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Seaweed’s Promise for Algal Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

There just might be gold in algal biofuels and the team from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, based at the University of California San Diego (UCSD-SIO), is intent on finding it. UCSD-SIO has been researching micro and macro algae (seaweeds) for their potential to produce biofuels for more than 40 years. Researcher Greg Mitchell believes the search will be well rewarded in the benefits it will provide the country including offering solutions for energy security, hunger, water use, land use, biodiversity, and climate.

Seaweeds, a macro form of algae, hold great promise because of their potential for very high yields and high oil production while thriving on non-arable land. Another benefit is that they grow well in saline water. Traditionally crops will not excel in salt water and in some areas of the country valuable agricultural land has been taken out of production due to high concentrations of salt.

But as all researchers know, not all algae is created equal. There are strains of seaweeds that hold great promise for bio-energy and others that hold great promise for producing other products such as high protein meals for replacing non-sustainable ocean-caught fishmeals in aquaculture and other animal diets.

In fact, many algae companies that began with the mission of producing algal fuels have now refocused on producing algae products for the pharmaceutical, plastics, health, and agricultural feed industries. For example, there are strains of seaweeds that UCSD-SIO has been studying that grow well inland and can be used to recycle artificial seawater and waste nutrients from chicken ranches or pig farms. Algae has also been used in farm fish operations from cleaning the ponds to providing feed.Read More

algae, biofuels

Guidance on Ethanol, Biodiesel in Underground Tanks

John Davis

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting out a draft copy of its guidance for the storage of ethanol- and biodiesel-blended fuels in underground storage tanks (USTs).

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says that while the agency seems to have a handle on gasoline with more than 10 percent ethanol, there’s a bit more gray area when it comes to biodiesel:

While the draft guidance issued by the EPA would apply to USTs delivering gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol, no specific percentage threshold has yet been identified by the agency for biodiesel. According to the agency, it is aware that there may be compatibility issues with UST system equipment used to store biodiesel, but does not have any sufficient data on the compatibility of various biodiesel blends with UST system equipment that is currently in use. In other words, much of the research that has been carried out on this type of equipment for ethanol fuel blends has not addressed biodiesel fuel blends. For example, the agency notes that the U.S. DOE is currently testing the compatibility of UST systems with midlevel blends, but to the EPA’s knowledge no equivalent testing is being conducted for biodiesel-blended fuels.

The EPA also states that it acknowledges that no UST equipment has been listed by Underwriter Laboratories for use with biodiesel, but also notes that UL has issued a statement indicating that biodiesel blends of up to 5 percent will not require UL investigation. However, the UL statement cited by EPA also said that fuel blends containing higher percentages of biodiesel may have significant impacts on UST materials and components. For these reasons, the EPA said it will be seeking comments on what percentage of biodiesel in fuel blends should be included in the proposed guidance.

You can read the proposed guidance here.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, News

Biodiesel Board Offers Scholarship to Feb. Conference

John Davis

They say education is expensive (but ignorance is even more so!), so our friends at the National Biodiesel Board are offering a scholarship to their upcoming conference to better educate students about the importance of biodiesel.

One fortunate student scientist with an interest in biodiesel will get a full-ride scholarship to the biggest biodiesel event of the year – the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Feb. 6 – 9 in Phoenix, Ariz.:

The scholarship will include:

* Conference registration (a $725 value);
* Three nights hotel;
* Airfare (domestic travel only);
* Networking opportunities with some of the brightest minds in biodiesel research;
* Recognition in conference materials.

The NBB will also be offering several other scholarships to the conference that reduce the registration fee to just $100.

This latest move to encourage student interest in biodiesel comes on the heels of the NBB launching the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative, a student group formed to demonstrate and grow support for biodiesel among tomorrow’s scientific leaders.

Applicants must be a college/university student in a scientific field of study and must have signed the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative’s online declaration of support. Students need to submit:

* A resume
* A 500-word summary of your experience with biodiesel, commitment to biodiesel, and career plans
* Optional: a biodiesel-related photograph of yourself
* Optional: an I Believe in Biodiesel video clip

Application deadline is December 15, 2010. More information is available here.

This project is supported by the National Biodiesel Board and the United Soybean Board through the soybean checkoff.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, conferences, NBB, Soybeans

Military, Biobased Products Seen as Top Trends for 2011

John Davis

Military interests and biobased product value streams are seen as the biggest drivers for the biofuel industry in the coming year … that’s according to a new poll from the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and Biofuels Digest.

The poll looked at “11 Hot Trends for 2011” and was launched during the recent Advanced Biofuels Markets 2010 conference in San Francisco:

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, said, “The biofuels industry is optimistic that the economy will recover this year, increasing opportunities for advanced biofuel producers to finance construction of new projects. Production of renewable chemicals and biobased products as additional value streams should make these projects attractive investments within the renewable sector. The industry also believes that Congress has a role to play, by crafting energy and tax policies that recognize production of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products as vital to the nation’s economic competitiveness as well as national and energy security.”Read More

BIO, Government

Survey Says…Growers Ready to Grow Energy Crops

Joanna Schroeder

America’s growers are ready and willing to produce biomass for advanced biofuels and biopower and have the land to do so according to a survey released by Ceres, Inc. The survey of U.S. growers showed that 71 percent of respondents were very interested or interested in growing dedicated energy crops. In addition, 77 percent of the respondents said they had underutilized land on which they could grow energy grasses like miscanthus, switchgrass or sorghum.

This survey comes on the tail of a recent announcement by the USDA regarding the final rules for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). The program pays eligible growers a incentive to grow biomass crops for use for biopower or to create biofuels.

Ceres is counting on the growth of biomass for bioenergy and most recently announced that they have developed the first salt tolerant crop, switchgrass. This is a huge advancement especially for agricultural areas that have ceased to produce crops due to the high levels of salt in the water supply. Eventually, Ceres will be looking for farmers to grow their proprietary energy crops.

One of the main reasons survey respondents had for growing energy crops was the ability to diversify their current operations. Other reasons given were better use of marginal land and spending less time, money and resources on crop management. In addition, 70 percent of respondents were open to engaging in long-term contracts and 48 percent said they would anticipate putting at least half of their acreage in long-term contracts.

“This is one of the areas where we were interested in learning more about, since reliable feedstock supplies will be critical for new bioenergy facilities to obtain project financing,” said Gary Koppenjan who directs communications and product marketing for Ceres. “What constitutes a long-term contract will likely be an area for discussion, but it appears the suppliers and users are on the same page.”

This non-scientific survey was completed during the summer of 2010 and was skewed to growers in the Southeast United States since that is an area particularly suited to grow energy crops.

bioenergy, biofuels, biomass

How Loud Is A Wind Turbine?

Joanna Schroeder

There are several complaints that plague the wind industry including noise, visual impact and bird and bat mortality. Along with these complaints are sources that attempt to mitigate these issues. However, as with any emerging industry, the extent of negatives and positives are not known until later. That is why research is focused on answering these questions.

For example, many in the wind industry along with government agencies and universities have been conducting research on the topic of bird fatalities. The research includes bird and bat behaviors including migration, collisions statistics, how the turbine designs themselves affect birds and bats, and even how site selection can mitigate negative impacts.

Other areas of research focus around noise. Many people who live near wind farms complain about the noise, but how loud are they? The closest wind turbine to a home is 300 meters but they are usually placed further away. At this distance, a turbine will have a sound pressure level of 43 decibels. This decibel level equates to the noise emitted by an average air conditioner, which can reach 50 decibels of noise or a refrigerator which can reach up to 40 decibels.

General Electric (GE), one of the leading wind turbine technology developers and manufactures, has taken this complaint seriously. As a result, they have published a new graphic that demonstrates the “noise” factor of a wind turbine. According to GE, at .3 miles (500 meters) away from a turbine, the sound pressure level drops to 38 decibels.

According to Keith Longtin of GE Global Research, in most places, background noise ranges from 40 to 45 decibels, meaning that a turbine’s noise would be lost among other noises. For the stillest, most rural areas, Longtin says the background noise is 30 decibels. At that level, a turbine located about a mile away wouldn’t be heard. While more research is certainly needed, you can compare the noise from a wind turbine with the noise of other household items in the graph above.

Electricity, Energy, Wind

Is the Age of Electric Vehicles Finally Upon Us?

Joanna Schroeder

The LA Auto Show took place last week and several of the hottest cars were electric vehicles (EVs). On display were the much anticipated Chevy Volt along with its current biggest competitor the Nissan Leaf. According to Chevy, the Volt will be available sometime this year for pre-order and manufacturing will begin sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Once it is finally available, the price tag is expected to be in the $40K range. So maybe, just maybe consumers will actually get their hands on the Volt in 2011.

Nissan took orders for the the Nissan Leaf earlier this year and according to the company, the first year model is sold out. With a price tag around $32K it will definitely be a competitor to the Volt. But here is where the cars really differ. The Volt is both a plug-in electric vehicle with flex-fuel capability (PHEV). In other words, it has a gas backup that can run on anything from 100 percent gasoline to eighty-five percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, (E85) while the Leaf is a plug-in electric only vehicle (PEV).

But how hot will EVs and PHEV’s really be? The auto industry is banking on them and nearly all major auto companies have either an EV or PHEV car that will hit the market by 2012. Here are some examples: Audi is releasing 2 models, BMW is releasing 4 models, Ford is releasing 2 models, Mercedes Benz is releasing 4 models, Toyota is releasing 4 new models, Lexus is releasing 5 models, and Honda is releasing 5 new models. In addition, Cadillac has one model, Hyundai is launching its first hybrid, as is Jaguar, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, KIA, SAAB, and Volkswagen. And this list doesn’t include the hybrids and EVs from independent car companies such as Fisker Karma, the Coda sedan, Smart Fortwo EV and Weego LiFE.

What is interesting is that very few of these vehicles are set to be plug-in electric FFV vehicles (PHEVs) meaning most won’t be able to use higher blends of ethanol for their “gas” back-ups. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice two things of interest. First, most of the EVs are coming from foreign manufacturers and countries such as China have plans to dominate the EV market. These same manufactures are not releasing many, if any FFVs. Second, American auto manufacturers are not releasing as many EV models as foreign manufacturers. However, in their case, they are releasing significantly more FFVs.

It will be extremely interesting to watch consumer adoption of the next generation of FFVs and EVs and simultaneously see if the American auto industry comes out on top with its gamble on alternative fuels or if foreign auto makers will continue to gain market share with their gamble on EVs.

E85, Electric Vehicles, Ethanol

Regulators Give Ohio Wind Farm the OK

John Davis

A 98-turbine wind farm in Ohio is moving forward after regulators in that state gave the developers permission to build the project, designed to generate up to 150.4 megawatts of energy.

BrighterEnergy.org reports the Ohio Power Siting Board will allow Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy to build the second phase of its Timber Road wind farm on 15,000 acres leased in Northwest Ohio:

The wind farm is to use either Acciona 1.5MW turbines, GE 1.6MW machines or Vestas 1.8MW turbines, with expectations of generating between 395,000 and 460,000 megawatt-hours of power each year.

The project could see construction starting next month, in a project expected to support 420 construction jobs followed by 43 full-time operations roles.

Horizon, which is developing the project through its Paulding Wind Farm II LLC subsidiary, filed its application with the Board in May for certification to site its Timber Road II Wind farm.

The developers had to agree to several provisions that would lessen the impacts on the environment. The project is seen as being a big step toward Ohio meeting its goal of 25 percent of the state’s electricity from alternative energy sources by 2025, half of which must come from renewable resources.

Wind

Gore Ethanol Comments Generate Industry Response

Cindy Zimmerman

A Reuters report out of Athens today on former Vice President Al Gore’s comments about corn ethanol has generated responses from the U.S. ethanol industry.

According to the article, Gore said, “It is not a good policy to have these massive subsidies for (U.S.) first generation ethanol,” while speaking at a green energy business conference in Athens. He blamed his original support for corn ethanol on his presidential campaign. “One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee, and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president.”

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis responded to Gore’s reported comments by noting the great success of first generation ethanol. “Earlier this year, we invited former Vice President Al Gore to visit a modern day ethanol plant to see firsthand what America’s grain ethanol industry has done, and what it can do, for our country given greater access to an open market. Our offer still stands.” Buis sent Gore a follow-up letter today.

On the Renewable Fuels Association E-xchange blog, Matt Hartwig said that Gore was right about ethanol the first time. “Now he tells us: Al Gore was for grain ethanol before he was against it,” writes Hartwig. “Gore bemoans “the lobbies that keep it [ethanol] going.” What about Big Oil lobbying for ever-more costly and risky offshore drilling? Gore should stop apologizing for having supported ethanol. He had it right the first time.”

Gore also reportedly said the corn ethanol has a definite impact on food prices, which has been disputed, and that he supports next generation ethanol from non-food feedstocks, which would not be possible without supporting first generation corn ethanol.

The Reuters story is being regurgitated by such news outlets as the Washington Post, FOX News and the Des Moines Register, but an actual transcript of Gore’s remarks has yet to surface.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, RFA

Gene Find Could Boost Cellulosic Ethanol Production

Cindy Zimmerman

The discovery of a new gene could help in the production of cellulosic ethanol.

purduePurdue University scientists have found the last undiscovered gene responsible for the production of the amino acid phenylalanine, a discovery that could lead to processes to control the amino acid to boost plants’ nutritional values and produce better biofuel feedstocks.

The researchers have determined that the gene is one of ten responsible for phenylalanine production in plants, which is important for plant protein synthesis and for the production of flower scent, anti-oxidants and lignin, a principal plant cell wall component that helps plants stand upright and acts as a barrier in the production of cellulosic ethanol. It is one of the few essential amino acids that humans and animals cannot synthesize, so it must come from plants.

Decreasing phenylalanine could lead to a reduction in lignin, which would improve digestibility of cellulosic materials for ethanol production. Increasing phenylalanine could boost the nutritional value of some foods.

Source: Purdue University press release

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research