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    Brazil and Mexico will sign a cooperation agreement to collaborate on the production of ethanol from sugarcane, Gonzalo Mourão of the Brazilian chancellory's Departamento do México, América Central e Caribe said. Brazil's President Lula is on a tour of Central America and is currently in Mexico, after which he will visit Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Panama. He is set to sign several bilateral agreements on energy and biofuels with these countries. Reuters Brasil - August 4, 2007.

    Evergreen Pulp Inc. announced that it and Diversified Energy Corp. have been selected by the state of California for a $500,000, 36-month renewable energy project that aims to dramatically reduce natural-gas-use residue and natural gas at its Samoa mill. The Public Interest Energy Research Natural Gas Program, a part of the California Energy Commission, awarded four contracts for research, development and demonstration of technologies to replace natural gas with renewable resources, to four applicants from among a pool of 25. The state’s focus for the contracts was for biomass-to-gas and/or hybrid projects specifically addressing industrial and commercial process heating or combined heat and power needs. Eureka Reporter - August 4, 2007.

    Greenline Industries, which designs and builds biodiesel production facilities, and ULEROM, one of Romania's largest agri-business corporations, today announced the formal opening of their largest facility in Vaslui, Romania. The plant will produce some 26.5 million liters (7 mio gallons) per year. The Romanian facility is the 17th example of Greenline's technology featuring waterless wash, computerized, continuous flow and modular construction. PRNewswire - August 1, 2007.

    US Renewables Holdings announced today that it has successfully closed on $475 million of third party capital commitments in its most recent private equity fund, USRG Power & Biofuels Fund II, LP and related vehicles (collectively, "Fund II"), ahead of the fund's original target of $250 million. PRNewswire - August 1, 2007.

    Malaysian palm oil company Kim Loong Resources Bhd has secured European energy trading group Vitol as buyer for all its carbon credits from its planned biogas plant in Kota Tinggi. The biogas facility generates methane from palm oil mill effluent, a waste product. The project is expected to generate over RM2 million (€423,000/US$579,000) of earnings annually. The methane capture and power generation project was registered and approved by the Clean Development Mechanism. The Edge Daily - July 31, 2007.

    GreenHunter Energy, Inc. announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GreenHunter BioFuels, Inc., located in Houston, Texas has successfully acquired Air Emission Permits from TCEQ (Texas Commission of Environmental Quality) under TCEQ's Permit by Rule (PBR) programs. These permits open the way for construction of a 105 million gallon per year (mgy) biodiesel facility including a separate but related methanol distillation facility. PRNewswire - July 30, 2007.

    Together with Chemical & Engineering News' Stephen K. Ritter, the journal Environmental Science & Technology sent Erika D. Engelhaupt to Brazil from where she wrote daily dispatches of news and observations about biofuels research. In particular she focuses on a bioenerrgy research partnership between the American Chemical Society, the Brazilian Chemical Society, and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). Check out her blog. Dipatches from Brazil - July 28, 2007.

    Consultation is under way on a £50 million (€74/US$101million) renewable energy plant planned for the South Wales Valleys. Anglo-Dutch company Express Power plans to build a wood-fuelled biomass plant on Rassau Industrial Estate in Blaenau Gwent. The plant will generate an annual 160,000 MWh (Mega Watt hours) of green electricity for Wales from forestry, recycled wood and wood derivatives. ICWales - July 27, 2007.

    The price of New York crude leapt to 77.24 dollar a barrel on Thursday, marking the highest level since August 9, 2006, as keen global demand and tight supplies fuelled speculative buying, traders said. On Wednesday, the US government had revealed that inventories of American crude fell by 1.1 million barrels last week. France24 - July 26, 2007.

    Arriva, one of Europe's largest transport groups is trialling B20 biodiesel for the first time on 75 of its buses. The company is aiming to reduce total carbon emissions by around 14 per cent by using biodiesel as a 20 per cent blend (predominantly be a mixture of sustainable soya products, along with used cooking oil and tallow). The 75 buses in the innovative trial will carry around 130,000 passengers every week. Minimal engineering changes will be required to the fleet as part of the scheme. Arriva - July 26, 2007.

    Marathon Oil Corporation announces that it has completed two more projects adding biodiesel blended fuel at its Robinson and Champaign terminals in Illinois. The terminals now feature in-line ratio blending in order to provide soy-based B-2 (two percent biodiesel) and B-11 (eleven percent biodiesel). Marathon Oil - July 25, 2007.

    Norway-based renewable energy firm Global Green One has agreed to set up a € 101.6 million bioethanol plant in Békéscsaba (southeast Hungary), with more facilities planned for Kalocsa, Szombathely and Kõszeg, the latter of which was already a target for a €25 million plant in May this year. The Békéscsaba plant would process 200,000 tonnes of maize per year, employing around 100 people. The logistics part of the facility would also create 100 jobs. The company expects the factory to generate €65 million in revenues each year. Portfolio - July 25, 2007.

    A Canadian firm, Buchanan Renewable Energies, is to begin an investment into Liberia's biomass industry that will grow to US$20 million in October and offer 300 jobs by end of the year. The company will start shipping 90 major pieces of equipment to Liberia by the end of August. Daily Observer (Monrovia) - July 24, 2007.

    KNM Process Systems Sdn Bhd, has secured a RM122 million (€26/$36m) order to build a biodiesel plant in Pahang, Malaysia, for Mission Biofuels Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Australian biofuels company Mission Biofuels Ltd. The plant will have a biodiesel output of 750 tonnes per day and glycerine output of 82 tonnes per day. Malaysia Business Times - July 24, 2007.

    AlgoDyne Ethanol Energy Inc. confirms that its retail partner, Canadian Green Fuels, has entered into an agreement with Cansource BioFuels to open a new biodiesel production facility in Mayerthorpe Alberta. The deal will see the construction and development of a community based, integrated crushing and biodiesel facility to process 10 million litres of ASTM certified canola based biodiesel which will be scaled up to produce 40million litres by 2010. BusinessWire - July 23, 2007.

    The Center for Management Technology announces the second Biomass-to-Liquids Technology conference will take place in Vienna this year, from 12 to 13 September. The current state of BTL-technologies will be presented and discussed. Biomass-to-Liquids conversion pathways are seen by many as promising avenues into the world of second generation biofuels that relies on the use of a broad variety of possible biomass feedstocks. CMT - July 23, 2007.

    Gulf Ethanol Corporation, a Houston-based energy company, announced today that it has initiated negotiations with representatives of government and industry in Uruguay. Discussions, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, centered on the synergy between Gulf Ethanol's interest in exploiting the potential of sorghum as a non-food fuel stock for ethanol production and the ideal conditions for growing the crop in Uruguay. The company criticizes the use of food crops like corn for ethanol in the U.S. and is seeking alternatives. Yahoo Press Release - July 20, 2007.

    Dutch company Capella Capital N.V. announces its investment in BiogasPark N.V. and acquires a 20 % stake upon the foundation of the company. The remaining shares are held by the management and strategic investors. BiogasPark N.V. will invest in the field of renewable energy and primarily focuses on financing, purchasing and the maintenance of biogas plant facilities. Ad Hoc News - July 20, 2007.

    Bioenergy company Mascoma Corp. is to build the world's first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Michigan where it will collaborate with Michigan State University. The $100 million plant will rely on the biochemical, enzymatic process that breaks down biomass to convert it to sugars. One of the factors that attracted Mascoma to Michigan was the recent $50 million federal grant MSU received to study biofuels in June. MSU will help in areas such as pretreatment technology for cellulosic ethanol production and energy crops that can be utilized by the plant. The State News - July 20, 2007.

    PetroChina, one of China's biggest oil companies, aims to invest RMB 300 million (€28.7/US$39.6m) in biofuel production development plans. A special fund is also going to be jointly set up by PetroChina and the Ministry of Forestry to reduce carbon emissions. Two thirds of the total investment will be channeled into forestry and biofuel projects in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Hebei, the remainder goes to creating a China Green Carbon Foundation, jointly managed by PetroChina and the State Forestry Administration. China Knowledge - July 19, 2007.

    Netherlands-based oil, gas, power and chemical industries service group Bateman Litwin N.V. announces it has signed an agreement to acquire Delta-T Corporation, a leading US-based bioethanol technology provider, with a fast growing engineering, procurement and construction division for a total consideration of US$45 million in cash and 11.8 million new ordinary shares in Bateman Litwin. Bateman Litwin - July 18, 2007.

    TexCom, Inc. announced today that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Biodiesel International Corp. (BIC), and is developing a plan to build an integrated oilseed crushing and biodiesel production facility in Paraguay. The facility, as it is currently contemplated, would process 2,000 metric tons of oil seeds per day, yielding approximately 136,000 metric tons (approximately 39 Million Gallons) of biodiesel and 560,000 metric tons of soy meal pellets per year. Initial feedstock will consist mainly of soybeans that are grown in the immediate area of the proposed production plant in the Provinces of Itapua and Alto Parana. MarketWire - July 18, 2007.

    Spanish power company Elecnor announced that it will build Spain's biggest biodiesel production plant for €70 million (US$96.48 million). The plant, in the port of Gijon in northern Spain, will be ready in 22 months and will produce up to 500,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year from vegetable oil. The plant will be one of the world's biggest. Spain has decided to impose mandatory blending of biofuels with conventional fossil fuels as part of European Union efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Elecnor [*Spanish] - July 18, 2007.

    The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a feasibility study to determine the most economical solutions to provide biomass energy to the isolated Chugachmiut Tribal Community in the village of Port Graham, Alaska, located on the Kenai Peninsula about 180 miles southwest of Anchorage. The village is only accessible by air or water, making traditional fossil fuel sources expensive to deliver and alternative forms of energy difficult to implement. The case study based on decentralised bioenergy offers interesting parallels to what would be needed to provide energy to the developing world's huge population that lives in similarly isolated conditions. EERC - July 18, 2007.

    According to a basic market report by Global Industries Inc., world biodiesel sales are expected to exceed 4.7 billion gallons (17.8 billion liters) by 2010. Though Europe, with a share estimated at 84.16% in 2006, constitutes the largest market, and will continue to do so for the coming years, major growth is expected to emanate from the United States. The automobile applications market for biodiesel, with an estimated share of 55.73% in 2006 constitutes the largest as well as the fastest growing end use application. Other applications independently analyzed include the Mining Applications market and the Marine Applications market. PRWeb - July 18, 2007.


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Saturday, August 04, 2007

Danish researchers look at seaweed for biofuels

Denmark currently makes a small amount of liquid biofuels, mostly from locally produced grains and oilseeds. But given its very small agricultural potential, the Nordic country will have to import the bulk of its green fuels from abroad. That is, unless another source of abundant biomass can be found within Denmark's territory. Researchers from the University of Aarhus think they have found just that. They are looking at (*Danish, or *French) a species of seaweed known as 'sea lettuce' (Ulva lactuca) as a potential feedstock for the production of ethanol.

The aquatic plant is a large, fast growing green algae that can be found near shores (profile at the AlgaeBase; image, click to enlarge). It thrives in nutrient-rich zones, especially there where water is contaminated by nitrogen runoff from agriculture. Interestingly, its sugar content is relatively high, making it a potential feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production.

Michael Bo Rasmussen of the National Institute of Environmental Research at the University of Aarhus has already carried out two tests with the algae and thinks harvesting them as a biomass source might make sense. The species grows fast, doubling its biomass every three to four days. Rasmussen estimates the theoretical yearly yield to be between 200 and 500 tons of wet biomass on a 'hectare' basis (even though comparisons with terrestrial plants are difficult). Denmark's total potential would be an annual production of around 80,000 to 100,000 tons. Importantly, the algae doesn't need fresh water to grow and it occurs near shores, making it accessible. The seaweed could be harvested in its wild form, and thus contribute to re-oxygenating zones that have been invaded by the algae.

Large scale cultivation
Like Japanese researchers, the Danish scientists are thinking of cultivating the algae on a large scale. Traditional seaweed cultivation techniques, refined in Japan, could be modernized and applied to a modern aquacultural biomass industry. Ulva lactuca thrives when fed with liquid fertilizer and carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas. Denmark's economy generates an excess of both these nutrients. Rasmussen estimates that an optimal production process based on feeding the algae the right amount of fertilizer and CO2, could yield up to 500 tons of biomass per hectare. But for the time being, such a high-tech form of aquaculture would be prohibitively expensive, the researcher says:
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Rasmussen's project is one of the proposals selected for funding by the Aarhus Research Foundation, which is freeing up 48 million kroner (€6.4/US$8.8 million) for 16 different projects over the 2007-2011 period.

The idea of harvesting algae from the open ocean keeps popping up each time oil prices reach records. In the 1970s, several similar ideas were launched and received modest funding, both in the U.S., Japan and the EU. Scientists can now pick up on the research of their older collegues. Recently, a company that used to work on micro-algae production in closed photobioreactors decided to do just that and started looking at harvesting biomass from algae blooms found in the open ocean (previous post).

Some of these aquacultural projects may make sense over the ultra-long term provided major R&D breakthroughs are made. However, ideas like growing algae in closed photobioreactors are not feasible (more here) because uncompetitive; likewise, growing the micro-organisms in open ponds requires serious advances in biotechnology to bring costs down by at least a factor of 20.

Picture: Ulva lactuca Linnaeus. Photographer: Katrin Österlund © Katrin Österlund. Oliveira, E., Österlund, K. & Mtolera, M.S.P. (2005). Marine Plants of Tanzania. A field guide to the seaweeds and seagrasses. pp. 267. Stockholm: Botany Department, Stockholm University. Credit: AlgaeBase.

References:
Futura-Sciences: Une idée danoise : le biocarburant à base de laitue de mer - July 25, 2007.

University of Aarhus: Stort potentiale i biobrændstof fra havet - June 222, 2007.

AlgaeBase: Ulva lactuca Linnaeus profile.

Biopact: Scientist skeptical of algae-to-biofuels potential - interview - July 18, 2007

Biopact: Harvesting algae blooms from the open ocean - March 01, 2007


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Ceramic tubes could cut greenhouse gas emissions from power stations


Researchers from Newcastle University and Imperial College have developed tiny tubes made from an advanced ceramic material that can be used to control the combustion process in power plants in such a way that it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. If the technique is applied to gaseous biofuels (biomethane, gasified biomass), the generated electricity could effectively become carbon-negative.

The material, known as LSCF, has the remarkable property of being able to filter oxygen out of the air. By burning fuel in pure oxygen, it is possible to produce a stream of almost pure carbon dioxide, which has commercial potential for reprocessing into useful chemicals.

LSCF is not a brand new material - it was originally developed for fuel cell technology - but the engineers have developed it for potential use in reducing emissions for gas-fired power stations and possibly coal and oil-fired electricity generation as well.
The cheapest way to dispose of waste carbon dioxide from combustion is to release it into the atmosphere. We have been doing this since humans first discovered how to make fire. The technology we have developed may provide a viable alternative, although whether it is economical to introduce it will depend largely upon the carbon credit system that Governments operate in the future. - Professor Ian Metcalfe, School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials at Newcastle University
Capturing CO2
Conventional gas-fired power stations burn methane in a stream of air, producing a mixture of nitrogen and greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are emitted into the atmosphere. Separating the gases is not practical because of the high cost and large amount of energy needed to do so.

However, the LSCF tubes would allow only the oxygen component of air to reach the methane gas, resulting in the production of almost pure carbon dioxide and steam, which can easily be separated by condensing out the steam as water.

The resulting stream of carbon dioxide could be piped to a processing plant for conversion into chemicals such as methanol, a useful industrial fuel and solvent. Alternatively it could be sequestered.

The new combustion process has been developed and tested in the laboratory by Professor Ian Metcalfe, Dr Alan Thursfield and colleagues in the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials at Newcastle University, in collaboration with Dr Kang Li in the Chemical Engineering Department at Imperial College London. The research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Details of the research and development project are published on 3 August 2007 simultaneously in two technical publications - Materials World and The Chemical Engineer. A series of research papers have also been published in academic journals as the project has developed.

How the tubes work
The LSCF tubes look like small, stiff, drinking straws and are permeable to oxygen ions — individual atoms carrying an electrical charge. Crucially, LSCF is also resistant to corrosion or decomposition at typical power station operating temperatures of around 800C:
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When air is blown around the outside of the tubes, oxygen is able to pass through the wall of the tube to the inside, where it combusts with methane gas that is being pumped through the centre of the tubes.

The oxygen-depleted air, which consists mainly of nitrogen, can be returned to the atmosphere with no harmful effects on the environment, while the carbon dioxide can be collected separately from the inside of the tubes after combustion.

An alternative would be to control the flow of air and methane so that only partial combustion took place. This would result in a flow of 'synthesis gas', a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which can easily be converted into a variety of useful hydrocarbon chemicals.

The tubes of LSCF, which stands for Lanthanum-Strontium-Cobalt-Ferric Oxide, have been tested successfully in the laboratory and the design is attracting interest from the energy industry. The Newcastle team is now carrying out further tests on the durability of the tubes to confirm their initial findings that they could withstand the conditions inside a power station combustion chamber for a reasonable length of time.

Although it has not yet been attempted, it should be possible to assemble a power station combustion chamber from a large number of the tubes, with space between them for air to circulate.

In theory the technology could also be applied to coal and oil-fired power stations, provided that the solid and liquid fuels were first converted into gas. This operation is simple in theory but would add to the cost and complexity of running a power station.

Government statistics suggest that the UK energy industry produces over 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is more than one-third of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions.

LSCF is a relatively new material and over the past ten years or so been the subject of research in many countries, mainly into its potential use as a cathode in fuel cells.

Picture: Professor Ian Metcalfe with the ceramic tubes in his laboratory at Newcastle University, England.

References:
Newcastle University: Ceramic membrane could cut greenhouse gas emissions from power stations - August 3, 2007.



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The bioeconomy at work: Green Toys makes colorful classics from bioplastics


Combine biodegradable, low-carbon bioplastics, with bio-based colorants and a good slogan - "no planets were hurt in the making of this product" - and you may have a hit. Especially if the target group is environmentally conscious young parents with a particular future - their kids. Green Toys announces it is launching a new line of classic toys made entirely from renewable, bio-based raw materials.
As the mother of two young children, I understand parents wanting to do their part to improve and preserve our world for our children. Additionally, by offering children toys that send a positive message about protecting our planet helps to educate the younger generation about how to make good choices for our environment. It may even create young ambassadors for Mother Nature. - Laurie Hyman, co-founder of Green Toys Inc.
The feat is unique in that the toys bring together together some of the most advanced materials and technologies in the bioplastics industry. The raw material is produced by Cereplast, a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based plastics. Cereplast's plastics are made from polylactic acid (PLA), soy proteins, PHA, PHBs, or starch from corn, wheat or potatoes, which are then combined with other bio-based materials to reinforce the base-material's molecular structure. In a final step, the blend is then polymerized and treated with nano-composites for surface optimization and further reinforcement (schematic, click to enlarge).

In addition, the biopolymer used for the toys relies on a special type of biodegradable colorants made by PolyOne Corporation. Dedicated, bio-based colorants for bioplastics are a fairly new development. In this age of stringent rules to protect children against chemical contamination, these colorants have a strong advantage over alternatives (e.g. recently a series of Chinese toys were taken out of the EU market, because the colorants used in them contained high levels of lead, more here).

Green Toys has also extended these efforts into its packaging using only recycled paper products with no traditional plastics or films:
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Green Toys brand toys products will be available in retail stores starting in the Fall 2007, and will include the Green Toys Tea Set, Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit, Green Toys Cookware and Dinning Set and the Green Toys Sand Play Set.

Green Toys Inc. was created to provide consumers with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic toys while making an effort to improve and preserve the world around us.

By marketing sustainable toys for kids and the environment, Green Toys offers classic toys derived from a new generation of environmentally friendly bioplastic material from annually renewable, sustainable resources like corn and other starch materials. Green Toys’ approach will in its own way help to reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions, and increase the overall health and happiness of the planet.


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