon become nationwide. Jose Luis Ortega, a local congressman, Juan Frias of Bioenergy Solutions, Juan Villalvazo, a professor at the University of Guadalajara, the Mexican Agavaceas Net and the State Council of Agave Tequilana Producers are also participating in the project, he added.
 
 Agave fibers contain 65 percent to 78 percent cellulose, according to Jimenez. "With new technology, it is possible to break down more than 90 percent of the cellulose and hemicellulose structures, which will increase ethanol and other liquid biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass drastically," he said. "Mascoma (Corp.) is assessing such technology."
 
 Mascoma research scientist Heidi Hau told Biomass Magazine that the company is currently evaluating agave as a potential feedstock, and has conducted some preliminary tests in-house that warrant further testing. "Although we are very much in the evaluation stage, we have not yet committed to a project," she said. Jimenez said the Mexican Ministries of Economy and Agriculture are interested in having Mascoma visit Mexico for that purpose and are providing their assistance. 
 
 Beyond Mascoma, the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois is planning a small invitation-only agave workshop in Mexico. Researcher Sarah Davis said the institute may plan a larger meeting at a later date, depending on the outcome. Jimenez said he believes the workshop will be a leap forward in the research of agave for biofuel production. 
 
 Jimenez is also working with Washington-based Clearsky Energy Systems Inc., which is exploring the possibility of building municipal electricity-generating facilities that run on syngas produced from the gasification of agave biomass. "They are also assessing a new technology for sustainable electricity generation that is cheaper than syngas, produces more energy and is cleaner," he said. 
 
 Annually, Mexican agave could produce more than 5 billion metric tons of biomass, using only marginal land," Jimenez said. "We have discussed producing huge quantities of biocrude and syngas in Mexico and to export it via PEMEX (Petroleum Mexico) to the U.S." A biofuels director at a renewable energy laboratory in the U.S. indicated that agave biocrude could sell for the same price as oil, Jimenez said. "The Mexican government is very interested in biofuels production," he added. "Mexican oil production at Cantarel fell 50 percent in just five years and production is decreasing at an alarming rate of 14 percent annually."

Jimenez stands in front of agave plants, which can produce up to 500 metric tons of biomass per hectare.

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Agave shows potential as biofuel feedstock

A combined-heat-and-power (CHP) biomass gasification system to be installed on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver will generate 2 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1,500 homes. The UBC Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project is a partnership with Vancouver-based Nexterra Systems Corp. and GE Energy. 
 
 The project has two main operating modes. The first, a thermal-only system, will use Nexterra's gasification technology to produce syngas, which will be used to produce 20,000 pounds per hour of steam, replacing natural gas to meet heating needs, according to UBC. The second mode, dubbed the "Demonstration System," will use Nexterra's gas conditioning system and GE's high-efficiency gas engine to convert syngas to steam and electricity, satisfying up to 6 percent of the university's electricity demand.
 
 The system will require two to three truckloads of wood fuel per day, as much as possible sourced locally from British Columbia Aboriginal and First Nations communities. It will include clean surplus wood manufacturing material, whole-tree chips from beetle-killed and non-marketable timber, wood chips from saw mills and tree trimmings from the campus, according to UBC.
 
 Upon approval, construction on the $26 million project could start in the second quarter of this year and be finished within 15 to 18 months, according to UBC. The school will pay $5.5 million of that cost with the rest coming from industry, federal and provincial governments, including the BC Bioenergy Network, Natural Resources Canada's Clean Energy Fund, Sustainable Development Technology Canada and FPInnovations, according to the university. UBC will recover its portion from reduced natural gas consumption, lower fuel costs and reduced carbon taxes. The 220-foot-long, 80-foot-wide and 4-story-tall building will be constructed using engineered wood products produced in British Columbia. 
 
 The project also will provide learning and research opportunities for the school's students and faculty. Research collaborators include the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, the Clean Energy Research Centre, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, the Faculty of Applied Science, the Pacific Insitute for Climate Studies, and the Sauder School of Business.

A CHP biomass gasification system will be installed on the University of British Columbia campus. SOURCE: UBC

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UBC to install biomass gasifier

Canadian cellulosic ethanol producer Enerkem Inc. has attracted a new investor-North American waste and environmental services giant Waste Management Inc.
 
 Enerkem announced the closing of a new round of financing-$53.8 million Canadian ($50.9 million)-which comes from the company's existing institutional investors Rho Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures and BDR Capital, as well as first-time investors Waste Management and Cycle Capital. 
 
 Waste Management stated that the investment will move the company toward meeting three of its sustainability goals: doubling its renewable energy production, tripling the amount of recyclables processed by 2020, and investing in emerging technologies for managing waste. Waste Management's most recent renewable energy investment was in organic waste-to-biogas technology company Harvest Power.
 
 A portion of Enerkem's new funds, along with a $50 million U.S. DOE grant, will be used to initiate construction of a planned waste-to-biofuels plant in Pontotoc, Miss., which will serve as the company's U.S. ethanol industry debut. It will be Enerkem's second ethanol production facility, however, as it began operations in January 2009 at its commercial-scale syngas-to-ethanol/methanol plant in Westbury, Quebec.
 
 The $250 million project will recycle and convert approximately 60 percent, or 189,000 tons, of the municipal solid waste at the Three Rivers Landfill, where the 20 MMgy facility will be built.
 
 Significant progress is being made on the development of the Mississippi project, according to Marie-Helene Labrie, Enerkem vice president of government affairs. "We have filed our state environmental permit and are working with DOE to finalize the paperwork to put the $50 million in funding in place," she told Biomass Magazine. 
 
 The company is also finalizing project agreements with tis partners, Labrie said. "The construction start date has not been decided upon yet as it is highly dependent on the completion, by DOE, of the review under the National Environmental Policy Act, a process of which we have limited control at this stage."
 
 Dino Mili, Enerkem's vice president of business development, will be speaking at Biomass Magazine's International Biomass Conference & Expo in Minneapolis May 4 to 6. He will be participating in a panel discussion titled "One Person's Trash: Liquid Fuels from MSW."

Enerkem secures Waste Management as investor

Project Apollo, a 25-megawatt biomass power plant to be built in Milwaukee, should be operational in late 2013, producing enough electricity to power 20,000 homes in the Milwaukee area, according to developer Alliance Federated Energy.
 
 AFE plans to use Westinghouse Plasma Corp.'s plasma gasification technology to convert municipal and industrial wastes into syngas for energy. Several facilities around the world, such as in Japan, operate commercially with the technology, with several more in final design or construction phases, including in India and Turkey, according to Westinghouse. AFE, established in 2005, develops and finances renewable energy projects in the Midwest, and provides development services for projects led by third parties through a network of independent consultants and contractors. 
 
 The $225 million Milwaukee plant, which will be built on a 25-acre industrial site, will be AFE's first project and CEO Christopher Maloney calls the plasma gasification technology the "ultimate in recycling." The project will create more than 250 jobs during construction, along with another 45 full-time positions once operational, according to AFE. Badger Disposal of Wisconsin, one of the region's leading industrial waste management services companies, has already committed to supply about 30 percent of the waste feedstock for the facility. AFE is in discussions with third parties for the sale of syngas and electricity. 
 
 The first phase of the facility is expected to process about 1,200 tons of waste per day, according to the company. AFE partner CorVal-Ryan, based in St. Paul, Minn., will design and fabricate the plant, and Los Angeles-based partner Aecom will provide technical, environmental and management support services for the project.

Biomass project proposed in Milwaukee

Vancourver-based Lignol Energy Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding with enzyme giant Novozymes, and the two companies have established the framework of a multiyear collaboration agreement to optimize the latest generation of Novozymes' enzymes for use in Lignol's cellulosic biofuel process. 
 
 The research on enzyme performance will begin this year at Lignol's 100,000-liter-per-year (26,417 gallon) fully integrated pilot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia. Final designs will be developed for a commercial demonstration plant and Lignol plans to build large-scale biorefineries that will utilize its process with Novozymes enzymes, although no timeline has been established yet, according to Ross MacLachlan, Lignol president and CEO. The company is in discussions with the U.S. DOE about funding for a plant that would be completed by the end of 2012, he added. No location has been established, but Lignol expects it will be built in the Pacific Northwest. 
 
 Lignol's biofuel conversion process uses hardwood chips now, but will begin running softwood later this year, according to MacLachlan. "Essentially, we fractionate the biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin such that each of these clean streams can be suitable for downstream processing," he said. The Burnaby pilot plant does not run on a full-time basis, MacLachlan said, as it is only used for test runs. Daily and weekly operation is meant to gather data for enhancements and provide information for engineering designs of commercial-scale plants.
 
 "We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the world's leading enzyme producer to optimize their latest technology for Lignol's unique substrate," MacLachlan said. "In doing so, we are removing a critical barrier to the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. This marks a major step for our industry in achieving the cellulosic biofuel objectives set out by various governments throughout the world. Our integrated pilot is perfectly suited for this type of collaboration in which our industrial process is coupled with Novozymes' biological technology to make cellulosic ethanol a commercial reality." Confirmation of affordable enzyme costs in an industrial facility is essential for commercial momentum, he added.

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Lignol and Novozymes team up

British Airways and Washington, D.C.-based Solena Group Inc. have entered a joint venture to build a 16 MMgy waste-to-jet-fuel plant in eastern London.
 
 The plant will process 500,000 metric tons (551,156 tons) of municipal solid waste (MSW) into fuel each year, employing Solena Group's plasma gasification technology and the Fischer Tropsch process to produce the jet fuel and bionaptha, an oil blending component and feedstock for the petrochemical industry. 
 
 British Airways, which has a goal to reduce its net carbon emissions 50 percent by 2050, has signed a letter of intent to purchase all fuel produced at the plant to power part of its fleet. 
 
 The Fischer-Tropsch process tail gas will be used to generate 20 megawatts of electricity, which will be exported to the national grid or converted into steam to be used in a district heating system. British Airways media relations associate James von der Fecht said the location of the plant is yet to be determined. "We have short-listed our site search down to four potential sites in the east of London," he said. "We're working very closely with the Greater London Authority on this project and they have been extremely supportive." 
 
 Currently, waste disposal in London is paid for by local authorities through landfill taxes of about £40 (US $63) per metric ton, and will rise to £72 per metric ton between 2013 and 2014. The groups estimate the 500,000 metric ton waste requirement of the plant will save £36 million in landfill costs and could result in lower council taxes. 
 
 The project coincides with London's Foodwaste to Fuel Alliance, a project announced last year by Mayor Boris Johnson to jump-start the conversion of the city's food waste into renewable energy and reduce landfill rates and emissions through the construction of anaerobic digestion and biodiesel production facilities. According to the mayor's office, each year London generates 2.7 million metric tons of organic waste; the city landfills receive approximately 40 percent of it.
 
 The Solena Group is financing the building and subsequent operations of the plant, according to von der Fecht, which is estimated to cost $280 million. He said the groups anticipate construction to commence in early 2012. The plant will take about two years to construct and British Airways hopes to begin receiving the fuel in 2014.

British Airways, Solena Group team up for waste-to-jet-fuel plant

California-based renewable petroleum company LS9 has secured an existing fermentation facility in Okeechobee, Fla., that it will retrofit to produce its UltraClean Diesel and chemicals on a demonstration scale, followed by scale up to commercial production. 
 
 "The beauty of this facility is that it's scalable," said Jon Ballesteros, spokesperson for LS9. "It already has the large, commercial-scale equipment." Using LS9's proprietary one-step fermentation process, the demonstration facility will be producing 50,000 to 100,000 gallons of renewable transportation fuel by the end of the year, according to the company. After testing and demonstrations are complete, scale up can begin.
 
 The demonstration plant will initially run on sugarcane syrup provided by local suppliers, Ballesteros said, but will also be utilized in testing other feedstocks such as wood chips and agricultural waste. "We will test and optimize the use of sugars derived from cellulosic biomass," he said. 
 
 Ballesteros declined to release a cost estimate for the project. "But the facility has much of the equipment we need, so the retrofit will not require extensive capital outlays," he said. The six-month construction process will create 30 to 50 jobs, along with 15 to 20 once operational, according to LS9. Purchase agreements for the biodiesel are still being discussed with a number of interested parties, he added.
 
 LS9 operates a pilot-scale plant in San Francisco with a 1,000-liter (264 gallons) fermenter. The company says its fermentation process has higher yields and removes additional production costs associated with the multi-step processes required with other renewable diesel technologies. LS9 genetically engineers microorganisms to precisely produce fuels with desired properties such as cetane, volatility, oxidative stability and cold-flow, while offering an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to the company. 
 
 "The new facility will allow LS9 to demonstrate that our one-step manufacturing process is ready and capable of bringing low-cost, low-carbon fuels to market while creating and preserving jobs in the Okeechobee area," said company CEO Bill Haywood. It's a huge step for LS9 and represents a significant promise for the U.S. biofuels sector, he said.

LS9 will produce biodiesel in Florida

Texas-based Glycos Biotechnologies Inc. is producing lactic acid and advanced ethanol in a pilot commercial-size facility with the capacity to produce 150,000 liters (39,600 gallons) of chemicals. It's a major benchmark in the company's quest to commercialize its microbial technology. 
 
 The biochemical company is metabolically engineering microbial strains to consume nonsugar-based, low-value feedstocks for the production of chemicals and advanced ethanol. Those feedstocks can include multiple waste streams, such as glycerin from the oleochemicals industry or free fatty acids, according to GlycosBio CEO Rich Cilento. So many biochemical companies focus on sugar-based feedstocks that they build fierce competition and can hurt each others' progress. "If a third of those companies are successful, it will really affect commodity prices for sugar," he said. Not only does GylcosBio's strategy eliminate the risks of sugar-only feedstocks, but it also provides product flexibility and a larger addressable market opportunity for producers, according to the company. In addition, the technology platform is cost competitive with the petrochemical industry, while maintaining 45 percent to 55 percent gross margins from plant operations.
 
 Initially, GlycosBio used the common lab microbe E. coli in its process, but expanded its expertise and has been operating its pilot plant in Hempstead, Texas, since November 2009. "We have a portfolio of microorganisms, both E. coli and non-E. coli," Cilento said. "Our strategy is to have a number of microorganisms that can create a portfolio of biochemicals." The front end of the company's process, which includes the microbe, feedstock and fermentation, is the same for any end product, although the microbe or feedstock will differ. But separation from the fermentation broth differs depending on the desired end products, Cilento said. The resulting specialty chemicals can be used as building blocks for a wide range of applications including biodegradable and non-degradable plastics, as well as for surfactants and fuels, according to the company. 
 
 GlycosBio's strategy is to develop joint ventures with companies that produce waste streams compatible with its technology platform. Instead of licensing its process, GlycosBio will leverage the partners' expertise and integrate its own technology for a shared plant. The company has established one partnership and another is close to finalization, but Cilento declined to release details. About four other partnerships are in early discussion and Cilento hopes to have six to 10 ventures under construction or operating in the next 12 to 18 months. 
 
 "People are confident in investing in our technology," he said. "People with waste feedstocks are calling us and we're at a point where we're ready to help them make a product from their waste streams."

GlycosBio technology nears commercialization

Scientists at the University of Manchester have identified two genes that cause plants to grow outward and believe the research could be used to increase the biomass of trees used to produce bioenergy and for other purposes.
 
 Professor Simon Turner said the project, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, began in 2003 with the initial intent of discovering how plants control the way in which cells divide. Turner and UM researcher Peter Etchells studied the plant Adrabidopsis, which has a vascular system similar to that of a tree, in order to investigate the growth in its vascular bundles. They found that genes PXY and CLE41 directed the amount and direction of cell division, and by overexpressing CLE41, they saw a greater amount of growth. "We found that overexpressing one gene gives more cells, but they were very disorganized and not useful because the orientation is affected," Turner said. "By understanding how the two genes control both the amount of cell division and the orientation of division that allows us to manipulate it in a useful way." 
 
 Turner said it is difficult to quantify how much mass can be increased in Arabidopsis by gene manipulation, because some tissue undergo cell divisions and radial growth that do not normally divide. "In vascular bundles, there are somewhere between two and three times as many cells," he said. The team is now growing poplar trees in a laboratory to determine whether they fit the Arabidopsis model, and hope to use the results to develop a system to increase wood production.
 
 As far as applicability toward other crops goes, Turner said apart from trees, the researchers know the method works in tobacco, and although tobacco is not currently grown as a biomass crop, that fact has instilled confidence in the researchers that it will work in any dicot crop, such as soybeans or alfalfa. Dicots are flowering plants that have two embryonic leaves or cotyledons, while monocots have one embryonic leaf. "What will happen in monocots such as maize or switchgrass is less clear, but we are currently testing this," he said. 
 
 The research paper, called "The PXY-CLE41 receptor ligand pair defines a multifunctional pathway that controls the rate and orientation of vascular cell division," was published online Feb. 10 in Development journal.

Genetic discovery may increase plant biomass

California-based Verdezyne Inc. has achieved proof of concept in developing a new biobased fermentation process for the production of adipic acid, and intends to partner for scale-up demonstration in the next year.
 
 Using proprietary technologies, the company discovered and is engineering a proprietary metabolic pathway that can utilize sugar, plant-based oils or alkanes, according to Verdezyne. "We have so far produced adipic from alkanes and fatty acids," said Damien Perriman, vice president of business development for Verdezyne. "We are leveraging the same organism and pathway to utilize sugar as well. Our goal is to deliver a process that enables the operator to select the appropriate feedstock for their region to maximize their profit curve."
 
 Rather than manipulating one pathway gene at a time, the company uses synthetic gene libraries to introduce diversity into a metabolic pathway, according to Verdezyne. Biological selection or high-throughput screening identifies the most productive combination of pathway genes. 
 
 Verdezyne is still in discussions regarding a partnership for a pilot-scale project, Perriman said. "We plan to select a partner with the expertise to work on fermentation optimization utilizing both alkane and sugar feedstocks," he said. "The selected partner will determine location of facility, scale and timeline. Our proof of concept means we have produced small amounts of adipic and our next milestone will be to boost productivity of the organism before entering pilot scale." 
 
 The global adipic acid market was about $4.9 billion in 2009 with its two major applications being polyamides and polyurethanes. Adipic acid is an important engineering resin for markets such as automotive, footwear and construction, and is used in products such as carpets, coatings, furniture, bedding and automobile parts.
 
 Estimates from Verdezyne indicate at least a 20 percent cost of manufacturing advantage for biobased adipic acid, depending on the feedstock, according to E. William Radany, president and CEO of Verdezyne. The company anticipates the growing consumption of adipic acid will exceed capacity by 2015, leading to a necessary increase in production facilities.

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Verdezyne proves adipic acid production process

A federal renewable electricity standard (RES) of 25 percent by 2025 would create about 274,000 more renewable energy jobs and a cumulative 2.36 million job years of work by 2025 compared with no national policy, according to a recently released study commissioned by RES-Alliance for Jobs.
 
 A federal RES would affect biomass, solar, hydro and wind power. "As tax credits expire, some of these industries will see job loss," said Jay V. Paidipati, managing consultant for energy for Navigant Consulting Inc., which conducted the study. Therefore, a stable policy that looks at the long-term as well as the current is necessary.
 
 The study concluded that a 25 percent RES would double the size of the biomass industry alone, creating about 60,000 jobs in a country suffering from an unemployment rate that hovers around 10 percent. Most of that plant and job creation would happen in the Southeast because of resource availability including waste wood. "We think the Southeast is undoubtedly and unequivocally the future of biomass power," Bob Cleaves, CEO of the Biomass Power Association, said during a Feb. 4 press conference.
 
 When the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act was passed in 1978, the biomass industry grew significantly, he said. "Overnight, our industry was born and 100 power plants were built." He added that it can happen again and will with a federal RES. "Biomass is really a job creator and it's a job creator in the Southeast," he said, adding that the BPA is supportive of a meaningful long-term RES.
 
 "Our plants last about 50 years and we really need a long-term policy to support that," said Mark Pytosh, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Covanta Energy, a waste-to-energy company. Covanta operates about 45 waste-to-energy plants worldwide and Pytosh said a long-term policy to support the capital-intensive industry and provide infrastructure is crucial. A 25 percent RES would require a $25 billion investment in waste-to-energy, but would mean the construction of about 60 new facilities and would double the industry, according to Pytosh. "We're very excited and supportive of a long-term RES policy," he said, adding that he hopes it comes through this year. 
 
 Stakeholders in the wind, hydro and solar industries participated in the conference, as well, all agreeing that a meaningful RES is beneficial and important. "America owned this industry 20 years ago," said Don Furman, senior vice president of development, transmission and policy for wind energy company Iberdrola Renewables. "We invented this industry and now we're giving it away because we haven't had a national policy to support it." Furman said China has pulled ahead in the wind energy industry and also mentioned the benefits of PURPA, which seem to have dwindled. "It simply sets the goal and allows the market to work," he said of an RES.

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Study: Federal RES would create thousands of jobs

A one-year extension of the production tax credit for biomass power facilities is included in the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act, which was approved by the Senate on March 10. The five-year credit was originally included in the 2004 Jumpstart Our Business Strength Act and is crucial to the biomass power industry. 
 
 Under the new bill's provisions, the credit period, which expired at the end of 2009, would be extended through 2010 for open-loop electricity-producing facilities placed in service before Oct. 22, 2004, according to the U.S. Senate. It would also be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010. The proposal carries an estimated cost of $105 million over 10 years. 
 
 The same extender was cut from the original jobs bill in February, along with biodiesel credit extenders. Biomass Power Association President and CEO Bob Cleaves said the industry is glad to be included in the bill, but has been pushing for a full five-year extension of the credits. "Clearly, this is a short-term extension," he said. It doesn't solve the longer-term challenges of the industry and we will be seeking in 2010 a longer extension than one year, but we are very pleased to be in the bill. It's a reflection of the support we've received in the Congress and we look forward to a swift passage of the legislation and extension of our benefits." 
 
 More than 100 operating plants in the country count on the production tax credit, according to Cleaves. He has previously said that if an extension is not passed, it will have catastrophic consequences for the biomass power industry, which is responsible for about half of the renewable energy produced in the U.S.
 
 The $150 billion piece of legislation also includes an extension through 2010 of $1-per-gallon tax credits for biodiesel, renewable diesel and diesel from biomass, as well as an extension of the 10-cents-per-gallon credit for small agri-diesel producers. The proposal comes at an estimated cost of $1 billion over 10 years, according to the U.S. Senate. 
 
 The House of Representatives passed the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 in December, without provisions for biomass power. "There has to be a meeting of the minds between two pieces of legislation that are different in scope," Cleaves said. "The bottom line is, there has to be a meeting between the House and Senate so that there is one bill sent to the President and hopefully signed into law."
 
 The House and Senate versions of the legislation need to be reconciled into one bill that both chambers have to approve before it can be signed into law by President Obama.

Senate passes tax credit extension

California-based SG Biofuels has launched JMax 100, a proprietary cultivar of jatropha optimized for growing conditions in Guatemala with yields 100 percent greater than existing varieties, according to the company. 
 
 SG Biofuels is a plant oil company specializing in the development of jatropha as a low-cost, sustainable source of oil and has the largest library of jatropha genetic materials in the world. JMax 100 is the first elite cultivar developed through the company's JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform, which provides growers and plantation developers with access to the highest-yielding and most profitable jatropha, the sequenced genome and advanced biotech and synthetic biology tools to develop cultivars specifically optimized for their unique growing conditions, according to SG Biofuels.
 
 JMax 100 increases the profitability of jatropha to greater than $400 per acre, more than 300 percent above existing commercial varieties. That equates to more than 350 gallons per acre at $1.39 per gallon, according to SG Biofuels. "JMax 100 is the tip of the iceberg in the development of jatropha as a renewable energy crop," said Kirk Haney, SG Biofuels president and CEO. He added that Guatemala has a head start, but the company anticipates advancements through the JMax platform that will further enhance the profitability and productivity of jatropha for growers around the world.
 
 SG Biofuels will continue to work with partners and collaborators to optimize JMax for region-specific planting through the establishment of in-region technology centers, it said. In addition to its work in Guatemala, SG Biofuels is collaborating with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center to develop a customized jatropha cultivar that can be used to the meet the demand for locally grown renewable fuel. Jatropha is a global market leader for fuel production and may be the only near-term solution for renewable fuel, Haney said. It can grow on marginal land and is limited only by a few factors, including its lack of tolerance for cold temperatures. But SG Biofuels' research seeks to solve that problem, along with enhance other jatropha traits, such as oil content and seed size.
 
 The shrub is native to Central America and its seeds contain high amounts of oil that can be refined using existing technology to produce diesel fuel, jet fuel and specialty chemicals.

SG Biofuels unveils jatropha cultivar

A researcher at Iowa State University will use a $4.37 million grant from the U.S. DOE to stack traits in Chlamydomonas alga that will improve oil yield, growth rate and offer better thermal resistance.
 
 "The goal is really to develop it to be able to do breeding for microalgae," said researcher Martin Spalding, professor and chair of genetics, development and cell biology, and a council member of ISU's Plant Sciences Institute. His research will aim for treatment of the strain as any other terrestrial crop. 
 
 A more immediate goal for the three-year project is developing one or more strains that can compete for commercial biofuels production. "The algae we're working with currently are not competitive with other strains for biofuels," Spalding said. More important, he'd like to have a platform breeding stock at the end of the project that can be used to respond quickly to biofuel needs that may arise. "We hope to bring this alga to the point where we can tailor it to meet the needs of the industry," he said.
 
 Chlamydomonas alga is ideal for such research because it is the only type with a well-defined, mapped genome. "It's an alga that's been a model system used in biochemistry and genetics for years," he said. "We have a sequenced genome, we understand the metabolism and we have the tools available to us to work with this alga." It's also manipulable and scientists can create extensive mutant screens, from which they can select mutants that are able to produce more oil, Spalding said. "Rather than look for an alga that produces trait x or y and then trying to adapt each new strain to production, which is a very difficult process, we are manipulating Chlamydomonas to meet x and y," he said. 
 
 Genetic modification of algae does have its critics and Spalding said the fact that Chlamydomonas alga is well-understood most likely will not ease opponents' fears. "This particular alga is neither more nor less of a concern for people with concerns about genetically modified algae," he said, adding that it's important to note his research will not be done in open ponds. "It will be well contained and well controlled."
 
 The research will increase the number of favorable algae traits in the "toolbox," Spalding said, and it will provide a more sustainable and flexible source for biofuel. "We see it as just the beginning," he added.

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ISU will stack algae traits

Biochar technology company Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. and environmental research company BlueLeaf Inc. have completed the second round of field trials testing various effects of commercial-scale plantings of wood waste-derived biochar.
 
 For the past two years, the companies have investigated the effects of Dynamotive's CQuest Biochar on certain basic physicochemical and biological soil and plant parameters, as well as the ability of biochar to retain moisture in the soil, the influence of biochar on crop and biomass yields, the influence of biochar on soil respiration, and the effects of a handling and application method of biochar on the soil at commercial farming test plots in Québec, Canada.
 
 The material used in the trials was produced in 2007 and kept in storage by Dynamotive until shipment to the trial site on May 16, 2008. The biochar was packaged at the production facility in 200-liter (55 gallon) steel drums, each containing approximately 55 kilograms (121 pounds) of biochar and shipped by truck to the farm trial site. 
 
 The biochar was distributed on the plots using a commercial lime spreader at a rate of 1.75 tons per acre, accounting for wind losses of fine material of about 30 percent. Last year's results showed a plant density increase of up to 41 percent using certain planting methods, with an overall average of a 24 percent plant density increase with biochar use, compared with the control plots. Among 2009 results was a 100 percent increase in biomass for a forage mixture, as well as increases in earthworm, nematode and mycorrhizal root colonization, which may suggest biochar could serve as a refuge for soil microbes.
 
 Other conclusions of the study included: 
 
 Best management techniques such as wetting the material prior to handling must be developed because of large wind losses of the fine material.
 
 Soybean and forage yields were improved, although forage quality was slightly lower when biochar was applied. In the case of soybeans, the yield increase was brought about by greater plant population density, and not greater seed production per plant. 
 
 Biochar reduced total soil phosphorus content, which requires further investigation given the soil is considered phosphorus-saturated and management is critical in the ecosystem. 
 
 The application of 1.75 tons per acre did not produce measurable increases in total soil carbon or soil respiration, but statistical analyses could not be performed because of the lack of randomization and replication, therefore data must be considered preliminary and further field studies are required to fully understand the effects of biochar application on soils of this temperate region. The application rate used was low and greater rates along with different biochar materials must be tested.
 
 A copy of the full report may be accessed at www.dynamotive.com/assets/resources/BlueLeaf-Biochar-FT0809.pdf.

The biochar was spread on the fields using a lime spreader at a rate of about 1.75 tons per acre. PHOTO: BLUELEAF INC. 

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Dynamotive, BlueLeaf complete two-year biochar trial

The first project in a new alliance between John Deere and Adage-a joint venture formed by Areva and Duke Energy-will result in a 55-megawatt biomass power plant in Mason County, Wash.
 
 The $250 million plant will use woody biomass from local private forests, although Adage is still negotiating fuel supply contracts, according to Jarret Adams, media representative for Areva. Adage is in the process of finalizing those contracts, along with power purchase agreements, and expects to begin construction on the facility late this year, with an operation date in late 2013, Adams said. The output will be enough to power about 40,000 homes. "Most of it, of course, is going to the local community," he said.
 
 In its first 2½ years of construction and operation, the plant will generate $100 million in economic activity and create 700 direct and indirect jobs across the county, according to Adage. Once permanently operational, it will create a new economic incentive for revitalizing Washington's rural communities that will also help maintain forest health, according to the company. 
 
 The Mason County region is heavily wooded, making it a great location for such a plant, Adams said. It will be the second Adage endeavor, but the first in the Pacific Northwest. Construction on Hamilton Biopower, in Hamilton County, Fla., will begin this year. 
 
 The alliance with John Deere will allow Adage access to woody biomass harvesting equipment that has been used in Europe. "The alliance is to bring new technology and process innovation for fuel supply," Adams said. The agreement allows Adage to incorporate the 1490D Eco-III Energy Woody Harvester into this and any future biomass projects. "The Mason County project will be the first to use the harvester," he added. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, Adage President Reed Wills, Jim Orr, director of worldwide marketing for John Deere Construction & Forestry, along with legislators and forestry professionals celebrated the alliance announcement Feb. 4 at an event in Olympia, Wash.
 
 "Our alliance with John Deere will bring new innovation to the forest, enabling more sustainable biomass to be brought out of the woods and put to beneficial use," Wills said. "Expanding biomass utilization means healthier forests and new renewable energy, all while creating jobs in the forest."

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New alliance announces first biomass project

Posted March 22, 2010, at 3:46 p.m. CST
 
 Pall Corp., a filtration, separation and purification company, announced March 22 that it has been contracted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop critical filtration and separation processes for a U.S. DOE advanced biofuels project. The contract establishes Pall as a member of the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium, a federal initiative under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act to drive the creation of a domestic biofuels industry, reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and generate jobs. 
 
 Pall will develop and demonstrate the science and separation technologies necessary to enable fungible biomass-based fuels to be integrated into the existing hydrocarbon fuels infrastructure. The company will be an engineering partner on each of six processes for biofuel production being evaluated under the program. These processes include fermentation, catalytic conversion, catalytic fast pyrolysis, hydropyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and a low-cost, one-step syngas-to-distillates process. 
 
 "Pall is honored to have been selected to participate in this important research collaboration," said Greg Heilbrunn, senior vice president, global marketing, Pall Energy. "Our experience in advanced hot gas and liquid hydro separations for both conventional and alternative energy applications, as well as our global leadership in industrial membrane separations, will enable us to help ensure a marketable outcome of the consortium's work." 
 
 The initiative will deliver at least one pilot-ready process, design reports, and life-cycle analysis demonstrating economics and environmental benefit. 
 
 The $46 million project will be co-led by NREL and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
 
 "Collaborating on the ARRA fungible fuels program is consistent with Pall's global commitment to partnering with our customers for a greener future," Heilbrunn added. "It will capitalize on our enabling technologies and expand our renewable energy applications portfolio." 
 
 In addition to Pall, other consortium members include: Albemarle Corporation, Amyris Biotechnologies, Argonne National Laboratory, BP Products North America Inc., Catchlight Energy LLC, Colorado School of Mines, Iowa State University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, RTI International, Tesoro companies Inc., University of California-Davis, UOP LLC, Virent Energy Systems and Washington State University. 
 
 To learn more about the DOE's investment in advanced biofuels research, please visit: <a href="http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=286">http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=286</a>. 
 
 SOURCE: PALL CORP.

Pall awarded advanced biofuels project contract

Traits such as high oil content, carbon dioxide absorption, fuel efficiency and rapid growth make algae a favorable component of biofuels. But efficient processing, cultivation, conversion, logistics, affordability and other issues put large-scale, competitive production of algal biofuel on a timeline that raises questions about whether the feedstock will prove itself, or if it's surrounded by too much hype. 
 
 "I think this is the year of the pilots," says Riggs Eckelberry, president and CEO of California-based OriginOil Inc. The company is one of several working to optimize algae production for biofuels and while Eckelberry recognizes that widespread production and competition with petroleum is 20 to 25 years away, he believes 2011 will bring about the first small-scale commercial systems.
 
 "Scaling up will require time," he says. "It's a lot of brick and mortar. I still see scale, commercial programs at three to five years out. I think 2011 is going to be a very good year for showing that we've got commercial systems." Demand from existing infrastructure including CO2 emitters such as ethanol plants and biorefineries represents the low-hanging fruit for algae production. Cultivation systems can be attached to those polluters and function as a blended revenue stream, as it is not at the mercy of fuel commodity prices. "Before algae become as big as petroleum, we'll have lots of algae being used beneficially to suck up CO2 and create local energy that can be consumed on the premises," he says. "Algae production will be local. It will not be centralized."
 
 
 The Home Run for Algae
 
 Co-locating algae ponds at wastewater treatment plants would allow larger-scale growth, while providing more money to the plants, along with benefits such as waste energy, CO2 absorption and nutrient cleaning. "The fact is, wastewater is the home run for algae," Eckelberry says, adding that it provides the most bang for the buck currently. Cultivating algae in a wastewater environment is 20 percent more profitable than other processes, he says. "Wastewater treatment plants have lots of nutrients," he says. "So algae solves the problem by eliminating the denitrification stage."
 
 Researchers at the University of Virginia recommended co-location with wastewater treatment plants in a recent study, "Environmental Life Cycle Comparison of Algae to Other Bioenergy Feedstocks." Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the report found that algae cultivation (excluding conversion) consumes more energy, has higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and uses more water than switchgrass, canola and corn. That environmental footprint, researchers concluded, comes primarily from upstream impacts such as CO2 demand and fertilizer, two major barriers to commercial and widespread production that can be alleviated by co-location at wastewater treatment plants or other areas that emit CO2. 
 
 "We were surprised by what we found initially," says Andres Clarens, assistant professor at the university's civil and environmental engineering department and lead author of the paper. "At the end of the day, the main conclusions here were that algae cultivation, at least as it's envisioned or was envisioned for much of the '90s and recently, in terms of open ponds, has a big environmental footprint." But terrestrial crop production has improved greatly with experience in the past 100 years and so can algae growth. "It's a pretty clear upward trend," Clarens says of other crops, such as corn. "I think we're standing at the bottom of that hill with algae."
 
 The message of the paper is there's some low-hanging fruit in algae production, Clarens says. "If we're serious about algae, we need to find a way to get nutrients from other sources, other than just dumping bags of fertilizer into the pond," he says. "That's never going to be a winner from the environmental standpoint and probably not from a financial standpoint, either." 
 
 The team set the high heating value of each of the four feedstocks tested as the basis for the study, instead of an equal weight measurement, and incorporated a sensitivity analysis to check findings. A cradle-to-gate boundary was applied and includes all product processes upstream of delivered dry biomass. Although algae's life-cycle analysis showed disappointing results, it has significant advantages in eutrophication potential and land use, the latter being invaluable. "We can figure out ways to deliver waste nutrients or what have you," Clarens explains. "Land we can't really improve on and algae are more efficient." In addition, algae yields four times as much biomass as the other crops.
 
 Eutrophication impacts emerge upstream as runoff from the nutrient factory, Clarens says, leaving room for improvement there, also. "If we're talking about really expanding our agricultural efforts to be able to grow fuel, not just food, then doing it in a way that doesn't have the same impact on waterways I think is key," he says. Algae could also be cultivated using existing nutrients at power plants, confined animal feedlots and coal power plants. "Even if we took all the nutrients from all the people in the U.S., we wouldn't be able to grow enough algae to offset our energy needs," Clarens says. "So we're going to have to think of other ideas." 
 
 Clarens acknowledges that plenty of hype surrounds algae and it's not a silver bullet, but that doesn't negate its potential. "One of the things we were thinking early on is if it's as good as the claims floating around say, then we should quit our jobs and go do this because we could get really rich," he laughs, adding that it doesn't seem prudent without studies like this. "I'm optimistic and I think hopefully this paper will help start a conversation about where we should be focusing our efforts."
 
 In response to the paper, Eckelberry says higher energy consumption by algae is not the fault of the organism, but the industrial process. "This study confirms our findings that a stand-alone algae production environment is not viable," he says. "You can't make algae in a vacuum." 
 
 The energy cost of oil extraction with big machinery is a nonstarter, according to Eckelberry. "You're trying to squeeze the water out of the Kool-Aid," he says, adding that OriginOil has developed an efficient process for extraction, as have other companies. As far as water use is concerned, Eckelberry believes the focus should not be on how much, but what kind. "I think we need to step back a little bit and say, ‘Algae is beneficial because it's going to take the wastewater and the salt water and the brackish water nobody can drink and it's going to remediate it.'"
 
 Eckelberry argues that algae are not inherently higher GHG emitters than terrestrial crops, but emit a similar or smaller amount of pollutants when taking into account tractors harvesting up and down fields. "There's no question that algae aren't a virtuous cycle on greenhouse gases," he says. "It's the hope of the future."
 
 The study showed that a good portion of existing data for algae cultivation is extremely obsolete, he says, and a new, reliable model is needed. "It's only a flag that says we didn't know much before."
 
 
 A Productivity Model
 
 Through a multiphase project with the U.S. DOE's Idaho National Laboratory, OriginOil has developed the Algae Productivity Model, which lays out a path for commercial production. It can be viewed at the company's Web site: www.originoil.com. Key variables of algae productivity identified include algae concentration at harvest, total volume available for algae growth, energy source, energy inputs, lipid content and lipid extraction efficiency. A partnership with London-based consulting firm StrategicFit will help further develop that core model. "Ours is just a bunch of spreadsheets and it works, but they can help turn it into modules," Eckelberry says.
 
 Phase one of the Algae Productivity Model included a comprehensive mass-energy balance of OriginOil's proprietary production process, which includes the Helix Bioreactor and live or single-step extraction. 
 
 The model concludes that profitability requires co-location with beneficial site hosts and a focus on high-value coproducts. Subsequently, the pursuit of fuel will require continued process optimization at all stages and incentives such as grants, subsidies and policy. "The end game is to allow ventures to be financed based on reliable, bankable life-cycle analysis numbers," Eckelberry says. 
 
 Besides this venture, the DOE has lent a helping hand to several algae endeavors. In January, it announced the recipients of more than $80 million in competitive federal funding for biofuels research and development, of which $44 million went to the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts for the commercialization of algae production, according to the DOE. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act granted funds to Sunrise Ridge Algae Inc. in Houston, Texas, for the first research and design phase of a project at Hornsby Bend Wastewater Sludge Treatment Facility in Austin, Texas. If awarded funding for more project phases-detailed design, construction and operation-Sunrise Ridge plans to operate its system at a cement company in Buda, Texas.
 
 The DOE has had a long-term interest in algae because of its potential and productivity compared with land-based plants. The Aquatic Species Program was a precursor to the current Biomass Program within the DOE and studied algae for biodiesel. 
 The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will use $1.9 million in federal funding to help revamp a portion of its Beadle Center greenhouse to accommodate an algal biofuels research facility that will address three important goals: identify the best strains for maximum oil production; identify optimal growing conditions; and modify the algae for maximum cell density, according to Paul Black, a lipid biochemist at the university. The team is currently working with a photobioreactor that is designed to increase cell density per unit volume from about two grams per liter to eight to 10 grams per liter, by exploring maximum light and carbon dioxide conditions, Black said. Black expects that after about 10 months the scientists should have some compelling data, although a timeline has not been established.
 
 Black and fellow scientists are working now with natural strains, but the possibility of genetic modification exists, depending on what genes are turned on or off by certain stimuli, such as light. "It depends on what we come across," he said. "There's a lot of serendipity in science."
 
 
 An Unnecessary Risk
 
 While many researchers are working to optimize algal traits through genetic modification (GMO), others express deep concerns with the practice, including destabilization of ecosystems, death of beneficial species of natural algae, creation of toxic GMO algae species that can directly harm people, irreparable alteration of the environment, and many more. 
 
 "Let's remember that algae are responsible for half of the oxygen on this Earth," says Gerald Groenewold, director of the Energy & Environmental Research Center on the campus of the University of North Dakota. "It's a fantastic group of species that are very important to life on Earth." Several thousand species of algae are thought to exist and humans understand little about them, he adds, including the extent of their interaction with the environment. "Therefore, changing that interaction through genetic modification creates a plethora of unknown consequences and probably some significant risks. We don't know where we're going with this. We're driving blind."
 
 An environmental risk assessment protocol for GMO algae does not exist, which Groenewold considers a worrisome reality. "In simple terms, I think what we're doing is championing the creation of dangerous biohazards without having to address safety guidelines, because there is no guideline," he says.
 
 The tremendous growth rate of algae makes genetic modification even more risky, as it would mean a "geometric spread" of any mistake, Groenewold explains. Furthermore, significant strides are being made in research with natural strains of the organism that are understood. "There is no necessity to pursue a far riskier GMO course of action when we're having significant success pursuing natural breeding," he argues. "This is a Frankensteinian exercise." 
 
 Genetic modification of algae needs to be critically discussed and evaluated to avoid a "biological nightmare," Groenewold says. "It's the most amazingly inappropriate thing, frankly, I have seen in years under the heading of science," he says of GMO algae. "It's very bad science in my opinion."
 
 
 Roadblocks
 
 While technological barriers to large-scale commercialization of algae production for biofuels still exist, researchers are making advancements and the next step is to bring them together in a best-of-breed technology, Eckelberry says. "I have no doubt that the technologies are out there," he says. "They just need to be melded and put to work … There are process issues, of course, but there's no question it's got the potential."
 
 Black cites cell density, quality oil and oil extraction as major barriers. "I would say it will be five to seven years before we really get to a point of making it commercially viable," he says. "We've got some blocks in front of us, but they're not insurmountable."
 
 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.

Sunrise Ridge Algae Inc.?s fifth-generation algae production technology project is located at the Hornsby Bend Wastewater Sludge Treatment Facility in Austin, Texas. PHOTO: U.S. DOE

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Algae show enormous potential as a biofuel feedstock, prompting numerous companies to further develop production and conversion systems. But some researchers remain skeptical as large-scale commercialization of reliable processes seems a distant goal.

Biofuels or Bust

The U.S. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory concluded in 1990 in its Aquatic Species Program close-out report that open raceway ponds were the most viable solution for the mass production of algae for conversion into biofuels, but that it was much too early to determine whether open, closed or hybrid designs of growing algae would ultimately prevail. 
 
 Generally, open ponds have been associated with contamination issues, excessive space requirements and limited location possibilities due to climate. At the same time, closed bioreactors have mainly been considered too expensive. There wasn't much room for doubting the accuracy of NREL's report, but have technological advancements in the past two decades leveled the playing field? Perhaps, but companies today pursuing either route still face the same hurdles their predecessors did. Whether it takes five, 10 or 20 years, the key to economic algae-based biofuel production is developing the most cost-effective growth model possible.
 
 If light limitation is the main problem in achieving the commercial potential of algae in scaled commercial cultivation operations, Massachusetts-based Bodega Algae may have the solution, according to CEO Joseph Dahmen. In January, Bodega Algae and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, received a six-month, $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test a prototype for growing high concentrations of algae for use as biofuel. More specifically, Bodega will use the funds to develop advanced photobioreactors, and is making "big advancements," Dahmen says. Bodega Algae will work on the grant with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. 
 
 
 Case Closed 
 
 One of the major issues in the cultivation of microalgae is light limitation, Dahmen says. "This limits the effective photosynthetic zone to the volume within five centimeters of the surface of a pond," he says. "Everything below that tends to be light prohibited because the top layer limits the light from getting in." The same is true for photobioreactors, he adds. "So some people have tried various solutions like flat plates or hanging bags, and in effect, what they've done is limit the cultivation volumes in an attempt to drive up the surface area to volume ratio."
 
 These small volumes allow light to penetrate better, according to Dahmen, but the problem is that it may lead to biofouling (the attachment of organisms to a surface in contact with water for a period of time) and the cost of pumping the algae around through the small volumes increases. "We're bringing the light to the algae with some proprietary optics located within the reactor," Dahmen says. "Cultivation volumes that are lit internally allow us to cultivate very efficiently in three dimensions."
 
 The bioreactors Bodega is currently experimenting with are bench units made of acrylic. In the long term, however, the company is looking at shipping containers and possibly petroleum distilate storage tanks. 
 
 Dahmen describes open ponds as a "first-generation solution" to growing algae. "They're very land intensive because the effective cultivation area is limited to a very thin slice of growth medium, so the ponds have to expand, becoming very land hungry," he says. "Also, if you look at the areas receiving high amounts of natural sunlight or insolation where ponds make the most sense, you run into tremendous problems with evaporation as well as cross-contamination of cultures. When you start talking about acres and acres of ponds 16 inches deep, you've increased the surface area to the point where land consumption is a huge problem."
 
 Open ponds are relatively cheap to build compared with bioreactors, though, Dahmen says. "But what we're seeing is a real need for cost-effective photobioreactors that can address the capital expense issues while offering efficient cultivation in large volumes." 
 
 Numerous other companies share Dahmen's perspectives, but have approached bioreactors in different ways. Solix Biofuels, recently named a part of the U.S. DOE's $44 million National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts consortium, has attracted much attention in the past few years. Along with Colorado State University, Solix has developed specialized photobioreactor systems composed of long, closed plastic bags containing algae, which float in large water-filled metal tanks to control temperature and are injected with CO2 through tubing to optimize growth. 
 
 California-based OriginOil, another bioreactor contender, has a cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE's Idaho National Laboratory for a multiphase algae research program. The company describes its Helix BioReactor as an advanced algae growth system that features a rotating vertical shaft with low-energy lights arranged in a helix/spiral pattern, resulting in a theoretically unlimited number of growth layers. 
 
 While these particular companies have focused on bioreactor development, some such as Washington-based Bioalgene Inc. have pursued both methods. 
 
 
 Open to Possibilities
 
 A few years ago, aircraft manufacturer Boeing hired Bioalgene to survey indigenous strains of algae-regional strains that grow fast and produce many lipids-in the Northwest U.S., according to Bioalgene CEO Stan Barnes. The company has leased a decommissioned wastewater plant where it is now testing selected strains. "These are natural strains that already have defense mechanisms against predators and disease and can thrive in this region," Barnes says. Now entering phase two of its research project, Bioalgene will grow algae in larger, 220,000-gallon ponds on a five-acre tract at Boardman, Ore., to test variances in growing and harvesting methods. 
 
 Barnes says early on, the company built three bioreactors at Seattle University, and though being able to grow pure strains was an advantage, capital costs to build, maintain and clean transparent systems didn't seem to be an economic pathway to high-volume algae production. Using NREL's research as a basis for the company's decision to move forward with natural strains in open ponds, Barnes says Bioalgene utilized the already developed capabilities of algae to yield a simple system, rather than a complex system. "Evaporation is one of the things we're concerned about though," he tells Biomass Magazine. "The whole question of water management is a challenge, and I think you'll have it anywhere. One big advantage a closed system has is no evaporation loss."
 
 Adequate temperature and sunlight are only available in certain regions for limited periods of time, but Barnes says one of the benefits Bioalgene will reap by growing algae at a coal-fired power plant (besides using flu gas emissions to accelerate growth) is that the process heat allows growth into December by warming water that is fed to the algae. "As long as the water is warm, there is plenty of light energy to keep the algae growing," he says. 
 
 Although Bioalgene believes open ponds are the ultimate solution, it will utilize closed reactors as nurseries to grow inoculation strains in pure forms before introducing them to ponds. "Overall, the potential for volume, we see, is more economical (in open ponds) than in large closed systems," he says. Bioalgene expects its systems to be able to deliver more than 100,000 tons of algae per year. 
 
 But what if the algae are being produced for something other than oil? Jim Oyler, CEO of Utah-based Genifuel Corp., says the method of growing algae is relative to the intended use. Algae oil developers are looking to achieve the highest yields of oil possible using specific strains, but oil yields aren't important to Genifuel, as it is directly converting the algal biomass to natural gas via a gasification process developed by the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
 
 
 Room for Both 
 
 Though Genifuel is focused on mass rather than oil yields, growing the material as cheap and quickly as possible is imperative. The company has open raceway ponds in Utah, which are currently shut down for the winter months, but produced algae last year. "In our case, we're interested in growing the most biomass possible per unit of area in our ponds, so our goal is different than the goal of algae oil producers," Oyler says. "We like fast-growing species and in many cases these are tough, aggressive types of algae. Many of the oil producers, especially when they are genetically modified, can be somewhat delicate or vulnerable, and are easily taken over by weeds." 
 
 Most oil producers will make the case that they can get faster growth in bioreactors, while at the same time avoid problems that arise from outdoor production, including susceptibility to parasites and the potential for aggressive species to take over. "The key question is, can you get enough additional productivity in bioreactors to offset the additional cost?" Oyler says. "There are some very clever designs being developed. Solix Biofuels has a design that's not too expensive-more expensive than open ponds-but it reduces capital costs in a productive way."
 
 Open ponds have not always been consistent, however, as they have peak productivities that aren't maintainable or achievable in most climates over extended periods of time. "There are also some very clever designs that overcome some of those problems," Oyler says. "But in order for bioreactors to pay off, they're going to have to achieve something in the order of double or triple the productivity of an outdoor open pond. It's yet to be proven that it can be done. Theoretically it might be possible, but no one's actually demonstrated it at a commercial scale."
 
 Another advantage of closed systems is that they open up sunny, dry areas such as the Southwest to biofuel production. Open ponds are unlikely to work in the Southwest because the water loss is going to be enormous, Oyler says. "Photobioreactors keep water enclosed, but thermal management is still needed, because if you put an enclosed system out in the desert it's going to get really, really hot in there."
 
 Although the problems of predators and weeds have been solved with bioreactors, such closed systems used to grow algae for other purposes have experienced problems with virus susceptibility and/or bacteria attacks, which can take the whole system down in a matter of hours. "There are ways to deal with that, but I don't believe that it has ever been fully solved for long periods of time," Oyler says. "Both ponds and bioreactors have advantages and disadvantages right now. There's more experience with outdoor systems, but the closed systems have the promise of higher sustained productivity, but only if they can overcome associated problems, especially thermal management or diseases."
 
 Al Darzins, principal group manager of NREL's National Bioenergy Center, shares Oyler's sentiment. During the past couple of years, algae research has enjoyed a resurgence at NREL, including projects with Chevron Corp. and the Colorado Center for Biofuels and Biorefining, and Darzins says in the extended future, both ways of producing algae will continue. 
 
 
 Back at It 
 
 NREL is currently experimenting with two algae production systems-in 270-liter ponds in a greenhouse, and small bioreactors that hold media to grow algae in artificial light with CO2. "When we start scaling both up to the commercial realm, though, that's where the debate lies," Darzins says. "It's an argument that has been heated for the past several years."
 
 When generating large amounts of algae outside in closed photobioreactors, conventional wisdom is that the materials that go into making them are going to be cost-prohibitive unless the fuel produced is cheap, according to Darzins. "If you're making a value-added product that is worth a lot of money, then it might make sense to grow the algae in a closed photobioreactor," he says. "Right now, most people think the cost-effective way will be open raceway ponds, but there are some companies such as Solix that are growing their organisms in kind of a hybrid cultivation technology. Solazyme is growing algae not with sunlight, but within closed fermentation tanks with sugar. Under those conditions you can get very high cell densities and very high amounts of oil produced, but the main questions are, will that be cost effective and can you scale it up to be meaningful enough to displace the 40 billion-odd gallons of diesel we use here in the U.S.? Where are you going to get your cheap sugars to let your algae grow?" 
 
 Some believe once lignocellulosic ethanol technology is mature, the sugars extracted from corn stover and energy crops could be fed to bioreactors to reduce the cost of algae production. "That technology isn't quite there yet either," Darzins says. "There are a lot of different technologies that people are exploring but overall, the predominant method right now is open ponds." 
 
 Darzins believes if someone can develop truly novel bioreactors that are inexpensive to make and maintain while isolating organisms that are very productive, then it might make sense to grow algae that way, especially in more northern latitudes. On whether genetically modified organisms are productive or not, Darzins isn't sold. "We think Mother Nature has been engineering biology for millions and millions of years and there are some very interesting organisms that we just need to discover," he says. "Over the past four years, algal biofuels have captured the public and scientific communities attention and [its viability] really depends on whether we can produce it cost effectively and sustainably, from the aspects of land usage, water usage and nutrient usage; we just have to make sure all that can be done without competing with agriculture. We haven't heard the last of this debate, that's for sure."
 
 Anna Austin is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:aaustin@bbiinternational.com">aaustin@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4968.

There are pros and cons associated with the economic commercial production of algae using closed bioreactors and open ponds. Is one method superior, or is there room for both?

Open Ponds Versus Closed  Bioreactors

The long-awaited Biomass Crop Assistance Program proposed rule seems to have revived some interest and enthusiasm in the program. At the same time, many are anxious for the proposed changes to be finalized, for further clarifications and for the current freeze on the program to cease.
 
 Among several new provisions of the rule is a possible prohibition on wood waste and residue on federal and nonfederal lands that otherwise might be used for higher-value products. Kent Politsch, public affairs branch chief for USDA's Farm Service Agency, says the prohibition proposal resulted because of concerns from segments of the wood industry, specifically the pulp and pressboard/fiberboard manufacturers. "They say that the BCAP collection, harvest, storage and transport (CHST) matching funds paying for forest items-bark, excess wood, stumps and limbs--also included residuals from wood product plants such as sawdust and shavings and therefore was directly increasing prices and competition for a market that already was established, mostly the fiberboard industry," he says.
 
 CHST funds allow matching payments to eligible material owners of $1 per $1 paid per ton by the biomass conversion facility (BCF) to the producer, up to $45 per dry ton for a time limit of two years after the first payment is made. In the case of particleboard makers, CHST funds could essentially double the price they typically pay for the materials they use. As of Feb. 8, the USDA stopped accepting CHST applications until the final BCAP rule is in place.
 
 Politsch says the original intent of Congress allowing wood waste and residues to qualify for CHST funds was to appeal to the wood supply industry to clean up unwanted debris that they assumed had no or little market value. "The fiberboard industry responded by saying that was an incorrect assertion, and that there was already a market value for some of that stuff," he says.
 
 
 Tapping into Trouble
 
 Composite Panel Association President Tom Julia tells Biomass Magazine that the industry didn't initially pick up on the BCAP program's threat to its members, as the organization doesn't track programs that come out of USDA because they usually don't impact the wood products or forestry industries. "We understood BCAP to have a more agricultural orientation to foster new fuel sources, and we figured there would be a regulatory process before money was given out," he says. 
 
 The CPA and its members met with the Office of Management and Budget and USDA BCAP personnel last fall, Julia says. "At that point, the staff who put BCAP together quickly admitted their mistake. Knowing very little or nothing about the wood products or composite industry, they put everything they could think of on the eligible materials list without considering the implications. They never met with stakeholders or asked questions or did an environmental impact statement."
 
 As CPA members understood it, the USDA was going to revisit BCAP criteria and request public comment before issuing funds, Julia says. At the end of November, a Notice of Funds Availability was released even though USDA was still sitting on the regulations. "At that point, we intervened and met with members of Congress over the next month to warn them they were about to fail at what they wanted to accomplish," Julia says. "We support BCAP. It's a great idea, but not if all that is really going to happen is that you'll pay companies double for the materials they're already selling to somebody else. There'd be no incentives to go out and develop a new fuel source when someone can get double what they're getting now by selling it to somebody else." 
 
 
 More Changes 
 
 Aside from a prohibition on certain wood materials, another proposed change in the rule is to increase the acceptable moisture content of the materials received. USDA reported that many respondents didn't agree with the current system of measuring the moisture levels of biomass deliveries to meet the dry-ton measurement standard. A common industry practice is to measure in terms of green tons, which are generally assumed to possess a moisture level of 45 percent to 50 percent. In the rule, it is proposed to modify the requirement for moisture testing and adopt the industry standard. 
 
 Currently, the BCF is required to figure out the green ton to dry conversion. "This requirement may result in the need for facilities like our demonstration facility in Upton, Wyo., to purchase additional equipment or have facility personnel perform additional tasks," says Steve Corcoran, CEO of KL Energy Corp. KL Energy has a qualified cellulosic ethanol demonstration facility in Upton that utilizes wood waste as a feedstock. He says he is supportive of the suggested woody biomass sampling methodologies that follow standard probability sampling of materials, and moisture analysis that follows standard test methods for wood fuels. 
 
 Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co., a 48 MMgy ethanol plant in Benson, Minn, uses wood waste and corncobs as a power source via a gasification technology. "There should be some type of allowable moisture to the program and we would certainly support moisture of around 30 percent," says Chad Friese, CVEC commodities manager and biomass delivery coordinator. "Forty [percent] to 50 percent seems a bit high. We currently have to use a shrink in order to bring the tons in line with the zero moisture, and we're doing that with a straight moisture correction shrink, not a shrink factor, as no studies that I'm aware of have detailed what a shrink factor would be for biomass," he says. "Due to the low density and high moisture of biomass products, transportation is one of the biggest costs, so by shrinking excessively, we limit the value that can be offset to transport and reduce the effective draw area of a conversion facility."
 
 Absolute specification on certain aspects of the rule also seems to be an issue of concern. "We're concerned that there are still, even though it's generally supportive of concepts we've enunciated, some that aren't specific enough," Julia says. "There should be some very bright lines for what materials are eligible for subsidy, and what are not. If the draft has too much ambiguity and subjectivity soon you'll have people trying to take advantage of the system in a way they shouldn't. Vagueness is a prescription for mischief. We don't want to come back in three or six months and fight this battle again because someone has discovered a backdoor to access our materials." 
 
 Corcoran says though KL Energy doesn't typically use wood materials that are used for higher value-added production, he believes there needs to be clarification of what is meant by "higher value-added production." 
 
 
 Funding Freeze 
 
 Without warning as of Feb. 8, the USDA terminated CHST payments and indicated new applications for the payments would not be accepted until the final rule is in place. "We didn't press for that," Julia says. "But I suspect this is becoming a concern for parties who are legitimate beneficiaries of BCAP. They stopped everything cold instead of just changing the eligible materials list, until they put out the final rule. It's what should have done originally but beneficiaries anticipating this money aren't getting it. There is a 60-day comment period, but realistically, there won't be a final rule until middle of this summer so money won't be flowing again for another four or five months." 
 
 Friese says that while it is understandable adjustments need to be made to the program, CVEC hopes they will get it done as quickly as possible to get the program back on line and the CHST payments reinstated. 
 
 Beyond CHST payments there are establishment payments, which are a second aspect of BCAP funding and are more complicated to qualify for. Establishment payments, a part of BCAP that has not yet been initiated, would cover up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing eligible woody and nonwoody perennial crops, with annual payments for up to 15 years. To be eligible for these payments, production activities must take place in designated project areas-areas which may be proposed by BCFs or by groups of producers. Qualifying for establishment or annual payments requires a producer to provide a description of the eligible land and eligible crops to be grown there, including maps to show current land use, roads, railroads, rivers, barge access, cost of land preparation, and evidence of a need for sufficient equity. A letter of intent from a BCF indicating the facility intends to utilize the crops grown on the eligible land must also be provided, as well as solid evidence that the biomass conversion facility has enough equity to operate in the future if it isn't in operation at the time of the proposal. 
 
 Although not definitive, BCAP does have an estimated cap. The USDA reported it intends to cap the cost of the BCAP program at $2.6 billion, including $2.1 billion for matching payments for biomass materials over the next four years, $306 million for crop establishment over the next three years, and $219 million for annual payments over the next 17 years. 
 
 The public comment period for the proposed ruling ends at the beginning of April, and the USDA is confident the kinks will be worked out in the long term. "It will take some time, there will be some hills, valleys and bumps in the road," Politsch says. "People are going to get upset along the way, but it will settle down and be a very successful program." 
 
 
 Anna Austin is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at <a href="mailto:aaustin@bbiinternational.com">aaustin@bbiinternational.com</a> or (701) 738-4968.

Forest residues such as wood chips and sawdust are utilized by the fiberboard industry.

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Establishment payments would cover up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing dedicated energy crops such as miscanthus. 

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The USDA released the proposed rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program in February and is now under pressure to make essential changes. Until the final rules are determined, program payments and applications have been frozen.

BCAP Rule  Revision

the world is actively looking for ways to speed up the synergy in bioenergy from biomass. Research is being developed throughout the entire supply chain: growing, harvesting, delivery (freight and storage), and conversion of biomass into energy and delivery of the bioenergy produced to consumers.
 
 Growing biomass and producing energy from it is a business. There are several well-known advantages in using locally produced bioenergy in terms of the environment, local economic growth and reduced dependence from less than reliable foreign oil suppliers. However, bioenergy from biomass will speed up only when the business becomes more profitable.
 
 Table 1 shows key variables considered as important financial and cost drivers in the production and conversion of cellulosic biomass into ethanol in a dilute acid process. For the economics of a fermentable process-as dilute acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation [yeast] and distillation-the most important features of cellulosic biomass are the cost per bone dry short ton ($/BDT) and $/BDT of fermentable carbohydrates. The delivered cost, $/BDT, is the cost of plantation/crop establishment and maintenance plus harvesting, freight, storage and profit. The $/BDT of carbohydrate is the ratio of the biomass delivered cost and the carbohydrate content. Thus if the delivered cost is $65/BDT and the fermentable carbohydrate content is 60 percent, the $/BDT of carbohydrate is about $108.3. 
 
 The main objective is to lower the $/BDT of biomass delivered and the $/BDT of carbohydrate (Table 1). Lowering the $/BDT of fermentable carbohydrate is possible either by increasing the amount of carbohydrate content in the biomass (using genotypes with desired component properties) or by reducing the delivered cost of biomass.
 
 The $/BDT of delivered biomass is highly affected by biomass productivity (BDT/acre/year), rotation length and plantation/crop establishment and maintenance. Highly productive species (more BDT per unit of area) will decrease the amount of acres required to supply a specific volume demand, reducing the investment in land. Shorter rotation lengths in combination with high productivity will also result in reducing the production area. Short rotation lengths are a desired feature in biomass and hence the importance of fast-growing species. Plantation/crop establishment and maintenance costs will directly impact the cost per BDT. An increment in investment in land for production would increase the minimum selling prices of biomass to achieve targeted financial returns.
 
 A longer annual harvesting season would provide more flexibility in the harvesting activity, as well as labor and machine inputs, reducing costs. Harvesting costs of well-known species are an advantage with respect to bioenergy crops that are not well understood. Experienced contractors and supply chain stakeholders exist for well-understood species. Materials such as wood that are denser than grass contain more mass of cellulose and carbohydrates per unit of volume and would thus cost less in freight. 
 
 Storage is an area in which more research is required. The current simulated storage costs of biomass for bioenergy ranges from $6 to $12 per BDT (for a 12 percent internal rate of return (IRR) in storage as a separate business unit). This is mainly true for agricultural biomass where harvesting windows are only two to three months per year. Thus, large volumes are required to be stored to ensure year-round supply. For instance, a facility processing 500,000 BDT per year, if fully supplied from, for example, switchgrass, requires more than 400,000 BDT of biomass to be stored. Besides the risk of fire, insurance and handling costs will increase the facilitiy's working capital. Open field or enclosed storage, which provides less degradation of biomass carbohydrates at a higher capital expenditure (CAPEX), are storage alternatives. The trade off between storage CAPEX and biomass degradation must be measured. In contrast, forest biomass from forest plantations can supply the required biomass year-round without major problems with well-known logistics and experienced supply chain players. 
 
 Eucalyptus is a forest genus that meets most of the desired features for low-cost delivered biomass. Eucalyptus is indigenous to Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and it is the most frequently planted fast-growing hardwood in the world. In addition, it is the main hardwood raw material supplied to the successful pulp and paper industry in Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay and other countries. Eucalyptus was introduced in the U.S. in the 1870s. Recentlty, genetic improvement has led to cold-tolerant, higher carbohydrate content and fast-growing genotypes (Figure 1). Cold-tolerant Eucalyptus is currently growing in pilot scale trials in South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Texas.
 
 To better understand the business of growing eucalyptus for biomass, researchers have developed a simulation model consisting of a forestry division supplying a conversion facility. The main financial indicators presented are IRR, net present value (NPV), $/BDT of biomass delivered. The cash flow of the project was based on establishment and maintenance costs obtained from forest managers currently in business. Harvesting costs and freight were obtained from harvesting contractors and freight/shipping companies. In the scenario presented, the biomass division supply chain (BDSC) land investment is not considered in the cash flow of the project. This article presents a summary of financial and technical analysis in biomass supply.
 
 Delivered costs of eucalyptus biomass ($/BDT) within 30 miles of the facility was back calculated for three biomass productivity rates per acre at 6 percent IRR. Figure 2 shows the delivered cost of eucalyptus biomass and component costs (within 30 miles) for three biomass productivity rates of 7.5 BDT/acre/year, 10 BDT/acre/year and 12.5 BDT/acre/year at 6 percent IRR in the BDSC scenario. Higher biomass productivity lowers the depletion cost. Harvesting is simulated to be constant.
 The delivered cost of eucalyptus biomass at three different productivity rates of 7.5, 10 and 12.5 BDT/acre/year for three different internal rates of return (6 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent) are given in Figure 3. The lowest delivered cost resulted in the least costly option at 12.5 BDT/acre/year and 6 percent IRR at $50.3/BDT, while the highest cost is for 7.5 BDT/acre/year at 10 percent IRR at $63.3/BDT.
 
 An important consideration is the effect of biomass productivity per acre (BDT/acre/year) on the total amount of acres required to supply a specific amount of biomass. Figure 4 shows the amount of plantable (net) acres required to supply 500,000 BDT/year. At 7.5 BDT/acre/year, the area required to supply that quantity is about 13,400 acres/year for a total of about 67,000 acres given the five-year rotation. The investment in land for production may be as high as $67 million (at 7.5 BDT/acre/year, assuming land value of $1,000/acre), while for higher productivities, an area of 8,040 acres to harvest each year for a total area of 40,200 acres decreases the land investment to $40.2 million. This difference in land investment impacts the delivered cost to achieve a specific rate of return, as the values used to calculate IRR and NPV are based on the free cash flow. 
 
 Another important variable affecting delivery cost is the amount of acres growing the biomass/raw material around the facility. The percent of covered area is determined based on the actual percentage of acres of that specific biomass with supply agreements between the biorefinery and the forestland owner(s) or biomass division(s). Figure 5 shows the effect of percent of cover area around the biomass facility on freight ($/BDT) and delivery cost ($/BDT delivered), assuming a productivity of 10 BDT/acre/year and annual supply of 500,000 BDT/year. As presented in Figure 5, when the forest cover area increases from 5 percent to 25 percent, there is a dramatic drop in freight cost, ranging from $10 to $4/BDT. A direct consequence is observed in delivered price per BDT, ranging from $63.4 to $57.3/BDT in the investment supply chain scenario (where land investment is considered in the cash flow analyses), and from $54 to $48/BDT in the BDSC scenario (where land investment is not included). 
 
 
 In Conclusion
 
 Eucalyptus biomass can be produced and delivered in Southern U.S. at a competitive cost when compared with current biomass delivered costs of grasses and other hardwoods. Simulated delivered cost of eucalyptus biomass may range from $50 to $60 per delivered BDT (within 30 miles) depending on site productivity (without considering land investment) at 6 percent IRR. When land investment was included in the analysis, delivered biomass costs increase to a range from $59 to $72 per delivered BDT depending on site productivity.
 
 Site productivity greatly affects delivered cost, which is why a highly productive crop/plantation will reduce delivered costs with fewer acres to plant/harvest. Delivered cost of eucalyptus biomass growing at 7.5 BDT/acre/year (freight distance of 30 miles and 6 percent IRR, BSC scenario) is around $59.4/BDT while for a site growing at 10 BDT/acre/year with the same IRR and without considering investment in land, the biomass delivered cost is decreased to $53.4/BDT. 
 
 There are opportunities to reduce the delivered cost of eucalyptus biomass while achieving adequate IRR. Shorter rotation lengths, development of more freeze-tolerant seedlings, higher stand tree density together with other silviculture practices are being developed to improve plantation productivity. These outcomes indicate that eucalyptus is a promising biomass for bioenergy production in the Southern U.S.
 
 
 Ronalds Gonzalez is a doctoral candidate working on cellulosic ethanol from various feedstocks at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Dr. Jeff Wright is an adjunct professor at NCSU and Dr. Daniel Saloni is an assistant professor at NCSU working on supply chain and life-cycle analysis of woody biomass and biofuels. Reach them at <a href="mailto:rwgonzal@ncsu.edu">rwgonzal@ncsu.edu</a>, <a href="mailto:patula1@msn.com">patula1@msn.com</a> and <a href="mailto:danielsaloni@ncsu.edu">danielsaloni@ncsu.edu</a>.

Wright, an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University, stands in front of 45-month-old eucalyptus trees being grown near Loxley, Ala., with a productivity of about 13 bone dry short tons per acre per year. PHOTO: RONALDS GONZALEZ

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Table 1. Key variables in ethanol production from biomass

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Figure 2. Eucalyptus biomass delivered costs and component costs ($/BDT) at 6 percent IRR at 7.5, 10 and 12.5 BDT/acre /year for eucalyptus plantations in the Southern U.S. (BDSC scenario).

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Figure 3. Eucalyptus biomass delivered cost ($/BDT) at 6 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent IRR and at 7.5, 10 and 12.5 BDT/acre/year for eucalyptus plantations in the Southern U.S.

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Figure 4. Effect of productivity (BDT/acre/year) on plantable area and land investment for eucalypt plantations in the Southern U.S.

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Figure 5. Effect of percent covered area on freight costs ($/BDT) and delivered cost ($/BDT) in two scenarios ISC and BDSC evaluated at 10 BDT/acre/year and back calculated at 6 percent IRR.

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Supplying biomass is a growing business, and rapid-growth eucalyptus in the Southern U.S. could be a source of low-cost delivered biomass.

The Business of Growing Eucalyptus for Biomass

The summer of 2009 was dubbed the "summer of algae" as industry, venture capital and the federal government committed more than a billion dollars to algae-related projects. Some may wonder why all this attention and whether it is deserved?
 If the interest of large oil, chemical and food companies is any indicator, the answer is yes. According to Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Algal Biomass Organization, the leading algae industry advocacy group, major companies are interested in algae as a long-term feedstock that is 100 percent renewable, feeding off of readily available nutrients, using nonarable land and nonpotable water. Algae provide companies a way to beneficially reduce their carbon footprint. Add to that the opportunity to grow green technology jobs and even a skeptic can see why the algae industry is important. The algae industry is focused on three areas: innovation, entrepreneurship and growth, and major companies want to tap those traits.
 
 Algae-oriented companies, from producers to end-users, are now interested in working with large corporations because of their ability to provide funding and research, as well as access to and logistics for market, and go-to-market strategies-in marked contrast to the early days of ethanol and biodiesel when Big Oil was viewed as the enemy.
 
 The largest share of the attention has been focused on algae biofuels as drop-in replacement fuels on a massive scale. There is also interest in the chemicals, feed, nutraceuticals and food industries, as the pathway to produce nonfuel algae-derived products may be simpler than fuels, the markets may be more readily accessible and the margins may be greater.
 
 
 Investing in Algae
 
 Examples of corporate interest in algae abound. The largest single investment in any biofuel feedstock or technology came last year when ExxonMobil surprisingly announced it was working with Synthetic Genomics to jointly develop algae-based biofuels. Synthetic Genomics stands to receive up to $300 million in investments from ExxonMobil based on milestones.
 
 "This investment is an important addition to ExxonMobil's ongoing efforts to advance breakthrough technologies to help meet the world's energy challenges," said Emil Jacobs, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. in a New York Times interview. "We believe that biofuel produced by algae could be a meaningful part of the solution in the future because of its potential to be an economically viable, low-net carbon emission transportation fuel."
 For years, ExxonMobil has resisted investing in any form of renewable energy, its chairman famously comparing ethanol to moonshine. ExxonMobil chose algae as its feedstock due to its potential ability to achieve the scale needed to have a major impact in the transportation fuels market. "We literally looked at every option we could think of, with several key parameters in mind," Jacobs said in the same interview. "Scale was the first. For transportation fuels, if you can't see whether you can scale a technology up, then you have to question whether you need to be involved at all."
 
 Valero Energy Corp. has invested in the recent $16 million financing for Colorado's Solix Biofuels. Valero says it is "one initiative of many that we're exploring." Other biofuels initiatives include acquiring 10 corn ethanol facilities in an effort to own the production of the ethanol it is required to blend with its gasoline. Investing in an algae-to-fuels company gives Valero another option to meet any renewable fuels requirements, reduce exposure to possible carbon costs, and serve as a possible hedge against dwindling oil supplies.
 
 British Petroleum and Martek Biosciences Corp. signed a joint development agreement to work on producing microbial oils for biofuels applications. "As an alternative to conventional vegetable oils, we believe sugar-to-diesel technology has the potential to deliver economic, sustainable and scaleable biodiesel supplies," says Philip New, CEO BP Biofuels. BP has agreed to contribute up to $10 million to this initial phase of the collaboration. 
 
 Boeing has been heavily involved in algae related research and development, including participating in test flights for commercial aviation fueled in part by algae biofuels. Boeing was one of the founders of the ABO, seeing the vision for algal biomass as a long-term feedstock for jet fuel and knowing that it needed to be heavily involved in the development of this new industry.
 
 UOP, a subsidiary of Honeywell, has been participating as a key processing partner for many of the largest algae companies and projects. UOP has been involved in most of the test flights for commercial and military aviation and is a participant in both of the recent U.S. DOE algae consortium awards. 
 
 Algenol Biofuels, whose algae excrete ethanol, is working with Dow Chemical to build a demonstration plant to produce up to 100,000 gallons of ethanol per year. Dow is interested in Algenol in order to use the ethanol as an ingredient for plastics to replace the use of natural gas. Algenol also has an agreement with Sonora Fields of Mexico to build an $850 million project that will deliver 1 billion gallons of ethanol for transportation fuel use per year.
 
 	
 Food, Feed and the Environment
 
 Mars Symbioscience Inc. is focused on a variety of technologies related to human and animal nutrition and health, as well as environmental initiatives related to maintaining clean water and air. Its interest in algae relates to potential uses in animal nutrition, nutraceuticals and for its ability to remove carbon, phosphorous and other nutrients from contaminated water.
 
 Cargill Inc., one of the world's largest agribusinesses, has worked with a number of algae enterprises, including UOP, Sandia Labs, Arizona State University, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. At a 2006 Cleantech panel, Luca Zullo, then director of bioenergy at Cargill, said that algae could help address "the 500-pound gorilla of the biofuel industry"- the moral and national security implications of developing crops for fuel, versus food. "I think we fundamentally need to look for feedstocks that can help with this issue, feedstocks that use underutilized water and underutilized land." While Cargill has given no signs that it will enter the algae biofuels business, it seems apparent that its capabilities in logistics, commodities, energy marketing and worldwide reach mean that Cargill could be a significant player.
 
 An example of focusing on underutilized water for algae projects is the Metropolitan Council in St. Paul, Minn., pilot project for growing algae in a wastewater treatment plant. The project is intended to test whether the system can remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater while growing algae suitable for biofuels production. Municipal wastewater treatment plants offer a promising option for algae companies as there is a ready supply of nutrients, carbon, heat and water. Algae could also help address increasingly stringent environmental regulations regarding phosphorous and nitrogen removal, saving the council significant money in the future.
 
 Utilities are also investigating using algae for carbon capture. Great River Energy, a Midwest-based utility, has teamed with Minnesota's Ever Cat Fuels LLC to open a pilot plant at a coal-fired power plant in western North Dakota to test how algae can be used to capture carbon and then process the algae into biodiesel using Ever Cat's processing technology. Algae have also crossed over into the ethanol industry. Green Plains Renewable Energy, a Nebraska-based multi-plant ethanol company has teamed with BioProcessH2O, to build two pilot algae carbon capture plants to capture fermentation CO2. A number of companies have also investigated whether algae could be used as a supplementary feedstock for corn in fermentation-based ethanol production.
 
 There are many opportunities in the algae world today, but a note of caution is in order. Many highly qualified researchers caution that the widespread commercial use of algae for biofuels could be 10 years away. Even nonfuel uses for chemicals, carbon capture and nutraceuticals are problematic and not ready for commercialization. Issues such as energy balance, water usage, invasive species and land use must be addressed before algae can be the king of feedstocks. But it might not be a good idea to bet against so many of the world's largest companies.
 
 
 Todd Taylor is a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron's corporate, renewable energy, securities and emerging business groups. Reach him at <a href="mailto:ttaylor@fredlaw.com">ttaylor@fredlaw.com</a> or (612) 492-7355.

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Algae may not be ready for commercialization yet, but the federal government and several large companies are investing in its potential as a drop-in fuel and for its use in the chemicals, feed, nutraceuticals and food industries.

Great Green Hope:  The Corporate Love Affair With Algae

Often, innovators already have conceptual thoughts about how to solve a technical problem, yet they need to speak with a knowledgeable third party because given the multidisciplinary issues of a biofuel or clean technology innovation, for example, an innovator's organization simply can't supply all the technical requirements internally. Some common reasons that innovators reach out to third parties for help include:
 
 Putting the overall final process together (e.g., adding specialized high-throughput material handling equipment between a pretreatment process and a gasification process)
 
 Needing more information on one given technical point that eludes them (e.g., what catalytic material/process is best used to solve problem X in the general situation Y) 
 
 Assistance from a technical expert, academic or consultant on just one portion of a multifeatured pyrolysis or special enzyme invention 
 
 Testing services from a company having the facilities and equipment to test a biobyproduct or machine component
 
 Engaging an outside engineering concern or vendor for technical assistance and/or to spec out or build a pilot-scale prototype 
 
 Discussions at a trade show with vendors dealing in the same biomass burner subject matter area
 
 Requirements for specialized performance/ability tests undertaken on a cellulosic ethanol prototype process
 
 Innovators are increasingly sensitive to the fact that they need to be careful about how much information they divulge when making third-party inquiries to preserve confidentiality and protect their invention. Their company must retain sole control of using and commercializing the overall final solution to the problem at hand, and must own all the related intellectual property (IP) rights in the invention, even against any third party the company may contact or engage. 
 
 
 IP Problems 
 
 Each of the above scenarios presents varying degrees of potential IP problems. Such problems typically arise when dealing with: 
 
 Academics: The need to collaborate with academics for help with your technical problem can run several risks. For example, are you dealing with a professor as an individual, his private consulting company, or with the professor's university employer? Are you actually talking to the professor in her role as part of a third-party-sponsored research program, perhaps funded by your arch-rival competitor? Clearly, care must be taken to identify with whom you are actually dealing and in what capacity as this will impact the type of IP rights that you are able to contractually obtain. A consulting agreement that specifically addresses confidentiality and ownership of resultant IP rights is vital to clearly delineate each party's expectations and obligations.
 
 Outside experts, technical consultants and engineering concerns: When initially contacting any of these entities, care should be taken to use appropriate confidential disclosure agreements (aka nondisclosure agreements) directed towards protecting the innovator's confidential information (CI). If you engage the services of such entities, other agreements may be necessary to ensure ownership of resulting IP, such as consulting, joint research and development, contract research, and engineering services agreements. With such agreements, one must ensure that any inventions created (i.e., novel solutions created by the third party to the technical problem at hand) are actually transferred over and owned by the innovator's company, which is paying for the third party's technical/engineering services. Such agreements should be in place early on, prior to any disclosures being made, and at a time when everyone is still enthused about working together to solve the problem, rather than later when the parties have perhaps fallen out, or when the product/process has become so wildly successful that each party has different views on who contributed what and when to make the invention work. 
 
 Disclosures in these situations can be further complicated if the third party has specialized technical expertise, or owns pre-existing IP rights that it may bring to bear on solving the innovator's problem. In this scenario, the third party will likely require that it retains the right to use such background knowledge and IP rights, as well as any new information gleaned from the project at hand, for future clients. However, even in this situation the company's goal of getting what it pays for when hiring engineering and expert time is still attainable. That is, at a minimum, even if the company cannot get outright ownership of all IP rights, it can certainly try to negotiate a royalty-free, nonexclusive, transferable license to use the third party's IP for the innovator's own commercial purposes, and possibly even an exclusive license for its own field of use. The company may also be able to negotiate ownership of the resultant IP rights, subject to a nonexclusive grant back to the third party for its own use.
 
 Equipment builders, vendors and subcontractors: Disclosures made to these entities can be fraught with IP problems. Perhaps the innovator needs special biofuel processing equipment to be designed and built, for example, to solve a technical problem or to finally make his or her inventive product/process successfully work. In such cases, it is always best to also pay for any needed engineering time to solve the special problem, and have any engineering services agreement or purchase contract indicate that the innovator's company shall own the design and related IP rights. That way, the equipment builder/designer/vendor cannot then go and build the same equipment for your competitor.
 
 Sometimes, vendors help solve a given technical problem, for instance regarding how one of their machines or chemicals could be used by the inventor. In doing so, they might possibly become a joint inventor if they contribute to the conception of at least one claim of the resulting patent application. The default ownership position under U.S. law is that absent an agreement or obligation to the contrary, an individual inventor solely owns his patent rights, and joint inventors each own an equal and undivided interest in and to the patent rights without accounting to the others. Therefore, if the vendor is a joint inventor, then absent a contract that assigns the resulting IP to your company, the vendor may be free to go to other customers, including your competitors, to make, use or sell the inventive idea. Similarly, subcontractors who help solve a technical problem for an innovation during their work, may wish to be able to get out and commercialize that solution further to other biomass or renewable energy entities similarly situated to your company.
 
 Thus, in advance of any disclosures of CI to equipment builders, vendors and subcontractors, use written contracts detailing among other aspects that resulting IP rights are exclusively owned by the inventor's company in consideration for the funds paid for such services.
 
 Prospective joint venture/business partners and sales negotiations: Often CI must be disclosed during negotiations for a product sale, or even the sale of a business. However, IP issues often arise if the parties decide not to work or go into business together or otherwise do not consummate the deal. Therefore, the parties should enter into the appropriate mutual confidential disclosure, joint development, collaboration, or other type of IP-based agreements that specifically address IP ownership and management of IP rights, confidentiality and nonuse obligations, and termination/winding down provisions (whom owns what if the deal falls apart). In appropriate settings, the third-party disclosures are sometimes made in stages, depending on how the negotiations are going. Also, so-called "no reverse engineering" clauses can be included in such agreements, commonly in the nonuse obligations to prohibit a receiving party (of the innovator's CI) from reverse engineering or otherwise deriving the innovator's CI or solution, and then separately using or commercializing the same. 
 
 Testing companies and repair technicians: IP related problems can arise with these entities, as they necessarily will obtain access to the innovator company's ongoing processes and production capabilities during their work, and may become aware of a technical problem being faced by the innovator. Normally, the work of technicians (such as in merely assembling an invention, or in performing testing and experiments or repairs on it, i.e., as those whom do not contribute conceptually to an invention), does not result in joint inventorship. However, problems can arise when the innovator's prototype still does not work, or needs improvement. Then, while the technician is making the prototype, or doing testing or repairs, they may be the one to find a way to render the invention operable, and thus, may become a true inventor. The innovator here at a minimum needs to have binding confidentiality obligations and ideally obtain an assignment of the technician's invention rights. Preferably, such an agreement is already in place when first retaining the testing agency or technician, and before any such technicians ever access the innovator company's facilities and CI.
 
 Some companies may require that any visitor or service technician entering its premises sign an entrance form including, among other provisions, confidentiality and IP obligations. 
 
 Software developer: Problems here can arise under the patent and copyright laws, where absent any contracts the third party (outside software developer), who creates the needed software to solve a problem presented by the inventor, normally owns the resultant software IP rights. Special "work for hire" or software development assignment agreements need to be used, so the innovator's company owns all the resultant IP rights. Also, if the software developer will be using, in large part, any pre-existing software or processes on your project that they previously developed, then at a minimum the innovator's company will want to get a nonexclusive license to use that new solution created by the software developer for the innovator company's own needs and field-of-use, and ideally an exclusive license to the same if not outright ownership. For example, a problem can arise when a process control software consultant takes a specialized software product they distribute, and then further customizes it to suit your own special processing needs or problems.
 
 Customers and sales representatives: Customers are often the source of identifying real-life problems in one's industry, but they sometimes consider themselves joint inventors (or some other type of co-owner) of the innovator company's solution. If possible, consider drafting any related patent applications on the innovator's solution to exclude any technical input provided by a customer.
 
 A company's own sales representatives can create IP problems. For example, once sales representatives learn about technical problems and new solutions created within their own organization, they are often eager to share that news with their customer base, trade press and the industry. But sales representatives can also provide valuable information about what customers think are the current problems and needs facing the industry. In any event, sales representatives need to be carefully trained to reveal little, and listen well, when it comes to product/technical needs and problems in their field and ongoing internal research and development efforts.
 
 
 This is the first part of a two-part series on intellectual property rights. The second part will appear in the May issue of Biomass Magazine. Richard B. Hoffman is a partner at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP. Reach him at <a href="mailto:Rhoffman@marshallip.com">Rhoffman@marshallip.com</a> or (312) 474-6621.

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People in the renewable energy and clean technology fields regularly need to speak with others outside their company for solutions to ongoing research and development problems. For innovators working on a new invention who realize the need to safeguard company confidential information and intellectual property rights in their inventions, however, the question is: Whom can you safely talk to, when and under what conditions?

IP Pitfalls in Talking With Others

Posted March 23, 2010, at 10:02 a.m. CST
 	
 San Diego, Calif.-based <a href="http://www.sgfuel.com">SG Biofuels </a> is teaming up with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels for a <a href="http://cgse.epfl.ch/page65660.html">pilot project </a> to test and enhance sustainability standards for jatropha cultivation. The duo will evaluate the practicality and usability of RSB sustainability standards applied to SG Biofuels' existing 1,400-acre plot in Guatemala, dubbed the community-farming initiative, according to the company. 
 
 SG Biofuels specializes in the development of jatropha as a low-cost, sustainable source of oil and has the largest library of jatropha genetic material in the world. Since the cultivation of jatropha as a biofuel feedstock is relatively new, the pilot project is designed to evaluate RSB's existing sustainability standards as they apply to the community-farming initiative, modifying and strengthening those standards as needed, according to Brian Brokowski, vice president of marketing and communications for SG Biofuels. "The goal is two-fold," he said. "RSB will have the opportunity to review how the standards function when applied to a jatropha community-farming model, and SG Biofuels will have a head start in understanding and practicing sustainable methods as we build additional projects moving forward."
 
 Through the community-farming initiative, more than 380 farmers in 25 communities received free seedlings and monthly technology training from SG Biofuels. Plantations were started in 2009 without displacing food crops and on land considered marginal, with initial harvests expected by this summer. In addition, the company eliminated the harvest sale risk to the farmers by providing guaranteed purchase contracts of 100 percent of the production. 
 	
 Version one of the RSB's international standards, which includes "RSB Principles & Criteria for Sustainable Biofuel Production" and an associated guidance document, detailed compliance indicators and a glossary of terms, was released in November. Those principles and criteria address issues such as legality, greenhouse gas emissions, conservation, water, air, land rights and more. This year, the RSB Standard will be pilot tested in numerous biofuel supply chains throughout the world to identify areas requiring further refinement, according to the RSB.

RSB tests standards on jatropha cultivation

Posted March 23, 2010, at 12:46 p.m. CST
 	
 The world's first biogasoline demonstration plant is up and running in Madison, Wis., with the capacity to produce 10,000 gallons per year from plant sugars.
 	
 The facility, dubbed Eagle, is the latest milestone in a joint research and development effort between Virent Energy Systems Inc. and Royal Dutch Shell plc that aims to commercialize biogasoline production from Virent's Bioforming platform technology. 
 	
 "The demonstration plant was delivered on time, on budget and without injury, producing on-spec biogasoline and frankly, it's performing better than planned," said Lee Edwards, Virent CEO, during a conference call March 23. "This is an important milestone for Virent as we progress plans toward commercialization." The process is similar to a standard oil refinery converting crude oil to transportation fuels, but Eagle uses sugars from various biomass sources to produce the same hydrocarbon mixtures used in standard transportation fuels, according to Randy Cortright, Virent Founder and chief technical officer. Those sugars can be sourced from corn stover, sugarcane pulp, wheat and corn, but Eagle's feedstock has come from beet sugar, according to Virent. The companies declined to release a cost estimate of the plant. 
 	
 "This demonstration for Virent has shown the growth of our company," Cortright said. "We will be able to collect information and collect the expertise to build a commercial-size plant that will be able to generate transportation fuels." This year, Virent and Shell will focus on engineering, design and implementation plans, using Eagle's success. Volumes produced at the plant, which is 100 percent bigger than Virent's lab-scale operations, will be used for engine testing and fleet testing, as well as in engineering and commercial analyses going forward. 
 	
 "We are looking with Virent into how we can scale up this technology," said Luis Scoffone, vice president of alternative energies for Shell. The most important factor is that Eagle, sited at Virent's Madison facilities, demonstrates the processes' scalability, he added, noting that feedstock and location are important elements in the commercialization equation. 
 	
 Edwards said a timeline for a commercial facility has not been established, but it will need to be clearly defined within the next five years. "We have many milestones still to deliver going forward," he said. "It's important during 2010 that we learn as much as we can while we complete the fleet testing schedule for this year."

Shell, Virent announce biogasoline demo plant

Posted April 8, 2010, at 1:54 p.m. CST
 
 In the midst of multiple new renewable energy investments and partnerships-most recently involving Canadian cellulosic ethanol producer Enerkem Inc., organic waste-to-biogas technology company Harvest Power Inc. and plasma gasification technology developer InEnTec LLC-"waste" is no longer an applicable word for the materials Waste Management has collected and handled for decades. 
 
 Vice President of WM Organic Growth Group Carl Rush directs the strategy behind WM's renewable energy investments, and said the company's versatile presence in the biomass/biogas energy industry, aside from the company's goals of sustainability, is the key to WM's continued success. "With these investments-Enerkem, Terrabon, S4 Energy Solutions-each fills a potential niche within the recovery of material value," he said. "We are looking for those which we think are closest to commercialization and have the highest likelihood of success, and we have invested with those who have met those criteria."
 
 On WM's most recent announcement of forming joint venture company S4 Energy Solutions with InEnTec to develop, operate and market plasma gasification facilities using InEnTec's Plasma Enhanced Melter technology, Rush said the first major milestone will be to complete a 25-ton per day demonstration unit to prove the technology at scale. "It's been done at smaller scales, so we're proving it up at our Columbia Ridge Landfill in Oregon," he said. The unit is currently under construction, Rush added, and should be fully operational by the end year. 
 
 As InEnTec's technology produces syngas that can be used to make a variety of products including electricity, liquid fuels such as methanol/ethanol, hydrogen and potentially diesel, Carl said the products WM are focusing on are categorized into a value hierarchy the company has developed. "Electricity is the base case for outputs; the next level up is liquid fuels, which we are developing some of right now, and the next level up is the specialty chemicals and higher value products," he said. "Syngas has a lot of flexibility, so it becomes a function of how efficient and how effective the conversion technology is that you put on the back end. Electricity we can always do-that's tried and true-but it's the other levels up that we're really interested in further pursuing." 
 
 WM also recently invested in organic waste-to-biogas company Harvest Power. "We made an investment, but what really intrigued us about Harvest Power was that they are pursuing biogas as an output of their technology, but also recognize that there may need to be first steps taken in the composting arena in order to get into the game," Rush said. Ideally, the relationship will extend beyond an investment, he added, and WM and Harvest Power are jointly looking at projects in the composting and anaerobic digestion sectors. "The model they are using is one that we like, their conversion technology is one that we like, and they have a good team to execute that," Rush said. 
 
 The same goes for WM's investment in Enerkem, which is currently operating a commercial-scale syngas-to-ethanol/methanol plant in Westbury, Quebec, and is constructing a 20 MMgy waste-to-biofuels plant in Pontotoc, Miss. "At this point it's an investment, but it's a different type of syngas technology than S4 Energy Solutions," Rush said. "We're keenly interested in what they are doing and are looking for opportunities to do things jointly with them while we watch their development, understand their technology and see what they can accomplish."
 
 WM is well on its way to meet its goal of generating the renewable energy equivalent of powering 2 million homes by 2020, added Wes Muir, WM director of corporate communications. When WM made the declaration in 2007, it generated enough renewable power for 1 million homes, he said. 
 
 Out of its 273 landfills, the company has landfill gas-to-energy projects at 115 of them, and is looking to expand that to another 40 by 2013. WM also has 16 waste-to-energy plants in the U.S. mainly on the Eastern Seaboard, a partnership with Shanks Group in England to pursue waste-to-energy in Europe as well as a collaboration with Shanghai Environmental Group to develop waste-to-energy facilities in China, among several other projects. "We're finding all sorts of opportunities," Muir said. "We do a lot with electricity, but it's the liquid fuels that we're moving to very quickly."

WM makes progress on waste-based energy 

Posted April 20, 2010, at 3:24 p.m. CST
 
 French engineering company Thermya is working to commercialize and introduce a fast continuous torrefaction technology to the North American marketplace, after more than a decade of perfecting the technology in the EU.
 
 Development of the TORSPYD began in 1994 by Jean-Sèbastien Hery in collaboration with the University of Leven, Belgium, resulting in a treated wood recycler prototype in 1995. After Thermya was created in 2002, the company acquired patents to the initial technology and continued work to further develop the process. In 2006, the TORSPYD process was completed and the first pilot unit was built in 2007.
 
 Two years later, Thermya signed a first license agreement in 2009 with the Spanish company IDEMA, Group Lantec. Thermya spokesman Jean-Christophe Labastugue said the license gives the company the right to construct and/or sell torrefaction plants based on the TORSPYD technology, but not exclusivity.
 
 Thermya describes its process as a soft thermal treatment of biomass (240 degrees Celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit) based on the continuous circulation of two air flows moving in opposite directions. As a result of the hot neutral gases, the biomass is dehydrated and then depolymerized in the reactor to eventually produce biocoal.
 
 According to Thermya, the TORSPYD biocoal product retains 90 percent of its initial biomass mass and contains a moisture level of 1 percent. Properties and energy content vary, depending on the properties of the initial raw biomass, but the company says wood-derived biocoal has a calorific value of 20,000 to 21,000 kilojoules per kilogram. 
 
 The size of a typical unit depends on the required production capacity and what type of biomass will be utilized. Units developed by Thermya range from 100 to 5,000 kilograms per hour, which are designed to operate on the basis of 8,000 production hours annually.
 
 Labastugue said the first commercial TORSPYD torrefaction plant is currently under construction in Northwest Spain, and should be operating at the end of 2010.
 
 Now, the company is looking to secure commercial and industrial long-term partnerships in North America.

French torrefaction firm targets North America

Posted March 24, 2010, at 11:27 a.m. CST
 
 With the signing of a bill anticipated to create thousands of new jobs, Colorado-the first U.S. state to enforce a renewable portfolio standard (RPS)-has once again moved to the front of the pack of states that have followed its lead over the years, and is now second in aggressiveness to only Maine's RPS of 40 percent by 2017.
 
 On March 22, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law HB 10-1001, calling for Colorado to draw 30 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The bill trumps the state's previous goal of 20 percent by 2020, an amendment that passed in 2004.
 
 The bill requires a portion of the RPS to be met through a subset of renewable generation, or "distributed generation" (DG), which does not require additional transmission facilities to connect to the grid. By 2015 and through 2019, 20 percent of retail electricity sales in Colorado must be renewable with DG equaling at least 1¾ percent of retail electricity sales; 30 percent of its retail electricity sales by 2020 and thereafter with DG equaling at least 3 percent of its retail electricity sales. 
 
 All providers of retail electric service in Colorado, other than municipally owned utilities that serve 40,000 customers or fewer, are considered required utilities. 
 
 Twenty nine U.S. states now have renewable electricity standards; those which do not are primarily in the south.

Colorado raises state RPS

Posted March 25, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. CST
 
 The newly approved Institute for Sustainable Engineering Materials at the University of Toledo, Ohio, will bring together research teams to solve materials development-related problems, such as minimizing and recycling waste, within a variety of industries. 
 	
 The institute was formed in response to a growing corporate interest in environmentally-friendly products and the development of sustainable ways to manufacture goods. It will function as a separate office within the school's College of Engineering and will bolster the school's standing as a center for green technology and innovation. "We want to be a problem solver for industries," said Nagi Naganathan, dean of the College of Engineering. "We want them to know we are the product solution site. We have a proven track record to respond to industry problems and we will be agile in terms of our response." He added that it will be an application-driven program wherein the client will come to the researchers with a problem. "We will reconstitute ourselves in terms of expertise to respond to that particular problem," he explained. 
 	
 University researchers contributing to the institute have done work for 40 outside companies including Shell, DuPont, BP and Dow Chemical Co. "We already have some proven outcomes we can share with industries in terms of why this institute will be beneficial to them," Naganathan said. Work at the organization will extend to sectors including engineering materials, biochemical and thermochemical processing of renewable feedstocks into biofuels and value-added chemicals, and green chemistry and engineering, according to Maria Coleman, professor of chemical engineering and co-director of the institute. 
 	
 The center is studying the conversion of numerous biomass sources, including secondary and tertiary wastes, energy crops and algae, into products and fuel through fermentation or gasification, according to Glenn Lipscomb, professor of chemical engineering and chairman of the College of Engineering. The research groups will also address options for recycling of plastic material, which has been a focus of the University's Polymer Institute, according to Saleh Jabarin, professor of chemical engineering, co-director of the Institute for Sustainable Engineering Materials and director of the Polymer Institute. "This [Institute for Sustainable Engineering Materials] will create integration among all the things we undertake here at this college," Naganathan said.

U of Toledo establishes sustainable materials institute

Posted March 25, 2010, at 2:11 p.m. CST
 
 The U.S. DOE Biomass Program's Larry Russo Jr. suffered a massive heart attack on March 20, passing away at age 54. 
 
 Russo had extensive background and knowledge of the ethanol and biomass industries, and worked with both the corn-to-ethanol and cellulosic ethanol processes. "He was an integral part of our integrated biorefinery team for the biomass program. He was a valued friend and colleague," said Valri Lightner, DOE team leader, in a brief notice informing friends and associates. 
 
 Born in Somerville, NJ, Russo was raised in Peapack-Gladstone, N.J. He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton and his master's degree from Indiana University. He moved to Waldorf, Md., five years ago and was a chemical engineer for the DOE in Washington D.C., during that time. He was involved in biomass conversion and bioenergy for nearly 30 years. He had several patents, awards and publications regarding ethanol research and biofuels. 
 
 "Larry was truly good person and a consummate professional," said Joe Bryan, CEO of BBI International. "His industry knowledge was surpassed only by his willingness to share it. The bioenergy industry was extremely fortunate to have Larry on its side for so many years. In countless ways, Larry helped us serve, promote and grow the industry, most recently by serving on the 2009 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo program steering committee. Larry will be missed, but he leaves behind a lasting legacy in the bioenergy industry he helped build." 
 
 Larry was also a past member of the Peapack-Gladstone Fire Department and an avid motorcyclist. 
 
 Survivors include his parents Lawrence J., Sr. and Dorothea Masler Russo; two brothers Eugene and his wife Debby of Califon and Joseph and his wife Jill of Great Meadows; two sisters Lee Ann Russo of Peapack and Linda Kiss and her husband, Paul, of Pennington, NJ. He is also survived by 14 nieces and nephews and four parakeets and Maggie the Macaw.
 
 Bailey Funeral Home, Peapack, N.J., is handling the funeral arrangements. Services will be held 10:30 a.m., March 27 at St. Brigid Church in Peapack, N.J. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 444, Mount Morris, IL, 61054, in his memory, would be appreciated. Condolences can be left on the funeral home's Web site at http://baileyfuneralhomes.com.

Industry mourns Russo's passing

Posted March 25, 2010, at 2:14 p.m. CST
 
 Sixteen states and 21 industry groups filed petitions last week to join what is becoming a massive legal battle over the U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas endangerment finding. Alaska and Michigan filed individual claims supporting efforts to oppose the EPA's finding while Nebraska, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah filed a joint petition. The states are supporting earlier petitions filed by Alabama, Texas and Virginia. At least 16 other petitions, representing dozens of industry groups, have also been filed to oppose the EPA's finding. 
 
 According to petitions filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the states believe their individual concerns cannot be well-represented by Alabama, Texas and Virginia, and that the administrative burden resulting from EPA regulation of GHGs will greatly affect each state. The petition filed jointly by the 12 states used South Dakota statistics to illustrate this point. According to the petition, South Dakota expects to receive 40 new permit requests from large stationary sources immediately following the EPA's final rule on GHG regulation, and could receive up to 1,000 other permit requests from smaller sources. The state currently regulates 11 stationary sources under its Prevention of Significant Deterioration program and 94 stationary sources under its Title V permit program. 
 
 Alaska said it is not challenging the science on climate change that led to the EPA's decision, unlike other petitioners. Instead, the state has chosen to challenge the agency's interpretation of the authority granted to it under the Clean Air Act. Attorney General Dan Sullivan pointed out that Alaska has been involved in litigation challenging the EPA's authority to regulate GHGs under the CAA since 2003. "Our filing continues Alaska's involvement in this important case," he said. "With its endangerment finding, EPA has clearly signaled that its next step is to regulate emissions from stationary sources - a regulatory burden that would severely hamper economic growth and resource development throughout our state." 
 
 Also last week, Minnesota and Pennsylvania's environmental protection departments filed a joint petition to support the EPA's finding, stating that the court's decision will affect the public health and welfare of both states' residents and will affect "a host of global warming impacts that both states suffer, and will continue to suffer, in the future." Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington filed similar petitions in support of the EPA earlier this year. 
 
 There are now only 15 states that have not filed petitions to join in the lawsuit. However, many of those states are represented by industry associations that oppose the EPA's efforts. A coalition representing five national industry associations and 16 state and local associations filed a joint petition last week supporting efforts to prevent the EPA from regulating GHGs as a result of its endangerment finding. Organizations and chambers of commerce from Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin and West Virginia signed the joint petition, leaving Nevada, Missouri and Montana as the only states not somehow involved in the lawsuit. 
 
 The appeals court will review and consolidate the additional petitions before further considering the case. The EPA continues to assert its right to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act and it is widely held that the court will throw out the lawsuit. For further information, read <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=6394">"EPA lawsuits face tough road ahead." </a>
 
 SOURCE: <a href="http://www.industrialghg.com/index.jsp">GHG SOLUTIONS</a>

States take sides in GHG endangerment suit

Posted March 25, 2010, at 5:01 p.m. CST
 
 Reps. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., and John Shimkus, R-Ill., held a press conference March 25 announcing legislation to extend ethanol tax credits and the ethanol tariff. The bipartisan bill has 27 co-sponsors and, if passed, would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit and the tariff on imported ethanol through 2015. It would also extend the Cellulosic Ethanol Production Tax Credit and the Small Ethanol Producers Tax Credit until Jan. 1, 2016. 
 
 "At a time when our economy is struggling, we cannot afford to let these tax incentives expire and stymie the growth we have seen in our ethanol industry," Pomeroy said. "This is a bipartisan bill that will promote not only economic growth, but also the transformation of our energy industry from one that is reliant on foreign oil to one that is based on energy that's grown in farm fields in the heartland of America." 
 
 "Extending the ethanol and cellulosic tax credits helps give much-needed certainty to the industry," Shimkus said, "and will continue to help our nation's energy security." 
 
 Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association, American Coalition for Ethanol and National Corn Growers Association quickly responded in support of the proposed legislation. Recent studies from the University of Missouri and one commissioned by RFA both pointed to lost jobs and a decline in ethanol production if VEETC were not extended. 
 
 Growth Energy pointed out that if the ethanol tax credit were eliminated, it would raise taxes on motorists who currently benefit from lower fuel prices thanks to VEETC. Tom Buis, CEO, said a Growth Energy-commissioned study shows taxpayers get a $19.2 billion annual return from VEETC. "Extension of these measures is a surefire way to create jobs, improve our nation's environment and strengthen our national security," he said. "If we let the tariff expire, it would drain both hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars right out of our economy." 
 
 As RFA has said before, the renewable fuels standard mandates the use of ethanol-but not that the ethanol be domestically produced. Extending the tax incentives and tariff helps insure that ethanol comes from both grain-based and cellulosic ethanol from domestic sources. "Allowing the tax incentives for ethanol to expire is simply not an option," said RFA President Bob Dinneen. "Failure to extend these incentives would force 112,000 Americans out of their jobs and shutter nearly two out of every five ethanol plants operating today. Long-term extensions of these important incentives are good policy that encourages investment in current and next generation ethanol technologies." 
 
 ACE said 30 members participated in the organization's second annual DC fly-in earlier in the week. While there, they met with more than 60 members of Congress and their staff, asking, among other things, that VEETC be extended. "In today's economy, the focus must be on creating jobs, and extending the federal ethanol tax credit will not only save thousands of American jobs, but it will allow new American jobs to be created as U.S. ethanol production and use continues to expand," said Brian Jennings, executive vice president of ACE. 
 
 NCGA President Darrin Ihnen expressed the organization's approval to the work of Pomeroy and Shimkus. "The extension of VEETC would contribute to energy independence, create and secure thousands of jobs in rural America and allow for a stronger agriculture sector," the grower from Hurley, S.D., said. 
 
 Of course, not everybody was happy with the proposed legislation. The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) sent out a press release even before the press conference started. The group pointed out that the U.S. EPA and California Air Resources Board have recognized Brazilian ethanol made from sugarcane as an advanced, low-carbon fuel. It could help save money and cut America's dependence on Middle East oil. "However, Americans will not fully benefit from this clean, more affordable alternative if Congress continues to erect trade barriers against imported ethanol," said Joel Velasco, UNICA's chief representative in North America. "It is ironic that Congress allows oil from nations hostile to America into the country tariff-free, but is more than willing to punish clean energy from Brazil, a long-standing democratic ally."
 
 A Senate companion bill is expected soon. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

House legislation calls for extension of VEETC

Posted March 29, 2010, at 4:20 P.M. CNT 
 
 The American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit today with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging the U.S. EPA's rule on the revised renewable fuel standard (RFS2) that was just recently finalized. The final RFS2 rule combines the 2009 and 2010 biomass-based diesel volumes. 
 
 API issued the following statement regarding its lawsuit: 
 
 "While the U.S. oil and natural gas industry recognizes and appreciates the role of ethanol and other biofuels in the fuel marketplace, we are deeply concerned that the EPA's final RFS2 rule could result in higher consumer costs. By setting retroactive requirements, refiners, and ultimately consumers, will be penalized for EPA's inability to get this rule out on time as directed by Congress. We believe this rule unlawful and unfair, and we filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to challenge the legality of EPA's actions. EPA made the rule effective on July 1, 2010, while setting unreasonable mandates on refiners that reach back to 2009 for biomass-based diesel, and to Jan. 1 2010 for the other advanced biofuels." 
 
 API went on to say the U.S. oil and natural gas industry is the biggest consumer of ethanol and other biofuels, and that it supports a "realistic and workable" renewable fuel standard. 
 
 The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association also filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today, challenging portions of the EPA's final RFS2 rule. 
 
 "The petition NPRA filed today does not challenge the overall RFS2 program and does not call into question the important role renewable fuels play in our nation's transportation fuel mix," NPRA President Charles T. Drevna said. "Rather, our concern is with the unreasonable retroactive application of certain provisions of the rule and fundamental fairness in the implementation of policy. 
 
 The NPRA stated that the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, of which RFS2 was a part, required EPA to finalize certain standards by specific dates in 2008 and 2009. NPRA pointed out that EPA failed to meet those statutory deadlines. 
 
 "EPA retroactively and unlawfully imposed RFS2 compliance burdens on obligated parties, many of whom are NPRA members," Drevna added. "Simply put, the fact that EPA failed to meet its statutory obligations under current energy law does not give [EPA] license to impose retroactively additional compliance burdens on obligated parties. At the least, such action calls into serious question the fundamental fairness of EPA's RFS2 rulemaking process." 
 
 SOURCE: <a href="http://">www.biodieselmagazine.com </a>

Big Oil files lawsuit against EPA on RFS2 rule

Posted March 30, 2010, at 2:43 p.m. CST
 
 Brush lands in the upper Midwest are a great biomass resource, but can be hard to harvest because the vegetation is thicker than most agricultural machinery allow, but not thick enough to warrant forestry equipment. Stempower Resources' Biobaler is designed to aggregate vegetation one to eight inches in diameter and can link land management with the biomass supply chain.
 	
 The cutting and baling equipment simultaneously harvests and bales brush with minimal soil disturbance. It's been on the market for about four months and Stempower, based in St. Joseph, Minn., has focused on linking its capabilities with the land management industry, according to Peter Gillitzer, Stempower president and co-founder. The coupling can offer lower management costs, offering a savings to wildlife management agencies that clear land to create habitats. The Biobaler can also bring in extra revenue if buyers for the bales can be secured, which Gillitzer said has been the biggest challenge. 
 	
 Minnesota Power recently tested about 12 truckloads of the bales in its ML Hibbard steam electric generating plant in Duluth. The company is evaluating the bales' fuel quality, availability, Btu value and moisture content to determine whether they are viable as a long-term feedstock. "They've burned all the loads but are still working on the analytics," Gillitzer said, adding that further discussions and negotiations are ongoing. Minnesota Power most likely would not operate its own Biobaler, but would purchase bales already harvested. "They're really good at running plants and really don't have any interest in operating one of these," he said. Stempower is also in discussions with other power generators for the purchase or testing of bales, but Gillitzer declined to release more information, as no contracts are in place. 
 	
 Brush is an attractive biomass resource because there is no competition for a supply from paper mills, it can be stored indefinitely without rotting, and dries naturally in the sun without expensive equipment, Gillitzer said.

Biobaler connects land management, biomass supply

Posted March 30, 2010, at 3:27 p.m. CST
 
 Understanding biomass productivity on specific landscape positions is essential to realizing the highest financial returns on the integration of herbaceous and woody biomass crops at the field scale while providing a reliable and consistent feedstock source that meets quality specifications for the bioenergy market, according to a recent University of Minnesota study. 
 
 Led by associate professor Gregg Johnson, the research team investigated the differences in woody and herbaceous crop productivity and biomass yield of crops planted on seven varying landscape positions at the University of Minnesota's Agricultural Ecology Research Farm, part of the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minn. Terrain features were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems technology.
 
 Crops evaluated in the study were alfalfa, corn stover, corn, grain, willow (two clones), cottonwood, poplar and switchgrass. Landscape positions included summit (excellent water drainage but visible erosion), depositional (receives water from two hill slopes and is characterized by poor drainage and accumulated topsoil), flat (poorly drained but has retained topsoil), and four hill slopes with east, south, southwest and north aspects. 
 
 The researchers recognized that harvest intervals between woody and herbaceous crops are different-willow is typically harvested after three years of growth, whereas switchgrass is harvested annually-and adjusted sampling methods accordingly. Willow data represented growth in the second year post-coppice, whereas poplar and cottonwood data represented third-year growth; alfalfa, switchgrass, and corn data represented combined yields from 2006 and 2007.
 
 The study also takes into account the fact that soil physical and chemical properties change depending on landscape position. Soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, profile darkness index, specific catchment area and compound terrain index were denoted as a single value for each landscape position and tested for significance within each species across all seven landscape positions.
 
 Key findings of the study included: 
 
 • Total switchgrass and biomass yields were lower at the depositional, south hill slope, southwest hill slope and north hill slope compared with other landscape positions.
 
 • Cottonwood biomass yields were consistent across all positions, showing no differences in yield among sites. 
 
 • Poplar biomass yield was lower at the depositional position compared with all other positions. 
 
 • Cottonwood and poplar did not display significant correlations between biomass yields and soil/terrain attributes.
 
 • High productivity of both willow clones at the depositional and flat positions relative to other landscape positions indicate that willow is a good cropping option in landscape positions with saturated, anaerobic soils.
 
 • Total alfalfa yield was lower at the depositional and west hill slope landscape positions compared with all other positions. Alfalfa biomass at the west hill slope position, however, was higher than the depositional position but lower than the other positions.
 
 • Total corn stover yield was significantly lower at the depositional and flat landscape positions compared with all other positions; yields were higher where soil moisture was less compared with landscape positions with saturated soils.
 
 The researchers believe the study provides a first step in developing cropping systems that provide a knowledge-based approach to crop selection and placement on the landscape with the goal of functional optimization.
 
 "The Effect of Landscape Position on Biomass Crop Yield" was published in the March/April 2010 issue of Agronomy Journal.

Study assesses landscape effects on biomass crop yields

Posted March 31, 2010, at 9:12 a.m. CST
 
 Riverstone Holdings LLC's most recent renewable and alternative energy fund announced March 31 that it has made a strategic investment in Intrinergy, a biomass renewable energy company. The company said it is planning to use the proceeds from Riverstone, which were not disclosed, to fuel its growth strategy in the U.S. and in Western Europe. 
 
 "We are very pleased to be partnering with Riverstone," said John Keppler, CEO of Intrinergy. "The firm possesses deep knowledge and understanding of the biomass renewable energy space and is a highly respected investor with a long and successful track record. The capital from Riverstone will enable us to build on our market position and take advantage of the significant growth opportunities we see for biomass, here and in Europe." 
 
 Keppler predicted that, "Demand for biomass from utilities and consumers committed to clean energy and carbon reduction will soon outstrip biomass resources available in Europe. This, along with rising demand for biomass in North America, creates significant opportunities for Intrinergy, a company with operations in both continents." 
 
 David Leuschen and Pierre Lapeyre, co-founders of Riverstone, said, "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Intrinergy, which is regarded as one of the most experienced participants in the development of solid biomass fuel. The tremendous growth opportunity in the emerging biomass sector, coupled with Intrinergy's success to date and strong management team, make this an excellent addition to our renewable energy portfolio." 
 
 Riverstone's investment will enable Intrinergy to acquire and develop low-cost wood pellet operations and other fiber processing assets, principally in the Southeastern U.S. and other selected regions. This will position the company to extend its ability to offer sustainable, carbon-neutral biomass to many of the world's largest utilities that seek to reduce their carbon footprint. 
 
 Keppler added, "Utilities and commercial energy users require reliable, experienced, and creditworthy counterparties to help them meet C02 reduction requirements. Biomass-fired energy has proven a compelling means of reducing these emissions, and with this investment, Riverstone and Intrinergy are creating the world leader in biomass aggregation, processing, and supply for utility, industrial, and commercial applications across the U.S. and Europe."
 
 A key element of Intrinergy's success has been its long and consistent track record of sourcing and delivering biomass for energy consumption to its commercial clients through its wholly owned subsidiary, Enviva Materials. 
 
 "Major power producers provide firm capacity – access to ‘around-the-clock' energy – to their customers," Keppler said. "Firm capacity requires reliable, predictable fuel supply, and Intrinergy has been an early and leading fuel supplier in developing the high growth market for biomass power generation. Since 2004, Intrinergy has worked successfully with major customers who not only need to reduce their C02 emissions but who also need to produce consistent, reliable levels of renewable energy. We are taking the same certainty of supply that utilities have come to demand from their fossil fuel suppliers, and we are translating that to the renewable sector," Keppler concluded.
 
 SOURCE: RIVERSTONE HOLDINGS LLC

Riverstone invests in renewable energy company

Posted April 14, 2010, at 10:55 a.m. CST
 
 Novozymes Biologicals BioAg Group will expand its market this year for Met52 Granular -a bioinsecticide made from a soil fungus-from just Europe to include the U.S. and Canada.
 	
 Met52 is based on sterile rice and contains Metarhizium anisopliae, a naturally occurring fungus that efficiently kills a range of insects that threaten professional greenhouses and nurseries. It protects against black vine weevil and strawberry root weevil larvae, thrip adults and larvae, mites, gnats, grubs and white flies, according to Sanford Gleddie, global marketing manager for Novozymes Biologicals BioAg Group. "We've been working and researching with this particular fungus for coming on 10 years now," he said. The product was launched in Europe in 2007 and, upon completion of field trials, can now be registered for commercial, nonfood use in North America for ornamentals, shrubs and forest and shade tree seedlings, among others. The registration process in the U.S., similar to that of chemical insecticides, includes state and U.S. EPA approval. The market expansion is not spurred by demand for biocontrol, Gleddie said, but by product development. 
 	
 The active ingredient in Met52 is the fungal spores. When mixed into the potting soil, it grows rapidly and infects the harmful insects, killing the larvae in three to five days, according to Gleddie. "It's a good bug controlling a bad bug," he said. "We're manufacturing and applying a high level of these spores where they're needed." 
 	
 The fungus is potent and has the added advantage of resistance management. "It has a broad mode of action," Gleddie said. "It's not very specific to one metabolic pathway." When chemicals with specific modes of action are used consistently, any insects that are not susceptible to them will quickly multiply. While Met52 is more effective on some insects than others, it has been tested on a wide range of bugs and Novozymes is working to further expand its abilities. 
 	
 Novozymes is also working to develop a spray formula of Met52, along with a registration for use on food crops. "There's a really good fit for this biocontrol on those types of crops," Gleddie said.

Novozymes launches bioinsecticide in North America

Posted March 31, 2010, at 10:22 a.m. CST
 
 In a proactive effort fueled by increasing nationwide interest in biomass energy, the Koochiching Economic Development Authority board in Koochiching County, Minn., is assembling a biomass working group to gain a thorough understanding of the industry's important elements. 
 	
 The team of between six and nine people will include foresters, loggers, the land management sector and representatives from the county's largest employer and user of timber: the Boise Cascade Inc. paper mill. "We want to get a good cross-section of people who understand what's out there and how it's used," said KEDA director Paul Nevanen. "We'd like to assemble a team that can put a business plan together for projects around here." The group will be the contact for any parties interested in developing projects in Koochiching County.
 	
 The county has no biomass projects so far, but Nevanen says it's just a matter of time. "People are looking in that direction and doing some planning around it," he said. "We'd like to have a clear understanding of how we can capitalize on that." 
 	
 The team will study supply chain logistics, as well as resources for project investors and one of the main goals is to establish a planning document. "I don't know yet what that will look like or what it will morph into," Nevanen said. 
 	
 The first meeting will be in April, followed by regular quarterly meetings. While members will not rule out any viable source, woody biomass will be the main focus. "That is the resource we are blessed with," Nevanen said, adding that the group will be sensitive to Boise and its pricing. 
 	
 "It's important to compile this team, so when opportunities arise, we've done our homework," he said.

KEDA assembles biomass working group

Posted April 1, 2010, at 3:40 p.m. CST
 
 With the renewable fuels standard now in place, all producers of ethanol regardless of feedstock will be required to register with the U.S. EPA. In an effort to help ethanol producers understand what they will need to do, the Renewable Fuels Association has created two documents intended to provide producers the critical information they will need. 
 
 The RFA has a complete rundown of the <a href="http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/2799/rfs2_registration_requirements.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailmarketingsoftware&utm_content=0&utm_campaign=RFS2Registration+_+odllju&utm_term=here">steps ethanol producers must take </a>as well as a <a href="http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/2798/rfs2_registration_checklist.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailmarketingsoftware&utm_content=0&utm_campaign=RFS2Registration+_+odllju&utm_term=here">summary checklist </a>of steps needed. Many of the dates for compliance are fast approaching. These documents, intended for informational use only, detail the steps that must be taken and the deadlines by which they must be completed. 
 
 For more information, contact the RFA offices at (202) 289-3835.
 
 SOURCE: RFA

RFA offers RFS2 checklist/guidelines

Posted April 2, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. CST
 
 John O'Hurley, well-known for his portrayal of Jacopo Peterman on the sitcom "Seinfeld," as the host of the TV game show "Family Feud" and as season one winner of "Dancing with the Stars," has taken on a new role in a less-glamorous industry that turns hog manure into power. O'Hurley and his new company Energy-Inc. have signed a contract to install a waste-to-energy system at High Ridge Farm in Greenville, N.C., to process waste from the farm's 3,000 hogs and convert it into electricity.
 
 O'Hurley said his interest and convictions in renewable energy aren't a surprise to those who know him, and described the company's initiatives as the result of a two-year ramp up. "The technology hasn't had a presence in this country, but it's been used with quite a bit of success for the last 10 years or so in Europe and Asia because fuel prices, historically, have made it a comfortable environment," he said.
 
 Now that the technology has been improved since its migration to the U.S., it has evolved into an efficient mechanism to produce large amounts of energy from waste, O'Hurley said, adding that much higher fuel prices in the U.S. and a more technologically and government-friendly climate for clean technologies influenced the decision to introduce the "Advanced Thermal Conversion Technology" in this country.
 
 Nevada-based Energy-Inc. has an exclusive license to distribute the ATCT system, which O'Hurley said involves two main platforms. "One, we take any waste that has a Btu value such as manure, municipal solid waste, agriculture waste, wood waste-anything not nuclear or metal-and produce electricity with near zero emissions through a pyrolytic gasification technology," O'Hurley said. "We super heat the waste without the presence of oxygen to generate a synthesis gas; the gas turns a generator if necessary or can used as a replacement for natural gas. It's an entirely closed system and produces steam, heat, hot water and residual biochar."
 
 O'Hurley described the footprint of a typical system as being able to fit in the back of an 18-wheel truck. A daily input of 500 tons of waste biomass should yield about 1.9 million MMBtu of syngas and 9,125 tons of biochar fertilizer annually.
 
 The system to be installed at High Ridge Farms is a 12-ton per day unit. "It's our first attempt to move into an industry that has been zeroed in on as the number one polluter because of methane and the residual effluent," O'Hurley said. "It's a significant environment problem, and also a public relations problem because of the stench; nobody wants to live near one, and we can change that template for them."
 
 The system will enable farms such as High Ridge to utilize all of the effluent/manure, which moves through flow systems directly into the power plant. "This will provide all of High Ridge's electricity, and also some excess to sell back to the grid," O'Hurley said.
 
 Soon, Energy-Inc. will also be working to develop closed environments for the hog industry, using the byproduct of their units-controlled hot air- to provide a consistent 72-degree Fahrenheit environment for swine. "This will create a stress-free environment as hogs are very sensitive to their environmental conditions, and their size can be really affected by stress," O'Hurley said. 
 
 The systems are available for purchase and there is no capital outlay, according to O'Hurley. "We'll bring it to them," he said. "It's done like a car lease- they purchase the power from us at a reduced rate, and anything left over, they participate in that as well."
 
 He added that the system at High Ridge Farms should be complete and operational within six months.

‘Seinfeld' actor launches waste-to-energy company

Posted April 2, 2010, at 8:45 a.m. CNT
 
 Great River Energy (GRE) is moving forward with a project to build a biorefinery near Spiritwood, N.D. The company wants to co-locate Dakota Spirit AgEnergy LLC, a proposed 20 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant, with a coal-fired power plant currently under construction. The idea is to use lignin created at the ethanol plant to supplement coal at the power plant and to power the ethanol plant with steam from the power plant. 
 
 An earlier project to build a 100 MMgy corn ethanol plant at the site didn't come to fruition and this new project is in the very early stages of development. GRE plans to spend the next 12 months doing feasibility studies, said Sandra Broekema, GRE's manager of business development, followed by preliminary engineering design and financing work. The company hopes to have the ethanol plant completed in 2015. "Great River Energy's interest in developing this biorefinery is to secure a second major steam partner for our combined heat and power plant in order to regain operational efficiencies and economies to make up for the loss of the original ethanol plant," Broekema told EPM. 
 
 GRE is working with Inbicon on the $300 million project and in late March, Broekema traveled to Denmark to see the company's technology at work. Inbicon's biomass refinery technology utilizes primarily wheat straw to produce ethanol, although other crop residues are being studied. "We expect to gather about 480,000 tons of crop residue per year for the [Spiritwood] plant," she said. "Studies will be under way shortly to determine the distance from the plant that the residues will be collected." 
 
 GRE is the developer of the project and won't be operating the plant itself. The electric cooperative based in Maple Grove, Minn., is currently looking for a company willing to take on that task. 
 
 The cellulosic ethanol plant will produce two coproducts: C5 molasses, a food for livestock, and purified lignin pellets. GRE is currently evaluating the possibility of using the lignin, along with the main fuel, coal, to fire the power plant in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. "The company is doing feasibility work to determine how much coal it could replace with lignin in a year," she said. 
 
 Spiritwood Station, GRE's combined heat and power plant, is expected to be generating electricity in the fall. In addition to generating up to 99 megawatts of electricity it will also supply up to 200,000 pounds of steam per hour to the nearby Cargill Malt plant and the company is looking for other partners, Broekema said. While not the first of its kind, the biorefinery will certainly be the first in North Dakota and possibly the first, or one of the first, in the United States. 
 
 SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE

North Dakota to host cellulosic ethanol plant

Posted April 5, 2010, at 9:19 a.m. CST
 
 The University of Minnesota, Morris and its partners will deliver a one-week renewable energy short course for industry. The course runs May 18, 20, 21, and June 2, 3. Class size is limited to 20 regional participants and includes a scholarship and stipend. Affordable on-campus housing is available if needed. The course focuses on biomass gasification technology and includes a rare opportunity for hands-on training with small-scale gasifiers.
 
 The course, which typically would cost participants hundreds of dollars, is made possible by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace–Alliance for Talent Development (MNREM) initiative. Funds were received to expand curriculum in biomass gasification technology to a regional, industrial audience. The course capitalizes on Morris's ongoing biomass gasification curriculum development, which also includes an intensive three-week renewable energy with biomass gasification course offered during 2010 May session. 
 
 A technology growing across the country, biomass gasification produces heat and useful gases for small- and large-scale industrial applications. The course provides an overview of the science of biomass gasification, including practical and business considerations. Designed for an industrial audience, it will provide entrepreneurs and business participants practical experience for developing biomass gasification energy solutions. 
 
 The Morris campus will deliver the one-week biomass gasification curriculum through a unique partnership with University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center, USDA North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab, and Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program. The course content was developed in consultation with Morris's industry partners Nova-Tech Engineering and Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc.–Architects and Engineers. Their experience and expertise in biomass development ensures course objectives meet the needs of current and prospective employers.
 
 MNREM is one of 39 regional projects throughout the country funded through the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Initiative. The primary goal of the initiative is to achieve long-term sustainable economic vitality and compete in a global economy through the attraction, creation, and retention of an educated and skilled workforce. MNREM proposals were solicited from businesses and organizations in the 36-county MNREM region to present innovative concepts for addressing the talent development needs to transform the region from primarily agriculture-dependent to a knowledge and innovation-based economy capitalizing on the region's strength in agriculture and renewable/alternative energy.
 
 For more information about the Morris one-week biomass gasification industry course, to request application materials or inquire about scholarships, contact Chlene Anderson at (320) 589-6461, anderchl@morris.umn.edu, or visit the Web site at <a href="http://www.morris.umn.edu/cerp/biomass-shortcourse/">http://www.morris.umn.edu/cerp/biomass-shortcourse/</a>.
 
 SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MORRIS

April 2010

Business Briefs

GTE's SC office awarded quality management system certification

Biomass moisture meter ensures fair pricing

GTI and partners win transportation award

Cereplast hires sales, marketing veteran

Terrabon relocates to accommodate growth

Glycos Biotechnologies appoints CEO, expands management team

Qteros names Sawka VP of business development

Veraventure, others invest in MHG Systems

BinMaster appoints sales manager for Latin America, Caribbean

Purolite, TransBiodiesel announce joint technology effort

Evolugate announces advisory board appointments

MSU renames biomass center

Business Briefs

Columns

Assessing Algae's Potential

Biomass Power Improves Forest Health, Benefits the Environment

Biodiesel Jobs and Purification

Biodiesel Purification Options

Featured

Biofuels or Bust

Open Ponds Versus Closed Bioreactors

BCAP Rule Revision

JOBS: Judgments on Biodiesel Stimulus

Crystal Clear Fuel

Contributions

The Business of Growing Eucalyptus for Biomass

Great Green Hope: The Corporate Love Affair With Algae

IP Pitfalls in Talking With Others

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

Business Briefs

GTE's SC office awarded quality management system certification

Biomass moisture meter ensures fair pricing

GTI and partners win transportation award

Cereplast hires sales, marketing veteran

Terrabon relocates to accommodate growth

Glycos Biotechnologies appoints CEO, expands management team

Qteros names Sawka VP of business development

Veraventure, others invest in MHG Systems

BinMaster appoints sales manager for Latin America, Caribbean

Purolite, TransBiodiesel announce joint technology effort

Evolugate announces advisory board appointments

MSU renames biomass center

Business Briefs

Columns

Assessing Algae's Potential

Biomass Power Improves Forest Health, Benefits the Environment

Biodiesel Jobs and Purification

Biodiesel Purification Options

Featured

Biofuels or Bust

Open Ponds Versus Closed Bioreactors

BCAP Rule Revision

JOBS: Judgments on Biodiesel Stimulus

Crystal Clear Fuel

Contributions

The Business of Growing Eucalyptus for Biomass

Great Green Hope: The Corporate Love Affair With Algae

IP Pitfalls in Talking With Others

April 2010