Symposium to Look at Biodiesel Feedstocks

John Davis

A symposium for biodiesel feedstocks is slated for November 21st in St. Louis, Mo. The Center for Evergreen Energy at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will host the event, designed to address some of the current challenges in biofuel feedstock research and production:

Biodiesel producers, marketers and feedstock producers will hear from presenters including Monsanto, NASA, Enterprise-Rent-a-Car Institute and the National Biodiesel Board as well as scientists from the Center for Evergreen Energy and Danforth. Participants will address feedstock production, oil content, and innovation. For the purpose of the symposium, feedstock is separated into three categories: algae; near-term feedstock; and long-term feedstock. At the end of the day, each group will provide policy recommendations that will help fulfill future biodiesel goals.

“Increased availability of diversified feedstocks used in biodiesel is vital to the future growth of the biodiesel industry,” said J. Alan Weber, feedstock consultant to NBB. “This symposium grew out of a need to explore alternatives and educate the biodiesel industry on the short and long-term future of feedstocks.”

Biodiesel, conferences

Corn Growers Research Non-Fuel Ethanol Use

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol production can yield some non-fuel uses that have yet to be realized.

NCGAThe National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has been researching efforts that produce ethyl lactate from reactive distillation. Ethyl lactate is a general all-purpose solvent as well as a common ingredient in pharmaceutical preparations, food additives and fragrances, and it is typically derived from petrochemicals. The reactive distillation process provides a cost-effective way to produce it from ethanol.

NCGA Vice President for Research and Business Development Richard Glass says they have worked with a team from Michigan State University, including chemical engineering professors Carl Lira and Dennis Miller.

Among the benefits is that reactive distillation can cut the cost of ethyl lactate production in half and provide a significant non-fuel revenue stream for ethanol plants. “If all you produce from a biorefinery is ethanol, that is fine for a nascent industry but, in essence, all you have is a one-trick pony,” Glass said. “My dream is the integrated biorefinery where the only limits are your imagination and the ability to make the system utilize all components of the production output.”

Glass said that at a typical ethanol plant producing 25 million gallons a year, diverting one million gallons to make chemicals like ethyl lactate each year could bring in the same amount of revenue as the remaining 24 million gallons of ethanol produced for fuel. NCGA is currently seeking companies interested in purchasing a license for this ethyl lactate technology, which can be retrofitted into a dry-grind ethanol plant.

corn, Ethanol, News, Research

First Solar Reaches for the Sky

John Davis

An Arizona-based maker solar panels has really taken off, as it has signed a long-term agreement to provide solar panels and its profits have doubled.

This story from Forbes says First Solar Inc. has seen its stocks surge as its solar business takes off:

First Solar also said Wednesday it is entering the U.S. residential market through a five-year contract with SolarCity Corp.

First Solar, which produces cadmium telluride-based solar panels, will supply 100 megawatts of modules to SolarCity, a Foster City, Calif.-based residential solar installer, beginning in the first quarter of 2009. First Solar will also make a $25 million equity investment in SolarCity, which is part of a $30 million round of financing that will fund SolarCity’s continued U.S. expansion.

Analysts say that First Solar is on track in its strategy to expand its U.S. utility presence.

Solar

New York Looks to Regulate Wind Energy

John Davis

Wind energy is a popular alternative energy source… so popular that New York’s Attorney General wants to make sure it’s done legally.

This story from WRGB-TV in Albany, NY has details:

Cuomo announced Thursday a new Wind Industry Ethics Code to ensure that development of alternative energy continues in New York properly and legally.

“Wind power is an exciting industry for the state that will be a cornerstone of our energy future,” Cuomo said in a statement Thursday. “But it is important to make sure that this alternative energy sector develops in a way that maintains the public’s confidence, and that is what this new code of conduct does.”

Two companies have already signed on to the ethics code: Noble Environmental Power, based in Essex, Connecticut, and First Wind, based in Newton, Mass.

The attorney general has previously investigated whether wind-farm companies improperly sought land-use agreements with citizens and public officials, and whether those companies have tried to sway lawmakers into backing wind farm development with improper benefits.

The Wind Industry Ethics Code prohibits conflicts of interest between municipal officials and wind companies, and establishes new public disclosure requirements.

Wind

Improved Filter for Biodiesel Hits Market

John Davis

An eco-friendly filter could help purify biodiesel, no matter what is used as a feedstock.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says Schroeder Biofuels out of Pennsylvania has introduced the Eco2Pure, a filter made of cellulose and is considered natural and sustainable:

“It has the powerful dry washing capability of a magnesol, but has the applicability of a column-based treatment,” said Jonathan Dugan, Schroeder biofuels product specialist.

“We’ve also built a system which we’ve applied to the Eco2Pure product – an industry proven technology, which allows for a producer to be able to tell hundreds of gallons before the Eco2Pure system is exhausted that it is going to be exhausted shortly, instead of producing lots of bad fuel and finding out afterwards,” Dugan said. “We think it is important if you want to produce spec fuel.” The system indicates expiration through pressure indication, flow measurement and particle counts.

The Eco2Pure system works by passing unwashed biodiesel through a fixed bed of purification media, cleaning the fuel and removing residues, fuel contaminants and soaps. “Each kilogram of the system is capable of purifying between 93 to 185 gallons of biodiesel, keeping the frequency of media replacement to a minimum,” Dugan said.

Schroeder Biofuels officials say the new filter will bring down biodiesel purification costs about two cents a gallon, capable of cleaning batches of biodiesel from homebrew to million-gallon operations.

Biodiesel

2010 Ford Fusion to be Flexible Fuel

According to Motor Trend and cars.com, the Ford Fusion will be E85 compatible in 2010. The midlevel Fusion with a 3.0L V-6 250 horsepower vehicle will have the flexible fuel engine. Ford spokesman Alan Hall said the V-6 Fusion will only be available with an automatic transmission.

The 2009 flexible fuel vehicles Ford offerings include nine models: Ford Crown Victoria, Ford E-Series Commercial Van, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150, Ford Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln Town Car, and Mercury Grand Marquis.

Ford, along with General Motors and Chrysler have all promised to produce half their lines as E85 compatible by the year 2012.

Although the specific fuel mileage and power specs of the 2010 Fusion have not been confirmed, both have been reported improved from previous models.

Car Makers, E85, Flex Fuel Vehicles

Biomass Conversion Technology Development

Cindy Zimmerman

A Texas company is moving forward with technology that converts non-food biomass into chemicals that can be processed into ethanol and other renewable fuels.

TerrabonTerrabon has developed and is currently licensing its MixAlco™ biomass conversion technology to commercial customers. The company will dedicate its research facility on November 7 in Bryan, Texas to test the scaled-up commercial feasibility of the MixAlco technology.

TerrabonTerrabon CEO Gary Luce addressed the National Renewable Resource Laboratory’s (NREL) 21st Growth Forum meeting this week in Denver. “Terrabon’s MixAlco technology is a cost effective, sustainable solution to the urgent need to produce biofuels and bio-chemicals that satisfy the world’s appetite for renewable energy resources and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” Luce said. “MixAlco, which was inspired by the digestive processes of the ordinary cow, is an advanced bio-refining process that employs carboxylic acid fermentation followed by downstream chemistry to convert biomass products such as municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, forest product residues and non-edible energy crops, into industrial chemicals and renewable gasoline.”

When completed, the new semi-works facility in Bryan will have the loading capacity of 400 dry tons of biomass, equal to a loading rate of five dry tons per day. The Company will use sorghum as the primary feedstock with the objective of producing organic salts and converting them to ketones, which can be converted to renewable gasoline. The MixAlco technology has already been successfully tested for the past three years at Terrabon’s pilot plant in College Station, Texas.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News, Research

South Florida Trains to Run on Biodiesel

John Davis

Some trains in South Florida will be running on a nearly pure mix of biodiesel.

This story from the Miami Herald says the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s commuter train system, Tri-Rail, is planning to run eight of its 10 locomotives on a 99-percent biodiesel blend:

Thanks to South Florida’s comparatively temperate climate, Tri-Rail is one of the few commuter rail systems in the country that can operate on such a pure blend of bio-fuel.

The nation’s top transit regulator praised the authority for taking an important step toward energy independence at a press conference Wednesday morning in West Palm Beach.

”The Federal Transit Administration is committed to encouraging the use of alternative fuels in the nation’s rail and bus systems,” said FTA Administrator James S. Simpson.

The article does point out that the trains use a bit more fuel when using biodiesel, but the biodiesel costs are significantly lower… making the green fuel a good deal for the environment and taxpayers.

Biodiesel

Summit Looks at Algae Biodiesel Future

John Davis

More than 650 attendees and 50 speakers looked at the future of algae biodiesel at a recent conference in Seattle.

The Algae Biomass Summit, hosted by firms Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Byrne and Company, brought together those exploring the scientific and commercial advances of the field of the slimy green biodiesel feedstock. Our friends at Biodiesel Magazine covered the event sponsored by the Algal Biomass Organization and filed this report (and, of course, several others):

Mario Tredici from the department of agricultural biotechnology at the University of Florence in Italy said algae has many of the properties for a second green revolution that could help satisfy the world’s energy and food needs. However, algae have very specific culture requirements to produce near their theoretical potential. Changing light conditions as the density of cultures increase can limit the efficiency of the plants ability to convert sunlight into biomass. “Algae are not a miracle,” he said. “It must obey the laws of thermodynamics.” He does believe, with the proper technology and understanding of algae’s biology, that yields of 70 to 80 tons of algae can be produced per hectare (approximately 2.5 acres), producing 15 to 20 tons of oil and about twice that much protein.

The true value of algae will rely on the total amount of biomass not just the oil content, said Mark Tegan, chief executive officer of Inventure Chemical. Inventure processes biomass products into value-added products. Algae produce three distinct products – oil, carbohydrates and protein. Each component can be processed downstream into a variety of valuable products. “There is a lot of opportunity available in the chemical market,” Tegan said.

The coverage included discussions on how the current credit crisis might actually be good for the algae biodiesel business and the market potential of the feedstock and fuel.

algae, Biodiesel, biomass, conferences

Biodiesel Conference Early Bird Registration

John Davis

It’s that time of year again… to start making plans to attend the National Biodiesel Board’s Conference & Expo! This year’s event takes place Feb. 1-4th, 2009, in San Francisco. While that is a while off, now is the time to sign up to save some serious money on your registration.

It’s an event you won’t want to miss!

Conference features include:
Keynote Speakers
Gavin Newsom – Mayor, City and County of San Francisco
Pete Bethune and Bryan Peterson – Around the World on Biodiesel
Hear the harrowing tales from two men who led pioneering expeditions powered by Biodiesel!
Educational Tracks
Production, technical, fuel distribution, policy/regulations, and markets/users sessions
Exciting Networking Events
Golf Tournament
Super Bowl Party
Special California Wine Tasting & Jazz Reception

You can do your registration online by clicking here!

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference