Domestic Fuel

Farmers in the U.S could be growing hemp as a biomass crop, if a federal court rules in favor of two farmers trying to get a ban on the marijuana-related plant lifted.

This story from Biomass Magazine says the new president could also have a hand in lifting that ban:

The U.S. Appeals Court in St. Paul, Minn., heard arguments Nov. 12 by two North Dakota farmers trying to get a lower court’s dismissal of their suit against a federal agency overturned. David Monson, Osnabrock, N.D., and Wayne Hauge, Ray, N.D., have state approval to grow industrial hemp in North Dakota, but are suing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to get a federal permit to grow industrial hemp. Hemp is related to the illegal drug marijuana and under federal law some of the industrial hemp plant is considered a controlled substance. The three-judge appeals panel will issue a written decision, but that isn’t expected to be available for several months…

[Jim Pillsbury of Framingham, Mass., who is developing hemp for heating pellets and had a Canadian prototype biomass research facility] predicts President-elect’s Barack Obama’s administration will lift the ban on growing hemp in the United States, and pointed out that it’s being grown in many other countries. “The new administration has a solid commitment to bring new and old ideas to the table for renewable energy,” he said. Industrial hemp is an ideal bioenergy, Pillsbury said, citing figures from Canada that show straw yields of 6 tons per hectare (2.47 acres) and 1.5 tons of fiber, in addition to 200 liters (50 gallons) of oil pressed from the seed.

A Texas-based renewable energy company is taking over an abandoned electrical plant with plans to run the generators on green energy sources.

This press release posted on MarketWatch.com says Biofuels Power Corporation will purchase the site, infrastructure and equipment of the decommissioned H.O. Clarke Electric Generating Station in central Houston:

The operational infrastructure on the H.O. Clarke site includes 65,000 barrels of above ground storage tanks and a high-pressure natural gas pipeline that is connected to the distribution system. The H.O. Clarke property is adjacent to a 500 MW switchyard operated by Centerpoint and has ready access to the ERCOT grid through a 12 kV transmission line.

“Our long-term goal is to redevelop the H.O. Clarke site as a clean energy industrial park that will use biofuels, biomass, natural gas, biogas and solar energy to provide green electricity and combined heat, power and refrigeration services for industrial and commercial tenants that need ready access to central Houston, the Houston Ship Channel and the Interstate Highway system,” said Fred O’Connor, President and CEO of Biofuels Power.

Biofuels Power already has two plants in the same area that run on 100 percent biodiesel that generate 15 megawatts of electricity that is sold to local companies. Officials hope the Houston Clean Energy Park will become a model for clean industrial redevelopment nationwide.

While it might have a past deeply rooted in petroleum, attendees of the Oklahoma Biofuels Conference in Oklahoma City this week were told renewable energy has a huge future in the Sooner State.

This story from Forbes says a huge wind corridor in the western part of Oklahoma, along with perennial native grasses for biofuels, gives the state a great potential to be a leader in alternative energy:

“We have 40,000 megawatts of wind potential in western Oklahoma, and that industry is exploding out of the ground as we talk,” said Oklahoma Energy Secretary David Fleischaker. “The Obama administration’s attitude toward bringing wind into the grid will really benefit that industry in Oklahoma.

“If you have an annual, you’ve got to pull the tractor out of the barn and plant it every year, which takes a lot of energy,” Fleischaker said. “If you have a perennial, it grows back every year automatically and you can leave the tractor in the barn.”

Renewable energy proposals had mixed results in yesterday's elections, with Missouri easily passing one measure but California rejecting two others.

This entry from the InformationWeek blog has details:

In Missouri, Proposition C was passed, requiring investor-owned electric utilities "to generate or purchase electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower with the renewable energy sources equaling at least 2% of retail sales by 2011 increasing incrementally to at least 15% by 2021, including at least 2% from solar energy; and restricting to no more than 1% any rate increase to consumers for this renewable energy."

In California, Proposition 7 on renewable energy generation was handily defeated. With 77% of precincts reporting, the measure lost by a 2-to-1 margin. Likewise, Proposition 10 failed by a wide margin. Had it been approved, Proposition 10 would, according to the official voter information guide, "eliminate a credit that allows oil and gas companies to deduct property taxes from severance taxes. The change would bring in an estimated $321 million in the first year, with most going to college scholarships, plus communities affected by energy development, wildlife habitat, and clean energy projects."

California's Prop 10 came under fire from some environmental groups… as well as some readers of this blog (see my post from Oct. 18th and the associated comments). Just a quick note to all readers: I'm not necessarily promoting any of the items I blog about. I just want to make you aware of these items. It's up to you to evaluate these things for yourself (whether a ballot measure or some new product). I blog… you decide.

There is some actual good that will come out of the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

This story from Greentech Media says Biofuels Power Corp. has announced plans to build a 4-megawatt power plant the will produce electricity from the woodchips and other debris from the storm:

The Woodlands, Texas-based company, traded over the counter using the symbol “BFLS,” on Friday signed a preliminary agreement with a wood-waste storage operator, DSMC, and with a consulting firm, Texoga Technologies Corp., that will retrofit abandoned oil wells for carbon-dioxide storage.

DSMC, based in Humble, Texas, has handled a bulk of waste disposal from the hurricane cleanup effort.

While the debris from Hurricane Ike eventually will be burned up, the article did point out the the Gulf Coast has plenty of hurricanes every year, so at least potentially, there would be plenty of feedstock.

More than 650 attendees and 50 speakers looked at the future of algae biodiesel at a recent conference in Seattle.

The Algae Biomass Summit, hosted by firms Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Byrne and Company, brought together those exploring the scientific and commercial advances of the field of the slimy green biodiesel feedstock. Our friends at Biodiesel Magazine covered the event sponsored by the Algal Biomass Organization and filed this report (and, of course, several others):

Mario Tredici from the department of agricultural biotechnology at the University of Florence in Italy said algae has many of the properties for a second green revolution that could help satisfy the world’s energy and food needs. However, algae have very specific culture requirements to produce near their theoretical potential. Changing light conditions as the density of cultures increase can limit the efficiency of the plants ability to convert sunlight into biomass. “Algae are not a miracle,” he said. “It must obey the laws of thermodynamics.” He does believe, with the proper technology and understanding of algae’s biology, that yields of 70 to 80 tons of algae can be produced per hectare (approximately 2.5 acres), producing 15 to 20 tons of oil and about twice that much protein.

The true value of algae will rely on the total amount of biomass not just the oil content, said Mark Tegan, chief executive officer of Inventure Chemical. Inventure processes biomass products into value-added products. Algae produce three distinct products – oil, carbohydrates and protein. Each component can be processed downstream into a variety of valuable products. “There is a lot of opportunity available in the chemical market,” Tegan said.

The coverage included discussions on how the current credit crisis might actually be good for the algae biodiesel business and the market potential of the feedstock and fuel.

In just about a week and a half, government officials, bioenergy experts and leaders in the private industry will gather in St. Louis, Mo., for the third in a series of conferences sponsored by the Farm Foundation addressing the issues facing rural areas as they move to a bioeconomy.

Michael Popp, professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Arkansas, is one of the coordinators for the Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts conference, Oct. 15th-16th at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at Union Station.

“The purpose of the conference is to provide an unbiased presentation of issues that are going to affect us in agriculture and otherwise as we transition to a bioeconomy.”

Popp defines the bioeconomy as the complex supply chain associated with providing the agricultural feedstocks, including biomass, to turn into fuel. He includes solar and wind energy in that definition as well.

Among those attending the conference will be U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, who will address public policy challenges for the bioeconomy and USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr.

Popp says with the this particular conference will talk about rural development issues and the environmental factors, especially for the second-generation biofuels plants. And he says he expects
a good turnout for this more centrally-located conference.

“[Those] who should attend would be the financial community that might be asked to provide loans to these kinds of biofuels investments, rural development people – be that from municipal, state or federal governments, and finally, academia and industry to get more information on what’s truly out there and going on.”

There’s still time to sign up to attend the conference. Click here for more information, and I’ll see you in St. Louis!

To hear more of Cindy’s interview with Michael Popp, click here: farmfoundation-popp2.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.5MB)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy recently updated the website for its Biomass Program and is seeking feedback from those interested in biofuels.

The Biomass Program works with industry, academia and national laboratory partners on a portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. Through research, development, and demonstration efforts geared at the development of integrated biorefineries, the Biomass Program helps transform the nation’s renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost competitive, high performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Among its goals is focusing research and development efforts to ensure that cellulosic ethanol is cost competitive by 2012.

Doubts about commercial opportunities for cellulosic ethanol are evaporating:

“It is no longer a question of if we are able to produce cellulosic ethanol, but when,” POET CEO Jeff Broin said.

Jeff announced POET’s commitment to develop a commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Elmersville, Iowa at the Ethanol Conference and Trade Show in Omaha, Nebraska earlier this month. Construction on what POET is calling “Project Liberty” will begin in 2009 and the company expects the facility to be online by 2011. But, POET promises to have a smaller pilot-scale facility up and running by the end of this year.

Jeff says now is an optimal time to take advantage of cellulosic energy because, as he sees it, the industry has sustained strong progress with investments from private industry and academia:

“The stars are beginning to align for cellulosic ethanol,” Jeff said.

POET’s commercial cellulosic plants will process feed stock corn cobs and corn fiber. But, corn isn’t the only source for cellulosic ethanol production that’s poised to go commercial. Bill Schafer, senior vice president of business development Range Fuels, says his company is investing in processing woody biomass for cellulosic ethanol production in Georgia.

In this DomesticFuel Cast, we hear from Jeff Broin, CEO of POET, and Bill Schafer, senior vice president of business development Range Fuels. Here is the Domestic Fuel Cast #8:
df-podcast-08.mp3

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast using the following url/feed link: http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/domestic-fuel-cast.xml.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.4MB)

Mississippi State University (MSU) will be holding a Biofuels Conference on August 14 and 15 at McCool Hall on the campus of MSU. The conference will be presented by MSU’s Department of Chemical Engineering, Industrial Outreach Service, and the Sustainable Energy Research Center.

On day 1 (August 14, 2008) of the conference, international experts in the biofuels area will provide information on feedstock availability and cost, as well as the challenges that need to be overcome to sustainably convert these feedstocks into biofuels. At the end of the day, the audience should have the tools to understand the rate of progress of the biofuels industry, and the need to integrate the agriculture, transportation, and chemical sectors to displace large quantities of petroleum from the market. On Day 2 (August 15, 2008), the conference will highlight the state and regional efforts to increase the availability of biofuels. State leaders will inform on specific projects and strategies to reduce petroleum dependency in the region and assist on the establishment and operation of biofuels industries.

A complete agenda can be found by clicking here. To register, click here.

A group of researchers from the University of Georgia are working on technology to get more ethanol from non-food sources, such as biomass.

This story from ChemicalOnline.com says they’re finding a way to make ethanol out of bermuda grass, switch grass, napier grass and even lawn clippings cleaner than previous biomass ethanol efforts:

“Producing ethanol from renewable biomass sources such as grasses is desirable because they are potentially available in large quantities,” said Joy Peterson, professor of microbiology and chair of UGA’s Bioenergy Task Force. “Optimizing the breakdown of the plant fibers is critical to production of liquid transportation fuel via fermentation.” Peterson developed the new technology with former UGA microbiology student Sarah Kate Brandon, and Mark Eiteman, professor of biological and agricultural engineering.

The new technology features a fast, mild, acid-free pretreatment process that increases by at least 10 times the amount of simple sugars released from inexpensive biomass for conversion to ethanol. The technology effectively eliminates the use of expensive and environmentally unsafe chemicals currently used to pretreat biomass.

The article goes on to point out that making ethanol from non-food sources not only relieves any pressure from the food supply, but it also makes areas not-as-friendly to agriculture potential fields for the green fuel.

I’m not talking about those guys with the funny horns on the side of their football helmets. A group of Swedes have traveled to Minnesota to give residents there some ideas about how biomass can heat a home.

This story from Biomass Magazine says a delegation from the city of Växjö, Sweden… dubbed the Greenest City in Europe… is visiting Duluth, Minn., sharing their ideas:

In 1996 Växjö, a city in southern Sweden, set goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per capita by 50 percent in 2010 and by 70 percent in 2025. So far, the city has reduced its emissions by 35 percent, mainly due to the expansion of its heating system, which uses wood waste biomass from sawmills for fuel.

“It has been a good thing for the families, the municipality, and the economy to use the heat from this biomass,” said Henrik Nilsson, public relations manager for the city of Växjö. “It is the cheapest way to heat your house and you don’t have to be an eco-friend. If you just want to save money, you will use this way of heating and then, of course, you will be an environmental hero, as well, and that is just a bonus.”

Duluth and Växjö have been sister cities for 20 years, with this annual visit the first to focus on economics and the environment.

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy announced $10 million worth of grants for 10 places of higher education to help accelerate the use of biomass into cellulosic biofuels.

This USDA release has details:

"USDA is committed to fostering a sustainable domestic biofuels industry at home in rural America," [Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Gale Buchanan] said. "These grants will broaden the sources of energy from many crops as well as improve the efficiency and options among renewable fuels."

"Cellulosic biofuels offer one of the best near- to mid-term alternatives we have, on the energy production side, to reduce reliance and imported oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions, while continuing to meet the nation's transportation energy needs," [Energy Department (DOE) Under Secretary for Science Raymond Orbach] said. "Developing cost-effective means of producing cellulosic biofuels on a national scale poses major scientific challenges-these grants will help in developing the type of transformational breakthroughs needed in basic science to make this happen."

Here's a list of those schools picking up the research grants:

* Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (Ithaca, NY), $882,000
* Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO), $1,500,000
* University of Georgia (Athens, GA), $1,295,000
* University of Georgia(Athens, GA), $1,200,000
* University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA), $1,200,000
* Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), $540,000
* Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA), $587,191
* Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), $1,200,000
* Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), $1,200,000
* Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), $1,200,000

Sarah Brechbill, Purdue University, got to put her masters degree project on the stage today here at the Farm Foundation’s Transition To A Bio Economy conference. She looked at the cost to get biomass to a plant and specifically looked at switchgrass and corn stover.

She says that there’s really no one answer to what’s best for everyone. However, she did find that corn stover was generally cheaper. One reason is that it’s already being grown.

You can listen to my interview with Sarah here: ff-bio-08-brechbill.mp3

You can also download the interview using this link (mp3).

Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.6MB)

On the subject of locating a biorefinery we had another presentation on the subject here at the Transition To A Bio Economy conference. This one was by David Perkis, Purdue University.

He says the purpose of his work is to answer questions that local decision makers have such as, Where to locate plants?, What do we have to prepare for?, What can we do to entice a plant to our area? and Do we have a chance? He says that factors in having an optimal location for an ethanol plant is access to sufficient corn stover and transportation distances.

You can listen to my interview with David here: ff-bio-08-perkis.mp3

You can also download the interview using this link (mp3).

Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.5MB)