Teru Talk Newsletter with current news, action items, and some trash talk on matters of waste conversion for resource recovery.

Teru Talk News
 

Teru Talk Newsletter

Volume I, Issue 11 -  May 9, 2011 
Teru Talk by Michael Theroux (pronounced "Terú") 

 

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Teru's Trash Talk 
 

We've got advanced wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) all across the country. Many by now have advanced beyond large aerated sumps to in-vessel anaerobic digestion (AD). And a great many of those now collect, clean and combust the methane rich producer gas.

 

Meanwhile, "Us Users" continue to flush gooey used cooking oil and grease down the sink, because, well, because we can. That grease gloms (technical sewer guy word) onto starch from our food waste and makes some seriously sticky stuff, costing gazillions on the way to the WWTP when sewer pipes clog and wrecking havoc at the plant if it makes it that far.

 

Teru Talk is seeing rapid implementation globally of co-digestion, adding that grease and food waste directly into the main AD reactor at the WWTP. Apparently, the nutrients feed the bugs and make a great deal more biogas than can be produced just from the sewage break-down … which makes sense, because that stuff already went through a human "digester", making biogas.

 

Now, some serious pre-treatment can be required, especially in removing packaging from out-of-date food from supermarkets, and it looks like an enzyme bath can help get the Clumpy Stuff (more techy jargon) broken down to where the bugs can a better bite.

 

One man's trash …

 

Hey Rube!

 

CT Companies: Quit winkin' in the dark. Get some wiz kid to revamp that website and bring it up to date. Grit your corporate teeth and start sending out those unsociable-media tweet thingies. Think about what you have accomplished and put out a Press Release. If you need help with managing this mind-numbing info-flow, ask. We need to Stand Up Tall.

  

The Week's News

 

Native Energy Offers 40K tons Carbon Offsets from Manure-to-Biogas Project  NativeEnergy will sell up to 40,000 tons of carbon offset credits originating from its 49th "Help Build" carbon management effort, the methane avoidance Northeast Farm Separation Project. 05/06/2011

 

UK DfT Study: Used Cooking Oil was Number One Biofuel Feedstock

The United Kingdom (UK) Department for Transport's (DfT) first Low Carbon Fuel newsletter announces availability of the Administration's Biofuels statistics for the record year 2010-2011. 05/06/2011

 

KiOR and Catchlight Sign Advanced Biofuels Offtake Agreement

Advanced biofuels company KiOR has signed a conditional offtake agreement with the Chevron / Weyerhaeuser 50-50% joint venture company Catchlight Energy (CLE). 05/06/2011

  

PNNL's Renamed Institute for Integrated Catalysis to Refocus on Biofuels  The US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Institute for Integrated Catalysis (IIC) is now focused on developing catalysts that can efficiently make fuels from alternate feedstocks such as biomass and carbon dioxide, store electrical energy in chemical bonds, and increase fuel efficiency and cut emissions at the same time.  05/05/2011

 

Massachusetts Draft RPS Biomass Regs Submitted for Legislative Review  Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's office has announced that the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) submitted Renewable Portfolio Standard Biomass (RPS Biomass) final draft regulations to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy for its 30-day review and comment. 05/05/2011

 

BioGenset Pilot Project Launched in New York  

Biodiesel Industries (BI) will administer and Sprague Energy will manage participation in the BioGenset pilot project to promote use of biodiesel to fuel back-up generator sets (gensets). 05/04/2011 

 

CE-CERT Collaboration with Thai Institute on Steam Hydro Gasification  The University of California, Riverside, Bourns College of Engineering, Center for Environmental Research & Technology (CE-CERT) has signed a research and development collaborative agreement with the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research to focus on steam hydro gasification. 05/04/2011  

 

Avantium Starts Bioplastics Production in the Netherlands

Avantium has begun bioplastics production at their polyester plant on the Chemelot site in Geleen, the Netherlands. 05/04/2011 

 

UK's Carbon Trust and Siemens Launch Energy Efficiency Financing  An Energy Efficiency Financing program is now available in the United Kingdom (UK) for business customers and suppliers. 05/03/2011

 

DTSC Schedules Green Chemistry Initiative Meeting

California's Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) has scheduled a meeting of the Green Ribbon Science Panel (GRSP) in Sacramento on Thursday, May 5, 2011 in the afternoon, and Friday, May 6th, all day. 05/03/2011

 

DOE Hosts Global Biofuel Sustainability Webinar

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will host a webinar on May 17, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT, entitled "Sustainability for the Global Biofuels Industry: Minimizing Risks and Maximizing Opportunities." 05/03/2011 

 

NC Biofuels Center Awards $1.6MM in Advanced Biofuels Grants

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has awarded $1.6 million to 15 project developers to accelerate commercialization of advanced liquid biofuels. 05/02/2011

 

Minnesota Plans Waste-to-Energy Workshop for Food and Livestock Industries  The Minnesota Department of Commerce's Office of Energy Security will partner with state, federal and institutional organizers to stage a waste-to-energy workshop on May 24, 2011. 05/02/2011

 

UK's Environment Agency Issues Waste Incineration Guidance

The United Kingdom's Environment Agency has released a useful short guidance document designed to help agency staff differentiate between strict waste incineration and "co-incineration" when classifying a facility under the Waste Incineration Directive (WID). 05/02/2011

  

The Week's Action Items

 

Due 07/29/2011: Proposals to Supply 42 Million Gallons of Biodiesel to HECO  Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) has released a request for proposals (RFP) to supply up to forty-two (42) million gallons of sustainably produced, renewable biofuel per year to fuel the Kahe Generating Station (KPP) for a term of two (2) years to commence as early as July 2014. 05/06/2011

 

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UK AD & Biogas 2011
July 6-7, 2011