QuantumSphere Awarded Research Grant to Turn Algae into Biofuels

QuantumSphere, Inc., a leading developer of advanced catalyst materials, high-performance electrode systems, and related process chemistries for portable power and clean-tech applications, today announced that it was awarded a research grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a process using nanocatalysts to convert biomass into biofuels.

The grant was awarded under the commission's Energy Innovations Small Grant program (EISG) and will fund the one-year development of an algae biogasification process that utilizes nanometals as catalysts for the purposes of turning vegetation and similar biomass materials into methane, hydrogen, or other synthetic gases that can be used for transportation and other energy needs. QuantumSphere will build a small-scale platform over the next 12 months to demonstrate the effectiveness of the process.

Algae-based bio fuels hold great promise due to their enormous energy potential. According to experts, algae grows 20 to 30 times faster than food crops, contains up to 30 times more fuel than equivalent amounts of other bio fuel sources, and can be grown almost anywhere. Studies show that algae can produce up to 60% of its biomass in the form of oil or carbohydrates. This oil can then be turned into biodiesel which could be sold for use in automobiles. The carbohydrates can be turned into alcohols, or gasified to bio gas, hydrogen, or methane, for many industrial applications.

"Our vision for this project was to use this process to take wet algae produced in a place like the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley of California and convert it into renewable fuels," said Subra Iyer, principal technologist for QuantumSphere, Inc. "The Salton Sea is a place for large amounts of agricultural runoff which sometimes creates large algae blooms. If successful, we envision a large plant on the shore of the Salton Sea that could convert large amounts of wet algae into renewable fuels."

Source : QuantumSphere Press Release

Mascoma Demonstration Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Starts Up

Mascoma Corporation, a leader in the development of low carbon cellulosic ethanol, today announced that the company's demonstration facility in Rome, New York, is now producing ethanol from non-food cellulosic biomass.

"This is an important milestone for the cellulosic ethanol industry and for Mascoma. We are grateful for the support NYSERDA and NYPA have provided for the past two years," said Bruce A. Jamerson, CEO of Mascoma Corporation. "They have been outstanding partners and we couldn't have built this plant without them."

Completed in December 2008, the Rome, NY plant is one of the largest facilities converting non-food biomass into cellulosic ethanol in the United States. The facility currently has a production capacity of up to 200,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year. Construction began in early 2008.

Source : MarketWatch

Ethanol's Economic Contribution in 2008

In what has become an annual report, John Urbanchuk of LECG LLC has released a report on the economic contribution of the ethanol industry in 2008.

The following summarizes the economic contribution of the American ethanol industry.

• The full impact of the spending for annual operations, ethanol transportation, capital spending for new plants under construction, and R&D spending added $65.6 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008.
• New jobs are created as a consequence of increased economic activity caused by ethanol production. The increase in economic activity resulting from ongoing production, construction of new capacity, and R&D supported more than 494,000 jobs in all sectors of the economy during 2008.
• Increased economic activity and new jobs result in higher levels of income for American households. The economic activities of the ethanol industry put an additional $19.9 billion into the pockets of American consumers in 2008.
• The ethanol industry more than paid for itself in 2008. The combination of increased GDP and higher household income generated an estimated $11.9 billion in tax revenue for the Federal government and nearly $9 billion of additional tax revenue for State and Local governments. The estimated cost of the two major Federal incentives in 2008, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and ethanol Small Producer Credit, totaled $4.7 billion. Consequently, the ethanol industry generated a surplus of $7.1 billion for the Federal treasury.
• Ethanol reduces our dependence on imported oil and reduces the U.S. trade deficit. The production and use of ethanol displaces crude oil needed to manufacture gasoline. According to the Energy Information Administration imports account for more than 65 percent of our crude oil supplies and oil imports are the largest component of the expanding U.S. trade deficit. The production of nine billion gallons of ethanol means that the U.S. needed to import 321.4 million fewer barrels of oil in 2008 to manufacture gasoline, or roughly the equivalent of five percent of total U.S. crude oil imports. The value of the crude oil displaced by ethanol amounted to $32 billion in 2008.3 This is money that stayed in the American economy.

Source : CONTRIBUTION OF THE ETHANOL INDUSTRY TO THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES

MODERN ETHANOL PLANT HAS NEGLIGIBLE IMPACT ON LAND USE, NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDY FINDS

Proposed EPA and California renewable fuel standards relying upon incomplete science may threaten ethanol market and worsen global warming impact

A new study announced today on ethanol land use impact found that a modern ethanol plant does not meaningfully change farmland use, neither the amount of land farmed nor the mix of crops planted (e.g., corn, soybeans). Commissioned by the Illinois Corn Growers (ICGA), the study's findings contest an unproven theory that increased production of corn ethanol results in the conversion of unused farm land into corn production and an increase in the percentage of corn acres planted by farmers. "This is the most thorough and far-reaching study on land use impact done to date," stated Rod Weinzierl, executive director of the ICGA. "It demonstrates that the often cited link between new ethanol plants and the conversion of non agricultural land to corn is highly questionable. Corn ethanol is not a central driver in the conversion of non-corn farmland to corn production."

The study was conducted by Dr. Steffen Mueller from the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago utilizing a modern ethanol plant in Rochelle, Illinois (approximately 75 miles northwest of Chicago) as its test subject. The study looked at relevant farming data - including satellite imagery and farmer surveys - one year prior to the plant opening through to two years after.

"Our objective was to take a bottom-up approach to data collection and analysis, and thereby arrive at a fully considered assessment on the potential impact of ethanol production on farm land use," commented Dr. Mueller. "We examined each acre of farmland within a 40 mile radius of the test site - prior to and after the launch of an ethanol plant - and found that neither intensification nor extensification occurred. Farmers had land available to convert (extensification) for corn production and did not. And, ethanol plant grain demand was quickly met by incremental production improvements and so increased percentages of corn acres (intensification) cannot be explained by the new ethanol plant. The results of this study on one modern ethanol plant are sufficiently dramatic to indicate that the science of ethanol and land use is far from being set."

The study's findings are in conflict with the current federal and state governmental draft standards that utilize older and less thorough science. "With California a recognized national leader in renewable fuel policy, the risk that state's draft renewable fuel standards being prematurely approved is that ethanol will be branded a brown fuel nationally," stated Rod Weinzierl. "This threatens to marginalize the use of ethanol in the U.S. fuel mix and would have far reaching, non beneficial environmental and financial impact. California will be worsening, not improving, our nation's carbon footprint at a time when we have the green fuel supply to do otherwise."

The study found that a new ethanol plant requiring 20.45 million bushels of corn annually for fuel production utilizes the yield from 104,284 acres, which is less than 7% of the acres from the "draw area." However, during the study period, more than 260,000 acres were converted from mostly soybeans to corn indicating that other factors contributed to corn intensification (an increase in percentage of corn acres grown).

"During the early phase of plant startup it's possible that corn acres are intensified as a result of perceived plant market demand," Dave Loos, Technical Director of ICGA noted. "This quickly levels off and other factors such as export demand and grain economics drive on farm planting decisions. Once an ethanol plant has been in operation for two years, its supply requirements are a marginal factor in local farmers' planting strategy. Annual production increases quickly exceeded the total new demand from the plant."

The study found that while land such as grass and pasture was available for farmers within the ethanol plant draw area to convert to and increase planted corn acres by as much as 21%, less than three tenths of a percent increase actually took place, which is not a meaningful amount.

"As we continue to improve the agricultural productivity and processing efficiencies of corn- based ethanol, it is important that the body of scientific work developing around corn's role as a part of our national renewable fuels strategy keep pace with these advancements," added Dr. Martha Schlicher, vice president of Illinois River Energy. "This study is an accurate reflection of the ability of the advancements in corn productivity to absorb incremental ethanol capacity when plants are appropriately added in the right locations at the right time. While it is very important to clearly understand all of the direct and indirect environmental costs and benefits of renewable fuel use, it is equally critical that we accurately account for current and future technological advancements that reaffirm the environmental benefits of corn ethanol. It is unfortunate that we continue to increase gasoline imports while idling existing available corn based ethanol supply that measures in the billions of gallons."

UL Announces Support For Dispensing E15 From Existing Gasoline Pumps

The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) announced today that it supports Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) who decide to permit legacy system dispensers, Listed to UL 87 and currently installed in the market, to be used with fuel blends containing a maximum ethanol content of 15 percent.

"UL determined that there is no significant incremental risk of damage between E10 and fuels with a maximum of 15 percent ethanol. This conclusion was reached after careful examination of the effects of varying levels of ethanol on components," said John Drengenberg, Consumer Affairs Manager for UL. "We will continue to evaluate test and field findings, as well as the scientific literature, as it becomes available and make this information available to AHJs."

Now if they could just certify a pump for use with E85.

Source : UL News Release