May 2012 News and Matters of Interest
|
   |
 Remember to check our Highlights for new postings on other areas of
Teru Talk.
Phoenix Energy Australia, John Holland
Collaborate on Kwinana W2E Project
 Melbourne-based Phoenix Energy Australia Pty Ltd has announced an agreement to collaborate with the John Holland engineering and construction
firm on a $400 million (AUD) waste to energy (W2E) project in the Kwinana Industrial Area near Perth in Western
Australia. The project is currently entering final engineering design and formal permitting. Phoenix Energy Australia holds the exclusive license for application of the Alter NRG /
Westinghouse Plasma technology, and is also closely aligned with Mitsubishi heavy Industry Environment and
Chemicals Company (MHIEC); last year, Phoenix Energy AU was part of a team including Alter NRG and Coskata
testing waste to fuels capability using the Westinghouse Plasma technology. Earlier this month,
Peter Dyson, Managing Director of Phoenix, accompanied Australian Premier Colin Barnett on a tour of the
Ariake Waste to Energy facility in Tokyo to observe the Mitsubishi technology in operation.
John Holland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Limited (ASX: LEI), is one of
Australia’s leading engineering, contracting and services providers to the infrastructure, energy and resources
and transport services sectors. “The plant will use technology that has been proven at hundreds of similar
facilities internationally,” said Greg Taylor, General Manager of John Holland’s Water and Enviro business, “and
we are excited to be able to deliver it in Australia. We have also been impressed by the robustness of the work
already done by Phoenix Energy and its partners, and look forward to collaborating closely with them.”
05/31/2012
GESI Enters $45MM Funding
Round for Waste Railroad Ties-to-Energy Project
 Houston, Texas based Green Energy Solution Industries Inc. (GESI), a renewable energy developer
for Canadian projects, has announced that in collaboration with its strategic partner InREFCo, a project funding round of up to $45 million is now being launched. GESI received
award funding in 2011 for a grant from Alberta Energy to develop a feasibility study on utilization of the
region's wood waste, especially creosote-saturated railroad ties, telephone poles, bridge timbers, and similarly
treated materials that constitute hazardous waste when discarded. GESI has now identified a functional site and
narrowed the initial feedstock supply to railroad ties to be supplied by Canadian based On-Track Railway
Services, Ltd. Canada's two major railroad companies operate constant programs that remove and replace around
3.5 million ties annually to maintain about 30,000 miles of track. GESI then selected InREFCo to provide the starved-air gasification technology and package the project
financing. GESI expects that the 200 ton per day waste conversion project's revenues should completely cover the
commercial financing. InREFCo's financial partners can provide a variety of project and equity loan solutions
for its renewable energy and clean water investment grade project developers. 05/31/2012
adaptiveARC Is Finalist for San Diego Business Journal Innovation Awards
 California's thermal waste conversion company adaptiveARC has announced its selection as a Finalist in the San Diego Business Journal's first round
Innovator's Award, developed to honor those that "stretch the boundaries." The company's Cool Plasma®-assisted gasification converts a variety of urban and agricultural wastes into
synthetic gas, or syngas, a clean-burning fuel for renewable energy, within a small-footprint module processing
25 tons per day of waste to generate 500 kilowatts of renewable electricity. The modules may be interconnected
for up to 100 tons per day of processing capacity, and each ce25 is designed to be easily trucked to a feedstock
source. The process uses 'regenerative syngas cleaning, recirculating the syngas through the gasification
chamber until reduced to its simplest cleanest syngas form. The San Diego Business Journal's inaugural Innovation Awards will be presented June 20, 2012 to recognize those individuals and
companies who demonstrate how the innovative spirit drives economic value. 05/31/2012
Novozymes Opens $200MM
Enzyme Plant for Biofuels in Nebraska
 Danish enzyme developer Novozymes announced the grand opening of its Blair, Nebraska biofuel-enzyme production facility,
leveraging a $200 million investment with 48C manufacturing tax credits that brought the plant on-line quickly.
Nebraska's governor Dave Heineman was joined for the celebration by US Department of Energy Senior Advisor Jason
Walsh and Blair Mayor James Realph. Novozyme's Executive Vice President Peder Holk Nielsen considers the plant
as a critical part of Novozymes global production chain, adding to its existing plants in China, Brazil, Denmark
and the United States: “Advanced biofuels are taking off. With private investments like those demonstrated here,
biofuel plants are opening around the world – and we're proud our Blair facility is prepared to supply enzymes
to some of the first advanced biorefineries, as well as to the existing industry. The United States is the
world’s largest biofuel market today, and many of the new advanced biofuel plants will be located in the U.S.
Midwest, one of the main reasons we chose Nebraska for our new site.” 05/31/2012
National Biodiesel Board & Genscape Launch RIN
Integrity Network
 The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has announced a new tool intended to help stabilize the federal renewable fuels marketplace in
collaboration with Genscape, Inc., with the launch of RIN Integrity NetworkTM on-line dashboard.
Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, are the credit mechanism created by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) as an element of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard through which fuels that meet the RFS criteria are tracked and
logged. A RIN is a "serial number" assigned to each gallon of renewable fuel that allows certification for
obligated parties to gauge progress toward mandated volumes, managed within the EPA's Moderated Transaction
System (EMTS) database to monitor RIN transfer activities between interested parties. The NBB established a RIN
Integrity Task Force to aid accounting and counter fraud in the RIN system; the new dashboard facilitates that
tracking and accounting process by providing ready access to key real-time information. Renewable fuel is
produced from both waste and virgin feedstock by an ever-growing number of conversion pathways, adding to the
complexity and unfortunately creating opportunities for abuse of the system. "A handful of isolated fraud cases
have paralyzed the biodiesel RIN markets, but the launch of a comprehensive auditing and real-time monitoring
program will give the market a great deal of confidence in any biodiesel producer that is participating in the
Genscape program," said National Biodiesel Board CEO, Joe Jobe. 05/30/2012
PyroGenesis Receives Coup
de Coeur Award for Waste Management Plan
 Quebec-based plasma waste conversion company PyroGenesis Canada, Inc. has received the prestigious Coup de Coeur award for Partnership and Innovation in recognition
of PyroGenesis' participation in development of an integrated waste management plan and unique solution for the
Iles-de-la-Madeleine project. The award was presented by the Association pour le développement de la recherche
et de l'innovation du Québec (ADRIQ; in French only). The project is a collaborative effort that also involved the
Université de Sherbrooke, the municipality of Iles-de-la-Madeleine and the Centre de recherche sur les milieux
insulaires et maritimes (CERMIM; in French only). PyroGenesis has developed and is currently engaged in US Air Force
testing and commercial demonstration of its patented Plasma Resource recovery System (PRRS) for
gasification of waste for combined heat and power generation, and vitrification of residuals to an inert glassy
slag. The project solution proposed was to integrate the PRRS with a bio-methanization process. "The main
objective of this integrated process is to convert nearly all of the processed waste into usable products
namely: energy (heat and electricity) and slag (construction material). The project is also exploring the use of
slag as a cimentious substitute in the production of concrete or granular material for road construction," says
Arezki Tagnit-Amou, civil engineering professor at Université de Sherbrooke. 05/30/2012
European Parliament Calls for Waste Recovery Instead of
Landfills, Incinerators
 Following the plenary session meetings last week of the European Parliament and the European
Commission, the Parliament has announced passage of a resolution Thursday calling for member
states to gradually phase out landfilling and incineration of any waste that can otherwise be recovered as a
resource. The resolution calls for highest value first, favoring recycling, reuse, and composting over
bioenergy. The resolution for a Resource-Efficient Europe was adopted on a vote of 479 in
favor, 66 against and 63 abstaining. The detailed and lengthy resolution to take into account "the waste
hierarchy and the need to bring residual waste close to zero; calls on the Commission, therefore, to make
proposals by 2014 with a view to gradually introducing a general ban on waste landfill at European level and for
the phasing-out, by the end of this decade, of incineration of recyclable and compostable waste." Among the
recommendations: consider existing landfills as "raw materials depots for urban mining"; and promote a
"cascading approach in the case of use of biomass, favouring recycling and highest value-added and
resource-efficient products, such as bio-based products and industrial materials, over bioenergy." Member of
European Parliament (MEP) rapporteur Gerban-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, NL) after the resolution was adopted: "The
European Parliament and the European Commission have laid down ambitious plans to tackle resource use. It is now
up to the member states to pick up the gauntlet and fight for resource efficiency. Implementation of my report
would mean economic growth, creation of jobs and protection of the environment. What are we waiting for?"
05/29/2012
City of Surrey BC
Receives $165K Energy & Climate Action Grant
 The City of Surrey, second largest municipality in British Columbia, Canada, announced receipt of a Green Municipal Fund government grant
of $165,000 disbursed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FMC) from $550 million in national funds
allocated for municipal assistance in "going green." The money will help develop and implement the
city's Climate Action Strategy, which includes a Climate Adaptation Strategy and a Community Energy and
Emissions Plan addressing buildings, land use, transportation, waste, and district energy. The city initiated
the Surrey EnergyShift program of web-based and direct contact
outreach this past February, to move the community toward localized, sustainable and efficient energy
development and use. Part of this strategy integrated a broad program of food waste collection and conversion to
methane via anaerobic digestion, with use of the cleaned and compressed methane to fuel the heavy trucks used to
collect the food waste. “Surrey residents and businesses spend over $1 billion every year on energy, and most of
that money is spent on transportation. Our new Climate Adaption Strategy will refine a plan for reducing carbon
emissions and waste, which will create healthier communities and reduce costs,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.
05/29/2012
Gevo Starts Commercial Production of Biobased
Isobutanol on Schedule
 Colorado based Gevo Inc., has announced start of commercial scale production of the biofuel isobutanol at its Luverne,
Minnesota facility. Gevo retrofitted the existing ethanol plant to utilize its proprietary yeast within the Gevo
Integrated Fermentation Technology® (GIFT); the "bolt-on" approach reflects the company's intent to create a network of
isobutanol biorefineries integrated with or completely replacing first-generation ethanol production plants.
Gevo's fermentation of all available cellulosic biomass sugars into isobutanol dramatically increases the range
of feedstock the re-designed biorefineries can utilize, and makes a high value drop-in biofuel and biochemical
alternative to fossil analogues. Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo: “One year ago, we broke ground with a startup
goal of less than 12 months and we’ve succeeded. It’s an extremely proud moment for Gevo and a tribute to the
drive and ambition of our scientists, chemical engineers and production team. The startup of our Luverne plant
represents a major milestone for the industry and validation of our commitment to commercially produce biobased
isobutanol in the first half of 2012. The next milestone will be to successfully ship product to our customers.”
05/25/2012
CalRecycle Releases Final
Agenda: Digesting Urban Organics Residuals Forum
 California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has released the final agenda for its Digesting Urban Organics Residuals (DUOR) forum to be held May 30, 2012 at the CalEPA Building in downtown Sacramento. The forum
has attracted speakers well versed in the leading anaerobic digestion projects. On-going efforts of CR&R at
its Perris Materials Recovery Facility in Riverside County, dry fermentation developments in the City of San
Jose and the status of the long-in-development Santa Barbara County project will be explored in the first
morning session. Jeorg Blischke of AECOM will present the project design, construction and operation of
Toronto's Green Bin Program and AD facilities in the second morning session, joined by presentations on East Bay
MUD advanced wastewater treatment plant developments and by a thorough case study of the Inland Empire AD
Project in Southern California. Following lunch, sessions will first cover the economics and financing of AD
projects, then delve into AD plant products and by-product utilization. Registration is available on-line. The event is organized in collaboration with the
California Biomass Collaborative, the California Organic Recycling Council, and the City of San Jose.
05/25/2012
Whitesand First Nation
Considers Shift from Diesel Power to Bioenergy CHP
 The Ontario, Canada Ministry of Northern Development and Mines has announced its assistance to the Whitesand First Nation 300-person community in assessing
feasibility of converting from diesel power generation to biomass-fueled combined heat and power. In addition to
the biopower plant, the First Nation community is also considering development of a wood pellet manufacturing
facility, capitalizing on abundant biomass resources and the need for strong jobs growth to improve the regional
economy. Programmatic support for the collaborative socio-economic and environmental feasibility study comes
from the government's Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, which includes the Province's three-part Energy directive:
(1) seek ways to improve the transmission and distribution grid, (2) study alternatives to diesel power for
off-grid communities, and (3) increase community energy efficiency. Funding comes in large part come from the
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation's (NOHFC) Northern Energy Program, focused on renewable energy and distributed or "internal" energy
generation. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs: "This initiative builds on our government's
commitment to working with First Nations on green energy projects to create opportunities and achieve long term
successes. This investment is a step in the right direction." 05/25/2012
Feedstox Buys Advanced Biomass Harvesting Equipment for
Lease to Farmers
 Kansas based Feedstox has announced key additions to its fleet of advanced agricultural residual harvesting equipment
to reduce the cost of cellulosic biofuels production. The equipment is available to lease to farmers,
contractors and other parties involved in the harvesting of biomass materials. Feedstox is a subsidiary of the
non-profit, industry led Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy (KABB). KABB was established with a $4.1 million seed investment from the Kansas Bioscience
Authority as a Center of Innovation, to develop alternative fuels and chemicals, commercialize efficient biomass
resources and improve carbon capture. The organization assists and evaluates the cellulosic biomass conversion process, teaming with companies and institutions in connecting
research to field projects. Formation of KABB's equipment arm Feedstox was funded through $4.8 million in ARRA investment, administered by the Kansas
Department of Commerce, to assemble a fleet of advanced equipment to improve the harvest, storage and
transportation efficiency of biomass, and to collect cost and system efficacy data along the entire supply
chain. The newly acquired residuals harvesting equipment allows a one-pass cut to bale operation that eliminates
ground contact with the stray and stover. "According to our calculations, the use of this equipment -- along
with our new- generation bale stacking, load and unloading equipment -- has the potential to cut biomass
harvesting costs by about 40 percent on a fully allocated cost basis,” said Jeff Roskam, CEO of KABB. “In a time
when corn input costs to an ethanol plant are about $2.00 per gallon, cellulosic refiners using corn stover
could cut input costs in one-half while reducing price pressure on corn supplies.” 05/24/2012
AFS BioOil Invites Tours
of Algae Demo Plant at Fairfield Suisun WWTP
 AFS BioOil Co, subsidiary and licensee of Algal Floating Systems, Inc, has announced that it has opened its demonstration facility on the grounds of the Fairfield
Suisun Sewer District's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Fairfield, California. Beginning June 1st,
potential strategic partners and customers are invited to tour the facility. AFS' current modular scale of 150
cubic meters of photobioreactor is rated to produce 55 tons of algae biomass annually; costs are minimized
through integration with existing industrial sources of emissions and nutrient-laden wastewater. The parent
company has developed proprietary photobioreactor microalgal production systems, harvesting systems and oil
extraction systems and aims for deployment in the future on the open ocean. The full-scale design algae
"BioFarm" of 500 acres would produce 10 million gallons of biodiesel annually, while absorbing and converting
250,000 metric tons of industrially-sourced carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. The AFS BioOil's modules are focused on industrial plant integration. The company has developed
and filed a patent application for automated recovering of nutrients from the dewatering step of wastewater
plant sludge management, and controlled-dose deliver of those nutrients to microbial growth reactors. In
addition to returning cleaned water, the systems can collect oxygen enriched gas while providing bio-oil for
transesterification to biodiesel. Interested parties should contact Vadim Krifuks, CEO of AFS BioOil, at (415)
828-5846, or by email at . 05/24/2012
Eunomia Releases
Bi-Annual Residuals Conversion Update for UK
 United Kingdom (UK) based Eunomia Research and Consulting has updated its assessment of the UK's "Residual Waste Infrastructure Review", releasing a
useful free 29-page "high level" summary extracting detail from its full report that is available for purchase
on its website. The company continues to focus on the country's waste treatment capacity for conversion of all
forms of waste to commodities, as compared to the amounts of residual actually available for conversion. Four
main categories of residual waste treatment are assessed: direct incineration, gasification / pyrolysis,
mechanical / biological treatment (MBT) and other pre-treatment methods, and WID (EU's Waste Incineration
Directive)-compliant biomass / cement kilns. Among the finds: (1) the 2011 report overestimated tonnage of
available construction and demolition waste; (2) tonnage of waste generated has dropped significantly in the UK
as elsewhere globally, reducing the amount available by about 1.5 million tonnes for the six month assessment
period; (3) Different stages in the design and permitting process entail different levels of risk to bringing
proposed processing capacity on-line, requiring separation of that permitting process for analysis and
reporting; (4) Eunomia has cut the projected capacity of waste incineration facility development in half, in
recognition of the difficulty in first permitting and then processing waste derived fuels at such plants. The
summary provides its comparisons by region, and includes an excellent list of data sources.
05/24/2012
Beta Renewables Licenses
PROESA to GraalBio for Brazilian Ethanol Plant
 M&G Group/TPG joint venture Beta Renewables has announced licensing of its proprietary Chemtex PROESA™ biomass pre-treatment technology to the South American firm GraalBio, part of the Graal Investment Corporation Group. GraalBio intends to build a 65,000
metric ton (22 million gallon) non-food cellulosic biomass fermentation to ethanol facility in Nord Est,
Alagoas, Brazil co-located and integrated with an existing sugarcane to ethanol plant. The facility will use
locally-sourced residuals from the sugar cane harvesting and processing as primary feedstock. Beta Renewables is
currently developing a commercial-scale (60,000 metric ton (20 million gallon) production facility in
Cresentino, Italy, scheduled for start of production later this year. The PROESA platform combines enzymatic and
hydrothermal processes to break down the cellulosic biomass to a mixed sugar syrup while also recovering lignin;
the lignin by-product will at the GraalBio plant be used as fuel to generate power. GraalBio also plans to
develop a large research facility focused on development and commercialization of industrial technologies for
conversion of biomass to biofuels and chemicals. GraalBio joins multiple leading biotechnology companies who
have already chosen PROESA, including Colbiocel in Columbia for biofuels, and Amyris, Genomatica and Codexis for
biochemicals. 05/24/2012
Midwest Aviation
Sustainable Biofuels Initiative Launched in 12 State Region
 Boeing, United Airlines, Honeywell's subsidiary UPO, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the
Clean Energy Trust released a joint announcement this week on the formation of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels
Initiative (MASBI). The MASBI is designed "to advance aviation biofuel development in a 12-state region
holding significant promise for biomass feedstock, technology development, job creation and sustainable
commercialization." The MASBI plans to first produce a comprehensive evaluation of the Midwest region's
feedstock options, advanced biofuel technologies, commercialization requirements and opportunities for
acceleration, logistics and infrastructure needs, and regional policy measures focused on economic development,
job creation, and market acceleration; then from this develop an "actionable roadmap." The organization's
Advisory Council will include representatives from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense,
with appointment of other state, federal, industry and institutional members. The industry's trade organization,
Airlines for America (A4A) applauded the formation of the MASBI: “Today’s announcement further demonstrates that
the airline industry is committed to public-private partnerships to turn advanced biofuels for aviation into
reality, enhancing America’s energy security, building on our environmental commitment and creating U.S. jobs,”
said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “We commend A4A member United Airlines and the other industry
partners of MASBI for advancing sustainable aviation biofuels in the Midwest.” 05/24/2012
GreenWorld Acquires Natures Earth and North Carolina
Pellet Plant
 Waste to energy company GreenWorld Development, Inc announced executing a binding framework agreement to acquire Natures Earth LLC and its
120,000 metric tons per year wood pellet manufacturing facility in North Carolina. The acquisition
cost of $16.5 million for the pellet plant is estimated to result in an income in excess of $20 million in
annual revenues. With this acquisition, GreenWorld hopes to expand development of its waste to energy plants in
both the US and in Europe. The acquisition agreement includes the Equine Pine & Freedom Fuel brands owned by
Natures Earth LLC. GreenWorld is in the process of raising capital for its acquisition and expansion program
with a long term financing bond from a US prime financial institution. GreenWorld’s first UK Waste to Energy Centre will be based in Market Warsop in Nottinghamshire, installing the
company's equipment on a 2.5 acres to convert 100 tonnes of waste tires per day to generate 7 megawatts of
renewable energy. The site has a waste transfer license, sufficient feedstock supply and space for the storage
of 500,000 tires. GreenWorld intends to convert Municipal Solid Waste to Energy as part of the expansion of this
site in the future. 05/23/2012
Delft University Partners with
CSM and Royal DSM for Bioprocess Pilot Facility
 The Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, has announced a joint venture with the global specialty chemicals and fuels company Royal DSM
and the food processing giant CSM to form the company Bioprocess Pilot Facility BV (BPF). Located in Delft, the Netherlands, the new facility was formally launched May 15, 2012
to provide a center of expertise and technology open to all participants developing the biobased economy,
including small start-up companies. The BPF will focus on biomass pre-processing, biomass pre-treatment,
fermentation and downstream processing. Much of the initial equipment will be transferred from DSM facilities to
the Delft joint venture with additional subsystems to be integrated over the next twelve to eighteen months.
This is one element of a new €100 million Royal DSM investment program in biotechnology. Mr Gerard Hoetmer (CEO CSM), Mr Feike Sijbesma (CEO
DSM) and Mr Dirk Jan van den Berg (President of the Technical University of Delft) and Chris Buijink, Secretary
General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation were on hand for the inauguration. The
BPF is funded by universities, companies, the European Union, the Dutch Ministries of Agriculture, Nature &
Food Quality and Economic Affairs, the Province of South Holland and the Municipalities of Rotterdam, Delft and
The Hague. 05/23/2012
HELCO Signs PPA with Hū Honua
Bioenergy for Biomass Power
 Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) and Hū Honua Bioenergy today announced signing a Power Purchase Agreement to provide Hawaiʻi Island with 21.5 megawatts
(MW) of renewable electricity, about 10% of the island's electricity demand. The Hū Honua facility at Pepeʻekeo
on the Hamakua Coast will supply dispatchable firm electricity capacity fueled by locally grown biomass under a
20-year contract. Hū Honua Bioenergy is converting the former Pepe‘ekeo Sugar Mill for electric
generation using biofuel including locally grown biomass, such as eucalyptus. The facility will include a
biomass fuel yard, steam boiler, turbine and generator. The previous sugar production facility's power plant
used sugar cane waste (bagasse) and later, coal. The project will create from 80 to 100 jobs during the
refurbishment phase and about 30 jobs when the facility begins operation. The agreement requires approval by the
Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission (PUC), with input from the state Division of Consumer Advocacy. “Hū Honua
will displace about 250,000 barrels of oil per year, keeping that money in the local economy,” said John Sylvia,
CEO of Hū Honua. “We look forward to providing dispatchable renewable energy to the grid, which complements the
integration of intermittent sources such as wind and solar. Our biomass-to-electricity process is cleaner than
fossil fuel, is efficient and makes use of existing sustainable biomass on the island.” 05/23/2012
Due 08/26/2012: Papers for
Biogas Engineering and Application - Volume 3
 The Sino-German Project for Optimization of Biomass Utilization - Biogas has announced a Call for Papers for Volume 3 of "Biogas Engineering and Application".
Publication is scheduled for December 2012. This third volume is the product of the GIZ Biomass Project, an on-going collaboration between the Gesellschaft fuer Internationale
Zusammenarbeit, Deutschland (GIZ) and the Energy Engineering and Low Carbon Technology Laboratory, CAU (China
Agricultural University). The Sino-German Project on Optimization of Biomass Utilization is a 5-year project
launched in January 2009 that cooperates closely with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aiming at strengthening
both private- and state-sector interest in investing in the generation and use of biomass energy, and the
improvement of the technical standards and operational performance of medium- and large-scale biogas plants. The
GIZ Biomass Project website provides a ling to the Call for Papers along with Instructions for Authors. Submission deadline for articles is August 26, 2012. Contact
co-editor and project director Dr. Bernard Raninger, , or.
05/23/2012
Update: Addendum No.1 Issued to Biosolids to Energy
Project RFQ
 The Bay Area Biosolids to Energy (BAB2E) Coalition released Addendum No. 1 last week to its April 5, 2012 solicitation, issuing a Revised Request for
Qualifications (RFQ). The Addendum includes a RFQ Response Package Checklist that must be submitted as Page
1 of all Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) packets. A key regulatory driver for this activity is the need
for an industry-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) generated from transport of the biosolids out
of the bay area for remote management and disposal. The Coalition currently estimates that transport miles
collectively exceed 800,000 per year. Parties who intend to submit a SOQ must have at least one member of a
team registered with BAB2E by June 15, 2012. Today is the final day for
submission of questions to BAB2E, which should be addressed to Caroline Quinn at .
Responses to all questions will be posted on the project website www.bayareabiosolids.com. All due dates are unchanged and SOQs are
still due Tuesday, June 19, 2012 by 5:00pm. 05/22/2012
Heliae Breaks Ground on Commercial Scale Algae
Production Demo Facility
 Arizona based Heliae Development, LLC has announced ground-breaking for its commercial-scale algae production demonstration facility.
The company's technology platform is vertically integrated from initial algal native strain selection (not
genetically engineered) through proprietary photo bioreactor design, turn-key integration with industry for CO2
emissions and nitrogenous waste utilization, dewatering and product separation to production of drop-in
biodiesel and aviation fuel. The 20-acre plant site is adjacent to Heliae's research and development
headquarters offices in Gilbert; construction is expected to occur in phases over 18 months. Concurrent with and
at the ground-breaking, Heliae sold its first barrel of jet fuel to its distribution partner SkyNRG, to commemorate a long-sought milestone. Earlier this month, the company secured a
$15 million investment from the Indonesian food and products giant the Salim Group, a partnership designed to
dramatically open the Asian market to Heliae's advanced "bolt-on" systems deployment. “Over the last two years,
we have made significant strides in research and development to create a comprehensive algae technology
solution.” stated Dan Simon, president and CEO of Heliae. “Today, we ‘walk the talk’ as we roll-out and prove
the technology that will allow our partners to grow, harvest, and extract algae on a commercial scale.”
05/21/2012
W2 Energy Completes 100% Aquisition of Agri-Green
Biodiesel
 Ontario, Canada based W2 Energy, Inc has announced 100% purchase of the Canadian firm Agri-Green Biodiesel, Inc. including the
company's physical biodiesel plant in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada. Initial discussions in 2010 considered a
60% acquisition; W2 Energy indicates the favorable terms of a Definitive Agreement allowed full purchase in
exchange for assumption of the biodiesel firm's corporate debt. W2 Energy's multi-technologic platform includes
the non-thermal (NT) Plasmatron system for conversion of organics to synthesis gas, catalytic conversion of syngas to a variety of liquid transportation fuels, the SunFilter photo bio-reactors for algal growth / CO2 capture, and other sub-systems.
Agri-Green converts waste vegetable and animal oil to biodiesel by methanol-driven transesterification; W2
Energy's reactor train can convert most organics to methanol. Mike McLaren, President and CEO of W2 Energy,
stated, "Biodiesel is one of the main renewable fuels used worldwide by commercial and government fuel
consumers. Because of this, biodiesel production has tripled over the last 12 months. We consider this
acquisition of Agri-Green a strategic opportunity for us, because of our ability to produce biodiesel less
expensively by using our low-temperature plasma technology. We can use W2 Energy's NT Plasmatron and MultiFuel
gas-to-liquid reactor to make its own methanol, electricity and heat from waste sources, thereby reducing the
costs of the methanol used in the biodiesel process. This gives us a competitive advantage in the production of
biodiesel and should add significantly to our bottom line." 05/20/2012
Pioneer Forest Products Selected by USFS for 4FRI
Restoration Contract
 The US Forest Service (USFS) has announced selection of Pioneer Forest Products, a subsidiary of Forest Associates, Inc, for
the largest forest stewardship contract ever developed in the agency's history. The locally-headquartered
restoration services to be provided by Pioneer include restoration-based thinning and management of roughly
300,000 acres in Northern Arizona over 10 years. Pioneer Forest Products intends to develop a mill site in
Winslow, Arizona that can process timber and smaller biomass to be extracted during the 10-year contract term.
Materials removed from the forest restoration work will be milled to high value lumber, laminate wood panels,
door and doorframe, window frames, furniture, cabinetry, and specialty components. Some of the residual from the
forest operations and mill waste will fuel the on-site kiln used to dry the products. The remainder will be
converted to electricity and biofuels in a facility co-located with the mill as part of the overall operation.
“The importance of this contract cannot be overstated,” said Arthur “Butch” Blazer, USDA Deputy Under Secretary
for Natural Resources and Environment. “It will help meet Secretary Vilsack’s vision for increasing the size and
pace of restoration and will make a difference not only on the landscape, but also to people and communities
across Arizona.” This contract is the first major implementation of efforts agreed upon within the Four Forests
Restoration Initiative (4FRI) to reduce fire hazards and improve forest health. 4FRI represents around a decade of
collaboration among more than 30 local, state and federal stakeholder organizations, culminating at this stage
with a 20-year, 2.4 million acre restoration plan. The application of this Forest Plan comes during the
transition by UFSF between 1982 Forest Management Act occurring standards and the new Forest Planning Rule recently ratified, and will further provide a pilot case study for assessment of how the new Plan and the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) can fit together. 05/18/2012
White House Fights Cuts
in Biofuels Spending in Proposed National Defense Bill
 The President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a Statement of Administrative Policy on Tuesday expressing disappointment in the proposed
military budget bill HR 4310. The Administration specifically objected to sections 313 and 314, which would
"affect the Department of Defense's DOD) ability to procure alternative fuels and would further increase
American reliance on fossil fuels, thereby contributing to geopolitical instability and endangering our
interests abroad." The OMB noted that it would advise the President to veto the bill if such provisions
remained, and specifically called attention to the following issues: HR 4310 proposed to "(1) depart from the
President's fiscal year (FY) 2013 Budget request – in particular, increases to the topline request for the base
budget; (2) constrain the ability of the Armed Forces to carry out their missions consistent with the new
defense strategy; or (3) impede the ability of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy to make and
implement management decisions that eliminate unnecessary overhead or programs to ensure scarce resources are
directed to the highest priorities for the national security." The veto would be recommended if, in OMB's
opinion, "… overall funding level supported by H.R. 4310 would violate the Budget Control Act of 2011 … [and if]
the cumulative effects of the bill impede the ability of the Administration to execute the new defense strategy
and to properly direct scarce resources, the President's senior advisors would recommend to the President that
he veto the bill." The House of
Representatives passed the bill today. 05/18/2012
BHS Selected by SITA UK to Build Four MRFs in United
Kingdom
 Oregon, United States based company Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) has announced its selection by the United Kingdom's (UK) waste management giant SITA UK to
design, manufacture and install the sorting systems for four materials recovery facilities (MRFs) in the UK. The new MRFs will be located in Avonmouth, Birmingham, Darwin, and South
London, and together will process more than 250,000 metric tonnes of commercial recyclables a year. BHS'
flagship MSW conversion and resource recovery facility is in San Jose, California, where the MRF's recovery and
diversion from landfilling has been in excess of 75%. BHS is now partnered with Zero Waste Energy LLC to increase the recycling, resource recovery and renewable energy
generation capacity for San Jose, applying both its sorting and materials handling systems and its license for
application of the German dry fermentation system KompoFerm. SITA UK has over 300 project and office locations in the United Kingdom to
support its resource recovery and waste management services, and is a subsidiary of Suez Environment, active on
five continents. Both SITA and BHS are expanding their capabilities in the waste and recycling markets,
including upcoming projects such as plastics-to-energy and organics processing. CEO Steve Miller, “SITA UK is
the type of visionary company that we believe make the best customers for BHS. We are thrilled to
be entrusted with helping them grow their business for the future.” 05/17/2012
Diageo Connects with
Invest Northern Ireland to Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill
 The economic development agency Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) has announced that Scotland-based beverage production company Diageo plc has joined other companies working with Invest NI's "Industrial Symbiosis
Service" to reduce the amount of waste the partners send to landfill to near zero. The program links business
and communities in supply chains, where one concern's waste becomes another's feedstock, reducing both disposal
and transport impacts. Olive Hill, Invest NI’s Director of Innovation and Technology Development: “As well as
the obvious costs associated with waste disposal, there are a lot of hidden costs such as skip hire and
collection charges. Add in the cost of raw materials and the processing time and energy used to get waste into
the skip, and the real cost of waste escalates. The fact is that waste is costing businesses a lot of money so
it makes sense for companies to reduce or eliminate the amount of waste that has to go to landfill.” Diageo has
been active in conversion of its manufacturing wastes, turning residuals and effluent into renewable energy with
its Sustainable Scotch Whisky program. Now, Diageo's Belfast plants will become a focus of
similar waste conversion. Diageo’s Smallpack Compliance Manager Joanne Doak, says: “The Industrial Symbiosis
Service has helped our company divert over 450 tonnes of waste, including hazardous waste, from landfill and now
we are well on the way to achieving zero waste. Diageo is proud of this achievement and we have agreed to host
an industrial symbiosis workshop at our Marshall’s Road site so that other businesses can learn from and share
in our success.” 05/17/2012
California ARB Schedules
Public Consultation on Cap & Trade Investment Plan
 The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted a Meeting Notice for the Public Consultation on Investment of Cap and Trade Auction Proceeds, to be held on May 24, 2012 in Sacramento. The Consultation
is intended to encourage the public to engage in California's development of an investment plan for the auction
proceeds that will be generated from the cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gases. Comments may be
submitted at the meeting on May 24th and up to June 22, 2012. For the meeting, representatives from the
Administration and the Legislature have been invited to hear from two panels of speakers, followed by the open
public comment session. Panel 1 will explore auction proceed investment options; Pane 2 will discuss what
criteria should be prioritized in the development of an investment plan, and why. ARB asks that consultation
participants also follow this agenda and focus their remarks on one or both of the following questions: (1) How
California can effectively invest the auction funds to meet the goals of Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) including
support of long-term, transformative efforts to improve public health and develop a clean energy economy, and
(2) What criteria should be prioritized in the development of an investment plan for auction funds and why?
Following the meeting, ARB will provide instructions on how to submit written comments and will make those
written comments publicly available. 05/17/2012
CEC Posts PIER Program Waste to Product Report Fact
Sheets On-Line
 The California Energy Commission's (CEC) Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program sponsors a wide variety of research, development, and demonstration efforts,
and periodically updates its program page on the CEC website with concise 2-page new research project report "Fact Sheets". Seven updates have been posted so far this month.
Of these, three are directly relevant to the conversion of waste to biofuel: (1) New Microalgae Fermentation Process Used to Produce Biofuel summarizes PIER-supported
research of Solazyme’s commercial oil bio-manufacturing process to use heterotrophic (not reliant on light and
photosynthesis) algal fermentation to process sustainable, nonfood, cellulosic feedstocks; (2) Capturing, Purifying, and Liquefying Landfill Gas for Transportation Fuel describes PIER
work with the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) that will evaluate and analyze methods to overcome the
technological challenges of landfill gas purification and demonstrate liquefaction technology for the conversion
of renewable landfill biomethane to liquefied natural gas for use as transportation fuel; (3) Bacterial Fermentation of California Agricultural Waste into Advanced Biofuel reports on
research by Menon & Associates to demonstrate the production of fuel, from non‐food sources, in a
manner less complex and more efficient than competing processes using only cellulosic (woody) biomass feedstock.
PIER and contract awardee contact information is provide with each Fact Sheet, encouraging interested parties to
initiate follow-up discussions. 05/16/2012
Gemma Power Systems
Receives Notice to Proceed on Texas Biopower Plant
 Gemma Power Systems (GPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Maryland-based Argan, Inc, has
received Full Notice to Proceed from the East Texas Electric Cooperative (ETEC) on its contract to build Woodville Biomass, a 49.9 megawatt biomass fueled power plant near Woodville, Texas. GPS was
awarded the engineering, contracting and procurement (EPC) contract in October of last year for the $165 million, 65 acre south Texas biopower
facility, which is co-located with the existing NAPCO wood chipping mill. The plant has a contract with the city
of Woodville for reuse of its wastewater, and just last month received a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) from the Rural Utility Service of the US Department of Agriculture. The project is
estimated to be completed in December 2014. Rainer Bosselmann, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Argan,
stated, “We look forward to working with ETEC toward the successful, on-time completion of this important
project.” Argan’s primary business is designing and building energy plants through its Gemma Power Systems
subsidiary. These energy plants include traditional gas as well as alternative energy including biodiesel,
ethanol, and renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind and solar. 05/16/2012
JBEI Research Identifies
Ionic Liquid Resistant Microbe for Cellulosic Biofuels
 Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) researchers have published on a strain (SCF1) of the sugar-fermenting microbe Enterobacter lignolyticus that can withstand high
concentrations of ionic liquid solvents. Most microbes capable of fermenting the sugars this technique releases
find the liquids particularly toxic due to the high osmotic pressures created. The team also defined the
biological mechanisms through which the rainforest microbe can accomplish this, and can now apply this knowledge
to engineer reproducible bacterial capable of fermentation while in contact with the destructive liquids.The
team found SCF1 in the El Yunque National Forest, a tropical rain forest in Puerto Rico. The JBEI has been
researching the promising use of ionic liquids to decompose cellulose as a pre-treatment to fermentation for a number of
years. Co-author Michael Thelen is a member of JBEI's Deconstruction Division; he explains: “Our model suggests
that SCF1 bacteria resist the toxic effect of the [C2mim]Cl ionic liquid by altering the permeability of their
cell membrane and pumping the toxic chemical out of the cell before damage occurs. These detoxifying mechanisms
are known to be involved in bacterial responses to stress, but not in a coordinated manner as we have shown for
the response of SCF1 to ionic liquid. Our study also demonstrates that vigorous efforts to discover and analyze
the unique properties of microorganisms can provide an important basis for understanding microbial stress and
adaptation responses to anthropogenic chemicals used in industry." The JBEI is one of three US Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers and is located in
the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a scientific partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and
includes the Sandia National Laboratories, the University of California (UC) campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the
Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 05/16/2012
GETH Tire and Plastic Conversion Oil Acceptable to
Major Oil Company
 Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. (GETH) has realized a major step toward full commercialization. First, the company announced last week that parallel testing of its waste-to-oil product in two separate
outside labs surpassed crude oil refining industry specifications. This week, GETH received notice that its waste-sourced oil samples submitted to a major oil company had been
accepted, based upon the oil company's own laboratory findings that all the qualities of the samples were within
the typical specifications for their refinery. GETH has combined advanced materials separation technology from
Missouri-based Ebbros Energy Partners LLC with Agilyx thermal platform for conversion of rubber and plastics to oil, and recently added
elite contaminant removal upgrading capabilities. GETH is currently negotiating a site lease in California and
has secured feedstock supplies of waste tires and non-recyclable plastics from the region surround the site. CEO
Gary M De Laurentiis stated, "This is another huge leap forward for GETH and our tire and plastic to oil project
with Ebbros Energy LLC. This is the final piece of what was needed to move forward with our first plant. We are
finalizing our agreement with Ebbros so we can move from the non-binding LOI to a finance and purchase agreement
next week. Terms of a purchase agreement between Ebbros and the oil company are now being negotiated as to the
delivery point and financial terms. We anticipate the contract to be completed in the next few weeks."
05/15/2012
JBI Secures $10MM to
Advance Commercialization of Plastic2Oil Process
 Canadian waste plastic to oil specialist JBI, Inc. has announced that investments of $10 million have been made in the company's equity through
private placement. Concurrent with the funding, JBI has received a positive independent review of its Plastic2Oil® (P2O) technology from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The 3-day SAIC audit tested the P2O processor running in continuous mode, processing
over 120,000 pounds (60 tons) of waste plastic to produce over 10,000 gallons of No. 6 Fuel and over 4,000
gallons of Naphtha. In January of this year JBI secured $2.8 million for technology commercialization based on its initial Rock-Tenn
demonstration installation, allowing it to open its second processing line in Niagara Falls in February. The $10 million private equity
placement of unregistered securities set at $0.08 per share will be used "to accelerate the commercial roll-out
of our P2O processors at our Niagara Falls plant and the initial Rock-Tenn sites, endeavoring to achieve our
near term goal of becoming cash flow positive.” The funding is also accompanied by management changes; JBI's
founder and now CTO John Bordynuik welcomed the new CEO: “I’m pleased to introduce Kevin Rauber as our new Chief
Executive Officer. Kevin comes to us from Rock-Tenn Company, where he was Vice President of Waste Solutions
overseeing a large global business.” Mr. Bordynuik continued, “Having Kevin onboard will allow me to step away
from the demands of the CEO role and focus on the technological aspects of the commercial P2O roll-out.”
05/15/2012
Neste Produces NExBTL
Biodiesel from Fish Processing Waste
 Finland's fuels and chemicals giant Neste Oil has announced successful conversion of fats derived from fish processing wastes into its
premium-quality NExBTL renewable diesel. The testing has taken place in Neste' biorefinery in Singapore,
with conversion of source-identified residuals following removal of fillets for human consumption from farmed
fish. For this specific fish, a freshwater Pangsius farmed in Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and the
surrounding region, the oil has little human nutritional value, containing large oil percentages per fish but
with very small amounts of the important omega 3 and 6 fatty acids present in saltwater fish such as salmon.
Further, Neste notes that the antibiotics and other chemicals commonly used in regional fish farming tend to be
stored in the fatty tissues, to the extent that human consumption is sometimes unadvisable. The chain of custody
documentation ensures that the biofuels meet the European Renewable Energy Directive as sustainable, and allows
calculation of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 84% for the new biofuel, when compared to
petroleum-derived diesel. Neste has been progressively expanding the use of waste-sourced feedstock in its oil
production. A partnership between Neste and RaisioAgro announced this past February integrated the process
of agricultural waste conversion to fuel with regional food production. "It makes good ecological sense to use
waste and sidestreams to produce advanced, premium-quality renewable fuel, which is why our goal this year is to
increase the amount of by-products and waste we use as raw materials by hundreds of thousands of tons compared
to 2011," says Matti Lehmus, Neste Oil's Executive Vice President, Oil Products and Renewables.
05/15/2012
UK Parliament's Sustainable Food Report includes Waste
Conversion
 The Environmental Audit Committee of the United Kingdom's (UK) Parliament has released its Eleventh Report on Sustainable Food, proposing a very holistic approach to the
problem of providing sufficient healthy food in a sustainable way to the country and the world's growing
population. Using a Life Cycle Analysis approach, the Committee provides recommendations for advanced analysis,
quantification and policy development to address the impacts of food production, distribution, consumer use and
disposal. Guidance for more sustainable management includes scrapping the use of "sell-by" dates, which aid
stock rotation instead of indicating freshness, and using sound science to redirect non-animal food waste for
use as livestock food. The report recognizes that the Government now enables local authorities to use the UK's
£250 million Weekly Collection Support Scheme to initiate food waste collections in support of waste
conversion by anaerobic digestion to energy. The report states: "Without such collections, there is a risk to
the use of food waste in anaerobic digestion, as well as for packaging recycling rates. The Government must
ensure that there is sufficient funding available for all councils to be able to make sufficiently regular and
separated food collections, to help develop a healthy anaerobic digestion sector." 05/14/2012
ENER-G Combines Romanian
Businesses in New Premises
 United Kingdom (UK) based multi-technologic energy development company ENER-G has announced its expansion of waste conversion services in the Romanian market. The company has
brought two business relationships into one Bucharest office, combining the strength of the larger ENER-G
Technologii Energetice (ETE) team with EnALT Engineering and Contracting, a power engineering consultancy in
which ENER-G is a majority shareholder. Fresh from successful start-up of its Aguascalientes, Mexico landfill gas to power project, ENER-G's network of
business development divisions and affiliates also has a firm presence in Europe, with multiple waste
gasification plants operating in Norway and Germany. The company offers co- and tri-generation, landfill gas collection and conversion to heat and power,
two-stage gasification-based waste to energy and a full complement of energy efficiency and optimization
services. The new Romanian office of ENER-G was officially opened by British Ambassador to Bucharest Martin
Harris, and shares the building complex with Ford and Coca-Cola. Derek Duffill, Group Managing Director for
ENER-G: "By bringing together our two Romanian businesses into prestigious new premises we have established an
even stronger commercial and technical team with the expertise and experience to accelerate clean technology
development in Romania and the wider fast-growing markets of Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to the
projects we have underway in Romania, there's an exciting pipeline of opportunity for our world class biogas
generation, combined heat and power and clean energy recovery from waste technologies and services."
05/14/2012
Iowa Energy Center Awards 3 Grants for Thermal Biomass
Conversion Research
 Iowa State University's Iowa Energy Center has announced the award of three grants to university research teams, all focused on the
thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and biochemicals. The one year research and demonstration
grants have negotiated renewal terms of up to three years, potentially resulting in up to $983,000 in total
funding for the three teams. The teams are associated with Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute, which "provides cohesion among the diverse efforts in biorenewable
resources on campus and encourages collaboration within departments, colleges and research units." Researchers
from the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies led by Dr. Song-Charng Kong combines fast pyrolysis
for conversion of biomass to bio-oil with a newly designed pressurized high temperature gasifier for further
conversion of the bio-oil to synthesis gas. The second team, led by Assistant Professor Laura Jarboe, will use
pyrolysis to convert biomass to bio-oil, and then study the economics and physical characteristics of microbial
fermentation of the bio-oil to biofuels. The third team, led by Dr. Robert Brown, will advance methodology for
conversion of biochar to activated carbon, exploring how that material then might be used to clean the synthesis
gas, and purify the bio-oil. Chitra Rajan, interim director of the center and an associate vice president for
research at Iowa State, said, "These research projects can help to decrease our dependence on imported fuels
while increasing opportunities for our state’s economy." 05/13/2012
DOE Biofuels Pathway Analysis Favors Fast Pyrolysis for
Green Gasoline
 Last month, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biomass Program released a little-heralded
presentation entitled "Biofuel Design Cases", following its presentation to the office's Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC) to the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDi). The TAC Biofuels Design Cases annually
assesses the availability, efficacy and commercial status of the most prominent biomass to biofuels and
bioproducts conversion tools and methods, and compares costs over time as part of the Multi-Year Program Plan
(MYPP). The 12-slide presentation authored by the Biomass Office's Dr. Zia Haq sends a clear
signal to many levels of the US government. When it comes to decisions regarding which technology the federal
government should be spending money on to get to high volume to-specification biofuels, one pathway stands out:
pyrolytic production of green gasoline provides the lowest overall cost per unit fuel now at $4.56 per gallon,
and in projections to 2017, at $2.32 per gallon. As lain out in the TAC Quarterly Meeting in March, TAC advises BRDI with technical review and recommendations,
informing the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture, and the points of contact on the technical focus and
direction of the BRDi Request for Proposals (RFP), and on procedures for reviewing and evaluating the proposals.
The Committee also evaluates and performs strategic planning on BRDi activities, which are focused on developing
competitive annual grants, focused contracts and other financial assistance for biofuels and biobased product
development. BRDi in turn receives policy guidance and administrative assistance from the Biomass R&D Board,
an eleven-agency body co-chaired by the Departments of Energy and Agriculture. 05/11/2012
Emerald Biofuels Licenses
Honeywell Green Diesel for New Louisiana Plant
 Illinois based Emerald Biofuels LLC has agreed to license Honeywell's Eni EcofiningTM biodiesel production technology for
its new 85 million gallon per year drop-in biodiesel plant, "Emerald One." The permitted plant will lease property and infrastructure services at the
existing facilities of Dow Chemical Company in Plaquemine, Louisiana near Baton Rouge, which offers ship, barge,
rail and truck access. Emerald selected International Alliance Group (IAG) to will provide engineering,
procurement and construction services for the project, and Fieldstone Private Capital Group, inc. to help
complete and close financing later this year. Honeywell’s UOP and the Italian company Eni SpA jointly developed the UOP/Eni Ecofining process, which uses catalytic
hydroprocessing technology to convert non-edible natural oils and animal fats to Honeywell Green
DieselTM, with an industry-leading high cetane value around 80, excellent cold-flow performance and
reduced emissions over both biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel. Honeywell's UOP catalysis platform is also effective for reforming the hydrogen-rich synthetic gas
produced by Ensyn's Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) pyrolytic retort; Ensyn and Honeywell UOP formed the joint venture Envergent in 2008 to commercialize this complementary pathway to advanced biofuels; Teru's
sources indicate Honeywell pulled back from a well-formed woody-waste to green diesel thermal conversion project
earlier this month, also being considered for Louisiana; Dow's massive plant site may offer further
multi-technologic integration opportunities. For Emerald Biofuels, the project includes a license to the Eni
Ecofining platform at the Plaquemine site; whether this license includes rights to expand to other sites was not
clear. David Drew, Emerald's CEO, said, "Emerald is excited to have the opportunity to work with the world-class
capabilities and experience of Dow and Honeywell's UOP." 05/11/2012
EdeniQ Secures $30MM+ to
Advance Biomass Pre-Treatment for Biofuels
 California's biomass feedstock pre-treatment specialist EdeniQ has announced a successful funding round, securing over $30 million in combined equity and debt
financing. The company's combined mechanical and biological pre-treatment approach provides an easily-integrated method capable of increasing biofuels
production at standard fermentation ethanol plants, while providing means to ensure cost-effective transition to
cellulosic ethanol. EdeniQ's 2009 global partnership with IKA Works last year provided the CellunatorTM milling
technology; collaboration with Novozymes for enzymatics and state and federal labs for facilitated systems
integration at EdeniQ's research, development and demonstration plant in Visalia, California. The current investors include Kleiner Perkins
Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Cyrus Capital, The Westly Group, Angeleno Group, I2BF Global
Ventures and Element Partners as well as a new investor, Flint Hills Resources Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of
privately held Koch Industries, Inc. Flint Hills Resources Renewables LLC is among the largest ethanol producers
in the United States with four ethanol plants in Iowa. Comerica and ATEL Ventures provided the debt facility.
“EdeniQ has demonstrated significant promise in its effort to create a scalable, cost-competitive and
high-quality supply of sugars,” said John Denniston, Investment Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
“EdeniQ’s approach – integrating specialized enzymes with its proprietary mechanical equipment for plant
material milling – has the potential to deliver consistently improved costs in cellulosic sugar production.”
05/11/2012
California Energy
Commission Approves RPS Guidebook Changes
The California Energy Commission unanimously voted to adopt the Lead Commissioner Carla
Peterman's proposed changes to the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Eligibility Guidebook and to the Overall Guidebook during its Business Meeting on May 9, 2012. Kate Zocchetti, Technical RPS Program Director and council
Gabe Herrera presented a clear and thorough overview of the revisions. Of these, many touched on issues
surrounding waste and/or biomass conversion to renewable power and fuels including the recent suspension of eligibility guidelines and certification procedures for "wheeling" biomethane
through the standard natural gas pipeline infrastructure. The Commissioners did not use the hearing to change
this suspension, and had no answer when the public sought a timeline for an end to the suspension. For
multi-fuel facilities, the amount of non-renewable fuel and its timing of use were clarified; facilities can
adjust up to 5% annual usage while maintaining full RPS eligibility, as long as the total usage dies not exceed
10% annually. These changes were recently added; a Summary of Major Revisions is provided on-line for modifications not included in prior
published drafts. 05/11/2012
BioTork & NCERC Succeed in Breeding New
Xylose-Converting Yeast for Ethanol
 Florida-based BioTork LLC has announced that the first stage of practical research has successfully used adaptive
evolution techniques to optimize a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) genetically modified yeast strain to
ferment the C5 sugar D-xylose at high rates. BioTork utilized methods developed by the firm Evolugate, in partnership with Southern Illinois University's National Corn-to-Ethanol
Center (NCERC), to progressively evolve an engineered yeast strain to cost-effectively convert
xylose instead of sucrose to ethanol. Xylose is the second most abundant sugar in ligno-cellulosic biomass after
glucose, accounting for about 30% of the dry weight, but normally cannot be fermented by industry-standard
Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. The USDA genetically engineered a strain of the yeast to ferment xylose,
but conversion rates were too slow to allow commercial scale-up. The BioTork team started with the USDA strain
and optimized it to use xylose as the sole carbon source while tripling the fermentation rate. This allows the
ethanol industry to ferment the dried distiller's grains and even stover residuals to produce additional
ethanol, potentially increasing a plant's output by 10% from the same corn harvest. By proving that genetically
engineered microbes can be optimized through adaptive evolution for real-world performance, a much broader range
of non-food biomass can become feedstock for economical ethanol production. “While improvements to the growth
rate and initial scale up of its performance in an industrial setting are underway, this strain has the
potential to be one of the first economically viable xylose-fermenting strains, and represents a fruitful
combination of genetic engineering and adaptive evolution,” says Tom Lyons, Chief Scientific Officer of BioTork.
05/08/2012
Brazilian Researchers Convert Biodiesel
Refinery Waste to Commodity
 A collaborative research team from several Brazilian universities has released a pre-publication paper in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels describing successful
microbial conversion of the complex wastes of biodiesel refining to form high-value products. The paper
describes testing and selection of yeasts isolated from dairy effluent to convert the complex organic residuals
caught during filtration into "bioemulsifiers", chemicals classified as high molecular weight surface-active
compounds (SACs) that are effective in stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions. Microbially-produced SACs show
"marked advantages" over chemically-synthesized emulsifying mixtures, but past efforts have been uneconomical.
The yeast strain Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans (CLA2) created high-quality emulsifying biopolymers when
grown on the diatomaceous earth filter cake from biodiesel refining, which contained primarily methanol and
crude glycerine created during transesterification. Oils, waxes and many fuels such as kerosene and gasoline are
hydrophobic; a cost-effective bio-sourced emulsifier would aid many cleaning and processing stages in both the
bio-sourced and petroleum-sourced industrial arenas. Use of this biodiesel production waste as a substrate for
the yeast's growth potentially could make bioemulsifier production cost-effective, while eliminating the costly
pretreatment and disposal of the waste usually considered a requisite part of biodiesel production. Researcher's
conclusion: "The biodiesel residue is an economical substrate, therefore seems to be very promising for the
low-cost production of active emulsifiers in the emulsification of aromatics, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and
kerosene." 05/08/2012
Alter NRG Converts Waste
to Syngas to Replace Fuel Oil in Coen Boilers
 The Canadian company Alter NRG Corp, owners of the Westinghouse Plasma technology, has announced successful completion of syngas testing with Coen Company Inc., a global leader in design and manufacture of combustion systems.
Originating in California, Coen specializes in the design, manufacture, service and maintenance of combustion
systems with a focus on improving a customer's energy efficiency, environmental quality, fuel flexibility and
system reliability. The testing has confirmed that Alter NRG's plasma conversion of waste produces a
clean-burning synthetic fuel gas, or syngas, that is a viable fuel alternative to use of standard fuel oil in
Coen's boiler systems used in power plants. Alter NRG's plasma technology can cost-effectively convert household, commercial and industrial waste
into syngas while meeting the most stringent environmental controls; where waste disposal fees approach $60 per
ton, the net operating cost per million Btu of syngas fuel is about zero. Tim Webster, President of Coen Company
states, "We have reviewed the Westinghouse Plasma Gasification system by Alter NRG and believe it may offer a
viable alternative to Fuel Oil. The syngas created from different types of waste materials can be
co-fired through Coen's burner technology to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels at existing power
plants. We are excited to be pursuing this market opportunity with Alter NRG as it may offer
compelling economic and environmental benefits for customers who are looking to reduce their dependence on fuel
oil as well as their overall carbon footprint." 05/08/2012
Xebec Completes
Successful Testing for High N2 and O2 Removal from Biogas
 Canadian gas upgrading and purification specialist Xebec Adsorption Inc announced successful completion of initial phase testing for the removal of high
concentrations of nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) from both landfill and wastewater treatment biogas. Past
demonstration of Xebec's single-stage kinetic pressure swing adsorption (kPSA) technology installed in California at the Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility at
the City of Escondido's Wastewater Treatment Plant has proven effective at removal of low to medium N2 and O2
concentrations at high recovery rates. The new testing validates Xebec's ability to use two-stage kPSA for
removal of increased concentrations targeting more than 90% removal of N2 at concentrations over 10%. The
company was recently strengthened by acquisition by Air Products Corporation, providing significant working capital while allowing Xebec to
continue expanding its business. Kurt Sorschak, President and CEO of Xebec said, “We are very pleased with the
initial phase test results which verifiably demonstrate that our biogas upgrading technology will remove high
levels of nitrogen and oxygen with exceptional recovery rates. After the successful completion of the test
program in the second half of 2012, Xebec will offer customers an upgrading solution that will remove high
levels of N2 and O2 from landfill and waste water treatment gas with superior recovery rates than currently
available on the market. This will directly translate into increased revenues and profits for our customers, and
make our products more competitive compared to power generation and other upgrading solutions. Xebec is focused
on the landfill and waste water treatment segment, since both generate biogas with medium to high levels of
nitrogen and oxygen, and it is in these segments that Xebec’s upgrading solutions offer a clear competitive
advantage to our customers.” 05/08/2012
US Forest Service PNW Station Debuts
Forest Research Podcast Service
Anyone seeking to better understand modern national forest research and management in the western
US has a new information source. The Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW Station) has launched "PNW Ecotone", a podcast series supported with on-line images, a full transcript and
background materials. Given the recent sweeping changes to the Forest Planning Rule and implications for access to forest-sourced biomass, the new series
is a timely and creative means of scientific research outreach. The PNW Station is one of seven regional US
Forest Service research centers and is comprised of eleven forest research laboratories located in Oregon,
Washington and Alaska. The labs develop partnerships with universities, national forests, state agencies,
nonprofits, private industry, and other federal agencies; funding from research comes both from federal
appropriations and form partner clients seeking research assistance. The new and highly-collaborative forest
landscape restoration efforts crucial to the revamped Forest Planning Rule can turn to the Stations in each
region to provide the federal scientific basis for monitoring and assessment, and the new outreach service
serves to bring such research to a broader audience. “In the research branch of the Forest Service, we’re
working to better deliver what we’re learning about forests,” said Cindy Miner, the station’s Assistant Director
for Communications and Applications. “We think people will find that our podcasts provide a quick and enjoyable
way to stay current with science.” 05/07/2012
Fibrek Mill Signs PPA
with Hydro-Québec for 33.23 MWe Bioenergy
 The Canadian pulp and paper company Fibrek has announced entering a new renewable power purchase agreement with Hydro-Québec Distribution
for sale of 33.23 megawatts of bioenergy, generated at its Saint-Félicien mill. Located in the Lac Saint-Jean region (about 450 kilometres north of
Montréal), the Saint-Félicien Mill manufactures 375,000 metric tonnes of high-quality NBSK pulp annually. The
sale is part of the Hydro-Québec's Power Purchase Program under a forest biomass cogeneration request for
proposals released last December. Sale of green power from conversion of the woody mill wastes was scheduled to
begin May 5, 2012, at a purchase price of $106 per megawatt per hour indexed to the consumer price index (CPI)
for a 25-year period. The contract will generate approximately $16 million a year for Fibrek. The company is
currently investing approximately $37 million in the construction of a new power plant that will be used to
produce the additional 9.56 MWe of bioenergy. “This production will further increase the previously announced
9.56 MW that Fibrek will be supplying to the government corporation starting in December 2012. By the end of
this year, the Saint-Félicien mill will be producing 42.79 MW in green energy for Hydro-Québec Distribution,”
said Pierre Gabriel Côté of Fibrek. “Revenue diversification is a key component of our business plan. In
addition, increasing our green energy production fits well within our sustainable development plan and reflects
our vision when it comes to innovation for growth." 05/07/2012
IEP Partners with
Government of Haiti for 30 MWe Waste-to-Energy
 Pennsylvania-based International Electric Power LLC (IEP) has entered into a public-private partnership for
municipal waste management and energy recovery with the government of Haiti called Project Phoenix. IEP Waste Management S.A. has partnered with the Spanish waste collection
and processing specialist Ros Roca for the main project components of power generation and waste collection. The
companies will work with the Haitian company Boucard Waste Management, the government's Metropolitan Waste
Collection Services, and private collectors. The consortium will collect and process municipal solid waste (MSW)
from the Port au Prince community, then thermally convert over 3,000 tons per day into about 30 megawatts of
renewable energy. Project Phoenix will require a total investment of around $250 million to establish the
labor-intensive collection infrastructure and the state-of-the-art waste-to-energy facility. “Project Phoenix is
a key building block for our country,” said Haiti's Secretary of State for Energy. “It is of critical interest
in the development of our country. It will provide simultaneously for clean streets in the Capital city and
surroundings, reliable electric power from a renewable local fuel source, thousands of jobs and cleaner air. It
will also protect the aquifer and coastal waters of the region from contamination. The Project, being a
Public-Private Partnership, will help generate a continuous cash flow for Haiti which will contribute greatly to
our progress”. 05/07/2012
UA Researchers Extract Chitin from Waste Shrimp Shells
for New Bandage
 The University of Alabama reports that researchers have made significant progress in extraction of pure long-chain
molecular chitin from waste shrimp shells to develop a new type of antibacterial bandage. Dr. Whitney Hough
works on the project in UA's Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs (AIME) program under Professor
Robin Rogers, Director of the Center for Green Manufacturing (CGM). One key area of the CGM's research involves use of a relatively new class of solvent
called ionic liquids that exhibit unique biomass pre-treatment capabilities. Discovering the cell-wall-swelling
properties of ionic liquids to extract pure chitin from shrimp shells brought the effort a $150,000 award from
the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Treating finely powered
shrimp shells with ionic liquids separates the pure chitin, which then precipitates when washed in de-ionized
water. Mixing the purified chitin with another polymer derived from seaweed, alginate, creates a material that
can be extruded as an antiseptic moisture-holding fiber well suited to the difficult task for bandaging diabetic
lesions. A local news report noted that Professor Rogers had met with shrimpers following the Deep
Water Horizon disaster, telling them that a polymer called chitin in the shrimp shells could become a
stand-alone product more valuable than the shrimp themselves. Dr. Hough: “Our technology works to mix those two
polymers together into a fiber that has both a gel-property and an anti-bacterial one. We also are working to
infuse minerals and vitamins into the fibers so that when it comes into contact with the wound it would help
promote cellular growth and help to close the wound faster.” 05/06/2012
Lignol Energy Joins Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites
Consortium
 Canadian biomass fractionation specialist Lignol Energy Corporation has announced it is now a member of the Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium. The Consortium is an alliance of about 40 members
managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and dedicated to development and commercialization of new carbon
fiber and composite materials. Lignol initially focused on proprietary solvent based "de-lignification"
pre-treatment of low-value biomass to facilitate further biorefining processes, and then partnered with
Novozymes to integrate enzymatic development and is currently optimizing the integration of this pre-treatment
with recently acquired saccharification and fermentation process capabilities. This technology platform
economically manufactures ethanol, lignin and a number of other foundation chemicals. In February, Lignol was
awarded support funding of over $2 million under the Sustainable Development Technology
Canada (SDTC) program. The company has established a Cellulosic Ethanol Development Centre in Vancouver, and has
plans to design a commercial demonstration plant. Under ORNL's leadership, the Consortium now will develop a
pilot plant for production of up to 25 tons of new carbon fiber materials from various feedstock, including
Lignol's purified HP-LTM lignin. "We are delighted to have been invited to join the Oak Ridge Carbon
Fiber Composites Consortium and are truly impressed with the caliber and diversity of the membership that ORNL
has attracted to the consortium," said Lignol's President and Chief Executive Officer, Ross MacLachlan. "The
recent meeting was extremely valuable for us to make contact with players in this developing industry sector and
to discuss our progress in Lignin-Carbon Fiber development with many of them. We were gratified with the depth
of interest that we received in our HP-L™ lignin among members." 05/05/2012
Solazyme to Supply Dow
with Algae-Sourced Dielectric Oil
 San Francisco's heterotrophic algae company Solazyme announced it has entered into a four-year contingent offtake agreement to supply
Dow Chemical Company with non-vegetable, microbially produced oils for use as bio-sourced
dielectric fluids. Concurrent with the new global supply agreement, the two companies also entered into a Phase
2 Joint Development Agreement (JDA2) extending their exclusive collaboration to accelerate scale-up and
commercialization. Solazyme's technology platform uses heterotrophic algae strains to convert low-cost plant sugars into
high-value to-specification oils for the biofuels and chemicals, nutrition, and skin care markets. Heterotrophic
micro algae have the ability to metabolize diverse plant sugars in absence of sunlight, allowing the conversion
to be closely controlled within closed, dark reactors. Solazyme's proprietary strains of microalgae have been
modified to produce an order of magnitude more oil per than wild strains. Global progress in pre-treatment of
low-value waste biomass is now creating a reliable biomass to sugar pathway; Solazyme's precision processing
completes the progression to commodity. “Solazyme’s unique biotechnology-based oils platform has created a new
market opportunity to develop and produce the next-generation of safe, renewable, dielectric insulating fluids
that provide increased performance benefits,” said Jonathan Wolfson, CEO, Solazyme. “We have continued to reach
technological advancements ahead of schedule with Dow, enabling us to further progress our commercial
relationship.” 05/05/2012
OriginOil and Algasol
Partner for Algal Growth and Harvesting System
 California based OriginOil has announced its intent to create a new collaborative partnership with the
Spanish firm Algasol Renewables to accelerate both company's algal cultivation and harvesting.
OriginOil's process "quantum-fractionates" (micronizes) nutrients, instantaneously mixes this with its
microalgae in their Helix BioReactor, then harvests the resulting biomass in a single-step process; the company
is currently working with the Idaho National Laboratory to integrate an advanced biofuel conversion process with
its algal production and harvesting methods. Algasol has developed floating membrane photo-bioreactors that can be deployed on saltwater or on wastewater
lagoons, and recently began working with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory. NASA's Ames Research Center has been experimenting with floating membrane bioreactors, exploring
their ability to absorb wastewater nutrients while emitting oxygen. The algal companies and their federal
collaborators feel the partnership will result in rapid advancement by combining their proprietary methods.
“With customer demand for an integrated algae production process rising, we need to offer our customers a means
of harvesting as well,” said Miguel Verhein, executive director of Algasol Renewables. “We plan to recommend
OriginOil’s field-proven chemical-free, high flow and low-energy harvesting system, and once available, the
integrated biocrude system they are developing with the Department of Energy.” 05/05/2012
EERC, DenYon Energy Test Poultry Waste Gasifier to
Energy System
 The University of North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has announced a project to test the EERC's proprietary Advanced Fixed Bed Gasification (AFBG)
for conversion of poultry waste to energy and products. DenYon Energy, LLC and the US Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating with
the EERC on the project. The EERC estimates that a farm generating 3,000 tons per year of waste could convert
that to synthetic gas (syngas) and fuel generation of about 280 kilowatts of electricity. The AFBG technology
has been licensed through the EERC Foundation for poultry litter conversion; the collaborative team will now test a
variety of feedstock types and blends to determine what is needed for full commercialization. "We are trying to
achieve a complete solution for the poultry industry with this distributed energy technology," said Nikhil
Patel, Research Scientist, Project Manager, and inventor of the technology. "A distributed-scale energy and
by-product recovery process is an emerging need in the poultry industry. This project can lead to environmental
and economic sustainability by helping a major food processing industry eliminate waste and become more energy
self-reliant. In essence, poultry farms around the globe could use their own waste to supply lower-cost energy
to their operations and reduce disposal challenges." Questions about technology transfer and licensing from
UND's EERC should be directed to Tom Erickson, Associate Director for Business and Operations at
or (701) 777-5000. 05/04/2012
Ribbon Cut for First
Landfill Gas Fueling Station in Louisiana
 BioCNG, LLC has completed commissioning of a turnkey landfill gas conversion system producing biomethane compressed
natural gas for vehicle fueling at the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal Landfill, Washington, Louisiana. State and local
officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony two days ago celebrating the opening of the landfill gas fueling
station. The BioCNG™ vehicle fuel is produced by piping landfill biogas into the conditioning unit, where
moisture (H20) is reduced, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including siloxane,
and carbon dioxide (CO2) are removed. After conditioning, the fuel is routed to a CNG fueling station where it
is further dried and compressed for use in CNG vehicles. The conditioned biogas can be used directly in CNG
vehicles or mixed with pipeline CNG. BioCNG can supply fueling systems to deliver from 200 to over a thousand
gasoline gallon equivalent per day (GGE/day). The St Landry Parish site is the first landfill gas to vehicle CNG
in Louisiana; it will supply up to 250 GGE/day compressed biomethane per day. The Parish recently began fueling
vehicles with natural gas; initially, 15 Parrish vehicles will use the new fueling station including 10
sheriff's cars, and the agency is now converting some older units and acquiring additional new natural gas
fueled transport and heavy equipment vehicles to eventually utilize the BioCNG fuel. BioCNG, LLC is a wholly
owned subsidiary of New York based Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC. 05/04/2012
TMO Moves 2G Ethanol
Produced from Cassava Stalks to Demo Scale
Testing
 The United Kingdom company TMO Renewables Ltd has announced progress from bench to demonstration scale in use of cassava stalks, a cheap and
abundant agricultural residue in China, as feedstock for its proprietary cellulosic biomass to fuel process. TMO
teamed with Chinese fuel and food producers to pursue conversion of cassava residuals with the expectation that
the demonstration plant will produce bioethanol at around $2 per gallon. The TMO process begins with steam
pre-treatment of waste biomass to form a slurry, followed by introduction of enzymes and finally fermentation of
the broad range of sugars using the group's genetically-modified TM242 thermophyllic bacterial strain. The
company, founded in 2002, has been operating its ethanol process demonstration unit since 2008 and in 2010, entered its first commercial
agreement with Maryland-based Fiberight LLC to develop 15 municipal solid waste (MSW) to ethanol plants in the US,
breaking ground on the first plant in 2011. The company has a close and long-standing collaborative relationship
with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), one of 7 Research Councils that work together as Research Councils UK (RCUK) funded
by the UK Government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). BBSRC's budget for 2011-12 is
around £445M, supporting around 1600 scientists and 2000 research students in universities and institutes across
the UK. "With more and more countries seeking affordable fuels, abundant cassava stalk will play a vital role in
expanding cellulosic biofuels production," said TMO acting CEO Robert Parker. "TMO's technology is primed to
meet growing market demand by economically converting waste cassava stalk to bioethanol at commercial scale."
05/04/2012
APP Licenses Plasma Green Energy for Global
Construction and Operation
 United Kingdom-based Advanced Plasma Power (APP) has announced an exclusive global licensing agreement with Plasma Green Energy LLP (PGE) to construct and operate Gasplasma® plants for conversion of
certain industrial wastes. PGE is a joint venture (JV) between APP and Leveraged Green Energy, LLC, a private equity investment fund; APP holds a 20% interest in
the JV. The deal brings £6.25m immediately, plus facility license fees and royalties over time. PGE now has
rights to process oil, petrochemical, coal and paper industry wastes during an initial five-year period during
which the company must secure sales of 540,000 tons per year throughput rate, the equivalent of six of APP's
standard Gasplasma® plants; the sales and production requirements vary beyond the first term agreement. The
agreement also allows PGE non-exclusive marketing rights for use of the Tetronics Ltd plasma systems (equipment suppliers to APP) for treatment of hazardous waste
solutions in the same specified markets. The APP Gasplasma® processing platform combines an EPI (now owned by Outotec) fluidized bed gasifier front stage with Tetronic's plasma system for back-end
completion of waste conversion to clean-burning synthetic gas, or syngas. The syngas can be used to generate
electricity directly in gas engines, gas turbines and fuel cells or it can be converted to bio substitute
natural gas (Bio-SNG) or liquid fuels. The solid product, Plasmarok® is an inert slag valuable as a building
material. Rolf Stein, CEO of Advanced Plasma Power said, “This commercial licence deal with Plasma Green Energy
is a notable milestone for APP further endorsing its ground-breaking Gasplasma® technology and its breadth of
application. We have secured sector expertise and extended our reach into specialist waste markets in which we
are not currently active. The considerable resources which our partner has committed to put behind this will I
am confident result in early penetration of these markets whilst allowing APP to focus on its existing extensive
project pipeline.” 05/04/2012
Biogas-CHP Upgrade Starts Up at Schenectady
Wastewater Plant
 The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has announced that the City of
Schenectady has unveiled its $7 million biogas to combined heat and power upgrade to the city's wastewater
treatment plant (WWTP). NYSERDA provided $1 million in support, adding to a US Department of
Energy grant of $600,000. The WWTP is over 50 years old and treats an average of 14 million gallons of
wastewater per day. Biomethane from anaerobic digestion of the sewage sludge is cleaned and used to fuel engines
for generation of about 200 kilowatts of electricity (1,800 megawatt-hours annually). Heat from the engines is
recovered and used to maintain temperature in the digester. The City expects to save about $300,000 per year in
energy costs. “By generating electricity from biogas and capturing the extra heat to help with processing waste,
the City of Schenectady is getting a two-for-one deal in clean energy,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President
and CEO of NYSERDA. “Combining anaerobic digestion and CHP makes sense at any facility that processes a large
amount of organic waste materials. The city should be commended for its effort to reduce its energy costs and
greenhouse gas emissions.” 05/03/2012
Babcock
& Wilcox Receives Full Notice to Proceed on Florida WtE Plant
 The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) has announced that its subsidiary
Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG) has received Full Notice to Proceed (FNTP) for
the remainder of the design/build contract for the 95 megawatt, 3,000 ton per day municipal solid waste to
energy (WtE) plant in West Palm Beach, Florida. A consortium consisting of subsidiaries of KBR and B&W received the $688 million design/build contract award
from the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) of West Palm Beach in April 2011,
along with a 20-year operations and maintenance contract estimated to be worth an additional $498 million. The
construction phase of the project was kicked off by KBR and SWA with a groundbreaking ceremony on April 4, 2012. The new Renewable Energy
Facility No. 2 is being constructed adjacent to SWA's Renewable Energy Facility No. 1; the plant is now
scheduled to begin full operation in the spring of 2015. B&W PGG designs, manufactures
and constructs steam generating systems to accommodate any fuel requirements, and has operating and engineering
experience with diverse combustion technologies to optimize fuel efficiency while meeting strict emissions
requirements. The group now has a worldwide installed capacity of more than 300,000 megawatts. "B&W has been
working diligently with its consortium partner and its customer to make the SWA's waste-to-energy project a
success," B&W PGG President and Chief Operating Officer J. Randall Data said. "This notice from the SWA is
welcome news and allows us to continue our work on this important project." 05/03/2012
Pratt & Whitney Advances Biomass Heat Recovery and Power in UK,
Canada
 Connecticut based Pratt & Whitney Power Systems has announced receipt of a contract award from West Fraser Timber Company in British Columbia,
Canada to furnish a 13 megawatt biomass heat recovery to renewable power system. Pratt & Whitney will
deliver two Turboden Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC) turbogenerators to the West Fraser Timber 's Chetwynd
Forest Industries mill site for commissioning in 2014. The ORC systems will be driven by heat from the mill
site's new bioenergy system and fueled by locally sourced mill and logging residues, improving operational
efficiency with on-site generation. West Fraser received an award of 20-year electricity purchase agreements for
a total of 180 GWh/year generated from wood biomass from BC Hydro under the utility company's Bioenergy Phase II
Call for Power program for biopower development at two mill sites. Concurrent with the Canadian agreement Pratt
& Whitney has also announced entry into the United Kingdom market with contracts for two biomass-fueled power plants based on the
Turboden ORC system for provision of combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP). A one megawatt electric (MWe)
biopower installation now serves CCHP to the British Sky Broadcasting Company campus in Hounslow, West London,
using 32 tons of wood chips from local sources. A second and larger facility is now under construction at
London's Heathrow Airport, scheduled for completion later this summer. The Turboden CCHP ORC plant will provide
1.8 megawatts of electricity and 8 megawatts thermal energy to heat, cool and power heathrow's Terminal T2a and
T2b, while serving heat only to Terminal T5. The Italian turbogenerator design, manufacturing and servicing firm
Turboden is a Pratt & Whitney Power Systems company, and Pratt & Whitney is a United
Technologies Corp. (UTC) company. 05/02/2012
Core BioFuel Selects Technip for Biomass to Gasoline
Refinery Build-Out
 Canadian drop-in biofuel specialist CORE BioFuel Inc. has announced selection of Technip to complete the construction engineering on its first
commercial scale, 67 million litre (about 18 million gallon) renewable gasoline biorefinery. CORE's patented MKS technology platform gasifies
wood waste and subjects the synthetic gas (syngas) to a two-step reforming and catalysis process to generate
biofuel, electricity, heat, water, and sequestered carbon dioxide. The current 18 million gallon production
plant would produce just over 5 million gallons of water. CORE's 4.4 million gallon per year demonstration plant in Houston, British Columbia Canada has
progressively increased the energy content of its green gasoline to at least 94 octane. Technip's global
engineering, construction and project management experience and close strategic relationship with Air Products
will facilitate both the biorefinery design and development and the dimethyl ether (DME) catalysis second
synthesis step. Core is considering build-out of the demo site, also potential eastern Canada development
integrating into an existing timber, pulp and paper mill site; this will depend largely on securing additional
equity and project financing. George Stanko, President of CORE BioFuel, states: "We are very excited about
working with Technip to provide the next step in our commercialization process, which is to complete the
engineering for our first plant. Technip, as a leader in syngas plant design, is uniquely positioned to support
CORE through the critical engineering phase of commercialization. One of the critical factors in our selection
of the Technip team is their established working relationship with key component suppliers such as Air Products
and Chemicals and Energy Products of Idaho (now Outotec). Both firms have agreements with CORE for development
of production equipment." 05/02/2012
ACC Study:
Conversion of Waste to Energy Offers Environmental, Cost Benefits
 The American Chemistry Council has announced the release of a study on emerging technologies for
conversion of waste to energy, fuels and other commodities. The new report, “Environmental and Economic Analysis of Emerging Plastics Conversion
Technologies,” was sponsored by the ACC’s Plastics Division and conducted by
RTI International. The study provides broad definitions for pyrolysis, gasification, plasma arc and anaerobic
digestion, and then presents vendor-specific case studies for the thermal conversion technologies. Using a
Life Cycle Analysis approach, the authors contrast and compare environmental and economic costs and benefits
of thermal waste conversion to industry-standard landfill disposal, presenting findings and recommendations
backed in the Appendices by detailed data on both gasification and pyrolysis. The assessment provides
considerable detail regarding pyrolysis of non-recyclable plastics and gasification technologies that accept
all municipal solid waste (MSW). “This study is the latest in a growing body of information showing that many
of the things we’ve viewed as waste actually have tremendous potential as energy resources,” said Steve
Russell, Vice President of Plastics for ACC. “As a complement to a robust recycling infrastructure,
conversion technologies offer environmental benefits and cost savings over traditional waste disposal
processes.” 05/01/2012
Dyadic Expands
Abengoa's Enzyme License Rights to World Wide
 Florida-based enzyme specialist Dyadic International, Inc. has announced an expansion of its license rights to Abengoa Bioenergy
New Technologies for $5.5 million. The original 2009 licensing agreement restricted both territory and
application rights; the new agreement allows Abengoa world-wide rights for development,
manufacture, use and sale Dyadic's C1 enzyme in both first and second generation biofuels and bio-sourced
chemicals and commodities production. Dyadic will receive additional royalties on Abengoa's application of the
enzyme technology platform, which is based on development of the
Hyperproducing Protein Expression system using the patented strain of the fungal microorganism Chrysosporium
lucknowense (C1 Express) and the company's High Through-put Rate Screening system (HTRS). The two companies
have been in close collaboration since 2007, with Abengoa producing commercial scale quantities of enzymes using
Dyadic's platform and demonstrating the enzyme's ability to convert biomass to sugar in Abengoa's cellulosic
ethanol plant in Salamanca, Spain. Dyadic completed a $3.3 million private placement funding round last October as
working capital to support its research, development and new products placement. At the same time, Abengoa
secured an equity investment of almost $400 million from First Reserve Corporation, adding to the
$134 million USDA loan guarantee the company received in August
2012. Dyadic’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Emalfarb: “We are proud and excited to be working
with such a world class organization to integrate our respective technologies to produce products that can help
the world reduce its dependence on oil while utilizing more sustainable alternatives.” 05/01/2012
Due 05/02/2012: Comments to CEC on Draft RPS Guidebook
Changes (Update)
The California Energy Commission has released a Revised Notice regarding the agency's Business Meeting on May 9, 2012,
including substantial modification of the Lead Commissioner's Draft changes to the Overall Program Guidebook for the Renewable Energy Program (REP)
and the Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Eligibility Guidebook. A Summary of Major Revisions accompanies the revised notice,
providing additional proposed changes beyond those announced with the April 18, 2012 Notice
to Consider Adoption of Revisions to the Renewables Portfolio Standard Eligibility
Guidebook and the Overall Program Guidebook for the Renewable Energy Program. The new changes impact two
elements of the Draft, including sections of Section II Eligibility Requirements, (C) Renewable Facilities
Using Multiple Energy Resources, (1) Measuring the Renewable Generation From Multifuel Facilities; (2) De
Minimis Quantity of Nonrenewable Fuels or Energy Resources; (3) Counting Nonrenewable Fuel Use as
RPS-Eligible; and Section IV RPS Tracking, Reporting and Verification, (B) PRS Procurement Verification
Reports, (2) Verification Method Using WREGIS. For
technical questions on the subject matter, please contact Kate Zocchetti, RPS Technical Director, at (916)
653-4710 or by e-mail at . This is
an update to Teru Talk's original Action Item on this issue. The meeting and comment due dates are
unchanged. 05/01/2012
|
Twitter
Facebook
