SDSU Helping to Improve Ethanol Plant Efficiency

Cindy Zimmerman

South Dakota State University (SDSU) is helping to improve the efficiency of ethanol plants.

The SDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department recently invested in small scale, corn milling and ethanol processing equipment to let ethanol plant mangers test process adjustments in order to optimize efficiency.

“This small equipment allows them to test small adjustments and see how they work without the expense or risk associated with testing adjustments in a large ethanol plant,” said Van Kelley, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering department head. “If adjustments aren’t made correctly at a plant processing 100,000 bushels of corn per day – it ends up being an extremely expensive mistake.”

Kelly and his department recently hosted a two-day seminar for some 20 POET plant engineers and managers who got to try out the new equipment. During the hands-on training, POET engineers and process managers used the processing equipment to test many different operating parameters – moisture content, temperature and time. A new, near-infrared spectroscopy system was used to measure the moisture, fiber, protein and fat in the samples.

“This training is designed to go beyond “here’s how you operate the equipment,” and introduce the science behind the milling,'” said said Operations Engineering Manager Beau Schmaltz. The workshop was tested by POET, but designed for the entire ethanol industry.

In this photo provided by SDSU: Shane Roby, operations engineer for POET is pouring a corn sample into the roller mill that has already undergone one pass through the rollers and aspiration separation. Casey Baumiller, left, associate process engineer and Josh Karaus, quality manager are looking on. Byron Thomas, process automation engineer, seated in the background is inspecting another test sample.

Read more from SDSU here.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, POET, Research

Buy FREEDOM Learn Truth About Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

During the 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop attendees got a chance to see the new documentary from Josh & Rebecca Tickell. I first met Josh during a National Biodiesel Conference before he produced his award winning film, “Fuel.” Together with Rebecca they have now produced a film that should open a lot of people’s eyes about the myths surrounding ethanol. It is called “FREEDOM.”

FREEDOM is a one-hour documentary that takes a hard look at America’s perilous and unsustainable addiction to foreign oil. It explores the role that Ethanol plays as a homegrown alternative that will boost the domestic economy, create jobs and reduce our need to rely on dangerous and unstable parts of the world for our fuel. Filmmakers Josh Tickell and his wife Rebecca set out on a journey to take a fresh look at Ethanol and try to separate the myth from the hyperbole.

Following the screening which was viewed in a packed room at the FEW, I spoke with them about their latest project.

Rebecca says the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico last year spurred them to look into more alternatives to oil. So they did some checking to find out the truths about our main alternative fuel source, ethanol, and had their eyes opened when they looked into the myths surrounding the industry and the fuel. They spoke to experts on all sides of the debate including the authors of anti-ethanol studies.

They chose the title, “FREEDOM,” because event though we were promised by our current President in his election campaign that he would bring our troops home from the Middle East, we have actually increased the number of our soldiers there. Developing our own renewable fuel choices would give us freedom from that situation. They also point out the complete lack of a fuel choice at the pump and say that’s not freedom either.

The couple is embarking on a 30-city FREEDOM bus tour to promote their new film and you can see the schedule and find out more about the project on their website. You can watch and purchase the film there. They are producing a 90 minute theatrical version of the film too.

Josh/Rebecca Tickell Interview

You may want to consider purchasing the film to show to your neighbors and friends or your favorite skeptic. How about sending a copy to your elected leaders? It’s great for generating conversation!

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW

Trident Inceni Sports Car Fueled With B100

Joanna Schroeder

In the market for a sexy sports car? Than look no further than the new British-born Trident Inceni, a biodiesel powered “supercar”. The car will be officially unveiled during the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power in Cheshire, England being held July 15-17, 2011. The event is a showcase of performance and power that includes car racing, power boat racing, aerobatics, and military action.

The two-seater super car can travel up to 100 miles on a single gallon of fuel and up to 2,000 miles on a full tank. The company credits its phenomenal gas mileage on its patented technology called torque multiplication. The Trident Inceni can reach speeds of up to 200 mph. It sports a 6.6 liter V8 turbodiesel giving it enough power to go from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. According to the company, this “flex-fuel” sports car can run on any blend of biodiesel including B100. What might this beauty set you back? A mere $150,000 – but think about all the money you’ll save in fuel.

During the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, the Trident Inceni will show off its wares during several on-track performances scheduled to take place throughout the event.

Biodiesel

Maryland Home to Two New Solar Systems

Joanna Schroeder

Maryland is the home of two new commercial solar projects. The systems are located in Talbot and Frederick Counties. One system is comprised of a 550kW ground mount solar array for the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, MD. The other system is a 499kW rooftop system for Oakdale High School in ljamsville, MD. The two systems were developed and installed via a partnership between Mercury Solar Systems and Nautilus Solar.

“Maryland has accelerated its adoption of solar energy over the past twelve months and we believe projects like Talbot County’s will spur additional activity in this sector in the months ahead,” said Frank Alfano, CEO, Mercury Solar Systems. “We are committed to extending our leadership position into the Maryland market and are pleased to have partnered with Nautilus Solar on these two initial projects.”

Talbot County’s solar system is the largest funded to date by The Maryland Energy Administration’s Project Sunburst Program.

Rick Towle, Director of the Talbot County Department of Parks & Recreation added, “Talbot County Council support allowed this forward thinking arrangement to take shape as part of a process to help County owned facilities model environmentally responsible operations. We thank Mercury Solar Systems and Nautilus Solar for making this solar project a reality — it will produce a significant amount of clean energy for our community and reduce our electricity costs by 50 percent.”

Electricity, Energy, Solar

First Zero-Waste Biochemical Refinery In Production

Joanna Schroeder

The country’s first zero-waste biochemical refinery is now up and running in Missoula, Montana. The facility is owned and operated by Blue Marble Biomaterials and uses a combination of clean technologies to produce specialty biochemicals that can be used in the food, cosmetics and personal care markets. Each year the biorefinery will produce 72 tons of biochemicals, and its only “waste” is purified water and pellet fuel for wood boilers.

“This biorefinery is an excellent example of how the U.S. can ensure global leadership in advanced manufacturing: we have developed cutting edge technology which combine the fields of biology, chemistry, and industrial manufacturing to produce petroleum replacing chemicals,” said Blue Marble CEO Kelly Ogilvie. “These products will reinvigorate the meaning of Made in America: more lean, more clean and sourced from our abundant renewable natural resources.”

Last week, President Obama announced intentions to invest $500 million in U.S.-based advanced manufacturing technologies via an Advanced Manufacturing Program. The Blue Marble co-founders, Ogilvie and James Stephens, served on the council that worked with the president in forming the program.

The system uses a range of plant feedstocks to produce the biochemicals. The facility uses a photo-bioreactor containing algae to purify wastewater and waste gas from the fermentation system. In addition, the solid waste generated during the production process is pelletized for use in wood-burning furnaces and stoves. In the future, the company intends to power its facility with the waste gas and pellets created during the process in onsite gasifiers.

“Natural systems are the inspiration for our processes. Just as in nature, we see waste as nutritional; in this case, wastewater, waste gas and waste solids are industrial nutrients for both our system and the surrounding economy,” added Stephens. “We believe this principal is key to reducing not only environmental impact but also operational cost.”

biochemicals, bioenergy, biogas

Ethanol Report on Energy Independence for Boaters

Cindy Zimmerman

The Independence Day holiday is one of the biggest boating days of the year so it’s a good time to remind boaters that ethanol is helping to make our nation more energy independent.

This edition of “The Ethanol Report” is about how ethanol producers and boat racers have teamed up to show that 10 percent ethanol runs perfectly well in marine engines. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) became a sponsor for the National Boat Racing Association this year and worked with them on the championship race held in Kansas June 25-26.

Ethanol Report PodcastThis report features comments from RFA board member Steve Gardner with East Kansas Agri-Energy, NBRA president Dan Crummett, and race organizer Vernon Barfield.

Listen to or download the latest Ethanol Report here: Ethanol Report on Boating with Ethanol

See photos from the race here: NBRA Ethanol Boat Race

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA

Pioneer DPP Goes Mobile

Chuck Zimmerman

Pioneer was demonstrating the new mobile app for their Dynamic Pricing Platform during the just concluded 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. I spoke with Steve Crowe, Pioneer Business Manager, Biofuels about the new method of interacting with your DPP account. That’s his iPhone in the photo in front of the monitor showing the desktop version.

Steve says that smartphones have become so prevalent that they created both iPhone and Android versions of the app. You’ll need a DPP account to use the app but the app is free. He says producer feedback has been great. It allows ethanol plants a way to reach out directly to local farmers to purchase grain. No seed purchase is necessary btw. Steve Crowe Interview

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW

IRL Moving To E85 In 2012

Chuck Zimmerman

The CEO of the Indy Racing League is Randy Bernard, seen shaking hands with Iowa Corn Growers CEO, Craig Floss, during last weekend’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 activities. I spoke with Randy who says that the League has been working to create a lot more buzz and excitement this year. Judging by the sell out crowd for the Iowa race, things must be working.

I asked him to comment on the relationship with Pioneer and the Iowa Corn Growers. He said, “The fact that we’ve got a great title sponsor here with Iowa Corn Growers and that we run ethanol . . . this is the type of sponsor that we love to be working with because ethanol is a very important part of our business and next year we’re going to E85 to show pump relevancy.”

You can listen to my interview with Randy here: Randy Bernard Interview

2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, IA Corn Indy

Pilot Scale Waste-to-Energy Plant Operational

Joanna Schroeder

A pilot scale waste-to-energy facility is now up and running in Edmonton, Canada. The $12.5 million Advanced Energy Research Facility is comprised of both the plant and a full-scale lab. The project is a partnership between Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES), the City of Edmonton and Enerkem. The province of Alberta is well known as an oil producing region and now the city hopes this project will begin to establish the region as a leader in generating renewable fuels.

“Alberta may be known for our oil and gas, but projects like this one prove we are leaders in green energy development too,” said the Honourable Greg Weadick, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “Countries worldwide want greener energy and there’s no other place with our combination of research talent, one-of-a-kind infrastructure, and background in energy development to bring this kind of technology to the world.”

The waste-to-energy plant, being built by Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, will be able to produce biofuels and biochemicals from various waste products include non-hazardous waste from the oil and gas industry, ag and forestry waste and organic waste from the municipal sector. This project is just one part of a $132.5 million waste-to-energy project that also includes a municipal waste processing facility being built by the City of Edmonton.

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel said of the project, “Edmonton is a pioneer in waste management and this research centre helps us enter the next phase of our strategy, which is to recover value from waste that can’t be recycled or composted.This is a major component of the City’s plan to manage our waste in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.”

The Advanced Energy Research Facility was supported in part by the Government of Alberta though a $29 million AI-EES grant as well as $3.35 million from Alberta Energy. In addition, the City of Edmonton contributed $43.5 million to the project.

Vincent Chornet, President and CEO of Enerkem added, “Enerkem is proud to take part in this innovative project, by providing its leading technology and expertise in the conversion of waste into biochemicals and clean fuels. This state-of-the-art facility will attract high calibre researchers from around the world, and will lead to the production of more sustainable products.”

biofuels, Waste-to-Energy

How Do Farmers Choose Bioenergy Crops?

Joanna Schroeder

Carolyn Hoagland was recently awarded the Volkswagen Distinguished Scholar for her work in learning about how farmers choose to grow bioenergy crops. Hoagland, an adult student, is an environmental science major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). She conducted her research while working as an intern at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Hoagland found that many aspects of farmers’ choices as well as U.S. farm policy are complex. However, she determined that high quality farm ground is unlikely to be converted to cellulosic energy crops if farmers are concerned about making a profit.

“Most ethanol produced in the U.S. is currently made from corn grain, and the government would like to limit that process and encourage ethanol to be produced instead from non-food crops like switchgrass or hybrid poplar,” said Hoagland. “These poor quality acres can sometimes be profitably converted to switchgrass or other energy crops, but only if a biorefinery is nearby to buy the biomass energy crop.”

The USDA has programs in place to encourage farmers to grow bioenergy crops including the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). However, this program is in jeopardy when at the beginning of June, the Senate voted to discontinue any funding for the program in 2012. The bill still needs to go to the House for vote but the industry is confident that it will look much different than the Senate version.

Hoagland presented her research during the Annual Meeting and International Research Conference of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has been studying energy for more than a decade.

“Getting the internship changed my life. In class, it helped me see the big picture. When you’re taking a 300 or 400-level class, it’s hard to put the information into context, but if you’ve completed an internship, when the information is presented, you can understand it UTC had been very welcoming place for adult students,” Hoagland concluded.

biofuels, biomass, Cellulosic, Research