NBB Touts Minnesota’s New 10% Biodiesel Mandate

John Davis

mnAs Minnesota becomes the first in the nation to require all diesel this summer have at least a 10 percent biodiesel blend, the National Biodiesel Board is touting the move… and the green fuel’s benefits.

“Minnesota has been a pioneer, first demonstrating success with a five percent biodiesel blend. Moving to B10 continues the state’s role as a leader for our energy future, a future that includes diverse options like America’s Advanced Biofuel, biodiesel” said Steven Levy, Chairman for the National Biodiesel Board.

According to the American Lung Association of Minnesota, the state’s current B5 standard reduces emissions equal to removing nearly 35,000 vehicles from the road, which equates to 644 million pounds of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Increasing the blend from B5 to B10 will mean an additional demand of 20 million gallons of biodiesel each year on top of the current usage of 40 million gallons. Minnesota’s current operating production capacity is over 60 million gallons per year. Plants are currently operating in Isanti, Brewster and Albert Lea.

“It is encouraging to see leaders implement consistently strong biofuels policy; this is obviously in sharp contrast to the mixed messages sent from Washington, DC,” said Levy. “Minnesota’s move to B10 shows the impressive potential for renewable energy when policy and entrepreneurship work hand in hand to support real benefits that impact us all. Hopefully those at the national level will see the success in Minnesota and follow up with a strong federal energy policy and strong renewable fuel standard.”

Minnesota was supposed to move to B10 two years ago, but delays to make sure adequate blending infrastructure was in place put it off until now. Starting next year, B10 will be sold from April through September. The rest of the time, a 5 percent blend requirement is in place.

Biodiesel, Government, NBB

Cellana Deal Could Have Implications for Biodiesel

John Davis

cellanaA new deal between Cellana, a California-based maker of algae-based products, and Israel’s Galil Algae Cooperative Agriculture Society Limited could have implications for biodiesel. This Cellana news release says the partnership looks to combine the industrial qualities of Cellana’s 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 – with Galil Algae’s whole-algae products that are rich in Omega-3s for aquaculture applications at a new joint algae research center in northern Israel.

“This newly-established relationship with Galil Algae is an extension and validation of Cellana’s core competencies in minimizing contamination in large-scale outdoor algae biomass production and in growing algae strains that naturally produce high-value Omega-3 oils,” stated Martin A. Sabarsky, Chief Executive Officer of Cellana. “Many of the same strains that can be grown for aquaculture hatchery applications can also be good sources of crude oil for fuel applications, proteins for animal feed and food applications, and oils and polysaccharides for cosmetic applications,” continued Mr. Sabarsky. “Galil Algae’s algae strains for aquaculture hatchery applications are qualitatively better than competing products based on their Omega-3 profile and other qualities. We look forward to finalizing the definitive agreements with Galil Algae and working closely with Galil Algae to expand commercial-scale production of these high-value products.”

Galil Algae officials see the deal as a way for them to partner their high-performing, high-Omega-3 algae strains with Cellana’s approach to commercial strain development and market focus within the nutraceutical and aquaculture sectors.

algae, Biodiesel

Iowa Plant Produces First Cellulosic Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

qccp-cellulosic-gallonThe very first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol gallons produced in Iowa flowed from the Quad County Corn Processors (QCCP) distillation unit Tuesday, bringing smiles to the faces of the plant team members who posed with a bottle of the historic fuel.

The event marks the official commissioning of the farmer-owned ethanol plant’s Adding Cellulosic Ethanol (ACE) project, which broke ground in Galva, Iowa not quite a year ago. The new “bolt-on” process adds the capability to convert the kernel’s corn fiber into cellulosic ethanol, in addition to traditional corn starch ethanol.

quad-county “Our Adding Cellulosic Ethanol (ACE) project will not only increase our plant’s production capacity by 6 percent, but it will also continue to boost energy security and provide consumers with more low-cost, cleaner-burning ethanol without adding any additional corn to the production process,” said QCCP CEO Delayne Johnson, who also noted the new technology will improve the plant’s distillers grains (DDGs) co-product. “As a result of the new process, the DDGs will be much more similar to a corn gluten meal. It will increase the protein content of the livestock feed by about 40 percent, and we also expect to see a boost in corn oil extraction by about 300 percent,” he said.

Listen to Johnson explain the process at the 2014 National Ethanol Conference: Remarks by Delayne Johnson, Quad Council Corn Processors

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) offered congratulations to the QCCP team for becoming the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol producer in Iowa. “While the EPA continues to debate the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014 and beyond, renewable fuels producers like Quad County Corn Processors remain committed to pioneering new technologies that increase plant productivity and accomplish the goals set forth by the RFS,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw, adding that the state has other cellulosic ethanol projects nearing completion.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen says the first gallon of cellulosic ethanol represents just the beginning of a long, promising future. “It is worth noting that Quad County is the perfect demonstration of first and second generation ethanol being produced side-by-side to bring more choice to America in the form of low-cost, high-octane, renewable fuel,” said Dinneen.

Syngenta recently partnered with QCCP to license the ACE technology, which is used in combination with the Enogen corn trait.

advanced biofuels, Audio, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

RES America’s Border Winds Project Blows Ahead

Joanna Schroeder

The Border Winds Project is blowing ahead in Roulette County, North Dakota. Renewable Energy Systems Americas has received notice to proceed on construction. The company is the developer and engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project. RES purchased the partially completed project from Sequoia Energy in August 2013. However, when completed, ownership and operation will be transferred to Xcel Energy.

Located near the U.S./Canada border, the 150 megawatt (MW) project is comprised of 75 V100-2.0 MW Vestas turbines. Construction of Border Winds is expected to begin in June 2014 with completion in October 2015. The project is expected to employ up to 300 workers during peak construction.

vestas-v100“Technological improvements in the wind industry continue to drive down the cost of generating clean, carbon-free electricity for consumers,” said Andrew Fowler, chief operating officer of RES Americas. “RES Americas is committed to playing a leading role in developing and constructing wind and solar projects that will further advance a sustainable energy future for North America. Border Winds puts us one step closer.”

Xcel Energy estimates that Border Winds will reduce customer costs by approximately $45 million over the project’s life and avoid approximately 320,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The Vestas V100-2.0 MW turbine, launched in 2013, generates approximately 13% more energy than earlier models at medium wind speeds, according to RES, who expects that the cost of energy generated by the project will be competitive with or below wholesale power prices in the region.

Dave Sparby, president and CEO of Northern States Power Co.-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy company said of the project moving forward, “We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs in clean and affordable ways. The Border Winds project is one of four new wind projects under development in our Upper Midwest region. These projects will add 750 megawatts of clean wind energy to our system and demonstrate that we can achieve both environmental and economic benefits for our customers.”

Renewable Energy, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFConsumers Energy has chosen 22 new projects offered by businesses and homeowners across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to produce solar energy. Five non-residential projects in four counties were selected. The projects will provide 546 kilowatts of electric capacity, and they range in size from 21 to 150 kilowatts. Seventeen residential customer projects in 13 counties – Bay, Barry, Clinton, Eaton, Gladwin, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Kent, Monroe, Newaygo, Ottawa and Washtenaw – also were selected. The projects will provide about 171 kilowatts of electric capacity, and they range in size from 2.5 to 20 kilowatts. The customers were chosen as part of the company’s Experimental Advanced Renewable Program (EARP). The program provides for the long-term purchase of renewable energy generated by solar energy systems owned by electric customers.
  • SunEdison, Inc. has announced the closing of a US $155 million non-recourse debt financing arrangement with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and CorpBanca, a prominent Chilean commercial bank, who also provided a local Chilean Peso VAT facility equivalent to US $35 million. The debt proceeds will be used in Chile for the construction of a 72.8 MWp (megawatt) merchant solar power plant.
  • Vernier Software & Technology has launched the Renewable Energy with Vernier lab book and the Vernier Energy Sensor to help students explore renewable energy concepts through engaging, hands-on investigations. The lab book, which was written and aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), contains 26 experiments that use the Vernier Energy Sensor, as well as KidWind Experiment Kits, which are exclusively manufactured and distributed by Vernier.
  • VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has joined forces with Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku in the launch of an extensive development project for a brand new energy system and its associated business sector in Finland. The NEO-CARBON ENERGY project, targeting the storage of solar and wind energy, has been granted major strategic funding by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation for the next couple of years.
Bioenergy Bytes

Corn Interns Educate About E85 Cost

Chuck Zimmerman

Illinois CornLet’s put those interns to work. That’s what Illinois Corn is doing. Interns Tim Marten, a student at SIU-Edwardsville, and Elizabeth O’Reilly, a student at ISU, have been tasked with creating short videos that promote corn. The internships are funded by two communications scholarships from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Here’s an example of one of them below. You can find others here.

The first video highlights how gas prices are determined, illustrating the cost that E85 SHOULD be at the pump when priced appropriately.

biofuels, corn, E85, Video

Nebraska Ethanol Sector Leads Manufacturing Wages

Joanna Schroeder

Nebraska Ethanol Economic ImpactAccording to Nebraska Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program, over the last decade, Nebraska’s ethanol production sector outpaced all other manufacturing groups in the state in terms of wages earned. For example, in 2013 the average annual wage in the ethanol sector was $59,541 while the average for all other manufacturing sectors was $39,966.

“Nebraska’s ethanol industry now has twenty-four operating plants located across the state with the capacity to produce more than two billion gallons annually,” said to Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board. “The impact of ethanol production goes far beyond rural Nebraska. Virtually every sector of the state’s economy benefits from ethanol’s growth. Economic benefits accrue to technology and manufacturing sectors that provide software and sophisticated equipment to the agricultural sector that provides the raw materials processed in the plants.

Sneller added, “A vibrant agricultural economy is a major component of Nebraska’s economic success and the growing importance of ethanol is particularly notable. The ethanol industry generates 7,700 jobs, increases Nebraska’s annual economic base by $5.8 billion, and pays more than $38 million in local and state tax revenues each year.”

biofuels, Ethanol

Turning Biodiesel By-Product into Valued Chemicals

John Davis

RiceWong1Researchers have discovered a catalyst of precious metals that is uncovering some real treasure in a biodiesel by-product. Rice University says engineers at the school have found palladium-gold nanoparticles, used as catalysts for cleaning polluted water, are also surprisingly good at turning glycerol into valuable chemicals.

Through dozens of studies, [Michael] Wong’s team focused on using the tiny metallic specks to break down carcinogenic and toxic compounds. But his latest study, which is available online and due for publication in an upcoming issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Chemical Science, examined whether palladium-gold nanocatalysts could convert glycerol, a waste byproduct of biodiesel production, into high-value chemicals.

In scientific parlance, the data from the study produced a “volcano plot,” a graph with a sharp spike that depicts a “Goldilocks effect,” a “just right” balance of palladium and gold that is faster — about 10 times faster — at converting glycerol than catalysts of either metal alone.

In previous studies, the nanocatalysts were used in reduction reactions, chemical processes marked by the addition of hydrogen. In the latest tests on glycerol conversion, the nanocatalysts spurred an oxidation reaction, which involves adding oxygen.

“Oxidation and reduction aren’t just dissimilar; they’re often thought of as being in opposite directions,” Wong said.

You can read the full study here.

Biodiesel, Research, University

Ethanol Report on Advanced Ethanol Concerns

Cindy Zimmerman

ethanol-report-adAdvanced Ethanol Council (AEC) executive director Brooke Coleman commented last week on a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) so we got him on the phone for this edition of “The Ethanol Report.”

colemanIn this interview, Coleman talks about his take on the CBO report, as well as Phantom Fuels legislation in Congress, and the delay on EPA issuing a final rule for 2014 volume obligations under the RFS.

You may recall that EPA officials said earlier this year that they expected to have a final rule by the end of spring, or at least the end of June, but that has not happened yet and Coleman explains they now have until the end of September. “They were saying the end of June because they had to get it done by July 1st because they had extended the RFS compliance year through June,” he said. “They then extended it again through September.”

Ethanol Report with Brooke Coleman, Advanced Ethanol Council

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

advanced biofuels, AEC, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, RFS

Supreme Court Turns Down California LCFS Case

Cindy Zimmerman

supreme-courtIn the flurry of decisions by the Supreme Court released the morning, justices declined to review California’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) decision.

A federal trial judge ruled against the LCFS in 2011 but the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling last year and denied rehearing the case in January.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy issued a joint statement regarding the decision.

“We are extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court has declined to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision, despite the broad support for the petition – including 21 states. We will continue our efforts to protect the American biofuel industry and the national interest and will continue to ensure that all consumers have access to low-priced, American-made biofuels.”

The ethanol industry was joined in challenging the California law by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM). “The Supreme Court’s decision not to review this case is disappointing and leaves in place a state regulation that discriminates against fuels and other products produced outside of California,” said AFPM General Counsel Richard Moskowitz. “California’s efforts to dictate how fuel is produced outside of its borders ignores Constitutional safeguards that have long protected against one state controlling the conduct of private parties beyond their borders.”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, Low Carbon Fuel Standard, RFA