ISU Testing Biomass/Coal Blend to Reduce Emissions

Joanna Schroeder

In a recent article published in Inside Iowa State (ISU), researchers are looking into the replacement of some coal with wood pellets. The biomass is being studied as an additive to coal, to reduce it’s carbon footprint. Beginning on July 15, 2010, two coal-fired boilers located on the ISU campus, began to burn wood pellets as part of a series of tests that utilities staff are conducting over several weeks. The tests will help officials assess the feasibility of replacing some coal with biomass, which is considered a cleaner fuel source, according to Jeff Witt, assistant director of utilities.

“We’re doing this to see what other alternative energy sources are feasible,” he said. “We’ll be assessing both the environmental and economic impacts of using these sources.”

The first test will involve a mix of 10 percent wood pellets with 90 percent coal. In a recent test the mix was 5 percent wood pellets to 95 percent coal. The researchers have approval from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to test up to a 20 percent wood pellet blend. The study is estimated to take three months with air emissions one of the major components of the project.

The wood being used in the tests is from Colorado pine trees that have been decimated by pine beetles. For more than a decade, pine beetles have been attacking the trees and currently in Colorado and Wyoming, more than 3 million acres of trees have been lost.

One of the drawbacks of using wood pellets is the expense – nearly double the cost of coal – according to Witt. He notes, however, that like other technologies, long-term contracts and the maturity of a technology will lower the costs.

biomass, News, Research

CFDC Urges More Dialogue on Biofuels Tax Incentives

Joanna Schroeder

Recent Department of Commerce figures are showing that despite an effort for America to curb its imports of foreign oil, they are actually increasing. This at the cost of billions of dollars flowing to foreign companies, governments and citizens. For this reason, Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) is urging Congress to be mindful of the significant contributions from ethanol. They also applauded Growth Energy’s call for new thinking about ethanol tax incentives and the need to improve market access.

Douglas A. Durante, CFDC Executive Director, in a call with reporters this week, said that disjointed policies regarding tax incentives and market initiatives needed to be reconciled if first generation ethanol is going to lead to 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels. Durante noted that the incentives to blend have certainly been effective but with the E10 blend wall facing the industry, such an incentive has little or no value when there is nowhere to put the product.

To support his claims, Durante cited a report released by the Congressional Budget Office last week and commissioned by U.S. Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-MN). The report suggested the current lower tax rate for biofuels actually might not be the most effective method of incenting new production.Read More

biofuels, Ethanol, News

Green Scissors 2010 Calls for Cut in Wasteful Spending

Joanna Schroeder

At the helm of Friends of the Earth, a new report was released today highlighting government programs and subsidies that are wasteful to taxpayers, harmful to the environment and bad for consumers. The Green Scissors 2010 report targeted four major areas for budget cuts including energy, agriculture and biofuels, infrastructure, and public lands.

Many of the recommendations of this report come as no surprise to the agricultural and biofuels industry, as over the past two weeks, members of Friends of the Earth surreptitiously called agricultural organizations across the country, questioning them about their methods of production.

According to an industry insider whose company received multiple calls from various people in the employ of Friends of the Earth, the organization was asking questions about ground water quality (ag production, mainly corn and soybeans have been linked to the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone) and hypoxia; two issues that have made national headlines in recent weeks. It is also no secret that Friends of the Earth has engaged in an active anti-agribusiness and biofuels campaign over the past few years, and the environmental organization has been tied to Big Oil through contribution monies.

It should be known that, Friends of the Earth, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Clean Air Task Force are currently engaged in a campaign to end the ethanol tax credit (VEETC) as well as the ethanol tariff. They have specifically attacked Growth Energy’s corn-ethanol advertising campaign in the Beltway.

They write on their website, “Tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money has already been wasted under the credit [VEETC]. And these funds do little more than to further line the coffers of the oil industry. This coalition is working to prevent an additional 30 billion plus dollars from being lavished on the industry to fulfill a legally mandated requirement to blend an environmentally harmful fuel into another environmentally harmful one.”Read More

biofuels, Ethanol, Oil, Opinion, politics, Research, Solar, transportation, Wind

Pitching for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol hit a home run at the Iowa Cubs game last night in Des Moines.

With the help of Renewable Fuels Association chairman Chris Standlee of Abengoa Bioenergy throwing out the first pitch, the Iowa Cubs beat Oklahoma City RedHawks 8-5 Wednesday night in front of 9,088 fans on Ethanol Night at Principal Park.

The promotional event featured ethanol information and displays, ethanol t-shirts and giveaways. Ethanol industry leaders from Iowa and around the nation attending the event, which was held in conjunction with RFA’s quarterly board meeting being held in Des Moines this week.

Looks like it was lots of fun for everyone – see all the photos here in the RFA Flickr Photo Album from the event.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Promotion, RFA

Energy Crop Production Looks Good in Tennessee

Joanna Schroeder

The University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative (UTBI) is closely watching how more than 1,000 acres of newly planted varieties of switchgrass will compare to current varieties. This project is part of a U.S. DOE project that was developed to study improved efficiencies in bioenergy production from biomass. The scale of the acreage will allow for assessment of the environmental and economic sustainability of the different varieties. Farmers and researchers should gain useful information on seed stock performance including disease and drought resistance, tolerance to humidity, and other agronomic variables.

The project team is headed by UT researchers Dr. Sam Jackson and Dr. Nicole Labbe who are also working with Ceres and Dupont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE). Farmers from nine east Tennessee counties, along with members of the research team, have planted more than 1,000 acres of switchgrass varieties that have been developed by Ceres. The results will be compared with 1,000 acres of a more traditional variety of switchgrass known as “Alamo”.  These acres have been established on private farms as part of the UTBI farmer incentive program that now totals nearly 6,000 acres.

Once the switchgrass is harvested, it will be turned into cellulosic ethanol at Genera Energy/DDCE’s demonstration-scale biorefinery located in Vonore, Tenn. Genera Energy is hosting a groundbreaking of the facility located in the Tennessee’s Biomass Innovation Park on July 29, 2010.
Read More

biomass, News, Research

Railway to Test Montana Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

A switch engine in Havre, Montana is making the switch to 20 percent biodiesel for a year-long experiment to see how it works on trains in the Treasure State.

On July 17, BNSF Railway celebrated the official start of the project where Montana State University-Northern’s Bio-Energy Center will test biodiesel produced by Earl Fisher Biofuels in one of two BNSF Railway switch engines used at the Havre Depot. The testing will take place during the four seasons of Montana weather from extreme cold to intense heat. During the year long program one switch train will continue to use diesel to act as a control and the other will run on a mix of 20 percent biodiesel, which BNSF requires be made with Montana-grown oil seeds. With BNSF now a steady client, Earl Fisher Biofuels will have year-round demand for biodiesel and for the crops — such as camelina, canola and safflower seeds — that produce it.

Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) was on hand for the kick off event, pictured here between Greg Kegel, dean of MSU-Northern’s College of Technical Sciences (left) and Beau Price of BNSF (right) with a jar of biodiesel. The MSU Northern Bio Energy Center will be the site of the Agricultural Biofuel Summit on October 19-20, facilitated by Ethanol Producers And Consumers (EPAC) made possible through a Growth Through Agriculture grant. EPAC provided the photo and information for this story.

Biodiesel

Another E85 Dispenser UL Certified

Dresser Wayne, producer of fuel dispensers, has announced that their Reliance® E-Series fuel dispensers for retail and fleet applications received Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification for dispensing ethanol up to E85. Underwriters Laboratories sets safety standards and conducts compliance-testing on a wide range of products.

The Reliance E-Series dispenser’s UL certification follows the recent UL certification of the Dresser Wayne Ovation® Eco Fuel retail dispenser.

“There are a large number of flex-fuel vehicles in government fleets with renewable fuel requirements, but they often lack the supporting local infrastructure for E85 fueling,” says Scott Negley, director of Alternative Energy Products for Dresser Wayne. “UL certification of our E85 Reliance E-Series dispensers can make it easier for government and business fleet customers to gain approval from local authorities for the installation of E85 fleet-fueling facilities.”

The ethanol industry is expecting that Dresser Wayne and Gilbarco Veeder Root pumps will be UL certified to be used for mid to high level blending soon.

E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Marketers Back Renewable Fuels Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

The nation’s major fuel marketing associations are advocating legislation that will help them sell higher blends of renewable fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel greater than E10 or B5.

NACS – the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing, along with NATSO (representing America’s Travel Plazas and Truckstops), Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA), and Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) have joined the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) in supporting the Renewable Fuels Marketing Act of 2010 (HR 5778), which was introduced yesterday by U.S. Representatives Mike Ross (D-AR) and John Shimkus (R-IL).

According to NACS, “the bill will enable retailers to have existing equipment evaluated and legally approved to sell new renewable fuels and will expedite the approval of new equipment. It also will protect retailers from Clean Air Act violations and liability associated with self-service consumers fueling unapproved engines with higher blends of renewable fuels.”

On the RFA blog, communications director Matt Hartwig said the legislation will help provide for a “seamless transition” to E15, whenever it is approved by EPA, “accelerating the adoption of E15 and the needed expansion of the ethanol market.”

The groups collectively sent a letter to Reps. Ross and Shimkus thanking them for their leadership in introducing the bill.

Biodiesel, Equipment, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Ethanol in Senate Ag Hearing Spotlight

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol took the spotlight in a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday on the Farm Bill’s energy and rural development programs.

Testimony at the hearing came from USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager, Growth Energy Co-chairman General Wesley Clark, National Alliance of Forest Owners president Dave Tenny, and New York dairy producer Eric Zuber. The discussion ranged from increasing the blend rate for ethanol, meeting targets for advanced biofuels, ethanol tax incentives and tariffs, the use of forest biomass for energy production, and methane production from livestock waste.

Tonsager was questioned about the Biorefinery Loan Guarantee Program of the Farm Bill and why only two loan guarantees have been granted in two years. “We’ve had 17 applications for the program, of those 10 had to be rejected because they didn’t have lenders,” said Tonsager, which is a requirement of the project and he blames that on a holding back in the private sector. As to the rest, two have been approved and they are working on others.

When questioned by Senator John Thune (R-SD) about increasing ethanol blend rate to 15 percent and delays by the EPA to made a decision on the matter, Tonsager reiterated USDA’s support of the increase and Secretary Tom Vilsack’s advocacy for it. Tonsager also said that he believes federal forest lands have potential to provide biomass for energy production, supporting the definition of renewable biomass in the Farm Bill, something that Thune advocates. “We thought the Farm Bill struck the balance and would like to see that applied to the RFS,” said Thune.

Gen. Clark’s testimony before the committee on behalf of corn ethanol was passionate and emphatic, with his opening statement running more than twice as long as the five minutes allotted for each witness. “Today we do have a liquid fuel alternative to imported oil, and that alternative is ethanol,” said Clark, stressing that those imports cost $300 billion a year. “It’s $1000 per man, woman and child in America, every year, just so we can fill up our tanks with foreign oil.” Clark called corn-based ethanol an “incredible jewel of innovation” and expressed pride in the fact that it was developed here in the United States.

Listen to or download Clark’s opening testimony here: Wesley Clark Senate Testimony

Clark was questioned about the Growth Energy “Fueling Freedom” proposal announced last week that would phase out the blenders tax credit for ethanol and redirect those dollars toward increasing infrastructure like blender pumps. “It’s a concept, not a rigid proposal, with respect to timing,” Clark said, with regard to whether the idea should be implemented by the end of this year when the tax credit expires. He also said that the proposal should be tied to an energy bill. “If we can’t pass comprehensive energy legislation, we fully support the extension of current tax policies and the extension of the secondary tariff on foreign ethanol,” said Clark, “for five years, at the current rate.”

Energy, Ethanol, Government, Growth Energy

Biodiesel Board Looks to Fill Technical Position

John Davis

I had a job interview with the National Biodiesel Board the other day. No, not a job interview for ME, but an interview about a job NBB has to offer.

I sat down with my friend Donnell Rehagen, Chief Operating Officer for the NBB, and he told me about a technical position they have supporting the biodiesel industry with group’s sound science and research elements on a variety of topics.

“We’re looking for somebody with a chemistry or a chemical engineering background to help us manage some of our technical work that continues to go on in our industry.”

The technical programs include interaction with engine manufacturers and ASTM process; the type of work to help keep the biodiesel industry grounded.
While the technical skills are important to support the group, Rehagen stresses that this is a management position that also requires someone to be able to have strong public speaking and communication traits, as well as organizational skills. And he says someone with a biodiesel background wouldn’t hurt.

“That would absolutely be helpful. Not necessary, but that would be helpful to have somebody who’s got a little bit of a background, if not in biodiesel, renewable fuels would be a plus.”

Rehagen admits that while they haven’t given up on the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive, the loss of the credit has hurt the industry, and there could be some very good candidates for this position. He also believes that the long-term future of the biodiesel industry is still pretty bright.

The job would be in Jefferson City, Missouri … just down the street from what I believe is the prettiest state capitol building in all of the country. Picture the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. but just a bit smaller … and no nasty traffic and pollution.

Rehagen says while they want to fill the position as soon as possible, they’re not going to rush the process.

“It’s got to be the right person, the right fit. Somebody who has an interest and love for biodiesel, [because] it’s not just a job.”

You can hear or download my conversation with Donnell here: Donnell Rehagen

More information is available at this website.

Biodiesel, NBB