Domestic Fuel

With today’s economic climate, everything an ethanol plant can do to increase efficiencies helps the bottom line. As a plant changes constantly due to inputs and environmental shifts, its important for employees to understand how process aids  including Enzymes, Yeast, Antimicrobials, and Water Treatment function alone and in conjunction with other inputs. Another area of focus was to learn about situations that can occur before, during and after fermentation.

To help the ethanol industry, Phibro Ethanol Performance Group along with Fremont Industries, Fermentis, and Novozymes held a hands on seminar in Minneapolis on July 29-30. Participation was limited to ensure the ability for one-on-one instruction and the seminar was sold out with 78 participants. The particpants are giving the seminar rave reviews.

Sponsor and participate Steve Rust, the director of marketing for Fremont Industries said of the seminar, “The first Process Optimization Seminar was very successful. The four companies that sponsored the event provided knowledge that was relevant and useful. The goal of providing training for plant personnel to more effectively do their jobs was met. Fremont Industries is committed to providing support for the ethanol industry.”

Phibro is planning on having another seminar before the year is out. Tom Slunecka, VP of Marketing for Phibro Ethanol Performance Group noted, “The agenda was packed with education and everyone learnd a lot. Participants have told us numerous times that the seminar was a tremendous value. We look forward to announcing the next meeting soon.”

A maker of parts for biodiesel and ethanol operations says it has been awarded a “Notice of Allowance” by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a device that is supposed to make it easier to harvest algae to make biofuels.

This press release from San Marcos, California-based Circle Biodiesel & Ethanol Corporation says the company received the notice for its Suction Dredge System and Method:

The most important step in making biofuels from algae a successful business is the recovery of the algae from its environment. Until now nobody had a safe, environmentally-friendly and economical way of recovering the algae. Circle Biodiesel & Ethanol Corporation has solved the issue of feedstock recovery by developing a dredge system that can recover algae in massive volumes in a continuous fashion without the need for human swimmers to handle or clear the dredge. The patented dredge head has an automatic obstacle-clearing feature. When an obstacle blocks the intake, it is automatically and immediately cleared by the dredge head itself, and then immediately the dredge head goes back to dredging again. That means there is no need to shut down and clear the dredge head. The process is nonstop.

“We have solved the issue of feedstock recovery by developing a dredge system that can recover the algae in massive volumes. The cost savings are from the lower labor headcount and continuous dredging of higher volumes of algae than were previously possible before our invention. The increased safety for operating personnel who can now stay completely onboard is also a consideration,” said [CEO Peter] Schuh.

The company also has a separate utility patent application for its method of removing algae oil from the green microbe.

A new biodiesel plant in East Tennessee is the first of its kind for that part of the state.

This article from the Southeast Farm Press says officials with the University of Tennessee, as well as state and local officials and members of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy were on hand for the ribbon cutting of the facility that will produce the green fuel and clean up used kitchen grease:

Built with an Alternative Fuels Innovations Grant from TDEC in partnership with SACE, the community-based biodiesel production unit aims to convert waste fryer oil from local restaurants into useable fuel. The production unit, which is located on the University of Tennessee agricultural campus, will also be a research center for other ag fuels like soybean oil and oilseed crops.

TDEC Commissioner Jim Fyke agreed. “Making cleaner-burning fuels more readily available while providing additional education and research capacity is an important step toward a clean energy future in Tennessee,” he said. “The biodiesel production unit on the Knoxville campus will increase use of alternative fuels and create public health benefits for area communities.”

When fully operational, the plant will be able to produce 380,000 gallons of biodiesel a year, fueling the university and the community and recycling the grease of at least 30 local restaurants.

A Texas wind energy company is getting into the bioidesel business.

The Houston Business Journal says National Wind Solutions Inc. has just bought a biodiesel plant for $3 million:

The plant, located in Atascosa County just south of San Antonio, produced biodiesel for commercial transportation uses before being mothballed due to high soybean oil prices.

Houston-based National Wind intends to modernize the plant to reduce processing costs and retrofit it to process less expensive feed stocks such as algae and jatropha.

National Wind Solutions is also in the fuel cell business with a wholly owned subsidiary, Zero Emissions Energy.

Federal grants totaling $2.4 billion will be handed out for the development of fuel-saving, battery-powered vehicles.

CNN reports President Barack Obama made the announcement at an RV plant in Elkhart County, Indiana:

“For too long, we’ve failed to invest in this kind of innovative work, even as countries like China and Japan were racing ahead,” he said.

The president said the plant, which makes recreational and hybrid vehicles, will receive a $39 million grant to build 400 advanced-battery electric trucks.

Elkhart has been a popular destination for the president. He’s been there four times in the last 15 months, with his last appearance in February to garner support for the economic stimulus package.

There’s a new radio show in town… and its focus is something near and dear to the hearts of many of you who read this blog.

On this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast we’ll talk to Sean O’Hanlon, Executive Director of the American Biofuels Council and host of “Pure Energy,” a new radio show on Miami’s 880 AM WZAB, Monday nights from 6-7 EDT.

O’Hanlon says while most people focus on clean, green and sustainable, his show will feature the economic side of it – job creation, cost savings, cost competitiveness and the opportunity to invest in various technologies and companies in renewables.

During the recent debut show, O’Hanlon welcomed Dr. Robert Zubrin, author of the book Energy Victory. Zubrin makes the case that the only way we can break the control foreign oil has on this country and the world is to require more vehicles to be flex-fuel… burn a variety of fuels from ethanol to biodiesel to other renewable products. In addition, in this Domestic Fuel podcast, Zubrin berates the concept of Indirect Land Use as just a crazy idea.

You can check out Pure Energy on WZAB’s Web site and soon to come to Pure Energy’s Web site. And you can listen to our conversations with O’Hanlon and Zubrin here: DFCast-8-07-09.mp3

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) launched a new campaign today to promote the ways propane can help cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, lower energy costs, and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions can be cut immediately, says PERC by using more propane and expanding its uses.

Roy Willis, president and CEO of PERC said, “Significant and swift progress toward environmental goals is within reach. The key is to more fully embrace the clean alternative energies, like wind, solar, natural gas, ethanol, and propane, that are already used across the country.”

Propane which is most commonly used for home and water heating in rural areas, is a low-carbon alternative fuel that emits significantly lower amounts of greenhouse gases and smog-producing hydrocarbons than conventional fuels emit. PERC says that its environment-friendly profile also makes it extremely appealing to people looking for clean energy options for transportation, commercial and agricultural uses. And according to the organization, propane also boasts the most robust nationwide infrastructure of any alternative fuel, meaning it is immediately ready for expansion beyond rural households.

Major supporters of propane include T. Boone Pickens who highlighted propane as an important part of the Pickens Plan, citing propane’s environmentally friendly profile and ample production in the United States. In partnership with Pickens, PERC will be rolling out a national advertising and public relations campaign that will extend through the end of 2009.

I will be spending a week driving an F-150 that has been converted to run on propane by Roush Manufacturing. You will be able to follow my trip via my video journal beginning August 16th on www.Gas2.org as well as here on DomesticFuel.

The National Clean Energy Summit 2.0: Jobs and the New Economy is taking place in Las Vegas on August 10th. If you can’t participate in person, you’re not out of luck. The event will be streamed live via Clean Skies. The summit convenes top energy and environment newsmakers from across the country where they will be discussing ‘green’ jobs, energy efficiency, energy independence, and more. The event was created by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Event speakers are a group of “who’s, who” including U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, along with Van Jones, Special Adviser, White House Council on Environmental Quality; General Wesley Clark, Chairman, Growth Energy; Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association, T. Boone Pickens, Pickens Capital Management, and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis.

They will  participate in the roundtable session: “Building the Clean-Energy Economy”. The speakers will engage in discussions on the case for clean-energy investment, bringing energy-efficiency retrofits to scale and how to promote the market for renewable energy and energy infrastructure. Also on hand will be former Vice President Al Gore who will be participating in the “Clean-Energy Policy Community Town Hall,” also broadcast live.

The event starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 10, 2009. You can register for the onsite event on the National Clean Energy Summit website. The event will be broadcast live at www.cleanskies.com.

New cars that run on biodiesel have gotten a boost from the federal government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

Biodiesel Magazine reports that portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has helped encourage the sale of clean diesel vehicles, which, of course, run on biodiesel:

“It’s completely exceeded our expectations,” said Sean Maynard of Volkswagen U.S. “Clean diesels have been 30 percent of our total sales over the past month.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported, however, that the program’s funds could be exhausted because of overwhelming consumer demand. Regarding this situation, Dave McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers made the following statement. “Alliance members urge the Administration to increase funding to this important program,” he said. “The very fact that we’re at this point just days into the program shows how effective these incentives have been. In addition to seeing an increase in sales of more fuel efficient vehicles with the latest safety enhancements, we’re seeing an increase in dealer traffic that will contribute to the wellbeing of automakers and the entire supply chain.”

The U.S. Senate is to vote on whether to renew the program tomorrow (Thursday).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the availability of up to $5.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase the use of higher ethanol blends (up to E85). Two areas of interest are targeted: “Refueling Infrastructure for Higher Ethanol Blends” and “Outreach for Higher Ethanol Blends”.

DOE will offer up to $3.5 million to 15 to 30 cost-shared projects that will expand the infrastructure of fueling locations up to 85 percent ethanol. This may include modifications, upgrades, or expansions of existing fuel pumps and other infrastructure at retail stations or the installation of new equipment to accommodate the higher ethanol blends.

DOE will also select up to five national campaign projects and fund up to $2 million in an effort to raise public awareness of the benefits, safety, and use requirements of higher ethanol blends up to E85. This effort will help promote the use of renewable fuels to decrease dependence on petroleum.

Applications for this funding is due by September 30, 2009. For more information, click here and enter Reference Number DE-FOA-0000125.

The state of Colorado is offering businesses the opportunity to apply for grants for small wind turbine installations.Colorado residents and businesses have until August 28, 2009 to apply for the New Energy Economic Development (NEED) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems). These NEED grants help Colorado residents (or businesses) install small wind turbine systems for much below the normal cost. The NEED grants can be used in conjunction with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) which further reduces the cost to install the small wind turbines.

These incentives, when coupled with the cost savings from producing one’s own electricity, result in significant investment prospects. The incentive package may even be more attractive in certain Colorado locations where the local utility offers a wind energy rebate to its members. Furthermore, investments in wind energy are expected to provide increasing returns as electricity prices rise as a result of increasing global energy demands and pending legislation such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also known as the “Cap and Trade” bill.

For those interested in applying, applications are due to the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office by August 28, 2009. More information is also available on the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy.

BBI International recently completed a county-wide biomass assessment and economic feasibility sponsored by The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. The report is now available on the AURI website.

The report, authored by BBI in the fall of 2008 through spring of 2009, intended to define the amount of economically available biomass available in the county as well as explore the financial viability of several different conversion technologies.

Aitkin County is a unique geographical location in Minnesota. The 1,995-square- mile county is a transition zone that forms the northern border of the corn/soybean/wheat region of the state and the southern border of the heavily forested northern region of the state. The area is predominantly deciduous forests, wetlands and grasslands.

Ross Wagner, Aitkin County economic development & forest industry coordinator said, “We felt we had an economically viable biomass resource, but it was all based on anecdotal evidence. Until we could quantify what we actually had, any discussions of a project would be just talk.”

The report will now be used by the Aitkin County Economic Development agency as they work to leverage the abundant biomass supply in their county for economic growth and jobs.

A biodiesel-powered hydroplane has been successfully tested at a Seattle-area boat race.

Biofuels International reports the Boeing U-787 hydroplane skimmed across the waves… and past non-renewable-powered competitors… in a demonstration proving the green fuel’s versatility this weekend:

The U-787 was tested repeatedly at the annual Chevrolet Cup, each with a greater proportion of biofuel, culminating in the 100% blend being used in a run on Sunday. Hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer reported no drop in performance as the percentage of biofuel was increased.

The feedstock for the biofuel comprised 85% camelina, 14% jatropha and 1% algae. This is a ‘drop-in’ replacement developed by Seattle’s Targeted Growth. This same biofuel mixture helped to power the test flight of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300 in January.

You can check out the U-787 in action in this cool video below.

Oregon has become the latest state to require diesel sold in the state… well, at least in nine counties in the northwest part of Oregon starting August 5th and the rest of the state by October 1… have a mix of biodiesel.

The 2 percent biodiesel (B2) requirement received the praise of the National Biodiesel Board:

“Oregon recognizes the proven track record of biodiesel performance as well as its benefits for green jobs, energy security, the environment, and more,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. “The NBB has resources in place to assist in implementation, including an information hotline for anyone with questions.”

Oregon follows the lead of Minnesota, which started with a B2 requirement and kicked it up to B5 this past May, and Washington State and its B2 requirement. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have biodiesel mandates expected to start in 2010.

The biodiesel industry and the soybean checkoff have teamed up to try to dispel some of the misinformation being used that would basically disqualify soybean-based biodiesel, the bulk of the nation’s biodiesel, from the proposed federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2).

This United Soybean Board press release says the National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Sustainability Analysis and Awareness project, funded in part by the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff, is building on the limited amount of information about biodiesel and Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC):

“It is necessary to use science-based research to help ensure people are well-informed and educated regarding soy biodiesel,” says Chuck Myers, USB Chairman and a soybean farmer from Lyons, Neb. “All Americans can benefit from soy biodiesel, not just soybean farmers. Soy biodiesel remains a critical part of our renewable energy solution this country badly needs.”

A few inaccuracies that have already been brought to the forefront include that the soybeans were not given a significant GHG credit for fixing nitrogen in soil and biodiesel production did not receive a GHG credit for the production of glycerin as a valuable co-product.

NBB also showed that the development of the RFS-2 did not account for the the value of 80 percent soy protein meal as a significant portion of the market value for the entire crop and did not allow for expected steep increases in soybean yield in coming years.