November 13 Biomass Magazine

NOVEMBER 2013 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 3

10 NEWS

11 COLUMNNational Bioenergy Day: Spotlight on Biomass By Bob Cleaves

12 DEPARTMENT Mission Alignment ReEnergy Holdings’ biomass power plant at New York’s Ft. Drum may soon be added to the U.S. Army's growing list of renewable energy success stories.By Tim Portz

PELLETS 14 NEWS

16 FEATURE Fighting the Good Fight As part of its Net Zero initiative, the Oregon Army National Guard has pellet heat installations underway at four of its sites.By Susanne RetkaSchill

THERMAL

20 NEWS

INSIDE¦

NOVEMBER 2013 | VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 11

POWER

06 EDITOR’S NOTEBrothers in ArmsBy Tim Portz

07 INDUSTRY EVENTS

08 BUSINESS BRIEFS

34 MARKETPLACE

ADVERTISER INDEX¦

2014 Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo 23

2014 International Biomass Conference & Expo 36

Algae Biomass Organization 4

AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG 15

BBI Consulting Services 7

Biomass 24/7 21

Continental Biomass Industries, Inc. 22

CPM Roskamp Champion 5

Dieffenbacher 14

Fagen Inc. 8

GE Energy - Air Filtration 2

Himark bioGas 10

KEITH Manufacturing Company 28

Portage and Main Outdoor Boilers 27

ProcessBarron 20

SCHADE Lagertechnik GmbH 35

Vecoplan LLC 9

Wolf Material Handling Systems 19

16

Biomass Magazine: (USPS No. 5336) November 2013, Vol. 7, Issue 11. Biomass Magazine is published monthly by BBI International. Principal Offi ce: 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Periodicals Postage Paid at Grand Forks, North Dakota and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biomass Magazine/Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58203.

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Subscriptions Biomass Magazine is free of charge to everyone with the excep-tion of a shipping and handling charge of $49.95 for any country outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico. To subscribe, visit www.BiomassMagazine.com or you can send your mailing address and payment (checks made out to BBI International) to Biomass Magazine Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. You can also fax a subscription form to 701-746-5367. Back Issues & Reprints Select back issues are available for $3.95 each, plus shipping. Article reprints are also available for a fee. For more information, contact us at 701-746-8385 or [email protected]. Advertising Biomass Magazine provides a specifi c topic delivered to a highly tar-geted audience. We are committed to editorial excellence and high-quality print production. To fi nd out more about Biomass Magazine advertising opportunities, please contact us at 701-746-8385 or [email protected]. Letters to the Editor We welcome letters to the editor. Send to Biomass Magazine Letters to the Contributions Editor, 308 2nd Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203 or email to [email protected]. Please include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or space.

November 2013

Net Zero Zeal

Oregon Army National Guard Deploys Biomass Thermal Page 16

Plus:US Coast Guard Eyes Isobutanol to Fuel FleetPage 30

And:Alaska’s First Land ll Gas Plant an Air Force AssetPage 12

www.biomassmagazine.com

ON THE COVERAn Oregon Army National Guard sergeant looks for spot fi res from an ORARNG HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.

PHOTO: U.S. Army National Guard

These companies and organizations are serious about developing algae as a source of fuel, feed, food, and countless other products. Are you?

Joining the Algae Biomass Organization puts you in touch with the entire algae value chain, from suppliers to producers, from engineers to investors, from state governments to Capitol Hill.

Learn about our tiered membership programs and the benefits at www.algaebiomass.org, or call 507-765-2134 today.


BIOGAS22 NEWS

24 FEATURE Anchoring Air Force Energy GoalsThe Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson landfi ll gas-to-energy facility near Anchorage, Alaska, serves Ft. Richardson with half of its power. By Anna Austin

ADVANCED BIOFUELS & CHEMICALS

28 NEWS

29 COLUMNAn Urgent Call to Action By Michael McAdams

30 FEATURE Isobutanol to the RescueThe U.S. Coast Guard is testing the feasibility of powering its fl eet with isobutanol gasoline blends. By Chris Hanson

INSIDE¦

NOVEMBER 2013 | VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 11

30

24

6 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013

Brothers in ArmsThe U.S. military is the largest

single user of energy in the world. Its fi ve branches consume every type of energy product available, and in stag-gering quantities. In a 2010 Global Green USA report, author Schuyler Null notes that if the U.S. military were a country, it would rank 54th in the world in total energy use, edging out developed countries like Portu-gal, Qatar, Israel and North Korea. Add to that the military’s strategic objective to grow its use of renew-able energy to 25 percent by 2025, and the picture that emerges illus-

trates the U.S. military as being one of the hottest markets for renew-able energy in the world, with needs for abundant electric, thermal and liquid fuel energy.

The Biomass Magazine team has been watching this sector de-velop the past two years and has published news stories in print and online the mandates, strategic initiatives and military exercises that have marked the growth of renewables in the armed forces. When we built the 2013 editorial calendar last fall, we knew it was time to dedicate an entire issue to biomass energy in the military. We thought November would be a great time to honor the men and women, in and out of uniform, driving these initiatives.

The mix of technologies featured in this issue demonstrates the variety of locations our armed forces operate near, as well as the varying biomass resources available in each region. Sue Retka Schill’s article “Fighting the Good Fight” (page 17) catches up with the Or-egon National Guard as it explores the opportunity for local forest biomass resources to simultaneously move away from nonrenewable petroleum heat energy while reducing the fuel load in the state’s for-est acres. In his feature “Isobutanol to the Rescue,” (page 30) staff writer Chris Hanson details the U.S. Coast Guard’s corn-derived iso-butanol tests, which the USCG hopes can prove the fuel can per-form in a challenging marine environment. Finally, Anna Simet’s ar-ticle about the landfi ll gas operation at the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska, (page 24) highlights why landfi ll gas is increasingly earmarked as a reliable source of base-load quality power for military bases.

The U.S. military has a long history as an incubator for innova-tion, so its continued push into renewable energy production and use is not surprising. The mandate now, for the biomass industry, is to ensure biomass has a proportionate seat at the table as the military’s energy future is boldly reimagined.

TIM PORTZVICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT & EXECUTIVE [email protected]

¦EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITORIAL

PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEFTom Bryan [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT & EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Tim Portz [email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR Anna Simet [email protected]

NEWS EDITORErin Voegele [email protected]

SENIOR EDITORSue Retka Schill [email protected]

STAFF WRITERChris Hanson [email protected]

COPY EDITOR Jan Tellmann [email protected]

ARTART DIRECTOR

Jaci Satterlund [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNERElizabeth Burslie [email protected]

PUBLISHING & SALESCHAIRMAN

Mike Bryan [email protected]

CEOJoe Bryan [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONSMatthew Spoor [email protected]

MARKETING DIRECTORJohn Nelson [email protected]

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Howard Brockhouse [email protected]

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERChip Shereck [email protected]

ACCOUNT MANAGERSKelsi Brorby kbrorby@bbiinternational

Brittany Ruhr [email protected]

CIRCULATION MANAGER Jessica Beaudry [email protected]

ADVERTISING COORDINATORMarla DeFoe [email protected]

EXTERNAL EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERSTimothy Cesarek, Enerkem Inc. Shane Chrapko, Himark Biogas

Stacy Cook, Koda EnergyBenjamin Anderson, University of Iowa

Gene Zebley, Hurst BoilerAndrew Held, Virent Inc.

Kyle Goerhing, Eisenmann Corp.


INDUSTRY EVENTS¦

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Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North AmericaNovember 12-14, 2013Orange County Convention CenterOrlando, FloridaBy 2020, at least 15 percent of the world will be powered by renewable energy and this will require investments in the trillions of dollars. This is the only show where utilities, project developers, investors and other stakeholders can ac-cess all their clean energy options in one place. Plus, they can visit with tradi-tional power generation companies at the same time through these co-located events: Power-Gen International, Power-Gen Financial Forum and Nuclear Power International. Look for Biomass Magazine at booth #1129.888-299-8016 | www.renewableenergyworld-events.com

International Biomass Conference & ExpoMarch 24-26, 2014Orange County Convention CenterOrlando, FloridaOrganized by BBI International and produced by Biomass Magazine, this event brings current and future producers of bioenergy and biobased products together with waste generators, energy crop growers, municipal leaders, utility executives, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, project develop-ers, investors and policy makers. It’s a one-stop shop and the world’s premier educational and networking junction for all biomass industries.866-746-8385 | www.biomassconference.com

International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & ExpoJune 9-12, 2014Indiana Convention CenterIndianapolis, IndianaNow in its 30th year, the FEW provides the global ethanol industry with cut-ting-edge content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. The FEW is the largest, longest running ethanol conference in the world—and the only event powered by Ethanol Pro-ducer Magazine.866-746-8385 | www.fuelethanolworkshop.com

National Advanced Biofuels Conference & ExpoOctober 13-15, 2014Hyatt MinneapolisMinneapolis, MinnesotaProduced by BBI International, this national event will feature the world of advanced biofuels and biobased chemicals—technology scale-up, project fi -nance, policy, national markets and more—with a core focus on the industrial, petroleum and agribusiness alliances defi ning the national advanced biofuels industry. With a vertically integrated program and audience, the National Ad-vanced Biofuels Conference & Expo is tailored for industry professionals en-gaged in producing, developing and deploying advanced biofuels, biobased platform chemicals, polymers and other renewable molecules that have the potential to meet or exceed the performance of petroleum-derived products.866-746-8385 | www.advancedbiofuelsconference.com

PEOPLE, PRODUCTS & PARTNERSHIPSBusiness BriefsProterro adds executive, expands advisory board

Proterro Inc. has named Timothy Cooper as vice president of engineering. Cooper has more than two decades of experience in bioprocessing. Prior to joining Proterro, he was employed by Eastman Chemical Co., where he was responsible for the company’s biotechnology effort and managed genetic engineering and fermentation development programs. He has also worked for Dow AgroSciences LLC, where he was responsible for development and scale-up of new fermentation processes and managed fermentation development efforts in three laboratories. In addition, Proterro has added James Barber,

principal of Barber Advisors LLC, to its advisory board. Barber previously served as president and CEO of Metabolix Inc. and served as global business director for organometallics and catalysts business at Albemarle Corp. He is an advisor to Solazyme Inc., Itaconix Corp., and P2 Science Inc., and sits on the boards of Agrivida Inc., Allylix Inc., Graham Corp., and Segetis Inc.

Law firm merger to formStinson Leonard Street

Stinson Morrison Hecker and Leonard, Street and Deinard have announced they will merge, becoming one of the largest law fi rms in the U.S. The combined fi rm will operate as Stinson Leonard Street LLP, beginning Jan. 1. Mark Hinderks and Lowell Strortz will serve as co-managing partners and Allison Murdock will be the deputy managing

partner. The new fi rm will have more than 525 attorneys in offi ces in 14 cities, with substantial coverage in the Midwest, a presence in the Mountain West and Southwest and an offi ce in Washington, D.C. The fi rm will offer regional and national practices in several areas, including corporate fi nance, banking and fi nancial services, energy, environment, mining and natural resources, real estate and construction, and litigation.

Enova adds COOKen Ciarletta has

been named chief operating offi cer of The Enova Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in the forest products and bioenergy business, with operations and sales experience in


pulp and paper, solid and engineered wood products, timber management and procurement, and supply chain responsibilities. Ciarletta is a long-term leader with Georgia Pacifi c, Weyerhaeuser, and REW Georgia Biomass. He was director of commercial and supply chain operations North America for Georgia Biomass. He previously served as plant manager for RWE’s Waycross pellet plant.

Michael Best & Friedrich adds attorney

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP announced Cameron Field has joined the fi rm’s Environmental Practice Group in its Madison, Wis., offi ce. Prior to joining Michael Best & Friedrich, Field

worked as a summer law clerk in 2012 with Earthjustice and in the fall of 2012 as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement section. From 2011 to 2013, he was a research associate with the U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law and, in 2013, worked as a student clinician with the Environmental and Natural Resource Law Clinic at Vermont Law School. University researcher wins DARPA award

Fuzhong Zhang, an assistant professor of energy, environment and chemical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a Young Faculty Award from the Defense

Advanced Research Project Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. The award recognizes an elite group of scientists early in their careers at research universities. Zhang’s award funds up to three years of research on his plan to engineer bacteria to produce nonnatural fatty acids, which can be easily converted to advanced biofuels and chemicals. He will engineer the fatty acid pathway to make a molecule with a chemical structure similar to isooctane, which is the major component in gasoline.

BUSINESS BRIEFS¦

SHARE YOUR INDUSTRY NEWS: To be included in the Busi-ness Briefs, send information (including photos and logos, if available) to Business Briefs, Biomass Magazine, 308 Sec-ond Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. You may also email information to [email protected]. Please include your name and telephone number in all cor-respondence.


PowerNews

A group of qualifi ed bio-mass technology contractors were awarded 13 Multiple Award Task Order Contracts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Ala. The qualifi ed MATOC companies will be eligible to bid on future biomass renewable energy task orders, which include municipal solid waste and waste-to-energy.

According to the USACE, the MATOC involves third-party fi nanced renewable en-ergy acquisitions and involves no Army or U.S. Department of Defense capital or military construction appropriation. The Army or DOD purchases the power from contractors who own, operate or maintain the energy generating assets. The total estimated $7 billion contract value refers to the total dollar value of energy available for purchase under all power purchase agreement task orders for their entire term, which can run up to 30 years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center devel-oped the MATOC in collaboration with the Energy Initiatives Task Force, which was established by Secretary of the Army John McHugh in 2011. A total of 58 awards have been issued in four tech-nology areas: biomass, solar, wind and geothermal.

The USDA has announced a new partnership with the Alliance for Green Heat, the Biomass Power Association, the Biomass Thermal Energy Council and the Pellet Fuels Institute that aims to expand the use of wood energy, helping to improve the health and safety of U.S. forests.

The partnership agreement focuses on promoting wood energy nationwide as a means to address fi re risks, bolster eco-nomic development in rural areas, improve air quality and meet renewable energy goals. Through the partnership and statewide efforts, the initiative will also help more communities learn about federal programs available to support wood-to-energy efforts.

“This is the culmination of conversa-tions over the past four years,” said Doug O’Brien, USDA acting undersecretary for rural development. “We formalized some of the things we talked about on what we can do together to kick it up to the next level.” Among the focus areas will be coordinating and prioritizing private and public research, he said, noting the outreach effort is impor-tant to USDA Rural Development.

Army awards 13 biomass contracts USDA announces wood-to-energy deal

12 Greenway PlazaSuite 1100Houston TX 77046

Toll Free: 1 855 8HIMARK (1 855 844 6275)email: [email protected]

Contract recipients Acciona Energy North America Corp., Chicago, Ill. ECC Renewables LLC, Burlingame, Calif. EDF Renewable Energy, San Diego, Calif.Emerald Infrastructure, San Antonio, TexasEnergy Answers International Inc., Albany, N.Y.EIF United States Power Fund IV L.P., Needham, Mass. Energy Management Inc., Boston, Mass. Energy Systems Group LLC, Newburgh, Ind. Honeywell International Inc., Golden Valley, Minn. MidAmerican/Clark JV, Bethesda, Md. Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc., Spartanburg, S.C.Siemens Government Technologies Inc., Arlington, Va. Stronghold Engineering Inc., Riverside, Calif.


Oct. 17 marked the fi rst-ever National Bioenergy Day. On and around that day, 24 events were held in 13 states—and one in Canada—to raise awareness about biomass and the larger bioenergy industry. We were honored that Biomass Magazine sponsored the initiative alongside Biomass Power Association, in addition to Biomass Thermal Energy Council, American Council on Renewable Energy, Pellet Fuels Institute, Forest Landowners Association and U.S. Industrial Pellet Association.

In planning National Bioenergy Day, we wanted the focus to be on the role bioenergy plays in com-munities. The goal was to bring audiences, ideally people who benefi t from bioenergy, to biomass facili-ties to witness fi rsthand what goes on.

National Bioenergy Day activities drew in audiences from academia, government, media, and local communities. Visitors were able to learn about biomass electricity production, small-scale thermal heating, pellet manufacturing, managed forestry and the carbon cycle. They listened to lectures at universi-ties and saw an anaerobic digester at work.

I attended ReEnergy Holdings’ event at its Liver-more Falls facility in Maine, where elected offi cials joined local residents for a tour of the facility and a presentation on the benefi ts of biomass. I’d like to highlight a few more National Bioenergy Day events:

• New York Biomass Energy Alliance facilitated a day-long event in northern New York where guests could visit a school district that is using woodchips for heating to save $110,000 per year, a 22 MW bio-mass facility, a shrub willow farm, and a wood pellet manufacturer.

• In Michigan, the state biomass trade associa-tion joined forces with timbermen and forest prod-ucts associations to hold a two-day event for visitors to tour a biomass facility, a forest products manufac-turer, and a timber harvest/chipping operation.

• A whistle-stop tour in the Southeast took a bio-mass digester to several college campuses in Tennes-see, Alabama and Georgia to demonstrate small-scale heat and energy production.

Additional events were held in California, Min-nesota, Maine, North Carolina, Mississippi, Connecti-cut and Oregon.

National Bioenergy Day was an event that truly showcased our industry, and the environmental and economic benefi ts it provides across America. We look forward to an even larger and more comprehen-sive National Bioenergy Day 2014.

Author: Bob CleavesPresident and CEO, Biomass Power Association

www.biomasspowerassociation.com [email protected]

National Bioenergy Day: Spotlight on Biomass

POWER¦

BY BOB CLEAVES


DEPARTMENT

¦POWER

Ft. Drum is a U.S. Army post in up-state New York, positioned south of the Canadian border just beyond the eastern reaches of Lake Ontario. The

107,000-acre facility is home to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division and has been utilized as a training facility since its fi rst acres were pur-chased over 100 years ago. Situated inside of the fort’s perimeter is a power plant that its new owner and operator, ReEnergy Holdings LLC, is hopeful will soon be among the Department of the Army’s growing list of renewable energy success stories.

The facility, which ReEnergy has dubbed ReEnergy Black River, was designed and con-fi gured to burn coal but was idled by its for-mer owners Energy Investors Funds Group in 2010. While the facility no longer delivered the returns EIF wanted, it fi t perfectly with ReEn-ergy’s business model. In December 2011, the

company purchased the plant from EIF and began an extensive retrofi t project.

Larry Richardson, CEO of ReEnergy, notes that EIF did well to preserve the value of the idled facility. “The prior owner had re-ally done a good job of laying up the facil-ity,” he says. “Certainly the key elements of the facility, the three boilers and the one tur-bine generator, had been laid up in a manner where the quality of those items was largely preserved.”

Despite the facility’s preserved condi-tion, ReEnergy’s additional investments into the Black River station topped $30 million with signifi cant investments made to the facility’s fuel receiving and distribu-tion infrastructure. “Where coal had previ-ously been delivered by rail, we had to build the infrastructure to accept the biomass by truck, installing truck tippers as well as

a new fuel conveying and storage and pro-cessing system,” says Richardson.

The plant’s initial design to deliver not only power to the grid but also hot water to an on-base district heating system was scuttled early in the life of the project. Apart from where it sat, the facility had no relationship with the base, with all of its produced energy being sold over the fence and onto the waiting power market.

Richardson and his team at ReEnergy hope to change all that. At press time, ReEn-ergy is waiting to hear from the Department of the Army and the Defense Logistics Agen-cy on their response to the Army’s request for proposal for enough renewably produced pow-er to support the base, about 28 MW. “Without question, the location of the power plant inside the fence at Ft. Drum presented a great op-portunity to provide secure, renewable energy to Ft. Drum on an ongoing basis, particularly-

Mission AlignmentReEnergy has opened a new front with its Black River Project at the Army’s Ft. Drum, N.Y.BY TIM PORTZ

WIN-WIN-WIN: Flanked by dignitaries including Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley (in uniform), former commander of Ft. Drum, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (far right),ReEnergy CEO Larry Richardson discusses the Black River Project’s local economic impact.

PH

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POWER¦

since the plant had never delivered electricity to Drum in the past. It was a signifi cant consider-ation in our investment decision and the align-ment with the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army’s initiatives related to secure energy and renewable energy. We felt the alignment was great and timing was right to make this happen,” says Richardson.

Regardless of the Department of the Ar-my’s fi nal decision, the Black River project fi ts well into the growing power and fuel process-ing portfolio amassed and operated by ReEner-gy. Operating predominantly in the Northeast, ReEnergy owns or operates 13 different facili-ties in six states with a total output of 325 MW, directly employing over 300 people.

Making environmental performance a core element of its operating philosophy, Re-Energy recently achieved certifi cation from the Sustainable Forest Initiative, which verifi es that its biomass procurement practices adheres to stringent, responsible forestry practices.

Additionally, among the investments that ReEnergy made at the Black River Project was a new cooling tower. Before ReEnergy’s ret-rofi t, water was simply taken from the Black River, a mile south of the facility, and process water was discharged back into the same river, resulting in a signifi cant thermal plume. Rich-ardson points out the signifi cant advantage the cooling towers bring to the facility noting that it “allowed [ReEnergy] to reduce both the with-drawal of water from the Black River and the thermal discharge back into the Black River by about 90 percent.”

Rounding out the facility’s forward-think-ing operating strategies is a unique feedstock program being developed with assistance from the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Hop-ing to leverage the marginal land in the vicin-ity of the Black River station, farmers are be-ing recruited to establish shrub willow. Nearly 1,100 acres of marginal land in a three-county area will be planted with shrub willow and will eventually contribute to the facility’s fuel needs.

The Black River project in many ways rep-resents a series of fi rsts for ReEnergy. The fa-cility is ReEnergy’s largest asset when measured by output, its fi rst coal-to-biomass conversion, and the fi rst company-owned asset that sits on a military base. Richardson is hopeful it won’t be ReEnergy’s last. “We defi nitely see an op-portunity to replicate this business model at other military bases around the country,” he adds. “There is no question that the success here should be a differentiator for us as we pursue other opportunities around the country. That is why we are hopeful we will be awarded a contract here and really be a part of one the early success stories in the Army’s renewable initiatives.”

Author: Tim PortzExecutive Editor, Biomass Magazine

[email protected]

SECURE, RENEWABLE AND BASELOAD: ReEnergy’s Black River Project is the largest asset in its power portfolio and the fi rst on a military base.

FUEL CHANGE, INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGE: Originally designed to receive its coal via rail, ReEnergy made signifi cant investments in wood-receiving infrastructure at the Black River Project, including these two truck dumpers.

PH

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PelletNews

A new report has determined that wood pellets imported to Europe from the Southeast U.S. and British Columbia, Canada, for electricity production immediately or very rapidly contribute to climate change mitiga-tion. The report, titled Forest Sustainability and Carbon Balance of EU Importation of North American Forest Biomass for Bioenergy Production, was prepared by the European Biomass Association, BC Bioen-ergy Network, U.S. Industrial Wood Pellet

Association and Wood Pellet Association of Canada.

The document informs stakeholders about current biomass sourcing practices, highlights the role of Sustainable Forest Management in forest-based outlines com-mercial realities of SFM decision making in the context of healthy forests used for mul-tiple purposes. It also examines the carbon dynamics of forests from which biomass fuels are obtained.

Enova Energy Group has announced it will acquire Southeast Georgia Biofuels, a wood pellet plant in Nahunta, Ga.

The plant, previously known as Biomass Innovations LLC, opened as a briquette man-ufacturing facility in 2009. The plant ceased operations in 2011 and was later purchased by Southeast Georgia Biofuels for conversion to wood pellet production. The conversion was completed in 2012.

Following its purchase of the facility, Enova plans to install additional equip-ment to bring the plant closer to hitting its 150,000-ton-per-year capacity. Its current run rate is 75,000 to 100,000 tons per year.

The plant’s output is ENPlus certifi ed. Pellets produced at the plant are currently marketed through Danish commodity bro-kerage fi rm Copenhagen Merchants out of the port of Brunswick. The arrangement will stay in place through the ownership transi-tion.

Electricity from pellets shows quick carbon savings Enova to purchase Georgia plant

Dieffenbacher USA, Inc. 2000 McFarland 400 Blvd. | Alpahretta, GA 30004Phone: (770) 226-6394 | [email protected]

Biomass Pelletizing & Energy SystemsPellet Plants | Dryers | Furnaces | Steam Boilers | Thermal Oil Heaters | Cogeneration

Rotary Dryer Boiler Heat Energy System

www.dieffenbacher.com

Bioenergy deployment potential estimates for 2050Lowest Estimate (in exajoules)

Highest Estimate (in exajoules)

IEA Bioenergy Technology Roadmap target bioenergy ~150 ~150IEA deployment potential for bioenergy 100 300IPCC technical potential bioenergy supply in 2050, of which 367 1,548 * Dedicated woody bioenergy crops on surplus agricultural land

~232 ~1,350

* Technical potential from wood obtained from natural forests (surplus forest growth)

59 103

* Agricultural and forestry wastes and residues 76 96SOURCE: FOREST SUSTAINABILITY AND CARBON BALANCE OF EU IMPORTATION OF NORTH AMERICAN FOREST BIOMASS FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION


PELLET NEWS¦

The USDA recently announced a new round of payments to biofuel producers under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. USDA Rural De-velopment Acting Under Secretary Doug O’Brien made the an-nouncement Sept. 12 on behalf of Agricul-ture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo in Omaha, Neb.

The program was established by the 2008 Farm Bill. It makes payments to eligible biofuel producers based on the quantity of advanced biofuels produced from renewable biomass, other than corn starch. The program is not limited to

traditional liquid biofuel producers, pellet produces and biogas produc-ers can also be eligible for payments. Approximately three dozen pellet producers received payments under this funding round.

Gulf Coast Renewable Energy closed on the acqui-sition of West Monroe, La.-based Bayou Wood Pellets LLC on Aug. 15. According to GCRE, it is making signifi cant investments to expand the facility’s produc-tion capacity.

Construction is already underway to increase the facility’s production capacity from 54,000 to 120,000 metric tons per year, said Westin Lovy of Bridge Lane Capital, a South Norwalk, Conn.-based asset manage-ment fi rm that provided funding for the acquisition and improvements.

The pellet plant will take in feedstock generated from sawmill residue sourced from Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. The resulting pellets will be sold to overseas utility customers under a long-term offtake agreement.

In addition to the acquisition of the Bayou Wood Pellet plant, GCRE is also pursuing plans to develop three additional pellet plants in Mississippi, including a 320,000-metric-ton-per-year proposed plant in Copiah County, Miss. Regarding the company’s expansion plans, Lovy said GCRE and Bridge Lane Capital are actively seeking opportunities in not only pellet manufacturing, but also businesses upstream and downstream in the supply and delivery chain in order to serve the domestic and overseas markets.

Pellet producers awarded USDA payments GCRE buys La. pellet plantPellet producers awarded more than $10,000 in payments include:Company Location Payment Forest Energy Corp. Arizona $13,044 Appling County Pellets LLC Georgia $79,954 Lignetics of Idaho Idaho $38,513 Somerset Hardwood Flooring Kentucky $12,979 Enviva LP Maryland $151,765 Geneva Wood Fuels LLC Maine $13,374 Maine Wood Pellets Maine $24,127 New England Wood Pellet LLC New Hampshire $65,984 Curran Renewable Energy LLC New York $20,727 Wood Fibers Inc. Ohio $11,149 West Oregon Wood Products Inc. Oregon $10,362 Bear Mountain Forest Products Inc. Oregon $26,015 Indeck Ladysmith Biofuel Center Wisconsin $14,284 SOURCE: USDA

Quality worldwide.Quality worldwide.

AMANDUS KAHL USA Corporation · 380 Winkler Drive, Suite 400, Alpharetta · GA 30004-0736Phone: 770-521-1021 · Fax: 770-521-1022 · [email protected] KAHL GmbH & Co. KG · SARJ Equipment Corp., Mr. Rick B. MacArthur · 29 Golfview Blvd., Bradford, Ontario L3Z 2A6 Phone: 001-905-778-0073 · Fax: 001-905-778-9613 · [email protected] · www.akahl.us

KAHL Wood Pelleting PlantsKAHL Wood Pelleting Plants


¦PELLET

COMBATING NATURE: An Oregon Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter fl ies past the Government Flats Complex fi res after dumping a “Bambi” bucket of water on the fi re near The Dalles, Ore., in August. ORARNG believes using biomass pellets and chips for energy can contribute toward restoring forest health in Oregon.PHOTO: U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD


Pellet boiler heating systems will help the Oregon Army National Guard meet its ambitious goal of net zero energy at all of its 53 installations statewide by 2020. ORARNG, which volunteered to participate in

broader initiative of 19 pilot projects at U.S. Army sites across the country targeting net zero energy, water and waste, has four thermal pellet heat projects planned at National Guard sites. These projects offer a couple of benefi ts for ORARNG, says Lt. Col. Ken Safe, construction and facility management offi cer and Net Zero Energy project lead. “It allows us to re-duce our energy cost, because the sites where we’re doing the conversion are on propane,” he says. “The more substantial benefi t for the net zero program is it allows us to get off fossil fuels and go to renewable energy.”

In addition to reducing energy costs and aiding sustain-ability goals, the net zero program has energy security and in-dependence goals as well. A net zero energy installation is one that produces as much energy onsite as it uses over the course of a year. ORARNG expects that 65 percent of the reduction from its 2003 energy baseline will come from improved ener-gy effi ciency. And, while the unit is looking at multiple renew-able technologies including solar, geothermal, wind and wave energy, wood-to-energy rates high for thermal heat since it can be produced on the site where it is consumed, Safe points out, compared to renewable electricity that is transported or given renewable energy credits as offsets.

PELLET¦

Fighting the Good Fight Biomass thermal coincides with the Oregon Army National Guard's energy security goals and has larger-picture benefi ts such as aiding wildfi re reduction and job creation. BY SUSANNE RETKA SCHILL


Partnering For PelletsORARNG has partnered with others

in its planning efforts, receiving a $250,000 woody biomass utilization grant from the U.S. Forest Service in 2012 for design work, plus a $489,000 renewable thermal incentive from the Oregon Department of Energy.

And, the project has received funding from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Com-munities Inc., with one product being a case study done by Dovetail Partners Inc. on the lessons learned from aggregating multiple projects into one planning process. Energy effi ciency consulting fi rm Tetra Tech Inc. is helping with coordination and review of

the project design and did the initial evalu-ation, which identifi ed buildings and loca-tions for possible conversion.

Seven National Guard buildings at fi ve locations were identifi ed where biomass-fi red boilers would be a cost-effective re-placement for propane heating systems. Buildings at three of the National Guard facilities already have hot water boilers in-stalled, making the conversion to pellet-fi red biomass boilers relatively easy. The Burns Armory in Burns, Ore., is a typical older armory, a 12,000-square-foot facility built around 1954. The Biak Training Cen-ter in Powell Butte, Ore., will convert to a pellet system to heat 20,000 square feet in a simulation center, classroom and admin-istrative building. Conversion at the Youth Challenge Program facility in Bend, Ore., housing an academy for at-risk youth, has a favorable payback compared to other fa-cilities due to its high heating and domestic hot water use for 10 months a year. Biomass conversion will be a bit more complicated for the maintenance shop at the Central Oregon Unit Training and Equipment Site in Redmond. The 10,000-square-foot build-ing with its high bays and a few offi ces cur-rently has a direct-fi red radiant heat system.

McKinstry Essention Inc. was awarded the design-build contract in late September for the installation of the biomass pellet boilers, storage and handling equipment, as well as associated safety and effi ciency sys-tems. SolaGen Inc. is supplying the biomass boilers. The Burns Armory is the smallest system with one 150 kilowatt (kW) unit. Biak is slated for one 220 kW boiler and COUTES for one 540 kW unit. The Bend Youth Challenge Program center would use two units, sized at 220 kW and 400 kW. The Biak and COUTES projects have been funded and construction is expected to be completed in April, while the Burns funding request is pending approval. The four heat-ing conversions will annually replace 58,551 gallons of propane with 183 tons of pellets to achieve $85,000 in savings each year.

As project planning unfolded, plans for biomass utilization at the Umatilla Train-ing expanded. Initially, the ORARNG was

¦PELLET

TARGETING CLUSTERS: Oregon Army National Guard sites are centrally located for wood-to-energy utilization. In particular, the state would like to reduce the fi re hazard in eastern forests.

WARMING TRAINEES: The Biak Training Center, Powell Butte, Ore., will use a pellet boiler system to heat 20,000 square feet in a simulation center, classroom and administrative building.

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looking at utilizing three pellet heating sys-tems for the dining hall, a barracks and a simulation center, but wanted to study the possibility of building a single system or even a combined-heat-and-power system. As investigation proceeded and more was learned about the Army facility’s future fol-lowing the Base Realignment and Closure process, the ORARNG realized it could have as many 25 or 30 buildings for its use, with other buildings being transferred to an adjacent Native American tribe and county. Thus, a larger system is now being consid-ered that would utilize wood chips for dis-trict heating and power generation. A sec-ond $250,000 WBUG grant was awarded for the design, plus a $50,000 Wood Energy Cluster grant from the Oregon DOE and USFS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recommended the project be ranked as one of the Army’s top-fi ve priorities for funding through its Energy Conservation Investment Program. That project is ex-pected to replace 258,910 gallons of pro-pane used yearly with 2,004 tons of wood chips for an annual savings of $362,000.

Bountiful Benefi tsThe multiple partners in the ORARNG

project refl ect the multilayered benefi ts be-ing anticipated from the biomass energy projects. “Oregon was a pilot state for a wood-to-energy effort with the forest ser-vice,” says Ron Saranich, regional biomass coordinator with the USDA Forest Service. “Facilities that are eligible are all sited in ar-eas where we wanted to do hazardous fuel reduction—basically east and central Or-egon where the high threat of fi re danger and overgrown forest is located.”

Oregon is adopting a wood energy cluster approach, explains Matt Krumenau-er, senior policy analyst for Oregon’s De-partment of Energy. “Right now the small-er projects that are able to offset heat load at facilities are very competitive and able to be developed with pretty good energy sav-ings and other benefi ts. Clustering multiple projects in a given geographic area begins to develop the sort of demand that helps meet land management objectives.” Besides

reducing fi re risks in overgrown forests, the state seeks to foster economic develop-ment and job creation in communities that have been impacted by the decline in for-estry products, he adds, plus there is another long-term strategy. “Creating this opportu-nity to keep people working in the woods, to keep producing pellets and woodchips and other products locally helps us maintain that workforce so as these new markets and opportunities for more advanced fuels de-velop, we have the skills and infrastructure and people in place to take advantage of those opportunities and continue to grow that industry.”

“It’s really exciting to feel like you’re part of a broader goal,” Safe adds. “We have a forest health situation in Oregon where we’re at risk of wild fi res, and to some de-gree pine beetles and other insects with the congestion in forests. From forest health to jobs for local economy, both in the forest and the manufacturing of pellets all the way

to transportation, there’s a number of jobs added at the local level.”

With the National Guard ultimately be-ing a community-based organization, pellets are a good fi t. As the gas heating systems in other guard facilities around the state reach replacement age, Safe says, he will recom-mend they take a closer look at biomass thermal heat. “We’ll be getting the net zero thermal renewable credit, as well as helping the local economy.”

While replacing currently low-priced natural gas isn’t a cost savings right now, Safe points out that [the market] is hard to pre-dict fi ve or 10 years ahead. “I’ve been raising the question when I give talks about our Net Zero Energy program,” he adds. “Even as a backup system, the more, the better in my opinion.”

Author: Susanne Retka SchillSenior Editor, Biomass [email protected]

701-738-4922

PELLET¦


The State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry celebrated the grand opening of a new combined heat-and-power system in September at its Gateway Center. The system fi res biomass pellets and natural gas, providing the campus with 65 percent of its heat-ing needs and 20 percent of its electrical power.

According to ESF Presi-dent Cornelius Murphy Jr., when operating at full power, the system reduces campus-wide fossil fuel usage by 9,000 barrels of oil per year, and lowers campus utility costs by 20 percent.

The Gateway Center is the center-piece of the college’s Climate Action

Plan, which states ESF’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2015. The CHP system will serve as a teaching tool, benefi tting students enrolled in ESF’s new sustainable energy management major and renewable energy minor.

ThermalNews

The U.S. EPA has published a fi nal rule to expand the defi nition of heating oil under the renewable fuels standard (RFS). The amend-ment expands the scope of renewable fuels that can be used to comply with the RFS by adding an additional category of compliant fuel produced from qualifying biomass that is used to generate heat to warm homes or other buildings. However, renewable identifi cation numbers cannot be generated for the new cat-egory of fuel oils if that fuel is used to generate process heat, power, or other functions.

The original defi nition of heating oil in-cluded any No. 1 or No. 2 nonpetroleum diesel blend that is sold for use in furnaces, boilers and similar applications and contains at least 80 per-cent mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. The expanded defi nition includes biobased fuel oils that do not meet the original defi nition but are actually used to heat homes and other facilities to control ambient climate for human comfort.

SUNY fires up biomass CHP system EPA expands RFS definition of heating fuel

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PELLET POWER: New York Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, ESF President Neil Murphy and State Sen. John Defrancisco cut the ribbon at the offi cial opening of the ESF’s Gateway Center.

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CleanWorld has broken ground on an anaerobic digestion facility at the Univer-sity of California, Davis. The UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester facility is under construction at the former UC Davis landfi ll in Davis, Calif. The facility represents the successful commer-cialization of a technology developed by Ruihong Zhang, a UC Davis researcher and professor.

The biodigester will divert 20,000 tons per year of food waste from dining

halls, dormitories and local restaurants, agricultural waste and green waste out of Davis-area landfi lls. Biogas produced by the biodigester will be combined with gas captured from the landfi ll, generating 1 megawatt of power.

In addition to electricity, the project will produce more than 4 million gallons of fertilizer and soil amendments. The UC Davis READ facility is expected to be generating power by December.

BiogasNews

Ameresco Inc. recently celebrated the completion of its 1.4 megawatt landfi ll gas-to-energy project at the Johnson Canyon Landfi ll in Gonzales, Calif. Ameresco designed, permitted, constructed and now operates the facility at the landfi ll, which is owned by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority. Ameresco Johnson Canyon LLC has an agreement with SVSWQA to purchase landfi ll gas for use in its plant. Electricity generated at the facility is being sold to the city of Palo Alto under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Author-ity and the city of Palo Alto to provide residents with clean, renewable energy for years to come,” said Michael Bakas, senior vice president of renewable energy at Ameresco. “We have had a successful track record working with many counties and municipalities in California and across the nation to provide alternative energy resources, and we are excited that our proj-ect will help SVSWA and Palo Alto and its constituents to achieve their sustainability goals in a cost-effective manner.”

UC Davis READ facility breaks ground

Ameresco opens Calif. landfill gas project

INSTALLING INNOVATION: Sid England (left) and Ruihong Zhang of UC Davis; Michele Wong of CleanWorld, John Meyer of UC Davis and Mike Feuz of Otto Construction break ground on the UC David READ facility.

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¦BIOGAS

FIRING UP: Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, Col. Brian Duffy, Base Commander of JBER, and Doyon Utilities President Dan Gavora at the commissioning of the Anchorage Landfi ll Gas-to-Energy Project.PHOTO: DOYON UTILITIES


BIOGAS¦

Anchoring Air Force Energy Goals Alaska’s fi rst landfi ll gas-to-energy project provides the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with seven times its renewable energy mandate per the Energy Policy Act of 2005.BY ANNA SIMET


¦BIOGAS

The farthest north facility of its kind at 61 degrees latitude, the Anchor-age Landfi ll Gas-to-Energy Project at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Rich-

ardson is the largest green energy project amongst the U.S. Air Force’s Pacifi c opera-tions. Its existence is the result of collabo-ration by the Municipality of Anchorage, Doyon Utilities and JBER, and after just one year of successful operations is being expanded.

The pieces to the project puzzle had been falling together for many years be-fore it was a done deal. The fi rst piece was passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which required federal facilities to increase renewable energy consumption to at least 7.5 percent by 2013. In 2006, because it was exceeding the threshold limit for nonmeth-anogenic organic compound emissions, the Anchorage Regional Landfi ll brought on line a gas collection system, which it tested and operated for three years. During that time, Doyon Utilities purchased the util-ity infrastructure—electrical, water, sewer and natural gas distribution system— on three Army bases in Alaska: Ft. Wainright, Ft. Greely, and Ft. Richardson, which have merged into a joint base facility that is now run by the Air Force, says Robert Zacharski, JBER site manager.

In 2010, the Municipality of Anchor-age put out a request for proposals to use gas generated at ARL, and Doyon Utili-ties was selected. A contract was signed in 2011, and the power plant became fully op-erational just over one year later.

System DetailsThe landfi ll gas collection system draws

from 87 acres of landfi ll and consists of 36 vertically drilled wells, 21 horizontal col-lector wells that range between 60 and 120 feet deep, and eight interconnections with the leachate system. “We purchase meth-ane from the municipality of Anchorage,” Zacharski explains. “A vacuum is applied to the landfi ll—if we get too much we’ll fl are off the excess—and we bring our portion through a mile-long [low-pressure] pipeline to the base’s generating building.”

There, fi ve 1.4 MW GE Jebaucher gas engines produce power that is tied into the base’s distribution system, enough electric-ity to meet half of the power demand for the Ft. Richardson side of JBER, or 100 percent of its emergency backup power.

The facility is currently undergoing an expansion—which was part of the initial plan—but it’s happening much earlier than expected, as there are few landfi lls of this size operating in similar climates to use as baselines for methane generation. “Initially

LANDFILL GAS TO THE RESCUE: The JBER landfi ll gas plant generates 100 percent of Ft. Richardson's back-up emergency power.

EARLY EXPANSION: The JBER Landfi ll Gas Waste-to-Energy Plant consists of four generator units designed to run on methane gas sourced from the Anchorage Landfi ll. A fi fth is currently being installed, several years earlier than expected.

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we put in four 1.4 MW generators, totaling 5.6 MW, and we’re just commissioning the fi fth unit right now, which will put the plant at 7 MW. Our project fi nancial model un-derestimated the gas generation in the land-fi ll, so once we started operating it became apparent we could push up the fi fth unit in-stallation from year fi ve to after year one.”

A sixth unit is scheduled in fi ve years, but Zacharski says gas use will be maxed out at that point.

Operation, Maintenance and the Military

With an operation and maintenance budget of $639,000 for the power plant, gas processing facility and transmission pipe-line, Doyon Utilities uses subcontractors as well as in-house personnel. The system is run by one operator, 40 hours a week, who can monitor it remotely to check for abnor-malities, according to Zacharski.

Surprisingly, operational challenges caused by the harsh climate have been mini-mal. “The gas supply remains very consis-tent between winter and summer,” Zacha-rski says. “You might think digestion would slow down in winter, but we haven’t found that’s the case.”

Initially there were some issues with the outer piping and freeze ups, but it was rem-edied this summer. “We had some teething problems, but it hasn’t been really differ-ent operating a similar plant [elsewhere],” Zacharski says. One specifi c climate-driven innovation that the project partners believe is the only application of its kind and will reduce future maintenance and repair costs is installation of preinsulated HDPE (high-density polyethylene pipe) with electric heat trace, to ensure the pipeline won’t become blocked with frozen condensate. In this case, the heat trace is a thin wire along the bottom of the pipe that can generate heat when needed.

While the climate overall hasn’t been too different from developing a project in more temperate regions, doing so on a site owned by the military may pose more chal-lenges than the typical model, according to Zacharski. “The Air Force has different

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ideas of what an acceptable payback is, so you have to structure your fi nances to meet those expectations, and that may be diffi cult to do,” he says. “They want a pretty rapid turnaround.”

Additionally, approval processes are lengthy. “Getting a notice to proceed to build a plant and making a schedule becomes chal-lenging, when you don’t know when you’re going to get the go-ahead to start construc-tion, or even if the project will go. On the private side of the fence, you have that con-trol, but you lose a little of that on a military installation.”

For the $35 million project, Zacharski said cash fl ow will turn positive in about four years. It is expected to result in a sav-ings to JBER of $32 million in power costs

over the initial contract period and $73.6 million over the potential life of the proj-ect, and the municipality will annually take in $1 million from gas sales, nearly $52 million over the life of the project.

“In general, this has been a very suc-cessful project,” Zacharski adds. “It utilizes waste gas that was being fl ared, producing no value to anyone, to increase Doyon’s, the municipality’s and the Air Force’s bottom line.”

Author: Anna SimetManaging Editor, Biomass Magazine

[email protected]


AdvancedBiofuelNews

California-based NextFuels has unveiled its strategy to produce advanced biofuels from wet, unprocessed agricultural waste via a hydrothermal process originally developed by Shell in the 1980s. The company is currently focused on converting agricultural waste from palm oil production in Southeast Asia into

drop-in coal and petroleum replacements. The technology processes biomass

within liquid water at temperatures of 300 to 330 degrees Celsius and pressure of 200 to 230 atmospheres, producing a putty-like GreenCrude. The GreenCrude can either be burned as a coal replacement, or further

refi ned into transportation fuels. NextFuels is in the process of designing

and assembling a pilot plant in the Nether-lands. The facility is expected to be opera-tional by the second quarter of next year. The company also plans to construct a demon-stration plant in Asia.

U.K.-based Element Energy recently published a report fi nd-ing that advanced biofuels offer a more cost-effective means to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 17 years, when compared to electric vehicles. The report, titled “The Role of Biofuels Beyond 2020,” was commissioned by BP.

The U.K. has set targets calling for an 80 percent reduction in GHGs by 2050 when compared to a 2050 baseline. While electric plug-in and hydrogen vehicles are expected to play a signifi cant role in realizing GHG reductions in the long term, the analysis

shows that the vehicle fl eet will continue to be dominated by vehicles with internal combustion engines through at least 2030, which means biofuels will play an important role in meeting emis-sions goals.

The analysis considers three scenarios. A “low biofuels” case in which conventional biofuels are blended at E10 and B7, a “medium biofuels” case assuming E20 and an increasing share of cellulosic ethanol, and a “high biofuels” case that considers the impact of blending butanol and drop-in biofuels at high rates.

NextFuels revives hydrothermal technology, plans test facilities

Study highlights GHG reduction potential of butanol, drop-in biofuels

Highest level of blends available under each scenario 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Low biofuels(gas) 5% ethanol 10% ethanol

(diesel) 5% biodiesel 7% biodiesel

Medium biofuels (with butanol): 9% GHG reduction

(gas) 5% ethanol 10% ethanol 15% butanol (diesel) 5% biodiesel 7% biodiesel

High biofuels: 27% GHG reduction (gas) 5% ethanol 10% ethanol

15% butanol 24% butanol 5% drop-in biofuel 19% drop-in biofuel

(diesel) 5% biodiesel7% biodiesel 5% biodiesel 7% biodiesel

4% drop-in biofuel 9% drop-in biofuel 19% drop-in biofuelSOURCE: ELEMENT ENERGY, "THE ROLE OF BIOFUELS BEYOND 2020"


I don’t cry wolf, but we are in the fi ght for the future of our industry.

In mid-October, we saw a leaked draft of the proposed renewable fuel standard (RFS) 2014 Re-newable Volume Obligation rule, which apparently would have favored the oil industry across the board. This draft proposal, which was cleverly leaked and circulated to the press, sought to color the attitude and direction of both the regulatory process as well as legislative discussions. All of this done at a time when the government is shut down and the press is solely focused on opening the government and avoid-ing a catastrophic default of paying our debts. Not to mention, most of the folks who would respond are at home on furlough.

Our industry is currently staring down an effort to repeal the RFS by the oil industry and livestock agriculture, who are joined by several environmental organizations and the small engine manufacturers. We have endured multiple hearings on both sides of the Capitol and endless press briefi ng and articles assail-ing the RFS and the renewable fuels industry. Nev-ertheless, we are still standing and delivering more gallons of environmentally sustainable cheaper fuels every day.

For over 40 years, the oil industry did not build a single refi nery. They didn’t need to, because the big boys just kept making the refi neries they owned larger and squeezing out the smaller refi neries that com-peted against them. Today, to avoid their obligations under the RFS, refi ners are exporting record volumes of gasoline. These exports specifi cally reduce their obligations under the act and save them cents on the gallon. Removing those gallons also reduces the size of the pool and reduces competition for price, there-by leaving consumers exposed to higher prices from the lack of volume and competition. And, refi ners make more margins on their fewer gallons; this is 101 economics.

And now we return to dysfunctional Washing-ton, D.C. We have a government that has been shut down for two weeks with no agreement to open back up or increase the nation’s debt limit. There is no clear path for extending the biofuels tax credits—which all expire at the end of the year—and no Farm Bill

because we allowed the funding extension to expire at the end of September. And now, on top of these legislative issues, the renewable fuel sector also has to worry about just exactly what the U.S. EPA will do on the 2014 obligations.

Under the RFS, the agency is required to release the next year’s volume obligations by Nov. 30 of each year. Because EPA did not fi nalize the 2013 numbers until August this year, most observers expect them to miss the deadline again, especially considering 96 per-cent of EPA employees are on furlough with no pay.

On the good news front, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy issued the following statement in response to extensive press coverage on the leaked 2014 RVO document: "The Obama Administration remains fi rmly committed to furthering the develop-ment of all biofuels—including corn-based ethanol, cellulosic biofuel, and advanced biofuel—as part of the president's commitment to developing a clean en-ergy economy. Biofuels are a critical part of the presi-dent's all-of-the-above energy strategy that is reducing America's dependence on oil and creating jobs across the country. At this point, EPA is only developing a draft proposal. The agency has made no fi nal decision on the proposed renewable fuel standards for 2014.

“And no decisions will be made on the fi nal stan-dards without a full opportunity for all stakeholders to comment on the EPA's proposed 2014 renewable fuel standards and be heard on how to best foster a growing biofuels industry that takes into account in-frastructure- and market-related factors."

That means advocates for advanced biofuels still have an opportunity to stand up and fi ght to protect the RFS. The time is now and the need is for everyone to get involved. Contact your members of Congress, send comments to EPA, write a letter to your local newspaper or call me to talk about what you can do to help. The need is urgent and the wolf is lurking close by.

Author: Michael McAdamsPresident, Advanced Biofuel Association

202.469.5140www.advancedbiofuelassociation.com

An Urgent Call to ActionBY MICHAEL MCADAMS

ADVANCED BIOFUELS AND CHEMICALS¦


¦ADVANCED BIOFUEL

PHOTO: U.S. COAST GUARD


ADVANCED BIOFUEL¦

The U.S. Coast Guard is testing isobutanol gasoline blends in its marine engines.BY CHRIS HANSON

Isobutanol to the Rescue


Since its founding in 1790 as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the U.S. Coast Guard has had a history of implementing new technology within its fl eet. During the U.S. Civil War, for ex-

ample, the USRC Naugatuck boasted twin-screw engines, ironclad armor and semisubmersible technology that allowed it to increase or decrease the ship’s draft in shallow waters. Continuing its pursuit of maritime innovation and reinforcing its motto of Semper Para-tus (Always Ready), the USCG is conducting a year-long engine test using renewable, isobutanol-blended gasoline through a Coopera-tive Research and Development Agreement with Gevo Inc., Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Mercury Marine.

With a fl eet of more than 2,000 cutter ships, boats and aircraft that conducted 19,790 search and rescues in 2012, cost-effective advanced biofuels that meet the USCG’s standards will help the organization break its reliance on foreign fuel sources and provide a stable fuel source in the event a confl ict disrupts fuel supply lines.

Producing the FuelIn 2011, the USCG began an alternative fuel study, motivated

by the government’s desire to minimize its carbon footprint, says Michael Coleman, project manager for the U.S. Coast Guard Re-search and Development Center. From that initial study, the USCG

researched different alternative fuels for their affordability, avail-ability, safety and potential carbon footprint reduction. The USCG selected four fuels: natural gas, ethanol blends, biobutanol and bio-mass liquid fuels. “Out of those four fuels, we did a desktop evalu-ation including many technical factors including maturity, perfor-mance, physical safety and logistics,” Coleman says. “Out of those, we decided to proceed with biobutanol as our test fuel.”

For the engine tests, the USCG is sourcing the isobutanol-blended fuel from Gevo’s plant in Luverne, Minn. The USCG se-lected a blend of 16.1 percent isobutanol and gasoline because of its potential benefi ts in an aquatic environment. “The Coast Guard, along with many other folks in the marine industry, is very inter-ested in next-generation biofuels instead of ethanol-blended gaso-line,” says Brett Lund, chief licensing offi cer for Gevo. He adds ethanol-blended gasoline is currently not compatible with most boat engines and its solubility with water make isobutanol a more attractive option.

Gevo’s Luverne facility is a retrofi tted ethanol plant that pro-duces isobutanol using Gevo’s Integrated Fermentation Technol-ogy. Gevo is producing 8,700 gallons of blended isobutanol fuel at the facility for the Coast Guard tests.

Producing the fuel presented some challenges that Gevo had

¦ADVANCED BIOFUEL

COAST GUARD COLLABORATION: Gevo Inc. produces and blends the needed 8,700 gallons of isobutanol-blended biofuel for the U.S. Coast Guard’s year-long test.

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ADVANCED BIOFUEL¦

to overcome, says Lund. Yeast naturally wants to produce ethanol, and small amounts of isobutanol. “We’ve spent quite a bit of time, fi ve years or so, using metabolic engineering to develop a yeast that makes, almost exclusively, isobutanol,” he says. He notes isobutanol is toxic to the yeast and causes it to perish, therefore Gevo also had to develop a tolerant yeast strain. As the isobutanol is produced in the broth, Gevo extracts the isobutanol vapor under vacuum and condenses it into a liquid. “That really allows us to get the isobuta-nol out of the process without having to use conventional distilla-tion to remove the water,” Lund explains.

Setting SailAfter the initial alternative fuel study, the second phase of the

isobutanol tests under the CRADA occurred over a three-month period in early 2013 using Honda outboard engines and craft, since Honda is one the major engine manufacturers for the USCG, Cole-man says. In addition to material and benchmark testing, Honda also put the isobutanol blend through an endurance test prior to giving the USCG the approval of trying the fuel in its own boats, he explains. During Honda’s test, the engines operate at full throttle for eight hours a day over several months and then are taken apart and inspected.

The next round of fuel tests are in progress at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Va. “The training center is basically an area where Coast Guard members can learn how to operate the different boat platforms, be it anywhere from standard boat handling procedures to the mechanics of those craft,” says Lt. Kevin Sorrell. The center is a convenient location for testing due to its availability compared to other operational units, he adds.

At the Yorktown training center, the fuel is being tested on a 38-foot special-purpose craft using Mercury outboard engines as well as a 25-foot response boat (RBS) that uses Honda outboard engines. “Both crafts are operationally used in the Coast Guard,” says Sorrell. “RBSes are basically stationed all throughout the Unit-ed States. The special purpose craft is more of a law enforcement craft, specifi cally used down in the southern U.S., like the Gulf of Mexico and Florida area.”

“What we hope to accomplish with this project is to get the information that’ll give the Coast Guard decision makers the ability to make an informed decision on whether to proceed with butanol as an alternative fuel,” says Coleman.

If the fuel tests turn out for the better, a positive testimonial from the USCG could be quite valuable for the advanced biofuel and boating industry. “This is really the option they are most ex-cited about for their fl eet and their industry. The fact that it’s all home-grown and the isobutanol is 100 percent produced in the U.S. is also benefi cial,” says Lund. “They, as well as other branches of the military, like solutions like that because you avoid some of the risk of being cut-off from fuel supply.”

“The nice part from our perspective is, if it’s good enough for the U.S. Coast Guard, it’s pretty much good enough for any marine application out there,” Lund adds. “Nobody runs their boats like these guys do.”

Author: Chris HansonStaff Writer, Biomass Magazine

[email protected]

BOATING WITH ISOBUTANOL: The isobutanol blended fuels are being tested in a 25-foot response boat, left, and a 38-foot special purpose craft at its training center in Yorktown, Va.

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