Teru Talk Newsletter
Volume II, Issue
47, November 19,
2012
Teru Talk by Michael
Theroux (pronounced
"Terú")
Teru's Trash Talk
Thanksgiving
is almost upon us, so let's
take a moment for thankful
contemplation:
We're
thankful for Communications
that allow us to size up
this mess we're in and SAY
SOMETHING about it, without
getting our writing thumbs
whacked off. It's nice to
know we can use the same
outreach tools as have been
wielded by the zealots and
crazies who persist in
being irrationally opposed
to our excellent opinions
and perspectives. We're
happy to find that there
are actually people Out
There who READ what we
write, and sometimes even
say nice things. And we're
just delighted with this
internet thingie that lets
us poke into all the dark
corners and find out all
this cool stuff we can then
bring to those wise enough
to pay
attention.
We're
thankful for the amount of
Resources floating around
out there, stuff some
people still call Trash,
materials that we see as
Feedstock for Conversion.
It's nice to know we can
still get our hands on
those discards, that
someone hasn't yet figured
out the real value of all
the crud tossed into the
dump, and that it remains
possible for us to
intercept the flow with
cool ways to make raw
materials out of what
others no longer want. And
we are so happy we're
silly, to know there will
be enough left-overs
constantly available for
the foreseeable future, a
veritable treasure-trove of
feedstock not yet claimed
by the Powers That Be and
shuffled completely out of
our innovative
reach.
We're
thankful for Bright People
that despite continually
running smack dab into that
Wall of Indifference have
continued to believe that
Waste Conversion is a
worthy and sometimes even
lucrative pursuit. It's
nice to know that all over
the world Thinking Minds
keep picking at the
challenges posed by not
wanting to accept a
One-and-Done marketplace,
and are willing to stand
the ridicule and derision
heaped upon them for not
accepting their designated
place in the Throw-Away
Society. And Boy, are we
happy to be able to watch
them make serious
technical, market, and
policy progress, after so
many, many years of running
in tight
circles.
Mostly,
we are thankful for Truth
that is slowly dismantling
and dismissing so many of
the myths and excuses
thrown up as road-blocks to
waste conversion progress.
It's nice to know that the
Myth of
Recycling-As-Practiced is
finally being recognized as
just another form of waste
brokerage, benefitting a
few at the expense of many.
We're Happy to see clear
examples of Doing instead
of just Talking about waste
conversion. And we HAVE to
be Happy that even the
Powers that Be perched in
their high towers have to
listen to Rabble (like us)
demand a more honest and
transparent approach to
management and oversight of
our precious
resources.
Hey
Rube!
Some
nice solicitations are
around that can boost
waste conversion (if you
are imaginative),
although generally they
have rather short fuses.
There's also the
Department of Energy info
request: consider that
RFI as a precursor to an
RFP, one the agency is
not ready to release just
yet. And dig into
Oregon's idea of what
Conversion Technologies
are all about; the agency
is nearing completion of
their highly
collaborative Rulemaking
process. Then to
really
celebrate,
let's all thank the
Department of Defense for
not paying much attention
to technically wrong
state laws that define
what forms of waste
conversion are acceptable
in opting for an
air-blown gasifier to
turn Fort Hunter
Liggett's base waste
right into useful
energy.
The
Week's News
DoD Selects
Sierra Energy for Fort
Hunter Waste Conversion
Installation
California
based Sierra Energy has
announced that the US
Department of Defense (DoD) has
awarded the company a $3
million grant to develop a
community scale advanced waste
gasification installation on
the Army's Garrison Fort Hunter
Liggett in Monterey County,
California.
11/16/2012
Enviva
Secures $120MM for
Construction of Two New
Pellet Mills
Maryland's sustainable biomass
company Enviva has closed on a
Senior Secured Credit Facility
valued at $120 million, the
company's first corporate loan.
11/16/2012
VinylLoop
Releases White Paper on LCA
of PVC Recycling and
Reprocessing
Based in Belgium, the recycled
plastics specialist VinylLoop
has announced release of a
White Paper on vinyl recycling
and reconstituting based on
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
methodology.
11/16/2012
Merrick to
Engineer Sweetwater's 1st
Commercial Cellulosic Sugar
Facility
Colorado based Merrick &
Company has announced that it
has been awarded a contract to
engineer Sweetwater Energy's
first commercial scale
cellulosic sugar production
facility.
11/16/2012
Oregon DEQ
Releases Final Draft
Conversion Technology
Rules
The Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) has
released a number of proposed
Final Draft rules developed
within the agency's Conversion
Technology Rulemaking.
11/16/2012
Energos
Receives UK Environmental
Permit for Waste Conversion
CHP
Facility
United Kingdom (UK) based
Energos has received a full
environmental permit to operate
a small-scale municipal waste
residuals gasification facility
at the Knowsley Industrial Park
in Merseyside, Knowsley,
outside of Liverpool on
England's western coast.
11/15/2012
Edeniq
Partners with Usina Vale for
Brazilian Bagasse to Sugar
Demo
Plant
California based biofuels
company Edeniq, Inc has
announced a partnership with
the Brazilian ethanol company
Usina Vale for development of a
demonstration scale plant to
convert sugarcane bagasse into
fermentable sugars.
11/15/2012
National
Gypsum Waste Heat to CHP
Plant Begins Operations in
New
Jersey
Illinois based Recycled Energy
Development LLC (RED) has
announced the onset of
operations for the waste heat
to combined heat and power
(CHP) installation at the
National Gypsum Company (NGC)
wallboard plant in Burlington,
New Jersey.
11/15/2012
ACORE
Releases 2012 State-by-State
Resource for Renewable
Energy
The American Council On
Renewable Energy (ACORE) has
announced release of its 2012
"Renewable Energy in the 50
States", providing a two-page
high level assessment of the
key developments shaping the
renewable energy marketplace in
each state.
11/12/2012
KiOR Starts
Operations in Columbus
BioEnergy
Facility
Texas based advanced biofuels
company KiOR has announced
start of operations and initial
production of bio-oil at its
Columbus, Mississippi
production facility.
11/12/2012
Veolia Signs
25 Year Residual Waste
Treatment and Energy
Recovery
Contract
Veolia Environmental Services
has announced signing a
contract with the City of
Leeds, United Kingdom to manage
the City's recycling and
residual municipal waste
treatment including
developments for energy
recovery
11/12/2012
The Week's Action
Items
Due
11/21/2012: Responses to DOE
on Biomass Feedstock
Logistic
Systems
The US
Department of Energy (DOE) has
announced
the
release of a Request for
Information (RFI;
DE-FOA-0000791) seeking
stakeholder and research
community
input
regarding
efficient strategies and
technologies for reducing
the delivered cost of
lignocellulosic biomass,
increasing
industry-accessible
biomass volumes, and
ensuring input quality
specifications required
by a variety of
biorefinery processes are
met. 11/12/2012
Due
12/07/2012: Proposals to
CEC's Energy Innovation
Small Grants
Program
The California Energy
Commission's (CEC) Public
Interest Energy Research,
Energy Innovations Small Grants
program (PEIR / EISG) released
the final suite of 2012 Program
Solicitation Notices.
11/18/2012
Due
12/19/2012: Proposals to
SCAQMD for Landfill or
Digester AQ
Systems
The South Coast Air Quality
Management District (SCAQMD)
has released a Request for
Proposals (RFP #P2013-13) to
solicit proposals for the
deployment of selective
non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)
emission control technologies
for internal combustion engines
operating on landfill and/or
digester gas (biogas) to meet
SCAQMD’s January 1, 2016 Rule
1110.2 emission limits.
11/15/2012
Due
12/21/2012: Renewable Energy
Proposals to SCE for RAM 3
RFO
Southern California Edison
(SCE) has launched its Third
Renewable Auction Mechanism
Request for Offers (RAM 3 RFO)
for Product from eligible
renewable resources.
1/16/2012
Due
01/16/2013: Proposals to
Maui County for Waste
Conversion and
Energy
The Department of Environmental
Management, County of Maui,
Hawaii, has released a Request
for Proposals (RFP #12--13/P32)
seeking a developer to finance,
plan, design, permit,
construct, and own a
waste-to-energy project at the
Central Maui Landfill in
Puunene, the largest of four
county-run landfills.
11/15/2012
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