ACE Conference 2026

Maine Wind Project Gains Key Approval

John Davis

aquaventasmaineAn update to a story we told you about last week… an offshore wind energy project in Maine has received a key approval from state regulators. This article from CompositesWorld.com says the Maine Public Utilities Commission gave the go-ahead for the Maine Aqua Ventus project, a pilot offshore wind farm project designed to prove the feasibility of floating offshore wind turbines.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission approved a term sheet for the 12-MW Maine Aqua Ventus project proposed by Maine Prime Technologies, a spin-off of the University of Maine (Orono, Maine, USA) and two general partners, engineering firm Cianbro Corp. (Pittsfield, Maine) and energy services firm Emera Inc. (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).

Under the parameters of the term sheet, the project will produce about 43,000 MWh/year of energy at $0.23/kWh, with an annual increase of 2.5 percent per year for 20 years.

The approval by the commission now allows the Maine Aqua Ventus project to compete for $47 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wind

Wisconsin Resarchers Find Better Biofuels Chemical

John Davis

Dumesic-Luterbacher1Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found a way to get more ethanol out of sugars used in the refining process. This university article says they’re using a plant-derived chemical, gamma valerolactone, or GVL.

“With the sugar platform, you have possibilities,” says Jeremy Luterbacher, a postdoctoral researcher and the paper’s lead author. “You’ve taken fewer forks down the conversion road, which leaves you with more end destinations, such as cellulosic ethanol and drop-in biofuels.”

Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), the research team has published its findings in the Jan. 17, 2014 issue of the journal Science, explaining how they use gamma valerolactone, or GVL, to deconstruct plants and produce sugars that can be chemically or biologically upgraded into biofuels. With support from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the team will begin scaling up the process later this year.

Because GVL is created from the plant material, it’s both renewable and more affordable than conversion methods requiring expensive chemicals or enzymes. The process also converts 85 to 95 percent of the starting material to sugars that can be fed to yeast for fermentation into ethanol, or chemically upgraded furans to create drop-in biofuels.

The researchers are adding liquid carbon dioxide to the mix and could reduce the cost to produce ethanol by 10 percent.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research, University

Bi-Partisan Group Protests EPA Biofuels Reductions

John Davis

bustosnoemA bi-partisan group of lawmakers is calling on the government to end its proposal to reduce the amount of ethanol and biodiesel that will be blended into the Nation’s fuel supply. Led by Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem (SD-AL), the group has sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the agency’s proposal to reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

In a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the Members of Congress said that reducing the amount of renewable fuels in gasoline could hurt rural economies, jeopardize American jobs, raise prices at the pump and deter investment in biofuels and biofuel infrastructure. They asked that the EPA revise their proposal before the 60 day comment period ends on January 28th.

“We are writing to express our concern regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule for the 2014 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program,” the Congresswomen said in their letter. “The significant reduction in renewable volume obligations under this proposed rule could destabilize the renewable fuel industry and send the wrong message to investors. This risks jobs and threatens the development of advanced and cellulosic biofuels that bring higher-level ethanol and biodiesel blends to consumers.”

The effort is seen as part of a full-court press by biofuels advocates to reverse the proposal, which ends its comment period in about a week.

Biodiesel, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Legislation, RFS

Southern Illinois Expands Ethanol Research Team

John Davis

Arun Athmanathan1A research center dedicated to advancing the study and development of ethanol is expanding its research staff. This news release from the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) has added Dr. Arun Athmanathan, a postdoctoral fellow specializing in cellulosic and advanced biofuels research.

“Following a national search that generated candidates from premier research institutions across the country, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Athmanathan to the team,” NCERC Director John Caupert said. “Arun’s expertise in cellulosic biofuels research and his studies under biofuels pioneers like Nathan Mosier, Mike Ladisch and Nancy Ho make him an excellent complement to our research division.”

Arun has a broad range of experiences in the characterization and fermentation of many cellulosic and advanced feedstocks, including corn stover and sweet sorghum bagasse, likely feedstocks that the NCERC research team will explore. He received his MS and PhD in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University’s acclaimed agriculture school.

The Illinois Corn Marketing Board and SIUE partnered to provide seed funding for NCERC’s postdoctoral fellowship program following the Center’s recent breakthroughs in corn kernel fiber conversion and feedstock characterization. Arun and an additional postdoctoral fellow will work under Research Director Dr. Sabrina Trupia to extend upon the Center’s existing research and identify new areas of study.

“The NCERC continues to be an incredible asset to public and private researchers and the biofuels industry as a whole,” ICMB Chairman and Okawville farmer Larry Hasheider said. “From accelerating the commercialization of new technologies to increasing production efficiency and developing value-added coproducts, the NCERC has defined the cutting edge of the biofuels research for more than a decade. We believe this investment will yield tremendous dividends for the biofuels and agriculture industries through continued research breakthroughs.”

The NCERC also announced the expansion of its research capabilities through a new faculty fellowship program. University faculty can apply for course-buyouts in order to conduct collaborative research with the Center.

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Research, University

2014 National Biodiesel Conference Underway

Chuck Zimmerman

2014 National Biodiesel ConferenceThe 2014 National Biodiesel Conference is underway in San Diego. This evening attendees got together for a welcome reception at the San Diego Convention Center. It looks like we’re going to have an even larger crowd than was first thought!

I’ve got photos to share with you and tomorrow will have full coverage of the opening general session and interviews and more. Right now you can find photos online which I will be adding to when I can throughout the convention: 2014 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Miscellaneous

LANXESS Biodiesel Stabilizer Introduced

John Davis

lanxessA German chemical company has introduced a new liquid stabilizer for biodiesel. This news release posted on NewswireToday.com says LANXESS is now offering Baynox Extra, an easy-to-meter additive that prolongs biodiesel’s shelf life and doesn’t crystallize, even at 10 below Celsius.

LANXESS will present the new product to a trade audience at the international biodiesel congress “Fuels of the Future” taking place in Berlin on January 20-21, 2014. On January 21, Dr. Wolfgang Podestà, Business Manager for Baynox at LANXESS Distribution GmbH, will give a presentation entitled “Biofuels meets Antioxidants Status Quo and Future”. In it, he will explain why antioxidants are important for biodiesel manufacturers, what types are available and which criteria are important to make the right selection.

The highly concentrated antioxidant Baynox Extra (baynox.com) ensures that the biofuel obtained from natural raw material remains stable and can be used for longer. Otherwise, the fuel’s unsaturated fatty acid structures can easily oxidize in contact with atmospheric oxygen. Heat, light and pressure make the oil rancid within a short time. The consequences of such oxidation are a degradation of the biodiesel into short-chained fatty acids and the formation of insoluble polymers (gums), causing damage to the engine and the injection system. LANXESS’ Baynox range is continually being adapted to the rapid developments in the automotive industry and includes increasingly high-performance products. The pressures in diesel engines are continually rising, as are the injector temperatures. On the other hand, tolerances for manufacturers of biodiesel are getting smaller and smaller and the specifications ever narrower. “With Baynox Extra our customers will be ideally equipped in the future too to meet the demands that the automotive industry make of modern fuels,” says Podestà.

LANXESS claims international sales of more than $12 billion annually about 17,500 employees in 31 countries.

Biodiesel, International

Blue Sun Opens Most Advanced Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

bluesun1A Missouri biodiesel maker says it has opened the world’s most advanced biodiesel plant. This news release from Blue Sun Energy says the 30-million-gallon-per-year plant in St. Joseph uses enzymatic biodiesel processing technology.

“We have fully commercialized the enzymatic process technology and the plant is operating at full commercial scale. This process gives Blue Sun a clear competitive advantage in the market, allowing us to bring the absolute highest quality fuel to market using this industry leading technology,” said Leigh Freeman CEO. “This achievement again shows Blue Sun’s ability to identify and commercialize the most relevant advanced technologies in fuel production.”

The process at the St. Joe refinery produces very high quality biodiesel, which is even further improved by the state-of-the-art distillation system installed last year at the refinery.

“The process developed by Blue Sun for enzymatic transesterification improves the bottom line through lower costs and higher revenue,” said Sean Lafferty, Vice President of Technology & New Business. “Blue Sun can use essentially any feedstock without limit to free-fatty-acid content. This reduces pre-treatment requirements and costs significantly. Blue Sun’s feedstock advantage alone can yield a savings of 10 cents per pound of feedstock, or 75 to 80 cents lower cost per gallon of finished biodiesel.”

Blue Sun uses Novozymes’ Callera Trans L® enzyme and produces the high-grade biodiesel, as well as improving the quality of the glycerin produced, more than doubling the co-product’s value.

“Commercial operations using the enzyme would not have been possible without the many discoveries and inventions of the skilled engineers at Blue Sun, and the support of our partner, Novozymes,” said Bruce Baughman, Chief Operations Officer.

Biodiesel, Novozymes

Biodiesel Blogging Again

Chuck Zimmerman

2014 National Biodiesel ConferenceIt’s that time. The 2014 National Biodiesel Conference is next week. I’ll be on location once again and working as the Biodiesel Blogger on the NBB Conference Blog.

Things will get going late Monday and through Wednesday. You can find the program here. I’ll be sharing lots of photos and interviews as I find them. Hope you enjoy them.

Our John Davis got a preview of the conference from NBB CEO Joe Jobe last month. Listen in if you missed it. Joe Jobe, CEO NBB

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

American Made Message Delivered to Drivers on I-80

Joanna Schroeder

Patriot Renewable Fuels is delivering the message of the benefits of American made products with their new LED sign on Interstate 80 that was installed on December 20, 2013. The biorefinery is located just off I-80 and drivers can see the facility as they drive by, but Gene Griffith, president of Patriot notes that most drivers have no idea that the plant was producing the fuel -ethanol- they were using in their car.

So the Patriot team came up with a solution. To install and LED billboard along I-80 near their biorefinery that gives drivers simple messages about the benefits of ethanol. When the construction of Patriots biodiesel facility is complete, they will incorporate messages about the benefits of biodiesel as well.

Patriot Renewable Fuels American Made“Patriot is very visible to drivers on I-80 but the sign we had was not easily viewable, and we often received questions “what is that plant?”, is it a power company?,” explained Griffith. “In addition to the permanent sign at the top that identifies Patriot Renewable Fuels, LLC, the bottom sign is an LED message sign that we will use to highlight some of the important Patriot and Industry messages.”

The one shown is in this photo says “American Made”. Others will include “Producing Feed and Fuel,” with photos of the DDGS pile and rail cars of ethanol.

“Visibility is good 24 hours a day, but it is impossible to miss at night. We’ve had a great reception to its installation,” added Griffith.

Biodiesel, Education, Ethanol, Patriot Renewable Fuels

Hearing in the Heartland: Supporting the RFS

Joanna Schroeder

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are leading a group of senior state officials from Iowa and the Midwest to organize and host a public hearing allowing citizens outside of Washington, D.C., the opportunity to testify about the importance of the Renewable Protect the RFSFuel Standard (RFS). “Hearing the Heartland: Supporting the Renewable Fuel Standard,” will be held at Hall of Laureates, 100 Locust Street in Des Moines, Iowa, on January, 23, 2014, with comments beginning at 8:30 am CST.

The Governor notes that the RFS has proven an important policy framework for empowering consumers with additional and lower-cost choices at the pump, diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio, reducing harmful transportation emissions, supporting the growth of the Midwest economy, and reducing our dependence on overseas oil. Governor Branstad also announced this week he is running for a historic 6th term as Iowa’s Governor. He is also behind the Protect the RFS campaign that was launched during an RFS rally held in Nevada, Iowa on November 22, 2013.

In December, Gov. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey along with the entire Iowa congressional delegation sent a letter to President Obama, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on December 20, 2013, encouraging Federal officials to host a public hearing in Iowa or the Midwest to give more citizens the opportunity to provide perspective and data on the EPA’s proposal to reduce volume obligation levels for 2014 in the RFS. The White House, Administrator McCarthy and Secretary Vilsack each declined the invitation and the opportunity to host a hearing.

“Iowans, and Midwesterners, deserve the opportunity to make the case for their futures and I was disappointed to hear that the Federal Government has declined our invitation to host a hearing in the Midwest,” said Governor Branstad. “We believe it is necessary to host this public hearing for Iowans and other Midwesterners to enable them to more easily provide comments on the EPA’s proposal, which could cost nearly 45,000 jobs, have a negative ripple effect through the U.S. economy and would hinder consumer choice at the pump.”Read More

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, EPA, Ethanol, RFS