Bioenergy & Biofuels in the

Northwest: Multiple Research &

Technology Transfer Efforts

David Sjoding

Renewable Energy Specialist

October 10, 2012

ASERTTI 2012 Fall Meeting

Biofuels: A Very Strong Full Court

Press with State Legislation

• Aviation biofuel – 2011 & 2012 legislation in WA

• University of Washington – $40 million multi-state research effort

– Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest – Focus on hybrid

poplar as feedstock http://ahb-nw.com/

• Washington State University - $40 million multi-state research

effort – Focus on woody biomass -

http://www.nararenewables.org/

• Northern climate oilseed crops – Canola, camelina etc.

• WSU Biofuels Cropping Systems http://css.wsu.edu/biofuels/

• University of Idaho – Brassica Breeding & Research

http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/brassica/index.html

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Very extensive effort in

biofuels

http://readthis.pnl.gov/MarketSource/ReadThis/readthis.nsf/By+

Number/B3105?opendocument

Biochar research – Areas of focus

• Engineered biochar – Focus of WSU

• Markets: Bioremediation, Farm, Forest, & Garden

• Three recent biochar & advanced biofuels

reports: 1) Biochar and Advanced Biofuels using

Pyrolysis Reactors; 2) Biomass Supply Chain and

Preprocessing Technologies From Field to Pyrolysis

Reactor; and 3) Technologies for Product Collection and

Refining

• Oregon BEST – Torrified Biomass to offset coal working

with HM3

• Building Northwest Biochar Markets Collaborative

Bioproducts & Cross Cutting

• Renewable natural gas for transportation – analysis

for project development

• Densified biomass/wood pellets - Statewide

business development feasibility study funded -

$75,000

• Idaho National Laboratory – Major focus on

harvesting & transportation of biomass

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Very

extensive effort in biofuels

• Oregon has a Biomass Producer or Collector Tax

Credit

• Bioenergy research: Major laboratory buildouts

• Strong state funded research

Woody biomass feedstock

competition

• Woody biomass is a feedstock for a wide variety

of bioenergy/biobased products – Assessments

needed

• Engineered biochar – Carbon sequestration, soil

health & environmental remediation

• Pellets – Regional or export markets

• Biomass CHP - Supports existing mills, high

efficiency

• Biofuels – Cellulosic or drop-in advanced biofuel

• Biobased chemicals offsetting the petrochemical

industry

• Biorefinery – Combination of the above

• Which products? Which goals? Which trade assn.?

Biomass Inventory and Bioenergy Assessment

An Evaluation of Organic Material Resources for Bioenergy Production in Washington State December 2005

Waste Characterization – 68%

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/1007023.pdf.

Pacific Region – A six state-based team of AK, HI, ID,

MT, OR & WA www.pacificbiomass.org

• Significant biennial state funds (both program development &

research)

• Functions as a team since 1982

• Taken together: A “Complete Program” – Near, mid and long

term research; development; demonstration; project

deployment; policy analysis & legislation; information; outreach

• The Northwest states cross-talk a lot & compare notes

Biomass Combined Heat and Power in

the

Northwest

Dave Sjoding

Northwest Clean Energy Application Center

Washington State University Energy Program

Association of State Energy Research & Technology

Transfer Institutions

Seattle, Washington

October 10, 2012

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solutions represent a

proven and effective near-term energy option to help the

United States enhance energy efficiency, ensure

environmental quality, promote economic growth, and foster

a robust energy infrastructure. The U.S. DOE National CHP

Roadmap, a culmination of state, regional, national, and

international efforts, states that increased regional CHP

outreach and assistance could help increase the deployment

of CHP opportunities in the United States. In response to the

National CHP Roadmap, DOE established a network of

Regional Clean Energy Application Centers (CEACs),

formerly called the CHP Regional Application Centers (RACs).

DOE's Regional Clean Energy Application Centers promote

and assist in transforming the market for combined heat and

power, waste heat recovery, and district energy technologies

and concepts throughout the United States. Key

services of the CEACs include:

Ÿ Market Assessments – Supporting analyses of

CHP market potential in diverse sectors, such

as health care, industrial sites, hotels, and

new commercial and

institutional buildings.

Ÿ Education and Outreach – Providing information on the

benefits and applications of CHP to state and local policy

makers, regulators, energy end-users, trade associations

and others.

Ÿ Technical Assistance – Providing technical

information to energy end-users and others to help them

consider if CHP, waste heat recovery or district energy

makes sense for them. This includes performing site

assessments, producing project feasibility studies, and

providing technical and financial analyses.

For more information on the DOE Clean Energy Application Centers,

visit:

http://www.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/distributedenergy/ceacs.html

or visit the individual DOE CEAC web sites directly for details on the

services provided and upcoming events.

Related Links International District Energy Association

www.districtenergy.org

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Combined Heat and Power Partnership

www.epa.gov/chp

United States Clean Heat and Power Association

www.uschpa.org

DOE Clean Energy Application Centers: Locations, Contacts, and Web Sites

PACIFIC www.pacificcleanenergy.org

Tim Lipman

University of California,

Berkeley Tel: 510-642-4501

telipman@berkeley.edu

Vince McDonell

University of California,

Irvine Tel: 949-824-7302 x121

mcdonell@apep.uci.edu

NORTHWEST www.northwestcleanenergy.org

Dave Sjoding

Washington State University

Tel: 360-956-2004

sjodingd@energy.wsu.edu

MIDWEST www.midwestcleanenergy.org

John Cuttica

University of Illinois at Chicago

Tel: 312-996-4382

cuttica@uic.edu

Cliff Haefke

University of Illinois at Chicago

Tel: 312-355-3476

chaefk1@uic.edu

NORTHEAST www.northeastcleanenergy.org

Tom Bourgeois

Pace University

Tel: 914-422-4013

tbourgeois@law.pace.edu

Beka Kosanovic

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Tel: 413-545-0684

kosanovi@ecs.umass.edu

MID-ATLANTIC www.maceac.psu.edu

Jim Freihaut

Pennsylvania State University

Tel: 814-863-0083

jfreihaut@engr.psu.edu

INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT ENERGY

ASSOCIATION www.districtenergy.org

Rob Thornton

President

Tel: 508-366-9339

rob.idea@districtenergy.org

INTERMOUNTAIN

www.intermountaincleanenergy.org

Christine Brinker

Southwest Energy Efficiency

Project Tel: 720-939-8333

cbrinker@swenergy.org

Patti Case

etc Group

Tel: 801-278-1927 x 3

plcase@etcgrp.com

GULF COAST

www.gulfcoastcleanenergy.org

Gavin Dillingham

Houston Advanced

Research Center

Tel: 281-364-4060

gdillingham@harc.edu

SOUTHEAST www.southeastcleanenergy.org Isaac Panzarella

North Carolina State University

Tel: 919-515-0354

ipanzarella@ncsu.edu

Pedro Mago

Mississippi State University

Tel: 662-325-6602

mago@me.msstate.edu

DOE Clean Energy Application Centers: Program Contacts

Katrina Pielli Joe Renk Patti Garland Ted Bronson

Office of Energy Efficiency and National Energy Technology Oak Ridge National Laboratory DOE CEAC Coordinator Renewable Energy Laboratory (NETL) (ORNL) Power Equipment Associates U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Department of Energy Phone: 630-248-8778

Phone: 202-287-5850 Phone: 412-386-6406 Phone: 202-586-3753 E-mail: tlbronsonpea@aol.com E-mail: katrina.pielli@ee.doe.gov E-mail: joseph.renk@netl.doe.gov E-mail: patricia.garland@ee.doe.gov

Northwest Target Markets

• Biomass CHP – Linked to forest health issues

• Pulp & paper

• Forest products

• Anaerobic digestion – Linked to water quality &

waste to resources

• Dairies - Includes co-digestion with nitrogen and

phosphorous recovery

• Wastewater Treatment Facilities

• Medium & high solids: Food processing, compost

facilities

Commercialization of Newer

Technologies & Practices

• Biomass CHP: Expanding the woodshed for CHP systems – What

to do with the slash piles?

• Chip vans on log truck frames with rear steering – new

commercial

• Knives not knuckles on wood grinders - Commercial

• Anaerobic digestion CHP: Expanding the revenue streams - $12

million in research at WSU

• Nitrogen & phosphorous: Bubble air through the mixture -

Commercial

• Co-digestion - Commercial

• Medium and high solids digestion – Commercial ready

Environmental concerns, benefits &

permits: Biomass CHP

• Logging slash: Typically burned or left to rot (pile goes

anaerobic)

• Is slash a solid waste?

• Key permit ruling: No, it is taxed in Washington as

a product;

• Therefore, biomass CHP systems are not subject to

CISWI – Many court rulings

• Are we doing this sustainably? This is wood waste, not

logging whole trees for standalone biopower - Biomass is

subject to the forest practices act in Washington

• Forest health: Very serious though out western U.S. – An

economic base is needed to expedite forest health

treatments

• Wood waste feedstock supply – Do your homework!

• Feedstock supply – Near investment grade – See Washington Forest

Biomass Supply Assessment

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/em_finalreport_wash_forest_

biomass_supply_assess.pdf

• Woody Biomass Emissions Study – An emissions comparison of 15

pathways (fates) but not a life cycle analysis done by the Olympic

Clean Air agency with EPA funding - http://data.orcaa.org/reports/all-

reports-entries/woody-biomass-emissions-study/

• Biomass Drying and Dewatering for Clean Heat and Power

http://www.northwestcleanenergy.org/NwChpDocs/BiomassDryingAnd

DewateringForCleanHeatAndPower.pdf

• Anaerobic digestion for many reports see Center for Sustaining

Agriculture & Natural Resources, Washington State University,

publications – topic – anaerobic digestion

http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/CSANR2010/pubs

Technical Resources & Information

• Northwest Clean Energy Application Center

• Website: http://www.northwestcleanenergy.org/

• Market assessments

• Education and outreach

• Technical assistance

• U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office

• Website:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/distributeden

ergy/

• EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership

• Website: http://www.epa.gov/chp/index.html

Getting started – Lots of resources

Dave Sjoding

sjodingd@energy.wsu.edu

(360)956-2004

Northwest Clean Energy Application Center

Washington State University Energy Program