Alphabet Energy Introduces Thermoelectric Generator

Joanna Schroeder

Alphabet Energy has introduced what they are calling the world’s most powerful thermoelectric generator that captures exhaust heat and converts it into electricity, called the E1. The generator attaches to an exhaust stack and uses Alphabet’s patented thermoelectric materials to convert waste heat into electricity. Thermoelectrics use a temperature differential to generate electricity in the solid state. According to Alphabet Energy, the E1 generates up to 25 kWe per 1,000 kWe engine, saving 52,500 liters of diesel fuel per year, per engine. This product introduction is the first for the company, which was founded in 2009 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

“Today we’re making history and marking a milestone in industrial energy efficiency with the introduction of the E1,” said Alphabet Energy CEO and Founder Matthew L. Scullin. “People have been trying to make an industrial-scale thermoelectric generator for a long time. Customers want waste-heat recovery solutions that are simple pieces of industrial equipment rather than complex power plants.”

“With the E1, waste heat is now valuable,” Scullin added. “Saving fuel has the potential to be one of the biggest levers a company has in reducing operating expenses. That potential is finally realized with the E1, the world’s first waste-heat recovery product that meets the mining’s and oil & gas industry’s criteria for simple, strong, and reliable solutions.”

While NASA has used thermoelectrics since the 1950s, high materials costs made them prohibitive for wider use. However, Alphabet’s proprietary advancements in silicon and tetrahedrite have enabled the company to create the first highly efficient thermoelectric materials that use abundant resources. Thermoelectrics are unique because they are solid-state; which means the E1 operates with technology that has no moving parts, no working fluids and requires minimal maintenance.

Compared to other waste heat recovery systems, the Alphabet Energy said its E1 requires only minor up front engineering scope and no operation by the customer. This makes it ideally suited for remote and industrial applications where ongoing system support capacity is limited. The E1 requires no engine modifications and is installed with a simple process that involves only exhaust coupling and electrical hookup.

Electricity, Energy, Waste-to-Energy

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFOriginOil Inc., developer of Electro Water Separation (EWS), the high-speed, chemical-free process to clean up large quantities of water, announced today that in a letter to shareholders, CEO Riggs Eckelberry reported that the prototype of a GEN 2 frack water cleanup system is complete and on its way to Colorado for field testing. The full report is now available on OriginOil.com’s website.
  • The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) announced that U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will keynote the general session at Solar Power International (SPI) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, Oct. 22. In his cabinet role, Dr. Moniz implements critical Department of Energy (DOE) missions in support of President Obama’s goals of growing the economy, enhancing security and protecting the environment.
  • Baker Electric Solar announce it has installed its first SolarTrackr DUO system. Wovn Energy’s Hi-Yield Solar Initiative (HYSI) solar tracker product points a system’s solar panels towards the sun all day increasing efficiency and reliability.
  • Michigan’s evolving energy industry, one of the state’s largest employers, will be in the spotlight next week, as part of a national campaign to recruit talent for the energy workforce of the future. Gov. Rick Snyder has proclaimed Oct. 13-19, 2014 as “Careers in Energy” week to raise awareness about a sector that boasts 84,000 jobs in Michigan and creates more than 1,200 new opportunities a year. In addition, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy collectively provide more than 500 internship and co-op jobs for high school and college students.
Bioenergy Bytes

Mechanics See Ethanol in Action at NASCAR

Joanna Schroeder

Mechanics in Kansas had the opportunity to learn about NASCAR first hand when they attended the Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race on Sunday, October 5, 2014 at the Kansas Speedway hosted by the Kansas Corn Commission. The Commission has been a part of the American Ethanol partnership with Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association and several state corn associations since 2011.

“All NASCAR race vehicles have raced on E15, 15 percent ethanol fuel since the 2011–that’s over 6 million miles of racing on E15,” said Kansas Corn Commission CEO Greg Krissek. “This race was a great opportunity to help mechanics see firsthand how high performance ethanol works in NASCAR race vehicles.”

Kansas Mechanics at NASCAR raceAustin Dillon, who drove the #3 American Ethanol car spoke to the group and answered questions before the race. Dillon is the American Ethanol spokesman. He drives for the Richard Childress Racing team and is one of the top rookie drivers in the Sprint Series. The Kansas mechanics spoke with Dillon and were treated to a tour of the garage and pit areas and walked through the RCR team’s American Ethanol hauler before going to their seats for the race. The RCR team drivers, Dillon, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard all had top ten finishes Sunday. Newman had a sixth place finish and Menard was ninth.

“It was a good day for everyone on the No. 3 team,” Dillon said. “I’m happy that we could get a top-10 finish for American Ethanol, Dow, Cheerios, Bass Pro Shops, and everyone associated with Richard Childress Racing. We’re working hard and learning a lot. It was a good day and I’m excited for Charlotte Motor Speedway next week and finishing the rest of the season out strong.”

The American Ethanol group brought about 400 fans to the race on Sunday. The fans included farmers, ethanol producers and industry partners.

“Austin and Richard Childress are both fantastic spokesmen for American Ethanol and are true believers in the high performance qualities of ethanol blended fuel. They were excited to have the mechanics come through their garage Sunday,” added Krissek. “The mechanics in our group asked very good questions about the fuel and the NASCAR engines. They learned that ethanol blends work just fine in NASCAR race cars as well as the cars and trucks they work on every day.”

American Ethanol, NASCAR

Renderer Acquires Biodiesel Operation

John Davis

bakernewleafA renderer and recycler has acquired a controlling interest in a Southern California biodiesel operation that turns fats and oils into the green fuel. This article posted on Feedstocks.com says Baker Commodities, Inc., which has been a long-time supplier of fats and oils to the biodiesel industry, now controls San Diego-based New Leaf Biofuel, and the move will allow Baker to expand into other markets that vertically integrate with its rendering operations.

“We are excited to have New Leaf Biofuel as a division that will continue the recycling of fats and oils into an environmentally clean and sustainable fuel for all Californians to use,” said Jim Andreoli, Jr, Co-President, Baker Commodities. “As renderers, we in the industry have been recycling fats and proteins for hundreds of years, and to be able to use these materials to further support our society’s needs is a natural fit for our rendering business.”

Since 2006, New Leaf Biofuel has been converting used cooking oil into ultra-low carbon biodiesel, which is used in commercial and municipal fleets throughout California. New Leaf Biofuel President Jennifer Case and her husband Tyler Case, Vice President of Operations, are excited to work with Baker as the general operators of New Leaf Biofuel. “We couldn’t be happier about becoming part of Baker Commodities,” said Case. “We are both family-owned businesses and share very similar philosophies and corporate sustainability goals. We’re excited to help the company in its future growth.”

Baker has been rendering and removing grease since 1937.

Biodiesel

Neste Oil Moves Away from Microbes for Renewable Diesel

John Davis

nesteoil_logoRenewable diesel maker Neste Oil says it will move away from turning microbes into the green fuel and concentrate on other feedstocks, such as forestry and agricultural waste. This company news release says the Finland-based Neste Oil wants to increase the number of renewable inputs used for the renewable diesel.

“Our microbial oil pilot plant at Porvoo has demonstrated that we have the technical capability for producing microbial oil,” says Neste Oil’s Senior Vice President, Technology, Lars Peter Lindfors. “Seen in terms of sustainability, using waste and sidestreams generated by agriculture and forestry as well as industry has a very important role to play in the future, and we have successfully used straw, for example, to produce microbial oil. Two years of in-depth microbial oil research at the pilot plant has generated a lot of valuable know-how and extended our patent portfolio, and we will be able to use the results of this work in other research projects.

“The time is not yet ripe for a commercial-scale microbial oil plant, however. Lignocellulose material is not a financially competitive industrial feedstock for producing renewable diesel using the microbial oil process at the moment. We will continue researching agricultural and forestry waste and residues, and believe that lignocellulose inputs will play an important role in future renewable applications,” says Lindfors.

The release does not say how this could affect a recent deal with U.S. algae producer Renewable Algae Energy (RAE) to supply algae oil as an alternative feedstock for Neste Oil’s NEXBTL renewable diesel for the future.

Biodiesel, International

How to Establish Biobased Production Chains

Joanna Schroeder

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RV0), Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research has developed a method that can help companies and government authorities create biobased chains, from source materials to end products. The method was developed out of a need for companies to develop successful production chains for the production of biofuels or biomaterials from biomass-based resources.

According to senior scientist Wolter Elbersen at the institute for Food & Biobased Research, the method is mainly intended for businesses and investors looking to establish a biobased production chain locally, or for export to the Netherlands or other EU countries. “They often have trouble evaluating whether developing a biobased production or export chain is feasible or how it can be done commercially,” said Elbersen. “This method provides an insight into which factors are at play.”

Setting Up International Biobased Production ChainsThe method is a step-by-step plan for the development of a biobased export chain. It includes a classification of the various types of biomass.

Scientist Jan van Dam at Food & Biobased Research explained that an analysis was made of which crops and products are most suitable, and how market demands are expected to develop. “We then described how businesses or investors can use a SWOT analysis to evaluate whether a local crop is a good starting point for the development of a biobased trade chain. This includes factors such as the availability of the crop and the infrastructure, security of supplies, costs and the degree to which the source material can be produced in a sustainable way.”

The method also offers a list of criteria for determining the most suitable location for converting the source material into tradable products. It deals with questions such as which country has the best infrastructure and the most educated employees? Which location offers the lowest operational costs and the best logistics? And where do the co-products or by-products have the most value? This involves issues such as heat for heating networks, CO2 for CO2 fertilisation or lignin for new chemical products.

biofuels, biomass, biomaterials, bioplastics, bioproducts

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFBiochemtex and Beta Renewables announced they have signed a definitive agreement with ENERGOCHEMICA SE for the construction of a 2nd Generation Ethanol plant and the annexed Energy Block for the generation of power and steam. The plant, that will be built in Strazske, Slovak Republic , will deliver 55,000 metric tons per year of cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol while using non-food biomass as its feedstock.
  • Capital Dynamics announced the financial closing of the first phase of a 300 megawatt (MW) onshore wind project in Texas- Green Pastures. Once commissioned, Green Pastures will generate enough electricity to power 110,000 homes. Green Pastures is Capital Dynamics’ first onshore wind project in the United States and fourth overall, following on the heels of three wind projects in the United Kingdom.
  • Global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations added during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2014 are forecast to exceed 19.5 gigawatts (GW), pushing global cumulative PV deployment towards the 200 GW mark. The amount of solar PV deployed in Q4 is forecast to be equivalent to the energy supplied by five large-scale nuclear power plants and will surpass the total annual solar PV deployed in 2010. According to findings in the latest NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly report, this record quarterly figure will be driven in large part by China, and will ensure that the PV industry approaches the previously forecast 50 GW annual installation level in 2014.
  • The REF-2014 KYIV Forum 2 is taking place October 14-14, 2014 in Kyiv, Ukraine, NSC “Olimpiskiy”. REF-2014 Kyiv is focused on sustainable energy within Eastern Europe with attendees including key players in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as heads of state departments, engineers, producers and suppliers of technical solution and equipment; bankers and investors, best international experts and professional associations representatives, aiming to strengthen legislative and economic basis for projects development in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Bioenergy Bytes

Renewable Energy Co-Product Wins Award

Cindy Zimmerman

magic-dirtThe inaugural Bioproducts Innovation of the Year awards were announced this week at the Bioproducts World 2014 Showcase and Conference in Columbus, Ohio and a co-product of renewable energy was named the consumer Bioproduct Innovation of the Year award at this first annual competition.

Cenergy USA of Little Rock, Arkansas won for the development of Magic Dirt, a recycled co-product of generating renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Cenergy specializes in the development and financing of renewable energy, distributed generation and energy efficient projects.

Magic Dirt™ is certified as a Premium Potting Soil by the Mulch & Soil Council, certified by USDA BioPreferred Program as 100% BioBased and approved for use in organic production by the State of Idaho. Each cubic yard of Magic Dirt™ is the end result of generating over 100 kWh of renewable energy and eliminating more than 1,800 pounds of greenhouse gases from the environment as a sustainable alternative to peat moss.

bioenergy, bioproducts

More Biodiesel Use Means More Attention to Seals

John Davis

More use of biodiesel in heavy machinery, such as construction and agricultural equipment, means operators need to pay more attention to what kind of seals they use in the machines. This news release from Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies says that those engine and transmission seals need to be made of validated elastomeric materials that withstand unique operating conditions or they will prematurely fail.

“As the large earth moving equipment and other heavy machinery becomes cleaner by using biodiesel fuels, manufacturers are going to experience more motor oil contamination in their engines from this fuel,” [Joseph Walker, global director, Advanced Materials Development for Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies] said. “Biodiesel fuels have a much higher boiling point and the fuel is miscible with the engine oil. This means more fuel remains in the oil during use and this diluted oil mixture impacts engine and component operation.”

While industry studies that examine the impact of oil-fuel dilution on lubricants exist, this is the first time a company has undertaken efforts to understand how oil-fuel dilution affects sealing elements, he noted.

“This comprehensive study was designed to close that gap,” Walker said. “We realized that if we understood how these biodiesel fuel oil mixtures impacted elastomeric materials on a molecular level, we could determine which ones would perform best and longest for our customers and require the fewest seal replacements. And the dilution of the engine oil with biodiesel fuel does have pronounced effects on both lubricant and seal life.”

Freudenberg-NOK officials also note that the issue can be more pronounced in the construction industry where heavy machinery is being constantly leased and operated for long periods between maintenance cycles.

Walker will present his company’s finding’s at today’s SAE 2014 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress (COMVEC) in Rosemont, Ill.

Biodiesel

Minnesota Biodiesel Exceeds Quality Standards

John Davis

nbb-logoBiodiesel in Minnesota is more than meeting quality standards – it’s exceeding them! The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) reports that some recent field testing from more than 30 random retail stations scattered throughout the state of Minnesota showed biodiesel blends greatly exceeding important fuel quality parameters set by the industry.

“Biodiesel fuel quality is at an all-time high across the industry,” said Scott Fenwick, National Biodiesel Board technical director. “The recent results from the Minnesota testing is just another example of why consumers can feel confident filling up with biodiesel blends.”

A key indicator of fuel quality in biodiesel blends is oxidative stability, which is a measure of degradation caused by exposure to oxygen. Plymouth, Minn., based MEG Corp., a fuel consulting company, took blind samples in September from retailers across three regions in Minnesota — north, metro and south.

All of the samples taken surpassed the minimum required specification for oxidative stability and most of the samples were three to four times better than the minimum. Fenwick said higher values indicate even better stability, and this new real-world data is important as some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) look for more assurances that biodiesel blends are meeting specifications at the pump. The minimum stability requirements within the current biodiesel specs only recommend for biodiesel to be stored for up to six months which is more than enough time for most diesel applications.

Minnesota just completed the first summer of a successful run with 10 percent biodiesel (B10) in diesel fuel statewide, which was considered a success in no small part because of the high quality of the fuel in the system.

Biodiesel, NBB