Scientists Confirm #Biodiesel Provides CO2 Reduction

Joanna Schroeder

A report from the Coordinating Research Council, (CRC) adds to the growing body of research that demonstrates biodiesel’s role as a low carbon fuel. Two of the report’s key conclusions find that carbon emissions from biofuels are declining relative to petroleum, and confidence in these results continue to grow as more research is released. According to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), in 2015 U.S. biodiesel use lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 18 million tons or the equivalent CO2 emissions of removing 3.8 million cars from the roads.

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

“When it comes to quantifying carbon benefits, biofuels have been the most heavily scrutinized products in the world market,” said Don Scott, director of sustainability with the NBB. “This heavy scrutiny and improving analysis provide confidence that biodiesel provides significant benefits over fossil fuels.”

CRC members include companies such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, American Petroleum Institute (API) and others, and conducts environmental and engineering research related to automotive and petroleum use. In addition, CRC hosts workshops to discuss lifecycle analysis of biofuels. According to NBB, these workshops include a heavy emphasis on indirect land use change (ILUC). NBB notes that ILUC was once thought to be a detriment to the net carbon benefit of biofuel policies, but this is proving to be incorrect. To examine ILUC more closely, CRC has called on experts in economic modeling and lifecycle analysis including experts with the EPA, U.S. Department of Energy, California Air Resources Board, European Commission, environmental advocacy groups, and leading academic institutions from Europe and North America.

“Whether and how indirect land use change can be accounted for has always been controversial. With continued improvements to the science behind it; there is clear consensus that it does not override the carbon benefit of renewable fuels,” said Jan Lewandrowski economist for USDA’s Climate Change Program. “The scientific community’s efforts to improve the data quality and reduce uncertainty within economic modeling shows that the agricultural sector can provide powerful tools to reduce carbon emissions while providing food and fuel to the world. Additionally, regions with renewable natural resources can experience sizable economic benefits by making wise investments in agriculture.”

The growing body of research supporting this conclusion, cites NBB, includes analysis published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, USEPA, USDA and the California Air Resources Board. Each of these institutions has affirmed that U.S. biodiesel reduces GHG emissions by at least 50 percent and often as much as 85 percent compared to petroleum diesel fuel.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Indirect Land Use, NBB

Advanced #Biofuel Production in One-Pot

Joanna Schroeder

A strain of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), engineered by researchers at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory enables a “one-pot” method for producing advanced biofuels from a slurry of pre-treated plant material. The bacteria is able to tolerate the liquid salt used to break down plant biomass into sugar-based polymers. However, the salt solvent, called ionic liquids, interferes with later stages of the production process; thus, it needs to be removed. This problem is solved with the engineered strain and eliminates the need to remove ionic liquids saving time and money.

Marijke Frederix (left) and Aindrila Mukhopadhyay in a microbiology lab at the Joint BioEnergy Institute. (Credit: Irina Silva/JBEI, Berkeley Lab)

Marijke Frederix (left) and Aindrila Mukhopadhyay in a microbiology lab at the Joint BioEnergy Institute. (Credit: Irina Silva/JBEI, Berkeley Lab)

“Being able to put everything together at one point, walk away, come back, and then get your fuel, is a necessary step in moving forward with a biofuel economy,” said study principal investigator Aindrila Mukhopadhyay, vice president of the Fuels Synthesis Division at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a DOE Bioenergy Research Center at Berkeley Lab. “The E. coli we’ve developed gets us closer to that goal. It is like a chassis that we build other things onto, like the chassis of a car. It can be used to integrate multiple recent technologies to convert a renewable carbon source like switchgrass to an advanced jet fuel.” Study results were published in Green Chemistry journal.

As explained by Aindrila, the basic steps of biofuel production start with breaking apart the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin that are bound together in the complex plant structure. Traditionally, enzymes are then added to release the sugars from the mixture of cellulose and hemicellulose, a step called saccharification. Bacteria can then take that sugar and churn out the desired biofuel. The multiple steps are all done in separate “pots”.

A JBEI research team has pioneered the use of ionic liquids, salts that are liquid at room temperature, to tackle the deconstruction of plant material because of the efficiency with which the solvent works. However, what makes ionic liquids ideal for deconstruction also makes it harmful for the downstream enzymes and bacteria used in biofuel production. Based on previous work, a suite of saccharification enzymes were discovered that were tolerant to ionic liquids.Read More

advanced biofuels, biojet fuel, biomass, Research

RFF, MathPro Host #Ethanol Octane Webinars

Joanna Schroeder

RFA-MatchPro logoMembers of the ethanol industry interested in learning more about the octane benefits of ethanol, as well as other ethanol benefits, can now do so in a five-part webinar series hosted by the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF), the education and research arm of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and MathPro, fuel refining experts. The webinar series kicks off next month and will focus on ethanol’s unique octane properties and ethanol’s potential role as the octane source of choice in future fuels. RFA says the webinar series is in response to the call from automakers for higher octane fuels that provide better engine efficiency and to assist in facilitating compliance with future fuel economy and greenhouse gas reduction standards.

The ethanol octane webinar series includes:

  • Webinar #1: “All About Octane” – June 9 (11am-12pm CDT)
  • Webinar #2: “Gasoline Refining and Blending 101” – July 7 (11am-12pm CDT)
  • Webinar #3: “Gasoline Blending 102 (with Ethanol)” – July 28 (11am-12pm CDT)
  • Webinar #4: “Future CAFE Standards” – Aug. 18 (11am-12pm CDT)
  • Webinar #5:“Economics of High Octane Fuels” – Sept. 8 (11am-12pm CDT)

“Guided by the experts at MathPro, these webinars will provide stakeholders with a better understanding of ethanol’s important role in the fuel supply today, as well as the immense opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for ethanol-based high octane fuels,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “As automakers continue to pursue higher octane fuels, ethanol is well positioned to serve as the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon and cleanest octane source on the market. But there are a number of obstacles that must be overcome in order to solidify an expanded role for ethanol in our future fuels.”

The webinars are offered to RFA members at no charge. The fee for non-members is $250 per session or $1,000 for all five webinars. To reserve your spot, contact Missy Ruff.

biofuels, Education, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

UCR Awarded $1.3 for Waste-to-Energy Research

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded two University of California Riverside (UCR) researchers with $1.3 million for waste-to-energy research focused on creating biofuels and biochemicals from waste plant materials. Charles Wyman, Distinguished Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering and holder of the Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), and Charles Cai, Research Engineer at CE-CERT and Adjunct Assistant Professor, both with Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering, lead the team that is looking to convert poplar wood into ethanol and polyurethanes based on novel platforms for pretreatment and lignin polymer synthesis.

Charles Wyman, the Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside.

Charles Wyman, the Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside.

The Wyman/Cai team has patented the method, Co-solvent Enhanced Lignocellulosic Fractionation (CELF), and is using this platform to convert raw ag and forest residues into biofuels and other biochemicals. The goal is to create a pathway in which biofuels and biochemicals can be produced from biomass at high enough yields and low enough costs to become a market competitor to traditional fuels and chemicals. The research team believes CELF will enable production facilities to increase revenue by offsetting pretreatment costs, thus improving overall production economics.

“This project takes advantage of the unique ability of our novel CELF technology to effectively fractionate lignin from low-cost non-food sources of cellulosic biomass such as agricultural and forestry residues for conversion into polyurethanes that increase revenues for biorefineries while also enhancing ethanol yields,” explained Wyman. Wyman leads a team of researchers at UCR’s CE-CERT as well as their additional research partners University of Tennessee Knoxville and MG Fuels LLC.

The funding is one of seven institutions to receive a share of $10 million from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), a joint initiative between USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Energy (DOE).

advanced biofuels, biochemicals, Ethanol, Research, Waste-to-Energy

EPA Honors Biodiesel Leaders

Joanna Schroeder

Two long-time biodiesel leaders have been honored by the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) for their commitment to the environment – Harvard University Fleet Management Division and Medford Township Public Schools in Medford, NJ. Joe Biluck, Medford’s director of operations and technology, and David E. Harris Jr., Harvard’s director transit and fleet management, are the champions behind their fleets’ switch to biodiesel.

Biluck and Harris also serve as volunteer Biodiesel Ambassadors by educating other fleets on the benefits of biodiesel and how it can help achieve environmental benefits such as lowering greenhouse gas emissions and toxic air pollution.

National-Biodiesel-Board-Logo“These EPA Awards shine a spotlight on the environmental leadership that we have seen at Harvard and in Medford in their mission to replace petroleum with cleaner-burning biodiesel,” said Ron Marr, chairman of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). “NBB is proud to work with both Dave Harris and Joe Biluck, and their leadership and vision is helping to improve environmental quality and lower emissions through the use of America’s Advanced Biofuel.”

EPA’s Region 2 presented Medford with the 2016 Environmental Champion Award at a ceremony in New York City. The award honors Medford’s outstanding commitment to protecting and enhancing environmental quality and public health. According to NBB, Medford’s leadership in the use of biodiesel alone has eliminated 123,376 pounds of smog-forming emissions, 2,408 pounds of diesel particulate matter and reduced its fleet operation costs by over $170,000. In 1997, Medford was the first school district in the country to use biodiesel. Today, it is the nation’s longest continuous user of biodiesel in a student transportation fleet.

EPA’s New England office honored Harvard University’s Fleet Management Division with the 2016 Environmental Merit Award on May 10 at a ceremony in Boston, Ma. NBB nominated Harvard for this award, which recognizes the University’s exceptional work and commitment to the environment. In 2004, Harvard was the first Ivy League school to power its diesel vehicles with cleaner burning biodiesel and since then its biodiesel program has grown. In the past year alone, Harvard’s biodiesel use resulted in the following estimated emissions reductions: 15 percent reduction in carbon dioxide; 12 percent reduction in carbon monoxide; 20 percent reduction in both hydrocarbon and sulfur dioxide and 12 percent reduction in particulate matter.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, EPA, NBB

EPA Gives OMB RFS Modification Proposal

Joanna Schroeder

epa-150The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has delivered a proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would amend the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The “Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support Rule,” would resolve outstanding issues and provide clarification on certain RFS requirements.

The rule would also allow for feedstocks partially converted at a facility other than a renewable fuel production facility to be converted at such a facility and quality under the RFS. In addition, the rule would add new registration, recordkeeping and reporting requirements for various renewable fuel production facilities using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies should the EPA all CCS as a lifecycle GHG emissions reduction technology as part of the RFS.

Among other changes, the rule proposes to implement fuel quality specifications for blends containing 16 to 83 volume percent ethanol. The EPA says this would provide substantial additional flexibility for ethanol flex fuel (EFF) producers that accommodate current market realities while continuing to ensure EFF quality is consistent with controlling pollution when used in flexible fuel vehicles, and could result in an increased use of ethanol in motor fuels, furthering RFS goals.

The OMB has also received and is reviewing a proposal from the EPA for the proposed 2017 RFS rules.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, EPA, Ethanol, RFS

Long-Term Biodiesel Tax Incentive Bill Introduced

Joanna Schroeder

U.S. Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) have introduced legislation to extend the biodiesel tax incentive through 2019 and modify the program to become a domestic production credit. The $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax credit has been lapsed and reinstated multiple times. It is scheduled to expire yet again on December 31, 2016. This bill would extend the incentive three years while also changing its focus to support domestically produced biodiesel.

National-Biodiesel-Board-Logo“While oil tax breaks remain permanently written into the tax code, the biodiesel tax incentive is yet again set to expire in less than eight months,” said National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel in response to the introduction of the bill. “This is no way to do business. Biodiesel producers need stable, predictable tax policy to continue to grow and hire. We want to thank Reps. Noem and Pascrell for taking the lead on this issue to create that stability and spur economic activity.”

According to NBB, foreign biodiesel imported to the U.S. and then blended with petroleum diesel is eligible for the tax incentive. As a result, more foreign biodiesel producers are taking advantage of the tax credit by shipping their biodiesel to the states. Today imported biodiesel makes up nearly a third of the U.S. market, around 670 million gallons.

“In addition to extending the incentive, this bill includes an important reform ensuring that this tax incentive is directed toward domestically produced biodiesel,” added Steckel. “This would not only reduce the cost of the tax incentive to the Treasury, but it would level the playing field for American producers who are now competing against predatory imports that are getting subsidies in their country of origin only to be shipped to the U.S. to receive another incentive from American taxpayers. Incentivizing foreign biodiesel production was never the intent of this incentive, and Congress should reform it immediately.”

ASA-logoThe American Soybean Association (ASA) also commended Reps Noem and Pascrell for the introduction of the legislation. Also calling out the need for long-term policy to keep the industry strong, President and Delaware farmer Richard Wilkins also noted that uncertainty not only negatively affects industry investment, but hurts farmers.

“In a farm economy that is dealing with low crop prices, that uncertainty and added stress are things that farmers don’t need. In the challenging political environment of an election year, it may be easier for lawmakers to pull back from working together, even on common-sense legislation like this, which is what makes the leadership shown by Representatives Noem and Pascrell so commendable.” Wilkens concluded, “We appreciate their work on this issue and we urge Congress to support the extension and restructuring of the biodiesel tax credit.”

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Legislation, NBB, Soybeans

Cassie Mullen Joins RFA Team

Joanna Schroeder

cassieCassie Mullen has joined Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) as the director of market development. She will focus on working with the supply chain to facilitate expansion of infrastructure capable of offering higher level ethanol blends to consumers. Prior to joining the RFA team Mullen worked as an executive for Seneca Companies, managing a 17-state territory of retailer accounts.

“Cassie brings a wealth of fuel equipment and fuel marketing experience to the RFA,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “Cassie’s expertise will prove to be invaluable as the U.S. ethanol industry works with downstream partners to offer greater access to higher level ethanol blends such as E15, E85, and future ethanol-based high octane fuels. Infrastructure is critically important for future growth of the ethanol industry. Between USDA’s Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership Program and the industry’s Prime the Pump initiative, Cassie’s unique background and knowledge will be in high demand. She will be a welcome addition to the RFA team, already known for its unrivaled technical and regulatory expertise. Cassie knows the players in the retail market and she knows the business case for higher ethanol blends. Her impact will be felt immediately.”

She has been working with fuel retailers for more than two decades, conducting station equipment evaluations, providing equipment recommendations and helping them build new stations. She is well versed in environmental compliance, EMV and major oil branding and marketing agreements, and has even owned retail stations during her career.

“I am thrilled to be joining RFA and look forward to working with their technical and marketing staff to help support the market’s transition to higher-level ethanol blends,” said Mullen. “My background working with fuel retailers and owning stations gives me a unique perspective, and I plan to use that knowledge to help boost consumer access to higher ethanol blends. Retailers are increasingly interested in offering a broader array of fuel choices, and I plan to help them understand and pursue the value proposition associated with higher level ethanol blends.”

biofuels, Company Announcement, Ethanol, RFA

Research Develops Ultra Productive Biomass Crops

Joanna Schroeder

The University of Illinois and the University of Florida have been awarded a third round of ARPA-E funding (U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) to continue research work on the Plants Engineered To Replace Oil in Sugarcane and Sweet Sorghum (PETROSS) project. The funding is for projects that are focused on developing ultra-productive biomass crops for use in biofuels.

PETROSS_Sugarcane“Our research project is on a trajectory to produce sugarcane that could give the U.S. an inexhaustible and environmentally friendly oil supply that could satisfy one quarter of the nation’s fuel and provide a renewable source of jet fuel,” said Project Director Stephen Long, Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at Illinois. “These crops could be grown in areas of the Southeast that can no longer produce food crops, giving the region a much needed economic boost.”

PETROSS is engineering sugarcane and sorghum to produce 20 percent oil, which equates to 13 times more biodiesel (and six time more profit) per acre than an acre of soybeans. Naturally these crops produce just 0.05 percent oil, which is not enough to convert to biodiesel. PETROSS has now produced a cane that accumulates 13 percent oil by dry weight. With just 5 percent oil that can be turned into biodiesel, PETROSS sugarcane is 4.5 times more profitable than soybeans per acre.

The research team is continuing to work on yield increases as well as improving cold tolerance to expand the growing region of sugarcane in the U.S.  To increase yields, PETROSS is focusing on photosynthesis, which turns the sun’s energy into biomass for biofuel production. An improvement in photosynthesis directly correlates with an increase in yield. PETROSS has developed a plant that is 20 percent more efficient (producing 20 percent more biomass) under normal conditions. Under cooler conditions, PETROSS cane is nearly 50 percent more efficient.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Research

RFA Wins TRANSCAER Award for Ethanol Safety

Joanna Schroeder

For the fourth time, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), has won the TRANSCAER National Achievement Award for hosting its series of ethanol safety seminars last year for first and emergency responders. The award is given in recognition of great achievement in rfalogo1support of the TRANSCAER initiative, a volunteer coalition that works to ensure the safety of emergency responsders, in this instance how to prepare and handle hazardous material incidents. In 2015, RFA held 15 ethanol safety seminars and two Train the Trainer events, which trained 541 emergency responders on how to properly respond to an ethanol incident.

Additionally, RFA Technical Services Manager Missy Ruff received a TRANSCAER Individual Achievement Award for her work last year in planning the ethanol safety events.

“We are honored to receive this award for the fourth year in a row, and for Missy’s outstanding work in coordinating these essential events,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “Safety is the ethanol industry’s top priority, and while recent data shows ethanol has been delivered 99.999 percent of the time without incident, we know accidents can happen. We want first responders to be prepared in the rare instance a release occurs.”

Since December 2010, RFA has held 167 ethanol safety seminars spanning 29 states, training more than 5,000 emergency responders.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, safety