Learning About Ag in Other Countries

Talia Goes

zp-nhOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ” Why do you attend farm shows?”

Our poll results:

· To “window shop” new equipment 27%
· To ask questions about existing equipment 19%
· Other 19%
· To purchase new equipment 16%
· For the freebies 11%
· For the food 8%

Among the “other” responses were: For kids to learn about agriculture, networking and for new ideas. For exhibiting companies, trade shows seem to be time well spent according to our poll results.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question “How important is it to learn about farming in other countries?” The ZimmComm team is currently attending the 2013 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress, learning about agriculture in Argentina and networking with our colleagues from around the world. So what do you think – is it valuable for us to learn about ag outside our borders? Let us know!

ZimmPoll

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFLaw firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has advised international lenders in funding construction of a new wind project on 18,000 acres in Carson County, Texas, near Amarillo. The 218-megawatt Panhandle Wind Project is being developed by Pattern Energy. Operational next year, the facility will operate with 118 turbines built by General Electric. GE Energy Financial Services and Citigroup are providing tax equity to Pattern Panhandle Wind LLC.
  • World Bio Markets, taking place March 4-6, 2013 in the Netherlands, has a call for papers. Topics of interest include bio-based chemicals and products, sustainable aviation, plant process design and optimization, strategic finance and investment, and sustainable feedstocks. Proposals are due by Friday, September 13, 2013.
  • China Sunergy Co., Ltd. has announced that its new generation of high-efficient mono-crystalline solar cells have reached 20.26% conversion efficiency in the pilot research and development line, and have received certification recently from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the largest solar energy research institute in Europe.
  • GNS Science has won new government funding for two innovative geothermal energy projects that will help to make geothermal energy developments more efficient and more attractive to investors. The first project will see GNS Science work with The University of Auckland to develop practical ways to extract high-value minerals from geothermal fluids. The project received funding of $230,000-a-year for two years. In a second project, GNS Science and The University of Auckland have won funding to develop new, integrated numerical modelling software that will aid resource development decisions, and support long-term sustainable management of New Zealand’s geothermal energy resources. It will receive funding of $1.1 million-a-year for four years.
Bioenergy Bytes

Ford Explains Ethanol Program to ACE Members

John Davis

ACE13-uniteandignite-DiCiccoKnowing what automobile makers what and need for fuel and how those companies are moving forward in their green energy programs is some good information for the recent attendees at last week’s American Coalition for Ethanol’s (ACE) “Unite and Ignite” conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We’re committed to supporting biofuels by providing a range of products that provide biofuel capability in line with consumer demand. And that is key,” explained Dominic DiCicco with Ford Motor Company during the conference session titled, Automaker Perspective: Outlook for Higher Ethanol Blends and Octane. He added that Ford is dedicated to green fuels, but there must be a payoff for Ford in the form of better car sales of the greener fuel vehicles. “Consumers need to recognize value in their vehicle purchases.”

He continued that limited market impact, or at least the perception of limited impact, of E85 is keeping consumers from moving toward the higher ethanol blend, and thus, keeping Ford from making more vehicles E85 compatible. He went on to explain how compression ratios and octane ratings affect an engine’s performance, and that is a big hurdle for ethanol producers and marketers to overcome. Dominic concluded that there needs to be better coordination between car makers, ethanol producers, government regulators and fuel retailers.

“We have to figure out where do we want to take this infrastructure and market moving forward,” Dominic said.

ACE members seem to be up to his challenge telling him, “You tell us what you need, and we will then partner with you to do that.”

Visit the ACE 26th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Car Makers, Ethanol

Report Shows Geothermal Continues to Grow

Joanna Schroeder

Global Market for Geothermal GEA reportAccording to a new report, there are strong growth signals in the international market for geothermal power. Released by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), “2013 Geothermal Power: International Market Overview,” identifies 70 countries moving forward with nearly 700 geothermal power projects.

“The number of geothermal projects continues to grow as more and more countries recognize the potential economic and environmental benefits that geothermal power can bring,” said Karl Gawell, Executive Director of GEA.

Several of the report highlights include:

  • By the end of 2013 the global geothermal market is expected to operate 12,000 MW of geothermal capacity on-line.
  • There are 11,766 MW of new capacity in early stages of development or under construction in 70 countries and territories around the world. Additionally, developers are actively engaged with and exploring 27 GW (Gigawatts) of geothermal resource globally that could potentially develop into power plants over the next decade.
  • This year some of the first demonstration Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) projects provided electricity to grids in Australia and the United States.
  • Counties such as Uganda, France, Tanzania, Chile, and Rwanda have geothermal projects under construction or in the latter stages of development and will have their first operational geothermal power plants within the next few years.

Ben Matek, the report’s author, noted, “There are so many projects moving forward that just a year or two ago were ideas on paper. This demonstrates how quickly the geothermal industry is growing internationally.”

Members of the international geothermal community plan to discuss their successes and emerging market opportunities at the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA Geothermal Energy EXPO in Las Vegas from Sept. 29-Oct. 2. In addition, GEA plans on releasing the background data from the report in early October.

Geothermal, Renewable Energy, Research

Argonne Take Cues From Nature

Joanna Schroeder

Scientists working at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) are looking to nature’s catalysts, enzymes, for inspiration in their quest to find a more effective means of converting biomass into renewable fuel. The research is focused on inedible plant materials that contain cellulose (such as wood chips and switchgrass), which can be broken down into sugars and then converted into biofuels.

According to the researchers, it is a challenging process to commercialize because plant cell walls are tough and recalcitrant, meaning they naturally resist being broken down into sugars. Therefore this obstacle has made it difficult to produce biofuels at a cost and pace that can compete with petroleum-based transportation fuels.

ALCF researchTo address this issue, the research team from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado is using Mira, the ALCF’s 10-petaflops supercomputer, to conduct large-scale simulations of the physical behavior of cellulase enzymes. Naturally produced by some fungi and bacteria, these particular enzymes are being modeled because they effectively trigger the chemical changes necessary to degrade hardy plant materials into life-sustaining sugars.

“Through our studies at the ALCF, we hope to uncover how these enzymes can be manipulated to develop superior biological catalysts for improved biofuel production,” said Michael Crowley, NREL senior scientist and project principal investigator.

Crowley and his colleagues are carrying out the simulations to gain a fundamental understanding of the complex cellulose-to-sugar conversion process, known as enzymatic hydrolysis. With this information, researchers will be able to identify potential enzyme modifications and then feed their discoveries into experiments aimed at developing and validating improved catalysts.Read More

advanced biofuels, biomass, Cellulosic, Research

Straw for Renewable Diesel Explored

John Davis

nestestraw1A group of Finnish companies are looking into turning straw into renewable diesel. This news release from Neste Oil says the company has teamed up with Raisioagro and TTS to study the feasibility of a large-scale straw harvesting chain to make the green fuel.

Microbial oil technology developed by Neste Oil enables straw to be used as a feedstock for producing NExBTL renewable diesel. Neste Oil has tested processing of straw for some years and pilot-scale microbial oil production trials were started last year when Europe’s first microbial oil pilot plant was commissioned at Porvoo.

“Microbial oil produced from industrial and agricultural residues, such as straw, is one of our potential future feedstocks for producing NExBTL renewable diesel,” says Lars Peter Lindfors, Neste Oil’s Senior Vice President, Technology. “We have already tested the use of straw for producing microbial oil at our pilot plant at Porvoo and the results have been promising. This latest research project will give us valuable new information on the true potential straw offers as a feedstock for producing renewable fuel in Finland and on the logistics chain needed to supply straw in the quantity required for an industrial process like ours.”

The researchers hope the straw-based renewable diesel will be a boon to rural areas.

Neste Oil produces renewable fuels from 10 different feedstocks.

Biodiesel, International

World Biodiesel Production Seen to Rise

John Davis

soybeans1Worldwide biodiesel production is expected to rise to 24.7 million metric tons this year. This article from Bloomberg says Germany’s Oil World says the rise will be fed by more use of soybean oil, already the leading biodiesel feedstock, and the spike in petroleum oil prices.

Biodiesel output will increase 6.3 percent in 2013 compared with a 5.8 percent rise last year, the Hamburg-based researcher said in an e-mailed report today. It’s advanced since 2009. Brazil’s production estimate was raised 11 percent to 2.65 million tons this year, while output in Argentina won’t fall below 1.8 million tons, as had been predicted previously.

The fuel is benefiting from its relative attractiveness as an end-product for feedstocks, or raw materials used in the industrial process, such as soybean, palm and rapeseed oil, as well as elevated crude prices, according to the researcher.

Conditions “for biodiesel producers have improved owing to a sharp decline of prices of vegetable oils and fats under the lead of soya oil,” Oil World said. “Also the appreciation of crude mineral oil prices is promoting the demand for biofuels.”

Globally, soybean oil use is expected to rise 2.9 percent to 7.08 million tons this year, with a 20 percent increase to 2.2 million tons in soybean production for fuel in the U.S. Brazil is estimated to see a 12 percent increase to 2 million tons, while Argentina’s soybean production will drop 25 percent to 1.83 million tons.

Biodiesel, International, Soybeans

Cool Planet Chooses Louisiana for Biofuel Project

Joanna Schroeder

Cool Planet Energy Systems, a developer of small scale biorefineries which convert non-food biomass into gasoline, jet fuel, and soil biochar, has announced the selection of Alexandria, Louisiana as the location for their first commercial biorefinery. The facility will be located on the Port of Alexandria in Rapides Parish and will serve as a showcase facility. The goal of Cool Planet is to build hundreds of additional small scale biorefineries across the U.S. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.

The site was chosen due to tremendous support from the city of Alexandria, and the economic development team from the state of Louisiana. The location provides access to an abundance of renewable biomass feedstock, the ability to load fuel onto barges, rail lines and trucks, and local talent to operate the facility.

“Louisiana is known for its substantial oil interests, but now will also have the distinction of being home to the first, of what is planned to become many, production facilities for Cool Cool PlanetPlanet’s renewable, high-performance gasoline and soil enhancing biochar,” said CEO Howard Janzen. “Our goal for the Alexandria facility is to be economically competitive with conventional fuels made from non-renewable crude oil.”

The company believes it will have one of the lowest capital costs per plant in the refining industry, with project economics that work at facilities 100 times smaller than conventional refineries, while being able to use a wide variety of renewable biomass materials as inputs. construction is expected to be complete before the end of 2014.

In other news, Cool Planet has completed a joint vehicle road test with Ventura County, California. Officials ran a 5 percent blend of the company’s renewable, low-carbon gasoline for six weeks during their normal operations. The demonstration received special approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

External testing of the fuel was conducted at various points during the fleet demonstration. Carbon-14 dating proved that Cool Planet was successfully turning renewable plant material into drop-in fuel.

advanced biofuels, aviation biofuels, biomass

Getting to Know Nelson Engineering

Joanna Schroeder

Nelson EngineeringDo you know Nelson Engineering? No, well you should. The company hit my radar a few weeks ago while in Galva, Iowa during the Quad County Corn Processors ground-breaking for its new Adding Cellulosic Ethanol “ACE” project, a bolt-on technology innovation that will specialize in converting corn fiber into cellulosic ethanol. Nelson Engineering is the lead engineering firm on this project.

I caught up with Rick Serie, director of business development, during the 26th Annual Ethanol Conference and learned that Nelson Engineering was founded about six years ago and they are a very diversified company. They offer the biofuel industry, and beyond, every different principle of engineering you could ever imagine. The team, explained Serie, is also very diversified and chalk full of biofuel experts.

Serie has been in the ethanol industry since the mid-90s and he said that he still enjoys the industry. Why? Because ethanol so good for America and so good for agriculture. He noted that when he began in the industry a bushel of corn sold for $2 and farmers were still receiving subsidies. But today, he noted, no one talks about this because growers no longer need the subsidies.

Nelson Engineering is a bit unique, explained Serie because they do more than one would think of as “traditional” engineering. For example, he believes they have one of the strongest safety programs for an ethanol (or biorefinery) facility. He said that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is staffing up and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is staffing up and visiting ethanol plants. When they come in, he said, they give citations and fine the plant.

“So what we do,” continued Serie, “is we do safety audits for plants to give them that reassurance that they’re up to compliance. And if they do have holes in their compliance, so to speak, we can help them get up to compliance.” He said it’s a very thorough audit and takes several days.

This is not all they do. You can learn more about the company, their services and the work they are doing on the ACE project by listening to my interview with Rick Serie here: Getting to Know Nelson Engineering

Visit the ACE 26th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, biogas, Ethanol

New Biodiesel Refinery to be Built in Philippines

John Davis

philippinesflag1A new biodiesel refinery is planned for the Philippines. This story from Biofuels International says oil company TWA will build the 7-million-gallon-a-year facility.

‘The Philippine Coconut Authority has said there are enough local raw materials for both local and foreign commitments. They are just waiting for the National Biodiesel Board to make the call on a higher blend requirement,’ TWA operations manager Tanya Samillano was quoted as saying.

TWA owns the Flying V brand of petrol stations in the country and has been dispensing B1 fuel for many years: ‘We believe a move to B5 will help both the economy and local coconut farmers,’ Samillano adds.

The new refinery is expected to cost nearly $1 million, about the same as another TWA plant in another part of the Philippines.

Biodiesel, International