Purdue Jet to Fly on Camelina-based Biofuel

John Davis

purduejet1A jet from Purdue University will fly on a camelina-based biofuel at an international air show today. This story from the school says the Embraer Phenom 100 jet takes part in the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture in Oshkosh using the jet biofuel developed by the U.S. Air Force.

“Aviation biofuels, some of which are approved for use today, are of interest due to their potential to reduce carbon emissions and be derived from non-petroleum sources such as renewable biomass,” said Denver Lopp, professor of aviation technology and co-director of Purdue’s Air Transport Institute for Environmental Sustainability (Air TIES).

The demonstration flight will be one of the first in the United States in which a university-owned jet will be powered by biofuels, said Air TIES co-director David Stanley, and represents an important milestone toward the long-term vision of operating a green training fleet at Purdue University.

The biofuel used will be a Camelina-based HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acid), developed in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Research Lab. Results from the flight will be studied.

biofuels, Research, University

ZeaChem Recieves EPA Approval on Cellulosic RINS

Joanna Schroeder

zeachemlogoZeaChem Inc. has announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given registration approval for the cellulosic biofuel produced at the company’s demonstration biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The EPA Fuels Programs Registered Company/Facility ID List has been updated accordingly with ZeaChem’s biorefinery verified as an approved registered facility for the production of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) qualifying D3 cellulosic biofuel RINs. Carbon Solutions Group, a project development, environmental asset management and advisory firm in Chicago, Ill., provided registration services to ZeaChem.

ZeaChem is a producer of sustainable and economical advanced biofuels and bio-based chemicals from domestic, renewable agricultural and forestry resources. Earlier this year, ZeaChem successfully produced the first volumes of cellulosic chemicals and ethanol at its demonstration biorefinery on the path to commercialization. With facility registration complete, cellulosic ethanol production will now generate RINs to achieve the national RFS2.

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, RINS

Gevo Puts GIFT System Online

Joanna Schroeder

Gevo has announced that it has brought its second million liter fermenter and GIFT system online at its Luverne, Minnesota isobutanol facility.

gevo“We have been successful in operating full-scale fermentations using our GIFT(R) system — which separates the isobutanol from the fermentation broth — on a second million-liter fermenter and GIFT system,” said Patrick Gruber, Gevo’s chief executive officer. “This serves to further validate our technology and plant know-how. We plan to bring the final fermenters and GIFT(R) system online at Luverne later this year, testing run rates, then ramping up production and sales over the balance of 2013 and in 2014.”

Gevo plans on selling the isobutanol it produces in the specialty chemicals and specialty oxygenated fuel blendstock markets, and use it as a building block to make jet fuel and chemical products, such as paraxylene, which is converted into PET and used in the production of bottles and fibers.

ICMlogo1Dave Vander Griend, ICM’s chief executive officer, noted, “We’re pleased to congratulate Gevo on their exciting announcement. Through our collaboration over the years, ICM has supported Gevo’s efforts to become the global first commercial producer of renewable isobutanol. We were thrilled to test Gevo’s GIFT(R) technology at our pilot plant in St. Joseph, Mo., in addition to constructing new portions of their facility in Luverne. In doing this, it enabled us to implement a model of retrofitting existing assets and implementing new technology with broad market capabilities.

Our combined efforts enabled us to support Gevo in bringing their first million-liter fermenter online, and then achieving the next critical step of bringing a second fermenter online, which we’re celebrating today,” Vander Griend concluded.

advanced biofuels, biobutanol

Biodiesel-Ready Chevy Cruze Gets Even Cleaner

John Davis

cruze-diesel1Chevy’s Cruze is already a pretty clean burner, as it takes the green fuel biodiesel. Now with the 2014 Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, the company says the advanced 2.0L engine with its variable-swirl intake system creates a “perfect storm” of air and fuel that helps enhance performance while reducing emissions.

“Variable swirl helps put the ‘clean’ in Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel. It increases the mixture-motion of air and fuel in low-speed, low-load driving, like when you’re doing the commuter crawl to work every day,” said Mike Siegrist, 2.0L turbo diesel assistant chief engineer. “It contributes to Cruze Diesel’s great fuel economy, and helps give drivers the most torque for the least amount of fuel at the lowest emission and noise levels.”

The all-new 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo DieselIn Cruze’s variable-swirl intake manifold, each cylinder has two separate intake ports, with one of them controlled by a valve. During variable swirl, each throttle valve varies how much it opens to create mixture-motion of air and fuel within each cylinder. General Motors’ Powertrain team devoted countless hours to calibrating the actuator to precisely open and close the valves for optimal performance.

This technology and other innovations has made the Cruze the leader in its segment in highway mileage, seeing a whopping 46 miles per gallon out on the highway and range of more than 700 miles per tank – better than any non-hybrid or gasoline-powered passenger car vehicle in America.

Biodiesel, Car Makers

DOE Heralds Cellulosic Benchmark

Joanna Schroeder

The Department of Energy (DOE) is thrilled with the announcement that INEOS Bio’s Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida is producing cellulosic ethanol at commercial scale. Often hailed as the “phantom fuel,” the success of the plant is demonstrating that advanced biofuels are “no longer around the corner” and here today. The company’s technology was originally developed with DOE support back in the 1990’s – to convert grass clippings photo scottswood scraps, grass clippings and other waste materials into transportation fuels as well as energy for heat and power.

“Unlocking the potential for the responsible development of all of America’s rich energy resources is a critical part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Today’s announcement of commercial-scale cellulosic production represents an important benchmark for American leadership in this growing global industry. It also demonstrates the need for early-stage investment in innovative technologies that will help diversify our energy portfolio, reduce carbon pollution and lead to tomorrow’s energy breakthroughs.”

The Indian River County BioEnergy Center (Center) will have an annual output of eight million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from vegetative, yard and municipal solid waste as well as six megawatts of clean, renewable power annually – enough to run the entire facility and provide excess power to the local community.

The project’s gasification-fermentation technology – which produces fuel, heat and power – has its roots in a University of Arkansas research project, supported by a $5 million DOE investment over fifteen years. The Department’s early support helped this technology obtain a number of patents, with the core intellectual property purchased by INEOS Bio in 2008.

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol

Now This Is Interesting…

Joanna Schroeder

Now this I find interesting. Yesterday I brought you the story about how Xcel Energy is taking aim at net metering, one of the most important tools to increase solar power adoption on homes. Yet the company is the top wind energy provider and has announced plans to expand its wind power production to “reduce customer costs, protect against rising and volatile fuel prices, and benefit the environment. Ironically, these are also benefits of solar power.

Yet I understand the dichotomy of support. For the most part, you can’t put a wind turbine on the roof of your home, although there are some up and coming home wind turbine technologies that would face the same challenges if changes were made to net metering regulations. The problem is simple – utility companies don’t make money on renewable energy projects that reduce bills or even provide enough power to sell excess energy to the grid. And the biggest threat to utilities’ bottom lines today is solar energy.

Here is another reason why wind is “good” for utilities. With the significant growth of the industry, prices are competitive and then there is the federal Production Tax Credit that was renewed just in the nick of time at the end of last year.

XCEL ENERGY WIND GROWTH“Wind energy is a valuable, low-cost substitute for natural gas and other fuels right now,” said Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO of Xcel Energy in a press statement detailing their intentions for wind energy. “These projects will lower customer costs by at least $800 million over their lives and will provide a valuable hedge to rising and volatile fuel prices for well into the future.”

The company has submitted to state regulators throughout its service area proposals to purchase at least 1,500 megawatts of wind resources, a 30 percent increase in overall wind capacity. The wind power expansion, along with previous conservation, renewable energy and power plant improvement projects, according to the company, puts them on track to reduce its carbon emissions by 28 million tons, or more than 31 percent by 2020.

“These projects demonstrate how to do environmental leadership the right way,” Fowke continued. “Both economic and environmental benefits can and should be achieved.”

If the projects are approved, the company expects that more than 20 percent of its total energy mix will be supplied by wind. While this would be a great accomplishment that other utilities could and should follow, let’s hope other utilities don’t follow their lead on net metering – a move that could stall solar power adoption in the residential sector.

Alternative energy, Electricity, Opinion, Solar, Wind

Ethanol Report on ACE Project

Cindy Zimmerman

ethanol-report-adThis edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from the groundbreaking of a new cellulosic project in Galva, Iowa where first and second generations of ethanol are literally ‘bolted’ together. Quad County Corn Processors biorefinery broke ground Monday on its Adding Cellulosic Ethanol (ACE) project and this report includes comments from plant general manager Delayne Johnson, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen and Congressman Steve King (R-IA).

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: Ethanol Report on ACE Project

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

Audio, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA

S.D. AAA Promotes TV Ad Supporting Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

With Triple A (AAA) defending itself against comments made by a current Big Oil campaign that they don’t support ethanol, the organization is fighting back. South Dakota AAA has launched its own TV ad in support of ethanol. The South Dakota AAA office says a new campaign by the American Petroleum Institute (API) misrepresents AAA’s position on E15 and ethanol. They say API’s ads are the latest in a series of communications on social media and elsewhere which portray AAA as being “anti-ethanol.”

“We thank AAA and the many ethanol supporters across the country who spoke up and urged the auto club to set the record straight on Big Oil’s dishonest ad campaign,” said Ron Lamberty, senior vice president for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE).

“Big Oil wants people to think AAA is anti-ethanol, but the auto club’s response shows that is clearly not the case. We are glad to work with AAA South Dakota to help spread the message about their support for ethanol,” continued Lamberty.

He also thanked ethanol supporters for calling AAA offices. “This would not have happened if individual ethanol supporters had not contacted AAA to find out what their stance was, and asked that AAA set the record straight,” added Lamberty. “This is a perfect example of what we all need to do, to make sure Big Oil’s anti-ethanol smear campaign is not successful.”

AAA South Dakota Ethanol Video from AAA Oklahoma on Vimeo.

ACE, biofuels, E15, Ethanol, Video

U.S. Biodiesel Production Hits Record in May

John Davis

Helped by federal mandates, U.S. biodiesel production hit a record level in May. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports May’s numbers reached 111 million gallons. The agency also said production in the first five months of 2013 was 449 million gallons, up 17 million gallons from the same period last year.

EIAmay13biodiesel1
There were 3,427 million pounds of feedstocks consumed for biodiesel production during the period from January-May 2013, giving a ratio of 7.6 pounds of feedstock per gallon of biodiesel produced. Of the total biodiesel feedstocks, 1,838 million pounds (about 54%) were soybean oil.

The use of biodiesel as a motor fuel is supported by federal mandates for biodiesel blending under the Renewable Fuel Standard program. Under this program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets annual targets for the use of biodiesel and other biofuel categories, such as advanced and total biofuels, which can also be satisfied through additional biodiesel use. Biodiesel blenders are also currently eligible for a federal tax credit of $1 per gallon blended.

There are 116 active biodiesel plants in the U.S. able to crank out 2.2 billion gallons per year.

Biodiesel, Government

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe National Biodiesel Board has hired Scott Fenwick as the new Technical Director. Fenwick is the current Chairman of the BQ9000 Commission and is an officer of the ASTM Committee D02 that presides over the current biodiesel specifications and test methods. As Technical Director Fenwick takes on the day-to-day management responsibilities of running the technical program and expanding NBB’s technical reach to better match the growing industry needs and challenges.
  • Butamax has announced that Judge Sue Robinson granted Butamax’s summary judgment motions for non-infringement of Gevo 8,017,375 (‘375) and 8,017,376 (‘376) patents. This decision, issued last Friday, closely follows the Court’s dismissal of all claims against Butamax relating to Gevo’s ‘808 “GIFT™” patent. In a further ruling, the Court also granted Butamax’s summary judgment motion for invalidity of the ‘375 patent stating that “Butamax has met its clear and convincing burden, sufficient to invalidate the patent for lack of enablement…”.
  • OPIS is holding its 2nd Annual LCFS Workshop on December 12-13, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Attendees will learn such things as how to properly track, value and report carbon credits; how to accurately calculate your CI obligation; and how Cap and Trade will impact your business.
  • Registration is now open the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA Geothermal Energy Expo being held September 29, 2013 through October 2, 2013. Early birds who register before August 31 pay only $695 as GRC members or $795 if non-members. The non-member registration includes GRC membership through 2014. Students with a current identification card from an accredited institution pay just $5 which includes GRC membership through 2014. Registration to the GRC Annual Meeting also includes entry to the GEA Energy Expo.
Bioenergy Bytes