ACE Conference 2026

OriginOil Launches Aquaculture Showcase

Joanna Schroeder

OriginOil has launched its Permanent Technology Showcase with a demonstration of its EWS Aqua Q60 and EWS Algae A60 models at Aqua Farming Tech, a sustainable fish farm in Thermal, California, located in the Coachella Valley.

OriginOil Aqua Farming Photo Jessica Sterling Photography“Worldwide, more fish is now being farmed than beef,” said Riggs Eckelberry, president and CEO of OriginOil. “While this is good news, the aquaculture industry will have to address the environmental and operational problems it faces if it is to continue to grow, including the fact that fish is often farmed under toxic conditions. Our Coachella Valley showcase is intended to serve as a living demonstration of the feasibility of clean, sustainable aquaculture.”

OriginOil’s commercial fish farming pond water treatment system can rapidly remove ammonia, bacteria and other aquatic invaders from pond water. And farmers who want a healthier and less-expensive alternative to fish meal can use OriginOil’s algae harvesting system to produce nutritious fish feed. Together, the OriginOil Aquaculture System can help spur the growth of sustainable fish farming on a global scale by reducing costs, eliminating the need for chemical treatment and improving the quality of the product.

Aquaculture is a fast-growing industry. The $100 billion industry is expected to increase by 33 percent between 2012 and 2022, compared to an increase of only 3 percent in capture fisheries, according to the United Nations (The State of World Fisheries, P. 206). But the growth is leading to operational and environmental problems, including the high costs of energy and fish feed, which have forced many fish farms in the Coachella Valley to close.

According to OriginOil, EWS works by recirculating water through a low-voltage electrical pulsing system that causes contaminants or algae to coagulate, or clump together. The clumped-up material then enters a second stage in which low-power electrical pulses generate a cloud of micro-bubbles that gently lift the concentrate to the surface for harvesting.

The EWS Aqua Q60 commercial fish farming pond water treatment system can service 50,000 liters daily, says OriginOil, while consuming less than 20 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day (about $2.40 worth). The system is designed to reduce fish stress and improve yields, while sharply reducing or eliminating the need for chemicals and antibiotics.

The EWS Algae A60 is a mid-scale harvester that can process up to 60 liters (16 gallons) per minute of algae water. Individual EWS Algae A60 units can be assigned to manage a pond or bioreactor assembly of up to 500,000 liters. Units can be combined to achieve massive parallel processing capability. The unit removes 99 percent of the water to produce an algae concentrate. Algae-based fish feed costs up to 60 to 70 percent less than traditional fish feed.

Agribusiness, algae

Greenlight to Turn Waste Oil into Biodiesel at BWI

John Davis

greenlightFlying into the Washington, D.C. area will soon become a bit greener, thanks to a partnership to turn waste cooking oil at an area airport into biodiesel. The Environmental Leader reports Greenlight Biofuels is partnering with airport concessions giant Airmall USA to turn the waste cooking grease at Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) into biodiesel.

The recycling program shows the key role industries can play in promoting energy independence, says Jim Kingdon, president of Greenlight Biofuels.

On average, every 100 gallons of processed oil is equivalent to 70 gallons of biodiesel, which can offset up to 1,212 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the companies say.

Greenlight Biofuels has been around since 2007, and its principals have been involved in renewable energy for more than a decade.

Biodiesel

Argentina Files Complaint on EU Biodiesel Tariffs

John Davis

argentinaflagArgentina is not sitting still for what it terms as “illegal tariffs” against its biodiesel going to the European Union. This story from the Wall Street Journal says, for the third time, the South American country has complained to the World Trade Organization about the EU’s block on the imported biodiesel.

Last month, the EU slapped steep import taxes on Argentine biofuel ranging from 217 to 246 euros ($298-$336) per metric ton, “having the direct and immediate effect of closing the European market to Argentine biodiesel and affecting exports worth over $1.5 billion per year,” the country’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

A spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The first step in the dispute resolution process is a request for consultations, in which the parties involved have 60 days to try to reach an agreement, the WTO said about the latest Argentine complaint. If no agreement is reached, Argentina can then request a WTO panel be convened to settle the dispute.

EU biofuels makers say Argentina unfairly dumps its biodiesel on the European market.

Argentina is also trying to counter the effects of the EU ban on its biodiesel by increasing its own domestic biodiesel blending requirement for vehicles and start using it in power plants.

Biodiesel, International

What Winter Shows You’re Going To

Talia Goes

zp-nhOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “ Which winter farm shows/events are you planning to attend?”

Our poll results:
· National – 29%
· None – 24%
· All of the above – 19%
· State – 10%
· Other – 10%
· Regional – 5%
· Local – 5%

Looks like quite a few of you will be traveling to shows this winter. Be careful and we hope you find what you’re looking for.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “ What is your traditional Christmas dinner?” Will there be a big bird in the middle of your family dinner table or a mouthwatering roast beef? Let us know!

ZimmPoll

Report: Global Biodiesel Market Worth $12.6 Billion

John Davis

marketsandmarketsThe global biodiesel market is expected to be worth a whopping $12.6 billion in 2014. A new market research report, “Global Biodiesel Market (2009 – 2014),” put out by MarketsandMarkets, details how the European market should make up about 55.6 percent of the revenues and 28.6 percent in the Americas.

Increasing environmental concerns and the need for energy independence have led to the biodiesel market. Despite the economic recession, global biodiesel production totaled 5.1 billion gallons in 2009, representing a 17.9% increase over 2008 levels. The biodiesel market is expected to grow from $8.6 billion in 2009 to $12.6 billion in 2014. Market growth is primarily dependent on the availability, quality, and yield of feedstock, as it accounts for 65% to 70% of the cost of biodiesel production.

Biodiesel derived from rapeseed oil forms the largest segment of the overall market. Germany is the single largest producer of biodiesel with 2.8 million tons produced in 2008. The biodiesel market also offers immense opportunities countries such as U.K., India, and China, as these regions have high diesel fuel prices and a large number of diesel fueled vehicles.

While growth may be affected by feedstock availability issues and the food v/s fuel debate, the market is expected to witness a paradigm shift with the increasing conversion efficiency of existing feedstock, and the development of newer feedstock sources such as algae.

Transportation fuels still make up the lion’s share of the biodiesel market, with 70 percent of the green fuel going into vehicle tanks.

Biodiesel

Amyris Increases Biodiesel Buses in Brazil

Joanna Schroeder

Amyris, Inc. has announced that the city of São Paulo is now operating 400 city buses using Amyris Renewable Diesel, which is branded locally as Diesel de Cana. In other news, Amyris announced it has successfully produced its first fragrance oil for its partner Firmenich SA.

“From fuels to consumer care products, we continue to make progress on our commercialization of No Compromise renewable products that meet our customers’ needs,” said John Melo, President & CEO at Amyris. “We are not only building on our Biodiesel Bus in Brazilexisting fuels market opportunities but also expanding our portfolio of renewable products, as we have shown with our successful production of a fragrance oil, the third molecule we have taken from lab to industrial scale following artemisinin and farnesene.”

The announcement regarding the expanded use of Diesel de Cana took place with the São Paulo Public Transportation Authority (SPTrans) and its industry partners. The diesel blend is produced from locally-grown sugarcane using Amryis fermentation technology. In addition a trial will begin in 2014 to pilot the use of 100 percent Amyris Renewable Diesel in several city buses.

“We are pleased to increase our supply of Diesel de Cana in São Paulo, helping bring the city closer to its goal of 100% renewable fuels in public transport while reducing air pollution,” said Adilson Liebsch, commercial director at Amyris Brasil. “Our drop-in renewable fuel has been used commercially at blends of 10-30% for two years and logged over 30 million kilometers to date. Working with Mercedes-Benz, MAN and Volvo on a 100% Diesel de Cana trial, we will build greater confidence in our fuel’s quality and performance, paving the way to expand our commercial efforts in other metropolitan areas globally.”

The city of São Paulo has more than 15,000 buses consuming about 450 million liters (118 million gallons) of diesel per year. Amyris’s sugarcane-based diesel is helping the city meet its goal of reducing fossil fuel use in the public transit system. Under city law, São Paulo is working to reduce fossil diesel use by 10 percent every year through 2018.

advanced biofuels, biochemicals, Biodiesel, Brazil

Congress Warned About Biodiesel Incentive Lapse

John Davis

nbb-logoFailure once again to renew the $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax incentive is putting jobs and the industry’s growth at risk. The incentive lapses on Dec. 31st of this year, and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has sent out a warning letter to Congress as that date grows near.

“This marks the third time in five years that this incentive will have expired,” Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), wrote in the letter. “The uncertainty this creates is a major reason why we are still so dependent on petroleum. It is incredibly disruptive, not just to biodiesel plants across the country but also to our bipartisan goals of creating jobs in new domestic energy industries and boosting our energy security by diversifying our fuel supplies.”

“Biodiesel producers, many of them small companies, are reluctant to add new jobs when there is a strong likelihood that the incentive will disappear,” the letter continues. “Many are forced to cut back production when the incentive expires, causing job losses and even plant closures.”

Steckel added that NBB is pleased to see the ongoing discussion around tax reform but urged the lawmakers to not hold up tax extenders while those long-term negotiations continue.

Losing the tax incentive comes as a second recent blow to biodiesel, as the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed limiting biodiesel volumes under the RFS to 1.28 billion gallons for the next two years.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation, NBB

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFFrost & Sullivan has recognized Compagnie Industrielle de la Matiere Vegetale (CIMV) with Frost & Sullivan’s 2013 French Visionary Innovation Award. CIMV’s extensive research to find a viable substitute for petroleum has led to a biorefinery concept that focuses on second-generation biofuels and chemicals. These types of biofuels use only plant residuals (straws, forest residues, wood, miscanthus, and switch grass) and not the plant itself.
  • BASF and Renmatix Inc. will jointly scale up the Renmatix Plantrose process for the production of industrial sugars based on lignocellulosic biomass. The two companies signed a non-exclusive joint development agreement. The collaboration follows BASF’s $30-million investment in Renmatix in January 2012. The Plantrose technology developed by Renmatix enables industrial sugar to be produced, at competitive costs, from a variety of non-edible biomass (lignocellulose) sources. The proprietary process breaks down lignocellulosic sources (e.g. wood, agricultural-residues or straw) into industrial sugars using supercritical water (water at high temperature and pressure).
  • American Capital Energy & Infrastructure announced today that it has partnered with American Capital to create BMR Energy LLC (“BMR”), a new energy company focused on developing and investing in power and related energy infrastructure throughout Central America and the Caribbean. BMR’s first project is a 34 MW wind farm in Malvern, St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica. In September 2013, the Office of Utility Regulation in Jamaica selected BMR to build, own, and operate the wind project, which is expected to be operational in 2015.
  • Lignol Energy Corporation, a technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sectors, announced that further to its press releases dated September 30, 2013 and November 6, 2013, it has completed a A$1,488,000 subscription for secured convertible notes in Territory Biofuels Limited.
Bioenergy Bytes

GTL & QTI Partner to Develop NextGen FracTM

Joanna Schroeder

GTL Resources USA, Inc. (GTL), owner of Illinois River Energy, LLC (IRE), and Quality Technology International, Inc. (QTI), through its subsidiary, QTI-AMG LLC, have formed a partnership to collaborate on a new, transformative hybrid fractionation technology for corn, dubbed “NextGen FracTM”. According to the companies, this technology solves the serious starch loss and co-product purity problems of current standalone dry fractionation technologies without the complexity and cost of whole kernel wet milling, potentially a major financial boon for corn ethanol manufacturing.

GTL Resources Logo“We believe that the NextGen FracTM process will be a game-changer in the corn bio-refining space by substantially improving co-product values, reducing ethanol production costs, and opening-up the potential in corn bio-refining to produce next generation biochemicals and biofuels from differentiated corn fractions,” said Richard Ruebe, Group CEO of GTL and IRE.

In dry grind corn bio-refineries retrofitted with the NextGen FracTM process, the kernels are dry fractionated into separate endosperm, germ and bran fractions. The endosperm fraction goes directly into fermentation while the germ and bran fractions are separately wet milled to recover bound starch for fermentation, consequently purifying the germ fraction for food-grade corn oil recovery and the bran fraction for ruminant feed or potential use in biochemical or cellulosic ethanol production.

“This technology addresses the dilemma of producing either high quality food or transportation fuel by producing both, economically,” noted Dan Hammes, President of QTI. “We look forward to a successful collaboration with GTL to demonstrate our technology and to provide the human food and animal feed markets with demonstrably superior co-products.”

According to the partners: a retrofit of traditional dry grind corn biorefineries that produce ethanol and distillers grains to NextGen FracTM has several major advantages:Read More

biofuels, corn, Ethanol

Ecotech Institute Reveals Top Green Jobs for 2014

Joanna Schroeder

Green jobs are on the rise and 2014 is slated to be a great year for growth in the sustainable energy sector, according to Ecotech Institute. The Ecotech Institute Clean Jobs Index measures the reality of green jobs and other sustainability factors across the United States. The Index’s latest data reveals a bright outlook in 2014 for cleantech leaders, educators, political leaders, students and job seekers.

Ecotech Clean Job IndexWithin about the last 30 days, more than 72,000 green job positions with hundreds of job titles were available across the country correlating with trends seen all year. For example, the solar industry had almost 500 job listings since November 5, 2013-December 6, 2013 ranging from Installation Technicians to Sales Representatives and everything in between.

Jobs classified under the broad renewable energy umbrella had approximately 21,000 job listings offered in the last 30 days. This data includes many renewable energy sources with positions in the following areas: Energy Efficiency: 6,600; Electrical Engineering: more than 23,000; Power Utility: 744; and Facility Management: more than 6,470.

So what are Ecotech’s Sustainable Energy Job Predictions for 2014? Based on the last 30 days:

  • Solar had just under 500 job listings: That trend will continue in 2014 as both commercial and residential solar development increases.
  • Wind had less than 100 job listings:  However, requests for wind resumes has been very high and we predict those numbers will increase in 2014.
  • Energy Efficiency had about 6600 job listings: These include everything from medical jobs, to energy auditing, and many, many jobs in between. Most companies include energy efficiency in their job descriptions.
  • Electrical Engineering jobs included over 23,000 listings: The largest demand is for fluid and control Field Service Technicians, a category that is exploding and will continue to be in high demand for 2014.
  • Power Utility job listing were 744: With an aging workforce, the power utility industry will continue to have high job growth.
  • Facility Management had over 6400 jobs listed: As companies look for energy savings, this area will have significant growth in 2014.
Clean Energy, Education