Burning Bio News

Several articles were released a week ago (February 7) that are critical of biofuel production and use.  It is pretty apparent that this ’science’ is not objective and is intended to push a narrow political agenda.  There is enough objective work in these studies to highlght the positive benefits of biofuel production and use.  The authors and funders, German Marshall Fund, Princton University, Nature Conservancy, and the University of Minnesota, however, elected to broad brush the entire biofuels industry for their own political gain.  www.gmfus.org/press/article.cfm?id=132&parent_type=R.

The benefits of biofuels go well beyond balancing atmospheric carbon (though it is a significant one), but community development, new markets for ag products, zero waste, to name a few, are also important drivers.  Deforestation issues have been problems long before the last 2 years, and in many developing nations the deforestation is driven by a lack of locally available energy (firewood).  What is needed instead of restrictions on development, is just the opposite.  A strategic intensification of management, not a prohibition on use.

If the ‘developed world’ is sincerely concerned about the ‘developing worlds natural resources’ then the politically-motivated ’scientists’ generating studies that advocate prohibitions on land use in developing countries need to find new ways for those locals to enjoy a higher standard of living from new alternatives other than plowing up the rainforests.

From a pragmatic standpoint, it is difficult to imagine that more carbon will be released in the atmosphere by growing more plants, than by extracting carbon-based fuels from underground (oil, gas and coal) and injecting them more or less directly into the atmoshere through stationary power plants and transportation fuels.

As a refreshing break from the political sniping about the value of biofuels, I direct you to a provocative well-written piece by Mike Williams entitled, “The Biofuel Smear Champaign.” THANK YOU, Mike Williams!

GreenCore Composites Inc., a Toronto, Ontario, natural-fiber composite manufacturer received a $775,000 (CAN) grant from the Ontario BioAuto Council Commercialization Fund, to foster further development of its trademarked Green Inside fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials.

BioEnergy International, LLC begins construction on the Bionol Clearfield LLC, 100 million gallon corn ethanol biorefinery under construction in Clearfield, PA. In addition to the corn-based ethanol facility, plans are also underway to construct cellulosic-ethanol pilot plants.

Liberty Energy Inc. wants to build a 15-megawatt renewable energy power plant in Banning, CA, that would run off treated sewage sludge/biosolids, and green waste, such as lawn clippings.

Officials with Sunflower Electric Cooperative and the Healy-based Prairie Fire BioEnergy Cooperative announced this weekend they’ve signed an agreement to study the potential for burning biomass at Sunflower’s Holcomb (KS) coal-fired plant.

The controversial approved CA composting facility, Nursery Products, LLC, is back in the news as local residents have taken the company to court. In question is whether the law was followed in approving the facility in February of 2007.

Progress has been made on acquiring the air permit, as well as the engineering work. Construction could begin this summer on the 45 MW biomass power plant in Lufkin, TX by summer with a completion date of September of 2009.

Efforts are underway to upgrade and reopen the 16 MW power plant in Alexandria, NH. It has been idled for more than a decade, but Indeck Energy Alexandria is on track to reopen the power plant this summer.

Florida’s Public Service Commission approved a contract between Progress Energy Florida and BG&E Florida for the purchase of firm capacity and energy. The new renewable energy facility will produce electricity using yard trimmings, tree bark, and wood knots from paper mills, as fuel and have a generation capacity of 75 MW.

Colusa Biomass Energy Corporation, Colusa, CA, is developing a cellulosic ethanol technology that will convert rice straw waste to fuel grade ethanol, and the production of sufficient quantities of marketable silica.

December and January have been so exciting, I haven’t kept up well.  I am still here and fighting my way back to my web duties.  I am also working on my newsletter.  Glad to be busy!  I write a bioenergy column for BioCycle Magazine.  This month my column is available to everyone from their website. http://www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/001554.html#more. mwj

A Florida businessman has plans to build a $21.5 million plant in either Escambia or Santa Rosa County (FL) that would produce 20 million gallons biodiesel fuel annually. This will be the second biodiesel project for Rick Higdon, Aqri-Source Fuels. The first biodiesel plant is at an old orange juice factory in Dade City with the capacity to produce 120 million gallons each year.

After announcing a new biodiesel refinery in Plains, GA, last year with much fanfare and the endorsement of Jimmy Carter, Macon-based Alterra Bioenergy has had to put fuel production plans on hold there.

Farmers who plant camelina for the first time can get their seed costs reimbursed if they farm in the 32 counties of northern and eastern Montana covered by WIRED Montana’s Agro Energy Plan. The reimbursement program covers camelina seed costs of up to $1.30 per pound for a minimum of 10 acres and a maximum of 80 acres at seeding rates of three to five pounds per acre.

Masada Resource Group LLC, AL-based company that specializes in municipal-solid-waste-to-ethanol technology, has donated its biomass pilot plant facilities and equipment to Auburn University in AL. “Working with Auburn, weÕve increased our yields from 55 gallons of ethanol per ton of garbage all the way up to about 85 gallons per ton of garbage,Ósaid Donald Watkins, CEO Masada.

“We should see the first commercial-scale plants coming on line in late-2009, early-2010,” said Richard Hamilton, President and CEO of California-based Ceres, speaking at the Reuters Global Agriculture and Biofuels Summit.  Wow.  Quite a range of predictions 3 years, or more than 10 years.  Considering the billions of dollars of public and private investment in cellulosic biofuels, I have a difficult time imagining that it will be more than 10 years.  There are already small plants operating with commercial-scale plants in the works.  I’ll agree with Mr. Hamilton (who operates a life-sciences company, invested in cellulosic biofuels).

It will be at least a decade before technological breakthroughs allow ethanol fuel to be produced commercially from farm and forest waste like wood chips, switchgrass and corn stalks, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson, said.

EnerTech Environmental receives $42 million to turn human and industrial wastes into energy. The company already has a pilot plant in Japan, and in April started construction on what it considers its first commercial-scale plant in Rialto, Calif.

Georgia Power signed power purchasing agreements with Yellow Pine Energy Company, LLC, a planned, 110 MW biomass-fired facility to be located near Fort Gaines, GA

PetroSun BioFuels Refining plans to build a 30 million gallon biodiesel facility near Coolidge, AZ that will use oil produced from algae.