Domestic Fuel

Now here is an energy resource that we don’t hear or talk enough about: geothermal. Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) projects produce electricity using heat extracted through engineered fluid flow paths in hot rock. Geothermal energy has the ability to produce electricity 24 hours a day. Electricity produced by wind has been criticized for its inability to produce electricity at all times.

The DOE, as part of Stimulus Bill (otherwise known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) has announced it will allocate funds up to $338 million to be used for the exploration and development of new geothermal sources and technologies. In addition, as reported by the Geothermal Digest, an additional $353 million in private and non-Federal cost-share funds will match the grants more than one-for-one.

One of the first companies to receive word that they have received monies is AltaRock Energy, Inc. based in Sausalito, Cali. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the AltaRock Energy will receive $1.45 million to develop exploration methods for identifying EGS drilling targets more efficiently.

The project that has been given the green light for funding will take place in the Newberry Geothermal Resource Area in Oregon, and is being conducted in partnership with Davenport Power, who operates the site.

Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash) commented about the DOE grant, “AltaRock, founded in Seattle, is on the cutting edge of engineered geothermal energy and I’m extraordinarily pleased the Department of Energy is making a commitment. This exciting technology presents us with the opportunity to expand geothermal energy production beyond traditional areas and thus make it available to more consumers. Investment will allow new testing, research and expansion of the technology, which has the potential to become an inexpensive, self regenerating, and CO2 free source of energy. With the work of AltaRock and others, the Pacific Northwest will remain at the vanguard of clean energy development.”

Using landfill gas to produce energy is real! Waste Management, in conjunction with Linde North America, has begun to produce renewable vehicle fuel at its Altamont Landfill near Livermore, California. The facility is the world’s largest landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.

The plant which was built and is operated by Linde, purifies and liquefies landfill gas that Waste Management, the largest services waste company, collects from the natural decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. The plant was built to produce up to 13,000 gallons of LNG per day. This is enough to fuel 300 of Waste Management’s 485 LNG waste and recycling collection vehicles in twenty California communities. Since the plant went online in September, it has produced 200,000 gallons of LNG.

Duane Woods, senior vice president for Waste Management’s Western Group said in a company press statement, “The Altamont LFG-to-LNG facility enables us to recover and utilize a valuable source of clean energy in another practical way, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Conventional LNG is already a clean-burning and economically viable alternative fuel for our collection trucks. The ability to use recovered landfill gas to fuel our hauling fleet offers significant environmental benefits to the communities we serve in California and is a great example of how we are committed to recovering resources in waste.”

The Altamont LFG-to-LNG facility meets two of California Governor Schwarzenegger’s environmental directives: the Bioenergy Action Plan, which seeks to advance the use and market development of biomass as a transportation fuel, and Executive Order S-3-05, which aims to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

“Linde is proud to create a clean and green energy solution for residents of California. Landfill-gas-derived LNG is a super ultra-low carbon fuel, as designated by the Air Resources Board and the Altamont project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 30,000 tons a year,” concluded Pat Murphy, president of Linde North America.

F.O. Licht’s World Ethanol 2009 12th annual conference kicks off today in Paris, France where leaders in ethanol development around the world have gathered.

The conference features perspectives on global ethanol development from industry leaders in countries such as the United States, Brazil, India, France, Germany, Demark, Belgium and Nigeria.

Among the US representatives is Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), who will be presenting to the conference “American Ethanol – The Path Forward” which will include a look at expanding ethanol markets and addressing unsubstantiated claims about the environmental impact of ethanol. Following Dinneen’s presentation will be Margo Oge, Director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, who will talk about “Life-Cycle Assessments for the Renewable Fuels Standard.” Both will speak to the conference Tuesday morning, Paris time.

Follow Dinneen’s comments about the conference on his Twitter account twitter.com/ethanolbob.

A team of researchers led by UC Riverside Professor of Chemical Engineering Wilfred Chen has constructed for the first time a synthetic cellulosome in yeast, which has the potential to improve the production of renewable fuel.

A team of University of California, Riverside (UCR)  researchers, led by Wilfred Chen, Professor of Chemical Engineering, has for the first time, constructed a synthetic cellulosome in yeast. According to Chen, this synthetic cellulosome is much more ethanol-tolerant than the bacteria in which these structures are commonly found.

Cellulosomes are self-assembled structures found on the the exterior of certain bacteria that allow the organisms to efficiently break down cellulose. The artificial cellulosome developed at UCR is highly modular and can be engineered to display ten or more different cellulases, the composition of which can be tuned to optimize hydrolysis of any feedstock.

Chen’s team is focusing on the conversion of non-food related materials like cellulosic biomass and wood wastes for conversion to bioethanol. According to the Chen, this construction is important because it could enable a more efficient on-step “consolidated bioprocessing” by maximizing the catalytic efficiency of cellulosic hydrolysis with simultaneous fermentation. Ordinarily, these are separate steps. The consolidation signals more efficiency and less costs in the process.

The process is described in the paper “Functional Assembly of Minicellulosomes on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Surface for Cellulose Hydrolysis and Ethanol Production,” in the October 1, 2009, issue of the American Society of Microbiology’s journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

The latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine features an interview with Brent Dewar, vice president of Chevrolet Global, in an article titled “Detroit Goes Green.”

In the article, Dewar is asked if biofuels will have a role to play in the future, and he answers:

Absolutely. Biofuels have a large role to play in part because they displace the demand of petroleum-based products and can be very cost-effective. It’s not electric versus biofuels versus gasoline versus diesel versus hydrogen. It’s all of the above. We have to find the energy, environmental and economic solution on a global basis. And there are lots of ways to make biofuel – it can be made out of the waste products, out of agricultural products, even garbage into cellulosic. The food-for-fuel debate was just totally misstated. We have farmers in America who were getting paid not to grow anything. The whole thing was just a misstatement of the fact.

The article is not available on line, but thanks to Growth Energy‘s Chris Thorne for letting us know about it. The October 29 issue should be available on newsstands.

Iowa is the top ethanol producing states, but it has dropped behind the national average when it comes to using the fuel.

According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), that 71 percent of the gasoline sold in the state during September was 10 percent ethanol, compared to 80 percent for the average nationwide.

“Iowa’s ethanol sales are lagging behind the nation, Iowa history, and the 2009 goal of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard,” said Monte Shaw, IRFA Executive Director. “While the rest of the country has steadily increased ethanol use since 2006, Iowa has at best held even and now seems to be falling back. In 2006, Iowa was one of the nation’s leaders in ethanol sales. Today, Iowa does not lead. Iowa is not average. Iowa is below average. These disappointing statistics should force a complete reexamination of how Iowa intends to move forward to be a leader in the use of ethanol, not just the production.”

IRFA figures show a downward trend in Iowa ethanol usage this year. E10 sales were 75 percent in 2008, but are averaging only 73 percent this year. Iowa is the leader in renewable fuels production, with 40 ethanol refineries capable of producing nearly 3.3 billion gallons annually.

This is where I’ll be on Tuesday for the POET Project LIBERTY Field Day. The action will take place at their biorefining facility in Emmetsburg, IA starting at 10 a.m.

Agriculture equipment manufacturers will soon put cob harvesting equipment on the market, and Iowa farmers will have a chance to see the latest prototypes in action at Project LIBERTY Field day at POET Biorefining – Emmetsburg (Iowa). Cobs will be the primary feedstock for POET’s commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg. Also at the event, four-star General Wesley Clark and Iowa Lt. Governor Patty Judge will join POET CEO Jeff Broin in addressing the crowd about cellulosic ethanol and its importance to our energy future.

I hope to have some coverage online here late that morning. Last year it was cold and wet. This year we’re hoping to get a break in the weather so we can see equipment harvest demonstrations in the afternoon.