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Category Archives: alternative energy
Group Debunks ‘Food-vs-Fuel’ and Other RFS Myths
As we wait (and wait and wait and wait) for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision regarding the amount of ethanol and biodiesel to be mixed into the nation’s fuel supply, one group is taking the time to debunk some myths that might be giving the EPA a reason to hesitate. Media Matters has issued a report debunking the “food-versus-fuel” myth, along with several possible Renewable Fuel Standard-stopping myths.
MYTH: Renewable Fuel Standards Raise Food Prices…
FACT: Ethanol Production Does Not Divert Food Or Raise Prices
CBO Report: RFS Will Not Significantly Alter Food Prices. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed how the RFS will impact the economy beyond 2014 and determined that it will have no significant impact on food prices. The CBO also stated that if the standards were increased to meet the initially proposed requirements by 2017, it would result in increased spending on food by just one-quarter of 1 percent…
MYTH: Ethanol Will Harm Your Vehicle…
FACT: Rigorous Studies Show That Ethanol Does Not Harm Engines
DOE: Industry-Funded Study Claiming Ethanol Hurts Engines Is “Significantly Flawed.” Patrick B. Davis, the manager of the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program, published an article critiquing the CRC study that found E15 and E20 (a gasoline blend with 20 percent ethanol) hurt auto engines. The DOE concluded that the study was “significantly flawed” because it did not establish a proper control group and that it cherry-picked vehicles “already known to have durability issues”
The report also presents plenty more facts debunking myths about how ethanol is supposed to actually be bad for the environment and how biofuels are heavily subsidized, among others.
Low Fuel Prompts Reminder Biodiesel Stretches Supply
A sudden drop in temperatures is putting the squeeze on what is an already low fuel supply in some parts of the country, and that’s prompting a group to remind folks biodiesel can make fuel supplies last longer. On the heels of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s emergency declaration that cold weather, coupled with pipeline and refining outages, is putting his state dangerously low on fuel, necessitating some short-term changes to shipping rules in Iowa, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) is reminding the governor and all consumers that biodiesel could stretch tight diesel supplies being able to be blended at 5 to 20 percent levels.
“Given Gov. Branstad’s emergency proclamation, one of the best ways to help alleviate tight diesel supplies is to blend it with high-quality, homegrown biodiesel,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “High-quality biodiesel blends ranging from B5 to B20 can be used and treated just as No. 2 diesel throughout the winter. Several Iowa biodiesel producers have supplies that can be shipped to a fuel terminal or jobber today.”
“I’m currently using B20 to push snow and keep my farm operation moving throughout the colder months,” stated Denny Mauser, a farmer from Early, Iowa and board member of Western Iowa Energy in Wall Lake, Iowa.
IRFA goes on to point out that not only will using biodiesel right now help alleviate the tight supply issues, but it will also support American jobs, energy security and a cleaner environment.
Energy Efficiency and Renewables Are Lowest Risk/Cost Investments for Utilities
The report by the nonprofit organization Ceres, entitled “Practicing Risk-Aware Electricity Regulation: 2014 Update,” says energy efficiency, distributed (onsite) energy, and renewable energy (whose costs, in some cases, have come down dramatically since 2012) are enticing investments for utilities because they bring lower risks and will cost less than traditional energy sources used to generate electricity.
And almost without exception, the report says the investments that could cause the most financial harm for utilities, ratepayers, and investors are large base-load fossil fuel and nuclear plants, which are riskier and more expensive.
“The report’s risk profiles make clear that energy efficiency is the cheapest, safest investment by far, followed by wind and solar energy technologies whose costs have dropped dramatically the past two years,» says Ceres President Mindy Lubber.
We already knew that energy efficiency — aka smarter use of energy — is the cheapest, most abundant investment out there, as I noted recently in discussing the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy Efficiency Market Report 2014 that demonstrated the global savings from energy efficiency are greater than the output from any other single fuel source — including coal, oil, nuclear, and gas. Meanwhile, the first national limits on power plant carbon pollution will increase energy efficiency, which will reduce the cost of compliance.
But as Ronald Binz, one of the authors of the new Ceres report, says, “the dramatic decline in the costs of renewable energy, especially utility-scale solar,” represents a major development that could have far-reaching consequences.
The changing economic landscape combined with the pending EPA power plant standards to reduce carbon pollution, does not mean change will come overnight or that there will be any let-up by the supporters of coal and nuclear power. But the trend line is positive and strongly suggests that the old ways of doing business for utilities and state regulators are no longer as viable as they once were, and in fact carry significant financial risk.
The latest findings by Ceres, a nonprofit organization that seeks to mobilize business an investor leaders on climate change, reaffirms the conclusions and recommendations in its 2012 report, “Practicing Risk-Aware Electricity Regulation: What Every State Regulator Needs to Know,” that discussed the aging power plant fleets, evolving technologies and regulations for climate change, and the changing nature of the risks that these challenges present for utilities, customers and shareholders.
The Latest Findings
In examining the conditions facing today’s electric power industry, the new report cites a number of salient facts and reached some important conclusions that should be heeded by the utility industry as its plans how to address the nation’s energy needs, including:
- There is a clear and durable imperative for clean energy in the United States, driven by advancing technology, federal air quality rules, and the lower cost and risk profile of renewable and demand-side energy resources. Renewable energy technology costs have fallen sharply, closing the cost gap between renewable resources and traditional fossil fuel resources. Solar photovoltaic energy costs, in particular, have declined precipitously in recent years while wind and solar costs are expected to continue to fall through at least 2020, a characteristic not shared by other generation technologies.
- Utility business models conversations are shifting from a simple “cost of service” approach to consideration of one that expands utility service offerings and capabilities in light of carbon reduction goals, grid resilience needs, and customer engagement imperatives. This transformation is already happening to a degree that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.
- Distributed energy resources — that is smaller power sources like demand response (when customers alter their electricity use at certain times of the day), storage, and distributed generation, that can be aggregated to provide energy necessary to meet regular demand — will play an increasingly important role in the 21st century electricity system. As states grapple with this reality, they must begin to plan for a much more complicated system that includes new technologies and varied sources of energy.
The bottom line, as the report clearly suggests, is that the trend toward low-carbon energy resources, including energy efficiency and renewable energy, is unmistakable. When we don’t need to generate as much electricity and/or use zero-emissions resources, we reduce the amount of climate-altering pollution belching into our air and harming our health. In short, as the report notes, “There is a clear and durable imperative for clean energy in the U.S.” that is being driven by new technologies, more favorable economics, stricter federal air quality rules, and consumer demand.
This article was originally published on NRDC and was republished with permission.
Lead image: Wind turbines via Shutterstock
German Utility EON To Ditch Fossil Fuel Arm, Focus on Renewables
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bold move is already beginning to pay off, with Europe’s largest economy for the first time getting more electricity from renewables this year than any other source. About a quarter of Germany’s power now comes from green energy, compared with 6.2 percent in the U.S. and 4.8 percent in France.
“We are in the midst of a giant transformation process of our energy system,” Deputy Environment Minister Jochen Flasbarth told reporters yesterday in Berlin. “Renewables are the increasingly dominant factor in the German energy mix. EON’s decision is a piece of the puzzle.”
The government intends to go further, setting goals to increase the use of alternative energy sources to as much as 45 percent of all power generated by 2035 and boost that figure to 80 percent by 2050. Germany, where the eastern countryside is already dotted with thousands of wind turbines, plans to do that in part by expanding large-scale offshore wind plants that can produce more reliably because the breeze is steadier at sea.
Closing Reactors
Merkel decided after the Fukushima accident in Japan to close the country’s eight oldest nuclear reactors and shutter the remainder by 2022. To reach stricter climate protection targets, Germany tomorrow will unveil details of a plan demanding additional emissions cuts from electricity produced using fossil fuel.
“Germany has some of the most ambitious climate protection targets and is radically rebuilding its energy system,” said Sven Diermeier, an analyst at Independent Research GmbH in Frankfurt who follows EON and rival RWE AG. “And now EON is attempting the most radical rebuilding so far of any large European utility.”
Germany’s push has come at a cost for the country’s utilities, energy-intensive industries and consumers. The influx of renewable power on the grid has undermined wholesale prices and decimated the profitability of coal and gas plants. At the same time, the taxes on electricity that subsidize renewable energy production has led to Germany having the second-highest household power prices in the European Union, according to Eurostat.
Subsidies
German consumers have paid a total of 106 billion euros ($132 billion) through the surcharge on their power bills to finance the clean-energy expansion. The annual cost may peak this year and drop slightly to 22 billion euros in 2015 as the government begins reducing subsidies for the industry.
Despite the expense, the shift has broad public support. A poll earlier this year showed 71 percent of Germans back the decision to close the nuclear reactors and 67 percent think the country isn’t doing enough to move to renewables, according to the Allensbach polling company.
Against this general backdrop, power companies in Germany are increasingly staking their future on green energy. EON after the split in 2016 will concentrate on renewables, distribution and marketing to households and consumers. The spun-off entity will include conventional power generation, global energy trading, exploration and production.
Renewables Focus
“There’s a new world becoming reality that’s driven by customers,” EON Chief Executive Officer Johannes Teyssen said today in Berlin of the plan to split the utility.
Vattenfall AB, owned by the Swedish state, wants to get rid of its German coal operations to focus on renewables, while ENBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG last year doubled its asset sales goal to 3 billion euros to free up cash to invest in clean energy. RWE, Europe’s biggest corporate emitter of greenhouse gases, said yesterday it didn’t plan to follow EON’s lead. RWE last year generated more than half of its power in Germany with lignite, the dirtiest fossil fuel.
“Spinning off coal, gas and oil from the core business is a smart strategy for a future-oriented company,” said Patrick Graichen, head of Agora Energiewende. “I’m sure additional utilities will follow suit — not just in Germany, but worldwide.”
Electric Cars
Merkel is also trying to reduce the country’s emissions by pushing Germany’s auto industry to build more electric cars after French, Japanese and American carmakers got off to an early lead. Including vehicles like Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s i3 city car and an electric version of Daimler AG’s Smart two-seater, German auto manufacturers will offer 17 electric- powered models by the end of 2014, and another 12 will be going on sale next year, according to the country’s VDA automotive industry group.
The chancellor today threw her support behind incentives to reach her goal of having 1 million electric cars on German roads by 2020. The country is behind on the effort in part because the government has previously balked at subsidies like those offered in France, where consumers receive as much as 6,300 euros to help cover the higher cost of low-emission vehicles. Electric car sales in Germany last year amounted to about 7,600 vehicles, while in France demand was almost double that at 14,400.
“There’s a lot to do,” Merkel said during a press conference in Berlin. “We see that further subsidies are necessary. We must speak with the German states about that.”
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg
Lead image: Solar and wind via Shutterstock
Alstom Opens Wind Turbine Production Plant
Alstom has opened its first offshore wind turbine production plants in Saint-Nazaire, France. On hand for an inauguration event was French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Alstom Chairman and Managing Director Patrick Kron and Alstom Renewable Power Chairman Jérôme Pécresse. The new facilities will manufacture nacelles and generators for the Haliade 150-6MW turbines while the towers and blades will be made in the Alstom plants in Cherbourg. The plants will produce, on average, 100 machines per day and will be fully operational in early 2015. Delivery is expected to begin during the first quarter and includes 5 turbines intended for the Block Island wind farm in the U.S.
The plants in Saint-Nazaire will also be assembling the 238 offshore turbines that are planned to equip the three facilities installed by EDF, the exclusive partner of Alstom on the French market, in Saint-Nazaire, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Fécamp starting in 2017.
“The inauguration of the Saint-Nazaire facility represents a milestone in Alstom’s story and in the country’s own industrial history,” said Kron. “These new plants are France’s first offshore wind turbine production factories. Thanks to them, we shall now be in a position to serve the French market as well as to meet a growing international demand.”
The Haliade 150-6MW wind turbine is designed for a marine setting. Thanks to a rotor exceeding 150 metres in diameter, the turbine’s yield is 15% higher than that of other same-generation wind turbines according to Alstom. With 6 MW of power.
Pécresse added, “Through the construction of those new plants, Alstom is upholding its determination to be one of the leaders in a French industrial sector of excellence devoted to renewable energy, and to ensure the sustainability of a Renewable Ocean Energy industry intended to claim an early position in a global market, by involving all our partners.”
USDA Announced Advanced Biofuels Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Vilsack has announced the availability of $6.5 million in grants to 220 producers throughout the country to support their efforts to produce advanced biofuels. There is also an additional $4 million in grants dedicated to advanced the bioeconomy.
“Producing advanced biofuel is a major component of the drive to take control of America’s energy future by developing domestic, renewable energy sources,” said Vilsack. “These resources represent the Obama Administration’s commitment to support an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy that seeks to build a robust bio-based economy. Investments in biofuels will also help create jobs and further diversify the economy in our rural communities.”
The funding is being provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of advanced biofuel produced from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. Examples of eligible feedstocks include but are not limited to: crop residue; animal, food and yard waste; vegetable oil; and animal fat.
In other news, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the award of fiscal year 2014 grants through three other programs supporting bioenergy initiatives.
- The National Biodiesel Board and Regents of the University of Idaho received $768,000 and $192,000 respectively, through the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program. The program was established to stimulate biodiesel consumption and the development of a biodiesel infrastructure.
- South Dakota State University (SDSU) received $2.3 million through the Sun Grant Program. This program encourages bioenergy and biomass research collaboration between government agencies, land-grant colleges and universities, and the private sector.
- Through the Critical Agricultural Materials program, Iowa State University of Science and Technology received $1 million for the development of new paint, coating, and adhesive products that are derived from acrylated glycerol, which is a co-product of the biodiesel industry.
Ethanol Safety Seminars Scheduled for Dec. 10–12 in Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will co-host free Ethanol Safety Seminars Dec. 10–12 at the Portland Fire and Rescue Training Center in Portland, Oregon. The Dec. 10 session will occur from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. while the Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public. The seminar’s training is funded by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s PHMSA Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant program through the Oregon State Police, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, and Portland Fire Rescue.
The goal of this seminar is for attendees to gain full ethanol emergency response training experience that they can put to use immediately in the field and pass along to other first response teams. A majority of this training is based on the “Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response,” a training package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) that has been distributed throughout the United States and to several countries worldwide.
“The Office of State Fire Marshal is pleased to offer the Ethanol Safety Seminar, funded through the Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness grant,” said Sue Otjen of Oregon’s State Emergency Response Commission. “This training will provide first responders with the knowledge and resources needed to be prepared to safely respond to ethanol and other fuel related incidents in their community.”
“2014 has been a very successful year for the RFA and its partners in educating and training communities across the nation on swift and efficient responses to ethanol emergencies,” said Kristy Moore, vice president of technical services at RFA. “We are proud to continue this indispensable program in Portland as the year comes to a close.”
The Ethanol Safety Seminar focuses on numerous important areas of ethanol safety including an introduction to ethanol and ethanol-blended fuels, chemical and physical characteristics of ethanol and hydrocarbon fuels, transportation and transfer of ethanol-blended fuels, storage and dispensing locations, firefighting foam principles and ethanol-blended fuel, health and safety considerations for ethanol-blended fuel emergencies and tank farm and bulk storage fire incidents. Certificates will be awarded to attendees at the completion of the course.
To register for this seminar, go to www.rfa.traincaster.com. For more information on ethanol emergency response, visit the EERC website at www.EthanolResponse.com.
4 minutes with…Basil Karampelas, President, American Process
Tell us about your organization and it’s role in the advanced bioeconomy.
We’ve developed 2 proprietary biorefinery technologies producing low-cost cellulosic sugars from non-food based biomass. Our Green Power+ technology produces low-cost cellulosic sugars from the hemicelluloses. AVAP technology produces cellulosic sugars from cellulose and hemicelluloses. Our GP+ demo is in Alpena, MI; our AVAP demo is in Georgia
Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.
As President of API, I wear a lot of hats, but my primary role is recruiting and retaining exceptional talent for our company. My focus continues to be finding talented people and then bringing them into the organization. Once a candidate is identified and phone screened, I run the interviewing process, focusing on both technical competency and growth potential for our organization. I recruit experienced hires as well as people graduating from universities such as Georgia Tech and Michigan Tech. Once we have people on board, I am also responsible for the implementation and management of their annual performance review program. Every employee at our company has an action plan with specific goals and objectives that align with our overall company goals. I also have administrative responsibility for our European offices in Athens, Greece and Cluj, Romania.
What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?
I believe that in order for the industry to be viable, there must be multiple successful companies collaborating with end-users to produce biofuels, biomaterials and bio-based chemicals at or near the capacity for their facilities. If we have only one or two successful companies in our space, weâll just have another business school case study!
If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the Advanced Bioeconomy, what would you change?
My first wish would be to see consistency and stability of governmental policies as they pertain to the environment. That should be the foundation upon which our industry is built. As a second wish, I would love to see more educated investors in the space who understand the 1) timeline and 2) the capital requirements for these types of projects.
Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?
For me personally, it was the idea that I could join a technology-based company where my finance and HR background and skill set could make a tangible, measurable difference as opposed to being a small fish in a big pond where my contributions would get lost in the background noise.
Where are you from?
Like Neil Diamond, Jerry Seinfeld, and John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever, I’m from Brooklyn (Bay Ridge), New York. However, I grew up in Avon and Simsbury, Connecticut, two bedroom communities near Hartford.
What was your undergraduate major in college, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?
I was a History/Economics major at Stanford and returned there to get my MBA. I chose Stanford because I was ambivalent about becoming a chemical engineer or lawyer when I was in high school and Stanford was a place where I could study to become both. Ironically I am neither a lawyer nor a ChemE but I share an office with someone who is both!
Who do you consider your mentors. What have you learned from them?
Our CEO Dr. Theodora Retsina has been a great mentor to me. Iâve learned a lot from Theodora about what it takes to develop a technology from pilot to commercial scale and how to balance the requirements of commercial partners, investors and the team that you have assembled to accomplish the task at hand. Theodora has a ânever give up and donât take no for an answerâ attitude that permeates our organization.
The other person that was a great mentor to me was John Pittenger, who hired me at Koch Industries. John is a brilliant guy who was the first person to help me to really think strategically and act like an owner. I also learned a lot from him about how to motivate and inspire your direct reports. John is also one of the funniest people I know.
What’s the biggest lesson you ever learned during a period of adversity?
I once worked for a firm that had a lot of financial difficulties, and the attitude among the employees was pretty negative (and definitely contagious). It was very tempting to keep the negative cycle going but I learned that if I approached the difficulties with a positive attitude, it would increase my probability of ultimate success. That helped me to exit in a way that I made the most of a bad situation.
It was also during that period that I really had an epiphany about the importance of family. Having a wife and three kids (9, 5 and 3 years old) to come home to can make even the worst day at work bearable.
What hobbies do you pursue, away from your work in the industry?
I’m a bit of a travel fanatic. I often contribute to frequent flyer blogs and have managed to have a lot of great vacations with my family using points and miles.
What 3 books would you take to read, if stranded on a desert island?
1. “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, by Robert Pirsig
2. “The Odyssey” by Homer
3. Any collection of short stories by PG Wodehouse
What books or articles are on your reading list right now, or you just completed and really enjoyed?
Theodora recently gave me “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” to read. It’s by Ben Horowitz.
What’s your favorite city or place to visit, for a holiday?
My favorite city on earth is Sydney, Australia, and I was fortunate enough to live there for a year and also to honeymoon there. My favorite place, however, has to be the Greek Islands. I got to take the whole family to Santorini for the first time in the summer of 2013.
Biofuels Digest Index rebounds to 64.70 as large caps recover
Edeniq heads down Success-at-Scale Avenue, in China
![Jilin-province]()
The Virtuosos of Visalia land a major contract with China giant Global Bio-chem — a 50KT cellulosic sugars plant is underway in Jilin province.
In California, Edeniq announced a Joint Development Agreement with Global Bio-chem Technology Group Limited, to integrate their technologies in a commercial demonstration plant at Global Bio-chem’s facility in the Jilin Province of China. Construction has been initiated on the plant, with a target to produce 50,000 metric tons per year of sugars from corn stover.
The two companies not only intend to supply the cellulosic sugars to Global Bio-chem for utilization in its existing sugar-based chemical production facilities, but also plan to develop partnerships with other companies to enable the production of a broad array of biochemicals and biofuels from its sugars.
The announcement follows on from a letter of intent signed in July.
Timing for construction of the China plant
Global Biochem has started construction of a Commercial Demonstration Plant with a capacity of 50,000 mt/yr cellulosic sugars from corn stover, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
Reaction from the partners
Ms. Xu Ziyi, Executive Director of Global Bio-chem, said, “China has a large and growing demand for bio-based products. This partnership will allow us to further develop and commercialize our technology platform utilizing the millions of metric tons per year of corn stover available in the Jilin Province, while significantly reducing the production costs of corn stover-based sugar.”
“Edeniq is known for our capital efficient solutions, and this relationship with Global Bio-chem will allow us to quickly expand into the growing markets in China,” said Brian Thome, President and CEO of Edeniq. “Through this partnership, we are further demonstrating our commitment to developing next generation cellulosic technologies and the lowest cost route to efficient biofuel and biochemical production.”
About Edeniq technology and its development
Edeniq’s Cellunator enables ethanol plants to mill corn and other plant materials into a well-mixed slurry of small, uniformly-sized feedstock that can be more easily converted into sugars needed to produce biofuels and other biomaterials.
In May 2013, Edeniq announced that the company’s first demonstration plant, located at its Visalia headquarters, has completed a successful “performance test” that exceeded the benchmark of 1,000 hours of continuous operation. The Corn-to-Cellulosic Migration plant utilizes Edeniq’s proprietary technology to process over one metric ton of cellulosic feedstock per day to cellulosic ethanol, exceeding the plant’s initial target.
More about Global Bio-chem
Global Bio-chem is the largest vertically integrated corn-based biochemical product manufacturer in Asia and is one of the leading lysine players in the fermentation industry worldwide. The Group is one of the pioneers in applying corn starch as raw material for the commercial production of polyol chemicals. Global Bio-chem is also the parent company of Global Sweeteners Holdings Limited, one of the largest corn sweeteners producers in the PRC.
Installations elsewhere
In California, Edeniq announced that Flint Hills Resources Renewables has confirmed that the Cellunators have achieved the desired increase in ethanol production at its Fairbank, Iowa facility and the company will install Cellunators at two additional locations. Flint Hills has been an investor in Edeniq since April 2012 and a customer since July 2011.
The technologies were also installed in a larger demonstration plant in São Paulo State, Brazil, co-constructed by Edeniq and partner, Usina Vale, a Brazilian sugar and ethanol producer, producing cellulosic sugars from sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous by-product of sugarcane juice extraction.
Edeniq’s 20 mt/day sugarcane bagasse to cellulosic sugar and ethanol demonstration plant is under construction. Some sections of the plant have been completed and started up. Usina Vale is responsible for the construction and will complete the remainder of the facility in the second quarter of 2015.
In January 2013, Edeniq announced a pact with Pacific Ethanol to install Edeniq’s proprietary Cellunators to boost ethanol yields, and will also deploy Edeniq’s patented OilPlus corn oil extraction process to increase corn oil recovery, at the Pacific Ethanol plant in Stockton.
Edeniq’s Cellunator technology mills corn and other plant materials into ‘right-sized’ particles of feedstock that can be more efficiently converted into the plant sugars needed to produce biofuels. OilPlus combines thermal, mechanical, and chemical treatments to improve the recovery of corn oil, a valuable co-product that can be used for feed and other bio-industrial products. Edeniq’s technology was expected to increase the facility’s ethanol yields by 2-4%.
This followed on from news in November 2012 of a similar agreement with Aemetis, to conduct large-scale commercial testing of Edeniq’s cellulosic ethanol Pathway platform. Edeniq’s Cellunator technology produces sugars by milling corn and other plant materials into “right-sized” particles of feedstock that can be more easily converted. Edeniq installed Cellunators at Aemetis’ Keyes, California facility, which currently produces 60 million gallons of ethanol annually.
The Bottom Line
From a company POV, a huge step forward for Global Bio-Chem to diversify its sugar sources, and for Edeniq to expand to commercial-scale with a 50KT facility. Seen from a business trend POV, more evidence mounting that the center of activity right now is in EU and especially Asian companies partnering to access US-based technology, as cellulosic deployment heads around the globe.