A Lighter Version of Biodiesel-Powered Land Cruiser

John Davis

paperlandcruiser1You might not be able to take it four-wheeling, but a lighter version of a biodiesel-powered Land Cruiser could help you get through a long day at your desk. Autoevolution reports Toyota is offering a paper model of its legendary vehicle, just right for killing time deep thinking sessions as you come up with big ideas for your boss.

Toyota subsidiary Toyota Auto Body Co has made a paper version of its biodiesel-powered Land Cruiser you can download, print and build. If you have no idea what’s with the Bio-Cruiser, you need to learn that it known for emitting 60 percent less carbon dioxide than regular diesel Dakar competitors.

Toyota Auto Body entered the real car into the 2014 Dakar rally using biodiesel made our of used cooking oil to show that it cares for nature and people could use other fuels for racing purposes.

You can download the paper Toyota Land Cruiser kit here. Soon you can recreate the Dakar rally, complete with your own, self-generated sound effects (but you might want to close your office door, lest the boss thinks you’re just goofing off).

Biodiesel

Checkoff Targets Big Yields for Biodiesel Feedstock

John Davis

USBlogoA farmers’ checkoff is targeting research to get bigger yields for this country’s primary feedstock for biodiesel. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the United Soybean Board wants to increase average soybean yields by about 50 percent in the decade.

“Yield research has been the center of checkoff research since the organization was established,” said Gregg Fujan, who leads the United Soybean Board’s focus on supply. “Checkoff-funded production research is incredibly important to U.S. soybean-farmer profitability. With the advancements we help bring to market, the national yield trend line should continue to grow at an even higher rate.”

The goal of this project is to increase the national soybean yield average to 60 bushels per acre, about 20 bushels higher than the current national average, by the year 2025. To do it, scientists are using soy-checkoff funding to harness the power of the sequenced soybean genome by using various genetic methods, such as nested association mapping (NAM), RNA sequencing and epigenetics.

The article goes on to say that soy-checkoff-funded researchers are working on projects, such as sequencing genomes to find the best beans for yields, even putting together a “soybean genome atlas.” Other research is looking at how soybean plants respond to pathogens and pests that can cut yields.

USB points out that while a 60-bushel-per-acre national yield might seem a bit lofty, last year’s yield-contest winner topped 100 bushels per acre.

Biodiesel, Soybeans, USB

RFA Challenges Oil Industry Letter to EPA

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA-logo-13The CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today sent a letter to the head of the Environmental Protection Agency challenging claims by the oil industry regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

In a letter sent to EPA earlier this week, the American Petroleum Institute (API) requested that EPA use October 2013 fuel consumption projections—instead of the most current projections—when setting the final 2014 RFS renewable volume obligations (RVOs). RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen called the suggestion that outdated fuel consumption projections should be used to establish the RVOs “the highest form of hypocrisy and misdirection.”

“Common sense and the principles of good rulemaking dictate that the final RVOs should be based on the latest available fuel consumption projections from EIA,” wrote Dinneen in the letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Since the inception of the RFS2, EPA has always relied on the most recent EIA projections to set annual RVOs. API has never objected to this—until now.” Dinneen adds that API has repeatedly requested that EPA base its cellulosic biofuel RVO on the most current available production data.

Dinneen said API also misconstrues the fact that the RFS is fundamentally a volumetric standard, not a percentage-based requirement. “In the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress set forth the specific volumes of renewable fuels that must be consumed annually. From these statutorily required volumes, as well as projected levels of gasoline and diesel consumption, EPA derives its annual percentage RVOs,” wrote Dinneen. “API obviously has the RVO-setting process backward, requesting that EPA start with an arbitrary renewable volume percentage and work in reverse to establish the commensurate volumetric requirements.”

Read more here.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, RFS

Liverpool Researchers Study Agave for Biofuels

Joanna Schroeder

A PhD student at the University of Liverpool is studying a plant that may be a viable feedstock to produce advanced biofuels. Agave sisalana is a proposed biofuel plant that can be grown in semi-arid conditions unsuited to food crops. The plant is already grown for fibre in countries like Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar. Sisal fibre has traditionally been used for marine ropes, bailer twine, and rugs, but today it is also finding new uses such as reinforced plastic composites for car door panels.

According to Bupphada, agave has a number of favorable characteristics for use as a fuel, as it contains large amounts of sugar and cellulose, and grows well in seasonally dry areas. As second generation biofuels technologies for converting cellulose to liquid transportation fuels are maturing fast, agave may prove to be a good feedstock.

agave sisal-plantsSupervised by plant biologist, Dr James Hartwell, Bupphada is investigating the genomic basis for agave’s ability to grow productively in dry regions.

“Unlike most plants, agave opens the pores in its leaves and captures carbon dioxide during the cool, humid night,” said Hartwell. “It uses an adaptation of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), which means that it loses a lot less water during photosynthesis in comparison to major food crops like wheat or rice”.

In collaboration with Liverpool’s world-leading Centre for Genomic Research, Bupphada has sequenced RNA from agave leaves in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the genes used for CAM photosynthesis. Long-term, the hope is that knowledge of which genes are important in agave will help accelerate its improvement as a biomass feedstock crop.

Bupphada came to Liverpool as a result of a partnership that the ARDA has with the University. After completing his PhD, he plants to return to Thailand to work at the Agricultural Ministry, applying his new findings on research projects there.

“Biofuels are a credible way of reducing our reliance on oil, but the areas in which they are grown requires careful planning,” said Bupphada. “Understanding how plants like agave grow in marginal areas means we can maintain food supply, while also creating alternative sources of income for communities.”

advanced biofuels, feedstocks, Renewable Energy, Research

CHS to Aquire Illinois River Energy

Joanna Schroeder

Sinav Limited, based in London, England has signed an agreement with CHS to sell 100 percent of their stock that includes Illinois River Energy. The ethanol plant is based in Rochelle, Illinois and produces 133 million gallons of ethanol per year. Providing all conditions are met, the transaction is expected to close in June.

Illinois River Energy“Illinois River Energy is a top-tier ethanol plant, well-situated in a strategic growth area that will add value to our farmer-owners through expanded grain origination, additional renewable fuels gallons and distillers grain by-products,” said Mark Palmquist, CHS executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ag Business.

CHS markets renewable fuels to energy customers across the U.S. and through 1,400 Cenex- branded retail petroleum outlets, including more than 1,000 Cenex convenience stores, and markets dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) globally on behalf of more than 20 ethanol plants across the United States.

“We have enjoyed a strong business relationship with CHS as they have been our ethanol marketer since the start of Illinois River Energy operations in 2006. Today, we look forward to formally joining CHS and adding value to the global cooperative as an ethanol, DDGS, and distillers corn oil producer,” added Richard Ruebe, CEO, Illinois River Energy.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

H2FIRST To Improve Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure

Joanna Schroeder

Last year the U.S. Energy Department launched H2USA, a program aimed at addressing the challenge of hydrogen infrastructure. Established by the Energy Department’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Research and Station Technology (H2FIRST) project will draw on existing and emerging core capabilities at the national labs and aim to reduce the cost and time of new fueling station construction and improve the stations’ availability and reliability.

By focusing on these aspects of the hydrogen fueling infrastructure, the effort hopes to accelerate and support the widespread deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Automakers are investing in hydrogen technology as evidenced by Toyota’s recent announcement that it will begin selling its Fuel Cell Vehicle in 2015. Last year, GM and Honda announced plans to jointly develop hydrogen fuel cell cars, and Hyundai will lease its Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen-powered vehicle in California this spring.

“The success of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles largely depends on more stations being available, including in neighborhoods and at work, so drivers can easily refuel,” said Daniel Dedrick, hydrogen program manager at Sandia who is involved with several other partners in the program. “With H2FIRST, we’re definitely on the road to making that happen more quickly.”

The partners include several agencies from the state of California, widely regarded as the nation’s epicenter of zero-emission vehicles.

“This new project brings important federal know-how and resources to accelerate improvements in refueling infrastructure that support the commercial market launch of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” said Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “California is committed to deploying at least 100 hydrogen refueling stations in the next decade, and the H2FIRST effort is a big step toward the development and deployment of a broader, consumer-friendly infrastructure for us and the rest of the United States. We are excited to be joined by such prestigious partners in this effort.”

H2FIRST’s technical goal is to develop and apply physical testing, numerical simulation and technology validation to help create low-cost, high-performance materials, components and station architectures. H2FIRST also will collect and distribute data supporting industry’s efforts to reduce the costs of integrated fueling systems and networks.Read More

Alternative energy, Hydrogen

REPREVE Launches Biomass Crop System

Cindy Zimmerman

A North Carolina-based biomass company has launched a brand new system for the production of high-yielding energy crops that can be used for biofuels and other bio-based products.

repreveREPREVE® RENEWABLES LLC is collaborating with farmers and landowners across the country to use the innovative biomass crop system grow giant miscanthus grass on marginal and underutilized land.

REPREVE developed a comprehensive solution to the challenge of planting rhizome-propagated crops like miscanthus on a commercial scale, according to Jeff Wheeler, chief executive officer. “We’re really excited to be launching this year our new ACCU YIELD™ system,” said Wheeler, explaining that they had to develop specialized equipment to extract and process the rhizomes for planting, and then develop a precision planter to accurately and efficiently plant the crop for the highest yields.

ACCUDROP planter in fieldThe system is comprised of three elements: the ACCU LIFTER™ machine lifts rhizomes from a field in such a manner that reduces damage to the rhizomes thus increasing viability; the ACCU PROCESSOR™ unit sizes and cleans rhizomes for improved germination and quality and the ACCU DROP® planter provides optimal row spacing at varying planting densities to ensure a uniform, consistent and rapid stand establishment.

Farmers and landowners in Iowa, Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin are among the first to adopt this inventive approach to diversified land management. “These early adopters of commercial-scale biomass are trailblazers,” Wheeler says. “We provide turnkey solutions to farmers and landowners whereby we plant and harvest the crop. Plus we provide the market for the harvested crop each year.”

The crop is marketed to end users for a variety of renewable products, from biofuel to animal bedding. “Biofuels is one of the markets that we are working to develop,” said Wheeler, who says they have projects ongoing with companies in the advanced cellulosic biofuels arena. “There’s been such great progress made in those technologies and they hold such great promise for energy independence … but the biggest thing the industry needs is consistent and stable policy from Washington.”

Learn more in this interview with Wheeler: Interview with Jeff Wheeler, REPREVE Renewables

advanced biofuels, Audio, biomass, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFPOET-DSM Advanced Biofuels recently received Biofuels Digest’s 2013-14 “Industrial Symbiosis” award at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, conducted in Washington, DC. The award represents the achievement in developing co-located facilities that transform the cost and complexity of advanced biofuels by sharing inputs, outputs, infrastructure, or other technology.
  • Tesla has opened its 100th Supercharger station. Today there are now 86 Supercharger stations in North America, 14 in Europe, and two in China. Number 100 is another milestone in the rapid expansion of Tesla’s Supercharger network, making it possible for Model S owners to drive long-distance, for free, for life.
  • SolarCity is launching its solar service in Nevada for the first time. Now it will be possible for many Las Vegas area homeowners to install solar panels for free and pay less for solar electricity than they pay for electricity from the local utility. SolarCity can allow Nevada homeowners to go solar for as little as $30 per month, with design, installation, financing, insurance, monitoring and a performance guarantee included.
  • A new study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) outlines how energy efficiency could be used in an upcoming standard by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce CO2 levels with no net cost to the economy. The standard, currently under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget and likely to be released in early June, would set a CO2 emissions limit for existing power plants under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. The study shows how the Environmental Protection Agency could use four common energy efficiency policies to set a carbon pollution standard that reduces emissions to 26% below 2012 levels. In 2030, these policies would save 600 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, save over 925 million MWh of electricity, reduce electricity demand by 25%, and avoid the need for 494 power plants.
Bioenergy Bytes

Brazilian Industrial Biotechnology Association Formed

Joanna Schroeder

A group of industrial biotechnology companies have joined forces to form the Brazilian Industrial Biotechnology Association (in Portuguese ABBI – Associação Brasileira de Biotecnologia Industrial). This new association (ABBI) brings together companies and institutions developing and using microorganisms and its derivatives to deliver renewable products for industries and consumers worldwide. ABBI’s primary objective is to foster a dialogue within Brazilian society about the advancements of industrial biotechnology in Brazil. The founding members of ABBI are Amyris, BASF, BioChemtex, BP, Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, Dow, DSM, DuPont, GranBio, Novozymes, Raízen and Rhodia.

ABBIABBI will promote a dialogue with stakeholders and policymakers to improve Brazil’s biotechnology regulations and update current legislation in light of technological advances of the last several years. The trade association also believes there is room for improvement in Brazil’s patent laws, particularly as they relate to biological products and processes. The group supports additional investments in research and development, capacity and training for skilled and technical labor, and laboratory infrastructure.

“The establishment of ABBI is important for the Brazilian government as this group is reliable partner in the formulation of a coherent positive agenda, with proposals for the advancement of business and technology,” said Luciano Coutinho, President of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), who participated at the event launching ABBI yesterday in São Paulo. BNDES has invested R$1.2 billion (about US$540 million) in biotechnology projects in Brazil.

Brazil is one of most biodiversity rich countries in the world and provides good conditions to utilize industrial biotechnology to make significant gains in productivity and competitiveness. The use of such biotechnology can increase productivity, improve process efficiencies, and reduce waste and pollution in Brazil and beyond. Speaking at the event in Brazil yesterday, Professor Greg Stephanopoulos, of the Bioinformatics & Metabolic Engineering Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, stated that industrial biotechnology would help Brazil take a leadership position in the 21st Century global economy.

advanced biofuels, biochemicals, bioenergy, biomaterials, bioplastics, Biotech

Argentina’s Beef with EU over Biodiesel Before WTO

John Davis

areu-flagArgentina has formally presented its case in the dispute with the European Union over EU antidumping duties imposed on Argentine biodiesel. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the Europeans claim the South Americans’ green fuel, as well as biodiesel coming from Indonesia is unfairly priced, a point disputed by the Argentinians.

In its complaint, Buenos Aires contends that Brussels incorrectly calculated the final duties by failing to take into account records kept by the exporters or producers under investigation; did not determine production costs in the country of origin; and also included costs not associated with the production of the goods in question.

In addition, according to Argentina, the EU failed to conduct an objective examination of the elements such as volume and price effect of the purportedly dumped imports in its determination of injury to the EU domestic industry. Argentina is also questioning the objectivity of the EU’s examination of the causal relationship between the alleged dumping and injury.

The dispute has had its second hearing before the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body.

Biodiesel, International