April 2011 News and Matters of Interest
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Nature'sFuel Breaks Ground on Waste to Fuels
Plant
Multi-tech waste conversion company Nature's Fuel has broken ground on a state-of-the-art recycling facility and waste to fuels
plant at the Huntington Landfill in Indiana. The project is the first of its kind in Indiana,
resulting in a longer than expected approval process. Nature's Fuel hopes to have the Huntington plant
operational before year's end 2011. According to company president Glenn Johnson, "Nature’s Fuel’s Huntington
operation will become a training site for employees hired for additional plants the company plans to open." The
company has developed and patented a variety of thermal waste conversion systems capable of converting multiple
types of feedstock including post-recycling municipal solid waste residuals, cellulosic feedstock and manure
into fuels, energy and biochar. In addition to converting waste-sourced feedstock, Nature's Fuel also grows and
harvests their own biocrops and has developed unique slow-speed grinding systems to maximizing BTU per pound
while minimizing emissions. The company has developed manure-specific pyrolyzers and gasifiers and provides all
their own engineering, operations and maintenance. 04/29/2011
ProposedKawartha Biogas Plant Locating Adjacent to Ethanol Facility
Ontario, Canada biogas company PurEnergy, Inc, has proposed to build and operate the Kawartha Biogas
anaerobic digestion (AD) facility across the road from Canada's newest corn ethanol facility, Kawartha Ethanol. The AD plant would produce biogas to fuel 9.8
megawatts of electric generation for sale under a Feed-in Tariff contract from the Ontario Power
Authority. Proposals submitted to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment were
presented in a community meeting last month, describing intended anaerobic digestion and conversion to biogas of
a variety of feedstock types, including wastes and bi-products of the ethanol plant and a proposed biodiesel
facility to be located nearby, from food oil and grease from the surrounding community's businesses and
residences, and manure from local farming operations. Effluent solids and liquids separation provides soil
amendments and ammonia capture for conversion to ammonium sulfate fertilizer. The balance of plant should have
about a 10% power demand for operations. 04/29/2011
UCDavis
Prof Receives NSF Award for Microbial Enzymatics RD&D
Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Tina Jeoh at University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has
received a $407,573 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER
award to support her study of microbial enzymatic breakdown of cell walls for biofuels and bio-products
development. Saprophytic microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria produce a variety of enzymes that
specifically breakdown the structural polysaccharides in plant cell walls. Industrially, these enzymes play a
key role in the conversion of agricultural residues, wood wastes or energy crops to biofuels and other bio-based
products. “In nature, microorganisms produce many different enzymes that cooperatively release the sugars,” Dr.
Jeoh said. “Our goal is to identify the mechanisms of these enzymes, and to learn to consistently reproduce
their natural actions in a controlled setting on an industrial scale.” Dr. Jeoh’s lab team is developing molecular-scale atomic force
microscopy methods to analyze cellulase-cellulose reactions as they occur, and will incorporate their findings
into models that will help predict reaction outcomes in commercial settings. For further information contact Dr.
Jeoh at (530) 752-1020, tjeoh@ucdavis.edu. 04/29/2011
REIGrant
Will Fund Nepal Biogas Development
REI Adventures in partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation has awarded an $87,000 grant to the non-profit Nepal SEEDS to help install nearly 100 biogas systems over the next
three years in Nepal. The work intends to help fund biogas projects to improve the lives of residents of small
villages and communities near where REI Adventures’ Royal Trek trip operates in Nepal, providing environmental
and health benefits and allowing families to cook with gas instead of wood fires in their homes. The project
also will provide village waste management for sanitation and produces pathogen-free fertilizer for local crops.
The systems include a composting toilet, an animal waste intake, a large underground tank to connect the two
sources of waste, a piping system and a gas burning stove where the fuel generated in the tank is sent. Cynthia
Dunbar, REI Adventures manager said "We were fortunate to be introduced to the great work
Nepal SEEDS started, and credit one of REI Adventures’ local top guides who directs and founded the
organization." 04/29/2011
EdinburghStarts Food Waste Recycling Pilot
The City Council of Edinburgh, Scotland is asking 20,000 residents to take part in a food waste recycling pilot program. Best collection methods will be
explored for different types of houses and using various kitchen food waste containers. Participating households
will receive a kitchen waste caddy, compostable liners and a leaflet explaining the service; single family
residences will also receive a curbside food waste bin. At present, food waste constitutes roughly one third of
collected residential waste in Edinburgh. The Council expects to save on landfill taxes by collecting the food
waste separately and composting it. Residents are also directed to the non-profit organization Zero Waste
Scotland's Love Food, Hate Waste website for detailed guidance. The website
provides dramatic food waste statistics: Over £1 billion worth of food is wasted in Scotland each year, an
average cost of £430 per household, for 566,000 tonnes of food discards a year. 04/29/2011
KGRAto
Convert Weyerhaeuser Waste Heat to Renewable Energy
Ayden HTP Partners LLC, a subsidiary of KGRA Energy LP, has signed a waste heat to energy contract with Weyerhaeuser for installation of a
heat recovery and 800 kilowatt Rankin cycle energy generation system. The system will convert waste heat from
biomass-fired drying kilns at Weyerhaeuser's Greenville, North Carolina lumber mill into about 4.5
million kWh of CO2-free electricity per year, and displace the equivalent of more than 9 million pounds of
carbon dioxide each year. KGRA's systems are modular and scalable to produce power from smaller,
lower-temperature waste heat sources usually not considered economical for energy recovery. The system will be
designed and installed by KGRA's subsidiary, Ayden HTP Partners LLC is a joint-venture between KGRA Energy and
the Organic Rankin Cycle equipment supplier, TAS Energy LLC, which is a subsidiary of Turbine Air Systems, LTD.
Weyerhaeuser and Ayden completed the agreement in March 2011; installation is scheduled to begin in June and the
plant is expected to be operational by the end of July 2011. Note: Discussions with KGRA indicate they are
expanding, and have job openings. For more information, contact Jason Gold, (713) 481-4609 x101,
jason@kgraenergy.com. 04/29/2011
BioJetNegotiates with Avjet Biotech to Build Biorefineries
North Carolina based Avjet Biotech is in negotiations for a strategic relationship
with BioJet International, an international supply chain integrator for
renewable (bio) jet fuel and related co-products. BioJet owns and/or controls large quantities of bio-feedstock,
developing refining capacity, solving aviation fuel supply logistics, and handling sales to end users. Under the
agreement BioJet will build refineries using Avjet's patented Red Wolf Refining (RWR) System to produce aviation biofuels from
fat-containing oils from plant, plant-like, or animal (processing by-product) sources such as
jatropha, camelina, soy, canola, palm, algae, yellow grease (chicken fat) and hog fat. Oils are converted into
green diesel, jet and gasoline fuels using three main steps of hydrolysis, deoxygenation and hydrocarbon
reforming. Red Wolf Refining Corporation is a subsidiary of Avjet and the exclusive agent for the
commercialization of intellectual property for biofuels created by scientists at North Carolina State University. Red Wolf manages production and is
dedicated to supporting the US Military in its goal to eliminate dependence on foreign oil.
04/28/2011
SouthCarolina City Kicks Off Southern Fried Fuel Initiative
Residents in Columbus, South Carolina can now take their used cooking oil
to a residential drop-off center that will collect and store quantities of waste
vegetable oil to be converted into biofuel and used to power one of the City's garbage trucks and other City
vehicles. The collection center is operated by Midlands Biofuels, a locally owned waste cooking oil recycling
company. The City program is also intended to address pipeline blockages that cause sewer back-ups in homes and
businesses, and create overflows into local streams and creeks. Since October of 2009, 92% of grease related
overflows were due to improper grease disposal by residential customers. Each year, the City spends an average
of $1.5 million and 4,500 staff hours unclogging and cleaning waste water collection lines, costs that are
passed on to City customers through sanitary sewer fees. Midlands Biofuels also designs, builds, tests and
sells biodiesel processing equipment and oil collection bins, and specializes in custom blends of biodiesel.
04/27/2011
Intel'sOcotillo Campus Feeds CO2 Emissions to Algae for Biodiesel
Intel's Ocotillo manufacturing campus in Arizona is developing a pilot project to feed their CO2 boiler emissions to algae for
biodiesel production. Working with Arizona State University (ASU), the Intel team has installed a first phase
proof-of-concept model on the roof of the Ocotillo fabrication building. Phase two will measure the carbon
captured, and explore scale-up options, and assess regulatory regimes. The Intel and ASU team plan to make their
results public once the pilot is completed. Intel's Sustainability in Action program encourages employees to
explore and to share Intel's environmental sustainability; Ocotillo campus' legal department employee
Brad Biddle's curiosity let to the roof-top research project. The
entire Ocotillo manufacturing campus recently was the first semiconductor or industrial technology company to
obtain the internationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification
by the U.S. Green Building Council. 04/27/2011
Gevoand
Mustang Sign Bio-Jet Fuel Agreement
Colorado based cellulosic biofuels company Gevo has executed an agreement with Mustang Engineering, LP, for engineering
and consulting services to convert Gevo's isobutanol into a renewable jet fuel. Gevo's process for microbial fermentation of all sugars available in
almost any cellulosic feedstock allows retrofit of standard ethanol plants for production of isobutanol. Mustang
will focus on the downstream processing of isobutanol to paraffinic kerosene (jet fuel) for jet engine testing,
airline suitability flights and advancing commercial deployment. "The advent of the jet fuel carbon tax on
international flights landing in the European Union is motivating the airline industry and fuel suppliers to
seek cost-effective, renewable alternatives to petroleum jet fuel," said Scott Baker, executive vice president
of Mustang's Process Plants and Industrial business unit. "Mustang is
excited about this opportunity to further support Gevo in the development of the next generation of alternative
fuels. The processing steps required to make this bio-jet fuel lend themselves well to integration into
refineries and petrochemical facilities." 04/27/2011
CaliforniaClean Energy Campaign Launched
The Clean Local Energy Accessible Now for California (CLEAN California) Campaign has launched to help meet Governor Brown's
call for 12,000 megawatts of localized electricity generation to be installed in California communities by 2020.
The CLEAN California campaign is one of five national activities set in motion by the CLEAN Coalition to ensure green jobs and speed a smooth transition
away from dependence on foreign petroleum. The campaign starts with two initiatives: (1) CLEAN Contracts -
Require standard, long-term “CLEAN Contracts” for utilities to purchase energy generated by new projects on the
distribution grid. Rates will be pre-defined for smaller projects to maximize simplicity and encourage broad
participation, and (2) Grid Connection - Make distribution grid interconnection costs and timeframes reasonable
and predictable. Companies and organizations can become CLEAN California partners by endorsing the campaign.
04/26/2011
CECSchedules IEPR Workshop on Renewable Localized Energy
The California Energy Commission's (CEC) Integrated Energy Policy
Report (IEPR) Committee will hold a workshop on Renewable Localized Generation. The Workshop will cover a
number of topics related to Governor Brown's goal of deploying 20,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy by
2020, including 12,000 MW of localized energy. In conjunction with the IEPR workshop, CEC staff has released
"Developing Renewable Generation on State Property". The report focuses
on the potential for developing renewable distributed generation as well as utility-scale projects on
state-owned properties, outlining the current amount of renewable energy development on state properties,
challenges and opportunities for further development, and next steps. The IEPR workshop will begin at 9:30 on
May 9, 2011. You can attend the workshop in person or by remote access. Detailed instructions for connecting to
the workshop through WebEx are in the Workshop Notice. 04/26/2011
AmerescoCompletes Dallas WWTP Biogas Plant
The City of Dallas Water Utility (DWU) and the Framington, MA based energy
solutions provider Ameresco have completed a 4.3 megawatt biogas capture, refining and combined heat and power
(CHP) system at DWU's 110 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The new CHP plant is
expected to save the City at least $1.5 million annually and offset approximately 60 percent of the WWTP's
electric load. DWU is the second Texas wastewater utility to contract with Ameresco
for recovery of biogas energy; the first went online in September 2010, when the San Antonio Water System
(SAWS) and Ameresco opened a new biogas facility at the Dos Rios Water
Recycling Center. Michael T. Bakas, Senior Vice President of Ameresco said, "The exceptional aspect of this
project is the ability to capture waste heat and utilize it, thereby efficiently making use of this renewable
resource. This approach allows to us utilize about 80 percent of the biogas resource, since we can reuse the
waste heat, while a typical electrical production plant might only be able to use 35 percent of its energy
product." 04/25/2011
WestCoast Federal Green Challenge Launched
The West Coast Federal Green Challenge was officially launched on Earth
Day 4/22/2011 as an expansion of the Federal Green Challenge program originally launched in 2008 in EPA’s
Pacific Northwest Region. This is a voluntary partnership program challenging federal agencies to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in a year by managing six Target Areas of electronics, energy, purchasing,
transportation, waste, and water. Target Area efforts are intended to implement responsibilities under energy
and waste management Executive Orders 13514 and 13423 and help meet the Federal Facilities Compliance Program. According to Energy Target Area
definitions, “Renewable Energy” means energy produced by solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean (including
tidal, wave, current, and thermal), geothermal, municipal solid waste, or new hydroelectric generation capacity
achieved from increased efficiency or additions of new capacity at an existing hydroelectric project. The Waste
Target Area offers a Food Waste Cost Calculator and other food waste management guidance.
Individual federal agency offices can join the program online, or fax or email registration form (DOC) to
Laura Moreno at moreno.laura@epa.gov or (415)947-3530. 04/25/2011
FrontlineBioenergy and SGC Energia Form Partnership
Minnesota-based Frontline Bioenergy has completed licensing and engineering agreements
for their air and oxygen-blown gasification technology with SGC Energia, an advanced biofuels development,
licensing, engineering, construction, and production company. Their new partner has offices in Portugal, the US
(Houston), Austria and Brazil, as well as a commercial biodiesel facility in Portugal and an FT demonstration
facility in Austria. Frontline has commercialized their air / oxygen-blown, pressurized, bubbling fluid bed
gasifiers, proprietary PMFreeGas hot gas filtration and other gas conditioning technologies with their 75 ton
per day system co-located with Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company's (CVEC) 48 MM gallon per year ethanol plant in
Benson, Minnesota. SGC Energia licenses technologies used to convert biomass into Fischer-Tropsch (F/T)
products. Just last month they received the first commercial F/T system to be delivered by Oxford Catalysts Group, their partners in an Austrian biomass to
liquids demonstration plant completed last year. With this Series B round investment, SGC Energia joins members
of the Frontline management team along with CVEC founding partners. 04/25/2011
LignolCompletes Commercial Biorefinery Design Package
Canadian advanced biofuels and green chemicals company Lignol has developed an engineering design package for an economical,
commercial-scale Biorefinery. The design scale would produce up to 80 million litres of cellulosic ethanol
(about 20 million US gallons) and 55,000 tonnes of High Performance Lignin (HP-LTM lignin) derivatives annually.
The design utilized data from Lingol's Vancouver pilot plant, and was completed in conjunction with Lignol's
partner Pöyry Inc, taking into account the recent price of crude oil, Biorefinery construction and production
incentives and information from key suppliers and customers. "Completing this milestone is a significant step
forward in our plan to develop a financially viable, commercial-scale biorefinery and market our technology
world wide," said Ross MacLachlan, President and CEO. "The design package and cost estimate
are based on robust and valuable design data generated over the past two years through a series of extensive
operating campaigns conducted by our scientific and engineering teams at our pilot-scale biorefinery in Burnaby,
B.C." 04/23/2011
Update:LCFS Posts Draft Guidance on Ultra-Low Carbon Fuels
The California Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) Advisory Panel has posted a draft outline and guidance document
on Ultra-Low Carbon Fuels to their website in preparation for
their meeting on April 26, 2011.Topic 5 of the Agenda directs the Panel to
consider the availability and use of ultralow carbon fuels to achieve the LCFS standards and advisability of
establishing additional mechanisms to incentivize higher volumes of these fuels to be used. The Air Resources
Board is tentatively defining ultralow carbon fuels as those which reduce carbon intensity (CI) by 60 percent or
greater, which parallels the US EPA’s requirements for advanced biofuels under the RFS2 and are derived from
renewable resources. Fuels to consider include cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel from waste, renewable diesel from
waste, algal biofuels, biogas, electricity, hydrogen and potentially others. Background information related to
the processes through which these fuels are made can be found in Low Carbon Advisory Panel Draft Workplan Version 1. 04/23/2011
Update:Adama Tech Selling Romanian MSW Gasification Project
Israeli based Adama Technologies has signed a non-binding term sheet to sell its assets in its proposed
municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification plant in Bucharest, Romania. Teru Talk reported on Adama's initial agreement for the project in March.
The project uses gasification and Adama Tech's advanced Molecular Bonding Solution (MBS, a form of cementitious
encapsulation) to generate 2.5 megawatt of grid electricity, and possible alternative fuels. Negotiations of
approximately $15MM are subject to an independent appraisal and due diligence by the purchaser, required to
conclude by July 30, 2011. The company seeking to purchase the plant is focusing on greenhouse gas emission
reduction and renewable energy production. "The signing of the term sheet with our prospective buyer indicates
the value of Adama's ability to identify attractive projects around the globe that can attract substantial
partners or as in this case - buyers," stated Aviram Malik, CEO of Adama Technologies. "We look forward to the
conclusion of this agreement which would provide significant revenues for our company in 2011."
04/23/2011
AEAdvanced Fuels Keyes Receives $1.88MM Grant from CEC
AE Advanced Fuels Keyes Inc (AE Keyes), has been awarded a $1.88
million matching funds grant by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to accelerate the commercial
implementation of its enzyme based cellulosic ethanol production technology. The grant will support a
pre-development enzymatic processing facility to be located near the 55 million gallon per year commercial
ethanol facility the company plans to re-start and operate in Keyes, California in late April 2011. Non-food
agricultural wastes could replace up to 25% of traditional corn inputs, reduce fossil fuel consumption and
overall green house gas (GHG) emissions, and will build upon prior enzyme optimization work conducted at the
company's Butte, Montana cellulose/starch demonstration facility. AE Keyes is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Cupertino-based AE Biofuels. "We believe that our integrated cellulose/starch approach
is the most cost efficient process to rapidly accelerate the commercialization and adoption of next-generation
biofuels in the marketplace," said Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of AE Biofuels, Inc.
04/23/2011
MHIto
Make Ethanol from "Soft Cellulose" Rice and Barley Straw
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has successfully completed technology, product and economic verification to meet Japanese
Automotive Standards Organization (JASO) standards for production of ethanol transport fuel from rice and barley
straw "soft cellulose". MHI partnered with Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. and Kansai Chemical Engineering Co.,
Ltd., to produce ethanol from lignocellulose at a demonstration plant built specifically for the project at
MHI's Futami Plant in Hyogo. For preprocessing and saccharification, MHI developed and demonstrated a continuous
hydrothermal treatment system jointly developed with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization (NEDO) that is more efficiently than conventional methods, using only hot compressed water and
enzyme. MHI began operation of the demonstration plant in November of 2009, and
now plans to make the plant available to other business operators in Japan and abroad. MHI will also seek order
receipts for both experimental and commercial systems based on its proprietary technologies.
04/23/2011
KBRAwarded Two Contracts for Renewable Energy Facilities
KBR, Inc has received a contract award from KiOR, Inc to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
services to build a biomass to liquid fuel facility to process approximately 500 tons per day of wood biomass
and produce over 11 million gallons of fuel per year. The facility will be located in Columbus, Mississippi.
KiOR’s proprietary technology uses fast pyrolysis with catalytic cracking to convert biomass into drop-in
biofuels; the company filed registration statements this month on their proposed Initial
Public Offering. The same day a consortium consisting of KBR's subsidiary, BE&K Construction Company LLC
(BE&K), and a subsidiary of The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) was awarded a $688 million EPC contract by the Palm Beach County Solid
Waste Authority (SWA) for the County’s new state of the art waste-to-energy facility to process 3,000 tons of
municipal solid waste per day to produce up to 95 megawatts of electricity. B&W was awarded a
long-term operations and maintenance contract for the WTE facility.
04/22/2011
ViridorLaing's Landfill Expansion Approval Includes District Heating Study
As a condition of approval given to Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited
(VLGM) for a 1.83 million cubic meter capacity expansion of the
Manchester Pilsworth South Landfill, the recycling and waste management company
will financially contribute to a study of the feasibility of running a heat pipe line into the town center to
provide district heating. Thermal energy would be harvested from the current energy generation facilities, which
produce 3.5MW of renewable power from landfill gas that is delivered to the national grid. The approved landfill
expansion within the existing site boundaries will provide more regional disposal services for the Manchester
area in the United Kingdom, and extend the site life by about five years under their existing permit. VLGM is a
partnership between Viridor and John Laing plc to provide the Greater Manchester Household Waste and Recycling
Contract. The Pilsworth Landfill site is operated by Viridor within Greater Manchester to provide a waste
solution for commercial, industrial and council customers. Its 25 year contract with the Greater Manchester
Waste Disposal Authority includes the Longley Lane "clean" Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for resource
extraction and recycling, five mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facilities, four with anaerobic digestion
(AD) plants, a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production plant supplying about 275,000 tons annual by rail to
the INEOS Chlor CHP generation facility in Runcorn, and the continued
operation of Viridor's Bolton Energy-from-Waste facility. 04/21/2011
GreatLakes Food Industry Biogas Casebook Available
The Energy Center of Wisconsin's "Great Lakes Region Food Industry Biogas Casebook" is available
on-line, free of charge. The case studies profile 12 food and beverage processing plants across Illinois, New
York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana that have implemented practical anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies to
turn their putrescible solid and liquid waste into methane-rich biogas. Plants were selected across the region
based on area of service, the degree of AD and biogas usage, and willingness to share details of how well their
system was working for them. Six major types of digesters were in use by the profiled food processing
facilities; access to data allowed detailed description and comparison of four of these: one covered lagoon
project, two complete mix digesters, three anaerobic contact process (ACP) operations, and four installations of
up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket. Types of facilities included three cheese production plants, two beverage
sites, two meat processors, one corn based snack production facility, a frozen dough producer, and processing
plants for vegetables, sugar, and grain. Some systems were installed in the 1970's; others have only started
operations this year. AD systems have allowed the companies to pre-treat their high strength wastewaters,
providing cost-effective on-site treatment and compliance with effluent discharge permits.
04/21/2011
BioGasProcessing Facility Breaks Ground at Point Loma WWTP
Construction has begun on the Trident BioFuels Energy Gas Processing
Facility at the 240 million gallon per day capacity Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in San Diego County,
California. The plant will use an Air Liquide gas processing system to capture, purify and compress 1.4
million standard cubic foot per day of the WWTP's biomethane for injection into a San Diego Gas and Electric
natural gas pipeline. Currently that methane is simply burnt in a flare on-site. "The biogas clean-up
processing facility will be the first in the State of California to inject treated biogas into the utility gas
distribution system since the Public Utility Commission authorized the concept in late 2009. This project will
pave the way for similar future applications," said Frank Mazanec of BioFuels Energy LLC, the project developer. The facility was
financed last November by New Energy Capital's CleanTech Infrastructure Fund, supported by the sale of pollution
control bonds authorized by the California Pollution Control Finance Authority. SCS Engineers is the designer
and general contractor for the project. Start-up is planned for Q4 2011.
04/20/2011
Governor'sSpecial Advisor for Renewable Energy to Speak at Summit
The Green California Summit and Exposition runs from April 19-20, 2011 in
Sacramento, covering "green paths to economic recovery". Manal Yamout, selected by Governor Brown to continue in
his position as Special Advisor to the Governor on Renewable Energy Facilities, will be presenting on the 19th
as part of the "Power to the People – California's Renewables Revolution", a panel to explore distributed power
generation. CalRecycle's director Mark Leary will moderate the panel. Ms. Yamout will be honored for her
contributions to green energy on June 21st by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (CEERT) in
their 8th Annual Clean Power Campaign Awards. One possible topic: Governor Brown's signing of SBX1 1 (Senator Darrell Steinberg,
D-Sacramento), which establishes the Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Job Training, Career Technical
Education, and Dropout Prevention Program. 04/19/2011
LondonBorough's Food Waste Collection Pilot a Success
The London Borough of Southwark Council and their waste management
contractor Veolia Environmental Services have deemed their food waste collection pilot program a success, and are ready to expand
the service beyond the initial 10,000 properties. Within the pilot area, recycling rates now up to 54%, compared
to surrounding London's 31.8% recycling rate for the past year. The Council estimated that 887.5 tons of
additional recyclable waste were diverted from landfill in the first 6 months of the pilot, saving over £75,000
in landfill costs. The service will now be continued for the pilot area, and Southwark Council and Veolia are
considering how the program can be expanded to other residences and to area schools. Program details and
guidance for participants is provided on-line, and a public comment area provides questionnaire summaries. Veolia of
Southwark works closely with the community beyond the Food Waste Pilot, as with their EnviroGrant Scheme, providing funds and staff time to locals to
encourage environmental projects. This year's grants will be awarded in June. 04/19/2011
TPALaunches South African Biogas Program
Trade Plus Aid (TPA) has invested in Swiss anaerobic digestion (AD) company Acrona
Engineering to establish the TPA Biogas Programme. Acrona develops combined heat and power
applications based on their AD designs, and is a distributor for Capstone microturbines. Partly financed through the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations, 22 commercial digesters have been planned in this
phase. Proceeds from installation and operation of large-scale AD on South African commercial farms will in turn
support development of family size digesters to replace about 3 tons per year per family of wood fuel combustion
for meal preparation and heating, while providing sterile nutrient-rich amendments for farm soil improvement.
The Trade Plus Aid Domestic Biogas Program has been initiated with the installation of 11 digesters in the
Richmond area of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The funding for these initial small-scale digesters has been made available by
a grant from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The 6 cubic meter rural household biogas digesters
will provide greenhouse gas emission reduction monetary value which will be reinvested back into the domestic
biogas program. 04/19/2011
Followup:LCFS Draft Workplan Available for Review
The Low Carbon Fuel Standard Advisory Panel will review the LCFS Draft Workplan Version 1, which has just been made available on
the Advisory Panel's web page, at their April 26, 2011 meeting. The Draft
will not be presented; attending Panel and public members will need to review the document prior to the meeting.
The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation became effective 15, 2010; an excellent review can be found in
the Air Resources Board's initial March 2009 Statement of Reasons. Section 95489 of the regulation
requires the Executive Officer to conduct two reviews of the LCFS program through a public process. The
Executive Officer is also required to convene an Advisory Panel with which he will consult on the reviews. The
reviews will address a broad range of implementation topics and may include recommended amendments to the
regulation. Staff will present the results of these reviews to the Board by January 1, 2012, and January 1,
2015. 04/19/2011
GPRECuts
Ribbon on Ethanol Waste to Algae Facility
Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) hosted Agricultural Secretary Vilsack
this past week to celebrate the grand opening of BioProcess Algae's Phase II “Grower
Harvester” algal photo-bioreactor. BioProcess Algae LLC is a joint venture between CLARCOR Inc,
BioProcessH2O LLC, Green Plains Renewable Energy, and the international renewable energy group NTR plc. Waste
from GPRE's ethanol plant feed Grower Harvester operations, generating algal biomass for further processing to
biofuels. "We are honored to have Secretary Vilsack deliver the keynote address at this important event for
BioProcess Algae and to see firsthand our bioreactor technology growing and harvesting algae", said Todd Becker,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Plains Renewable Energy. "The next step for us is to take our
commercial scale reactors and build out an algae farm at our ethanol plant in Shenandoah, which can produce
inputs needed for feed, food and next generation algae-based fuels. The co-location at an ethanol plant has
proven to be the right platform to rapidly commercialize this technology." Teru Talk reported on the
February completion of construction of the Phase II plant.
04/18/2011
LCFSProgram Schedules 2nd Full Advisory Panel Meeting
California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard program has scheduled the 2nd open
meeting of the full Advisory Panel for Tuesday, April 26, 2011. In this 2nd meeting, the
Panel will discuss the work plan and whether the approach and sources identified in it are adequate to address
the pertinent topics. Teru Talk reported on the 1st Panel meeting held in February and the
summary that was released. Methods 2A and 2B carbon intensity applications were recently modified and are
available for review on the LCFS main website, where interested parties can also sign up for the
informational listserve. The meeting is scheduled for 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in the Coastal
Hearing Room, 2nd Floor, Cal/EPA Headquarters Building, 1001 “I” Street, Sacramento. The meeting agenda is available on-line, giving details for in-person
attendance as well as for both phone and webex public participation. 04/18/2011
GroupChallenges CalRecycle's Gasification Decision
A group of organizations opposed to municipal solid waste (MSW) conversion has
demanded that CalRecycle rescind their finding that the plasma-assisted gasification technology proposed by
Plasco for their renewable energy project in Salinas, California, is "gasification". The group's April
14, 2011 letter to Secretary John Laird, California Natural Resources Agency, is an attack not only on
CalRecycle’s interpretation and purview but that of the California Energy Commission. The two agencies have
determined that the plasma-assisted gasification technology proposed by Plasco is "gasification" per Public
Resources Code (PRC) 40117, and as such, the proposed plant may be pre-certified as an "eligible renewable
energy generation facility". The group's contention stems from their own interpretation of the PRC and their
assertion that the agencies don’t have the purview to make the determinations. The confusion comes from two
bills promulgated to the PRC eight days after California's Renewable Portfolio Standard became law. For
background, see our own Legislative Review of AB 2770, SB 1038, and SB 1078.
04/16/2011
Oregon’sBiogas Industry Is Ready to Grow
The Climate Trust has released "Growing Oregon’s Biogas Industry", which details how Oregon’s dairies,
wastewater treatment plants, municipal solid waste collectors and food processors have the feedstock and
infrastructure to generate over 100 megawatts (MW) of biogas energy, but currently have only 8 MW installed. The
Climate Trust in conjunction with the Energy Trust of Oregon compiled the report documenting stakeholder
roundtable meetings to explore how to expand biogas project development in Oregon. The report finds that dairy
farms have the greatest potential to generate biogas energy, and wastewater treatments plants currently generate
the most biogas. The benefits of co-digestion are clearly presented. Two policies are proposed that would help
biogas projects overcome this financial barrier: production incentives that would raise the value of biogas
energy and therefore increase the willingness of lenders to provide construction financing, and a bridge loan
program to provide financing for project construction. Conclusions: (1) Biogas technology is ready for
widespread implementation but additional state support is needed to realize its economic and environmental
value, and (2) The right policies will create rural jobs, advance energy independence and reduce potent methane
emissions. 04/16/2011
FCEReceives Contracts to Explore Biogas Processing, Carbon Capture
Connecticut company Fuel Cell Energy (FCE) has received a contract from the US
Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate the effectiveness of their Direct FuelCells® (DFC®) to efficiently separate carbon dioxide (CO2)
from the emissions of industrial operations such as refineries, cement kilns and pulp and paper mills. Chris
Bentley, Executive Vice President of FCE, commented: "Our Direct FuelCell technology is very versatile,
providing multiple value streams including ultra-clean power, high quality heat and hydrogen suitable for
vehicle transportation or industrial uses. This contract from the US Environmental Protection Agency enables us
to research the possibility of yet another value stream, which is the efficient and cost effective capture of
carbon using our existing technology. Carbon capture is an important area of focus for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and our team is excited to be undertaking this leading edge research." FCE also has secured two subcontracts totaling $1.7 million with TDA Research, Inc., the prime contractor under a US Department of
Energy program, to demonstrate TDA’s advanced biogas de-sulfurization technology. The biogas demonstration
projects will determine the market feasibility of a high capacity, expendable sorbent for efficiently removing
sulfur from renewable biogas that if successful, could reduce the costs of fuel cells operating on biogas. The
integrated solution will be demonstrated at a wastewater treatment facility and a family-owned dairy farm, both
located in California, and is expected to conclude in 18 months. 04/16/2011
NCSUResearchers ID Microbe Responsible for Methane from Landfills
New research from North Carolina State University (NCSU) shows that one species of
microbe prepares conditions in a landfill that allow other methane producers to flourish. An anaerobic bacterium
called Methanosarcina barkeri is a resilient methanogen that can survive at low pH levels. M.
barkeri consumes the acids in its environment, producing methane and increasing the pH levels in its
immediate area, improving conditions for other methanogens. Dr. Francis de los Reyes, an associate professor of civil engineering
at NCSU and co-author of a paper describing the research, stated, “The research community can use our findings
to explore ways of accelerating the methane-generation process creating methane more quickly for power
generation, and making additional room in the landfill for waste disposal.” The research paper, “Effect of
Spatial Differences in Microbial Activity, pH, and Substrate Levels on Methanogenesis Initiation in Refuse,”
will published in the April issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 04/16/2011
ProgressEnergy Signs Agreement with Poultry Power for Biogas
Progress Energy Carolinas has signed a power purchase agreement for energy to be generated by Poultry Power
USA’s gasification of farm waste. Poultry Power USA will build, own and operate the 36 megawatt (MWe) power
plant in Montgomery County, North Carolina and sell the electricity to the utility. The project will help
Progress Energy to meet its share of North Carolina’s renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS), which includes
a statutory requirement that a portion of statewide electricity comes from poultry waste. The $125 MM plant will
be built in Biscoe, N.C. to use 350,000 tons of poultry litter per year and is scheduled to begin operation in
early 2013. Poultry Power USA is based in Jacksonville, Fla., and is a subsidiary of Green Frontiers Energy. “We are pleased to bring jobs and commerce to
North Carolina,” said George Erickson Sr., the chief executive officer of Poultry Power USA. “Our clean
technology will provide renewable energy to consumers in the state, and we are excited about being a solution to
the litter disposal challenges facing the poultry industry. Our commitment is to be a clean and solid corporate
citizen with a small carbon footprint.” 04/15/2011
UKPlant Will Convert Food Waste to Energy and
Fertilizer
GWE Biogas Ltd’s food waste to biogas and fertilizer plant is
performing well during its commissioning phase. The Driffield, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom (UK) site has been
taking in both packaged and clean waste streams for several weeks and the digesters are already producing
significant volumes of a good quality biogas. Mathew Girking, GWE’s project Director, commented “We are
delighted with the initial results of how the plant is working. Our depackaging equipment has completed its
first week of trials and commissioning and is proving that it is more than capable of dealing with the very
varied packaging that food waste comes in. We are also very satisfied with the amount of food waste that we will
be diverting from landfill.” The £10m investment includes a large bio-filter to ensure the area did not smell.
He said air vents were being used to filter fresh air into the plant through heather, causing bacteria to grow
and eat odour molecules. Andy Hartley from Leeds-based CO2Sense, which has partly funded the project, said:
"It's really significant. It's arguably the best designed plant in the country but it's one of only a handful."
The first 1MW generator is scheduled to come on line in 2012 and will supply the grid with electricity for
almost 1,000 homes. 04/15/2011
Cityof
Oslo Awards Food Waste to Biogas Contract to Cambi
Norwegian anaerobic digestion company Cambi AS has been awarded a US$65MM contract for a turnkey biogas
plant to convert treat 50 000 tons of food waste per year. The plant will be built in Nes in Romerike, an
agricultural region northeast of Oslo; biogas will be upgraded to fuel the City’s 135 buses, and will also
produce approximately 27 000 annual tons of fertilizer. Cambi uses their patented Thermal Hydrolysis Process
(THP) to treat municipal and industrial waste prior to anaerobic
digestion, processing the organic matter at 165-170°C by steam explosion and pasteurization, and dissolving it
into an easily digestible feed for biogas production by anaerobic digestion while destroying pathogens. Mr.
Wojtech Sargalski, Cambi’s Business Development Manager - Biowaste, says that although Cambi has 22 plants in
operation worldwide and another 3 under construction, this deal is large even by international standards. "We
are delighted that Cambi has been awarded the largest biowaste contract in Scandinavia by the City of Oslo. The
contract will certainly have a positive impact on Cambi’s international performance in this sector," concludes
Sargalski. 04/15/2011
KiORPlans Initial Public Offering
Texas-based biofuel company KiOR has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to
raise up to $100 million through their proposed Initial Public Offering
(IPO) of shares of Class A common stock. The number of shares and initial price is not determined. The IPO will
be jointly managed by underwriters Credit Suisse, UBS Investment Bank and Goldman Sachs. KiOR uses fast
pyrolysis for "biomass catalytic cracking" to bio-oil, developing and commercializing Biomass Catalytic Cracking
(BCC) technology. BCC technology catalytically converts lignocelluloses biomass into a high quality bio-crude
which is suitable for refining directly to standard transportation fuels. KiOR received a $1 billion term
sheet loan guarantee from the Department of Energy in February, and secured
an off-take agreement for their bio-oil with Hunt Refining in March. The
company’s Houston Texas demonstration facility was producing 15 barrels of bio-oil a day during 2010. The
process generates enough heat and electricity to be essentially self-supporting. 04/13/2011
ConstructionBegins on 13MGY Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in Italy
Novozymes’ partner, Mossi & Ghisolfi Group (M&G), is breaking ground
on its first fully commercial scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino, northwestern Italy.
M&G is a multinational company specializing in resins for food packaging, with production plants in Brazil,
Italy, Mexico, and the US. The plant will be 10 times larger than the largest demonstration facilities in
operation today and is designed to operate on cellulosic feedstock such as wheat straw, corn stover, municipal
waste, or energy crops. The biomass is first broken down into a pulp, then Novozymes’ enzymes are added, turning
cellulose in the biomass into sugar, which can be fermented into ethanol. “Today’s groundbreaking is fantastic
news and signals the dawn of a new green era,” says Poul Ruben Andersen, Marketing Director Bioenergy at
Novozymes. “With this state-of-the-art facility, M&G proves there is a cure for the world’s addiction to
fossil fuels. Biofuel made from lignocellulosic biomass is no longer a distant pipe-dream. The technology is
ready and plants will be built and run on commercial scale, offering a compelling alternative to conventional
gasoline.” The plant is scheduled to start production in 2012. 04/13/2011
Alcoa,Codexis and CO2 Solutions Partner to Turn Waste to Product
Biocatalyst firm Codexis and enzyme company CO2 Solutions have partnered with Alcoa for a three-part waste conversion research, demonstration and
development (RD&D) project focused on recovering resources from Alcoa’s industrial residues. Aluminum
smelting generates alkaline clay, or bauxite residue, as a primary waste product. The pilot project will test a
scrubbing process that combines treated flue gas, enzymes and alkaline clay into a mineral-rich neutralized
product that could be used for environmental reclamation projects. Codexis and CO2 Solutions have been
collaborating since late 2009 on the development of custom carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes and processes that
could significantly decrease the cost of carbon dioxide capture from industrial sources. CA is an enzyme that
catalyzes the transfer of carbon dioxide in nature, and program results to date show that the technology can be
used to create and deploy CA biocatalysts with substantially improved stability and performance under industrial
conditions. "We are very pleased to be expanding deployment of our carbon capture technology with Alcoa," said
Dr. Alan Shaw, Codexis president and CEO. "We recently reported significant progress in our first program to
reduce CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. With this agreement, we are expanding to a second large
market where our technology can add real economic value, and where it may convert industrial waste to new,
valuable products." 04/13/2011
ConstructionCompleted on New British Biogas Plant
Danish anaerobic digestion company Xergi has handed over a new biogas plant to Staples Vegetables, one of Britain's largest vegetable producers
located in Wrangle, near Boston in Lincolnshire. The new facility is the first of five biogas plants to receive
support from the British Waste Recycling Action Program (WRAP). The anaerobic digestion facility makes biogas
from a total annual 26,000 tons of vegetable processing residue and maize silage to produce combined cooling,
heating and power (CCHP) with a capacity to produce 1.4 MW electricity. "Potential investors in new biogas
plants are hesitant and they are keen to ensure that these plants work as they should. There is no doubt that
the opening of this plant will help speed up the establishment of new biogas plants in the UK," says Colin
Steel, Xergi's Country Manager UK. 04/13/2011
LanzaTechPartners with LCY for Bio-Based Chemical Production
New Zealand based LanzaTech has formed a partnership with LCY Chemical Corporation for development of bio-based C2 through C5
solvents and green foundation chemicals. The multi-national Taiwanese chemical manufacturer wants to begin
replacing petroleum-sourced chemicals with LanzaTech’s biologically produced analogues. LCY will fund the
construction of production plants in exchange for access to LanzaTech’s technology in their chemical plants in
Taiwan, China, Japan, Qatar and the United States. LanzaTech’s core technology feeds carbon monoxide containing
industrial emission gases to microbes for fermentation into chemical product syntheses. “Bio-based chemicals are
currently one per cent of global chemicals production, but that is expected to increase to nine per cent during
the next 10 years,” said Dr Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech’s chief executive. “LanzaTech and LCY will produce key
bio-based chemicals, creating new products and revenue streams for both companies.” 04/13/2011
IEAReleases Its First Global
Clean Energy Progress Report
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has for the first time published a Clean Energy Progress Report, assessing global deployment of clean energy technologies
including renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, nuclear power, biofuels and CO2 capture and
storage (CCS), and providing recommendations to countries on future action and spending. The IEA presented their
findings at the 2011 Clean Energy Ministerial in Abu Dhabi. The report states that worldwide renewable
electricity generation since 1990 grew an average of 2.7% per year, which is less than the 3% growth seen for
total electricity generation. Consequently, “achieving the goal of halving global energy-related CO2 emissions
by 2050 will require a doubling of all renewable generation use by 2020 from today’s level.” The report finds
that global biofuels production grew from 16 billion litres in 2000 to more than 100 billion litres in 2010. In
Brazil, as much as 21% of all transport fuel is from biofuels; in the United States its share is 4% and in the
European Union it is around 3%. 04/13/2011
APL’sNewest Biomass Gasifier is Shipping Container Size
ALL Power Labs’ new 100 kWe integrated gasifier and generator set
(genset) fits inside a standard shipping container. It is their latest scaled up design in their line of home
and small business scale wood gasification systems for combined heat and power (CHP) and pyrolysis models for
production of bio-char. APL’s clients for two of the new systems are the Morris and Twin Cities campuses of the
University of Minnesota, who are working with Cummins Power Generation and operating under a DOE grant from the
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The projects are intended to “develop a relevant
shipping-container based biomass gasification unit for the U.S. Agricultural market”, and “… provide a gasifier
mated to a modern diesel engine with precise ignition control in order to experiment with the unique combustion
characteristics of syngas”. APL introduced their first Gasifier Experimenter’s Kit, or GEK, in 2008, sized to run home generators and small vehicles. Their
pallet sized 10 to 20 kWe integrated wood gasification CHP was added in 2010. APL maintains an open forum for
do-it-yourself (DYI) developers, and all APL’s gasifier plans are distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License. APL will offer a workshop June 17-19, 2011 in Berkeley, free if
you own a GEK or $100 otherwise. To sign up, RSVP on their Gasifier User Forum. 04/12/2011
U.S. Foodservice Fuels Fleet with Biodiesel from Waste
Cooking Oil
The Columbia Division of U.S. Foodservice, Inc in Lexington, South Carolina
has acquired WVO Industries, who for years has purified the waste
vegetable oil U.S. Foodservice collects from their customers. U.S. Foodservice has been the exclusive collection
agent for WVO since 2009, providing it with waste cooking oil from restaurant deep fryers. The waste vegetable
oil is collected in specially designed, sealed cans that are convenient and easy for restaurants to use. The
cleaned oil is shipped to a biodiesel conversion company who makes a blend of 80% diesel and 20% biodiesel, or
B20, which U.S. Foodservice will then use in hundreds of their fleet vehicles. U.S. Foodservice is developing a
new facility in Lexington to store, purify, convert and blend up to 5 million pounds of waste oil into 400,000
gallons of bio feedstock each year. The division plans to use approximately 200,000 gallons of converted waste
vegetable oil for biodiesel annually, which would allow the remaining waste oil to be made available elsewhere
in the company or as a supply source for outside companies. “The purchase of WVO will establish U.S. Foodservice
as an industry leader in fleet sustainability,” said Durwood Owens, division president, U.S.
Foodservice-Columbia. “We’re also helping customers achieve their sustainability goals by offering an easy,
reliable way for them to recycle their waste cooking oil instead of sending it to landfills.”
04/12/2011
NewJoint
Venture Will Advance Organic Waste Conversion Projects
Davis, California based Onsite Power Systems (OPS) is forming a joint venture with Purely Organic Products for advancing organic waste conversion
technologies for production of renewable energy fuels and multiple high value organic fertilizer products. OPS
is commercializing a two-stage high solids anaerobic digester and has an 8 ton per day unit operating on the UC
Davis campus. The system converts problematic food and green waste materials into renewable biofuels including
both methane and hydrogen. The fibrous residual has multiple uses including organic fertilizer. The OPS - Purely
Organic joint venture brings immediate product lines and a current customer base for these high-value organic
fertilizers. “Many agricultural and landscape operations across the county are looking for reliable alternatives
to petro-chemical based fertilizers” said Dave Konwinski, CEO of OPS. “The value added products from our
digester technologies include nutrient rich liquids and high-value soil amendments that provide a substantial
opportunity in the agricultural and landscape organic fertilizer market.” 04/11/2011
Wisconsin Sees Biogas Opportunity in
Cows
The Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative has released their 2011 Strategic Plan focused on
“The Opportunity for Biogas in Wisconsin”. The detailed free report is available on-line. Created in 2007 by University of Wisconsin-Madison
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI) seeks to cultivate bioenergy expertise among UW-Madison,
UW-System and Wisconsin stakeholders. The Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative examined energy opportunities within
the state’s 13,000 licensed dairy herds, landfills, food processing industry and other businesses to create a
statewide recommendation for strategies and policy programs to capitalize on the emerging opportunity. The study
indicates potential reductions of 30-35% in CO2-eq/kg ECM and 213-240% in MJ/kg ECM. If all farms with more than
200 cows in Wisconsin would implement anaerobic digesters, the potential on-farm biogas energy production would
be 11.5 billion MJ/year, and the correspondent potential of savings on GHG emissions would be 1 billion kg
CO2-eq/year. 04/11/2011
LCFSAdvisory Panel Releases First Meeting Summary
The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Advisory Panel has released a summary of its first meeting held on February 16, 2011.
Among the chief concerns expressed by Panel members is the clear need to review and coordinate with the great
diversity of other parallel programs in California that also impact greenhouse gas emissions reduction and clean
fuel development, given the complexity of issues. Also of high concern is the prioritization being outlined for
implementation of the new law, such as which segments of the economy should be among the first to see mandatory
compliance? Another concern always attending California project development is an apparent lack of a mechanism
for pre-certification, so a developer can be certain that the product once completed and marketed will meet the
LCFS criteria. Panel members are now asked to submit top 5 priorities as comments to their website. All
prior Panel comments and attachments are available on-line. The next full
Panel open meeting is scheduled for April 26, 2011. The LCFS is a key element for meeting the greenhouse gas
emission reductions called for under AB 32. Per Title 17, California Code of Regulations, Section 95489, the
Advisory Panel will present a first formal review of the program to the Air Resources Board by January 1, 2012,
and the second by January 1, 2015. 04/09/2011
WhiteHouse Releases Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future
The Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future released last week by the Obama
administration outlines a three-part strategy: (1) Develop and Secure America’s Energy Supplies, (2) Provide
Consumers with Choices to Reduce Costs and Save Energy, and (3) Innovate our Way to a Clean Energy Future. The
report recognizes that “…a global race is underway to develop and manufacture clean energy technologies, and
China and other countries are playing to win.” The Blueprint pushes advanced biofuels: a goal of four
commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced bio-refineries over the next two years, and speed the development of
“drop-in” biofuels substitutes for diesel and jet fuel. The centerpiece of the Administration’s strategy for
creating clean energy markets is the Clean Energy Standard (CES) that goes beyond "renewables" to include
nuclear and clean coal development. The CES would work by giving electric power plants clean energy credits
for every megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity they generate from clean energy. In his address launching the
Blueprint, President Obama said: “We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security,
rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again.”
04/09/2011
TrilliumFiberFuels Receives SBIR Grant
Oregon based Trillium FiberFuels has received a Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) grant to advance their cellulosic ethanol development. Trillium works with a rare, naturally occurring
enzyme in fixed-bed isomerization to convert the recalcitrant sugar xylose into simpler materials that can be
fermented by yeast. Xylose, which is usually unavailable for fermentation, makes up roughly one third of the
available sugar in biomass. The new funding Trillium received last month complements a grant from
Oregon's Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Center received in January of this year.
Trillium FiberFuels was formed in 2006 and started as a research project at Oregon State University. Chris
Beatty, Trillium's President, commented that the new award "builds on the feasibility work sponsored by the
USDOE and will give us a cost-effective process for feedstocks such as straw from ryegrass and wheat."
04/09/2011
H.R.1425
Reauthorization of SBIR includes VCs
The US House of Representatives met on April 7, 2011 to consider
H.R 1425, a bill that in part calls for 3-year reauthorization of the
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant program. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of
Technology administers SBIR, while the U.S National Science Foundation administers the SBIR.GOV site on behalf
of the federal government. It’s been eight years since the last re-up for SBIR and its companion program Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR). The proposed text of HR.1425 would (a) increase the award amount from
$100,000 to $150,000; (b) Advance from Phase I to Phase II program activities without additional announcement of
solicitation; and perhaps most importantly, (c) open the programs to companies substantially owned by investment
interests such as venture capital companies and hedge funds. The bill was referred to the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology, also to the Committees on Small Business, and Armed Services for consideration.
04/09/2011
PlascoEnergy Secures $143MM Financing
Pacific Northwestinvestment bank Cascadia Capital and the Soros Management Fund have both recently engaged in what is now
totaling a $143 million financing round for Canadian waste to energy firm Plasco Energy Group, Inc. The growth equity financing will advance
Plasco’s projects in California's Salinas Valley, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, China
and Poland. Plasco has a three-year-old pilot project in Ottawa using plasma-assisted gasification to convert
post-recycled residues of mixed solid waste into high-purity syngas, along with separation of recoverable
metals, inert aggregates, and water. Syngas is cleaned for power generation and water is treated to potable
quality. Plasco held a community meeting in Ottawa attended by around 60 stakeholders to gauge interest and
concerns for a permanent facility, resulting in reports of strong support. 04/08/2011
ClenergenSecures $8MM for Integrated Biopower Development
Clenergen Corporation has acquired a 1.5MWe Anaerobic Digestion
(AD) Biomass power plant near Salem in Tamil Nadu, India. The plant operates using chicken litter as a
source of feedstock in order to generate renewable electricity. The company intends to expand the existing
facility to 10 MWe within the next 15 months. They have also signed a Technical Agreement with Honeywell
subsidiary Envergent Technologies to produce Pyrolysis Oil with possible upgrading to fuels. The company
has secured $8 million in working capital and project specific financing.
Clenergen has spent the last two years working with India’s Union Ministry for New
and Renewable Energy, and sees great promise in the government’s target of creating 10,000MW of biomass power
generation over the next 10 years. Clenergen integrates AD of agricultural waste, gasification of biomass, and
growth of fast-growing biomass crops into their closed-loop “captive power model”. Fertilizer from the AD feeds
the fields of Paulownia, Bamboo, Neem and other biocrops while power is generated both from the
microbial waste produced biogas and the thermal conversion produced syngas. 04/08/2011
GwinnettCounty, Georgia Constructs Co-Digestion BioGas Plant
A co-digestion “gas to energy” plant under construction at the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center in Gwinnett County, Georgia, will
convert sewage biosolids, fats, oils, greases and other wastes into renewable energy. By including fats, oil and
grease, the county will improve wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) system efficiency, reduce sewer clogging and
cut energy costs to its customers. The new co-digestion biogas plant is partially funded by $3.5 million from the
county’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant through the Recovery Act, and was recognized with
a Create Award from the Atlanta Regional Commission. The methane gas
that the facility produces will generate just over two megawatts of electric power and provide process heat,
meeting about 40 percent of the WWTP's power needs as well as all of the heat needed for the anaerobic
digesters. The new system has the potential to reduce the electricity bill by more than $1 million per year,
generate additional annual revenue of up to $800,000, and reduce greenhouse gases by up to 15,500 metric tons of
CO2 equivalent per year. 04/08/2011
EnergosMSW Gasification Plant Receives First-of-Class ROCs
United Kingdom (UK) based Ener-G subsidiary Energos operates an advanced gasification facility for conversion of
municipal solid waste to energy on the Isle of Wight, UK. The Isle of Wight plant is the first facility of its
kind to be granted Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) by the UK’s Office of the Gas and Electricity
Markets (Ofgem), receiving one ROC for each megawatt hour of renewable
electricity generated from the biogenic, renewable fraction of the residual waste. ROCs are not available to
incineration operations unless they generate both heat and electricity and meet CHPQA requirements, but they are available to gasification and
pyrolysis plants certified as ”advanced conversion technologies”. The auction price for ROCs approached £50 in
March 2011. Energos gasification technology will also qualify for the UK’s new Renewable Heat Incentive
(RHI). The plant receives 30,000 tons of waste per year and converts
that to 1.8 megawatts of electricity (MWe). Energos supplies small-scale energy from waste plants designed to
provide community scale energy with minimal emissions as an environmental alternative to landfill. Plants help
communities to achieve both the European Union (EU) Landfill Directive requirements (1999/31/EC) for avoiding
landfill and outperform EU Emission Standards (2000/76/EC). 04/08/2011
APSSeeks
Small Renewable Projects
The Arizona Public Service (APS) is seeking a variety of renewable energy generation projects in
the range of 2 to 15 megawatts (MWe) generating capacity. The Request for Proposals lists types of eligible projects: Biogas
Electricity Generator, Biomass Electricity Generator, Eligible Hydro Facilities, Fuel Cells that Use Only
Renewable Fuels, Geothermal Generator, Hybrid Wind and Solar Electric Generator, Landfill Gas Generator, New
Hydropower Generator (10 MWe or less), Solar Electricity Resources, and/or Wind Generator, for an anticipated
energy production of 200,000 MWh of annual energy in total through the Program. Proposed projects must come
on-line no later than December 31, 2013 for photovoltaic or wind resources and no later than December 31, 2014
for all other renewable resources. APS will use the PowerAdvocate platform for this RFP; visit the
PowerAdvocate website to register. For questions, contact Jessica
Hernandez at APS. 04/07/2011
RhodeIsland Considers Waste Cooking Oil Reuse
Legislation
Last month, Teru Talk reported that the Environmental Council of Rhode Island (ECRI)
was exploring development of a waste food collection program. Now we see that the Rhode Island legislature is
considering legislation submitted by Senators Algiere and Sosnowski (S.0185) to establish a safe, environmentally sound collection and
reuse program for all waste vegetable cooking oil (WVO), and to ban all disposal of the resource. As proposed,
the bill would take effect January 1, 2012. The bill was referred to the Rhode Island Senate Environment and
Agriculture committee in February, which heard testimony on legislation on March 31, 2011 at the State House and
will now be held for additional assessment. The hearing was held one day after President Obama’s call for
increasing US production of domestic fuels, to which the National Biodiesel Board commented, "The biodiesel industry is already
poised for a record year in which we will displace nearly a billion gallons of petroleum with a renewable fuel
produced right here in the United States. We are ready and able to meet the nation's Advanced Biofuel goals and
in the process create new jobs, improve the environment and enhance the nation's energy security."
04/07/2011
WeltecBiopower Builds AD Biogas Plant in Latvia
German AD specialist Weltec Biopower GmbH is constructing their second anaerobic digestion
(AD) biogas facility in the town of Limbaži in north-western Latvia, about a dozen miles inland from the Baltic
Sea. The town with a population of 10,000 is one of the main Latvian areas of agriculture. The 500 kWe combined
heat and power plant should be on-line in July of this year with heat serving adjacent agricultural buildings.
The 3,500 cubic meter digester will convert 5,400 tons of manure and 7,800 tons of silage annually as part of a
program begun in 2008 to reduce Baltic States’ dependence on Russian natural gas supply. As part of the program,
the Latvians are also replacing inefficient co-generation plants with high transport losses with smaller
district co-generation plants. Weltec is a member of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association and will
exhibit at ADBA’s annual Conference and Trade
Fair, July 6-7, 2011 in the UK. 04/07/2011
AgilyxInvestors Back Their Waste Plastics to Synthetic Crude Process
Waste Management Inc. has made a strategic investment in Oregon-based Agilyx Corporation, bringing this newest
round of financing to $22 million. Other
investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB ) and Total Energy Ventures, International, an
affiliate of Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT). Existing investors, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Saffron Hill
Ventures, and Reference Capital also participated in the round. Agilyx uses pyrolysis, or “anaerobic thermal
reclamation”, to cook mixed waste plastics and economically extract and refine the resulting liquids into a
synthetic sweet crude oil. Their Oregon facility is the first fully permitted waste plastics conversion facility
in the US, and has the first refinery off-take agreement as well. Last October, a New York recycling firm
started SynCrude LLC and announced they would acquire an Agilyx system for plastics conversion
in the New England area. More recently, Agilyx notes that their technology will be used by Green EnviroTech in a
facility planned for Riverbank California, and another for Wisconsin to convert 100,000 tons per year of auto
shredder fluff (ASR) from used vehicle shredding. “Waste Management wants to maximize the value of the materials
it manages”, said Tim Cesarek, managing director of Organic Growth at Waste Management. “Agilyx’s technology
complements Waste Management’s advancement of thermal chemical conversion technology platforms and provides us
with a viable option for processing contaminated and hard to recycle plastic resins and creating a high value
commodity.” 04/04/2011
NY’sNorth Hempstead Ready for Waste Grease to Biodiesel Program
The Town Council of North Hempstead in New York (NY) has announced plans to collect restaurant cooking grease and make
biodiesel. The plan was developed by the town’s Ecological Commission that will kick off a pilot initiative
later this spring at North Hempstead’s Solid Waste Management Authority facility in Port Washington. Scale will
depend on how much used restaurant cooking oil can be collected; the hope is to produce an initial 40 gallons
per day. Supervisor Jon Kaiman said, “We are always studying ways to save taxpayer dollars, but in this
challenging economic climate we are even more committed to doing more with less,” Supervisor Kaiman said. “This
initiative not only promises to benefit us fiscally but environmentally as well.” 04/03/2011
ConstructionBegins on First THÖNI NATURGAS Plant in UK
THÖNI and Agrigen Ltd. have signed an agreement for the first “Naturgas” biogas
plant in the United Kingdom (UK). The companies jointly announced that construction has begun on the plant on the site of a
former military airport at Rendlesham / Suffolk. The plant will initially generate 500 kWe, and then expand to
2.5 MWe once proofing is complete. Peter Hailes, CEO of AgriGen, highlights the advantages of the THÖNI biogas
technology: "As a large farming group, we are very exited about our forthcoming AD development. Not only will we
utilise high availability industrial standard AD technology but will use off-graded vegetables and energy crops
(grown in sustainable rotation) to produce diversified income through green electricity sales and by producing
recycled fertiliser. We greatly look forward to working with THÖNI on our exciting, cutting edge development."
Austrian company THÖNI’s Environmental Engineering division constructs renewable energy
plants for combined heat and power. Agrigen Ltd. is a consortium of farming companies based on Suffolk,
Woodbridge, UK. 04/03/2011
TwoNew
Patents Approved on ARC’s GDiesel Production
Nevada based Advanced Refining Concepts (ARC) has announced the US Patent and Trademark Office approval of two new
patents that strengthen their production of GDiesel. The patents relate to ARC's ClearRefining® technology, a
method for producing clean liquid fuels from biogas through a unique low temperature, low pressure, closed loop
catalytic refining process. ARC’s products are manufactured using the company’s proprietary ClearRefining®
process, a pollution-free, single-step method for combining natural gas, or other biogases, with a petroleum
base to achieve a higher quantity and quality of clean liquid motor and industrial fuels. Recently, the company
announced a contract to supply GDiesel® to the 1,400 diesel vehicle fleet operated by Clark County, Nevada – the
state’s third largest fleet operator. To date, more than 10 million gallons of GDiesel® have been sold in the
Northern Nevada and Las Vegas markets. 04/02/2011
CoffeeGrounds to Biodiesel Precursor Methyl Ester in One (Easier) Step
The Royal Chemistry Society (RCS) has announced a breakthrough in production of methyl esters, precursors
for biodiesel, from spent coffee grounds. Spent coffee grounds can contain over 20% lipids. Advanced biodiesel
production can use supercritical methanol (>600 degrees K under high pressure) to turn those lipids into the
fatty acid methyl esters from which biodiesel is made, but creating the temperatures and pressures are difficult
and expensive. Lab research led by Pedro Simoes of the New University of Lisboa, Portugal, found that
addition of CO2 to the mix allowed both temperature and pressure to be significantly reduced while yields are
dramatically increased. Rafael Luque, an expert on biofuels from the University of Cordoba, Spain, noted that
this work should pave the way for developing methods for new ways of processing waste food rather than
composting and anaerobic digestion, adding, “there is a need to change the perception of waste as a problem - it
should be perceived as a resource to produce valuable chemicals and biofuels.” The work has been published in
the journal Green Chemistry and is available from RCS on-line. 04/02/2011
Scotland’sStirling Council Turning Food Waste to Biogas
Mansfield, UK based Monsal Limited has announced their processing train of enzymatic hydrolysis to anaerobic
digestion (AD) is now turning 26,000 homes' worth of food waste that had previously been landfilled
to biogas. The system will be used at Horizon Environment’s AD plant at Deerdykes, near Cumbernauld, Scotland
following an agreement with Stirling Council. Stirling Council has one of the highest recycling rates in
Scotland at 47.5% and is planning to extend the food waste collection scheme to over 39,500 homes to help it
achieve the Scottish Government’s target of recycling 50% of its waste by 2013. Horizons Environment is Scottish
Water’s commercial resource management business, which has plans to convert other redundant Scottish Water sites
into AD plants. 04/02/2011
EthanolPlant’s Waste Water Gets a Reprieve
Ethanol facilities generate waste, too. R3 Fusion has announced delivery of their first ethanol recovery system to a 50
million gallon per year ethanol plant. R3 Fusion’s SPaCeR “process intensification” technology treats 50 gallons
per minute of ethanol plant scrubber wash water. It extracts trace amounts of ethanol from CO2 scrubber water
and concentrates the ethanol/water mixture so that it can be introduced directly into standard distillation
columns. The benefit to a typical ethanol facility is an increase in overall production capacity and recovery of
millions of dollars of ethanol otherwise lost. “We are very excited about the launch of our SPaCeR technology
and the enormous implications we believe it will have on global water supplies” said Keith Blakely, R3 Fusion’s
CEO. 04/01/2011
SynthesisEnergy Receives $83.8MM Chinese Funding
Houston-based Synthesis Energy has announced an investment agreement with China Energy
Industry Holding Group Co., Limited ("China Energy") for US $83.8 million. The funds will support the core
company's business strategy with China Energy, a Hong Kong based limited liability corporation formed by
Zhongjixuan Investment Management Ltd. ("ZJX") of Beijing. Synthesis Energy Systems provides advanced technology
products, including its U-GAS® fluidized bed gasification technology licensed from the Gas Technology Institute
and related services and equipment, to enable the clean conversion of low feedstock into high value energy and
chemical products, such as transportation fuel and ammonia. synthesis Energy currently has offices in Houston,
Texas, and Shanghai, China. 04/01/2011

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