Arkema Addresses Corrosion in Biodiesel Process

John Davis

arkemaOne of the issues for biodiesel producers is corrosion of equipment by chemicals used in the production process. Pennsylvania-based chemical company Arkema has developed a low corrosion version of Methane Sulfonic Acid (MSA LC) that will turn free fatty acids into quality biodiesel without using the acids that damage the biodiesel production equipment.

“MSA LC provides excellent corrosion control while maintaining high conversion to and yields of quality biodiesel,” said Vijay Srinivas, principal research scientist in Arkema’s North American thiochemicals business unit. “Its use reduces plugging by salts downstream in the process and reduces catalyst loss compared to sulfuric acid. In addition, using MSA LC significantly reduces the amount of base catalyst required for the subsequent trans-esterification step, which allows the acid recovered in the aqueous phase after esterification to be reused elsewhere in the process, resulting in overall cost savings,” Srinivas noted. “The biodiesel produced using MSA LC has less metal content and less sulfur,” he added.

Benefits of MSA LC include better color and clarity of the resulting biodiesel as well as the flexibility to use diverse feedstocks with FFA content from very low concentrations to high concentrations. Use of MSA LC can also help eliminate or reduce waste treatment because MSA LC salts are completely biodegradable with low COD.

MSA LC is fully compatible with standard stainless steels AISI 304, AISI 316, and the low carbon or Ti stabilized versions. Using the MSA LC grade in a biodiesel unit can significantly reduce the risk of corrosion in pipes, reactors, separators, and purification units.

Overall, MSA LC is a very versatile acid that provides strong acidity, high solubility of alkali metal salts, biodegradability and, for esterification processes, high selectivity of the reaction. It is most often delivered, transported and used as a 70 percent aqueous solution.

If you’d like to find out more, you can visit Arkema’s booth (#128) at the 2016 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo on Jan. 25-28, 2016, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.

Biodiesel

Wind Power Gains Speed in Canada

Joanna Schroeder

Wind power is gaining speed in Canada. At the end of 2015, the country was the seventh largest in the world for total installed energy capacity with 11,205 MW and sixth in the world for the amount of capacity added in 2015 according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). In total for 2015, Canada added 1,506 MW of new wind capacity through the commissioning of 36 projects, 23 of which involved Aboriginal Peoples, municipal or local ownership. Wind energy supplied nearly 5 percent of the country’s electricity demand.

“Not only has the wind energy industry continued its five year trend as the largest source of new electricity generation in Canada,” said CanWEA President Robert Hornung, “the industry in Canada has demonstrated a five year annual average growth rate of 23 per cent per year (an average of 1,438 MW per year).”

20160112_C2542_PHOTO_EN_596921Ontario lead the way again in 2015 in market size and growth, adding 871 MW of installed capacity in 2015 for a new total of 4,361 MW. Between contracts signed and planned new purchases through the province’s new Large Renewable Procurement process, there remains more than 2,000 MW of wind slated to be built in Ontario in the next few years.

Quebec, Canada’s second largest wind energy market, was also the second largest contributor of new installed capacity in 2015, adding 397 MW for a total of 3,262 MW. This included the largest multi-phase project commissioned in Canada to date – the 350 MW wind farm in Riviere du Moulin. The first phase with 150 MW was commissioned in 2014 and the remaining 200 MW was commissioned in 2015. The province has another 700 MW due to come online in the next two years.

Six wind turbine manufacturers (OEMs), all CanWEA members, supplied the technology for the new wind capacity commissioned in 2015 in Canada. Siemens Canada Limited led installations with close to 50 percent, followed by Senvion Canada Inc., GE Renewable Energy, ENERCON, Acciona Wind Energy Canada and Vestas Canada.Read More

Clean Energy, Electricity, Wind

Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards Presented

Joanna Schroeder

Darin Schlapia from Farmers Cooperative Company based in Afton, Iowa and Kevin DeGoey from New Century FS in Grinnell, Iowa have won the Secretary’s Biodiesel and Ethanol Marketing Awards by Iowa Secretary of Ag Bill Northey. The awards honor fuel marketers who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels including ethanol and biodiesel. Activities include hosting special events such as pump promos, creative signage, and innovative marketing campaigns.

Schlapia, DeGoey“New Century FS and Farmers Cooperative Company have made expanding access to renewable fuels a priority and invested in the infrastructure necessary to make variety of biodiesel and ethanol available to their customers. On top of that, they have worked hard to promote these home-grown fuels and educate their customers about the benefits,” Northey said.

The winners were announced and recognized during the Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores of Iowa Annual Meeting in Des Moines on Jan. 12th.

Northey added, “Fuel marketers are the place where customers access the home-grown, clean-burning renewable fuels we produce here in Iowa. Our state is fortunate to have many retailers that have made a significant investment to give customers greater access to renewable fuels and more choice at the pump.”

Kevin DeGoey, the Energy Department Manager for New Century FS in Grinnell is winner of the 2016 Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award. New Century FS offers higher ethanol blends at their sites in Grinnell and Vinton and are working to add additional ethanol blender pumps as part of the Iowa USDA Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership program. They were an early adopter of registered E15 and are now one of 40 locations statewide offering this higher blend to customers. In the second year that E15 was offered at their facility in Vinton sales jumped 93 percent and now account for 27 percent of the fuel sales at that site.

Darin Schlapia with Farmers Cooperative Company in Afton is the winner of the 2016 Secretary’s Biodiesel Marketing Award. Farmers Cooperative Company participated in the “Fueling our Future” pilot program to install one of the first biodiesel blender pumps in the state at their site in Mt. Ayr. That site offer offers #2 diesel, B11, B20, B30 and B99. As part of the “Fueling our Future” program, Schlapia and Farmers Cooperative Company worked with Iowa State University to evaluate consumer perceptions and the impact of increased assess to mid-level biofuels blending options, including impacts on improved air quality.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Education, Ethanol

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. has announced the immediate international availability of its StorEdge solution. At the end of 2015, the company already completed a number of StorEdge installations in select locations around the world.
  • Ormat Technologies, Inc. has announced today that its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary has commenced construction of the 35 MW Platanares geothermal project in Honduras. In 2013, Ormat signed a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) contract for the Geotérmica Platanares geothermal project in Honduras with ELCOSA, a privately owned Honduran energy company, for approximately 15 years from commercial operation date (COD). In December 2015, Ormat concluded the drilling activity as well as extensive tests that support the decision to construct a 35 MW project, which is larger than initially estimated.
  • Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd. has announced that its holding subsidiary, Hainan Yingli New Energy Resource Co, LTD. has entered into definitive agreements to form a joint venture to establish a new solar panel factory in Thailand with Demeter Corporation PLC’s subsidiary, Demeter Power Company Limited, a Thailand-based developer, EPC provider, and operator of renewable energy projects.
  • SPI Energy Co. has announced the closing of its investment of RMB30 million for a 60% stake in Beijing Yiwei New Energy Technology Development Company, an Internet-based electric vehicle rental service provider located in China.
Bioenergy Bytes

Missouri Can Meet Clean Power Plan with Policies, Efficiency

Joanna Schroeder

Missouri can meet targets under the Clean Power Plan (CPP) through clean energy policies and better power plant efficiency according to an analysis from World Resources Institute. Under the CPP, the state has a mass-based emissions reduction target of 29 percent below 2012 levels by 2030. The analysis shows that if Missouri achieves its MO_fig_1current energy efficiency and renewable energy goals and makes more efficient use of its natural gas and coal fleet, the state can get 90 percent of the way towards its target. However, if Missouri expands its renewable energy standard, the state can exceed its target, achieving 34 percent reductions below 2012 levels by 2030.

“Missouri has already taken steps toward meeting its Clean Power Plan goals,” said Sam Adams, director, U.S. Climate Initiative, WRI. “Missouri’s energy efficiency and renewable energy policies are creating jobs and spurring in-state investment. If Missouri expands on the progress it’s already making on energy efficiency and renewable energy it can seize important economic opportunities while complying with the Clean Power Plan.”

The analysis finds that Missouri’s energy efficiency and renewable energy policies already benefit the state. For example:

  • In 2014, the energy efficiency sector in Missouri employed 32,000 people, a number expected to grow if efficiency programs are expanded;
  • According to the American Wind Energy Association, Missouri’s wind industry has generated $1.4 million in annual land lease payments and $1 billion in total capital investment as of 2014, in addition to employing 6,000 workers that year;
  • Meeting the existing renewable energy standards could create 30,000 new jobs by 2021 and provide over $1 billion in new income to residents;
  • According to analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, new energy efficiency initiatives in Missouri, including utility programs and building codes, could save consumers $6.1 billion and create 8,500 new jobs.
  • Currently, Missouri spends about $1.3 billion per year on importing coal from other states. By investing in efficiency and renewables, Missouri can reduce its imported coal consumption and keep more of its energy investments in-state.

“Missouri can come close to its Clean Power Plan emissions reductions target by following through on its renewable energy standard and voluntary energy efficiency goals and making smarter, more efficient use of fossil fuel power plants. And by expanding its renewable energy standard, the state can go even further,” said Rebecca Gasper, research analyst, WRI. “Missouri can use its existing clean energy policies to ensure the state continues toward a low carbon future while bringing economic benefits to its residents and businesses.”

Clean Energy, Clean Power Plan, Electricity, energy efficiency, Wind

RFA Comments on DOE’s Innovative “Optima” Program

Joanna Schroeder

The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) had a call for information on Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Optima). The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) submitted comments stating that the Association agrees that “co-optimization of future fuels and engines is an essential strategy for achieving national objectives related to energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, and energy security.”

rfalogo1The comments were authored by RFA Senior Vice President Geoff Cooper who noted in the remarks that a significant amount of work is already underway that complements Optima’s goals including lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas analysis of ethanol and high octane fuels (HDFs); evaluation of tools to predict HOF exhaust emissions; infrastructure compatibility and cost analyses; development of standards and specifications; and other activities. The comments also pointed out several areas for further research and collaboration, including actual HOF emissions testing; refinery-level economic analysis; using flex-fuel vehicles as a “bridge” technology to HOFs; and further characterizing the properties of various octane sources.

RFA notes that existing regulatory barriers pose the most significant threat to the commercial introduction of HOFs. According to RFA, “Federal regulatory barriers that must be addressed include: fuel volatility (RVP) regulations; Tier 3 regulations regarding certification fuels; new fuel registration requirements; treatment of biofuels and FFVs in determining compliance with 2017-2025 CAFE/GHG standards (e.g. ‘R-factor’ and ‘F-factor’ values); inconsistent boundaries and approaches to regulatory lifecycle GHG accounting; and tailpipe pollutant (i.e., non-GHG) emissions estimation. In addition, a number of state regulatory barriers need to be addressed to facilitate introduction of HOFs.”

RFA stated the “chicken and egg” phenomenon was a substantial barrier to the deployment of co-optimized engines and HOFs, characterizing the phenomenon as one where “automakers are hesitant to invest in manufacturing HOF-optimized vehicles until HOFs are substantially available in the marketplace, and…fuel producers are reluctant to invest in infrastructure to produce and distribute HOFs until HOF-optimized vehicles are substantially available.” RFA said a primary objective of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was to “eliminate the ‘chicken or egg’ fuel/engine situation by specifying biofuel volumes that must be consumed far in advance, providing substantial lead time for affected industries to implement plans.” RFA stated that the EPA’s “unlawful reinterpretation of its statutory waiver authority and its reduction of RFS volume obligations has raised serious concerns about the future viability of the RFS as a tool for driving the transition to HOFs and optimized SI engines.”

automotive, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

President to Discuss Clean Energy in SOTU

Joanna Schroeder

President Obama’s last State of the Union address (SOTU) will take place tonight and one topic on the docket: clean energy. As noted by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), wind energy has led the sector in progress.

Wind Turbine in Washington DC“This American success story is not only helping us build a better world for our children, it’s also helping consumers save money,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. “Wind energy’s continuing growth is something that should make all Americans proud.” He notes several key areas in which the wind energy has seen great accomplishments.

1. Adding more capacity than any other energy source, leading the country with 47 percent of all new electric generating capacity in 2015 (followed by gas at 35 percent and solar at 14 percent).

2. More than quadrupling total capacity since 2008 – up from 16,702 MW installed at the start of that year to over 70,000 MW as of November 2015. That is enough energy to supply over 19 million American homes.

3. Cutting costs 66 percent in six years because of technological advances spurred by American ingenuity and domestic manufacturing.

4. Setting records for share of the electricity mix across entire states and regions. Iowa is approaching 30 percent, South Dakota 25 percent, and Kansas is over 20 percent of electricity from wind year-round; in total nine states are over 12 percent. At one point in November on the main Colorado grid, wind met over 66 percent of the electricity demand.

5. Creating well-paying jobs. The fastest-growing profession in America today is “wind turbine technician,” growing at more than twice the rate of the second-fastest-growing profession. Today’s 73,000 U.S. jobs in wind energy can grow to 380,000 jobs within 15 years, according to the Department of Energy’s recent “Wind Vision” report.

6. Affordably reducing carbon pollution. A recent study by the Energy Information Administration found that wind energy consistently emerged as the most cost-effective method of reducing emissions, supplying 57 percent of the additional energy in the lowest-cost compliance solution for the Clean Power Plan.

7. Saving money for consumers, companies and cities while also achieving their sustainability goals. Google, Amazon and Proctor & Gamble all recently made large wind energy purchases, while cities from San Diego to Washington, D.C. are increasing their share of renewable energy. Stably-priced wind energy saved Midwest consumers $1 billion in just two days when the price of other fuels spiked during the Polar Vortex event in January 2014.

Clean Energy, politics, Wind

New Hampshire Favors Solar

Joanna Schroeder

New Hampshire is one of several states that has a cap on solar net metering placing a cap on in-state solar growth. To assess how consumers living in the state feel about solar, The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC) conducted a poll and found that 4 out of 5 New Hampshire voters favor solar as an energy source. In addition, 70 percent support the state’s net metering law that allows solar customers to receive credit for the extra energy their solar panels produce. The support for net metering is consistent across political parties with two thirds of both Republican and Democratic respondents support the net metering law and three quarters of Independents support it.

The Alliance for Solar Choice logo“New Hampshire voters – including solar workers, consumers, schools and businesses – are urging policy makers to lift the cap and keep net metering in place this legislative session,” said TASC spokesperson Evan Dube. “The future of the state’s solar industry hinges on preserving net metering.”

The poll also found a surprising majority supports legislative intervention with the Public Utilities Commission to continue the state’s solar net metering program. Results show that Politicians who want to cap solar metering may find themselves out of a job at the next election. Only 14 percent of polled voters are more likely to vote for such a legislator, while more than three times as many voters would be less likely to vote for the legislator.

The poll also found that although New Hampshire has traditionally one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, voters are enthusiastic about the prospect of new clean-energy jobs created by the growing solar industry in the state. The industry has already created hundreds of solar jobs across the state with the help of policies like net metering.

Clean Energy, Electricity, Solar

Grasses Hold Promise for Biofuels in Midwest

Joanna Schroeder

A recent study shows that perennial grasses are economical biofuel crops to meet U.S. fuel goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the West will have to contribute to the biofuels market in ways other than grasses. Tara Hudiburg, an ecologist in the College of Natural Resources at University of Idaho along with researchers from the University of Illinois, Colorado State University and the University of Georgia published their research in the first-ever issue of Nature Energy.

CNR - Tara HudiburgHudiburg said the study is the most comprehensive to date focused on perennial grasses and one of the first to bring together economists and ecologists from around the country for a thorough assessment of whether grasses such as switchgrass and Miscanthus can reduce emissions and meet the biofuel demands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard. The grasses can be used to make cellulosic biofuels.

Perennial grasses can supply the fuel needed to meet the RFS but only through smart land-use planning, said Hudiburg, and should not be planted in the West where other feedstocks are more sustainable and economical.

“These perennial grasses are not feasible environmentally for the West,” Hudiburg said. “Replacing greenhouse-gas-intensive crops — like corn grain for ethanol — is a much easier greenhouse gas problem to solve than replacing land out here.”

Hudiburg explained that much of the land in the West, such as forest land, is already positively contributing to emission reduction by storing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases rather than releasing them. The Midwest, on the other hand, is a net source of greenhouse gases, largely due to agriculture.Read More

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, Research, RFS

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1The Wilderness Society’s new report, Outdated and Undervalued, tells the story of how low royalty payments from the oil, gas and coal industry have been shortchanging local communities and putting energy development above other uses of public lands without compensating to offset the impacts of development. Read the report.
  • The South Dakota Corn Growers Association presented POET with the “MVP in Agriculture” award at their 30th annual banquet Saturday night at the Sioux Falls Arena. The MVP Award goes to an individual or organization that has helped reach common goals and advancement in the agricultural industry.
  • The Geothermal Energy Association’s (GEA) 2016 U.S. & International Geothermal Energy Showcase will take you around the world to see what leading geothermal countries & countries that harbor geothermal potential are doing to help mobilize and build successful geothermal projects. The event takes place March 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Registration is open.
  • Registration is open for the 11th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education hosted by the Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy. The event takes place June 21-24, 2016 at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota. This summer’s institute will focus on the middle school curriculum resource: Next Generation Climate.
Bioenergy Bytes