MSU Awarded $6M Biofuel, Carbon Grant

Joanna Schroeder

Montana State University (MSU) has received a $6 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new innovations at the intersection of food, energy and water systems. MSU will be working alongside the University of Wyoming and the University of South Dakota to address the sustainability profiles of biofuels and carbon capture technologies that would be introduced in the Upper Missouri River Basin.

Paul Stoy, associate professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator of a collaborative effort to address questions about whether biofuels and carbon capture technologies can be sustainably introduced into the Upper Missouri River Basin. MSU photo by Sepp Jannotta.

Paul Stoy, associate professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator of a collaborative effort to address questions about whether biofuels and carbon capture technologies can be sustainably introduced into the Upper Missouri River Basin. MSU photo by Sepp Jannotta.

The project’s Principal Investigator is Paul Stoy. He is an associate professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in MSU’s College of Agriculture. Each of the three coordinating universities will receive $2 million to pursue its portion of the project. On the whole, Stoy said, the grant “emphasizes interdisciplinary student training.”

According to Stoy, the primary goal of the project is to develop a framework for evaluating proposals to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations while maintaining food security, water quality, biodiversity and other benefits. Stoy also anticipates the identification of unexpected social and environmental conflicts when biofuels are used to generate energy and CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and stored in geological formations or in ecosystems.

The Upper Missouri River Basin refers to the Missouri River and all its tributaries upstream of Sioux City, Iowa. The basin contains parts or most of five states — Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska — and more than 20 Indian reservations. It represents 30 percent of the wheat produced in the United States, 13 percent of the soybeans, 11 percent of the cattle and 9 percent of the corn, according to the Upper Missouri River Basin Association. The region also contains the Colstrip power plant in eastern Montana — the second largest coal-fired generating facility west of the Mississippi — and the Bakken shale formation.

“This four-year grant is important to Montana,” said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Renee Reijo Pera. “It will allow us to address fundamental questions in the energy sector and enables us to partner with our neighboring scientists in Wyoming and South Dakota. These grants are highly competitive and so we are proud of the accomplishments of our scientists.”

Thirty-one private, state and federal institutions and more than 50 people, including 18 MSU faculty and 13 MSU graduate students, will be involved in the project that will run into 2020, Stoy said. MSU will take the lead on research related to agriculture and biofertilizers, food security, clean energy, and water supply and quality. Researchers at USD will focus on land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services assessment. UW will take the lead on issues related to agricultural economics, economic modeling and land use. Importantly for the integrated award, all institutions will have the opportunity to collaborate on all aspects of the project.

advanced biofuels, Carbon, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Research, water

Paris Agreement in Force, GRFA Stresses #Biofuels Role

Joanna Schroeder

grfa-logoOn November 4, 2016 the Paris Agreement, reached during COP21 and signed by nearly 200 countries, went into force. This is the first enforceable accord setting targets to curb global carbon emissions with the goal of limiting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. With the agreement now ‘official,’ the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) has once again called for biofuels to be integrated into governments’ plans to reach their climate goals.

“Today’s legally binding agreement is a historic first and includes many of the world’s largest national economies, covering the majority of global carbon emissions,” says Baker. “This commitment demonstrates the urgency of immediate action to begin the transition to a low-carbon global economy.”

The transport sector is estimated to represent 25-30 percent of global emissions and currently has the lowest renewable energy share of any sector – opening up an area of opportunity for emission reductions. Baker says the use of ethanol as a carbon offsetting transport fuel alternative is a cost effective and immediately available option for action on emissions from this sector. According to GRFA, in 2014 total GHG emission reductions from global ethanol production and use was 169 million tons CO2 equivalent.

GRFA stresses that its members are committed to the fight against climate change through the development of new technologies and best practices that enable the production of renewable fuels with the smallest environmental footprint possible. These members have extended an offer to signatories of the Paris Agreement to provide expert and technical support to countries. To date, almost 60 countries already have biofuel-supportive policies in place and/or have included biofuels as part of their Intended National Determined Contributions (INDC) plans submitted during COP21.

Baker adds, “The implementation of the Paris Agreement today comes just three days before the start of COP22 when global leaders will next have the opportunity to discuss policy options to curb emissions. The GRFA encourages government leaders to strengthen their national climate plans submitted at COP21 to take advantage of opportunities to increase the use of biofuels in the transport sector.”

advanced biofuels, Climate Change, Environment, Ethanol

September Ethanol Exports Back on the Rise

Joanna Schroeder

According to new government data, September U.S. ethanol exports were 99.6 million gallons (mg), an increase of nearly 28 percent or 22 mg over August exports. The data was analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and found that September is the highest monthly volume export in nearly 5 years (December 2011). Just six countries purchased 92 percent of U.S. ethanol exports in September. According to RFA, the increase can be attributed, in part, to 27.9 mg in shipments to Canada, which increased by 33 percent from August exports. Coming in second is Brazil, with imports of 18.1 mg down from 7 mg the prior month. China’s exports were back on the upswing with imports of 17.8 mg followed by the Philippines (10.4 mg), the United Arab Emirates (9.2 mg) and South Korea (5.4 mg). Year-to-date exports stood at 693.9 mg, implying an annual total of 925.2 mg for calendar year 2016.

September exports of U.S. denatured fuel ethanol more than doubled from August to 44.1 mg. The top three markets were Canada with 26.0 mg (59%), China with 14.9 mg (34%) and Peru with 3.1 mg, (7%). Export sales of undenatured fuel ethanol in September held firm at high levels, increasing 2 percent over August levels to 51.5 mg. Brazil backed off from August undenatured imports, buying 18.1 mg (35%) in September. The Philippines export market was reinvigorated with 10.4 mg (20%) of undenatured product, while the 9.2 mg (18%) to the UAE reflected only the second time in two years that U.S. undenatured ethanol entered the country. South Korea, China and Singapore were other larger customers for undenatured fuel ethanol.

ethanolpicture11-4

September sales of denatured ethanol for non-fuel use dropped back to a more normal volume of 2.1 mg after reaching nearly 6.5 mg in August. Canada was the primary customer with 1.9 mg, down from 3.0 mg the prior month, while the remaining volume was parceled out among several countries.

Following three straight months of sizable ethanol imports, September volumes entering the United States were fairly insignificant at just 5,535 gallons. About 5,000 gallons of undenatured ethanol were sourced from China and the remainder was Canadian denatured ethanol. Year-to-date total imports are 33.7 mg, suggesting annualized imports just shy of 45 mg. Should this volume be realized, the United States would import less than half of what it brought in for calendar year 2015.

U.S. distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)—the animal feed co-product from dry mill ethanol production—in the global marketplace have been making measurable strides since the beginning of the year; however, September data showed a 15% pull-back from the prior month with 990,971 metric tons (mt) shipped. Once again China was the top market for U.S. exports with 166,650 mt, which is a third less than entered the country in August. China’s share of the total U.S. export market in September fell to just 17%–in sharp contrast to taking in half of all U.S. distillers grains exports in calendar year 2015. In September, South Korea increased its offtake to 166,650 mt (13%) and Vietnam purchased 123,267 mt (12%), while Mexico scaled back from August volumes by 39 percent to 122,513 mt (12%). Other larger markets include Thailand (87,506 mt), Egypt (56,461 mt), Turkey (46,200 mt) and Canada (41,291 mt). Through September, DDGS exports stood at 8.6 million mt, indicating an annualized total of 11.5 million mt. If realized, this would be the second largest DDGS export volume in history.

Ethanol, Exports, RFA

Sea-Tac Home to New Aviation Fuels Program

Joanna Schroeder

A new sustainable aviation program is underway at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) that if successful could supply all airlines flying out of the airport access to aviation biofuels. Partners in the initiative include the Port of Seattle, SkyNRG and the Carbon War Room (CWR). This announcement marks the first step initiated to provide an airport-wide sustainable aviation fuel supply for all routine airline operations.

port-of-seattle-logoAccording to the press announcement, current biofuel supply agreements in the U.S. are being made through one-off contracts between producers and airlines. The goal of this partnership is to accelerate the transition of sustainable aviation fuel from an alternative produce uses selectively to a standard product used by all airlines at the airport.

“The demand for sustainable aviation fuel is there, but right now it is more expensive and complicated to source,” said Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton. “We want to make it simple and cost-effective for all airlines to access sustainable aviation fuels and ideally create a model that can work for airports around the United States.”

CWR and SkyNRG will work with Sea-Tac to evaluate specific funding mechanisms to cover any cost difference between sustainable aviation fuels and conventional fuels. Long-term, the program includes strategizing with decision makers regarding locally sourced fuel and future regional economic investments, identifying supply routes for the sustainable aviation fuel, and ensuring that any alternative fuels used at Sea-Tac are truly sustainable, avoiding both competition with food and impact to habitat.

The companies are engaging airports to act as the key orchestrator of the procurement and delivery of sustainable aviation fuels, aggregating funds and demand for all stakeholders. The partners say by integrating the fuel directly into the on-airport fueling infrastructure, at an airport-wide blend ratio, this standardization will send a strong and consistent demand signal to the sustainable aviation fuel industry, which will boost investor confidence and catalyze industry growth.

This is the next step in a process that began late last year by the Port of Seattle with a $250,000 Biofuel Infrastructure Feasibility Study, in partnership with Alaska Airlines and Boeing, that will assess costs and infrastructure necessary to deliver sustainable aviation fuel to aircraft at Sea-Tac. That study is expected to be released in early 2017.

aviation biofuels, biojet fuel

PNNL Turns Sewage Into Fuel

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have discovered the key to converting sewage to biocrude oil. Using the technology that mimics the geological conditions the Earth uses to create crude oil, called hydrothermal liquefaction, coupled with high pressure and high temperatures, crude oil can be produced in minutes. The resulting product is similar to petroleum pumped out of the ground with a minimal amount of water and oxygen mixed in. Once produced, the biocrude can then be refined using conventional petroleum refining operations.

Sludge from Metro Vancouver’s wastewater treatment plant has been dewatered prior to conversion to biocrude oil at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Courtesy of WE&RF.

Sludge from Metro Vancouver’s wastewater treatment plant has been dewatered prior to conversion to biocrude oil at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Courtesy of WE&RF.

In the U.S., more than 34 billion gallons of sewage is treated each day. According to PNNL, who estimates that a single person could generate two to three gallons of biocrude per year, the daily sewage amount could produce the equivalent of nearly 30 million barrels of oil per year.

Sewage, or more specifically sewage sludge, has long been viewed as a poor ingredient for producing biofuel because it’s too wet. The approach being studied by the PNNL team eliminates the need for drying required in a majority of current thermal technologies which historically has made wastewater to fuel conversion too energy intensive and expensive. HTL may also be used to make fuel from other types of wet organic feedstock, such as agricultural waste.

Using hydrothermal liquefaction, organic matter such as human waste can be broken down to simpler chemical compounds. The research team pressurized the material to 3,000 pounds per square inch — nearly one hundred times that of a car tire. The pressurized sludge then goes into a reactor system operating at about 660 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat and pressure cause the cells of the waste material to break down into different fractions — biocrude and an aqueous liquid phase.

“There is plenty of carbon in municipal waste water sludge and interestingly, there are also fats,” said Corinne Drennan, who is responsible for bioenergy technologies research at PNNL. “The fats or lipids appear to facilitate the conversion of other materials in the wastewater such as toilet paper, keep the sludge moving through the reactor, and produce a very high quality biocrude that, when refined, yields fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuels.”

Along with the biocrude, the liquid phase can be treated with a catalyst to create other fuels and chemical products. A small amount of solid material is also generated, which contains important nutrients. For example, early efforts have demonstrated the ability to recover phosphorus, which can replace phosphorus ore used in fertilizer production.Read More

advanced biofuels, Research, Waste-to-Energy

‘Fueling Our Future 100’ Awards 4th Funding Round

Joanna Schroeder

ia-dept-of-ag-and-land-stewardship-logoA fourth round of funding has been released under the “Fueling our Future 100” totaling $368,200. The announcement was made by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey. Six retailers were awarded monies for use to install renewable fuels infrastructure representing 7 sites, 15 new blender pumps and 3 underground storage tanks.

In total, 217 blender pumps and 18 underground storage tanks will be installed at 70 sites by 17 companies to provide consumers with access to higher blends of ethanol through the program.

The funding for the projects is from a $5 million competitive grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program Iowa received to support the initiative. All funds must be matched by non-federal funds, including up to $2.5 million from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure program. The fueling sites applying for assistance will also be required to provide a minimum of $2.5 million. Pumps and tanks funded through this round of funding for the program are required to be operational by the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30, 2017.

Biodiesel, Ethanol

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Canada’s first algal biorefinery demonstration project, a collaborative research effort between the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Algal Carbon Conversion (ACC) program, Pond Technologies and Votorantim Cimentos’ St Marys Cement, is revolutionizing how industrial carbon emissions are managed. The project uses a 25,000 L photobioreactor within a pilot scale algal biorefinery to recycle carbon dioxide and other airborne industrial pollutants into algal biomass that can be further converted into sustainable products, including renewable biofuels and biomaterials. The process being deployed by NRC experts and its partners is designed to rapidly recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) and other airborne industrial emissions into biomass through photosynthesis.
  • Cellana, Inc., a leading developer of algae-based products for sustainable nutrition and energy applications, and PIVEG, Inc., a leader in high-specification ingredients for the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, food and beverage, feed, and cosmetics industries, announced that they have signed a letter of intent for the joint development and commercialization of Omega-3 oils and other high-value applications from algae biomass.  Currently, Cellana produces industrial-scale quantities of ReNew™ Algae — high-value algae biomass rich in Omega-3 nutritional oils, proteins, fuel-grade oils, cosmetic-grade oils, acids, and polysaccharides, as well as other valuable micronutrients — at its Kona Demonstration Facility in Hawaii.
  • Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative (CSPC) has initiated an equity campaign to develop a corn stover and wheat straw to dextrose supply chain in southwestern Ontario. CSPC will engage with growers in the region to supply corn stover and wheat straw to a planned dextrose facility previously announced by Comet Biorefining to be located in Sarnia, Ontario. As part of the supply chain, CSPC members will own an equity stake in the facility, which will need 75,000 tonnes of biomass based on 55,000 acres. As part of the equity campaign, CSPC will coordinate field demonstrations of stover aggregation and will hold outreach ‘town hall’ meetings for prospective members.
  • The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) has issued a call to leaders from the biotechnology, bioenergy, chemical, consumer products manufacturing, and agricultural industries as well as academia and financial sectors industries to submit panel session proposals for the 2017 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. The conference will be held July 23-26, 2017 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Canada. For more information on the conference or to submit a proposal, please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress.
Bioenergy Bytes

NREL Scientists Discover Bacteria to Biofuels Breakthrough

Joanna Schroeder

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered a metabolic pathway that take up CO2 and is then capable of breaking down and fermenting cellulosic biomass to produce biofuels, hydrogen and hydrocarbons. The specific bacteria is Clostridium thermocellum and is among the most efficient bacteria in directly converting cellulosic materials into hydrogen and hydrocarbons biofuels.

NREL scientists Pin-Ching Maness (left), Katherine J. Chou and Wei Xiong hold test tubes containing the bacterium Clostridium thermocellum. (Photo by Amy Glickson / NREL)

NREL scientists Pin-Ching Maness (left), Katherine J. Chou and Wei Xiong hold test tubes containing the bacterium Clostridium thermocellum. (Photo by Amy Glickson / NREL)

Some scientists have found the addition of a form of CO2, known as bicarbonate, into the medium containing the bacterium actually promotes the growth of C. thermocellum, yet its mechanistic details remained a puzzle. This enhanced growth implied the bacterium had the ability to use CO2 and prompted NREL researchers to investigate the phenomena enhancing the bacterium’s growth.

“It took us by surprise that this microbe can recapture some of the CO2 released during growth while they consume sugars derived from cellulosic biomass,” said Katherine J. Chou, a staff scientist with NREL’s Photobiology group and co-author of the new paper “CO2-fixing one-carbon metabolism in a cellulose-degrading bacterium Clostridium thermocellum.” The research is in the new issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Using carbon isotopes coupled with mass spectrometry analysis, the researchers were able to track how CO2 enters the cell, identify the enzymes critical to CO2 uptake, and how CO2 incorporates into products thereby discovering a new metabolic route that according to the NREL team, was unknown to the scientific community. Many species of bacteria have the pathway in place for CO2 uptake, but before the new research, the pathway was not associated with the role of carbon dioxide assimilation. The pathway enables the bacterium to use both CO2 and organic carbons during its growth.

NREL researchers and their collaborators determined adding bicarbonate increased the apparent carbon efficiency of C. thermocellum from 65.7 percent to 75.5 percent. The finding underscores the metabolic plasticity of the microbe and raises various possibilities on how the bacterium is able to use both organic carbons and CO2 without breaking the rules of thermodynamics in energy conservation. The discovery, according to the NREL scientists, also provides a paradigm shift in the fundamental understandings of carbon metabolism in a cellulose degrading bacterium.

Going forward, the research will focus on redirecting more cellular electrons in support of increased hydrogen production, a key goal of the research.

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, Hydrogen, Research

Mick Henderson Takes the Mic on Car Clinic

Joanna Schroeder

32177-mick-henderson-chairman-of-the-300x168Commonwealth Agri-Energy General Manager Mick Henderson is taking the mic during Bobby Likis Car Clinic tomorrow. Henderson, who is also the Chairman of the Board for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), joins Likis Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 10:41 am ET. With the 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule nearing the end of interagency review (officially November 30, 2016), Henderson will discuss the RFS and it’s importance as well as the engine performance benefits of having ethanol in the fuel supply.

21413-bobby-likis-car-clinic-300x149Henderson reflects, “As a 35-year veteran of the ethanol industry, I have seen the benefits we have provided to consumers in our communities and around the world, providing the lowest-cost, highest octane source on the planet. I look forward to talking with Bobby and relaying how my ethanol plant and our industry as a whole has contributed to cleaner air, greater energy security and a boost to our local economies.”

Likis adds, “Tune in to hear Mick net out the role that ethanol production plays in local, regional and national economics, not to mention national security. Also, top of mind is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and why it’s critical to the environment, economy, and security of the U.S.”

To hear Henderson’s interview in its entirety, drive to www.WatchBobbyLive.com on Saturday, November 5, 10:41 am ET.

automotive, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS

Post Election Forecast to Top @IowaFuel Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

irfa-16-trumpSeveral presidential candidates attended the 2016 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, including Donald Trump, who may yet be elected the next president of the United States.

No matter who wins, the final outcome will have likely have an impact on the renewable fuels industry, so the 2017 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will seek to address the future of biofuels and their role in energy and trade policy.

“Given the record corn harvest and an uncertain political climate, farmers and renewable fuels producers are understandably focused on not only preserving but also growing biofuels markets at home and abroad,” said IRFA Managing Director Lucy Norton. “Assessing the current terrain and charting an effective course for the future will be key topics of this year’s Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit.”

Registration is now open for the 2017 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, which will be held at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona on January 31, 2017. For more information, visit IowaRFA.org/summit.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA, politics