biomass magazine - march 2008

Biomass Makes the GradeUniversity of South Carolina Replaces Natural-Gas-Fired Boilers

With Biomass Heating System

US $24.95 year : www.BiomassMagazine.com

INSIDE: IS ARUNDO DONAX AN INVASIVE WEED OR ETHANOL FEEDSTOCK?

February 2008

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Novozymes North America, Inc.77 Perry Chapel Church RoadFranklinton, NC 27525 Tel. +1 919-494-3000Fax +1 919-494-3485

[email protected]

Transforming corn and other grains into biofuels is a major

industry today. But what about tomorrow? The future of bio-

fuels will also rely on the next generation of raw materials –

biomass. At Novozymes we’re taking a fresh look at all types

of biomass, and considering how we can turn it into something

useful. And you know what? Corn cobs and wheat straw are

just the beginning. Who knows what other types of waste we

can transform into fuel?

Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together

with customers across a broad array of industries we create

tomorrow’s industrial biosolutions, improving our customers’

business and the use of our planet’s resources. Read more at

www.novozymes.com.

The future of fuel

3|2008 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 5

INSIDE MARCH 2008 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3

FEATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 TECHNOLOGY Biomass Goes to College

The University of South Carolina campus has installed a new biomass-based heating

system that should add up to millions of dollars in savings.

By Jerry W. Kram

28 EMISSIONS Watering Down the Problem—LiterallyOriented strand board, particle board and plywood veneer manufacturers are

eyeing wet electrostatic precipitators as a way to capture fly ash before it

damages regenerative thermal oxidizers.

By Ron Kotrba

34 FEEDSTOCK The Risk of Biomass Invasion

Some in the scientific community warn that many of the traits that make plants ideal

as biomass resources are shared by plants that are considered invasive in some

areas of the country.

By Suesanne Retka Schill

42 POWER ‘Xcel’erating Biomass Power

Xcel Energy Inc.’s Renewable Development Fund provides money to companies and

projects—either already operating or in the research and development stages—to

advance renewable energy production at a reasonable cost to its customers.

By Bryan Sims

48 ENVIRONMENT Biofuels in Bali

Climate change and the role that human activities play in it was the main focus of the

U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Biofuels supporters attended to

make people aware of the benefits of renewable fuels.

By Jessica Ebert

DEPARTMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

06 Editor’s NoteNew Voice on the Biomass Block

07 Advertiser Index

09 Industry Events

12 Business Briefs

14 Industry News

55 In the LabChomping at the Bit

By Jerry W. Kram

57 EERC UpdateRefueling Today’s Military:

Reducing the Dependence on Oil, Part One

By Darren Schmidt

POWER | PAGE 42

hose of you who read this column on a regular

basis will probably be surprised to see a new

author. Biomass Magazine Editorial Director Tom

Bryan thought it would be appropriate for the fea-

tures editor to write a monthly column, and I agreed. So

here it goes.

When I was first thinking about what to write in this

space, I thought about telling you that I am relatively new

to the business of biomass, but that’s not exactly true. I

grew up on a sheep farm in northeast North Dakota

where slinging bales of straw and hay, and stepping

around sheep manure was the norm. After earning a

bachelor’s degree in political science from the University

of North Dakota, I landed a job as a clerk for Agweek Magazine. I later became a staff writer

and eventually editor. In the weekly agriculture publication distributed in North Dakota, South

Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and parts of Canada, we dealt with issues such as manure

management and crop residue. We were always on the lookout for projects that turned agri-

cultural residue into valuable products that could potentially create more income for our

farmer-readers.

Then BBI International hired me as the features editor for Ethanol Producer Magazine,

Biodiesel Magazine and Biomass Magazine. The rest, as they say, is history.

As you can see, I am familiar with biomass. What wasn’t as familiar to me when this

magazine was first created were some of the processes being used to add value to biomass.

After reading all of the features that have appeared in this magazine from its inception in

June, however, I have learned a lot. Those of you involved in the industry should give your-

selves a much-deserved pat on the back for the work you’re doing, which is keeping our staff

writers on their toes. From producing renewable fuel for jet engines to turning poultry litter

into a power source to plasma gasification of municipal solid waste to sourcing and trans-

porting biomass, there is no shortage of technologies and topics that need to be covered.

I wrote this column as somewhat of an introduction because I’m hoping you will feel

comfortable enough to let me know what interests you about the magazine, if you think

there’s something we should be covering that we’re not or if you have an idea for a feature.

Just drop me an e-mail or give me a call at (701) 738-4962.

6 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 3|2008

editor ’sNOTE

New Voice on the Biomass Block

T

Rona JohnsonFeatures Editor

[email protected]


EDITORIAL

Tom Bryan EDITORIAL DIRECTOR [email protected]

Jessica Sobolik MANAGING EDITOR [email protected]

Dave Nilles CONTRIBUTIONS EDITOR [email protected]

Rona Johnson FEATURES EDITOR [email protected]

Ron Kotrba SENIOR STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Anduin Kirkbride McElroy STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Jerry W. Kram STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Susanne Retka Schill STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Bryan Sims STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Jessica Ebert STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Sarah Smith STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Kris Bevill STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Hope Deutscher STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Timothy Charles Holmseth STAFF WRITER [email protected]

Jan Tellmann COPY EDITOR [email protected]

Craig A. Johnson PLANT LIST & CONSTRUCTION EDITOR [email protected]

Amber Armstrong ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT [email protected]

ART

Jaci Satterlund ART DIRECTOR [email protected]

Elizabeth Slavens GRAPHIC DESIGNER [email protected]

Sam Melquist GRAPHIC DESIGNER [email protected]

Jack Sitter GRAPHIC DESIGNER [email protected]

PUBLISHING & SALES

Mike Bryan PUBLISHER & CEO [email protected]

Kathy Bryan PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT [email protected]

Joe Bryan VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDIA [email protected]

Matthew Spoor SALES DIRECTOR [email protected]

Howard Brockhouse SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Clay Moore ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Jeremy Hanson ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Chad Ekanger ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Chip Shereck ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Tim Charles ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Marty Steen ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected]

Marla DeFoe ADVERTISING COORDINATOR [email protected]

Jessica Beaudry SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER [email protected]

Jason Smith SUBSCRIPTION ACQUISITION MANAGER [email protected]

Tim Greer CIRCULATION COORDINATOR [email protected]

Erika Wishart ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT [email protected]

Christie Anderson ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT [email protected]

Subscriptions Subscriptions to BiomassMagazine are available for just $24.95

per year within the United States, $39.95

for Canada and Mexico, and $49.95 for

any country outside North America.

Subscription forms are available online

(www.BiomassMagazine.com), by mail

or by fax. If you have questions, please

contact Jessica Beaudry at (701) 746-

8385 or [email protected].

Back Issues & Reprints Select back

issues are available for $3.95 each, plus

shipping. To place an order, contact

Subscriptions at (701) 746-8385 or

[email protected].

Article reprints are also available for a

fee. For more information, contact

Christie Anderson at (701) 746-8385 or

[email protected].

Advertising Biomass Magazine provides

a specific topic delivered to a highly tar-

geted audience. We are committed to

editorial excellence and high-quality print

production. To find out more about

Biomass Magazine advertising opportu-

nities or to receive our Editorial Calendar

& Rate Card, please contact Matthew

Spoor at (701) 746-8385 or mspoor

@bbibiofuels.com.

Letters to the Editor We welcome letters

to the editor. Send to Biomass MagazineLetters to the Editor, 308 2nd Ave. N.,

Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203 or e-

mail to [email protected]. Please

include your name, address and phone

number. Letters may be edited for clarity

and/or space.

advertiserINDEX

2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo 13

BBI Project Development 51 & 56

Biofuels Australasia 27

Biofuels Canada 11, 41 & 59

Canadian Renewable Energy Workshop 54

Christianson & Associates PLLP 24

Competitive Energy Insight Inc. 30

ConAgra Trade Group Inc. 2

Duratech Industries International Inc. 31

Energy & Environmental Research Center 19

Ethanol Producer Magazine 58

www.ethanol-jobs.com 42

FCStone 44

Frontline BioEnergy LLC 38

International Biomass ‘08 Conference & Trade Show 26

Midwest Process Solutions 25

Cert no. SCS-COC-00648

Morbark Inc. 32

National renewable Energy Laboratory 53

New Horizon Corp. 46

New World Biomass Conference 4

Novozymes 3

Paul Mueller Co. 47

Percival Scientific Inc. 52

Price Biostock Services 37

Rath, Young and Pignatelli PC 23

R.C. Costello & Associates Inc. 39

Robert-James Sales Inc. 60

Rotochopper Inc. 8

Taylor Biomass Energy LLC 45

The Teaford Co. Inc. 22

UOP LLC 10

West Salem Machinery 33

Why Is Rotochopper So Special???

Why is it so hard to find a used Rotochopper? Why are our customers so loyal?

Intelligent Design

Technologically advanced grinders that make precisely the right particle size for biomass fuel, landscape mulch, animal bedding, wood flour, wood pellets, gasification, cellulosic ethanol, etc.

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Grinding Ag Biomass Grinding Forestry Biomass

Electric Diesel

Washington International Renewable Energy Conference

March 4-6, 2008Washington Convention CenterWashington, D.C.This event will present the latest developments in renewable energy. Speakerswill discuss the status of key renewable energy technologies, plus systemscosts, economics, markets, manufacturing and financing. Biofuels will also behighlighted. A trade show will be included.(202) 393-0001 www.wirec2008.org

World Biofuels Markets Congress

March 12-14, 2008Brussels ExpoBrussels, BelgiumThe sessions at this event will focus on ethanol and biodiesel on a local andglobal scale. More detailed topics of discussion include biofuels feedstocks;heat, power and cogeneration; quality and distribution; and biorefineries,byproducts and bioproducts. Pre-congress conferences will address biofuelsinvestment and finance, next-generation technology and science, certificationand sustainability, policy and regulation, and bioplastics and biochemicals. +44 20 7801 6333 www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com

Waste-to-Fuels Conference & Trade Show

April 6-8, 2008Wyndham Orlando ResortOrlando, FloridaThe Florida Biofuels Association will host this inaugural event to inform the pub-lic and private sectors of the economic and environmental benefits of convertingwaste materials to alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol, as well asother energy recovery methods. Topics include municipal solid waste, biomass,waste oils and greases, landfill gases, and ag waste.(800) 441-7949 www.waste-to-fuels.org

International Biomass Conference & Trade Show

April 15-17, 2008Minneapolis Convention CenterMinneapolis, MinnesotaThis inaugural event, which stemmed from the Energy & EnvironmentalResearch Center’s biomass conference last year in Grand Forks, N.D., aims tofacilitate the advancement of near-term and commercial-scale manufacturing ofbiomass-based power, fuels and chemicals. Topics include biopower, bioprod-ucts, biochemicals, biofuels, intermediate products and coproducts, which will bepresented through general sessions, technical workshops and an industry tradeshow.(719) 539-0300 www.biomassconference.com

New World Biomass Conference

April 22-24, 2008Albuquerque Convention CenterAlbuquerque, New MexicoThis conference will explore new opportunities in the biomass industry and thereinvention of existing technologies. The agenda includes a pre-conferenceworkshop, which will address the national energy plan, the national fire plan andthe healthy forests initiative through woody biomass utilization; a general ses-sion, which includes Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez; manufacturer ses-sions; and track classes, which will be announced as the event approaches.

www.newworldbiomass.com

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing

April 27-30, 2008Hilton ChicagoChicago, IllinoisThis event’s program tracks will focus on biofuels and bioenergy, including cel-lulosic ethanol; feedstocks, including forestry residues and energy crops; andchemicals and biomaterials. A tentative agenda includes plenary sessions,breakout sessions, exhibits and a poster reception, among many other events. (202) 962-6630 www.bio.org/worldcongress2008

30th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals

May 4-7, 2008Astor Crowne Plaza HotelNew Orleans, LouisianaHosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable EnergyLaboratory, this event will feature discussions of the latest research break-throughs and results in biotechnology for fuels and chemicals. Twelve dual tech-nical sessions will accommodate 80 presentations, and there will also be a ple-nary session and two poster sessions. Plus, an evening session will highlightinternational bioenergy centers.(703) 691-3357, ext. 26 www.simhq.org/meetings/30symp/index.html

24th Annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

June 16-19, 2008Opryland Hotel & Convention CenterNashville, TennesseeThis conference will follow the record-breaking 2007 event, in which more than500 exhibitors were on display and more than 5,300 people attended. The pre-liminary agenda includes general sessions, concurrent technical workshops andvarious networking opportunities. More information will be available as this eventapproaches.(719) 539-0300 www.fuelethanolworkshop.com

industryevents


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Verenium appoints chief legal officerVerenium Corp., which is building a cellu-

losic ethanol plant in Jennings, La., has appoint-ed Gerald Haines to the newly created positionof executive vice president and chief legal offi-cer. His experience in business and legal matterswith early-stage companies will be an asset toVerenium, according to President and ChiefExecutive Officer Carlos Riva. Before joiningVerenium, Haines was the executive vice presi-dent of strategic affairs and chief legal officer for a public networkcommunications company. He holds a Juris Doctor degree fromCornell Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in businessadministration from Boston University. BIO

LiquidMaize founder joins climate change commissionPaul Orentas, managing partner for

LiquidMaize LLC, has agreed to serve onVirginia’s Commission on Climate Change.The newly formed, 32-person group was creat-ed under the Virginia Energy Plan, which wasestablished to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsthrough energy conservation and renewableenergy use. LiquidMaize is an ethanol develop-ment and management company based in Denver, and Orentas hasstudied the feasibility of multiple biofuels projects across theUnited States. The commission is expected to issue a report byDecember. BIO

Dynamotive names presidentDynamotive Energy Systems Corp.

recently appointed David McMillan presi-dent of Dynamotive USA. He will beresponsible for the development and imple-mentation of the company’s business planfor the United States. McMillan previouslyserved as the director of corporate develop-ment and strategic planning at EastmanChemical Co., where he was employed for the past 28 years.Canadian-based Dynamotive Energy Systems owns two plantsin Ontario that produce bio-oil from wood waste. The compa-ny also has offices in the United States, Great Britain andArgentina. BIO

businessBRIEFS

Georgia Power to buy wood-based electricity Georgia Power and Yellow Pine Energy Co. LLC recently

signed a 20-year contract for electricity generated from timber-harvesting residuals, noncommercial tree species, tree thinnings,lumber scraps and wood wastereclaimed from landfills. The bio-mass-fired Yellow Pine facility,which will be located near FortGaines, Ga., is expected tobecome operational in 2010 and produce 110 megawatts of elec-tricity. Georgia Power is contracted to purchase approximatelyhalf of this capacity—enough to power 12,500 homes. BIO

Sustainable Power partners with FSEISustainable Power Corp. and Quincy, Ill.-based Farmers

Sustainable Energy International have formed a joint venture toconvert biomass feedstocks into “green-based” products. The ini-tial terms of the agreement call for two reactors and 10 ofSustainable Power’s biodiesel reactors to be shipped to a northernIllinois facility provided by FSEI, which will also secure the neces-sary feedstocks through its farmer-members, procure governmentgrants and further promote the business of the joint venture. BIO

Wood waste to power Florida homesProgress Energy Florida has contracted with Atlanta-based

Biomass Gas & Electric LLC to purchase electricity produced fromgasified wood waste at two identical power plants to be built inFlorida. Sites and regulatory permission are pending. ProgressEnergy Florida spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs said each plant willgenerate 75 megawatts of electricity—enough to power 46,000homes—using materials such as tree bark, yard trimmings andpaper mill jetsam. Commercial production at both facilities is slat-ed for 2011. BIO

Haines

BBI International’s

Register Now!


industryNEWS

General Motors has partnered with Coskata Inc. to run its fleet ofvehicles on ethanol made from nonfood sources. The feedstock-flexi-ble process will convert garbage, old tires, plastic and agricultural wasteinto ethanol through bacterial fermentation.

The partnership was unveiled at the North American InternationalAuto Show in Detroit in January. GM, the world’s largest automaker,will receive cellulosic ethanol from Illinois-based Coskata in late 2008and begin testing it. Coskata, founded in 2006, plans to open a 40,000-gallon facility at the end of 2008, according to Wes Bolsen, vice presi-dent of business development. “We will go from that facility to a 100MMgy ethanol facility that we will break ground on this year,” he added.“We look to put as much as 10 billion gallons of ethanol on the marketby 2022.”

Coskata will use proprietary microorganisms to extract nearly all ofthe energy value from a biomass-based synthesis gas stream. Theprocess will also recycle wastewater and reduce carbon dioxide emis-sions. Coskata claims it can produce ethanol for under $1 per gallon, oras Bolson put it, “We are commercially viable [at half the cost of tradi-tional ethanol production].” The process will lower production costs byusing local waste materials and avoid the drawbacks of interfering withfood supplies, he added. Bolsen envisions locating Coskata’s plants nextto traditional corn-based ethanol plants, “taking in additional agricultur-al waste to make those plants more efficient,” he said.

The microorganisms are the key, Bolson stressed. The gasificationsystem “allows the feedstock flexibility,” he said. “You can put prettymuch anything in it. The microorganisms are very, very efficient at con-verting it, and then we have some patented processes on the back endto separate the ethanol from the water.”

Having the clout and funding of GM behind the technology isdefinitely a plus. “They want the rapid commercialization of this nextgeneration of ethanol, as well,” Bolson said.

Although Coskata’s gasification-to-ethanol technology is still in theembryonic stage, the company said it is ready to proceed and delayedunveiling the breakthrough because GM wanted to open the auto showwith a bombshell announcement.

In another auto show announcement, Toyota said it is conductingin-house research on the feasibility of producing wood-based ethanol.

-Sarah Smith

GM taps Coskata as cellulosic ethanol provider

Cargill Inc. andNovozymes AS have creat-ed a partnership to com-mercialize Cargill’s fermen-tation technology to pro-duce three-hydroxypropi-onic acid (3HPA) to beused in large-scale acrylicacid production. The proj-ect is supported by a $1.5million matching coopera-tive agreement with theU.S. DOE.

Acrylic acid is used inmany applications includ-ing plastics, fibers, coatings,paints and super-absorbentdiapers. It is currently produced from propylene derived from petrole-um, said Thomas Videbæk, executive vice president of biobusiness forNovozymes. The current market for acrylic acid is approximately 3 mil-lion tons per year. That market is growing at approximately 4 percentper year. “New plants will have to be built to serve the growing market,and our hope is that a lot of those new plants will be using our technol-ogy,” Videbæk said.

Novozymes will be using its expertise in metabolic engineering toimprove the yields from the bioengineered organism used to convertsugar into 3HPA, Videbæk said. “We will make sure we get enoughproduct out of the fermentation,” he said. Cargill has several basicpatents on the process for producing 3HPA and is a major provider ofthe feedstocks that will go into the production process. “Cargill has a lotof experience working with glucose and glucose-based materials,”Videbæk added.

There are significant scientific hurdles facing the project. Videbæksaid it will be four to five years before the technology is ready for com-mercial production. “So far, we are talking about a technology partner-ship,” he said. “Once we are close to a solution, we will decide how pro-duction will take place.”

-Jerry W. Kram

Cargill, Novozymes partner for product development

Fermentation scientists Milind Patel and Seth Fishbein advance Coskata's fermentation process.

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industryNEWS

Xethanol Corp. announced to share-holders in early 2008 that it was scrappingplans to develop two proposed cellulosicethanol facilities and was losing money atits corn-based ethanol plant in Iowa.

A building that Xethanol purchasednearly two years ago in Augusta, Ga., will goon the auction block. Xethanol bought theformer Pfizer Inc. pharmaceutical plant inAugust 2006 and planned to convert it to a35 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant thatwould go on line in 2007. Before the projectwas complete, Xethanol announced theplant, which would initially use corn as afeedstock before switching to biomass,would expand its capacity to 50 MMgy. Thecompany never produced any ethanol at thesite.

A U.S. Securities and ExchangeCommission filing indicated that Xethanol’splans for a similar facility in Spring Hope,N.C., would be scrapped to save additionalmoney. The company reported that it hadlost $1.3 million in the fourth quarter of

2007. Its corn-based ethanol plant inBlairstown, Iowa, was “running at approxi-mately 5.6 [MMgy] … and is operating at aloss,” the shareholder report stated.

While the company noted that corn-based ethanol may not be economicallyviable anymore, it then announced in a sep-arate news release the same day the invest-ment in another corn-based ethanol plant inPennsylvania. That deal entails a $500,000stake in Consus Ethanol LLC in Pittsburgh,which plans to use waste coal to power theplant. Both companies estimate this willresult in a considerable cost reduction.

Xethanol also announced the receipt ofa $500,000 Florida state grant to make cellu-losic ethanol from citrus peels. The compa-ny plans to locate a demonstration plant at

one of the state’s largest citrus processors.A one-year analysis of Xethanol’s

small-cap stock indicates a steep decline invalue, and shares continued to fluctuatedownward on the news of the sales,rebounding gradually over a two-week peri-od. One year ago, Xethanol’s shares tradedat $3.32. They are presently trading around60 cents, which may trigger action by theAmerican Mercantile Exchange. “If thestock is trading at a consistently low price, itwould warrant action by the exchange,” saidAmex trader Nick Pellicani. “If a stock hasbeen below $1 or is around 50 cents for amonth, then it gets on our radar. [In thosecircumstances], Amex requests that thecompany perform a reverse stock split by acertain period of time.” Penny stocks areconsidered risky, and subject to fraud andmanipulation. That’s because relativelyincremental price fluctuations result in largepercentage swings.

-Sarah Smith

Xethanol to sell Georgia, North Carolina facilities

The USDA and U.S. DOE announced inJanuary the appointment of six new membersto serve on the Biomass Research andDevelopment Technical Advisory Committeefor a term of three years. In addition, sevenmembers were reappointed.

The committee was established by theBiomass Research and Development Act of2000. Members provide: expert advice onstrategic planning; technical focus and direc-tion of requests for proposals issued under theBiomass Research & Development Initiative;procedures for reviewing and evaluating pro-posals for funding; and encouragement ofcloser collaboration among federal and stateagencies, industry players and growers.

Newly appointed members include: GilGutknecht, a consultant in Rochester, Minn.;Richard Hamilton, chief executive officer

(CEO) of Ceres Inc. in Thousand Oaks, Calif.;Jay Levenstein, deputy commissioner of theFlorida Department of Agriculture andConsumer Services in Tallahassee, Fla.; ShirleyNeff, president and CEO of the Associationof Oil Pipe Lines in Washington, D.C.; TomSimpson, executive director of the RailwaySupply Institute in Washington, D.C.; andRichard Timmons, president of the AmericanShort Line and Regional Railroad Associationin Washington, D.C.

Renewed members include: BobDinneen, president of the Renewable FuelsAssociation in Washington, D.C.; DouglasHawkins, program manager of sustainabledevelopment for Rohm and Haas Co. inSpring House, Pa.; Charles Kinoshita, interimassociate dean of academic and student affairsat the College of Tropical Agriculture and

Human Resources at the University of Hawaiiin Honolulu; Eric Larson, affiliated faculty ofthe science, technology and environmentalpolicy program at the Woodrow WilsonSchool of Public and International Affairs atPrinceton University in Princeton, N.J.; JamesMartin, senior associate of Omni TechInternational Ltd. in Prairie Village, Kan.; ScottMason, director of business development foremerging technology at ConocoPhillipsPetroleum Co. in Bartlesville, Okla.; andEdwin White, dean of research at the StateUniversity of New York College ofEnvironmental Science and Forestry inSyracuse, N.Y.

For more information about the commit-tee and the Biomass Research & DevelopmentInitiative, visit www.brdisolutions.com.

-Jessica Ebert

USDA, DOE name biomass advisory committee


industryNEWS

Diversified Energy Corp. recently con-ducted tests at North Carolina StateUniversity to demonstrate it trademarkedbiofuels production technology, calledCentia. The process converts renewable oilfrom sources such as agricultural crops, algae,animal fats and waste greases into a trans-portation fuel that can replace petroleum jetfuel, diesel or gasoline. Diversified Energy isthe exclusive licenser of the process, whichwas developed at NCSU in 2006.

The process involves three main steps.In the first step, feedstock oils are heatedunder pressure to separate the fatty acidchains from glycerol. The latter is burned toproduce energy while the free fatty acids areheated, pressurized and passed through a cat-alyst. In the final step, the fatty acid chains arereformed into biofuels with a chemical struc-ture similar to their petroleum-derived coun-terparts. This feature enhances the perform-ance of the fuels and reduces the needed

modifications to distribution infrastructureor engines.

The NCSU tests used demonstrationreactors and a feedstock similar to soybeanoil. Further development, optimization andtesting activities are being planned.

In separate news, Diversified Energyand Velocys Inc. were selected by the U.S.Department of Defense to design a portablerenewable fuel production system for theconversion of waste products generated atmilitary installations to renewable fuels suchas diesel and aviation fuel. The first phase ofthis DoD Small Business InnovativeResearch project will include bench-scale testdata analysis, conceptual design of the pro-duction system, economic analysis, and adetailed assessment of system modularityand transportability.

-Jessica Ebert

Diversified Energy announces Centia process, DoD contract

One of the fastest-growing recyclersin New England is planning to install a 12-megawatt biomass-to-electric-power plantas part of an expansion. CT WasteTransfer LLC, based in Shelton, Conn., isin the middle of permitting a gasificationsystem that would process clean woodfrom land-clearing, construction and dem-olition operations.

Currently, the company sorts andprocesses 200 tons of municipal solidwaste, and construction and demolitiondebris per day. It is expanding its currentrecycling facility by an additional 15,000square feet, which will enable the facility toprocess another 800 tons of mixed debrisper day. The gasification facility is includedwithin the second phase of the expansion.

“For phase two, we want to convey groundwood right to the biomass-to-electricityplant, which would be adjacent to the pro-cessing building,” said company owner JoeSalemme. “It would eliminate truckingwood off the property, which is one of ouradvantages.”

The company has identified provengasification technologies and expects acontract with a technology provider to befinalized this spring, Salemme said. Thelast of four permits—the air permit—willlikely be issued in 2009, after which thecompany will begin construction, whichshould take three to six months.

-Anduin Kirkbride McElroy

Connecticut recycler to build biomass-based electric power plant

Kansas-based Midwest Process Solutionsis marketing the concept of using cellulosic bio-mass to heat a corn-based ethanol plant’s rotarydrum dryer, provide steam to boilers or usesteam to generate electricity.

“We have some collaborative relationshipsand ideas of how to use biomass to fuel the[distillers grains] dryer burner rather than usingnatural gas, and also how to use biomass forboilers to generate steam or use that steam togenerate electricity,” said David Corley, presi-dent of Midwest Process Solutions. “I wouldn’tsay its proprietary, but I’d say we’ve got thecapabilities to put together the system to dothis.”

A typical rotary drum dryer requires 1,500to 1,700 British thermal units per pound ofwater removal. Systems vary in cost dependingon inputs and system design layout, but thereare payback scenarios of one to three yearswhen replacing conventional natural gas withsolid fuel cyclonic burners, Corley said.

Midwest Process Solutions is currentlyinvolved in the construction of Show MeEnergy Co-op in Centerview, Mo. The facilityplans to take agricultural biomass from localproducers and create fuel pellets to sell to a localutility company or the retail pellet-stove market.The agricultural biomass includes straw, seedhulls and corn stover. At full capacity, the plantwill produce approximately 100,000 tons of fuelpellets annually.

-Hope Deutscher

Biomass may powerdryers at corn-fedethanol plants

Bales of straw enter Midwest Process Solutions' horizontal grinder in western Kansas. There are onlya few manufacturers of large, high-capacity balegrinders in North America.

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January was a month of big money, big names and high hopesat Massachusetts-based clean energy company Ze-gen Inc. A $2.5million investment boost from California-based Pinnacle VenturesLLC, in addition to a facility tour and endorsement by U.S. Sen. JohnKerry, D-Mass., brought fresh momentum to the endeavor.

Kerry recently toured Ze-gen’s facility in New Bedford, Mass.,which uses gasification to convert municipal waste streams into syn-thesis gas. He said he was inspired to see this type of operation in thestate. “Ze-gen’s cutting-edge work is a great experiment in develop-ing methods of solid waste disposal and alternative fuel production,”he said. “After my tour of the Ze-gen facility, I walked away inspiredby the innovation and ingenuity harnessed right here inMassachusetts, and its potential at home and across the world.”

Patrick Lee, a partner at Pinnacle Ventures, said his company’s

investment decision was solid. “We’re confident in the design andtechnology that we’ve witnessed at the Ze-gen test facility in NewBedford, and we believe our decision to help fund the preliminarypermitting and development for its next facility will prove to be asound investment,” he said.

Ze-gen’s goal is to alleviate the global stress being felt as a resultof the 350 million tons of municipal waste that is generated eachyear. Ze-gen hopes to offer an economically viable and environmen-tally superior alternative to traditional landfills and incinerationprocesses, said Bill Davis, chief executive officer and president. “Weare pleased to have the senator’s support on this project,” he said.

-Timothy Charles Holmseth

Big money, names fill sails at Ze-gen

Florida ag department announces grant recipientsThe Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

awarded 12 companies with $25 million in grants from the “Farm toFuel” program in January, part of the 25x'25 initiative spearheaded byAgricultural Commissioner Charles Bronson. The initiative is designedto spur the state’s agricultural industry to produce 25 percent ofFlorida’s energy needs by 2025.

The grant awards included $4 million to Liberty Industries, whichplans to construct a $38 million ethanol plant in Liberty County, justwest of Tallahassee. The plant will produce ethanol and electricity byusing forest waste products as a feedstock. Liberty Industries PresidentSam Hatcher said grant money will be used for equipment and the con-struction of the plant. The company is in the pre-permitting processand plans to begin construction in 2009.

The University of Florida received $500,000 toward the researchand development of a catalytic chemical reactor system to convertwoody biomass into biodiesel.

Sigarca Inc. was awarded nearly $500,000 to aid in the construc-tion of a demonstration plant that will process horse waste into renew-able energy. The $1.5 million plant will be located on the grounds ofthe Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala.

The University of Central Florida received $498,000 that will par-tially fund a research project designed to demonstrate technologydeveloped by the university that uses an advanced thermocatalyticprocess to convert farm and animal waste into renewable energy.

The Florida Institute of Technology received a $415,000 grant forresearching various strains of microalgae capable of producingbiodiesel.

Neptune Industries received $158,000 to develop a pilot-scalefloating algae production system in quarry lakes in south Florida thatwill supply the feedstock to the biodiesel industry.

Southeast Biofuels LLC, a subsidiary of Xethanol Corp., received$500,000 for a pilot plant that will convert citrus peels to ethanol.

These companies are required to match the grants with their ownmoney or otherwise raised funds. They are actually contributing morethan $150 million of their own resources. “We’re not looking to buildour own state-funded ethanol or biodiesel plants, or completely fundother projects,” said Deputy Agricultural Commissioner JayLevenstein. “We like to be in a position where we can help out, butthey’ve got to come to the table with some of their own assets. I knowfrom talking to some of these companies that funding like this reallyputs them over the top of the hill as far as being able to complete theirprojects."

-Kris Bevill

Grant recipients were announced by Florida Agriculture Commissioner CharlesBronson, right, at a press conference as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist listens.

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industryNEWS

Tiger Ethanol International plans tobegin cultivating sugar beets for anethanol plant in the District of Hami inthe Xinjiang Province of China. The com-pany holds 90 percent ownership ofXinjiang Yajia Distillate Co. Ltd., which iscurrently building an ethanol facility forTiger Ethanol in Hami. Tiger EthanolPresident and Chief Executive OfficerJames Leung said his company has con-ducted research that determined sugarbeets are a viable crop in Hami, and willbring additional income to the companyand local farmers.

Leung said the ethanol plant shouldbe operational by the end of March. Thefacility will have a start-up capacity ofapproximately 10,000 tons per year. Leungsaid capacity is scheduled to double with-in the first year of operation. The initialfeedstock will be corn, but by 2009, thecompany will switch to sugar beets.

The district has 500,000 acres offarmland suitable for growing sugar beets,

and according to the company, farmerswill be able to switch from single-crop todouble-crop fields by growing barley fromMarch to June and sugar beets from Julyto October. Leung said there was previ-ously a state-owned sugar plant in Hami,so farmers in the area are already familiarwith growing sugar beets.

Tiger Ethanol will implement its planin three phases. Phase one involves col-laborating with the local government toutilize 100,000 acres of farmland and pro-duce 500,000 tons of sugar beets by 2009.The company will expand the ethanolplant to produce 50,000 tons per year andwill also build a $15 million sugar refinerynext to the existing ethanol facility.

During phase two, Tiger hopes toexpand its ethanol plant to 75,000 tonsper year and will add 100,000 acres offarmland for the feedstock. By 2012, pro-duction of sugar beets is expected toreach 1 million tons per year.

The final phase of the plan calls for a

total of 300,000 acres of farmland pro-ducing 1.5 million tons of sugar beetsannually by 2014. “We are benefiting froma healthy increase in the price of ethanolin China, and our securing an ongoingsupply of biomass at a reasonable priceplaces us in a favorable situation," Leungsaid.

-Kris Bevill

Tiger Ethanol aims to convert sugar beets to ethanol

NBPA to demonstrate cellulosic ethanol productionAs interest in the cellulosic ethanol

industry increases, the National BiomassProducers Association plans to educateMidwestern farmers about the process ofconverting non-grain feedstocks to renew-able fuel.

The Half Way, Mo.-based grassrootsorganization created last year by a networkof producers, farmers, students and vari-ous other research entities intends to use amobile trailer-mounted demonstration unitto demonstrate the thermochemicalprocess that produces cellulosic ethanol.

According to NBPA President andboard member Ed Cahoj, the organizationwill showcase the unit’s performance inmultiple locations throughout the Midwestand beyond as early as this summer. “The[demonstration unit] should help [farmers]

make a more-informeddecision on whether theywant to use this type ofequipment on their prop-erty," he said. “This unitwill be able to processtons of biomass feed-

stocks compared with the ‘test-tube scale’that we’re seeing in development now.”

Although switchgrass will be the mostlikely feedstock, the thermochemicalprocess will be able to take in other formsof agricultural biomass such as woodchips, sawdust, wheat straw and cornstover, Cahoj said. In addition, the unitrequires minimal to no water with a cleanwater discharge. “The environmentalimpact is minimal,” he said. “We’ll show[farmers] how it works and what it can

accomplish, and then they can make theirown decisions. I can’t think of a betterapproach than that.”

The thermochemical process also pro-duces a byproduct called biochar, whichserves as a viable soil amendment withimportant fertilizer properties that couldoffset farmers' high fertilizer costs. Due tothe mobility of on-site production, logisti-cal issues associated with feedstock collec-tion and transportation would also be elim-inated. “It’s what’s going to work best foreveryone involved, including the wildlife,”Cahoj said. “It brings a lot of variables intothe picture that people need to be thinkingabout, and the time to act is now.”

-Bryan Sims

Xinjiang, a large province in the western corner ofChina, shares borders with Mongolia, Russia andKazakstan, among others.


technology

Three gasifiers are the heart of the biomass-based heating system that keeps students at theUniversity of South Carolina warm in the winter.

SOURCE: NEXTERRA ENERGY CORP.


technology

It’s a big job keeping 27,000 students warm though thewinter. The University of South Carolina in Columbialooked to a new source of heat and found that the savings would be measured in the millions of dollars.

By Jerry W. Kram

BIOMASSON CAMPUS

hen the University of South Carolinadecided to see what steps it couldtake to reduce the carbon footprintof its Columbia campus, the threenatural gas-fired boilers that provideheat to more than 27,000 studentswas an obvious choice. As part of a

comprehensive energy conservation plan, the university hasbuilt a biomass heating system to replace two of the campus’sfossil fuel boilers while providing its own electrical power.

The university hired Johnson Controls Inc. to do a com-prehensive energy audit of the school’s campus and imple-ment projects to increase energy efficiency, says HelenZeigler, USC associate vice president for business and facili-ties. Johnson Controls is a $36 billion a year diversified com-pany with core businesses in building efficiency and controland power technology. After four months of study, JohnsonControls submitted a list of 18 projects that would reduce theconsumption of fossil fuels on campus and would pay forthemselves in a 10-year period, which was a criteria set by theuniversity. “We are trying to keep the campus warm and do itin a greener and less costly way,” Zeigler says.

In July 2006, Johnson Controls began construction ofthe biomass-fired steam system. The original contract tobuild the facility was for $16 million, but changes made inresponse to residents’ concerns over noise and dust addedanother $1 million to the cost. The facility was enclosed in ashell that complemented the architecture of the campus. An

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technology

electrostatic precipitator was added to con-trol emissions. The final change was thatfuel deliveries were rerouted and resched-uled to minimize traffic congestion andnoise in the residential neighborhoods sur-rounding the campus. “We decided to invest

the additional money to meet those con-cerns and be a good neighbor while we builtthis,” Zeigler says.

Education was the key step to gainingcommunity acceptance of the project,Zeigler says. “First we had to educate our-

selves because we had never heard of a facil-ity like this prior to Johnson Controls pro-posing it,” she says. “Once we were com-fortable with the technology, we beganmeeting with neighborhood groups aboutwhat we were going to put on the site. Once

Three Nexterra Energy gasifiers supply enough syngas to provide 80 percent of the USC’s peak winter heat demand plus generate 1.38 MW of electricity.



technology

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we met all the concerns of the neighbor-hood groups, they have become very sup-portive of the project. They see that we area university and if anyone is going to take aleadership role of trying new technologies,we should and will do that.”

The original permit for the plant didn’trequire air quality control equipment,although the U.S. EPA was reviewing its reg-ulations for biomass plants as the plant wasbeing designed. The particulate control sys-tem was added in part to anticipate it beingrequired in the new regulations and to easecommunity concerns. Many other issueswere also addressed in the permittingprocess. “The plant is in a very sensitivelocation as far as nearby residences, a floodplain, railroads and a nearby airport,” saysKen Detwiler, senior project manager forJohnson Controls. “So we have had toaddress permitting issues regarding all ofthose things.”

A Big JobSupplying heat to the university campus

was a major undertaking, Detwiler says. Thecampus is spread out across much of thecommunity and includes more than 170buildings. “All of the steam distribution sys-tem is underground and very extensive,” hesays.

The facility will run on wood wastefrom the International Paper Co. plant in

Newberry, S.C., about 40 miles from thecampus. The fuel will be primarily bark,which is a byproduct of the wood chippingprocess. “There is a tremendous amount ofwaste wood when they strip the trees oftheir bark,” Detwiler says. “We are gettingthat bark ground up and shipped to ourplant. We will store the bark on site.” Thefacility will require 57,000 tons of wood peryear—about 10 semi-trailer loads a day—for fuel.

The biomass gasifier and boiler werebuilt by Nexterra Energy Corp., a Canadianfirm. In October 2007, during the project inSouth Carolina, Johnson Controls andNexterra formed a strategic alliance wherethe two companies will jointly develop andimplement biomass gasification projects.

The USC system will have the capacityto produce enough steam to provide about80 percent of the heating needs of the cam-pus. The waste wood is turned into synthe-sis gas in a low-oxygen pyrolysis process.The gas is reformed at the top of the gasifi-er into a mixture of methane, hydrogen andcarbon monoxide. The gas is fed into anoxidizing chamber where air is added toproduce combustion. “You are actuallyburning gases rather than burning wood,”Detwiler explains. “It is a much cleanerprocess when we do it that way.”

The combustion process raises thetemperature of the gases to about 1,900

degrees Fahrenheit. The hot gases are fedinto a waste-heat boiler that generates steamat 600 pounds per square inch (psi) at 740degrees F. The system can generate 60,000pounds of steam per hour.

The gasifier produces steam at a higherpressure than is needed for the heating sys-tem. That extra pressure is used to turn a

The Nexterra gasifier breaks biomass down intocombustible gases which are burned to heat highpressure boilers.



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backpressure turbine generator to produceelectricity. The generators will produceenough electricity to power the biomassfacility and to power another energy facilityon the same side of campus. The systemhas a generation capacity of 1.38 megawatts.“That power offsets the amount of powerin the biomass plant that we need to gener-ate the steam,” Detwiler says. “We have a lit-tle bit of excess capacity that we send up tothe university grid to offset what they take

off the utility grid.”The backpressure turbine reduces the

pressure of the steam to 130 psi for distri-bution to the campus. The steam then flowsthrough more than seven miles of pipes inthe underground distribution system todorms, classrooms, labs, offices and otherfacilities. “We had to add 3,300 feet of pip-ing just to interconnect to the existing ener-gy plants,” Detwiler says.

In the original plan the facility was

housed in a simple shelter leaving much ofthe plant equipment exposed, Detwiler says.“The university decided it wouldn’t be ben-eficial to leave it exposed like that,” he says.“They decided to enclose the whole facilityand we provided quite a few architecturalupgrades to make it more pleasing. It turnedout to be quite a showplace and we havegotten a lot of positive feedback from theneighborhood.”

The biomass facility was completed inearly December 2007. The first few days ofoperations showed that some of the sys-tems supporting the gasifier needed adjust-ments, but the core system was runningwell, Zeigler says. “We’ve been pleasedwhen it has been up and running,” she says.“It has been producing the steam just as itwas designed to do. We have had to tweakthe conveyer system that feeds the woodfuel into the gasifier unit. We’ve also hadsome issues with the reverse osmosis unitthat treats the water that goes through theboiler. The things we have been dealing withdon’t focus on the primary thing, the gasifi-cation technology.”

Save the Planet, Save Some MoneyWhen the plan was finalized in 2004,

the university projected it would save $2 mil-lion a year. Those savings will be used to payfor the project over 15 years. “After the debtis amortized, then the savings will accrue to

The biomass gasifiers and boilers produce 60,000 pounds of steam an hour, enough to provide 80 percentof the campus’ heat requirements in the dead of winter.

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the university,” Zeigler says. “Actually, basedon the current price of natural gas, we thinkthe savings will be closer to $2.5 million ayear.”

The uncertainty of natural gas suppliesmade the project even more attractive to theuniversity, Zeigler says. “Shortly after weentered this contract, there was a fairly largeincrease in the cost of natural gas,” she says.“It has largely stabilized since then, but wenever know what the next month is going tobring. It is one of the commodities that ishard to budget for because prices canchange drastically with little notice.”

At a cost of $10.65 per 1,000 cubic feet(Mcf), the university’s annual natural gas

costs topped $5.3 million. The biomassplant will provide the same amount of heatat a cost less than $1.5 million a year. Thatworks out to an equivalent cost of $2.4 perMcf of natural gas.

Along with the biomass project,Johnson Controls implemented many othermoney saving projects on campus. Theyupgraded the campus’ existing energy plantsincluding replacing chillers and cooling tow-ers. The steam distribution system wasupgraded with piping repair and replace-ment of condensate pumps and steamtraps. In 100 buildings low-flow fixtureswere installed to save water. Energy efficientlighting was installed in 107 buildings.

Building management was improved byreplacing pneumatic temperature controlswith direct digital controls that can be mon-itored and controlled from a central loca-tion. Johnson Controls implemented manyother smaller projects including thermalswimming pool covers, high-efficiencytransformers, new air handlers, variablespeed drives and VendingMiser power con-trols which power down vending machineswhen the surrounding area is vacant whilemaintaining the temperature of the vendedproduct.

One aspect of the project that Zeiglerappreciates is how it has multiple positiveimpacts for the people of South Carolina.The project will lower the university’s ener-gy costs which will mean lower tuition andtaxes. It provides a market for what is now awaste product which will help the state’sforestry industry. “It also helps our countryas a whole to lessen our dependence on fos-sil fuels,” she adds. “We are proud of havingforged the way on this. We would encourageparties who would like to see this technolo-gy in place to get in touch with us.” BIO

Jerry W. Kram is a Biomass Magazine staffwriter. Reach him at [email protected] or (701) 738-4962.


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Neighborhood concerns led Johnson Controls to enclose the biomass plant and design the building to blendbetter with nearby residential areas.

15-17 April 2008 . Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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The full program agenda is posted on the website.

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The program will focus on technological advancements, commercial scale manufacturing, and near term research and development.

Technical sessions will include: . Biopower Gasification. Feedstock Processing. Pretreatment for Cellulosic Ethanol. Policy and Project Implementation. Biopower: CHP Technologies. International Perspectives on Biomass Utilization

. Permitting and Lifecycle Assessment

. Alternative Bio-syngas Production

. Water Issues for Biomass Utilization

. Feedstock Alternatives

. Alternative Biofuels: Biobutanol, Green Diesel, and Jet Fuel

. Feedstock Supply

. Commercial Applications

. Anaerobic Digestion

. Project Finance

. Bioproducts

. Biorefining

The objective of the

International Biomass ‘08 Conference & Trade Show is to act as a catalyst for the

sustainable advancement of biomass utilization on a global scale.


emissions

Green Circle Bio Energy Inc.’s 500,000-ton-per-year wood pellet plant in Cottondale, Fla., is oneof the first utility-sized wood pellet mills emerging to satisfy demand from European power plantsto increase renewable energy production.


emissions

Watering Downthe Problem—

LiterallyBurning solid fuels to heat biomass dryers produces two broad types ofemissions: fly ash and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Before the dryerexhaust stream is introduced to the regenerative thermal oxidizer for VOCdestruction, fly ash must be abated to avoid irreparable damage downstream. Biomass Magazine details an increasingly popular and effective way for biomass processors to accomplish this.

By Ron Kotrba

efore a veneer manufacturer applies heat, pressure and glue tomake its final product, the moisture content of the incominggreen wood must be dried down considerably. Green wood con-tains up to 50 percent water by weight and needs to be reduced to5 percent moisture before becoming veneer, particle board orwood pellets. Many of these companies burn their wood waste as

a means to dry the good wood. The combustion of wood produces fly ash sub-ject to control by environmental regulations or the plant itself, especially if cost-ly emissions controls are jeopardized by particles downstream. But the amountof wood a plant handles will determine in large part the extent to which its emis-sions are regulated, and the throughput of most wood-pellet mills has been rel-atively low so far. These plants produce 30,000 to 50,000 tons of wood pelletsa year, helping fuel a wood-stove renaissance in residential heating.

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Companies are now taking this to anoth-er level. Utility-sized pellet plants have begunto emerge. Case in point: The 500,000-tonper year Green Circle Bio Energy Inc. facili-ty in Cottondale, Fla. (see November 2007Biomass Magazine). “In addition to the GreenCircle Bio Energy plant, there are four or fivemore U-sized pellet mills under develop-ment,” says Ron Renko, regional sales man-ager with Geoenergy, a division of A.H.Lundberg Associates. Geoenergy is the emis-sions-controls provider for the Cottondale

pellet plant. “We’re seeing a lot of activity inthis direction and, frankly, it’s all offshoremoney,” he says. “Green Circle is fromSweden, and we’re tracking other jobs withfinancing from Germany. These newer facil-ities are geared for utility boiler fuel augmen-tation in Europe.” With European directivesin place, U-scale pellet mills are being devel-oped to serve these renewable energydemands; and project development activity isexpected to rise sharply when U.S. powercompanies are eventually persuaded by carrot

or stick to follow suit. For those investigat-ing such a U-sized biomass endeavor, it isimportant to learn what state-of-the-art inemissions abatement is today—and tomor-row.

ESPThe electrostatic precipitator or ESP is

not as sexy as extrasensory perception, but asixth sense will not protect a regenerativethermal oxidizer (RTO) from fouling. A wetESP, however, can capture fly ash to protectimportant downstream equipment. In thewood products industry, hot gas from woodcombustion is usually routed to the dryer forheat. “Burning wood or biomass gives riseto inorganic particulate matter or fly ash, soright off the bat your dryer is going to havefly ash,” says Steve Jaasund, professionalengineer and manager of Geoenergy. Thewood is dried aggressively with heat—anenvironment conducive to the formationofvolatile organic compounds (VOCs).Therefore carry-over fly ash from combus-tion and VOCs born in the dryer constitutethe two major categories of emissions fromdryers heated by wood. “The best and mostefficient way to destroy VOCs is with aregenerative thermal oxidizer,” Jaasund says.But exhaust from the dryer cannot gostraight into the RTO for VOC destructionbecause of the fly ash particles present in thestream. In most cases, the fly ash from woodcombustion is high in alkaline earth metalslike sodium, potassium, magnesium and cal-cium, which Jaasund says are aggressiveagainst the heat-exchange media in theRTO. Gerry Graham from PPC Industriesagrees. In a technical paper explaining vari-ous controls for stack emissions, he states,“The wet precipitator may be a necessarypretreatment item for … [downstream] sys-tems which do not handle particulate emis-sions very well.”

The point of an ESP system—wet ordry—is to effectively isolate and trap parti-cles in a hassle-free system that “cleansitself ” as needed, and protects the RTOfrom those abated particles. “The gas goesinto the electrostatic precipitator and it pass-

es adjacent to a high-voltage discharge elec-trode, which charges all the particles,”Jaasund tells Biomass Magazine. There arethree types of particles: fly ash; larger-than-fine particles introduced from the high-velocity air in the dryer; and condensedorganics from drying biomass (wood).“Because of the high voltage on the dis-charge electrode, it gives off electrons andthe electrons attach to the particles. Then,because of the electric field—the high volt-age on the discharge electrode versus theground potential of the collecting elec-trode—those particles are all pushed over toa collecting surface where they accumulate.”Essentially it works like a giant particle mag-net. When it’s time to unload the material fordisposal, the magnet reverses its charge toforce the particles away instead of attractingthem. Upon exiting the ESP, the gas streamis largely free of particles and ready for theRTO where the VOCs will be thermally oxi-dized and released.

Make it WetWhile Graham notes wet ESPs have

found “renewed interest from OSB (orient-ed strand board), particle board, and ply-wood veneer manufacturers for controllingdryer exhaust,” he also says dry ESPs are stillconsidered the best available control tech-nology for wood-fired boilers. Jaasund gives

three compelling reasons why a wet ESP isrecommended for U-scale pellet mills.“Biomass dryers typically operate near thedew point of the gas stream,” he says. “Inother words, you want your dryer to be asefficient as possible, so you don’t want to bespitting red-hot gases out of the dryer—that’s just money down the drain.” Jaasund

says if a dry ESP is employed to treat the gasstream at a near-dew-point condition, con-densation is coating the machinery all thetime. This leads to excessive corrosion andbuild-up on the equipment. Also, a dry ESPmust still contend with the larger com-bustible particles coming out of the dryer.Given the high oxygen content of the dryer


emissions

While several different particulate matter abatement technologies could have been employed at the Cottondalefacility, Geoenergy and other emissions-control equipment providers say wet electrostatic precipitators workbetter than most for wood pellet plants and other biomass-burning operations such as this.

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off-gases and the sparking characteristics ofany ESP “it’s a big invitation for a fire,”Jaasund adds. Condensing tar-like materialsand heavier solids from the drying processcan also present problems downstream whena dry ESP is in play. The heavier materials willcondense at relatively high temperatures andcause trouble in the RTO. “They build up onthe front of what’s called the cold face of theheat-exchange media,” he explains. Facingthose three problems—fire, condensationand condensible organics—“that’s when youthrow in the towel and make the whole sys-

tem wet,” Jaasund says. You spray water inthere and quench it down to the lowest pos-sible temperature and you just deal with thegoo.”

Here’s how the wet ESP systemGeoenergy installed at GCBE works. Hotgas from the dryer enters the system. It’s notsaturated or at the dew point yet, so largequantities of recycled water are sprayed toquench the gas to its dew point between 140and 170 degrees Fahrenheit, thus cooling itdown but not losing energy. “This is anaxiomatic process so we’re just exchanging

sensible heat—temperature—for latentheat, which is the evaporation of the energytied up in evaporating water,” Jaasund says.Below the ESP unit sits a pool of recycledwater. A pump carries the water to spraynozzles for quenching and it drains backdown into the pool. The heavier solidsmixed in the spray water descend to the poolwhile other condensed solids make their wayin the fan-driven exhaust stream to the ESPsystem above. The particles moving upwardaccumulate inside the surface of the ESP’sarray of tubes.

Eventually the material amassed on theESP’s charged surfaces tubes must be dis-charged, which occurs as little as once everyfour hours or as often as every 90 minutes.The removal process lasts about a minute-and-a-half. From above the system hotwater flushes the tubes free of particles.Geoenergy also mixes caustic soda in theESP flush water to help dissolve the materi-al from the collecting surfaces. “All that stuffruns down off the tubes and then feeds intothat recycle tank,” Jaasund says. “So all solidsfrom the quench step and the precipitationstep end up in that recycled water,” whichmust also be cleared to avoid clogging in thetank, pump or spray nozzles.

A decanter centrifuge is constantlytreating a side stream of the recycled water,isolating and removing the “organic goo”while returning the centrates–—the non-solids—back to the tank. While the cen-trifuge removes the suspended solids, theplant needs to bleed-off a gallon or two perminute to keep a dissolved-solids equilibri-um in the tank. Where that bleed-off streamgoes is plant specific, but in GCBE’s case itgoes back into the dryers. “One might say,‘Now you’re just going to get it back,’ butyou don’t because that stream is water withdissolved solids and the dryer will dry offthe water but leave the solids in the dryerwith the biomass—it actually goes out withthe product,” Jaasund says.

A wet ESP is not the only method tocontrol particulates. PPC Industries’Graham covers the competition. First thereis the dry ESP, the challenges to using a dryESP in applications such as U-sized pellet


emissions

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mills have already been discussed. What’scalled wet scrubbers work, but Graham saysthey increase labor and operational costs.“The energy necessary to separate the par-ticulate from the gas stream can require 15to 20 inches of WC (water column) pressuredrop through a typical venturi. These arehuge and wasteful power consumers,increasing the plant’s overall operating cost.”Baghouses are another common particlecontainment device. However, “The hightemperatures and periodic cinders from theplant boiler can cause fire problems withbaghouses,” Graham writes. “Periodic bagreplacement is a definite operating cost con-sideration.” Geoenergy’s Renko says thereare many reasons baghouses reside at thebottom of the list for particle collection.“One big one is fire,” he says. Other con-cerns with baghouses are condensation andtars plugging the filter media.

RTOs and BeyondThe whole point of an RTO is to oxi-

dize VOCs with heat as a nonregenerativethermal oxidizer does, but using less energyto do so. Through the utilization of heat-exchanging media the plant consumes lessenergy thereby dropping operational costs,but the RTO costs more than a TO does.

“The RTO is what I call a box ofrocks,” Renko says. “It’s a heavy-metal struc-ture filled with ceramic media and you haveburners and sands and your typical electricalmotor controls.” Jaasund says as energy getsmore precious and margins thin as more U-sized pellet mills come on line, people willbegin to look for ways to reduce costs. “Thenext logical thing is to make an RTO a cat-alytic system,” he says. “The way an RTObecomes a catalytic RTO is you put a layerof catalyst on top of media beds so nowyou’ve got 8 feet of stoneware media and 1foot or 6 inches of catalytic media.” A cat-alytic RTO can be made using base metals,typically manganese dioxide, or noble (pre-cious) metals such as platinum or palladium.“Either approach would allow the oxidiza-tion to occur at much lower temperatures,”he continues. “So the combustion chamberis no longer really a combustion chamber

because you can set your burner operationdown from 1,600 degrees to 800 degrees—the catalytic RTO consumes way less ener-gy.” However, the capital costs are higher fora catalyzing oxidizer.

With a wood-fired dryer, is catalytic oxi-dation feasible in the presence of even smallamounts of sub-micron inorganic particu-late? “We believe that the answer lies in theperformance of the upstream wet ESP,”Jaasund says. “While today’s wet ESPs pro-vide good RTO media protection they arenot sized to clean the incoming gas to a level

that will also protect the catalyst. However,they can be. The important technical hurdleis not whether we have the tools to operatecatalytically but rather how to adapt them.This information will come as we go downthe road so that when future energy pricesget too high, operators will be able to consid-er solid-fuel-fired dryers with catalyticRTOs.” BIO

Ron Kotrba is a Biomass Magazine seniorwriter. Reach him at [email protected] or (701) 738-4962.


feedstock


TheRiskofBiomass

Invasion

feedstock

Arundo donax, commonly known as giant reed, has tremendouspotential as a biomass crop. It also illustrates the emerging issuesaround the potential for unintended weedy invasions.

By Susanne Retka Schill

Arundo donax growing along a roadside in July

PHOTO: JAMES H. MILLER, USDA FOREST SERVICE, BUGWOOD.ORG


feedstock

outherners joke that kudzu isthe plant that ate the South.Initially introduced as a for-age crop and once widelyused for erosion control,kudzu has spread throughout

the Southeast becoming a major inva-sive weed problem. Johnsongrass isanother infamous perennial grass ini-tially introduced as a forage crop andnow considered a noxious weed in 19states. Some in the scientific communi-ty are sounding the alarm that the pushfor bioenergy crops could have theunintended effect of creating new bio-mass invaders potentially even moretroublesome than kudzu or john-songrass. The November 2007, com-mentary published by the Council forAgricultural Science and Technology,“Biofuel Feedstocks: The Risk ofFuture Invasions,” warns that many ofthe same traits making a particularplant an ideal biomass crop are sharedby plants that become invasive. Tomake it potentially worse, efforts areunderway to enhance new biomasscrops to produce more biomass,improve their performance in poorsoils and growing conditions, andreduce lignin content to make the con-version process more efficient—

efforts that couldcompound the eco-logical impact if thebiomass cropsescape cultivation.

The nation hasa huge conflict ofinterest says JacobBarney, co-authorof the CAST report

and a post-doctoral scholar in theDepartment of Plant Science at theUniversity of California-Davis. On theone hand, is the renewable fuels stan-dard just passed in the new Energy Billwhich will rely upon cellulosic feed-stocks for the fuels of the future. Onthe other hand are the Invasive Species

Act and other legislation trying to con-trol invasive species. Sorting out thecompeting goals will also be a chal-lenge because a weed in one place isn’ta weed everywhere. Growing Arundodonax as a biomass crop in Californiawould be unadvised because it’s one ofthe state’s worst weeds, Barney says.“Taken to another place it has thepotential to be grown safely,” he adds.Some people in California raise con-cerns about switchgrass, the widelytouted model biomass feedstock,which is native to the states east of theRocky Mountains, but not to Californiaand the Pacific Northwest. Rice grow-ers are particularly concerned thatswitchgrass could create problems if itwere to get established as a weed in ricefields, Barney says. “Now, we have noevidence to suggest it will, but it is aconcern,” he says. Studies evaluatingswitchgrass’s potential as an invasiveweed are beginning in California.“However, the assessment we conducthere in the Central Valley of Californiawill not be applicable to other regions,”

he adds. Indeed, the scientists involvedin the CAST report recommend thatnew biomass crops and even newgenotypes be evaluated in every regionbefore being introduced commercially.The evaluations they recommendinclude:

�A weed risk assessment of eachpotential genotype targeted for cultiva-tion within a particular region

�A climate-matching analysis todetermine regions of agronomic suit-ability and identification of regions cli-matically suited to potential invasions

�Evaluation of cross-hybridiza-tion potential with related species toassess the risk of genetic invasion

�Determination of the suscepti-bility of native and managed ecosys-tems to biomass feedstock escapesfrom cultivation

�Multiyear studies in regions sus-ceptible to weedy encroachments toevaluate the interactions between pro-posed feedstocks and native and agro-nomic species

S

Barney

Although it looks like bamboo, the stems of the perennial grass Arundo donax are easier to cut. Astandard corn header should work for harvest say University of South Carolina researchers.

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�Establishment of managementpractices to eradicate unwanted standsprior to introduction

Promising TraitsArundo donax, commonly known

as giant reed, is one of those cropsbeing developed as a new energy cropbut is considered invasive in someareas. Giant reed originated in Indiaand was carried around the world foruse as a windbreak, for constructioncane and as the source of reeds forwoodwind instruments. Brought tothe United States 300 years ago bySpanish missionaries, giant reed lookslike bamboo, but actually is a perenni-al grass that grows 20 to 30 feet tall.

University of South Carolina pro-fessor of biology Laslo Marton remem-bers using the long, strong canes asfishing poles when he was a child in hisnative Hungary. In central and southernEurope, giant reed was widely used tosoak up excess water and nutrientsfrom backyard septic systems, he says.At the University of South Carolina,

Marton began studying giant reed forits potential to remove contaminantsfrom the soil. One test plot in SouthCarolina is being used to study theplant’s effectiveness in cleaning upsewage water and diluted sludge. Formany sewage sludge disposal projects,accumulations of phosphorus arebecoming a problem, he explains.“Arundo has the potential to remove200 kilograms [485 pounds] of phos-phorus per acre per year.” Giant reedalso removes halogenated organic com-pounds, such as dioxin and agriculturalpesticides, from contaminated soils. “InArundo, most of these organic pollu-tants are metabolized, broken down tocarbon dioxide or, in the worst case,hydrochloric acid which is neutralizedby the soil,” he says. Using giant reed asa biomass feedstock solves one of themajor limitations of its use for phytoremediation—what to do with the 20 to50 dry tons per acre of biomass that’sproduced.

Marton is enthusiastic aboutArundo’s potential as a biomass crop.“This is a plant which gives you highbiomass, has very low maintenanceand very high resistance to environ-mental factors and biological pests,”he says. “No known herbivore eats it.The literature says Indian elephantseat it, but it very seldom happens thatthere are free Indian elephants roam-ing around the United States.” Theplant has high energy content at 8,000British thermal units per dry pound,and the cellulose is easily separatedfrom the lignin so it can be digestedwith enzymes and converted to liquidfuel. Arundo stands stay productive fordecades and can be eradicated by cut-ting and spraying the young shoots.“It’s a crop for the future,” he says.

Texas and California have areaswhere Arundo has become a signifi-cant weed problem, he admits. “Texasand California were human mistakeswhich gave it a bad reputation as a

Laslo Marton, left, and fellow researcher, MihalyCzako, are dwarfed by the Arundo donax canesthey are studying.

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feedstock

potentially invasive plant,” he says. Inboth places, giant reed was plantedalong streams and irrigation canals tostop soil erosion. In flooding condi-tions, the canes and roots were dis-lodged and carried by the water to col-onize new areas. When kept away fromrunning water, Marton argues, theplant doesn’t spread. “How could[Arundo] be invasive when there are noseeds, its rhizomes aren’t running, andthe major problem in planting requireddeveloping a special technology toplant it?” he asks. A sterile plant withno pollen and no seeds, Arundo hasbeen limited to small commercialplantings worldwide because the rootsmust be dug up, split apart and handplanted. Marton developed a micropropagation technology which usesembryonic stem cells. The cultures ofstem cells can be stored in a Petri dish,and when needed, treated with hor-mones to begin developing tinypropagules. Those are planted ingreenhouse flats and tended untilready for transplanting with conven-tional tree or tobacco transplantingequipment.

South Carolina TargetsSouth Carolina economic develop-

er Joseph James is working to trans-form Marton’s workinto an economicopportunity forSouth Carolinafarmers. Jameshelped form theSouth CarolinaBiomass Counciland chairs the feed-stock committee, which is looking at avariety of feedstocks for theSoutheast. “When you get out of theMidwest where you have these hugeindustrial-sized farms, you have multi-ple small farms and multiple owner-ships,” he says. “You might need50,000 acres of biocrops to supply acellulosic ethanol operation. If so, youmight have to have 300 to 500 farmersinvolved. The challenge becomes coor-dinating the crops that they grow, andthe harvesting and shipping. Thattends to put pressure on having themost productive biocrops in terms oftons per acre.”

James hopes to recruit farmers

An Arundo donax infestation crowds out native vegetation in this photo taken near Escondido, Calif.,where the grass is considered an invasive weed.

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around South Carolina to plant Arundothis spring. With one eye on the inva-sive species concerns being raised, theyintend to keep plantings on drylandfields with tilled borders to keep theplanting contained, James says. “Wewould love to have federal funding tohelp us do that,” he adds. “There areplenty of grants to get switchgrassprojects going, but executive order13112 essentially prohibits the use offederal funds when you have any cropthat has invasive potential unless thesecretary that heads the agency deemsthe plant acceptable.” James hasbecome quite frustrated in his attemptsto get federal agencies such as theAgricultural Research Service and theInvasive Species Council to study thecrop. “The leadership of the U.S. DOEand the USDA need to get moving ontests, growing a number of acres ofthese kinds of crops under controlledsituations to get comfortable withthem,” he says.

James sees great potential inArundo crops for South Carolina farm-ers. He has sent samples to IogenCorp., a Canadian ethanol producer,which has conducted preliminary testsand finds it promising for the compa-ny’s cellulosic ethanol program. Thestate’s paper industry is quite interestedin using Arundo as a pulp sourcebecause the cane’s long fibers makeparticularly high-quality paper, he says.A paper plant recently outbid a utilitythat wanted to cofire Arundo with coalusing the limited Arundo supplies nowavailable, he says. Another company istesting it as a biomass source to com-pliment wood in its production of fuelpellets for the European market.

Other State,International Projects

There are other Arundo projectsunder development, says MichaelBirch, managing director of OrapaLtd., based in Athens, Tenn. He is

working with the South Carolinans tolicense and commercialize the patentedpropagation and planting technology.A project in Florida is looking at plant-ing 20,000 to 40,000 acres of Arundofor a biomass power plant using gasifi-cation technology, he says. A six-yearevaluation of Arundo in Florida didn’tfind invasive tendencies in any stand,he says. However, Florida did addsome safeguards. “Soon after theassessment Florida issued a new set ofrules,” Birch says. “You have to applyand get approval for growing dedicatedenergy crops.” Progress EnergyFlorida, a utility company, signed anagreement in mid-2006 to purchaseelectricity from the proposed 130megawatt biomass power plant in cen-tral Florida using a variety of Arundotrademarked as E-grass. The originalagreement was with BiomassInvestment Group Inc., which hassince become part of the InnovativeEnergy Group with main offices inDubai, United Arab Emirates.

Birch has also been involved indiscussions with oil and chemical com-panies in Texas that are interested inexploring Arundo’s potential for phytoremediation of contaminated soils.Several Central American countries aredeveloping Arundo projects to growbiomass for power, many of whichhave high electrical energy costs due toa lack of local energy sources. Otherprojects are underway in Europe andAustralia. Birch expects to be makingfurther announcements this spring onother projects in development. BIO

Susanne Retka Schill is a BiomassMagazine staff writer. Reach her [email protected] or (701) 738-

4962.

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power


power

‘Xcel’eratingBiomass Power Energy

Xcel Energy Inc.’s Renewable Development Fund has disbursed more than $100 million in fundingfor renewable energy projects, companies, and research and development efforts since 1999.Biomass Magazine talks with the fund’s advisory board members about the selection process andits potential impact on the biomass industry.

By Bryan Sims


power

or nearly a decade, Minneapolis-based utility serv-ice provider Xcel Energy Inc. has trod a proactivepath to complement its electric and natural gasportfolio with renewable energy resources. Toperpetuate growth and demand in the renewableenergy sector, the company looks to its Renewable

Development Fund.The RDF provides funding for innovative renewable ener-

gy projects and companies in Xcel Energy service areas. It’salso designed to stimulate research and development in renew-able energy technologies. Both mechanisms are intended toincrease the market penetration of renewable energy at a rea-sonable cost, according to Deb Paulson, manager of regulato-ry affairs for Xcel Energy. “The whole purpose is to getrenewable energy projects going,” says Paulson, who alsooversees the daily administrative activities of the fund.Currently, Xcel Energy has a base of 5.1 million customers ineight Western and Midwestern states. “We want to go aheadand incentivize them, to develop the whole economy, to sup-port it in the state and just to help give renewable energy thewherewithal to get moving on its own,” Paulson says.

Project funding to date has been disbursed in the form ofgrants and renewable production incentives (REPI) payments.The grants are provided to support commercial technologies,and research and development. The REPI are paid to qualify-ing small wind, biogas, solar, biofuels and biomass projectsoperating and generating electricity in Minnesota. Currently,more than 23 megawatts of renewable energy are under devel-opment from fund initiatives.

Prior to its role as a contributor to multiple renewableenergy research entities, the RDF had a somewhat checkeredpast. In 1999, the fund was created in accordance with a 1994Minnesota law that permitted storage of spent nuclear fuel in

steel casks at Xcel Energy’s (then called Northern StatesPower) Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant near RedWing, Minn. Xcel Energy, under provisions of MinnesotaStatute, section 116C.779 passed by the state legislature, wasrequired to transfer $500,000 into the renewable developmentaccount (now the RDF) annually after Jan. 1, 1999 for each drycask full of spent fuel. Ratepayers reimburse Xcel Energy forthe money it puts into the RDF.

In 2001, the RDF had its first funding cycle and awardedgrants to candidates that brought forward requests for propos-als (RFPs), according to Paulson. In 2003, the Minnesota leg-islature changed the mandatory $500,000 per cask donation toa flat $16 million and about $5.1 million of that is set aside bythe state government to fund the state’s renewable energy pro-duction incentives, which leaves about $10.9 million for XcelEnergy to work with, according to Paulson. “It sounds likewith $16 million a year we should be able to do this more fre-quently, but there are a lot of people interested in using thatmoney,” Paulson says. Since 1999, the RDF has disbursedmore than $100 million in grant money to selected recipientswith intentions of advancing the renewable energy sector.“It’ll take several years before we build up enough of an unen-cumbered amount to actually have something to do with fromnow until the next funding cycle,” she says.

F‘We had a very interesting round of projectsthis time around and we’re hoping to learn alot from them in the future.’


power

Deciding which projects are deserving of funding is thearduous, yet rewarding task of the RDF advisory board.

And the Winners (Potentially) AreThe seven-member RDF board is composed of represen-

tatives from two environmental organizations, one from thePrairie Island Indian Community, one from theindustrial/commercial sector, a residential customer represen-tative and two representatives from Xcel Energy. Board mem-bers thoroughly vetted 91 renewable energy proposals inresponse to the latest RFP issued in May 2007 and narrowedthe list to 17 proposals involving research and development—11 biomass based—and five energy production projects thatare eligible to receive $23 million in funding. Eligible energyproduction technologies included biomass, solar photovoltaicand solar thermal resulting in electricity production and hydro-gen production from a biomass or solar energy source.Owners of energy production projects can sell the energy to

Xcel Energy or use it themselves. The 22projects have been submitted for finalapproval to the Minnesota Public UtilitiesCommission. The MPUC is expected toissue its decision on individual proposalslater this spring. “That’s a hoop we have tojump through first,” says Bill Grant, associ-ate director of the Isaak Walton League andRDF advisory board member. “We had avery interesting round of projects this timearound and we’re hoping to learn a lot fromthem in the future.”

The board was especially interested in funding a diversemix of research projects that ranged from early- to advanced-stage biomass research. Although preference was given to

RDF Recipients for Biomass Research and Development

�Energy & Environmental Research Center, GrandForks: test and develop a novel biotechnology additive toconvert biomass into biogas by way of anaerobic digestion

�University of Minnesota, Minneapolis: evaluate andaddress economic and technical issues related to bio-mass integrated gasification combined cycle technology inelectricity generation at ethanol-producing plants

�Coaltec Energy USA Inc., Carverville, Illinois: provethe feasibility of biomass gasification using turkey manureand agricultural waste in a commercial turkey farm settingto generate electricity and heat

�University of Minnesota, Morris: develop an efficientsystem for the production, preprocessing and delivery ofbiomass feedstock for energy production that minimizesfeedstock cost for energy facilities while maximizinglandowner income and the environmental benefits of bio-mass production

�Community Power Corp., Littleton, Colo: adapt cur-rent proven modular biopower technology to produce anddemonstrate a biomass/natural gas hybrid (dual fuel)power generation system that will integrate with on-siteelectrical and thermal loads to deliver electricity and heat

�Energy & Environmental Research Center: demon-strate the performance of a mobile integrated indirect wetbiomass liquefaction system gasifier at one-fourth com-mercial scale

Grant

�continued on page 46


power

Minnesota projects, the board also considered biomass tech-nology research from out-of-state as well within Xcel Energy’saffiliated service areas. Besides Minnesota, states that receivedfunding included Illinois, North Dakota and Colorado. “Eachof these projects was treated the same,” Paulson says. “Therewasn’t any consideration necessarily given to its location, par-ticularly with regard to research and development. There’sgreat research happening all over the country, not just inMinnesota.”

The Energy & Environmental Research Center in GrandForks, N.D., if chosen, could receive more than $3 million toexplore various biomass gasification processes. “We have avery well established biomass program,” says Tom Erickson,associate director for research. “We’re doing a lot of cutting-edge research for clients throughout the U.S. This is just onemore example of some projects that we’re doing maybe closerto home. Xcel Energy has been a very proactive company indealing with renewable energy technologies and trying toadvance renewable energy technologies and we appreciate thepartnership with them.”

The board utilized the services of Princeton EnergyResources International LLC, a small business technologymanagement services consulting firm headquartered inRockville, Md., to provide independent third-party consultingin renewable energy technologies and evaluation methodolo-

‘Obviously, we’re hoping that we’ve pickedsome winners and that some of those technologies will bear fruit as a result of our funding.’

�Minnesota Valley Alfalfa Producers, Raymond:research the application of a new energy-efficient technologyto process a variety of biomass feedstock to expand theresource options for biomass energy production

�Bepex International LLC, Minneapolis: examine, evalu-ate and reduce the capital and operating costs of utilizing athermochemical biomass pretreatment regime called tor-refaction. Biomass used will be corn stover with the resultingproduct densified into briquettes for electricity generation

�Energy & Environmental Research Center: develop aneconomical biomass power system by combining previousbench-scale work in thermally integrated gasification systemswith developmental work on a low-British thermal unit gas tur-bine

�University of Minnesota, Minneapolis: explore the feasi-bility and potential of algae-to-biofuel technology

Proposed Biomass Energy Production Project

�American Crystal Sugar Co., Moorhead, Minn.: todesign, develop and construct a 3-megawatt electricitycogeneration plant utilizing methane, which currently is pro-duced as a result of sugar beet processing and integrate withthe company’s current biogas collection system

�continued from page 45


power

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gies. PERI first evaluated and scored both the proposed ener-gy production and research development projects.Subsequently, at least one RDF advisory board memberscanned PERI’s scoring methodology to offer personal feed-back. Scoring and ranking criteria were based on factors suchas the strength of the team conducting the research or energyproduction, management performance, technology in the con-text of the status of the industry, what the need was and soforth, according to Mike Bull, assistant director of theMinnesota Office of Energy Security and RDF advisory boardmember representing residential customers. “All the projectsthat we selected were ranked fairly well based on their scor-ing,” says Bull, a new comer to the advisory board, “We didn’tnecessarily go with the top ranks for various reasons.”

Because Minnesota already has anestablished wind industry and a buddingsolar resource, particular consideration wasgiven to technologies that could heightenthe biomass area. For Bull, choosing theright biomass research projects that couldsomehow tie back to Minnesota residentswas an integral element in his evaluationprocess. “I wanted to make sure I was look-ing at things that were applicable acrossbiomass industries,” Bull says. “I wanted to

focus on things that will help make these resources more costeffective for Minnesota consumers.”

Goal OrientedAt the state level, renewable portfolio standards (RPS),

which require a minimum percentage of electricity supplied tobe renewably generated, have become a popular mechanism

for expanding renewable electricity capacity. Xcel Energy’sRDF falls in line with contributing to Minnesota’s RPS, whichwas inked early last year. The RPS requires that 25 percent ofthe state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2025.

Currently, half of Minnesota’s power is coal generatedand renewable energy accounts for only about 5 percent. TheRPS replaces Minnesota’s nonmandated renewable energyobjective enacted in 2003 that required utilities to make agood-faith effort to generate or to procure 10 percent of theirpower from eligible renewable energy technologies by 2015.Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia now havesome form of RPS. Some, like Minnesota, are proposingincreases. Colorado, for example, which currently has a 10 per-cent renewable energy by 2015 RPS, is considering a 20 per-cent renewable energy by 2020 standard.

Under Minnesota’s new standard, Xcel Energy is expect-ed to meet a 30 percent renewable energy benchmark by 2020.Of that 30 percent, 25 percent must come from wind. Theremaining 5 percent is where biomass is expected to play amajor role in the future of energy source distribution, accord-ing to Grant. “A lot of it is a wait-and-see proposition,” Grantsays. “We’re funding in a space where researchers are lookingat some technologies that aren’t out of the lab yet. Obviously,we’re hoping that we’ve picked some winners and that some ofthose technologies will bear fruit as a result of our funding.”BIO

Bryan Sims is a Biomass Magazine staff writer. Reach him at bsims

@bbibiofuels.com or (701) 746-4962.

Bull


environment

Plenary sessions of the U.N. FCCC met in this conference room at the Bali International Convention Centre.


environment

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With the end of the first commitment period under theKyoto Protocol just four years away, representatives frommore than 180 countries recently met in Nusa Dua,Indonesia, on the island of Bali to agree on a new pathtoward the adoption of a second-generation protocol.Included in this group were biofuels industry spokespeople.

By Jessica Ebert


environment

igh drama defined twoweeks in early Decemberwhen some 11,000 gov-ernment officials, envi-ronmentalists, industrylobbyists and journalists

met in Bali, Indonesia, for the launch ofnegotiations on a climate change dealfor a post-Kyoto Protocol world.Emotions welled and spilled over intotears, boos, hissing, insults and threats.Most of these were directed at, or inresponse, to the obstructionist positionstaken by U.S. delegates to the U.N.Climate Change Conference. However,as tempers flared and the last minutes ofthe summit ticked away, the UnitedStates made a turnaround that securedthe adoption of what is being dubbedthe Bali Roadmap.

The tension at the summit was saidto be palpable; the culmination of a yearmarked by reports and conferences thatbrought an increasing urgency for actionto mitigate the most devastating effectsof climate change. “It was a very intenseatmosphere with constant debates,” saysOliver Schaefer, policy director for theEuropean Renewable Energy Council,an umbrella group for Europe’s renew-

able energy industry. “Everybody wasaware that this was a really importantmeeting; that we could be somewherewhere a decisive decision was made forfuture generations.”

The summit came fast on the heelsof the release of the final installment ofthe Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange’s Fourth Assessment Report anda U.N. event for heads of state and othertop officials to advance the global agen-da on climate change, which was held atU.N. headquarters in New York City. Atthis one-day, high-level event, RajendraPachauri, chairman of the IPCC, whichrecently won the Nobel Prize for itswork, reviewed the panel’s report. “Tostart with, let me say that we, the humanrace, have substantially altered theEarth’s atmosphere,” he said.“Adaptation alone will not do. We needto bring about mitigation actions to startin the short term even when benefitsmay arrive in a few decades.”

This is the first report in the IPCC’snearly 20-year history that asserts withmore than 90 percent certainty thatgreenhouse gases, carbon dioxide in par-ticular, are rising as a result of humanactivities and that these gases are the

main cause of the planet’s recent warm-ing. Without action to curb emissions,millions of people will be affected byweather extremes such as longerdroughts, heavier precipitation, moresevere storms, rising sea levels, floodsand heat waves. According to a consen-sus document signed by more than 200scientists and released at the Bali confer-ence, to stave off the worst of theseeffects, global emissions must peak anddecline in the next 10 to 15 years andultimately must be reduced by at least 50

H ‘I see a greater role for biofuels within any kind offramework, if the frameworkis going to be serious andambitious.’

Delegates were able to watch a live feed of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony from Oslo, Norway, during which former U.S. Vice President Al Goreand IPCC Chair Rajendra Pachauri received their prizes.

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• First World Climate Conference in Geneva, Switzerland

• The U.N. General Assembly declares climate change a “common humanity concern”

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change established to vet the evidence on global warming

• Toronto Scientific Conference on the Changing Atmosphere calls for a 20 percent reduction to 1988 greenhouse gas emissions by 2005

• First IPCC report says that the planet seems to be warming and human activity seems to be causing it but more time is needed for confirmation

• At the second Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the world’s govern-ments adopt the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change recognizing the threat posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions

• The first meeting of the U.N. FCCC parties called the Conference of the Parties or COP 1 takes place in Berlin; parties launch new round of talks to determine commitments needed by industrialized nations

• The second IPCC report says that the “balance of evidence” points to a “discernible human influence on the global climate system”

• After about two years of intense negotiations, U.N. FCCC COP 3 adopts the Kyoto Protocol, which binds developed countries and those in transition to a market economy to reductions in green-house gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 lev-els between 2008 and 2012

• U.N. FCCC COP 4 adopts Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which final-ized the rules and operational details of the Kyoto Protocol

• The third IPCC Assessment Report concludes that there is scie-ntific evidence of man-made global warming but that the subse-quent effects on climate are hard to determine

• Russia ratifies Kyoto late in 2004

• Kyoto enters into force on Feb. 16• At the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, leaders acknowledge that climate change is “a serious and long-term challenge”

• The movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” helps raise global warming to a more significant position on the U.S. political agenda

• The Fourth Assessment of the IPCC brings new urgency for action to the climate change issue by calling global warming “unequivo-cal” and maintaining that human activity is “very likely” the main driver

• The U.N. hosts a one-day summit in New York City for heads of state and other top officials to secure political commitment and build momentum for the Bali negotiations

• U.N. FCCC COP 13 meets in Indonesia to begin negotiations on a protocol to replace Kyoto

Climate Change Action


environment

percent below their 1990 levels by theyear 2050.

“A large part of the solution is avail-able to us today, what we need is politi-cal will,” said Yvo de Boer, executivesecretary of the U.N. FrameworkConvention on Climate Change at a pre-conference press briefing in Bali. “Isense an incredible growing internation-al awareness of the importance of cli-mate change and recognition among thegeneral public that politicians need tocome to grips with this issue,” he said.“Millions of people around the worldwill be focusing their attention on whatwill be the response of the politicians tothat very clear message given to them bythe scientific community.”

How Do Biofuels Fit In?Although biofuels didn’t play a sig-

nificant role in the plenary sessions ofthe conference, the specialized work-shops and side events were littered withspeakers representing the interest of thebiofuels industry. “We went there to talkabout renewables as much as possible,and to make people aware of renewablesranging from wind to solar to biofuels,”Schaefer explains. “If you were thereyou would realize that the awarenessabout any kind of renewable sources isnot very high. People tend to talk moreabout nuclear and clean coal and carbonsequestration.” In past negotiations,Schaefer says, the nuclear and coalindustries were strongly represented.“They pushed themselves into people’sbrains so now we’re trying to counterthat a little bit,” he says.

In addition to injecting new ideasinto the mix in Bali, biofuels supportershad to contend with the concerns ofcertain green groups about the socialand environmental costs of producingbiofuels. “As in most public debates, onthe one side biofuels are blessed forbeing a solution to security, supply andclimate goals,” Schaefer says. “On theother hand, they are seen by many envi-

Residents of Tanjung Benoa village, Bali, Indonesia, delegates and local Red Cross volunteers plant man-groves to help stop coastal erosion in the village. Indonesian Red Cross is planting a total of 10,000 man-groves in the village—one for every participant at the U.N. Climate Change summit.

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environment

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ronmentalists as something terrible.”In a survey released by The World

Conservation Union mid-way throughthe Bali talks, of 1,000 climate decisionmakers and influencers surveyed fromacross 105 countries, first-generationbiofuels from agricultural crops werefound to be the least likely of 18 tech-nologies to play a significant role in low-ering overall carbon levels in the atmos-phere. Topping the list were solar, wind,cogeneration and wave energy technolo-gies. Coming in at a respectable No. 7was second-generation biofuels fromwaste residues.

This distinction between first- andsecond-generation biofuels and betweensustainably and unsustainably grownfeedstocks is one that D1 Oils plc, theUK-based biodiesel producer broughtto the forefront at the Bali talks in a callfor nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) to stop their generic condem-nation of the global biodiesel industry.“Environmental and developmentNGOs are right to be critical of soyaand palm that are produced unsustain-ably in areas such as Brazil andIndonesia,” said Karl Watkin, founderand nonexecutive director of D1 Oils.“Because these attacks don’t differenti-ate the sustainable biofuel crops like jat-ropha from the less sustainable like soyaand palm, the NGO campaigns areundermining the industry as a whole.”

Efforts to gain support for sustain-ably produced biofuels will be critical asthe world moves toward negotiating asuccessor to the Kyoto Protocol.“Although biofuels haven’t played amajor role in the Kyoto Protocol yet, ifwe see the ambitious goals and the ambi-tious actions that are necessary to effec-tively fight climate change you will seethat there is a much broader portfolio oftechnologies and resources necessary tomeet these challenges,” Schaefer says. “Isee a greater role for biofuels within anykind of framework, if the framework isgoing to be serious and ambitious.”

The Road AheadThese are the same words that de

Boer used to describe the efforts in Bali.“In terms of the future, Bali has deliv-ered what it needed to deliver, a veryambitious agenda going forward,” he

said in a closing briefing. “What I’mespecially pleased about is the fact thatthat road forward is ambitious, that it istransparent and that it’s flexible.”

Although the Bali summit was neverintended to set firm greenhouse gasreduction goals, the final text of the Baliagreement did recognize that “deep cutsin global emissions” were needed andthat developed nations need to consider“quantified” reductions while developingcountries need to consider “mitigationactions.” In the end though, the roadmappaves the way for more talks over thenext two years starting in April and con-cluding in Copenhagen in late 2009where a new accord will be negotiated.BIO

Jessica Ebert is a Biomass Magazine staffwriter. Reach her at [email protected] or(701) 738-4962.

IN THE

LAB

o be a profitable biomass company, the first step in the

manufacturing process has to be collecting the biomass,

and some biomass is simpler to gather than others. In

particular, millions of acres of understory brush in eastern

U.S. forests and mesquite overrunning Texas rangeland

are a bit more complicated to harvest and collect.

Clearing underbrush in the forest of North Carolina’s

coastal plain can cost between $500 and $1,000 per acre, according to

Joseph Roise, a professor of forestry at North Carolina State University.

Mechanically clearing mesquite that infests millions of acres of Texas

rangeland has a similar cost, says Jim Ansley of Texas A&M University’s

Research and Extension Center. Finding a way to reduce those costs is

why both men are working on equipment to automate the harvest of small-

diameter trees for wildfire prevention and wildlife habitat development, as

well as the collection of biomass feedstocks.

Although their goals are similar, the two projects face significantly dif-

ferent challenges. Roise is trying to develop a machine that can chew

through underbrush while not sinking into the perpetually wet, boggy soil—

called pocosin—that dominates the North Carolina coastal plain. Ansley’s

goal is to develop a collector that can handle the remains of mesquite

mechanically harvested by a commercial mulching machine. The size of

the pieces that he is trying to collect ranges from a few inches to three feet

long and are six inches in diameter. Both projects have completed and test-

ed prototypes, but there is a lot more work to be done before the harvest-

ing machines will be ready for commercialization.

Roise says NCSU will start testing a second-generation prototype of

its harvester this summer. He believes the new machine will be much more

efficient at harvesting biomass than the current model. “We saw all the

problems [with the first model], and we know a lot of ways to correct those,”

he says. “So we are putting that in a new design. This truly is research

because we are testing this equipment under many sets of parameters.

Hopefully that research will lead to a better second generation.”

Ansley says the Texas biomass collector worked in trials but wound

up leaving too much wood on the ground. He believes that if the equipment

can pick up between 60 percent and 70 percent of the wood, it will make

collecting mesquite for biomass production economical. So far, the proto-

type can collect approximately 40 percent of mesquite mulch. Ansley is

seeking further funding to make improvements on his design. “Until we get

more funding, we aren’t going to make much more progress,” he says. “In

addition, we will be looking at the ecological impact of employing such a

harvesting system.”

Both men say the resources they are looking to harvest are unlikely

to be large enough to fuel large-scale biorefineries on their own. However,

clearing brush is vital in order to reduce fire hazards, and improve wildlife

habitat and rangeland, and these machines could provide an important

supplemental feedstock to a cellulosic ethanol industry fueled by timber

waste or energy crops. “This is a biomass source that is somewhat on the

fringes,” Ansley says. “It isn’t a mainline source like corn or switchgrass.

[Mesquite] occurs in areas where we have depressed rural communities,

and one reason they are depressed is that mesquite has invaded and hurt

the livestock industry. So there is a lot of grassroots interest in taking this

pest or weed—however you want to look at it—and turn it into something

that has some value.” BIO

—Jerry W. Kram

Chomping at the Bit

TOne challenge for researchers at North Carolina State University is to keep this54,000-pound biomass harvesting machine from sinking into the soft soils of thecoastal plain.

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Trying to collect pieces of mesquite that range in size from inches to three feetlong is proving to be a challenge for researchers at Texas A&M University.

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EERCUPDATE

oday’s U.S. military is highly effective for many reasons, the most important of which are direct-ly related to the character and abilities of the men and women who serve in it. Another impor-tant reason is access to high-quality, energy-dense liquid fuel, which today comes from oil. Desirefor the control of oil was a major cause of World War II, and a lack of access to oil was a majorcontributor to the loss of the war by the Axis powers.

Because our military fuel is mission-critical and so much of it comes from unstable regionsof the world, military leaders are calling for replacement of imported oil-derived fuel with domestic non-oil-derived alternatives to guard against the real threat of battlefield fuel supply interruption.

Depending on the mission, today’s military consumes somewhere between 5 billionand 10 billion gallons of fuel per year, and replacing even 50 percent of this much oil willnot be easy, quick or cheap, but it is vitally important. In developing a viable oil replace-ment strategy, it is essential to consider exactly what is needed.

The military is aggressively pursuing the goal of a “single battlefield fuel,” theachievement of which will mean that every fuel-powered battlefield unit will run on a sin-gle fuel. The rationale is simple: using the wrong fuel can get you killed, and if you onlyhave one fuel, you’ll never use the wrong one.

The single fuel being pursued is known as JP-8, a jet fuel similar to kerosene that isheavier than gasoline and lighter than diesel. To qualify as JP-8, a fuel has to be light enough to flow at minus53 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure against gelling at the low temperatures experienced in high-altitude flying. Itmust also be heavy enough not to generate spark-ignitable vapors at 100 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure againstexplosion in the battlefield. In addition to these fuel property requirements, the military specification for JP-8ensures the best possible balance between performance and safety.

What are the options for getting our military off oil? Three options that come quickly to mind are natu-ral gas, coal and biomass. The key is that, regardless of what the fuel is produced from, it still must meet theJP-8 specifications. This month’s column briefly discusses the natural gas and coal options. Next month’s willcover the biomass option in terms of new research developments.

Because we are already importing ample natural gas, much of it from the same marginally stable regionsthat sell us oil, the natural gas option does not appear to improve our nation’s security benefits.

The United States has extensive coal resources. Many estimates give us hundreds of years of energy inde-pendence if we were to completely replace petroleum and natural gas with coal. However, even though wehave plenty of coal that could conceivably compete economically with today’s high oil prices, coal comes withits share of challenges. Although lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions from a gallon of coal-derived diesel are atleast double those from petroleum-derived diesel because of the high energy input required to convert coal toliquid, many in the U.S. military are supportive of coal-to-liquids technology. Significant members of the lead-ership have advocated that any major coal-to-liquids push must deal with the resulting carbon dioxide, whichlikely means underground sequestration.

In next month’s issue, we will zero in on one federal agency that is pursuing an entirely new angle—renew-able domestic JP-8 from biomass. BIO

Ted Aulich is a senior research manager at the EERC in Grand Forks, N.D. He can be reached at [email protected] or(701) 777-2982.

Aulich

TRefueling Today’s Military:Reducing the Dependence on Oil, Part One

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