May 2007 Digest

Tying Energy Efficiency to Renewable Energy

Lost in the rush to develop alternative energy technologies is the obvious value of making energy usage more efficient. As Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute would say, "a watt saved is a watt earned." This can be applied to biofuel usage as well. It is far cheaper to save energy than it is to produce more of it, particularly when existing technologies are so wasteful.

In marked contrast to the oil crisis of the 70's when cars lined up on even or odd license number days to tank up on gasoline and speed limits were held to 55 MPH to conserve energy, there has been little preaching by this administration - or the states for that matter - to slow down and use less. Memorial Day weekend driving plans were little impacted by recent gas price spikes. Auto shows still promote performance over gas use efficiency.

It is highly unlikely that the laudable goals of the 25x'25 Initiative for reducing fossil fuel dependence will be reached if we persist in inefficient usage of our energy resources or, in fact, grow our demand beyond current expectations. Similarly, while developing renewable energy (RE) technologies, energy efficiency (EE) needs to be built into the systems.

In a joint report presented by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the American Council for an Energy-Efficency Economy (ACEEE) case studies are showcased that demonstrate the synergies available when RE and EE are developed together. For installations that have such long lifespans and high capital costs, it is important to address efficiency challenges during early planning.

Here are links to stories that were posted in the BioEnergy BlogRing during May, 2007:

BIOstock Blog--------------
• Clean Wood replaces Coal Power Plant in N.H.
• U.S. paper & pulp industry assesses its bioenergy future

BIOconversion Blog--------------
• Molecular visualization of the bioconversion process
• U.S. State Dept. to host 2008 Int'l Renewable Energy Conference
• IPCC 4th Assessment: Steps to mitigate climate change
• U.S. D.O.E./E.I.A. International Energy Outlook 2007

BIOoutput Blog--------------
• Tying Energy Efficiency to Renewable Energy
• California's electricity - Phasing out coal
• Amory Lovins - RMI and the Hypercar

Each month we provide a similar breakdown of article titles from our favorite "companion" site - Biopact Blog. This list is kept current and is accessible in the right hand column of each of the three blogs.

Please forward a link to this digest to anyone you know who would be interested in keeping track of change that will affect us all. They can add their name to the mailing list on the BioConversion Blog.

technorati digest, biofuels, conversion, bioenergy, cellulosic, feedstock, ethanol, sustainability, forestry

U.S. D.O.E./E.I.A. International Energy Outlook 2007

Business Energy Reports publishes a prolific number of excellent research reports that address the "global energy industry" and are available online for purchase. Did I mention that they are pricey? Well they are and it would serve them well to offer a discount based on volume purchases. Still, if you are curious to see one, they do offer a free loss leader called "Market Survey of the Energy Industry" which you receive online if you sign up for their email announcements of new releases.

Occasionally they distribute press releases that announce new reports from other agencies that are available online. This week they featured the U.S. Department of Energy's latest International Energy Outlook 2007 which is published through the Energy Information Administration (EIA) website (see below).

----------------------------
P R E S S   R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Barbara Drazga
Press@EnergyBusinessReports.com
Tel: 800-304-0345
www.energybusinessreports.com


World Energy Use Projected to Grow 57 Percent between 2004 and 2030

Phoenix, AZ –May 21, 2007 – World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 57 percent  between 2004 and 2030, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2007 (IEO2007) released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The IEO2007 shows the most rapid growth in energy demand for nations outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) especially in non-OECD Asia, where strong projected economic growth drives the increase in energy use.
 
Global energy demand grows despite the relatively high world oil and natural gas prices in the reference case. However, rising oil prices dampen growth in demand for petroleum and other liquids fuels after 2015 and, as a result, reducing their share of overall energy use from 38 percent in 2004 to a projected 34 percent in 2030.  In contrast, the energy shares of natural gas, coal, and renewable energy sources are expected to grow over this period.  Liquids consumption is still expected to grow strongly, however, reaching 118 million barrels per day in 2030. The United States, China, and India together account for nearly half of the projected growth in world liquids use.
 
To meet the increment in world liquids demand in the IEO2007 reference case, supply in 2030 is projected to be 35 million barrels oil equivalent per day higher than the 2004 level of 83 million barrels per day.  Conventional resources account for about 27 million barrels per day of this increase, with a projected 21 million barrels per day increase in production by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and a 6 million barrels per day increase in non-OPEC countries.  Production from unconventional resources (including biofuels, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) increases by nearly 8 million barrels per day and accounts for 9 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030.
 
View Details on Related Reports:
Unconventional Gas Outlook: Resources, Economics, and Technologies 2007
Biomass to Biofuels Market Potential 2007
Commercialization of Coal to Liquids Technology 2007
Gas to Liquids Technology and Market Potential
 
Other EIA report highlights include:
 
* Coal consumption, which grows an average annual rate of 2.2 percent, is the fastest-growing energy source worldwide in the IEO2007 reference case projection, which assumes that existing laws and policies remain in effect through 2030 notwithstanding concerns related to the rising level of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. World coal consumption increased sharply from 2003 to 2004, largely because of a 17-percent increase-on a British thermal unit (Btu) basis-in non-OECD Asia (mainly China and India). With oil and natural gas prices expected to continue rising, coal is an attractive fuel for nations with access to ample coal resources, especially in coal-rich countries like China, India, and the United States. These three countries combined account for 86 percent of the increment in world coal demand by 2030 in the reference case projection.
 
* Higher fossil fuel prices, energy security concerns, improved reactor designs, and environmental considerations are expected to improve prospects for nuclear power capacity in many parts of the world, and a number of countries are expected to build new nuclear power plants. World nuclear capacity is projected to rise from 368 gigawatts in 2004 to 481 gigawatts in 2030.  Declines in nuclear capacity are projected only in OECD Europe, where several countries (including Germany and Belgium) have either plans or mandates to phase out nuclear power, and where some old reactors are expected to be retired and not replaced.
 
* In the IEO2007 reference case, which does not include specific policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise from 26.9 billion metric tons in 2004 to 33.9 billion metric tons in 2015 and 42.9 billion metric tons in 2030. From 2003 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions from the non-OECD countries grew by almost 10 percent, while emissions in the OECD countries grew by less than 2 percent.  The result of the large increase in non-OECD emissions was that 2004 marked the first time in history that emissions from the non-OECD exceeded those from the OECD countries.  Further, because of the expectation that non-OECD countries will rely on fossil fuels to supply much of their future energy demand growth, carbon dioxide emissions from the non-OECD countries in 2030 are projected to exceed those from the OECD by 57 percent.
 
technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, decentralization, security

IPCC 4th Assessment: Steps to mitigate climate change

It is extremely difficult to develop objective assessments of the dangers of climate change. It is clear that millennia of mankind's attempts to manage Earth's resources to provide heat, shelter, and energy took a significant detour at the Industrial Revolution which started over a 150 years ago. With the introduction of faster transportation and communications, labor-saving devices, and centralized manufacturing based on fossil fuels, a dangerous atmospheric imbalance of greenhouse gases has resulted - one that threatens to change worldwide climate patterns.

The jury is still out on when and how fast climate change will happen. However, it is universally agreed that, anticipating significant consequences from inaction, we need to begin remedial steps to mitigate climate change now.

In its fourth assessment the International Panel on Climate Change (Working Group III) has attempted to provide a series of steps to mitigate climate change by revising the management of current industrial, energy, transport, agricultural, forestry, architectural, and waste practices. It is a scientific analysis of what needs to be done - as a opposed to how the steps should be implemented (which has profound economic and political effects).

The consequences of inaction is stated in terms of degrees Celsius of average global temperature increase. While it is impossible to properly assess what the specific effect and repercussions would be for each degree of rising temperature, suffice it to say that the impact would be economically, socially, biologically, and politically profound.

BIOpact has prepared a lengthy summation of the report summary's major findings. Here are excerpts from their article:

----------------
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: mitigation of climate change
BIOpact Blog

The report is a first draft entitled Summary for Policy Makers [*.pdf], and looks at five major issues:

• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends
• Mitigation in the short and medium term, across different economic sectors (until 2030)
• Mitigation in the long-term (beyond 2030)
• Policies, measures and instruments to mitigate climate change
• Sustainable development and climate change mitigation

The report presents mitigation options that can be implemented by relying on currently available technologies, and those that are expected to be available in the medium term (2030). Many of those technologies deal with biofuels, bioenergy and bioproducts, including the carbon negative energy system known as 'Bio-Energy with Carbon Storage' (BECS), to which we refer often. This last option can be seen as a 'geo-engineering' option, because it involves large-scale energy plantations. The Summary sees BECS as a suitable strategy to reach the reductions presented in several mitigation scenarios, because the negative emissions system cleans up the carbon emissions from the past.

The broad conclusion that can be drawn from the report is that the world has both the knowledge, technologies and financial means to avoid the worst effects of climate change (as they were outlined by Working Group II, earlier post), by investing in renewables such as biofuels and in nuclear, by improving energy efficiency, by limiting the use of fossil fuels, by increasing the efficiency of agriculture and by investing in carbon capture and storage, including BECS [the carbon negative energy system known as Bio-Energy with Carbon Storage (BECS)]. A portfolio of those options makes it possible to limit emissions in such a way that global temperature increase does not surpass the 2°C mark. The technologies are available, but political will and a change in life-styles by wealthy consumers will be required.


technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, legislation, greenhouse, decentralization, security

U.S. State Dept. to host 2008 Int'l Renewable Energy Conference

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today (April 23, 2007) that the State Department will host the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) March 2008.

WIREC 2008 is the third global ministerial level event on renewable energy. It will be an important opportunity for world ministers to show their commitment to renewable energy. The ministers will discuss how renewable energy advances our shared goals for climate, sustainable development and energy security. The Secretary noted that, "Diversifying our energy supplies is a key foreign policy objective of this Administration," and that, "Renewable energy sources can go a long way toward breaking the 'addiction to oil' that President Bush cited in his 2006 State of the Union Address."

WIREC 2008 goals include: 
- Advancing energy security, climate change, air quality, and sustainable development goals, including agriculture and rural development; 
- Demonstrating global leadership in renewable energy research, policy development, technology innovation, commercialization and deployment; and
- Fostering industry and government collaboration to help solve global energy challenges.

The U.S. Department of State will host this event, assisted by other relevant Departments and agencies including; the: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Interior, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The intergovernmental team welcomes the strong support of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) and looks forward to cooperating with REN-21 and other relevant stakeholders.

For more information about the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008, please contact William Armbruster at (202) 647-1247.

Here is the letter from The Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to ACORE President Michael Eckhart:

THE SECRETARY OF STATE
WASHlNGTON
April 23, 2007

Dear Mr. Eckhart:

Access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy is a key foreign policy objective of this Administration. Renewable energy sources can go a long way toward breaking the "addiction to oil" that President Bush cited in his 2006 State of the Union Address.

The Department of State looks forward to hosting in March 2008 the ministerial-level Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008). WIREC 2008 is an important opportunity for government officials and other leaders to show their commitment to renewable energy and to discuss how renewable energy advances our shared goals for climate, sustainable development, and energy security.

The Department welcomes the strong support of the American Council on Renewable Energy in making this conference possible. The Administration remains committed to diversifying our nation's energy portfolio and recognizes the need to work in partnership with non-governmental leaders to harness the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of all stakeholders. Thank you for your important work on one of the significant global challenges of our time.

Sincerely,
Condoleezza Rice

Mr. Mike Eckhart, President;
American Council on Renewable Energy
1629 K Street NW, Suite 210,
Washington, D.C. 20006.

technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, decentralization, security

Molecular visualization of the bioconversion process

The tools available for the hunt for renewable energy are very 21st Century. In place of wildcatting subterranean petroleum deposits using multi-million dollar rigs and oil crews, much of the ground-breaking research is taking place with meticulous precision at government labs in collaboration with universities and industry. New tools include robotics, mass spectrometers, laser imagers, and data collection and analysis devices. As a result, communications can be digital and more visual than ever before, speeding questions and understanding at warp speed around the globe.

The Society of Industrial Microbiology convened their 29th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in Denver this week which was hosted by the federally-financed National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) situated in nearby Golden, Colorado. One of the highlights of the symposium was a tour of NREL's groundbreaking facilities. The tour included visits to its biochemical and thermochemical labs and pilot plants for converting an array of feedstock (particularly corn stover for now) into sugars and ethanol.

One stop was in a research area where high tech imaging devices are employed to analyze cell and molecular structures involved in the bioconversion process. At right is a picture of the X8 Proteum - a new tool for conducting biological crystallography research. Data collected from this device can be used to build accurate models and animations to aid understanding.

Each tour group was treated to a 4 minute animation that zoomed from outside a corn plant into its stalk structures with an intricate graphic depiction of how molecules interact during the bioconversion process. It was built from data provided by NREL and visualized by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).

In an article titled Tapping Plants for Fuel Cassie Ferguson, writing for the SDSC, explains the animation process this way:

To explore the intricate molecular dynamics of cellulase, researchers at NREL have turned to CHARMM (Chemistry at HARvard Molecular Mechanics), a suite of modeling software for macromolecular simulations, including energy minimization, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulations. The widely-used community code, originally developed in 1983 in the laboratory of Martin Karplus at Harvard University, models how atoms interact.

In the cellulase modeling, CHARMM is used to explore the ensemble configurations and protein structure, the interactions of the protein with the cellulose substrate, and the interactions of water with both. Not only are the NREL simulations the first to simultaneously model the cellulase enzyme, cellulose substrate, and surrounding water, they are among the largest molecular systems ever modeled. In particular, the researchers are interested in how cellulase aligns and attaches itself to cellulose, how the separate parts of cellulase—called protein domains—work with one another, and the effect of water on the overall system. And they are also investigating which of the over 500 amino acids that make up the cellulase protein are central to the overall workings of the "machine" as it chews up cellulose.

To the biochemists in the collaboration, the simulation is like a stop-motion film of a baseball pitcher throwing a curveball. In real-life the process occurs too quickly to evaluate visually, but by breaking down the throw into a step-by-step process, observers can find out the precise role of velocity, trajectory, movement, and arm angle. In simulations on SDSC's DataStar supercomputer, the researchers have modeled a portion of the enzyme, the type 1 cellulose binding domain, on a surface of crystalline cellulose in a box of water. The modeling revealed how the amino acids of the domain orient themselves when they interact with crystalline cellulose as well as how the interaction disrupts the layer of water molecules that lie on top of the cellulose, providing a detailed glimpse of this intricate molecular dance.

While this lengthy animation does not appear to be available online, another bioconversion cartoon (pictured at top) simulated by Dr. Mark Nimlosis (NREL) and visualized by Dr. Ross Walker and Amit Chourasia of SDSC is available for download.

technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, animation

Biopact: May 2007 Digest

Biopact Blog writes many stories that are relevant to the study of BIOstock, BIOconversion, BIOoutput, and BIOwaste.

Rather than summarize and reprint excerpts from this excellent source of information, a breakdown of each month's most relevant titles is provided in one updated article...

BIOstock...
• Brazil demonstrating that reducing tropical deforestation is possible while expanding biofuels
• Dedini achieves breakthrough: cellulosic ethanol from bagasse at $27cents per liter ($1/gallon)

BIOconversion...
• US DOE announces up to US$200 million in funding for small biorefineries
• IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: mitigation of climate change
• World's first carbon-negative energy system planned in Netherlands: biomass with carbon capture
• Dupont outlines strategy for mass adoption of biofuels
• Little Green Data Book 2007 focuses on emissions and energy
• President Bush orders development of regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles - boost to biofuels
• Report: clean coal and CCS 'feasible' in the UK - towards carbon negative energy?
• World energy use to grow 57 percent between 2004 and 2030 - EIA
• U.S. House proposes US$4.5 billion for biomass research, biorefineries
• Boost to biohydrogen: high yield production from starch by synthetic enzymes
• UPM and Andritz/Carbona team up to develop synthetic biofuels
• Back to black: hydrothermal carbonisation of biomass to clean up CO2 emissions from the past
• Engineering students patent promising plasma processing techniques to produce biofuels
• Green designer coal: more on hydrothermal carbonisation of biomass

BIOoutput...
• Third generation biofuels: scientists patent corn variety with embedded cellulase enzymes
• The bioeconomy at work: bio-composites for home insulation made from mushrooms and starch
• CO2 balance of large-scale electricity production: nuclear good, biogas best
• Metabolix to develop bioplastics from sugarcane
• Biofuels becoming a headache for OPEC
• World's first ethanol powered fuel cell vehicle gets 2716 km/l (6,491mpg)
• The bioeconomy at work: Toyota's i-Unit made from kenaf-reinforced bioplastic
• UK outlines Biomass Strategy: large potential for bioenergy, bioproducts
• Research warns 'dangerous climate change' may be imminent - carbon negative bioenergy now

April 2007 Digest

Woody Biomass - Energizing a new generation

America is witnessing the balkanization of its renewable energy portfolio. The sun belt is home to solar energy. The corn belt is home to ethanol. Landfill bioenergy is focused in urban areas. The nation's woodpiles are in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast. Each region will have to come to grips with the economic, technical, environmental, and cultural changes that will be necessary build, market, and sustain development in their communities. NIMBY-ism will be a constant, frustrating impediment to many grand schemes.

We have seen the impact that ethanol has played in the cornbelt. Its communities have embraced the technologies - not without some consternation from its livestock industry. Individual farmers have banded together to form cooperatives to build ethanol plants. Agricultural giants like ADM and Cargill are re-evaluating how they can realign their business units to capitalize on their waste and biomass assets. Politicians are displaying uncharacteristic bipartisanship on ag/energy issues.

Following this model, we are now witnessing an emerging focus in the southeastern U.S. - home to communities that are committed now and in future generations to forestry and wood-related companies. 44% of the existing renewable energy generated in the U.S. comes from and is used by this industry - mostly generated from woody waste accumulating at paper and pulp mills. Landowners are eying biorefinery plans for the region to see if it makes sense to form cooperatives. Moribund mills and chemical factories that have lost business to foreign competition are now viewed as possible sites for new bioenergy ventures since they already have supply and distribution infrastructure in place.

The best resource of the region is the character of the indigenous citizens. Unfailingly patriotic but often regarded as the underappreciated step-children of America, many communities of the Southeast are eager to finally have an opportunity to contribute their regional ingenuity, brawn, and industrial capacity to the national effort to end American addiction to foreign oil. It is, after all, the young, proud southern recruit that continues to carry the bulk of the national security burden caused by this addiction.

As a political footnote, presidential aspirants interested in a Southern strategy should remember that in 2000 Gore lost ALL the states in the region - including his home state of Tennessee which would have put him in the White House. A commitment to woody bioenergy development of the region would be well received. It is not clear that the same can be said of the Pacific Northwest.

Here are links to stories that were posted in the BioEnergy BlogRing during April, 2007:

BIOstock Blog--------------
• E3 Biofuels and Closed Loop Ethanol Plants
• The need for Public Outreach: a case study in China
• BIOstock 101: The BioTown Sourcebook
• Woody Biomass Utilization and the USDA Forest Service
• Development alliance builds between forest and energy giants
• Hybrid poplars reduce carbon emissions best
• Thinning trees to save ecology
• In-Woods Expo 2007 Harvests Energy

BIOconversion Blog--------------
• Industrial Symbiosis: Creating eco-industrial parks
• Latin America's Blueprint for Green Energy
• BIOconversion 101: The BioTown Sourcebook
• EPA releases comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program
• Converting Biomass to Hydrogen
• D.O.E. to fund ADM/Purdue cellulosic ethanol project
• Friedman Multi-media on "The Power of Green"
• Biomass Gasification at the "Chin-dia" price

BIOoutput Blog--------------
• Good News from the DOE about Carbon Sequestration
• BIOoutput 101: The BioTown Sourcebook

BIOwaste Blog--------------
• BIOwaste 101: The BioTown Sourcebook
• Hurdles to Waste Conversion Technologies
• Smokestack emissions as feedstock for ethanol

Each month we provide a similar breakdown of article titles from our favorite "companion" site - Biopact Blog. This list is kept current and is accessible in the right hand column of each of the three blogs.

Please forward a link to this digest to anyone you know who would be interested in keeping track of change that will affect us all. They can add their name to the mailing list on the BioConversion Blog.

technorati digest, biofuels, conversion, bioenergy, cellulosic, feedstock, ethanol, sustainability, forestry

Biomass Gasification at the "Chin-dia" price

Thomas Friedman talks about the need for new alternative energy systems to be affordable at the "China price" or, more broadly the "Chin-dia price" - cheap enough for China or India to deploy because with the demand for renewable energy so high in those countries, they may indeed be the first to develop and deploy them. He contends that the ultimate solution(s) will have to compete economically with the "Chin-dia price". Certainly, without near global deployment of a variety of technologies suited to each culture and eco-system, alternative energy will never effectively shift the energy paradigm to carbon-neutral renewable feedstock.

We typically think of "biomass gasification" as an elegant but expensive alternative to co-firing or fossil fuel combustion. A recent Biopact article titled Biomass gasification to power rural India out of energy povertydispells that myth:

Even though there is no magic solution to the age-old development problem of bringing electricity to the rural poor, some elements and factors have been identified as key: decentralisation, reliance on locally available energy resources (water, wind, the sun or biomass) and, crucially, the need for low-cost systems.

Experts from India think these principles and requirements converge in a technology known as biomass gasification, in an electrification concept that has become commercially feasible and reliable (in-depth discussion of the technology, here, or see the image showing a downdraft biomass gasifier, click to enlarge). The energy system may be applicable to rural areas in the developing world at large because it is the least costly of the common alternatives. Depending on local circumstances, it is estimated to be between 15 and 20 times less costly than photovoltaics.

Several community-operated experiments with decentralised biomass gasification and electrification are now underway in India, and it looks like the technology can literally turn marginalised communities into thriving and prosperous societies (see the case-study). Drawing on this success, an ambitious initiative by science institutes and the private sector has been launched aimed at mass-producing efficient small to medium-scale gasifiers

It turns out that Ludditism - the tendency of technology detractors to hold up deployment for any number of reasons - is the most expensive part of any alternative energy technology. If Americans persist in delaying implementation of even the most tested and reasonable solutions to our environmental/energy problems, we will cede leadership in the investment and development of emerging technologies.

technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, syngas, gasification, decentralization

Friedman Multi-media on "The Power of Green"

Thomas L. Friedman is an author, journalist, and visionary who has earned recognition as the foremost commentator of the Green Energy "revolution."

And revolution it is - on many levels. It could be argued that, while military might is still necessary to contain crises, all-out wars are an anachronism - a victim of the Law of Unintended Consequences and instantaneous worldwide communication. "All-out" is now analogous with "suicidal" and has been relegated to "terrorism." If you want to stage a sustainable revolution in the new millennium your only option is through economic evolution and industrial redevelopment.

Friedman is a voracious student on the subject of world economic trends - traveling the globe, interviewing people with insight, and witnessing the causes and consequences of our folly. He also writes stimulating articles and books, full of heat and light, on the present and future challenges that face generations that haven't even been born yet. His 2005 book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century is a must read that was updated in April of 2006.

In last weekend's New York Times Magazine, Friedman offered his latest insights on geopolitics, energy, and the green revolution - The Power of Green. In case you are reading this after the article has been archived, you can still see the The Power of Green Video.

Discovery Channel is premiering Green: The New Red, White and Blue, a documentary featuring his reporting on green technology, on Saturday, April 21 at 9 p.m.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman travels the globe to unravel the tangled web of where we get our energy, and what we can do about the carbon footprint producing and consuming that energy. He visits the front lines of a revolution taking shape.

Another access hub of Friedman multimedia is, of course, YouTube which has an assortment of interviews with the author. One highlights The Case for Businesses Going Green but there are other ones that focus on themes developed in his books regarding the economics of globalization, answers to our addiction to oil, and Muslim attitudes toward their leaders and their occupiers.

Thomas L. Friedman doesn't have all the answers but he asks great questions and has earned his position for asking them of the right people. His synthesis of interwoven global issues is his most stimulating talent.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, security

D.O.E. to fund ADM/Purdue cellulosic ethanol project

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is a highly visible producer of biofuels utilizing corn kernels as feedstock for sugar fermentation to ethanol. It should come as no surprise that they have a vested interest in the successful commercialization of new technologies that will advance fermentation on other sources of agricultural feedstock - initially the residuals of corn conversion, eventually other crops and their residuals.

Their joint venture with Purdue on R&D of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol fermentation using new, highly-efficient yeast is a logical direction for them to take. Here is a recent press release concerning D.O.E. funding of part of this important R&D...

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Joint ADM and Purdue University Cellulosic Ethanol Project Selected For Funding By U.S. Department Of Energy

April 16, 2007 - A joint BioEnergy project of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) and Purdue University has been selected to receive funding by the U.S. Department of Energy to further the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. Specifically, the Purdue-ADM project is focused on commercializing the use of highly-efficient yeast which converts cellulosic materials into ethanol through fermentation.

“As the global leader in BioEnergy, we are able to leverage our biofuel production and agricultural processing expertise to advance the development of cost-efficient processing technologies, including those that will turn cellulosic materials into ethanol and other co-products,” stated Tom Binder, President-ADM Research.

“One of our goals is to reduce the cost of the process and make it applicable for commercial production,” said Nancy Ho, the principal investigator and a researcher in Purdue’s Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering (LORRE).

The development of improved fermentation organisms is a crucial step in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. In order to be cost-efficient and work in commercial-scale processing, such organisms must be able to produce high concentrations of ethanol from hexose and pentose sugar streams that can be derived from a wide range of plant lignocellulosic material, such as fibers, hulls, straws, soft and hardwoods.

The research team will include scientists from Purdue and from ADM. The joint project will receive federal funding, beginning this fiscal year and ending in fiscal year 2010, subject to Congressional appropriations. The Purdue-ADM project was selected, along with four other projects, by the Department of Energy for federal funding to develop improved fermentation organisms.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, cellulosic

Converting Biomass to Hydrogen

It is pretty clear that whatever exists as an energy paradigm today will be replaced in the future. Wood gave way to coal, whale oil made way to petroleum and petroleum distillates, and gasoline is ceding ground to ethanol. What will follow ethanol?

Many suspect that ethanol will give way to hydrogen - hydrogen produced using biomass conversion processes. Hydrogen from electrolysis and other ways runs the risk of using more energy to produce it than it creates. Gasification produces syngas which is predominantly carbon monoxide and hydrogen. So the energy in the feedstock is used for both providing the heat to break its chemical bonds while the hydrogen atoms are released for isolation.

The reason we cannot skip ethanol and proceed directly to hydrogen is because we need to transition our infrastructure, energy storage, and vehicle technology at the same time. Ethanol is easy - made far simpler because it is blendable in gasoline - acting as both an oxygenate (to burn cleaner) and an extender.

Hydrogen sounds irresistible because it's emissions are so clean (drops of water) as it propels our automobiles. But implementation will require that many new technologies advance concurrently. One question is how can we transport compressed hydrogen? One prominent answer is - ethanol could be the carrier! If that is the direction hydrogen distribution is taking then the infrastructural transition from ethanol to hydrogen will be so much easier.

Here are excerpts from an article about the bioconversion of feedstock into "biohydrogen" that appeared this week on Biopact. They preface a story about a British company, Biohydrogen, that is advancing technology in this area.

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New company called 'Biohydrogen' to make H2 from sugar

The problem with hydrogen is that it is merely an energy carrier and needs a primary energy source from which the gas can be obtained. If this first source is a fossil fuel, then hydrogen isn't really a clean energy carrier. If the gas is made from the electrolysis of water, which is a rather energy-intensive process, then electricity is needed, and the dilemma remains: where do we get the electricity from?

Biohydrogen is probably the most competitive of the non-fossil fuel production routes. There are roughly three main ways of obtaining the gas from biological sources: (1) biochemical conversion (diagram, click to enlarge): chemotrophic or phototrophic micro-organisms are allowed to ferment sugars, under anaerobic or aerobic conditions (depending on the micro-organism) during which hydrogenase or nitrogenase enzymes produce hydrogen directly (on H2 production from cyanobacteria and micro-algae see the last section of our post on biofuels from algae), (2) thermochemical conversion: biomass in solid form (wood, straw, etc) is transformed through gasification into a hydrogen-rich gas, from which the H2 is then separated, or (3) indirectly from biogas: biomass is anaerobically fermented into biogas, the methane of which is further converted into hydrogen (similar to H2 production from natural gas); combinations between biohydrogen and biomethane production are being researched as well.


technorati algae, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, legislation, gasification, decentralization, security

EPA releases comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program

The Bush administration took an important step toward toward the achievement of his "Twenty in Ten" goals April 10th when his Environmental Protection Agency announced the establishment of its first comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and modernization of the CAFÉ standards.

The impact on the renewable fuels industry should be considerable because it assures a ready and growing market for the RD&D and products of emerging technologies in ethanol production, biomass conversion, renewable electricity generation, automobile redesign, and industrial emissions reduction. Those are the most direct impacts. Indirectly it could serve to stimulate job growth and the economy in other ways while reducing energy waste and pollution. Some of the biggest positive impacts will be felt in rural communities.

Here is the entire press release as it appears on the EPA Newsroom website...

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Bush Administration Establishes Program to Reduce Foreign Oil Dependency, Greenhouse Gases

Washington, D.C. – April 10, 2007) In step with the Bush Administration’s call to increase the supply of alternative and renewable fuels nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today established the nation’s first comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.

At a press conference today, EPA Administrator Johnson, joined by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole Nason, discussed the RFS program, increasing the use of alternative fuels and modernizing CAFÉ standards for cars.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard offers the American people a hat trick – it protects the environment, strengthens our energy security, and supports America’s farmers,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Today, we’re taking an important first step toward meeting President Bush’s “20 in 10” goal of jumping off the treadmill of foreign oil dependency.”

"Increasing the use of renewable and alternative fuels to power our nation's vehicles will help meet the President's Twenty in Ten goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent in ten years," Secretary Bodman said. "The Administration's sustained commitment to technology investment will bring a variety of alternative fuel sources to market and further reduce our nation's dependence on foreign sources of energy."

“While we must look at increasing the availability of renewable and alternative fuels, we must also continue to improve the fuel efficiency of our passenger cars and light trucks,” said Nicole R. Nason, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “As a part of the President’s “20 in 10” energy security plan, we need Congress to give the Secretary of Transportation the authority to reform the current passenger car fuel economy standard.”

Authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS program requires that the equivalent of at least 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended into motor vehicle fuel sold in the U.S. by 2012. The program is estimated to cut petroleum use by up to 3.9 billion gallons and cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 13.1 million metric tons by 2012 -- the equivalent of preventing the emissions of 2.3 million cars. The RFS is an important first step toward meeting President Bush’s call on our nation to reduce gasoline use by 20-percent within 10 years by growing our renewable and alternative fuel use to 35 billion gallons by the year 2017.

The RFS program will promote the use of fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, which are largely produced from American crops. The program will create new markets for farm products, increase energy security, and promote the development of advanced technologies that will help make renewable fuel cost-competitive with conventional gasoline. In particular, the RFS program establishes special incentives for producing and using fuels produced from cellulosic biomass, such as switchgrass and woodchips.

The RFS program requires major American refiners, blenders, and importers to use a minimum volume of renewable fuel each year between 2007 and 2012. The minimum level or “standard” which is determined as a percentage of the total volume of fuel a company produces or imports, will increase every year. For 2007, 4.02 percent of all the fuel sold or dispensed to U.S. motorists will have to come from renewable sources, roughly 4.7 billion gallons.

The RFS program is based on a trading system that provides a flexible means for industry to comply with the annual standard by allowing renewable fuels to be used where they are most economical. Various renewable fuels can be used to meet the requirements of the program. While the RFS program establishes that a minimum amount of renewable fuel be used in the United States, more fuel can be used if producers and blenders choose to do so.

The RFS brings the nation closer to President Bush’s Twenty in Ten goal to reduce gasoline consumption 20 percent in ten years. To achieve this goal, the Bush Administration’s Alternative Fuel Standard (AFS) proposal builds on the RFS and requires use of 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017 - nearly five times the RFS target of 2012. The AFS proposal will displace 15 percent of projected annual gasoline use in 2017 through the use of fuels, including corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, methanol, butanol, hydrogen, and other alternative fuels. The Twenty in Ten plan also calls for reforming and modernizing CAFÉ standards to increase the fuel economy of cars. This will reduce projected annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons, a further 5 percent reduction that will bring the total reduction in projected annual gasoline use to 20 percent. President Bush has called on Congress to act on these proposals by the start of the summer driving season this year.

For more information: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/

technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, security

BIOconversion 101: The BioTown Sourcebook

For anyone who desires a simple introduction to what BIOmass Conversion technologies are I suggest a careful reading of a brief technical overview document called The BioTown, USA Sourcebook of Biomass Energy (released in April, 2006). It was written for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture by scientist and fellow blogger, Mark Jenner, PhD. who has his own website called Biomass Rules.

Below you can see an overview graphic that charts where conversion technologies (highlighted in blue) fall in proper context for addressing BIOstock, BIOoutput, and BIOwaste issues. For this reason, I offer a similar 101 abstract treatment in each of my BlogRing blogs.


This BioTown sourcebook is the official inventory on local energy use, available biomass fuels and emerging technologies for Reynolds, Indiana. As such, it can serve as an inventory template for any similarly focused study of a medium-sized rural community. It greater importance is its microcosmic view of rural communities as decentralized, sustainable entities that possess more than enough biomass to service their own energy needs.

Below is a table from the fifth section of the report addressing Biomass Energy Conversion Technologies.

The section addresses not only the difference between combustion pyrolysis and gasification, but also lists the benefits and liabilities of each base technology in addition to a partial listing of vendors developing the expertise in North America.

This report is not a utopian call to return to rural, communal living. It is, instead, an affirmation that there are many biomass resources available and technologies in development to provide environmentally clean bioenergy alternatives to the existing fossil fuel energy paradigm. Rural communities can develop expertise and marketable output best suited to their own resources and industries. Urban communities can develop some technologies that are relevant to the diversion of trash from landfills.

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The BioTown, USA Sourcebook of Biomass Energy

BioTown, USA is Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniel’s, bold approach to develop local renewable energy production, create a cleaner environment, find new solutions to municipal/animal waste issues, and develop new markets for Indiana products – all at the same time. BioTown, USA is quite simply the conversion of Reynolds, Indiana from a reliance on fossil fuels to biomass-based fuels. With the implementation of BioTown, USA, a template will be set that simultaneously promotes Indiana energy security, rural development, profitable agriculture and a green, thriving natural resource environment.

The only conclusion that can be made is that BioTown, USA is profoundly thermodynamically and technologically viable. Reynolds, Indiana used 227,710 million BTUs (MMBTU) in 2005. White County annually produces over 16,881,613 MMBTU in undeveloped biomass energy resources. That is 74 times more energy than Reynolds consumed in 2005.

BioTown, USA is a concept whose time has come. This Sourcebook and subsequent BioTown reports will serve as vital stepping stones to the implementation of BioTown, USA and subsequent bioeconomic rural development opportunities across Indiana and the nation.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, gasification, decentralization

Latin America's Blueprint for Green Energy

The IDB commissioned Garten Rothkopf, a consulting firm which works with corporations on long-term global strategies, to perform an analysis that would serve as a blueprint to its development of energy technologies in the Americas.

What is the IDB? According to their website. "The Inter-American Development Bank was established in 1959 as a development institution with novel mandates and tools. It is the main source of multilateral financing for economic, social and institutional development projects and trade and regional integration programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the oldest and largest regional development bank."

This report begins with the major trends in global energy: the drivers of demand, the constraints on supply, and the twin imperatives of energy security and emissions reductions. The promise of biofuels is then assessed relative to the leading alternative technologies in the transport sector: hydrogen fuel cells and coal liquefaction. This is followed by the “Global Biofuels Outlook 2007”, an assessment of the state of biofuels in 50 countries on 6 continents, highlighting the critical areas of government policy, productive capacity, private sector investment, and research and development.

The report concludes with a blueprint for green energy in the Americas. This strategic blueprint is organized around the four pillars that they project will drive and shape competition and demand: innovation, capacity expansion, infrastructure, and building global markets.

The basic thesis is clear:

Coordination between the government, private sector, universities, and research institutions to strengthen the connection between the scientific research activities and practical technological needs of the sector is critical.

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A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas
Strategic Analysis of Opportunities for Brazil and the Hemisphere
Featuring: The Global Biofuels Outlook 2007
Prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank

We are in the midst of a sustainable energy and climate change revolution, directly linked to the other major transformational trends of our time-the rise of the world's emerging economies, the world's rapid urbanization and the revolution in biotechnology. While not a panacea, biofuels represent one important choice in an increasing array of energy options. They have a significant role to play in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transport, developing rural economies, and attracting private sector investment.

This study, prepared by Garten Rothkopf for the Inter American Development Bank, seeks to cut through the hype surrounding biofuels, and alternative energy writ large, and present an objective, fact-based analysis of the region's global competitive position looking forward to 2020. It includes the most extensive study done to date on the global biofuels market, including 50 countries. The report also focuses on the challenges that lie ahead, from ensuring that the choices made are sustainable in terms of their environmental and social impact to recognizing that unprecedented investment and innovation will produce new competitive forces that will require all who would lead to adapt or fall behind.

The growth of biofuels will favor countries with long growing seasons, tropical climates, high precipitation levels, low labor costs, low land costs, as well as the planning, human resources, and technological know how to take advantage of them. Latin America and Caribbean, led by Brazil, already produces 40% of the world's biofuels and is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this growing industry.

"A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas" offers a strategic blueprint for IDB activities in the region, to serve as the basis for even more focused and policy-oriented studies in the future.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, gasification, decentralization

Industrial Symbiosis: Creating eco-industrial parks

For commercial-scale deployments of emerging technologies to succeed financially they will have to integrate into the industrial landscape in a way that supports the health of the enterprise. The ideal sites would co-locate companies that supply biostock, cleanly process it, and use the output of the processing to create new chemicals, bioproducts, biofuels and bioenergy. Ideally, the energy needed for operation of the eco-industrial park would come from the park itself (all this without leaving a carbon footprint).

Case studies citing examples are beginning to be published. MIT and Yale have teamed together to share the publishing responsibility to make these case studies available in The Journal of Industrial Ecology.

The Journal of Industrial Ecology is pleased to announce a special feature on industrial symbiosis in its recently released issue. The feature contains 4 cutting edge articles on industrial symbiosis - environmentally beneficial exchanges of materials, energy, water, and by-products among diversified, geographically-clustered firms.

Industrial symbiosis, and the related notions of eco-industrial development, industrial ecosystems and eco-industrial parks, are one of the signature concepts in the field of industrial ecology. This special feature is designed to highlight the latest work in this growing area. The Journal of Industrial Ecology is an international peer-reviewed quarterly owned by Yale University and published by MIT Press.

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Special Feature on Industrial Symbiosis from the MIT Press Journal of Industrial Ecology

"Uncovering" Industrial Symbiosis
Marian R. Chertow
Journal of Industrial Ecology Winter 2007, Vol. 11, No. 1: 11-30.
This article provides a historical view of the motivations and means for pursuing industrial symbiosis—defined to include physical exchanges of materials, energy, water, and by-products among diversified clusters of firms. It finds that “uncovering” existing symbioses has led to more sustainable industrial development than attempts to design and build eco-industrial parks incorporating physical exchanges.


Industrial Symbiosis in China: A Case Study of the Guitang Group
Qinghua Zhu, Ernest A. Lowe, Yuan-an Wei, Donald Barnes
Journal of Industrial Ecology Winter 2007, Vol. 11, No. 1: 31-42.

The Guitang Group (GG), which operates one of China’s largest sugar refineries, has been developing and implementing an internal and external industrial symbiosis strategy for more than four decades. The GG first invested in developing its own collection of downstream companies to utilize nearly all byproducts of sugar production. This strategy has generated new revenues and reduced environmental emissions and disposal costs, while simultaneously improving the quality of sugar.

Internally, the GG’s complex consists of interlinked production of sugar, alcohol, cement, compound fertilizer, and paper and includes recycling and reuse. Externally, the GG has established a strong customer base as a result of its product quality, has worked to maintain and expand its supply base through technological and economic incentives to farmers (and even to competitors), and has had to react to a strong government presence that fundamentally affects its operations.

A Spatial Analysis of Loop Closing Among Recycling, Remanufacturing, and Waste Treatment Firms in Texas
Donald I. Lyons
Journal of Industrial Ecology Winter 2007, Vol. 11, No. 1: 43-54.

A central element of industrial ecology is the concept of closing the loop in material use (cycling) by directing used material and products (wastes) back to production processes. This article examines the issue of geographic scale and loop closing for heterogeneous wastes through an analysis of the location and materials flows of a set of recycling, remanufacturing, recycling manufacturing, and waste treatment (RRWT) firms in Texas. The results suggest that there is no preferable scale at which loop closing should be organized. RRWT firms are ubiquitous and operate successfully throughout the settlement hierarchy. The cycling boundaries of RRWT firms are dependent primarily upon how and where their products are redirected to production processes rather than the firm’s location in the settlement hierarchy. In other words, loop closing is dominated by the spatial economic logic of the transactions of the firm involved.

Industrial Symbiosis in the Australian Minerals Industry: The Cases of Kwinana and Gladstone
Dick van Beers, Glen Corder, Albena Bossilkov, Rene van Berkel
Journal of Industrial Ecology Winter 2007, Vol. 11, No. 1: 55-72.

This article provides an overview of past and current synergy developments in two of Australia’s major heavy industrial regions, Kwinana (Western Australia) and Gladstone (Queensland), and includes a comparative review and assessment of the drivers, barriers, and trigger events for regional synergies initiatives in both areas.

To enhance the further development of new regional synergies, the Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing (CSRP), a joint initiative of Australian minerals processing companies, research providers, and government agencies, has undertaken several collaborative projects. These include research to facilitate the process of identifying and evaluating potential synergy opportunities and assistance for the industries with feasibility studies and implementation of selected synergy projects in both regions. The article also reports on the progress to date from this CSRP research.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, decentralization, security, investment

Biopact: April 2007 Digest

Biopact Blog writes many stories that are relevant to the study of BIOstock, BIOconversion, BIOoutput, and BIOwaste.

Rather than summarize and reprint excerpts from this excellent source of information, a breakdown of each month's most relevant titles is provided in one updated article...

BIOstock...
• A closer look at Social Impact Assessments of large biofuel projects
• The mobile pellet plant

BIOconversion...
• Scientists break down lignin to enter a world of sugar and energy
• Top FAO and UN experts to weigh benefits and perils of bioenergy
• Swiss technology institute launches ‘Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels'
• Climate change is a national security issue - report
• A closer look at China's biomass power plants
• Biomass gasification to power rural India out of energy poverty
• UN environment chief backs EU's biofuels plan, urges environmentalists to drop 'simplistic' views
• Satellites play vital role in understanding the carbon cycle
• Dupont outlines strategy for mass adoption of biofuels
• New class of enzymes discovered that could increase efficiency of cellulosic ethanol production

BIOoutput...
• Giant reversible swelling of nanoporous materials discovered
• Carbon capture experiment begins in Germany
• The bioeconomy at work: Dutch biorefinery project CATCHBIO receives first nod
• US and EU to partner on commoditisation, standardisation of biofuels
• US wood pellet industry eyes exports to EU
• The bioeconomy at work: robust bioplastic used for off-shore oil riser pipes
• In case of total oil embargo, US military could remain operational thanks to synthetic (bio)fuels
• Researchers propose Green Biofuels Index
• Biochar soil sequestration and pyrolysis most climate-friendly way to use biomass for energy
• Fuel testing shows biobutanol performance similar to unleaded gasoline

March 2007 Digest

Bridging the Gap to Biofuels


When it comes to energy, we are all stakeholders – whether we are producers, refiners, developers, educators, policymakers, marketers, regulators, environmentalists, distributors, farmers, foresters, or simply commuters... we are all consumers with a vested interest in future development of renewable energy in concert with environmental sustainability.

Even though there is a growing global recognition that something must be done to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate carbon emissions, the potential for endless debate over the means to these ends is threatened by delays. We need to act now.

The success of any mission to achieve 25x’25 or Twenty in Ten is more dependent on our willingness to communicate and work together than it is on our technical achievements. Why? I am convinced it will take collaboration between all stakeholders to develop and deploy these emerging technologies.

Having attended three important conferences this month, perhaps the most important lesson I can share is one for “bridging the gap” that I learned at 25x’25. When negotiating all parties must take an attitude of “Yes, if...” rather than “No, because...”

For example, “Will you agree...?”:
• “Yes, if you will guarantee...
• “Yes, if you can convince...
• “Yes, if you can match...
• “Yes, if you will commit...

Without the proper spirit of collaboration no compact between stakeholders will be sustainable – even if the technology is.

BIOstock Blog--------------
• Will dead trees revive forest industries?
• Why ethanol from wood makes sense
• The Canadian action plan against the Mountain Pine Beetle
• 25x'25 Summit pressures U.S. Congress to act
• Environmentalists and industrialists meet at the BioEnergy Wiki

BIOconversion Blog--------------
• Multi-prong approach enhances energy security
• ACORE wins BIG in Vegas
• So. California Air Quality (AQMD) looks at Cellulosic Ethanol
• BIO World Congress is bio-energized by cellulosic ethanol

BIOoutput Blog--------------
• Using fungi to produce ethanol & biodegradeable material

BIOwaste Blog--------------
• Producing hydrogen from wastewater and MSW
• Fortune looks at waste source reduction

Each month we provide a similar breakdown of article titles from our favorite "companion" site - Biopact Blog. This list is kept current and is accessible in the right hand column of each of the three blogs.

Please forward a link to this digest to anyone you know who would be interested in keeping track of change that will affect us all. They can add their name to the mailing list on the BioConversion Blog.

technorati digest, biofuels, conversion, bioenergy, cellulosic, feedstock, ethanol, sustainability