October 2010 News and Matters of Interest
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Pyrolytic Tobacco-Oil Looks Promising as a Natural Pesticide
Bio-Oil produced through pyrolytic conversion of tobacco appears to be an excellent
natural pesticide. Canadian scientists published their report in the American Chemical Society's bi-weekly research newsletter. Leaves "cooked"
at 500 degrees Celsius in a slight vacuum are converted to more than 43% tobacco bio-oil, along with
combustible gases and biochar. The bio-oil was tested against numerous insect pests including the voracious
Colorado potato beetle, and against many common fungal and bacterial crop disease agents, with good results.
The oil was an effective, and selective, pesticide even if the nicotine was removed. With the decline of
tobacco smoking, established but struggling tobacco farmers can look to production of tobacco oil and the
pharma compound nicotine for additional income. Dr. Franco Berruti, Director General of the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) of the University of
Western Ontario, last year spun off the mobile bio-oil production company AgriTherm, and continue their productive exploration of both bio-oil and biochar. ICFAR's
point of contact for the tobacco oil is Cedric Briens at cbriens@eng.uwo.ca. 10/31/2010
Is Biogas the Key
to a Black-Out Free Africa?
Investment in Africa is hampered by more electrical demand than
available supply, and power rationing is a "fact of life", according to Botswana-registered Imara Holdings. Imara has advised the Zimbabwean Ministry of Economic Development that a program of power station development
and upgrades plus utilization of biogas technology could create a power surplus by 2014. As part of the
country's National Economic Development Priority Program, the Ministry has already issued a
license for waste conversion to biogas, with operations to produce 120 MWe that is expected to come on line
by 2013. 10/31/2010
UC Davis Energy Institute
Seminar - Going Beyond Corn
Ethanol
On Monday, November 1, 2010, the UC
Davis (University of California, Davis) Energy Institute will present "Agriculturally-Derived Biofuels & Bioproducts: Going Beyond Corn Ethanol," as
part of their Fall Seminar Series. The seminar will be given by William J. Orts, Bioproduct
Chemistry and Engineering Research, Western Regional Research Center-ARS-USDA, Albany CA. USDA biorefinery strategies
include development of enzymes and microbes for crop pretreatment before conversion, use of western crop
feedstocks, separation engineering for bioproduct isolation, and production of complementary products,
including cellulose-based composites, biodegradable plastics, sustainable chemicals, and novel
nanocomposites. The presentation will be from 3:10 pm to 4:00 pm in Room 1065, First Floor, Kemper Hall, UC Davis. For more iformation: contact Dr. Zhiliang (Julia) Fan
at jzfan@ucdavis.edu or 530.754.0317; or Bill Kuhlman at wbkuhlman@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-7055.
10/30/2010
FSA Low-Interest Conservation Loans
Available
In September, the Department of Agriculture announced availability of low-interest Conservation Loans (CLs) for farmers and farm operations, administered by the Farm Services Agency (FSA). CLs of up to $300,000, and guaranteed loans up to $1,112,000
are available for conservation practices that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) see as environmentally beneficial;
regional NRCS offices are now geared up for those determinations. On-farm waste
conversion examples include manure management, including manure digestion systems and emerging or existing
conservation practices, techniques or technologies. FSA's loan rates for October were 4.375 percent; length
of terms vary with security provided. The Federal Register Notice provides further CL details, or contact Kent Politsch
202-720-7163, kent.politsch@wdc.usda.gov. 10/30/2010
India Recognizes Importance of Green Chemistry
 In an October 29, 2010 news release, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Government of India reports
that their Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Srikant Kumar Jena, is calling for the
country's Chemistry Industry to be "put into proper perspective through Green Chemistry". PIB reports that
the Minister said that there is a need to encourage good manufacturing practices, eco-friendly
technologies leading to zero effluent and recycling of solvents. India is signatory to SAICM (Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management), a program lead by
the United Nations following the 2006 International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) The SAICM
Policy Strategy: by 2020, chemicals are to be produced and used in ways that minimize
any significant adverse impact on the environment and human health. 10/29/2010
ACORE Offers Renewable Energy Info State-by-State
In August 2010, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) launched a free "live" publication called
"Renewable Energy in America". It provides an executive summary of state-level renewable
energy policy and implementation, and is sponsored by the Evergreen Power Corporation. ACORE's website includes a User's Guide, a detailed Glossary and a map-linked search to quickly locate specific information. ACORE intends to update
the reference quarterly. The "snap-shot" report provides "high-level overview on the key developments
that have shaped the renewable energy landscape in each state, including information on installed and
planned capacity, markets, economic development, resource potential and policy." Questions and comments
about this useful tool should be directed to Lesley Hunter at
hunter@acore.org. 10/28/2010
USDA/FSA - BCAP Final Rule Published
 The US Department of Agriculture, Farm Services Agency (FSA) posted the
Final Rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) in the October 27, 2010 Federal Register,
effective on the date of publication. BCAP was authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of
2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). It is intended to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators
with the establishment and production of eligible crops in selected project areas for conversion to
bioenergy, and the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a
biomass conversion facility. This rule specifies the requirements for eligible producers and participants,
biomass conversion facilities, and eligible renewable biomass crops and materials. Biomass materials
managed as feedstock are eligible for BCAP matching funds (a) if collected or harvested directly from the
land before transport and delivery to the biomass conversion facility, or (b) if collected or harvested by
separation from a higher-value product collected or harvested directly from the land before transport
and delivery to the biomass conversion facility. BCAP funds do not apply after transport and
delivery to the biomass conversion facility. FSA has prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding BCAP. 10/27/2010
EPA Final Rulemaking: PSD Modeling for PM 2.5 Thresholds
 Conversion of waste, especially thermal conversion, always finds compliance with
air quality regulations most challenging. On October 20, 2010, EPA finalized a 43-page Rulemaking on one
of the most difficult aspects: emissions thresholds for particulate matter in the size range of 2.5
microns, or "PM2.5". Permits require complex modeling to comply with provision of the federal Prevention
of Significant Deterioration, or PSD, program. The final rule establishes maximum allowable increases in
ambient pollutant concentrations, or "Increments", and two screening tools, "Significant Impact Levels"
(SILs) and "Significant Monitoring Concentrations" (SMCs). PSD permit compliance requirements will now
change over the next two years as the Rulemaking is implemented, and will impact both new permit
applications and repermitting of existing facilities. SILs and SMCs will also become part of New Source
Reviews. A Fact Sheet is available for Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2006–0605 established for this
Rulemaking; the Final Rule becomes effective December 20, 2010. 10/27/2010
New USDA ERS Report Released: Biofuels & US Economy in 2022
Conversion of wastes and byproducts to fuels will, remain heavily
impacted by federal policy; tracking federal biofuels policy decision-making requires an understanding
of the source of the critical data. One such source: the US Department of Agriculture, Economic
Research Service (USDA/ERS) has just released their October 2010 biofuels assessment, Effects of Increased Biofuels on US Economy in 2022. The Renewable Fuel Standard
(RFS-2) called for 9 billion gallons of biofuel in 2008 increasing to 36 billion gallons
by 2022. The report examines economics if that goal were met, summarizing: "If biofuel production
advances with cost-reducing technology and petroleum prices continue to rise as projected, the RFS-2 could
provide economy wide benefits ... Improved [biofuels production] technology and increased investment would
enhance the ability of the U.S. economy to expand ... Technological progress could enable biofuels to become
competitive with petroleum, providing benefits to the U.S. economy. The larger the value of displaced
petroleum for each dollar of biomass produced, the greater the benefit would accrue to the U.S.
economy." 10/26/2010
FERC Clarifies Feed-In Tariff Rulings for DG in California
 On-site conversion of wastes and bi-products into valuable combined
cooling, heating and power, including recovery of waste heat, is proving to be a cost-effective
distributed generation (DG) model. On-site generating has been constrained in California by the lack of a
cost-effective "feed-in- tariff" or FIT, so popular and effective in Europe. Feed-in tariffs encourage
generation by offering a guaranteed purchase price under a long-term contract. Per the California Energy
Commission's (CEC) Guidelines, the "Waste Heat and Carbon Emissions Reduction Act" ( AB 1613 as amended by AB 2791), California's first FIT requires investor-owned electric utilities to
purchase electricity generated by eligible combined heat and power generators at a price set by the
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Calculation of avoided costs resulting from locating
generation at or near the point of demand were to be part of the FIT price equation, an idea promoted
vigorously in the United States by the FIT Coalition, but were complicated by possible conflicts with federal FIT rules. The
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) October 21, 2010 press release clarifies how the CPUC and the CEC could implement this FIT Rulemaking in compliance with federal law. In the press release, FERC said a
proposal to employ a multi-tiered resource approach could comply with the Public Utility Regulatory
Policies Act and FERC regulations. 10/26/2010
USDA BCAP Offers 2011 Biocrop
Funding
Agricultural production of biocrops for conversion to bioenergy,
biofuels and bioproducts suffers from the lag between planting and sale; the federal BCAP program focuses
support to growers and harvesters to overcome this problem. The Farm Services Agency of the United States
Department of Agriculture (FSA/USDA) created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) as a result of the
2008 Farm Bill. BCAP provides incentives to interested farmers, ranchers and forest landowners for the
establishment and cultivation of biomass crops for heat, power, bio-based products and biofuels. A USDA
BCAP press release issued October 21, 2010 explains their program in more detail. The
BCAP website provides information, including a Fact Sheet and a BCAP-alert email sign-up service.
10/25/2010
ORNL: Ethanol's Indirect Land Use Change
Impacts Negligible
Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) scientist Keith Kline reports that data for corn ethanol production from 2001 to
2008 show no significant impact on US commodity exports, on other crops, or on croplands in the United
States. The report was part of a presentation made on October 14-15, 2010 before the
California Air Resources Board's (CARB) Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) - Expert Working Group. This debunks other claims
of negative indirect land use change (ILUC) impacts attendant to the increase in corn-based biofuels
production. ORNL's conclusion: "The analysis suggests minimal to zero indirect land use change was
induced by use of corn for ethanol over the last decade." The ethanol industry's association Growth Energy has posted ORNL's presentation. 10/25/2010
BIO: US Bioproducts Drives Economic
Development and Green
Jobs
One BIG driver for our Waste Conversion industry is the
economical advantage of using waste and biomass to create new bio-based products, or "bioproducts", as
"green chemistry" alternatives to petroleum-sourced product manufacture. The Biotechnology Industry
Association (BIO) this spring developed a whitepaper, "Biobased Chemicals and Products: A New Driver of U.S. Economic Development and Green
Jobs", providing an excellent mantra for our Conversion industry to repeat when queried
about "value added" aspects of technologies and projects. The whitepaper recommends,
"The biobased products sector should be nurtured so that its benefits can be
realized in the United States," and accompanied BIO's March 11, 2010 request that Congress support deployment of biotech chemical
platforms to create green jobs. Economic development impacts will include the creation of high-valued
green jobs, an improved trade balance, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhanced energy
security through reduction of dependence on imported foreign oil. The synopsis follows up on last years'
in-depth BIO report on " U.S. Economic Impact of Advanced Biofuels Production: Perspectives to
2030." 10/22/2010
USEA CO2 and Carbon Capture Briefings
Available
Waste conversion for recovery is, in broadest sense, a controlled
rearrangement of elements at a molecular level, especially carbon, to turn discarded materials back
into products. Critical to our efforts is an understanding of the complex "Carbon Markets", and the
mechanisms for management and monetization of Carbon as a resource. The United States Energy Association has long been focused on CO2 and Carbon Markets; in
their most recent October 2010 USEA News, they provide free access to a wealth of their clearly written and
deeply researched Briefings. Well worth the download. 10/21/2010
Texas IOF: New Tools & Reports can aid Biorefinery
& Conversion
Projects
US Forests & Carbon: New Data, New
Report
Using Forest Biomass for conversion to energy and
fuels comes with its own set of rules, its avid supporters, and its own
detractors. USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) has released new data: 41.4 billion metric tons of carbon is currently stored in the nation's
forests, and due to both increases in the total area of forest land and increases in the carbon stored
per acre, an additional 192 million metric tons of carbon are sequestered each year. RMRS also
calls our attention to a peer-reviewed report, "A Synthesis of the Science of Forests and Carbon for U.S.
Forests", published by the Ecological Society of America, Issues in Ecology 13:1-17, Spring 2010. The report provides substance to the
discussion of how much wood can, or should, be removed from today's forests. Not a simple
subject, and a contentious one. Whatever side you take, the background documents and data are well
presented. 10/19/2010
DOE's North-East CHP Initiative
Conference
DOE's Northeast Clean Energy Application Center based kicks off
the Northeast Combined Heat and Power Initiative (NECHPI) on November 10, 2010, with a
1 day conference at Madison Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) facility in Verona, NY. NECHPI is a group of
individuals, organizations, and state and federal agencies, committed to promoting and implementing
Combined Heat and Power in the Northeastern United States. State agency staff will speak
of CHP's role in "critical infrastructure", and federal staff will address Support comes form the Pace
University Clean Energy Regional Application Center and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
See agenda and registration details, here. 10/18/2010
Post-Partisan Power Report
Released
Conservative and Liberal energy-policy institutes
have just released a co-authored "Post-Partisan Power" report titled, How A Limited and
Direct Approach to Energy Innovation Can Deliver Clean, Cheap Energy, Economic Productivity and National
Prosperity. The Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute and the
Breakthrough Institute want to "hit the reset button on energy policy" which they feel has come to a
stand-still: "The extremes have so dominated mainstream thinking on energy that it is easy to forget
how much reasonable liberals and conservatives can actually agree on." The Report calls for a
framework that includes Energy Innovation Programs (a national network of decentralized energy
innovation institutes) and Business-Military Tech Contract Increase ($5 billion per year to help DOD test,
demonstrate and purchase energy technologies). Find the full report here. 10/18/2010
October is National CO-OP
Month
The Agricultural Council of California lets us know that the USDA has proclaimed October as National Co-Operative Month, and October 17-23 is
National Co-Op Week. USDA's Rural Development Business and Cooperatives program can be invaluable as a
starting-point for obtaining local and regional ag biomass-source contacts, and their business support
includes Grant and Loan programs such as Section 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Loan Guaranties and Section 9005 Bioenergy Program Payments for Advanced Biofuels Producers. USDA Rural
Development Business and Cooperatives Program can be visited here. 10/18/2010
BLE Releases English-Version Info & Readies for Sustainability
Conference
The German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has released
information in English on sustainable biomass production. Their conference “Sustainable Biomass –
Certification in Practice” scheduled for November 3, 2010 in Berlin - in German - is intended
as an exchange of experience gained in practical implementation of sustainability certification and legal
requirements along the different biomass utilization value chains. Their
web-based Nabisy System, used to monitor BLE
compliance, will be explained by BLE in an
ISCC training session on December 6, 2010 in Cologne -also in
the German language. Register early; participation is limited. See
here for English information. 10/18/2010
CA ARB New Draft AQ Guidance for Siting
Biorefineries
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has released a draft
Air Quality Guidance for Siting Biorefineries in California, which will be discussed at
a public meeting on October 14, 2010. The ARB has also released an agenda for this meeting. Comments on the draft are due by December 1, 2010.
Questions should be directed to Lea Yamashita at (916) 323-0017 or via email at lyamashi@arb.ca.gov. 10/12/2010
Update: For more information on the Draft from the October 14th
meeting, see our Action Item. Teru's
comments submitted to the ARB can be seen here.
10/16/2010
Need a Working Vacation? BCN Strategic
Retreat, Alberta, Canada
Successful
IFWG Field Trip to Angora Fire Area, Lake Tahoe
Basin
The Interagency Forest Working Group
(IFWG) got about 30 of its
members in a bus on October 1, 2010, and drove to the south end of the Lake Tahoe Basin for a day of high-level
"What We've Learned" discussions as we walked through the devastated area of the Angora Fire of 2007. Speakers
included California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), the US Forest Service, University
scientists, and Basin planning staff, some of whom lost homes among the 260+ structures destroyed and most all
were on the ground for the fire. Some of Teru’s personal THMs (take home messages): .....more
IFWG was created within California's' Climate Action Team (CAT) program following the Governor's
California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). A major CAT conference on Behavior, Energy & Climate Change is scheduled
for November 14-17, 2010 in Sacramento.
Click here for Teru's Focus
Report. 10/15/2010
Bagasse to Charcoal Briquettes: Africa Rural
Connect Contender
Sometimes low-tech conversion works
best: making clean-burning charcoal briquettes out of waste sugar cane fiber (bagasse). Non-profit
Africa Rural Connect (a National Peace Corps Association program), sponsored
in part by the Gates Foundation) enters their 4th and final round seeking cost-effective ways
to improve rural African health, economy and security. One of Round 3 surviving ideas: turning waste bagasse
to product helps the regional sugar cane industry, cleans up the environment, and could help reduce
dependence on open cooking fires for rural African families. Winning ideas receive lots of PR and
$1,000 seed capital. See the full Peace Corps press release and the Bagasse-to-Charcoal proposal for more information. Sign up to vote for your
favorite Waste Conversion idea here.10/15/2010
Biodiesel Developers: EPA & Industry Clean
Diesel Press Conference
The non-profit Diesel Technology Forum hosts the EPA, environmental orgs and diesel vehicle
industry reps on Tuesday October 19, 2010 in D.C, to show off "a sampling of 2010 heavy duty trucks and
buses which feature the most modern clean emissions technology in existence", and will include "a “clean
hanky” test where a new white handkerchief is placed over a running truck’s tailpipe to illustrate the low
emissions of 2010 truck technology." The press conference kicks off the two-day US EPA Clean Diesel 10, part of the National Clean Diesel Campaign. The press release can be viewed here. Also see DTF's news about EPA's expected reauthorization of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA),
and November solicitation. 10/15/2010
CEC Releases New Draft of EECBG
Guidelines
The California Energy Commission has posted draft
Guidelines for the Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) program, spelling out how this
round's federal ARRA stimulus fund allocation will be determined. Proposed revisions will be
considered at the CEC's October 28 Business Meeting. Key proposed changes include allowing compensation for
some of the awardees' "pre-development costs". Although EECBG grant eligibility is focused on "the low
hanging fruit", such as lighting and insulation, this grant can provide significant ancillary cost
support for more complex small-community efforts, and there is no
prohibition against biomass and/or waste conversion integrated combined
heat, cooling and power CCHP) projects. Eligibility is based more on the need and size of the
community than on the type of project, and the Commission is offering their expertise to
eligible communities interested in more complicated efforts. For mre information, see the
meeting Notice and proposed Guidelines. 10/14/2010
EPA OKs a 5% Increase in Ethanol
Blend
The Ethanol producers' association Growth Energy announced today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
responded to the Industry's petition of March 2009, and approved an increase in percent ethanol in gasoline
for vehicles 2007 and newer, from the current 10% to 15%. The association's CEO Tom Buis called the approval
a "first crack in the blend wall in more than 30 years", and will apply to more than 42 million vehicles,
about 20% of the current U.S passenger cars and light-duty trucks. See Growth Energy's press release, and the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for more information. 10/13/2010
CEWD Receives $1.3MM to Jump-Start Energy Industry
Workforce
The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) recently received $1.37MM from the Gates Foundation to help
low-income young adults and our returning Military in eight states prepare for careers in the energy
industry. The State Energy Workforce Consortia in Ohio, North Carolina, Washington, Georgia, Florida,
California, Indiana and Minnesota will use boot camps, apprenticeships, certificate programs and/or an
associate degree to prepare and refer participants into electric and natural gas utility positions, and for
energy-related construction and manufacturing jobs. The consortia are partnerships and alliances between utilities, industrial construction, unions,
educational institutions and government, using the Get Into Energy platform to create a future pool of energy industry workers. A
West Regional Meeting is scheduled for November 9, 2010 in Las Vegas for CEWD
member companies and invited guests; the event is free, but registration is required.
10/13/2010
Alternative Fuels Center of Excellence to be
Launched
UC Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology is hosting a series of free events
on October 14, 2010 to highlight the future of renewable energy and serve as a launch pad for its new
Alternative Transportation Fuels Research Center of Excellence. The Oct 14th events kick-off at 10 a.m. The $1.2
million received in August from the California Energy Commission will broaden and further develop CE-CERT’s
research in this area. Researchers at CE-CERT expect to use the money to study butanol, butanol/ethanol
combination, and other mixed fuel combinations. Parking at UCR is free, but reservations are required:
contact Jim Dexter at 951-781-5682 or jdexter@cert.ucr.edu. See the full press
release here. 10/11/2010
CEC/ARB Virtual Energy Conferences The California
Energy Commission's Public Interest and Energy Research Program and the Air Resources Board are co-sponsoring
a free conference / webinar series that will address current issues and activities for improving air quality
associated with energy production and use. The series is scheduled for October 12, 19, 26, and November 2,
2010. For more information about the conference and registration information, click here. For a printable conference announcement, visit ARB's Energy Activity website:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/energy/energy.htm.
10/11/2010
SCE / Sempra Energy - Seminar
Series
The Southern California Gas Company and the
Energy Resource Center provide a wealth of information through their energy seminars, usually
(but not always) FREE! Topics range from Fuel Cell Technologies and a
Schools Symposium this Wednesday and Thursday, to a 3-day Steam Operator's License Training
that starts November 2nd, a Combined Heat and Power update on November 17th, to a
2-day Combustion Seminar scheduled for March 30-31, 2011 ... but see their
calendar page, and register early: the December Combustion Seminar is
already booked. 10/11/2010
IEA's New Policy Pathway" White
Papers
The International Energy Agency has released
the first in a series of white papers they call "Policy Pathways", this one focused
on Energy Efficiency implementation through Monitoring, Verification and Enforcement
(MVE). The papers follow on IEA's 25 Energy Efficiency Recommendations released about two years ago.
The first White Paper is available by clicking here. Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka's
presentation is available here and here. Curious to us, conversion of waste to energy somehow has not been
included by the IEA as a functional way to reduce industrial energy use and improve plant
efficiency; perhaps we need to tell Director
Tanaka about our tools and capabilities, as an industry. Visit their
info-packed website here; comment to their Global Energy Dialogue. 10/11/2010
Japan Recovers Rare Earth Metals from
Electronics
In response to an unofficial embargo on export
of rare earth metals from China to Japan, the Dowa company subsidiary Kosaka Smelting and
Refining has geared up thermal re-processing of discarded electronics for recovery of gold,
indium, neodymium and other rare earth metals critical to energy and technology manufacturing.
Their facility processes about 300 tons per day of electronics waste at 1400 degrees C to
recover only 150 grams or so of the metals, but reports in the NY Times indicate that they are now making a profit. China prohibits
export of used electronics, while Dowa imports the same from the global marketplace.
10/05/2010
ISCC: EU's Premier Biomass & Biofuels
Sustainability Certification
Program
The International Sustainability & Carbon
Certification organization (ISCC) has been approved by the German Authority BLE as the first
Certification System for sustainable Biomass and Biofuels according to the German
Biokraftstoff-Nachhaltigkeitsverordnung (Biokraft-NachV). The German federal BLE approved the ISCC
system for certification of all types of sustainable biomass this past July. The 1st Meeting of the
ISCC Technical Committee Latin America is scheduled for October 26, 2010 in Sao Paulo,
Brazil; the next general assembly will be held in Brussels on February 8th, 2011. See here for further information. 10/05/2010
The DISCO Project: Biomass-to-Liquid Enzyme
Research in the EU
The DISCO project is a collaboration between research
institutes, universities and industrial partners from across Europe and Russia, to help meet the
European Union’s directive to promote the use of biofuels and renewable fuels
from Lignocellulosic biomass. Funding comes in part from the Seventh Framework
Programme for research and technological development (FP7), European Union´s funding research program
for 2007 to 2013. The project's aim is to develop micro-organism-derived enzymes that can break
down lignocellulose so yeast fermentation can produce bioethanol. For more on the DSCO
Project, see here. 10/05/2010
First UK Toilet-to-Stove Biogas Supplied to
National Grid
The Didcot sewer treatment plant began October 4,
2010 to supply biogas into the national grid, providing heating and power for homes in
Oxfordshire, UK. Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge produces biomethane, which is cleaned for
pipeline injection; the process takes about 23 days from flush to finish. British Gas told the
BBC that they hope to build more plants, as the UK works to meet an EU directive for 15%
renewable energy by 2020. For the BBC report, click here. 10/05/2010
Graphene: the Ultimate
Bio-Product?
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov,
two Russian-born scientists at the University of Manchester, UK, "for groundbreaking
experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene" - a completely transparent
one-atom-thick lattice of carbon that conducts heat and cold better than anything else, is as good as
copper for conducting electricity, and is so dense that helium can't pass through it. Graphene is now
the strongest material known; it offers a wide variety of practical applications including the
creation of completely new materials. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences notes that "Carbon, the
basis of all known life on earth, has surprised us once again". See here for the full press release. 10/05/2010
PNNL AQ Study: Air-born Toxics Down but Wood
Smoke PAHs a Problem
Direct combustion of wood for heating and from forest fires
rivals industrial pollutants: The Pacific Northwest National Lab reports that most toxic pollution falling onto Puget
Sound's waters has decreased — some by as much as 99 percent — below earlier estimates, according to a
region-wide study. Despite the overall decline, the study found that industrial areas like Tacoma still have
the Puget's Sound's highest air-deposited contamination levels. The amount of trace metals like arsenic,
lead and copper falling onto the Tacoma region have decreased significantly since PNNL last measured
air-deposited pollution there in 1991. Researchers examined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PAHs are
made when fuels like petroleum and wood are burned. The team found a large percentage of the region's
PAH pollution comes from wood. Puget Sound residents rely heavily on burning wood to heat their homes.
Seasonal fires in the Northwest's forests also likely influence the kind of PAHs found in Puget Sound
rainfall, the researchers noted. For more on the story, click here; for the full report, click here. 10/04/2010
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