September 2013 News and Matters of Interest

SARTA Schedules Sacramento CleanStart/AgStart Showcases for Oct 16th

The Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) is presenting the 7th annual CleanStart Showcase on Wednesday, October 16, 2013 at the McClellan Conference Center to focus on the Sacramento, California region clean tech sector. The theme of this year's event is "Spotlighting Sacramento Clean Tech Business" and it is being held in conjunction with the inaugural SARTA AgStart Showcase. AgStart, SARTA’s newest industry-cluster program, promotes innovative sustainable agricultural technology and supports companies that are bringing those products to market. The full-day Showcase features a keynote address by Yanev Suissa, venture fellow with New Enterprise Associates (NEA). With more than $14 billion in committed capital, NEA invests in information technology, healthcare, and energy technology companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. Meg Arnold, SARTA chief executive officer: "SARTA is making measurable progress in bringing attention throughout the country and internationally to this area’s growing prominence in all areas of technology. Creating a more robust Showcase this year allows attendees to see the latest innovations in both the clean tech and ag tech sectors, where tremendous opportunity resides for entrepreneurial activity and company growth." 09/30/2013

Europlasma Completes Conciliation and Resumes Trading with New Funding

French company Europlasma has announced that its five month conciliation procedure was ratified by the court on September 9, 2013, and public trading resumed today. A conciliation procedure is voluntarily requested by a company in financial difficulties to protect its best interests and those of its shareholders The process began on February 21, 2013 between Europlasma, Crédit Suisse Europlasma SPV LLC (CS), and the lender and majority owner of the waste and biomass to energy power plant (CHO Morcenx Partner) in Morcenx. Share trading was suspended to allow for confidentiality in the conciliation procedure. Construction of the Morcenx CHO-Power plant was completed in July 2012 on time, but problems with the gasifier delayed ramping up the facility to full production. The plant delays caused cash flow challenges that forced the group to initiate the conciliation procedure. The decision was made to replace the faulty gasifer with one manufactured by US based PRM Energy Systems Inc, and it is expected that the plant will now be able to operate at full power. Significant new funding by CS and the CHO Morcenx Partner in the form of an additional loan of €4.6m at an interest rate of 8% has begun in three tranches, primarily to finance the purchase of the new gasifier and support the start of the ramp-up of the plant. 09/30/2013

Anaergia Plans Organic Waste to Renewable Energy Project in Anaheim

Anaheim Energy LLC,  a subsidiary of Canada based Anaergia, Inc, in partnership with waste management company Republic Services, plans to build an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in the City of Anaheim, California. Republic Services will provide the feedstock to Anaergia from organic waste delivered to its site from trash collected within Anaheim, and will provide an area within its property to Anaergia under a lease agreement for the facility. Although the project is not expected to be operational until January 2016, The Anaheim City Council approved a 20-year renewable power purchase agreement and an Interconnection Agreement on September 3, 2013 between Anaheim Energy and the City. This project will result in 150 tons per day of food waste that was previously landfilled and will now be source separated and anaerobically digested for power production. The 4MW of power produced by the project will be purchased by the City to help reach its 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) target by 2020. Anaergia's biogas to fuel cell project at San Jose, California's wastewater treatment plant came online last fall. The County of Maui, Hawaii selected Anaergia in April of this year to develop a mixed waste AD system for the Integrated Waste Conversion and Energy Project at the Central Maui Landfill. 09/28/2013

EERE Schedules Webinar on Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework

The US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) will present a live webinar sponsored by its Bioenergy Technologies Office entitled “Using the New Bioenergy KDF for Data Discovery and Research” on Thursday, October 3, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework (KDF) supports the development of a sustainable bioenergy industry by providing access to a variety of data sets, publications, and collaboration and mapping tools that support bioenergy research, analysis, and decision making. The webinar will highlight the recent launch of the redesigned Bioenergy KDF and provide attendees with an overview of the site, a demonstration of its user interface, and case studies of how it may be used by researchers, industry, policy makers, and the public to support and inform bioenergy research, analysis, and decision making. Those interested in participating can register online in advance to attend the webinar. 09/28/2013

Enerkem and Greenfield Receive SDTC Support for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

The Government of Canada is investing in VANERCO, the joint venture partnership formed by Enerkem and GreenField to build and operate a cellulosic ethanol facility that will be integrated with GreenField’s existing ethanol plant in Varennes, Quebec. The investment through Sustainable Development Technology Canada's (SDTC) NextGen Biofuels Fund™ is currently $734,500 and could reach $39.8M, repayable from free-cash flow once the project demonstrates commercial success. The non-recyclable waste to be used at the VANERCO facility will come from institutional, commercial, and industrial sectors, and from construction and demolition debris. Construction of the facility is planned to begin in 2014, and will use Enerkem’s proprietary thermochemical process currently being demonstrated in Westbury, Quebec. The production capacity of VANERCO’s full-scale projected facility in Varennes is expected to be seven times greater than that of the demonstration facility in Westbury. Vincent Chornet, Chairman of VANERCO: "We are proud to have SDTC as a partner in our waste-to-biofuels project in Varennes, which is one of the first integrations between an existing, first generation ethanol plant and a new cellulosic ethanol facility." 09/28/2013

Solazyme Provides 1st Commercial Supply of Tailored™ Algal Oil to Unilever

California based Solazyme and Unilever have announced execution of a commercial supply agreement for Tailored™ Algal Oil, resulting from the two companies' collaboration over five years on multiple projects with increasing levels of success. The agreement covers the first of Solazyme Tailored™ Algal Oils with an initial supply of at least 10,000 metric tons. Solazyme's biotechnology platform creates renewable oils by harnessing microalgae's prolific oil production capabilities. Most microalgae use sunlight in a photosynthetic process, but Solazyme's proprietary microalgae are heterotrophic. They grow in the dark in fermenters by consuming sugars derived from plants that have already harnessed the sun's energy. Feedstock requirements are flexible and can range from bio-crops to waste biomass from agricultural or forest residuals. The oil under this agreement will be produced at the Solazyme Bunge Renewable Oils facility, a joint venture of Solazyme and Bunge located at Bunge’s Moema sugar mill in Brazil. Supply delivery is planned to begin in early 2014 and Unilever expects to purchase the full volume within twelve to eighteen months. Customary product validation trials are scheduled to take place in Q4 2013. David Blanchard, Chief Category R&D Officer, Unilever: "This first supply agreement is the result of many years of successful collaboration, during which Solazyme demonstrated strength as a partner and continually achieved key development milestones outlined by our world-class scientific and technology teams." 09/26/2013

Concord Energy and Cool Planet Will Establish Asia Pacific Joint Venture

Singapore headquartered Concord Energy has announced that it has signed an agreement with California based Cool Planet Energy Systems to establish a joint venture (JV) in the Asia Pacific Region to develop commercial production facilities for conversion of non-food biomass into biofuels and biochar. Cool Planet’s patented thermo-mechanical process allows deployment of small, modular facilities through a distributed model, “taking the plants to the biomass instead of bringing the biomass to the plants.” The company announced last fall that it had successfully produced gasoline at about $1.50 per gallon, using low-grade feedstock including woodchips, crop residue, algae, etc. and produces multiple distinct gas streams for catalytic upgrading to conventional fuel components. John Stuart, CEO of Concord’s Asset Group "We chose Concord Energy because we know they have the strong desire and the technological capability to deploy quickly the Cool Planet technology in East Asia and in Oceania. We believe that Cool Planet has developed a unique technology that will revolutionise the production of biofuels, and we are delighted that Cool Planet has chosen Concord Energy as its partner." Concord Energy has also made a financial investment in the Cool Planet, joining other global investors such as BP, Google Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy), and the Constellation division of Exelon. 09/26/2013

Global Clean Energy Signs LOI with Seneca BioEnergy for NY Renewable Park

Texas based Global Clean Energy, Inc (GCE) has announced signing a comprehensive Letter of Intent (LOI) with Seneca BioEnergy LLC (SBE) for development in a renewable energy park at the former Seneca Army Depot in New York. The LOI is to develop an anaerobic digestion plant, cellulose gasification plant, and an agricultural plastics to fuel plant that will be located in SBE's 55 acre Seneca AgBio Green Energy Park. The development will also include 400,000 square feet of warehouse and manufacturing facilities. SBE has invested over $6,000,000 for site acquisition and necessary infrastructure upgrades designed to serve the operation of multiple waste to energy facilities proposed for the park. The park project has been awarded a $2,000,000 incentive from NYSERDA for the production of electricity. The State of New York has awarded the site with a tax exempt bonding package of $7,000,000 for capital purchases of equipment and infrastructure. The park will include various technologies capable of converting agricultural feedstock into high value energy and to beneficially recycle products for sales throughout the region. SBE has feedstock relationships with respect to the feedstock material necessary to develop an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant as well as feedstock relationships with local and regional farms to provide agricultural plastics necessary to develop a plastic to fuels project Earl Azimov, President of GCE: "It has always been our goal to develop a Green Energy Park." 09/26/2013

Idaho Offers Residential Woodstove Changeout Program to Improve Air Quality

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) has announced that residents of Franklin County, the Greater Pinehurst area, and the City of Salmon can obtain a rebate and discount on the purchase and installation of a new, EPA-certified woodstove, insert, or natural gas or propane unit. The Woodstove Changeout Program is sponsored by the local jurisdiction and the IDEQ to help improve air quality in the area by providing a financial incentive for homeowners to replace old, air-polluting woodstoves. The program will run from September 2013 to June 2014 or until funding runs out. The old woodstove or fireplace insert must be properly disposed of and cannot be reused. Forty percent of the cost of replacing the woodstove (purchase price plus professional installation) is also deductible on the purchaser’s Idaho tax return in the year the woodstove is replaced. During the next three years, an additional 20 percent of the total cost may be deducted each year. 09/24/2013

Forest Service Authorizes Work on Another 8,571 Acres Under 4RFI Contract

The US Forest Service (USFS) has issued five more task orders totaling 8,571 acres to the new Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) contractor, Good Earth Power AZ LLC. The Phase 1 stewardship contract was transferred to Good Earth less than two weeks ago from Pioneer Forest Products, the original contractor of record, because Pioneer was being purchased by Good Earth. The Mercer Task Order for 952 acres on the Tonto National Forest and four task orders on the Coconino National Forest were issued on September 16th. The four task orders include Elk Park for 2,901 acres, Weatherford for 1,017 acres, Bobs for 2,017 acres and Clark for 1,684 acres. The original phase 1 4FRI stewardship contract was issued in May 2012 covering 300,000 acres. To date, the USFS has issued 15,219 acres of task orders across the Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto, Coconino, and Kaibab National Forests. Thinning began on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest with approximately 600 acres completed so far. In collaboration with many external stakeholders, the USFS is working to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration in northern Arizona to improve the ecological resilience and function of 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forests. 09/24/2013

CleanWorld Breaks Ground On Anaerobic Digestion Plant at UCD Landfill

California based CleanWorld Partners has announced that it has begun construction on the University of California, Davis (UCD) Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester facility located at the former UCD landfill in Davis, California. The core technology was invented by UCD researcher Ruihong Zhang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, and licensed to CleanWorld by UCD in 2009. The facility will employ innovative anaerobic digestion technology utilizing natural microbes to break down organic material. Once operational, the facility will generate renewable energy for campus buildings, and organic fertilizers and soil amendments for Davis area farms. CleanWorld’s BioDigester will divert 20,000 tons of organic waste per year from Davis area landfills, nearly 1,500 truckloads of food waste from dining halls, dormitories, and local restaurants, and agricultural waste and green waste.  As the material decomposes, CleanWorld’s technologies will capture methane and other greenhouse gases and produce significant quantities of renewable biogas. The biogas will be combined with gas captured from the landfill, generating one megawatt of renewable electricity to power campus buildings, or enough to power nearly 1,000 homes for a year. 09/24/2013

CASA Seeks Public Comment to WEF Report on Biogas Production at POTWs

The California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) is requesting public comment on the Phase 1 data report entitled Biogas Production and Use at Water Resource Recovery Facilities in the United States. The report was published in July of this year by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to quantify anaerobic digestion and the utilization of methane generated at Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) across the nation. The North East Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA) received a seminal grant and formed a project team to research and prepare the report, which included CASA. The genesis for this current effort was an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership’s report first released in April 2007 and updated in 2011. The report was believed to underestimate both the number of anaerobic digesters and the use of methane. Nominal funding was available to try and obtain better data. Greg Kester, Director of Renewable Resource Programs for CASA: "One problem is in how to best present data. I argue that we should look at flow rather than the number of facilities. As an example based on my survey of California POTWs, which I provided for the report, 61% of POTWs in the state have anaerobic digesters but 94% of the wastewater flow treated in the state is done so via anaerobic digestion. By looking only at the number of POTWs, one necessarily equates very large facilities with very small ones, which presents a very misleading picture." CASA is requesting public review and comment of the report; contact Mr. Kester at (916) 446-0388 or by email <> with questions or comments. 09/23/2013

SEaB Energy Secures US and UK Patents for Mobile AD Power Plant Solution

SEaB Energy has announced the receipt of patents from the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) for its anaerobic digestion (AD) portable power plants that use microbial technology to turn food and other bio-wastes into energy. SEaB Energy’s newly patented system markets a unique, highly mobile, energy generator that uses AD to eliminate the movement of waste and the associated costs of transport and disposal. The company’s MuckBuster®, designed for the farm and equestrian market, and its sister Flexibuster™, built for the food and drink sector, are fully automated and self-optimizing. The systems are housed in transportable containers, enabling low-cost delivery, rapid installation, and ease of operation. Sandra Sassow, SEaB Energy’s CEO: "These patents not only protect our solution that we have been developed in-house, but will also give a clear signal to the market that SEaB Energy is the leader in micro-AD technology. This will also strengthen our competitive position and help us to grow our distribution further on both sides of the Atlantic." SEaB Energy's technology was one of 15 winners in the US Department of Defense's 3rd Annual Defense Energy Technology Challenge announced earlier this month. 09/23/2013

CalRecycle to Consider Draft Compost and AD Regulations for Rulemaking

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has released a final draft of revisions to existing Title 14 and Title 27 regulations addressing compostable materials, transfer/processing, the permit application form, and permit exemptions. Accompanying the draft regulatory language is a draft of revisions to the Solid Waste Facilities Permit application packet. Executive Director Caroll Mortensen will seek to begin the formal rulemaking process at CalRecycle's October 15th meeting by seeking approval to refer the draft language to the Office of Administrative Law, after which a formal comment period will be established. One of the major shifts in permitting that has been developed in the draft affects the addition of food waste and fat, oil and grease (FOG) into anaerobic digestion vessels at wastewater treatment plants. Early discussions identified that the overlapping jurisdictions were causing permit processing and oversight conflicts. The draft contains clarification, exempting these waste materials from CalRecycle purview within Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) if the waste has been cleaned and liquefied off site in preparation for digestion at the POTW. Where food waste arrives at the POTW as un-processed waste and is to be pre-treated onsite, a permit as a Processing Station will be required from CalRecycle. 09/23/2013

LanzaTech Awarded $4MM to Convert Waste Methane into Low Carbon Fuels

LanzaTech announced that it has been awarded a $4 million grant through the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency's (ARPA-E) Reducing Emissions Using Methanotrophic Organisms for Transportation Energy (REMOTE) Program. LanzaTech and its partners, The City College of New York (CUNY), Louisiana State University (LSU) and Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) will collaborate to extend LanzaTech’s core fermentation technology to unlock the potential of abundant, waste methane gas emissions through innovative and smaller scale bioreactor design. The goal of the research is to increase the throughput, of the LanzaTech bioreactor so that it can produce fuels and chemicals more efficiently, economically, and at a smaller scale. This will enable the reuse of waste methane gases for low carbon fuels and chemicals. LanzaTech CEO Dr. Jennifer Holmgren: "This grant is an exciting opportunity for LanzaTech and our partners to find new and sustainable uses for remote or otherwise uneconomical sources of waste methane, one of the most prolific of the greenhouse gases." LanzaTech is the first company to scale gas fermentation technology to a pre-commercial level, developing and operating two facilities that convert waste flue gas from the Baosteel and Shougang steel plants into ethanol. Both facilities in China are operated at annualized production capacity of 100,000 gallons. 09/22/2013

RSB Releases White Paper on 'Certification of Biofuels from Waste'

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Services Foundation has released a white paper on 'Certification of Biofuels from Waste: The RSB Approach.' Biofuels produced from waste are favored over those produced from virgin materials such as oils and sugars. For this reason they count double to European Union (EU) Member States’ targets for use of renewable transport fuel. They also offer better greenhouse gas (GHG) savings compared with virgin materials. RSB certification of wastes and residues for biofuel production requires that the certification process starts at the first processing stage, as the waste material enters the biofuel supply chain. The RSB chain of custody (CoC) standard requires that certified operators must have a structure and procedures in place to ensure that the procurement of all feedstock entering the CoC at the first processing stage is controlled. The United Kingdom (UK) has introduced requirements for traceability of double counting material upstream to the point of origin to counteract potential fraudulent labeling of unsustainable virgin material as waste or residue. The UK tracking requirements are incorporated into the RSB approach. The RSB Services Foundation was formed in the United States in January 2012 as the certification body of RSB. 09/22/2013

BioNitrogen Corporation Granted US Patent for Biomass-to-Urea Technology

Florida Based BioNitrogen Corporation has announced that the patent for its biomass-to-urea technology has been approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patented technology will be used in BioNitrogen’s plants to convert agricultural and forestry waste biomass into urea fertilizer. President and CFO of BioNitrogen, Bryan Kornegay: "This patent is an important milestone in BioNitrogen’s strategy and confirms the uniqueness of our technology and process. This patent is a key intellectual property asset and significantly enhances our competitive position in the marketplace." BioNitrogen's technology gasifies the biomass residuals and converts the resulting synthetic natural gas (syngas) into urea through a process that cleans the syngas and passes it through a series of catalytic reaction stages. BioNitrogen received approval last month from the Planning Commission for its new plant in Hardee County, Florida. 09/22/2013

NIB and Sparbanken Nord Partner for Environmental Investments in Sweden

Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has announced a new loan facility with Sparbanken Nord for onlending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and for environmental investments in northern Sweden. The two institutions have signed a 7-year-maturity loan agreement totaling SEK 170 million (EUR 20 million). The funds will be onlent to local SMEs in the region, most of which operate as subcontractors in the mining and forestry sectors. The loan facility may also be utilized for investments leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions or a decrease in nutrient discharges into the Baltic Sea. Regional projects eligible for financing could include the construction of wind mills, investments in retail customers’ energy efficiency and wastewater treatment projects. NIB has a long history of funding waste conversion and forest-sourced biomass development, including for development of a combined heat and power (CHP) biomass fueled plant in Vimmerby, and a bioenergy CHP facility in Växjö, Sweden.NIB is an international financial institution owned by eight member countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.  Established in 1852, Sparbanken Nord is a regional bank operating in northern Sweden with 14 branches in ten different municipalities. 09/21/2013

New Grant Funding Announced for UK Heating and Cooling Networks

The United Kingdom (UK) Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has announced  a new £6 million grant funding program to help Local Authorities (LAs) in England and Wales develop new heating and cooling networks and expand existing networks. Proposals must be for networks that draw their heat energy from renewable, sustainable, or recoverable sources as much as possible to receive grant awards. This could include any system in which heat is generated off-site by renewable or recovered sources such as waste heat from industry, energy from waste plants, and biomass combined heat and power. Many university campuses, new mixed commercial and residential developments and high rise flats draw their heat from these systems. The DECC released "Heat Strategy" earlier this year, as the most recent Action Plan of the overall Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The plan included establishment of a new Heat Network Delivery Unit within the DECC. DECC Minister Greg Barker said, "Increasing the use of low carbon heating in our buildings is helping to reduce our dependency on costly, imported oil and gas." The bidding process to apply for grant funding started yesterday and will continue for 18 months through a series of six bidding rounds. Details on how to apply for the competition can be found on the Heat Network page of GOV.UK. 09/21/2013

Coskata Awarded ARPA-E Funds for Activated Methane to Butanol Research

Illinois based Coskata Inc has announced its selection to negotiate an award under the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency's (ARPA-E) Reducing Emissions Using Methanotrophic Organisms for Transportation Energy (REMOTE) Program. The $941,726 award out of a total allocation of $66 million by ARPA-E was for one of 33 energy technology projects that were selected. Coskata's award will provide funds to further its engineering of methanol fermentation into an anaerobic microorganism for a low-cost biological approach for liquid fuel production. Coskata’s technology will enable the rapid microbial conversion of methanol to fuels and/or chemicals with high carbon and energy efficiency – a completely new usage for Coskata’s technology platform. In addition, Coskata’s technology could integrate with other technologies that ferment methane to methanol. "We appreciate the opportunity to work with ARPA-E to realize their vision of developing biological routes for fuel synthesis from methane, with high energy efficiencies and productivity,” said William Roe, Coskata CEO. Coskata's proprietary fermentation-based gas to liquid process was used in the successful waste conversion to ethanol testing that was completed in 2011 by Alter NRG at its Plasma Demonstration Center in Pennsylvania. 09/20/2013

Novozymes and Raizen Collaborate on Cellulosic Ethanol from Crop Waste

Denmark headquartered Novozymes has announced its agreement with Brazil based Raizen Energia S/A to collaborate on production of cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane bagasse and straw. As part of the agreement, Novozymes will supply enzyme technology to Raízen’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil, scheduled to be operational by end 2014. The plant will be a bolt-on facility to Raízen’s Costa Pinto sugarcane mill in the state of São Paulo and will have the capacity to produce 40 million liters of cellulosic ethanol per year from sugarcane crop waste. To support Raízen in its efforts to advance cellulosic ethanol, Novozymes will develop enzyme technology optimized for Raízen’s process. Furthermore, Novozymes intends to establish new enzyme-manufacturing capacity in Brazil. The details for this enzyme-manufacturing facility are not yet determined and will depend on the level of estimated demand for enzyme technology in Brazil. "This first plant developed by one of the world’s largest sugarcane ethanol producers marks an important step in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil," says Thomas Videbæk, Novozymes’ Executive Vice President of Business Development. Raízen Energia S/A is the production company of Raizen Group, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and the Brazilian ethanol company Cosan S.A. 09/20/2013

Airgas Carbonic Secures Long-Term CO2 Supply from Fox River Valley Ethanol

Airgas, Inc has announced that its subsidiary, Airgas Carbonic, has signed a long-term agreement for the supply of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) from Fox River Valley Ethanol's recently acquired plant in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The plant is expected to begin production in October and yield 250 tons per day of liquid CO2. Fox River Valley Ethanol is a subsidiary of Ace Ethanol LLC, and was formed to run the Oshkosh plant. Ace acquired the shuttered ethanol plant from Utica Energy in July of this year for $16.5 million, less than one-fourth of the estimated cost to build a new plant of the same size. The plant has a capacity of 60 million gallons and originally opened in 2003. It was closed last fall because of financial problems. CO2 is a co-product of ethanol production, present during the fermentation stage. The food and beverage-grade liquid CO2 is cleaned of any residual alcohol, compressed, and sold to other industries for use in carbonating beverages, manufacturing dry ice, and flash freezing meat. CO2 is also used by paper mills and other food processors. Phil Filer, President of Airgas Carbonic: "Airgas Carbonic has partnered with Fox River Valley Ethanol's parent company, Ace Ethanol, for the past decade to market the liquid CO2 co-product from Ace's ethanol plant in Stanley,Wisconsin, and we are excited to expand our relationship to their new Oshkosh, Wisconsin, plant." 09/18/2013

Incbio Contracts with Biokast to Supply Biodiesel Plant in North Africa

Portugal based Incbio has announced signing a contract with Biokast Energy S.A, to supply an 8,000MT per year biodiesel plant to be installed in Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa. The proposed transesterification plant will use Incbio’s ultrasonic reactors to produce EN14214 Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO) collected from restaurants in Tunis. Biokast Energy was established earlier this year with the purpose of collecting and processing used cooking oil into biodiesel. This first project will be setup at an industrial site in Tunis to will serve the area; further projects are planned for the near future in other cities throughout Tunisia. Incbio and Biokast expect the plant to be complete during January of 2014. José Marques, Incbio’s CEO: "By processing exclusively UCO, a waste material from the hospitality industry, the plant makes sense not only financially but also from a public service perspective, as it plays a very important role in the recycling industry. By using our ultrasonic based multi-feedstock technology, industrial units are able to convert a wide range of raw materials into high quality Biodiesel, exceeding the strict standards of EN14214 and ASTM D6751.” 09/17/2013

Cool Planet Selects URS to Engineer 1st Commercial Biorefinery in Louisiana

California based Cool Planet Energy Systems has announced its selection of URS Corporation for engineering design of its first commercial biorefinery to be constructed in Louisiana. URS will design the 10 million gallons per year cellulosic gasoline plant, which will convert wood waste into biofuels and soil enhancing biochar, a byproduct of the refining process. Construction on the plant is expected to start in Alexandria, Louisiana in early 2014, and be operational before the end of the year. Cool Plant announced last fall that it had successfully produced gasoline at about $1.50 per gallon, using low-grade feedstock such as woodchips, crop residue, and algae. Al Rettenmaier, Cool Planet’s Vice President of Capital Projects said, “We chose URS because we know they have the talent to ensure we are successful with our first plant, as well as to deliver a design that could be replicated across the United States.” 09/17/2013

Due 10/10/2013: NOI to Propose to SCE on Renewable & Alternative CHP RFO

Southern California Edison (SCE) has issued its 2013 Renewable & Alternative Power - Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Request for Offer ( RFO to solicit Offers from owners and operators of CHP Facilities and Utility Prescheduled Facilities ("UPF"). The RFO is in accordance with the Qualifying Facility and Combined Heat and Power Program Settlement Agreement and related documents approved by the California Public Utilities Commission on December 16, 2010 in Decision 10-12-035. An Offeror Conference is scheduled for October 3, 2013 at 9:00 AM PPT, and may be attended in person or by webinar. Questions relating to this RFO should be addressed to SCE by email at <> (with copy to the Independent Evaluator at <>) or by telephone to Benny Wu at (626) 302-3230 or David Lewry at (626) 302-3222 Submission of a non-binding Notice of Intent (NOI) is due no later than October 10, 2013. Submission of the completed Offer is due November 7, 2013. SCE will notify each offeror whether or not its Offer has been short-listed. Only short-listed Offers will be qualified for further consideration in this RFO. 09/17/2013

LLNL and Chemergy Plan Biosolids to Hydrogen Demo at Delta Diablo WWTP

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has announced its readiness to oversee demonstration trials of a process for conversion of biosolids to hydrogen at the Delta Diablo Sanitation District (DDSD) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The project is hosted by the Bay Area Biosolids to Energy (BAB2E) coalition, a consortium of 19 San Francisco Bay Area public agencies responsible for wastewater treatment. The year-long $1.75 million demonstration beginning mid-October is co-funded by the Florida technology developer, Chemergy Inc. and a re-assigned grant from the California Energy Commission. Other partners in the project are the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). Chemergy is coupling thermochemical electrolysis with the firm's patent pending "HyBrTec" hydrogen bromine (HBr) based process, where free hydrogen generated from the wet biosolids is first stored in the hydrogen compound then released as needed. The HBr provides chemical energy storage for the energy in hydrogen created from the biosolids. For this project, the hydrogen will run fuel cells provided by CERL and DOE to generate electricity. BAB2E coalition spokesperson Caroline Quinn: "The Chemergy technology is of interest because of its innovative approach utilizing a chemical process for high-moisture feedstock at moderate temperatures and at smaller scale than traditional conversion technologies. The coalition is specifically focused on combustion-free processes that can maximize the renewable energy potential of biosolids." 09/13/2013

USDA Expands Promotion of Rural Wood to Energy Project Development

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new partnership agreement with four non-profit associations, and the award of five grants totaling $1.1 million to associations and state agencies supporting wood energy projects and expanding the use of forest health program generated biomass. The new partnership includes the USDA, the Alliance for Green Heat, the Biomass Power Association, the Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BETC) and the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI). The agreement focuses on promoting wood energy nationwide as a means to address fire risk, bolster rural economic development, improve air quality and meet national renewable energy goals. It should foster additional support for the Alliance as it hosts the Wood Stove Decathlon culminating in November on the National Mall, Washington D.C., and similarly augment BETC's efforts to establish national efficiency standards for commercial biomass boilers. Agricultural Secretary Vilsack also announced an award of $1.1 million to the five successful proposing teams in USDA's 2013 Statewide Wood Energy Teams Competitive Cooperative Agreement Program. The funds bring together private, state and federal organizations, matching $1.8 million in non-federal funds. Grant recipients are the Idaho Governor's Office of Energy Resources, the Watershed Research & Training Center in Hayfork, California, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the North Country Resource Conservation & Development Council in Gilford, New Hampshire, and the Alaska Energy Authority, based in Anchorage. Secretary Vilsack: "Today's announcements will help us find innovative ways to use leftover wood to create renewable energy and support good jobs in rural America. Wood to Energy efforts are a part of our 'all of the above' energy strategy. Appropriately scaled wood energy facilities also support our efforts to remove hazardous fuels and reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfires." 09/13/2013

USFS Webinar Announces Transfer of 4FRI Phase I Stewardship Contract

The U.S. Forest Service hosted a web conference today to announce the decision to transfer the Phase 1 stewardship contract for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI). 4FRI is a 20-year plan to restore 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest ecosystems on portions of four national forests, the Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Tonto, along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. Beginning in May of this year, the contractor of record Pioneer Forest Products informed the Forest Service of an impending company sale to Good Earth Power, seeking transfer of the stewardship contract to the new owner / financier; federal approval has been granted for the transfer. Jason Rosamond, CEO of Good Earth Power Arizona, LLC, provided a thorough review of their company: local labor use will be maximized; plans to build a saw mill in Winslow remain in place. A finger-joint furniture plant and a pellet mill will be developed, in addition to investing in other mills and pellet production facilities in the region. Good Earth has now entered into a joint venture with Concord Blue, the biomass to liquid fuels company previously committed to the project. Negotiations are nearing completion with a major US-based timber management firm. Draft environmental impact statement documents in compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) were made available for public review this past March; the 4FRI planning timeline indicates the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision are now expected to be published early in 2014. Once finalized, the FEIS will certify additional forest restoration prescriptions, adding to the biomass supply chain. The 4FRI Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program was federally funded in 2010 to treat about 300,000 acres over ten years; the collaborative is one of over 20 such efforts linked to finalization of the new USFS Forest Planning Rule. The sustainable forest health thinning is coupled with biomass harvesting and extraction to supply regional industrial utilization, converting the vegetative overburden into green heat, power, fuels and other bioproducts. Gilbert Zepeda, Southwest Regional Forester commented that it had taken six and a half years to get to this point, teaching the Forest Service two key lessons: this region's "zone of agreement" for the project concept was vast compared to contrary positions, and when it comes to implementing effective landscape-scale forest restoration, you need to "go big, or go home." 09/13/2013

Furuya Opens New Tetronics Plasma Plant to Recover Precious Metals

United Kingdom (UK) based Tetronics International has announced that the plasma pyrometallurgical facility it supplied to Furuya Metal Co, Inc. in Tsuchiura, Japan has been officially opened. Catalyst wastes, including both auto catalytic converters and industrial catalysts, e.g. petrochemical catalyst, contain precious metals. In particular, the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) are valuable due to their low natural abundance, unique properties, and the complex processes that are required for their extraction and refining from primary sources. Furuya's newly established plasma process will enable them to recover PGMs from low grade scrap catalysts with highly efficient technical recovery rates. Plasma energy has been used for decades to recover Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium from precious metal bearing waste materials. With on-going development, Furuya, Mitsubishi Corp, and Tetronics International have now jointly developed know-how to recover Ruthenium and Iridium from low grade scrap. Graeme Rumbol, CEO for Tetronics International: "It has been a pleasure to support Furuya with this project. Our objective remains to ensure Furuya maximizes their return from the plant as well as providing them with a competitive advantage that the industry leading recovery performance of plasma makes possible." 09/11/2013

Oregon DEQ Is Forming Materials Management Workgroup

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is in the process of forming a Materials Management Workgroup to implement the Materials Management in Oregon: 2050 Vision and Framework for Action. Oregon's Materials Management program addresses the full life cycle of materials including, but not limited to, the management of solid wastes. The formal committee will convene this fall to explore barriers posed by existing statutory language and identify changes needed to move toward the broader 2050 Vision and Framework for Action program begun in 2012. The goal of this new effort is to develop solutions that engender broad stakeholder and agency support, and translate them into legislative proposals as needed. Workgroup membership will be by invitation only, but three supportive subgroups are being formed for which DEQ welcomes anyone who might want to participate. All meetings will be open to the public. The three subgroups will address Goals and Measures, Sustainable Funding, and the state's Recycling Opportunity Act. Further information details including how to participate are available on the Materials Management program webpage`09/11/2013

WELTEC BIOPOWER and Domaix Develop Four Biogas Plants in France

Germany based WELTEC BIOPOWER has announced development of four agricultural anaerobic digestion (AD) combined heat and power (CHP) plants for production of biogas in France with partner Domaix Energie, based in Alsace. Each plant will utilize thermal energy from its engines to reduce the amount of liquid input and dry the resulting digestate, qualifying for a CHP subsidy in France of up to EUR 0.04/kWh. Feedstock will vary, but range from food waste and industrial food residuals to manure and biosolids sludge. Two 600 kilowatt (kWe) plants that are currently being built that use similar substrates but differ in terms of the composition and concepts. One plant in Charente will use a 3,000-m³ stainless-steel digester; the 600-kW plant in Burgundy will have two digesters with a capacity of 2,000 m³ each. The two other plants will have an electrical output of 190 kW and 255 kW, respectively. The smaller WELTEC biogas plant in Lorraine is comprised of a 1,500-m³ stainless-steel digester and will be loaded with cattle manure from the operator's farm as well as whole plant silage and food leftovers. The 255-kW plant will also digest agro-industrial waste. Two of the biogas plants are funded by the farmers; Domaix Energie and Methanor, a French biogas fund, are involved in financing the other two plants. In France, there is an increasing trend toward conversion of organic wastes that began in 2011 with the introduction of rules for separation and use of kitchen wastes from large catering businesses, and now extending to organic waste from schools and company cafeterias. 09/11/2013

Danish Public/Private Partnership Plans Sulfur-Free Marine Fuel Biorefinery

The Port of Frederikshavn, Steeper Energy and Aalborg University have announced a public/private partnership to establish a biorefinery to produce up to 900,000 tons of sulfur-free marine fuel to serve over 100,000 vessels passing through the Danish port annually. New European regulations come into effect January 1, 2015 imposing, Sulphur-oxide (SOx) Emission Control Areas (SECA) that reduce permissible sulfur content in marine fuel to zero, forcing fleet operators to either install flue gas cleaning equipment on board, or switch to a sulfur-free fuel. The biomass to liquid fuel (BTL) plant is initially scaled to produce from 50 to 100,000 tons of biofuel annually, requiring two to three times as much wood as currently imported. Feedstock will initially be sourced from Russia, the Baltic nations, Sweden, Finland, or even Canada. The fuel-flexible technology platform for the biorefinery is based on the hydrothermal liquefaction technology developed and demonstrated at lab scale in Aalborg University, who will carry out a longer term research effort on mixing in locally sourced feedstocks to ensure product quality and operating conditions before reaching operational capacity. Lasse Rosendahl, Professor at Aalborg University, Department of Energy Technology: "Based on our research plant at Aalborg University and on-going project activities of Steeper Energy to establish a pilot-scale plant in Alberta, Canada, the technical challenges and risk involved in a full scale commercial plant in Frederikshavn are significantly reduced." Conceptually, the operation will expand in both variety of feedstock and diversity of products, once initial wood-only conversion to biofuel has been satisfactorily accomplished at industrial scale. CTO of Steeper Energy, Steen B. Iversen: "Although the project will be established on a single feedstock, the plant design will accommodate the results of the research at Aalborg University. By building a solid business case on wood, we can focus on establishing a well-functioning plant delivering a sustainable marine biofuel. Once this has been achieved, we can consider extending the input range as well as considering a wider product portfolio, if this seems opportune." 09/11/2013

Due 10/09/2013: Renewable Electrical Power Proposals to City of Palo Alto

The City of Palo Alto, California has released a Request for Proposal for Utility Commodities, RFP151223 - Renewable Electric Power - Fall 2013. The City is seeking Proposals to provide electric power generated by renewable resources to meet the City’s renewable portfolio needs. The City’s resource eligibility standards are the same as those established by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The City prefers Proposals that would qualify as Portfolio Content Category 1 (PCC1) as detailed in the Energy Commission document CEC-300-2013-002-15Day-REV. The City will negotiate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for terms of 5 to 30 years with Selected Bidders. Each Proposal submitted in response to this RFP shall be for only one proposed energy resource, and can include more than one generator of like kind. Bidders may, however, submit more than one Proposal. Each Proposal may also include several different price structures, project terms, and business/ownership structures. However, at minimum each Proposal shall include a standard PPA price structure with a fixed, non-escalating energy price over the life of the contract. Proposals should include the Bidder’s best and final price offering; there will be no opportunity to re-price after the Proposal deadline. A non-mandatory, pre-proposal teleconference is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.  In order to participate, please call 1-877-336-1831 using Access Code: 5301570. Submittal deadline is 3:00pm, October 9, 2013. Questions or comments must be put in writing and received by the City no later than 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, e-mailed to both <> and <>. All Proposals shall be submitted via email to <> and must include "RFP No. 151223" in the subject line. 09/11/2013

Midori Renewables Launches Solid Catalyst that Converts Biomass to Sugar

Massachusetts based Flagship VentureLabs has announced that its company Midori Renewables, Inc is globally deploying its technology platform that centers on a solid catalyst with the capacity to dissociate biomass into its constituent sugars.  As Midori's catalyst is a solid material, not an enzyme, micro-organism, or aqueous acid, it may be separated from the reaction and reused, resulting in a significantly reduced costs. The process has now been tested for applicability in production of renewable fuels, renewable chemicals, food/feed, and consumer goods materials. Midori has already been issued two foundational U.S. patents on its catalyst technology and has more than 10 additional families of patents pending worldwide. The company will begin constructing a commercial demonstration facility in 2014 and is currently in partnering discussions with several engineering, procurement, and construction firms to build the plant. The core management team is being assembled, led by Daniel Trunfino as President and CEO. Flagship Ventures initially invested in Midori at start-up, and has placed its CEO Dr. Noubar Afeyan on Midori's Board of Directors: "Midori follows a growing list of disruptive ventures emerging from our VentureLabs unit. Our technology breakthrough has been well validated and our patented biomass conversion process promises to transform the biomass based fuels and chemicals industry in a major way." 09/10/2013

Bently Biofuels Acquires Bay Area Waste Oil and Grease Collection Company

Headquartered in Minden, Nevada, biodiesel producer Bently Biofuels Company has announced that late last month, it completed acquisition of Got Grease?, a large-scale San Francisco Bay area grease trap pumping and waste oil collection service. Got Grease? collected used cooking oil throughout the San Francisco peninsula, East Bay, and Marin areas up to Sacramento. The feedstock was then sold to biofuels producers; Bently was one of the company's largest customers, providing a solid basis for expansion by purchase of the business' assets. With the completed acquisition, Bently is expanding operations into the Bay region, a move that will result in an additional 12 jobs for the area. Bently focuses on research, development, production, and distribution of renewable fuels, producing biodiesel from waste oil and grease. The Bently Biofuels Outpost, the company's first biodiesel and bioethanol filling station, opened to the public five years ago in Minden, Nevada. Christopher Bently, the CEO of Bently Biofuels: "Bently Biofuels has always operated with the singular goal of increasing sustainability for transportation. Using today’s technology to turn waste vegetable oil into fuel bridges the gap between fossil fuels and emerging, sustainable energies of the future. By adding our own grease collection service we increase our efficiency in delivering our alternative to toxic based fossil fuels. I am very proud to present a more complete and capable Bently Biofuels in the interest of preserving our environment." 09/10/2013

Ribbon Cutting for Ameresco's Johnson Canyon Landfill Gas to Energy Plant

Massachusetts based Ameresco has announced that it will join local officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark completion of construction of a 1.4 megawatt electric (MWe) landfill gas-to-energy installation at the Johnson Canyon Landfill in Gonzales, California. Ameresco Johnson Canyon, LLC has an agreement with the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (SVSWA) to purchase the landfill gas for use in this plant located approximately 20 miles south of Salinas. Ameresco has also entered into a long term, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the City of Palo Alto for the renewable energy. A portion of the revenues from the sale of that power will be returned to the SVSWA for the duration of the 20-year contract. Ameresco designed, built, owns, operates, and maintains the facility, which generates enough clean energy to power nearly 1,000 homes. The public is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 12, 2013, beginning at 10:00 am. A facility tour and refreshments will follow. 09/10/2013

CalRecycle and CARB Host Workshop to Discuss Revised AB 32 Scoping Plan

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will co-host another AB 32 Draft Scoping Plan workshop on September 17, 2013 to discuss revisions to the Waste Management Sector topical documents. The workshop will follow CalRecycle's monthly meeting, and is scheduled to run from 1:00 to 4:30 pm at the CalEPA Headquarters, Byron Sher Auditorium. The workshop will explore activities to implement AB 341 pertinent to the development of the AB 32 2013 Scoping Plan Update. Of the eight topics to be reviewed, only the Composting and Anaerobic Digestion and the State Procurement sections remain in draft. Staff have now finalized documents addressing an Overview of the Waste Management Sector, Recycling Reuse and Remanufacturing, Biomass Conversion, Municipal Solid Waste Thermal Technologies, explored issues surrounding Landfilling of Waste, and have now released an AB 341 Implementation Plan. Questions regarding this workshop can be directed to <>; send comments on the overall program to <>. 09/09/2013

EDF Renewable Energy Acquires Heartland Biogas Project in Colorado

San Diego based EDF Renewable Energy has announced that the company has closed on an agreement to acquire Heartland Renewable Energy LLC and its Heartland Biogas Project located in Weld County near LaSalle, Colorado. Construction has begun on the 20 megawatt-equivalent Heartland anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas facility, and biogas deliveries are scheduled to begin by the end of first quarter 2014. The project will use a complete AD system to produce up to 4,700 million Btu (MMBtu) of biogas daily from conversion of dairy cow manure and other organics. The raw biogas will be cleaned and compressed for pipeline injection under a 20-year Gas Purchase Agreement to Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Ralph Daley, Vice President, Landfill Gas Holding for EDF Renewable Energy: "This acquisition marks a significant milestone in the expansion of our renewable portfolio as EDF Renewable Energy’s first project in the anaerobic digestion segment." EDF Renewable Energy is the US subsidiary of the French based EDF Group, formed when EDF Energies Novelles, the renewable energy arm of the parent corporation, acquired enXco, expanding EDF's presence and project portfolio in North America. 09/09/2013

SoCalGas Establishes $1MM Clean Tech Innovation Fund with LACI

The Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and the nonprofit business development agency Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) have announced the launch of a collaborative Innovation Fund. The investor owned utility (IOU) SoCalGas has established a $1 million fund with the LACI to speed development of clean technologies, leveraging the LACI's Market WishList program. SoCalGas and LACI intend to identify and help bring to market potential clean technology solutions in three key areas: fuel cells, renewable natural gas, and distributed natural gas products such as liquid transportation fuels and other chemicals. SoCalGas has reserved $1 million in "innovation fund capital" to collaborate with LACI to investigate these key areas and identify leading technologies and teams bringing the solutions to market, recruiting those best suited for incubation and development and help them deploy into SoCalGas' service territory and other key markets. The LACI program addresses inefficiencies currently hampering the development of sustainable technologies and engages local utilities, governments and industry to transform the product innovation model. Instead of entrepreneurs and researchers developing new technologies and then searching for profitable markets, the LACI process works with end customers to identify key technology areas of interest, project the economics of the target solution, size the market and provide customer engagement with the entrepreneur for demonstration and scale up. To learn more, contact LACI’s Vice President of Development, Ian Gardner at 213-375-8980 or via email at <> to discuss the WishList program in more detail. 09/09/2013

New Tool to Evaluate BC Forest Wood Waste for Community Heating

Waste wood from logging and forest fire abatement could replace 30 to 50 per cent of the fossil fuel used in British Columbia (BC), according to a new white paper released by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). Forest biomass that is routinely collected and burned around small and remote towns could generate clean energy at a lower cost than fossil fuels and significantly reduce carbon emissions for heating buildings and water. The white paper, Fire in the woods or fire in the boiler, introduces FIRST Heat, a new tool to help rural communities determine if forest biomass from wildfire mitigation can sustainably fuel a district heating system. The three rural BC communities of Burns Lake, Invermere, and Sicamous were chosen as representative examples of ecological regions that account for much of the forested area across BC. Fifty-seven communities in BC are off both power and natural gas grids, and more than 60% of the province’s land base is not connected to the natural gas grid. Data from FIRST Heat can be used to provide proof of concept for a biomass district heat project, which could be of significant value in such communities. The study was a collaboration between researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and two BC-based non-profit organizations, the Community Energy Association and the Wood Waste to Rural Heat Project (formerly the Green Heat Initiative). 09/06/2013

Recycling, Energy from Waste Facility in Walsall Receives Planning Approval

Walsall Council in the United Kingdom has granted planning permission to BH EnergyGap for a Resource Recovery and Renewable Energy Facility that will use gasification to process 300,000 tonnes of waste per year, and will produce up to 19 megawatts of electricity. According to a report to Walsall councillors, the plant will treat commercial and industrial waste, and will address a shortage of waste processing facilities in the area. The WandE facility will be located on a site approximately 3.3ha in size in an industrial area at Fryers Road, Walsall. The site had an existing planning approval to build a waste recovery and combined heat and power plant prior to submission of the new application that was just approved. The facility will sort and segregate materials such as metals, plastics, and rubble, and recover their value using the latest sorting technology such as magnets and eddy currents, near infrared cameras and air jets. The residual material will be used to produce energy using advanced thermal treatment. The resulting gas will be used to produce electricity and potentially heat for export from the site. The £100 million facility is expected take three years to construct. 09/06/2013

Algae Organizations from US and Japan Announce International Cooperation

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the US based trade association for the algae industry, and the Algae Industry Incubation Consortium, Japan (AIIC), a group working to commercialize algae biofuels in Japan, have announced a cooperative effort to share algae industry best practices and expertise. The cooperation has already begun at the International Symposium on Algal Biomass being held September 5-6 in Tokyo, Japan. The AIIC contacted the ABO for assistance in bringing together global algae expertise as part of the government of Japan's efforts to diversify the country's energy base. ABO's membership includes some of the most sophisticated algae companies in the world, and the US has become the global leader in the industry, making commercial algae production a reality. "The AIIC is grateful for the cooperation of the Algae Biomass Organization and the international algae community," said Isao Inouye of the University of Tsukuba and Board Chairman of AIIC. "Japan's energy goals and technical expertise can play a positive role in accelerating the commercialization of algae cultivation technologies that can provide sustainable fuels, chemicals and other products. We are looking forward to a productive partnership." 09/06/2013

DOD Announces Winners in 3rd Annual Defense Energy Technology Challenge

The US Department of Defense (DOD) has announced 15 winners in the 3rd Annual Defense Energy Technology Challenge (DETC), presented as part of the annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit scheduled for September 9-11, 2013 in Hawaii. The purpose of the DETC is to identify top defense-targeted clean energy solutions and match them to existing and upcoming testing and procurement opportunities. The 15 winners who were selected from 244 applications will receive an opportunity to make a presentation to a high-level feed-back panel of Army, Navy and Air Force officials at the Summit, and a 50% discount on display-fee at the Defense Energy Showcase. Two of the winners will be presenting waste conversion systems to the panel. SEaB Energy Limited's MuckBuster® is a multi award winning, small scale micro anaerobic digestion (AD) system that turns food, septic, and other organic wastes into energy. The system is housed in a transportable container, enabling it to be easily delivered and installed anywhere in the world. The Southern Research Institute is developing a micro-scale waste to energy (WTE) system based on thermochemical conversion (gasification) of agricultural and municipal solid wastes into renewable electrical power, heating, and cooling. The concept will also integrate a Fischer-Tropsch reactor creating a microrefinery capable of producing renewable liquid fuels. 09/05/2013

Green Heat's Wood Stove Challenge Receives $50K Support from NYSERDA

The Alliance for Green Heat has been awarded $50,000 in continuing support of its Wood Stove Design Challenge from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The purpose of the Wood Stove Design Challenge is to inspire engineers and manufacturers to create more efficient wood stoves, which can produce more heat with reduced emissions. Funding comes through the Biomass Heating R&D Program and will provide technical support and operations costs. Much of the technical support comes from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, where NYSERDA funding will enable testing and calibration of the test equipment and the fueling protocols. Dr. Thomas Butcher and his team will be testing portable emission analyzers next to a dilution tunnel to determine their applicability for on-site testing at the Challenge. The competition is now down to fourteen finalists. The final "head-to-head" competition and all awards ceremonies will be held on the National Mall in Washington D.C., November 15-19, 2013. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000; two and five second place prizes will share a $10,000 pot. Awards will be based on innovation, emissions control, system efficiency, per-unit affordability, and the most consumer-friendly design. Winning stoves will receive extensive publicity, and Popular Mechanics, who helped design the Challenge, will cover the winning designs in its magazine and website. 09/04/2013

Aemetis Secures EPA Advanced Biofuel RIN Certification for Keyes Plant

California based Aemetis, Inc. has announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted approval for production of ethanol from sorghum and biogas with Aemetis Keyes plant’s existing Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system. The EPA approval also authorizes higher D5 Advanced Biofuels Renewable Identification Number (RIN) generation for separated food waste feedstock used at the Keyes plant, allowing Aemetis to qualify its ethanol as Advanced Biofuels through the processing of food and beverage waste streams into ethanol. The flexible feedstock design of the Keyes plant allows Aemetis to utilize both traditional and advanced feedstocks and energy sources to produce renewable fuels, including higher-value, advanced biofuels to help meet the Advanced Biofuels requirement of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Until now, the D5 Advanced Biofuels RIN portion of the RFS has been mostly met by imported Brazilian sugarcane ethanol or by substituting D4 biodiesel RINs due to a lack of advanced ethanol production. Aemetis (formerly AE Biofuels) entered in a lease agreement with Cilion, owner of the Keyes plant in December 2009, and acquired Cilion and the plant in July 2012. Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis: "After several years of work and significant investment, today the Aemetis Keyes plant was approved by the EPA as the first corn ethanol plant in the US to be converted to use lower-carbon feedstocks and renewable energy sources to produce Advanced Biofuels and earn valuable D5 RINs." 09/04/2013

Recycled Energy Development Assumes Control of Eastman Park Utilities

Focusing on the energy efficiencies to be gained by turning waste heat into additional power, the Illinois based company Recycled Energy Development (RED) has finalized its agreement with the Eastman Kodak Company to transition the Eastman Business Park (EBP) utility infrastructure to RED. The agreement between RED-Rochester, a subsidiary of RED, and Kodak was signed on December 21, 2012, and the parties have been working through 2013 to finalize customer contracts, secure various operating permits and coordinate with Kodak’s Chapter 11 restructuring process. The utility infrastructure business provides electricity, steam, chilled water, compressed air, industrial water, sewer services, nitrogen, natural gas, and potable water to the Park’s more than 40 owners and tenants. RED-Rochester plans to make significant investments over the next five years in a variety of energy efficiency projects. Sean Casten, RED Chief Executive: "Eastman Business Park will serve as a model for how industrial facilities across the country can meet new environmental standards, particularly the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard for utility boilers (Boiler MACT)." 09/04/2013

Due 10/01/2013: Grant Applications for Materials and Manufacturing to NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) current list of Active Funding Opportunities includes a long list of solicitations focused on advancing the science of materials and manufacturing. Many of the just-opened grant programs are applicable to remanufacturing of waste-sourced materials; most have a one-month proposal window due on or around October 1, 2013. A sampling: Manufacturing Enterprise Systems (MES), on design, planning, and control of operations in manufacturing enterprises; Design of Engineering Material Systems (DEMS) supports fundamental research intended to lead to new paradigms of design, development, and insertion of advanced engineering material systems; the Materials Processing and Manufacturing (MPM) program supports fundamental, hypothesis-driven research on the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, properties, performance and process control, while the Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP) program supports fundamental research addressing the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, properties and/or life-cycle performance for targeted applications. For the Mechanics of Materials (MOM) program, emphasis is placed on fundamental understanding that i) advances theory, experimental, and/or computational methods in MoM, and/or ii) uses contemporary MoM methods to address modern challenges in material and device mechanics and physics. With the rise of nano-technology positively impacting waste conversion for biofuels production, the NanoManufacturing (NM) offers support for fundamental research and education on design and manufacturing at the nanoscale.  Emphasis of the program is on advancing manufacturing technology using production systems based on thermal, electrical, chemical and mechanical processes as well as biological actors (viruses, cells and bacteria) to fabricate nanostructures and to integrate these into micro-devices and meso- and macroscale systems. Upcoming NSF solicitation details are available at no charge through the agency's email notification program. 09/04/2013

Clariant's SunLiquid Demo Plant Receives Sustainable Biofuel Certification

Switzerland based Clariant International Ltd has announced that its demonstration facility in Straubing, Germany has received the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) for Sunliquid cellulosic biofuel production. The certificate confirms that the cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues produced with the sunliquid® technology is compliant with the sustainability criteria set out in the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED). ISCC is one of two certification procedures, together with REDcert, for ensuring the sustainability of biofuels that are recognized in Germany. ISCC focuses on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable land use, the protection of natural habitats, and social sustainability. Clariant opened the Straubing plant in July 2012, demonstrating that its sunliquid® process converts agricultural residues such as wheat straw, corn stover, and sugarcane bagasse sustainably and efficiently into cellulosic ethanol. Markus Rarbach, Head of the Biofuels & Derivatives project: "The ISCC certificate allows us to demonstrate even more clearly to potential partners the efficiency of our technology and the quality of the product from the Straubing plant. Thanks to the 95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions enabled by the sunliquid® technology, we can offer an almost carbon-neutral process solution. The expertise we gained in the certification process is part of the license package we offer our customers. This creates important added value for future plant operators, because only certified biofuels can be counted toward the legally prescribed targets." 09/03/2013

Due 10/27/2013: Stakeholder Comments to India's MoEF on Draft MSW Rule

The India Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has announced the release of a comprehensive Draft Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rule, 2013 and is seeking public comment. The document is produced both in Hindi and (beginning on page 22) English. The Draft Rule assigns oversight to first Federal then State governments, especially the State Pollution Control Board. The responsibility for implementation and enforcement is passed down to Municipal Authorities, who are to ensure that Municipal Solid Waste, or MSW, is first segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable components. Green waste, construction and demolition (C&D) debris and dairy wastes are to be collected separately from MSW. Landfills are to accept only waste that is found to be "unsuitable for waste processing" including "non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, non-reactive inert waste and other waste such as residues of waste processing facilities as well as pre-processing rejects from waste processing facilities." Design, best management practices and pollution control criteria are established for landfilling, composting and waste processing. An excellent summary of the Draft Rule has been authored by Puskar Pande and his colleagues, published in their Green Clean Guide. Stakeholder comments are to be submitted to MoEF within 60 days of the August 29, 2013 publication in the Gazette of India, by October 27, 2013. Comments may be emailed to <>, or by standard mail to the address provided in the Draft Rule. 09/03/2013

Due 10/04/2013: Grant Applications to Idaho DEQ for Sustainable Materials Mgt

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting applications for up to $20,000 per grant to support sustainable materials management projects that focus on ways to reduce the amount of resources used, as well as the environmental impacts of resource use, over a product’s life cycle. Eligible applicants include local governments, solid waste districts, health districts, Indian tribes, public and private universities and colleges, and public and private non-profit institutions. Applications must target one of the following: (1) Increase source reduction, reuse, and/or recycling by enhancing existing or initiating new programs; (2) Promote and implement zero waste programs and practices in the community; and/or (3) Decrease food waste by increasing prevention, donation, and composting or anaerobic digestion. DEQ is particularly interested in funding projects that maximize the investment for the long-term benefit of the community. Grant Instructions and a Grant Application Information Form are available on-line. DEQ's Sustainable Materials Management program funding is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Applications are due no later than 5 p.m. MDT, Friday, October 4, 2013. Submit applications by email, by fax to (208) 373-0315), or mail to Idaho DEQ, attention Ben Jarvis,1410 N. Hilton, Boise, ID 83706, <>. 09/03/2013

Canadian Model Forest Network Releases Community Bioenergy Guide

The Canadian Model Forest Network (CMFN) has released a guide to community bioenergy designed to help local community leaders, businesses, and non-profit associations assess energy options of using woody biomass. "Bioenergy Heating and Electricity Production: A Guide for Rural Communities in Canada" is one element of the CMFN's National Bioenergy Initiative that includes projects, engagement in provincial and national bioenergy policies, and providing "cutting-edge" publications. The CMFN maintains the dedicated "Wood for Energy" website for the broader Bioenergy project, intended to complement the guidebook by providing links to more information, background on provincial policies, and the work of individual Model Forests in the Network. The site will soon provide a delivery platform for a decision support tool: "A Bioenergy Options Evaluation Module for Communities." This proprietary tool with log-in will lead a community through a series of questions, in order to collect information on community needs and capacity for a bioenergy project. Together, the three tools are intended to help communities evaluate their potential to produce energy through non-traditional fuel sources. CMFN represents fourteen non-profit Canadian member organizations, and is the Canadian arm of the International Model Forest Network (IMFN): "Model Forests are based on a flexible approach to landscape and ecosystem management that combines the social, environmental and economic needs of local communities with the long-term sustainability of large landscapes in which forests are an important feature." 09/02/2013

Neste Oil and Raisioagro Research Use of Straw for Biofuel Feedstock

Neste Oil has announced a partnership with international agricultural commodities trader Raisioagro to assess the potential for use of straw as feedstock for their NExBTL biofuel. Raisioagro was created in January 2012 when Raisio Feed Ltd and Raisio's grain trade unit were combined. The research project will study whether a logistically effective and efficient, large-scale straw harvesting chain could be created in Finland. The researchers will also look at the storability of straw for use as an industrial input year-round. Neste Oil has tested processing of straw for some years; the company currently can produce renewable fuel on an industrial scale from more than 10 different feedstocks and is committed to increasing its use of waste and residues. Neste's pilot-scale microbial oil production trials were started last year when Europe's first microbial oil pilot plant was commissioned at Porvoo. Lars Peter Lindfors, Neste Oil's Senior Vice President, Technology: "Microbial oil produced from industrial and agricultural residues, such as straw, is one of our potential future feedstocks for producing NExBTL renewable diesel. We have already tested the use of straw for producing microbial oil at our pilot plant at Porvoo and the results have been promising. This latest research project will give us valuable new information on the true potential straw offers as a feedstock for producing renewable fuel in Finland and on the logistics chain needed to supply straw in the quantity required for an industrial process like ours." 09/02/2013