Biomass Magazine - July 2014

INSIDE
July 2014
JULY 2014 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 7
ON THE COVER
Court Ordered
Oxford County Free of
Fossil Fuel
Page 24
Plus
Vermont's Vision for

Community-Scale Wood Heat
Page 30
And
Bioenergy Pans Out In Gold

Country
Page 18
www.biomassmagazine.com
With his hands full of

wood pellets, Oxford
County Administrator
Scott Cole stands outside
the county courthouse,
which has installed a
state-of-the-art pellet
boiler heating system in
its basement.
PHOTO: TRISH LOGAN, TRISH LOGAN
PHOTOGRAPHY
06 EDITORS NOTE
Buy Local, Its Cheaper
By Tim Portz
07 INDUSTRY EVENTS
08 BUSINESS BRIEFS
10 Q2 BIOMASS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
52 MARKETPLACE
18
POWER
16 NEWS
17 COLUMN
EPA, White House Signal Biomass Support
By Bob Cleaves
18 FEATURE
Fire Threat Turns Energy Asset
Placer County, Calif., will utilize forest slash to reduce wildfire risk and open-pile
burning while generating renewable power.
By Anna Simet
20 CONTRIBUTION
Tucker RNG: Little Machine, Big Impact
After more than a decade of development, a distributed-scale, fast pyrolysis
system is producing power at ReVenture Park in Charlotteville, N.C.
By Maureen Essen, Caroline Morris and Nate Anderson
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PELLETS
22 NEWS
23 COLUMN
The Beauty of Local Wood Heat
By Maura Adams
24 FEATURE
Pellets Warm County Seats
After many decades of oil use, the Oxford County Courthouse in South Paris,
Maine, is utilizing local and renewable heat.
By Tim Portz
JULY 2014 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 3
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INSIDE
ADVERTISER INDEX
JULY 2014 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 7
2014 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo
56
2015 International Biomass Conference & Expo
53
Agra Industries
26
Airoflex Equipment
28
Astec, Inc.
BBI Project Development
54
Continental Biomass Industries, Inc.
42
CPM Wolverine Proctor, LLC
46
Dieffenbacher
Fagen Inc.
30
8
2
Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. Inc.
27
KEITH Manufacturing Company
New Holland Agriculture
Parr Insturment Company
50
Pellet Fuels Institute
55
PHG Energy
34
Retsch, Inc.
44 & 45
SAMSON Materials Handling Ltd.
43
Seeger Green Energy, LLC
15
Terex Environmental Equipment
35
TerraSource Global (Jeffrey Rader)
12
Tramco, Inc.
14
Uzelac Industries
38
Vecoplan LLC
13
Vector Systems Inc.
22
WASTECON 2014
36
WB Services, LLC
16
West Salem Machinery Co.
37
Wolf Material Handling Systems
51
THERMAL
28 NEWS
29 COLUMN
Wood Stove Politics:
Democrats, Republicans and Unlikely Bedfellows
By John Ackerly
30 FEATURE
Vermonts Wood Heat Renaissance
Since the 1980s, Vermonts wood heat ambition has made it a national
leader and role model for other states.
By Anna Simet
BIOGAS
38 NEWS
39 COLUMN
Community Digesters:
Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies
By Surya Pidaparti
COPYRIGHT 2014 by BBI International
Biomass Magazine: (USPS No. 5336) July 2014, Vol. 8, Issue 7. Biomass
Magazine is published monthly by BBI International. Principal Office:
308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Periodicals
Postage Paid at Grand Forks, North Dakota and additional mailing
offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biomass Magazine/
Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, North
Dakota 58203.
40 FEATURE
California Craft Brews and Biogas Bargains
In a bid to utilize waste and slash energy costs, California beer makers
are looking toward biogas energy.
By Chris Hanson
ADVANCED BIOFUELS & CHEMICALS

46 NEWS
47 COLUMN
Pathway to Nowhere
TM
Please recycle this magazine

and remove inserts or
samples before recycling
By Michael McAdams
48 DEPARTMENT
Mobilizing Pyrolysis
Portable pyrolysis units are helping solve some of the economic challenges
involved in biomass energy projects.
By Kolby Hoagland
EDITORS NOTE
Buy Local,
Its Cheaper
Every year, I look forward to the distributed and onsite bioenergy projects issue of Biomass Magazine. It has become an
annual favorite of our staff, readers and
advertisers, and for good reason. Biomass
was the earliest source of light and heat,
warming and illuminating small bands of
ancient humans. Today, it continues to
excel as an energy source in smaller appliTIM PORTZ
cations.
This months stories clearly demVICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT
onstrate that biomass streams are being
& EXECUTIVE EDITOR
tportz@bbiinternational.com captured and converted in myriad ways to
deliver heat and power to their host environments. What I find particularly exciting is that strong economic advantage was a commonality amongst this months stories.
In California Craft Beers and Biogas Bargains, (page 40) staff writer Chris Hanson's appropriately titled feature, we learn that in the exploding craft brewery sector, anaerobic digestion is often the most economic
wastewater treatment solution available.
Biomass offers the same economic advantage in providing building
heat, as Managing Editor Anna Simet reveals in Vermonts Wood Heat
Renaissance (page 30). In the article, Tim Maker, now CEO of Community Biomass Systems, said of his early days in the Biomass Energy
Resource Center, When we first started, we usually saw a 30 to 35 percent
fuel cost reduction from oil to wood chips. At the peak, it had grown to
an 80 percent cost savings. Its eased back a little now, to about 70 percent,
but thats still the real driver.
Thats still the real driver, which should be music to the ears of everyone who cares about this industry. Most of us are drawn to this industry
because we believe that for our energy cycle to be sustainable, it needs a
continued, steady progression toward biogenic, rather than geologic, carbon inputs. For almost everyone else, biomass-derived energy has to make
economic sense to attract their attention. The externalities and true costs
of carbon arguments, while extremely valid, do little to move people. Industries need low-priced energy. Counties need to reduce their heating
expenses. Brewers want cost-effective water treatment solutions, and consumers want cheaper power. This months stories prove that in the right
situations, biomass doesnt just compete with fossil inputs from a cost
perspective, it dominates.
6 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | JULY 2014
EDITORIAL
PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF
Tom Bryan tbryan@bbiinternational.com
VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT
& EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Tim Portz tportz@bbiinternational.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Anna Simet asimet@bbiinternational.com
NEWS EDITOR
Erin Voegele evoegele@bbiinternational.com
STAFF WRITER
Chris Hanson chanson@bbiinternational.com
COPY EDITOR
Jan Tellmann jtellmann@bbiinternational.com
MAPS & DATA MANAGER
Kolby Hoagland khoagland@bbiinternational.com
ART
ART DIRECTOR
Jaci Satterlund jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Elizabeth Burslie bburslie@bbiinternational.com
PUBLISHING & SALES

CHAIRMAN
Mike Bryan mbryan@bbiinternational.com
CEO
Joe Bryan jbryan@bbiinternational.com
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Matthew Spoorr mspoor@bbiinternational.com
MARKETING DIRECTOR
John Nelson jnelson@bbiinternational.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Howard Brockhouse hbrockhouse@bbiinternational.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Chip Shereck cshereck@bbiinternational.com
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Jessica Beaudry jbeaudry@bbiinternational.com
TRAFFIC & MARKETING COORDINATOR
Marla DeFoe mdefoe@bbiinternational.com
INDUSTRY EVENTS
2014 Pellet Fuels Institute
Annual Conference
JULY 27-29, 2014
Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate

Orlando, Florida
The PFI Annual Conference is the annual opportunity for members of
the densified biomass fuel industry to gather for three days of educational opportunities, vendor exhibits and networking. Attendees include
manufacturers, retailers, industry suppliers, government officials, and
more. If you would like to be added to the email distribution list for the
PFI Conference, please send an email to pfimail@pelletheat.org
703-522-6778 | www.pelletheat.org
National Advanced
Biofuels Conference & Expo
OCTOBER 13-14, 2014
Hyatt Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Produced by BBI International, this national event will feature the world
of advanced biofuels and biobased chemicalstechnology scale-up,
project finance, policy, national markets and morewith a core focus on
the industrial, petroleum and agribusiness alliances defining the national
advanced biofuels industry. With a vertically integrated program and audience, the National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo is tailored
for industry professionals engaged in producing, developing and deploying advanced biofuels, biobased platform chemicals, polymers and
other renewable molecules that have the potential to meet or exceed the
performance of petroleum-derived products.
866-746-8385 | www.advancedbiofuelsconference.com
International Biomass
Conference & Expo
APRIL 20-22, 2015
Minneapolis Convention Center

Organized by BBI International and produced by Biomass Magazine,
this event brings current and future producers of bioenergy and biobased products together with waste generators, energy crop growers,
municipal leaders, utility executives, technology providers, equipment
manufacturers, project developers, investors and policy makers. Its a
true one-stop shopthe worlds premier educational and networking
junction for all biomass industries.
866-746-8385 | www.biomassconference.com
International Fuel Ethanol

Workshop & Expo
JUNE 1-4, 2015
Minneapolis Convention Center

The FEW provides the global ethanol industry with cutting-edge content
and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-tobusiness environment. The FEW is the largest, longest running ethanol
conference in the worldand the only event powered by Ethanol Producer Magazine.
866-746-8385 | www.fuelethanolworkshop.com
Business Briefs
PEOPLE, PRODUCTS & PARTNERSHIPS
Superior Industries adds

territory sales managers
Superior Industries
has appointed Kevin
Krieger as territory sales
manager throughout the
Mountain and Northwest regions of the U.S.
He most recently served
as a territory manager
for Fenner Dunlop. The
Humphrey
company has also appointed Bill Humphrey
as territory sales manager
throughout the Great
Lakes and Ohio River
Valley regions. He was
most recently employed
by Aggregates Manufacturing International.
Krieger
Krieger and Humphrey
will work closely with dealers in their respective regions to bring innovative conveying
equipment to bulk materials producers.
Rotary Dryer
Mascoma adds scientific

advisory board member
Mascoma Corp. has added Johannes
Pieter (Hans) van Dijken to its scientific advisory board. Van Dijken is a microbiologist
and yeast researcher. He currently serves as
a professor emeritus of industrial microbiology at the Delft University of Technology in
the Netherlands. Van Dijken has consulted
for Mascoma since 2007.
Babcock & Wilcox to acquire Megtec
The Babcock & Wilcox Co. has announced its subsidiary, Babcock & Wilcox
Power Generation Group Inc., has signed
a definitive agreement to acquire industrial
process solutions provider Megtec. Megtec,
which employs approximately 600 people in
10 countries, will operate as B&W Megtec,
a wholly owned subsidiary of B&W PGG.
The purchase was expected to close June 30.
The acquisition is expected to expand B&W
PGGs role as an environmental products
and solutions provider beyond its historical focus on utility markets, to a variety of
m
rgy Syste
e
n
E
t
a
e
H
industrial applications for customers the

company has not traditionally served.
Genomatica adds
executive vice president
Genomatica has appointed Kaspar
Evertz as its executive
vice president, commercial. He will lead
the companys business
development, licensing
and technology transfer
teams with a focus on
licensing its process
technologies, and the
Evertz
delivery and execution
of those licenses. He also will be responsible
for securing strategic partners to support
the development of additional commercial
processes through sponsored development
programs. Evertz previously served as executive vice president and managing director of
industrial projects at Ferrostaal AG GmgH.
PelletPress
Biomass Pelletizing & Energy Systems

Pellet Plants | Dryers | Furnaces | Steam Boilers | Thermal Oil Heaters | Cogeneration
Dieffenbacher USA, Inc.
2000 McFarland 400 Blvd. | Alpahretta, GA 30004
Phone: (770) 226-6394 | mail@dieffenbacheratl.com
www.dieffenbacher.com
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Professor wins NSF award

Tae Seok Moon, an
assistant professor of
energy, environmental
and chemical engineering
at Washington University
in St. Louis, has received
a prestigious Faculty
Moon
Early Career Development Award from the National Science
Foundation for his project, titled Engineering Biological Robustness through Synthetic Control. Moon received a five-year
$400,000 grant to understand the principles
of biological robustness by using synthetic
DNA in basic bacteria cells. The research
could have implications for biofuel production and several other industries.
technology Institute and the Michigan State

University Bioeconomy Institute worked
with Verdezyne to run the bio-based DDDA
process at the 4,000-liter scale. This production confirmed the scalability of Verdezynes
process and produced polymer-grade material for potential customers and partners.
Attorney named as Rising Star
Anna Wildeman,
an attorney at Michael
Best & Friedrich LLP,
has been named one of
Super Lawyers Magazines 2014 Washington,
D.C., Rising Stars. She
is a member of Michael
Bests Energy Practice
Wildeman
Group and Agribusiness,
Food Processing & Distribution Group.
Verdezyne reaches production

milestone
Verdezyne Inc. has produced more than Andritz to market Tornado
1 metric ton of biobased dodecanedioic acid Pulper technology
Andritz Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the
(DDDA) using its proprietary yeast platform
and downstream process. The Michigan Bio- international technology Group Andritz,
signed an agreement with Bolton-Emerson

Americas LLC giving Andritz exclusive
rights to market and sell the Tornado Pulper
for solid and liquid fuel applications, as well
as biochemical processes.
ABC presents projects of the year
The American Biogas Council has
named Stockton, Iowa-based AgriReNew
and Stanley, N.Y.-based Lawnhurst Energy
LLC as the Agricultural Biogas Projects of
the Year. Harvest Powers Energy Garden in
Lake Buena Vista, Fla., was named Merchant
Biogas Project of the Year. The ABC named
the Michigan State University South Campus
Anaerobic Digester in East Lansing, Mich.,
as the Institutional Biogas Project of the
Year, while the Village of Ridgewood Biogas
project in Ridgewood, N.J., won Biogas Project of the Year.
SHARE YOUR INDUSTRY NEWS: To be included in the Business Briefs,
send information (including photos and logos, if available) to Business
Briefs, Biomass Magazine, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND
58203. You may also email information to evoegele@bbiinternational.
com. Please include your name and telephone number in all correspondence.
SMART IS
HELPING ALTERNATIVE
ENERGY BECOME MAINSTREAM.
PROUDLY SUPPORTING AMERICAs ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.
NEWHOLLAND.COM/NA
2014 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland Agriculture is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its
subsidiaries or af liates. New Holland Construction is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or af liates. NHBM06149440
Biomass CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Biomass Power
Pellets
Biogas
Advanced Biofuel
Torrefied Biomass in Production on Commercial Scale

by Kolby Hoagland
Completion of wood pellet production

facilities Enviva Pellet Southampton and Vulcan
Renewables, as well the FCPC Renewable
Generation and UC Davis Renewable Energy
Anaerobic Digestion biogas facilities, were
celebrated in Q2 of this year.
The biomass power sector saw monumental accomplishments, as Drax Power Station
began firing one of its three boilers completely
on biomass, and Atikokan Generating Station,
Eagle Valley Clean Energy and the Biomass-toEnergy Plant entered commissioning phases.
Biogas facilities Sacramento BioDigester
and The Plant verify the expansion of food waste
systems in the sector.
In the advanced biofuel sector, cellulosic
ethanol plant Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of
Kansas and renewable diesel facility Green
Energy Products are currently undergoing commissioning. At Abengoa's plant, lignin residue
resulting from the manufacturing process

will be combusted on site to generate
biomass power.
The pellet section of the Biomass
Construction Update notes the arrival of
torrefied and Black Pellet production on a
commercial scale with the construction of
the Merrit Wood Pellet & Torrefaction Plant
by Diacarbon Energy, and Selma Conversion by Zilkha Biomass Energy. Diacarbon
is incorporating a proprietary pyrolysis
technology, while Zilkha is installing its
steam explosion technology. While employing distinctly different processes, both Diacarbon
and Zilkha will produce a densified wood product
that handles and combusts like coal while possessing the emission qualities of biomass.
The biomass installations included in the
update do not denote an exhaustive list of biomass construction projects, but ones of promi-
AMITE BIOENERGY
PHOTO: TIM PORTZ
nent standing across the biomass-to-energy

sectors. With construction season pushing into
high gear, more projects will reach completion,
while others move from the drawing board to
sinking concrete and steel into the ground.
If you would like your project included
in the update please send an email to
khoagland@bbiinternational.com.
Atikokan Generating Station, Ontario Power Generation Inc.
Drax Power Station, Drax Group plc
Location
Atikokan, Ontario
Location
Drax, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Engineer/builder
Aecon, Doosan, Nordmin
Engineer/builder
Shepherd Group
Primary fuel
Industrial pellets
Primary fuel
Industrial pellets
Boiler type
Suspension fire system
Boiler type
Pulverized fueled boiler
Nameplate capacity
211 MW
Nameplate capacity
630 MW
Combined heat & power
No
No
Government incentives
10-year PPA
ROCs
IPP or Utility
Provincial utility
IPP or utility
IPP
Groundbreaking date
October 2012
Groundbreaking date
July 2012
Start-up date
Q2 2014
Start-up date
April 2013 (1st unit)
Commissioning of the material handling systems is underway. Project is on target to reach commercial
operation in early summer.
The first two of four storage domes, rail receipt/unloading, and distribution systems are complete
and are serving the first converted unit.
Eagle Valley Clean Energy, Evergreen Energy
Biomass-to-Energy Plant-Green Energy Team LLC, Standardkessel Baumgarte Group
Location
Gypsum, Colo.
Location
Lihu'e, Hawaii
Engineer/builder
Wellons Inc.
Engineer/builder
Standardkessel GmbH, Germany
Primary fuel
Forest restoration residue
Primary fuel
Woody biomass
Boiler type
Stoker
Boiler type
Stoker
Nameplate capacity
11.5 MW
Nameplate capacity
7.5 MW
Yes
No
Federal 1603 grant
No
IPP or Utility
IPP
IPP or Utility
IPP
Groundbreaking date
November 2012
Groundbreaking date
January 2013
Start-up date
December 2013
Start-up date
Fall 2013
The facility was placed into start-up service in December.
Procurement and manufacturing are complete. Balance of plant and instrument, electrical and control
installation is ongoing. System-related commissioning has begun.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Enviva Pellets Southampton LLC
Location
Franklin, Va.
Design/builder
Feedstock
Project
Complete
Vulcan Renewables LLC

Location
St. Augustine, Fla.
Unavailable
Design/builder
Vulcan Renewables
Hardwood and softwood
Feedstock
Softwood
Pellet grade
Utility
Pellet grade
Premium and industrial
Fire prevention technology
Unavailable
Water Deluge System
Annual capacity
500,000 metric tons
Annual capacity
150,000 short tons
Exporting
Europe
Exporting
Europe and Korea
Export port
Enviva Port of Chesapeake
Export port
Port of Jacksonville
Groundbreaking date
July 2012
Groundbreaking date
January 2013
Start-up date
1st half of 2014
Start-up date
February 2014
Project is under commercial operation.
Construction was complete in February.
Allendale Pellet Plant
Amite BioEnergy, Drax Biomass International Inc.
Location
Allendale, S.C.
Location
Gloster, Miss.
Design/builder
Unavailable
Design/builder
Haskell Company
Feedstock
Southern yellow pine mill residue
Feedstock
Southern yellow pine
Pellet grade
Industrial and EN Plus
Pellet grade
Industrial premium pellets
Firefly
Fire Eye
Annual capacity
60,000 metric tons
Annual capacity
450,000 metric tons
Exporting
Europe
Exporting
U.K.
Export port
Unavailable
Export Port
Port of Greater Baton Rouge
Groundbreaking date
May 2014
Groundbreaking date
August 2013
Start-up date
October 2014
Start-up date
Q1 2015
Project
Complete
Site work is done and concrete work is beginning.
The project is continuing on schedule, targeting the first quarter of 2015 for the start of commercial
operations, with full capacity to be reached six months later.
Fram Renewables Fuels - Hazlehurst
Merritt Wood Pellet and Torrefaction Plant, Diacarbon Energy Inc.
Location
Hazlehurst, Ga.
Location
Merritt, British Columbia
Design/builder
Astec Inc.
Design/builder
Ausenco/Diacarbon
Feedstock
Softwood
Feedstock
Sawmill residuals
Pellet grade
Residential and industrial
Pellet grade
Wood pellets and torrefied wood briquettes
GreCon
Unavailable
Annual capacity
500,000 short tons
Annual capacity
50,000 metric tons wood pellets, 35,000 torrefied wood
Exporting
Europe
Exporting
Pellets to Korea
Export port
Port of Brunswick
Export port
DeltaPort
Groundbreaking date
Feburary 2013
Groundbreaking
April 2014
Start-up date
January 2014 (line 1)
Start-up date
September 2014
Construction of line 1 is under commissioning. Civil and electrical work is in progress for lines 2 and 3.
Lines 4 and 5 will be constructed in 2015.
Retrofitting of the existing pellet plant is underway, with installation of the torrefaction equipment to
begin in June.
Morehouse BioEnergy, Drax Biomass International Inc.
Selma Conversion - Zilkha Biomass Selma
Location
Beekman, La.
Location
Selma, Ala.
Design/builder
Haskell Company
Design/builder
Zilkha Biomass Fuels
Feedstock
Southern yellow pine
Feedstock
Mostly softwood, some hardwood
Pellet grade
Industrial premium pellets
Pellet grade
Zilkha Black Pellets/premium
Fire Eye
Spark Detect./Supprs, HRD powder
Annual capacity
450,000 metric tons
Annual capacity
300,000 metric tons
Exporting
U.K.
Exporting
Europe
Export port
Port of Greater Baton Rouge
Export Port
Port of Mobile
Groundbreaking date
August 2013
Groundbreaking date
April 2014
Start-up date
Q2 2015
Start-up date
Q1 2015
The project is continuing on schedule, targeting Q2 2015 for the start of commercial operations, with full
capacity to be reached six months later.
Construction is underway and on schedule.
Biomass Power
Pellets
Biogas
Advanced Biofuel
FCPC Renewable Generation, LLC Waste-to-Energy Facility

Location
Milwaukee, Wisc.
Builder
Pellet mill
Project
Complete
UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digestion (READ)

Location
Davis, Calif.
Symbiont Inc., Miron Constr., Biothane
Engineer/Builder
Peabody Engineering, Otto Construction
Food processing waste
Substrate(s)
Food and ag waste
Feedstock
Anaerobic membrane bioreactor
Digester type
Three-stage, high-solids liquid digester
Type of pellets
H2S media treatment system
Gas cleaning technology
Unison Solutions
500 scfm
Biogas production capacity
150 scfm
Production capacity
Combined heat and power
Biogas end use
Electricity
Exporting/location
2 MW
Power capacity
925 kW
Groundbreaking date
October 2012
Groundbreaking date
May 2013
Start-up date
Q1 2014
Start-up date
February 2014
The facility is currently in commercial operation.
Project is complete and operating.
The Plant, Bubbly Dynamics LLC
Sacramento Biodigester, CleanWorld
Location
Chicago, Ill.
Location
Sacramento, Calif.
Engineer/Builder
Eisenmann Corp.
Engineer/Builder
Peabody Engineering, Otto Construction
Substrate(s)
Food and brewery waste
Substrate(s)
Pre- and post-consumer food waste
Digester type
Continuous mixed, horizontal-plug flow
Digester type
Three-stage, high-solids liquid digester
Biological desulphurization
BioCNG
42 scfm phase 1; 83 scfm phase 2
350 scfm
Biogas end use
Biogas end use
Electricity and vehicle fuel
Power capacity
500 kW
Power capacity
190 kW
Groundbreaking date
November 2012
Groundbreaking date
June 2013
Start-up date
Q2 2014
Start-up date
Q3 2014
Construction continues on schedule.
Project
Complete
Phase 1 is complete, and phase 2 construction continues on schedule. When complete, the digester
will produce electricity and 700,000 gallons per year equivalent of renewable transportation fuel.
Wood Hogs and Screens

Jeffrey Rader EZ-Access Wood Hogs are designed for safe, fast and easy access to
hammers, rotors and liners, allowing routine maintenance to be performed safely, easily
and with minimal downtime. Our EZ-Access technology even lets operators remove the
wood hogs rotor without moving the feed chute. Plus, our heavy-duty rotor discs allow
maximum flexibility of hammer arrangements, up to 3, 4 or 6 rows for premium efficiency on
smaller products, while our Duratip high-alloy hammers with replaceable tips provide increased
shredding action and quick change-outs.
Rader Disc Screens (RDS) are the
CRUSH. FEED. PROCESS. CONVEY. STORE.
Phone: +1
industrys #1 scalping screens. When

it comes to removing oversize
rejects from unscreened wood
chips, hog fuel or bark,
our RDS is the undisputed
workhorse of the industry. With
more units in operation than all other suppliers
uppliers
combined, you can depend on us to select the ideal disc profile, interface
openings and screen size for maximum screening efficiency.
(864) 476-7523 Email: sales@jeffreyrader.com

Web: www.terrasource.com/bm
The brands comprising TerraSource Global (Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher) are
wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI) 2014 TerraSource Global. All Rights Reserved.
Handling a World of Materials
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
UW Oshkosh Foundation, Rosendale Biodigester LLC
Location
Rosendale, Wisc.
Engineer/Builder
BIOFerm Energy Systems
Substrate(s)
Dairy manure
Digester type
Complete mix
Biological Desulphurization, moisture removal, activated carbon filtration
380-475 scfm
Biogas end use
Power capacity
1.4 MW
Groundbreaking date
July 2013
Start-up date
February 2014
System is ramping up to full feeding, with a goal of reaching full potential within the next few
weeks.
UW Oshkosh Foundation, Rosendale Biodigester LLC

PHOTO: BIOFERM ENERGY SYSTEMS
Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas LLC, Abengoa Bioenergy U.S.
Enerkem Alberta Biofuels LP
Location
Hugoton, Kan.
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
Engineer/builder
Abengoa
Engineer/builder
Enerkem
Process technology
Proprietory process
Process technology
Proprietary thermochemical
Biofuel product
Cellulosic ethanol
Biofuel product
Cellulosic ethanol, biomethanol, biochemicals
Feedstocks
Corn stover, wheat straw, switchgrass
Feedstocks
Sorted MSW
Production capacity
25 MMgy
Production capacity
38 MMly
Type of RIN
D3
Type of RIN
D3
Coproducts
21 MW of biomass power
Coproducts
N/A
Goundbreaking date
September 2011
Goundbreaking date
August 2010
Start-up date
January 2014
Start-up date
2014: methanol; 2015: ethanol
Project is virtually complete. Boiler and 21 MW cogen plant commissioning was completed in
December. Commissioning of the ethanol plant is underway.
Commissioning of the Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility is nearing completion. In early June, plant
start-up was imminent.
DESIGNING INNOVATION
Renewable Feedstock Processing Systems

A worldwide leader in size reduction technology for bioenergy, Vecoplan
works with individual customers to design, engineer, manufacture and
implement technologically advanced, material specific, and application
specific shredding, ferrous and non-ferrous removal, size and
density separation, screening and classification technologies and
extremely efficient conveyor and bulk material handling, metering,
storage and unloading technologies.
Contact Vecoplan today to learn more about our existing systems
or to arrange a visit to one, or several, of our installations.
(336) 252-4095
vecoplanllc.com
Biomass Power
Pellets
Biogas
Advanced Biofuel
Green Energy Products, WB Services

Location
Sedgwick, Kan.
Engineer/builder
WB Services
Process technology
Proprietary technology
Biofuel product
ASTM 975 biomass-based diesel
Feedstocks
Distillers corn oil, organic fat, oils and greases
Production capacity
3 MMgy
Type of RIN
1.7 D4 RINs per gallon
Coproducts
Steam and biogas
Goundbreaking date
Q1 2013
Start-up date
May 2014
Commissioning of the plant has commenced and is going well.
Green Energy Products

PHOTO: WB SERVICES
Project Liberty, POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels LLC

Location
Emmetsburg, Iowa
Engineer/builder
Poet Design and Construction
Process technology
Enzymatic hydrolysis
Biofuel product
Cellulosic ethanol
Feedstocks
Crop Residue
Production capacity
25 MMgy
Type of RIN
D3
Coproducts
Biomass power
Goundbreaking date
March 2012
Start-up date
First half of 2014
Construction is nearing completion. Work is primarily on the back end of the process, the anaerobic
digester and solid fuel boiler.
JETBELTTM
An efcient system requiring less
horsepower than other systems. Used for dry
bulk handling requirements in a variety of products.
PHOTO: POET-DSM
MODEL G
Built standard with 10-gauge
construction to accommodate large
capacities of free-owing materials. Provides
years of trouble-free service under extreme applications.
TRAMROLL
Enclosed belt conveyor with innovative
features such as self-reloading and self-cleaning
tail section, and multiple inlets. The heavest-duty
design in the industry.
MODEL RB
Designed for self-cleaning
and quiet operation with a u-shaped
trough for handling soft stock or materials
that are easily crumbled or broken.
316.264.4604 tramcoinc.com UK +44 (0) 1482 782666

Project Liberty
BUCKET ELEVATOR
Centrifugal Discharge
design used for the bulk
handling of free-owing
ne and lose materials
with small to medium
size lumps. Built-to-last
for the toughest
requirements.
BULK-FLOTM
The heavy-duty chain conveyor
designed specically for processing
applications such as; wet and sticky,
varying sizes and densities, and
abrasive or corrosivematerials.
Euro-Tramco BV +31 33 4567033
The Worlds Most

Complete Line of Chain and
Enclosed Belt Conveyors.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Quad County Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Quad County Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Location
Galva, Iowa
Engineer/builder
Nelson Engineering
Process technology
Quad County Corn Processors - ACE
Biofuel product
Cellulosic ethanol
Feedstocks
Corn fiber
Production capacity
2 MMgy
Type of RIN
D3
Coproducts
Solid biomass fuel
Goundbreaking date
July 2013
Start-up date
June 2014
All major equipment has been installed. Piping is being hydro-tested and insulated.
PHOTO: QUAD COUNTY CORN PROCESSORS
Southeast Renewable Fuels LLC

Location
Clewiston, Fla.
Engineer/builder
Uni-Systems of Brazil
Process technology
Fermentation
Biofuel product
Advanced biofuel (ethanol)
Feedstocks
Sweet sorghum
Production capacity
20 MMgy
Type of RIN
D5
Coproducts
25 MW biomass power
Goundbreaking date
June 2013
Start-up date
January 2015
The project remains on schedule. Foundation work continues, and all equipment has been ordered
and is arriving onsite.
Three Decades of International

Renewable Energy Leadership
Come to us for solutions that span project
development, planning/financing, and project
supervision after plant commissioning.
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Biomass CHP Plants

Energy Efficiency
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Engineering
Biomass Heat Plants
Project Management
SEEGER
GREEN ENERGY
Seeger Green Energy, LLC

127 W. Worthington Avenue Suite 280
Charlotte, NC 28203
USA
P: +1.980.207.2185
E: info@seeger-greenenergy.com
W: www.seeger-greenenergy.com
PowerNews
2012-13 economic impact
No. of U.K. supply
chain jobs
No. of companies in
U.K. supply chain
Sector turnover
( millions)
Liquid biofuels
3,510
200
530
Anaerobic digestion
2,640
140
360
Biomass boiler/wood stove
4,510
210
600
Biomass CHP
2,180
140
370
Biomas power
3,320
170
500
Mixed energy from waste
6,550
340
830
SOURCE: RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION
Report highlights UK bioenergy impact

The U.K.-based Renewable Energy
Association has published the results of
an analysis that determined the renewable energy supports more than 100,000
jobs in the U.K. and has attracted almost
30 billion ($50.95 billion) in investment
since 2010.
The report found the U.K. biomass
power sector employed approximately
3,320 people in 2012-13 across the supply chain, with 170 U.K. companies active in the supply chain. Sector turnover
was 500 million. Annual generation is
expected to increase from 9,275 gigawatt
hours in 2013 to 22,826 GWh in 2020.
Installed capacity is expected to grow

from 2,024 MW in 2013 to between
2,505 GW and 3,366 GW, depending on
which government forecast is referenced.
The biomass combined-heatand-power (CHP) sector in the U.K.
employed an estimated 2,180 people
across the supply chain in 2012-13, with
140 U.K. companies active in the supply chain. The sector turnover was an
estimated 370 million.
The report also includes data on
biofuels, anaerobic digestion, biomass
heating and mixed energy from waste.
Proposed Nebraska project to

produce biomass fuel, energy
A proposed project under development by
Southwest Renewable Resources aims to develop
a unique biomass production facility and up to 25
MW of bioenergy capacity in South Sioux City, Neb.
The planned facility would house a manufacturing operation for SSRs patent-pending Southwest
Renewable Fuel. The resulting fuel would be fed
directly into a cogeneration power unit. The exact
size of that unit has not yet been determined, with
15 MW and 25 MW configurations currently being
considered.
SRRs biofuel is a mix of biomass and polyethylene plastic. According to Tracy Willson, senior
partner of SRR, the fuel is waterproof. In addition
to wood and other types of cellulosic biomass, the
process can also incorporate nonrecyclable municipal solid waste.
Earlier this year, the Nebraska cities of South
Sioux City, Wakefield and Wayne, along with the
Northeast Public Power District, entered a memorandum of understanding with SRR. The four public entities and SRR have agreed to work together to
supply electricity to the three cities and NPPD via
the biomass-fired cogeneration system.
Technology to Amplify Plant Value
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WB has produced seven proprietary
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catalysts for use in our patented
available to WB customers only.
renewable diesel process.
Call WB Services to discuss our patented

plant integration technology.
316.772.9084
* US Patent #8722924 Biodiesel Plant; US Patent Pending on Renewable Diesel Plant.
POWER
EPA, White House Signal Support for Biomass

BY BOB CLEAVES
On June 2, U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

unveiled the Obama administrations highly anticipated
Section 111(d) carbon emission reduction rules for existing
power plants. The Biomass Power Association was watching this announcement carefully, as it marks the first of a
series of EPA rules due out this summer that will have a
big impact on the biomass industry.
After reviewing the proposed rules, our reaction is
cautiously optimistic.
The 645-page proposal, known as the Clean Power
Plan, leaves it mostly to individual states to design their
own carbon reduction strategies that, when combined, will
create a 30 percent overall reduction of carbon emissions
from existing power plants by the year 2030. The landmark
plan sets what are, in effect, the first national renewable
energy targets that have been implemented as a response to
climate change. While the rules are controversial and will be
debated throughout the 2014 campaign season, they represent a significant shift in energy policy that will undeniably
benefit renewable energy sources.
This includes biomass. The framework specifically
mentions biomass several times in a positive light, in one
place stating, Burning biomass-derived fuels for energy
recovery can yield climate benefits as compared to burning
conventional fossil fuels.
The Clean Power Plan closely follows the National
Climate Assessment released in May by the White House,
which contained a chapter on bioenergy that was also very
supportive of biomass. The report recognized bioenergy as
one component of an overall bioenergy strategy to reduce
emissions of carbon from fossil fuel, while also improving

water quality, and maintaining lands for timber production
as an alternative to other socioeconomic option. Critically,
the report noted the role of biomass in keeping forests
healthy enough to continue to serve as a carbon sink
that can capture hundreds of millions of tons of carbon
per year. It also observed that bioenergy has the potential
of displacing a not insignificant 30 percent of the nations
current U.S. petroleum consumption.
Based on these signs, it appears that the administration foresees a continued and expanding role for bioenergy
in our nations energy mix. However, one question looms
large. For the nation to fully embrace biomass, the EPAs
Tailoring Rule decision becomes even more crucial. Biomass will need to be recognized under the Clean Air Act
as a renewable source of energy with a favorable carbon
profile when compared to fossil fuels.
It will be extremely tough to meet the ambitious new
carbon reduction targets without biomass as an option
for forested states looking to add a baseload, renewable
source of energy. It will be even harder to keep forested
lands maintained and at a lower risk of wildfire without our
industry, as the USDA is well aware.
While we are not out of the proverbial woods yet, we
have good reason to be encouraged by the recent signals
from the White House and the EPA.
Author: Bob Cleaves
President and CEO, Biomass Power Association
www.biomasspowerassociation.com
bob@biomasspowerassociation.com
POWER
DEPARTMENT
FUELING THE FIRE: The Angora Ridge Forest Fire in south Lake Tahoe, Calif., burned 3,100 acres of forestland and destroyed many homes.
Fire Threat Turns Energy Asset

Cabin Creek Biomass Energy will reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in Placer
County while producing 2 MW power, heat and biochar.
BY ANNA SIMET
visit to the current Placer County website yields a powerful

image of a forest fire overtaking a home, with this boldfaced banner: Fire season is comingare you ready?
There, Internet users are offered a variety of steps
to take to increase the chances of their homes surviving a wildfire. Though wildfire awareness and preparedness seem to improve
every year, occurrences of devastating wildfires continue to rise,
and predictions are pointing to 2014 as potentially being the worst
wildfire season on record. According to the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection, between Jan. 1 and May 3 alone,
CAL FIRE has responded to over 1,200 wildfires that have charred
nearly 2,700 acres. In an average year during the same period, CAL
FIRE typically responds to fewer than 600 wildfires.
As a response to increasing wildfire severity, hazardous forest fuels reduction activities are being advocated and pushed for more than
ever, a mitigation method that not only helps reduce the spread of
fires, but also poses numerous other benefits, including the potential
production of renewable heat and power. Placer County, in northeastern California is getting close to realizing that benefit, as it is in the process of rolling out a 2-MW combined-heat-and-power plant at Lake
Tahoes Cabin Creek, which will be fueled entirely by wood generated
as a result of hazardous forest fuel removal.
POWER
Brett Storey, Placer County biomass manager, has been orchestrating the project since its inception. He was hired in 2006 to
find an economic use for the regions biomass thinnings, something
other than open burning, and serious project evaluations on the
bioenergy plant were initiated in 2009. From the beginning, one
important consideration was the optimal size of the facility. The
size was based on how much fuel we could sustain over the life of
the project, which could be up to 40 years, and we also looked at
the transmission capabilities of the current lines and the potential
to increase that, as well as regulatory agency emission allowances,
Storey says. Thats how we ended up with a 2-MW system.
A study commissioned to determine how much fuel was available within a 30-mile radius of the proposed plant indicated over
100,000 bone-dry tons annually, roughly six times more than the facility would need. With such an abundance of fuel available, a much
larger facility could be built, but the current transmission line could
only handle up to 2.7 MW. The cost and time it would take to go
through the environmental process for the transmission line would
make it unacceptable from an economic standpoint, Storey says.
Forest waste will be ground and screened in the forest, hauled
to the site by truck and then dried and sent through a Phoenix
Energy gasification system. The cleaned up syngas will be sent
through a GE Jenbacher engine to create power, and the resulting
biocharabout 500 tons annuallywill be sold under contract as
a soil amendment or a means of water filtration.
In the future, Storey says heat produced on site may be purchased by three or four nearby, county-owned buildings. They will
be upgrading and have expressed interest in purchasing the waste
heat off of this project, so, ultimately, in about five years we will
be a full-service operator using everything we can squeeze out of
this facility.
He adds that the plant location is in a former landfill area, and
no homes are around it. Just natural forest all around, he says,
noting that the onsite storage area will be large, as material for six
months will have to be stockpiled. Were not allowed to go into
the forests in the winter to grind and haul, so well be delivering six
extra months material, in addition [to everyday fuel] to keep running 24/7 all year.
Low-Carbon Profile
The environmental footprint of the plant has been carefully considered throughout the development process, Storey adds,
including an emissions analysis of forest thinnings piles openly
burned in several areas, compared to what the potential emissions
profile of the facility would be, taking into account everything from
the chainsaw hitting the tree to grinding and hauling of the trucks
to our facility. The results, which were not actually based on gasification but old boiler technology, were still much more favorable
than open burning, according to Storey. We know that gasifica-
tion reduces those emissions further, but we wanted to show a

worst-case situation. In the worst case, if you put that forest wood
through our facility instead of open burning, theres an 88 to 90
percent emissions reductionon the GHG side, its about an 18
percent reduction.
Numerous project partners and supporters who have come
together to help advance the project, Story says. Placer County is
an equity partner, the leaseholder of the site and will be the fuel
delivery operator. The reason we want to do that is because the
U.S. Forest Service is our fuel agreement partner, and what we were
able to do is sign a master fuel stewardship agreementa 10-year
contract that allows us to work on national Forest Service land and
remove the material.
Thats being done on a cost-share basis, he adds. They figured
out what it costs them to open burn [the fuel], so theyve added
that cost to the agreement, making our cost low enough to make it
economic for our developer, Tahoe Regional Power Co.
In addition, the facility will take in fuel from a community fire
district in the area, which currently has a need to dispose of the
material. They dont know what to do with it, so they will want
a contract with us as well, Storey says. However, the majority of
fuel95 percentwill come from the Forest Service.
Phoenix Energy, the gasification technology provider, will be
the eventual owner and operator of the project, and already has
two operating small-scale biomass gasification plants in the state. In
CEO Greg Stangls opinion, these systems are ideal for deployment
in California. I believe there is a great opportunity for small, community-scale biomass plants to produce clean, renewable energy for
California, and our third plant shows the technology is gaining momentum, he says. The piling and burning forest biomass in the
open is a complete waste of a resource and bad for air quality, but it
is often the only economic option for local communities.
Electricity from the $12 million project, which was partially
funded with a $1.5 million U.S. DOE grant, will be purchased by
Liberty Energy.
Cabin Creek Biomass Energy is slated for construction next
summer, with an operational goal of early 2016. Its a small, simple
facility, Storey adds, but we believe itll be a trendsetter for forest
regions throughout the U.S.
Author: Anna Simet
Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine
asimet@bbiinternational.com
701-738-4961
THERMAL
CONTRIBUTION
Tucker RNG system inventor Richard Tucker (right) and Nate Anderson, project director of the Rocky Mountain Research Station Biomass Research
Development Initiative, stand in front of Tucker RNG.
PHOTO: ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION
Tucker RNG: Little Machine,

Big Impact
Public and private collaboration has resulted in a unique and highly
efficient distributed-scale fast pyrolysis system.
BY MAUREEN ESSEN, CAROLINE MORRIS AND NATE ANDERSON
hen the Tucker RNG thermal conversion unit connected

to the power grid for the first time April 23 in Charlotte,
N.C., Richard Tucker, president of Tucker Engineering Associates, could feel the weight of the world coming off his
shoulders. After more than a decade of developing his high-temperature,
fast pyrolysis system, he was finally seeing it export electricity for the first
time. This installation marked a significant step toward commercializing
a new and exciting conversion technology, and demonstrates the success
of a long-term, public-private partnership.
It was a really great moment to see the machine doing exactly what
it was designed to do, Tucker says. This has been a long journey for us
and we couldnt have done it without the help of the U.S. Forest Service,
The ReNewable Gas Company, and ReVenture Park. Seeing the electricity produced as a result of this technology made it all worth it.
Tucker RNG
The Tucker RNG system was initially designed by Tucker over a
decade ago. Its research and development has included not only Tuck-
The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author and do
not necessarily reflect the views of Biomass Magazine or its advertisers.
THERMAL
ers engineering firm, but public agencies and other private companies.
Tucker and the team invented solutions to a host of technological challenges that had previously kept pyrolysis from being widely adopted,
such as the production of tars, and nagging issues in material handling
and gas cleanliness.
The patented, high-temperature pyrolysis system is a distributedscale biomass conversion technology capable of processing a broad
range of feedstocks to produce high-Btu gas for a variety of uses, such as
steam or electricity generation via an off-the-shelf genset. Heating feedstocks to up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in an environment devoid of
outside air, this technology uses a proprietary gas upgrading and cleaning system to further refine its gas, producing energy-dense renewable
natural gas with 600 to 850 Btu per standard cubic foot, depending on
feedstock properties. In addition, the system yields a high carbon byproduct with an 80 to 95 percent fixed carbon content and usable process heat for on-site applications, such as drying feedstock. The Tucker
RNG system is highly customizable, able to process between 20 and 250
dry tons of biomass per day depending on equipment configuration,
which allows the technology to be scaled appropriately to meet specific
and changing needs.
The Tucker RNG System is especially well-suited to applications
where it can be used to reduce energy costs, process waste feedstocks,
and produce heat and electricity for customers interested in green energy.
The system is uniquely engineered for economically efficient renewable
gas production, and designed and sited in an environmentally conscious
manner. While the unit can use a wide variety of feedstocks, including
municipal solid waste and refuse-derived fuels, using woody biomass
decreases total carbon emissions and lessens the environmental impact
of the energy produced compared to other sources, including coal. The
system also reduces net carbon emissions by capturing heat and carbon
generated in the conversion process.
Collaborative Approach
Tucker RNGs operating outputs and commercial design suitability have been independently evaluated by third-party engineers and scientists, and by the U.S. Forest Service. The commercialization of this
technology is an example of a successful public-private research and
development partnership. In addition to major private funding, the development of the Tucker RNG system was partially funded by a research
joint venture with the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Biomass Research Development Initiative. The joint venture provided opportunities for the company to cooperate with researchers and capitalize
on the existing efficiencies and engineering of the Tucker RNG system,
as well as develop new knowledge that will facilitate decision making by
industry, policymakers and other stakeholders.
This project is the perfect opportunity to grow ongoing research
relationships between the forest industry, the U.S. Forest Service and
Tucker Engineering Associates, says Nate Anderson, project director
for RMRS BRDI. It is a chance to contribute to a technology that has
the potential to increase renewable energy production, create jobs and

minimize the environmental footprint of producing energy from woody
biomass.
In addition to providing funds to help bring the technology to
market, the resources of the BRDI project have allowed scientists to
conduct a full life-cycle assessment of the Tucker RNG systems products and compare their environmental impacts to fossil fuel alternatives.
The team is also examining the environmental impacts of harvesting
woody biomass from forest ecosystems, developing catalysts for liquid
fuel and chemical production, developing new products and applications
for wood-based carbon products and assessing the potential economic
impacts of system deployment.
Private investment has also played a key role in developing and
launching the first commercial installation of the Tucker RNG system.
Specifically, Tucker Engineering Associates partnered with The ReNewable Gas Company to develop projects domestically, and entrepreneurs
at ReVenture Park purchased the first installation of the Tucker system.
This location and the business partnership with ReVenture Park, situated
on a former Brownfield Superfund site, helped support the remediation
of the large industrial park, resulting in positive impacts on the environment and the local community.
While the RNG company is in the final stages of commissioning
the first installation at ReVenture Park, Charlottes first eco-industrial
park, it is also hosting a myriad of visitors from around the world who
are interested in the technology. RNG will take on the role of developing
projects, both directly and through partnerships, in the U.S. The team of
people who supported the first commercial installation, which includes
private investors and government groups like the Rocky Mountain Research Station, sees a bright future for the technology.
For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of working on this
project has been seeing the different government and private entities
come together to bring Richard Tuckers technology to fruition, says
Van Morris, president of RNG.
The team has also received additional support from other RMRS
and USDA technology development programs. These collaborations
have produced a unique and highly efficient distributed scale thermal
conversion system. The group will continue to work together into the
future to develop new and viable energy technologies and projects.
Authors: Maureen Essen
Human Dimensions Research Associate
University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation
US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
maureenaessen@fs.fed.us
Caroline Morris
Director of Marketing & Public Relations,The ReNewable Gas Company
Caroline@RNGnow.com
Nate Anderson
Research Forester
Rocky Mountain Research Station
USDA Forest Service
PelletNews
DOE grant supports biomass research at HSU
Humboldt State University, along
with 15 regional partners, has received
a $5.88 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Energy to conduct innovative biomass research. The award
was made under the Biomass Research
and Development Initiative, a collaborative effort between the DOE and
the USDA.
Under the grant, a team of academics, industry partners and forestland managers led by HSU Forestry
Professor Han-Sup Han will build on
existing research on the conversion of
forest residues into renewable fuel and
other valuable bio-based products. The
three research areas will be feedstock
(processed forest residues) supply,
mobile conversion technologies, and
economic life-cycle analysis.
The feedstock supply group will
be led by Han, the lead principal investigator on the grant. Hans group will
focus on the economics of converting forest residue into high-quality
feedstocks. The mobile conversion
technologies group, led by Arne Jacob-
RESEARCH LEADER: HSU forestry

professor Han-Sup Han will lead the
collaborative effort.
PHOTO: HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY
son, director of HSUs Schatz Energy

Research Center, will study biomass
conversion technologies that convert
slash or wood chips into biomass fuels
and products at or near collection sites
in the forest. Ted Bilek, an economist
with the USDA Forest Service, will
lead the economic life-cycle analysis
group. Bileks team will perform economic analyses and conduct a life-cycle
analysis documenting the economic
benefits and other environmental effects related to utilizing forest residues.
Rentech acquires major

US pellet producer
Rentech Inc. has acquired all three of New
England Wood Pellets manufacturing facilities, a $34.5
million investment that adds 240,000 tons to the companys annual pellet output.
New England Wood Pellet, founded in 1992,
has built facilities in Jaffrey, N.H.; Schuyler, N.Y. and
Deposit, N.Y. Rentech cited several reasons for the acquisition, including New England Wood Pellets strong
financial profile, the fact that the company commands
an approximate 15 percent share of the market for
heating pellets in the Northeast U.S. and is well-known
to many popular retailers, and the transaction expands
Rentechs current wood pellet offerings to the domestic market.
Rentech will maintain New England Wood Pellets
brands, including its bagged New England Wood Pellet
and Warm Front brands. Julie Dawoodjee Cafarella,
vice president of investor relations and communications at Rentech, said the company will also retain all
employees of the Jaffrey, Schuyler and Deposit facilities.
The New England Wood Pellet acquisition comes
one year after Rentechs assumption of Georgia-based
Fulghum Fibers Inc., the leading provider of contract
wood chip processing services in the U.S. The company is also in the process of converting two Wawa
and Atikokan, Ontario, wood processing facilities into
wood pellet plants.
PELLETS
The Beauty of Local Wood Heat

BY MAURA ADAMS
The pace of change is really picking up when it comes

to use and acceptance of wood pellets and chips for heat in
the Northeast. And thats a good thing, because the region
has a voracious appetite for fossil fuel, consuming 84 percent of the home heating oil used in the U.S. Its estimated
that the Northern Forest region spends $6 billion per year
on imported fossil fuel. Beyond concerns about cost, supply and the environment, depending on fossil fuel is a bad
choice: 78 cents of every dollar spent on home heating oil
leaves our local economy.
Thats why the Northern Forest Center has made
advancing biomass heat a top priority and is working with
a wide range of collaborators to catalyze the market for
high-efficiency, low-emission wood pellet boilers for homes
and small-scale commercial installations (ideal for businesses,
nonprofits and housing facilities).
The centera nonprofit organization working across
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New Yorkand
many others believe we can build an energy economy that
brings substantial economic benefits to rural communities,
reduces dependence on heating oil, cuts net CO2-emissions
over time, and supports healthy, working forests while protecting public health and forest sustainability.
When people switch to wood pellets, 100 percent of
the money they would have spent on oil stays in the regional
economy. Home and business owners save 40 to 50 percent
on their fuel bills, and what they do spend buys pellets
grown and produced in the region. Demand for pellets
creates jobs in the pellet mills and further down the supply
chain for loggers, foresters and truckers. The mills create an
important market for lower grade wood, which helps forestland owners with the cost of stewarding their forests.
Weve shown how biomass wood heat can benefit the
region through the Model Neighborhood Project. Over the
past two years, participants in the original Model Neighborhood Project in Berlin, N.H., have saved $120,000 and
avoided adding 700 net tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The total positive economic impact of the project
to date is more than $450,000. Participants in Berlinand
now also in Farmington and Wilton, Mainehave proven
the new, high-efficiency boilers to be reliable, cost-efficient
and easy to use. And theyre sharing their stories. Theyve
hosted tours, welcomed media coverage and championed
the systems to potential adopters.
Catalyzing Change
biomass heat include reliable retailers, qualified installers and

technicians, pellet manufacturers, bulk delivery pellet suppliers, acceptance by real estate and insurance industries, attractive financing options and supportive public policy, including
alternative energy rebates for new biomass installations.
More and more, these essentials are available in the
northern New England, especially in northern New Hampshire and western Maine near the Model Neighborhood
Projects. Two years ago, a high-efficiency residential pellet
boiler was a rarity. Now, there are nearly 300 installed in
Maine and New Hampshire.
Since September, Efficiency Maine has distributed over
120 rebates for residential pellet boiler installations, helping
drive costs down and increase familiarity with these systems.
This success is a model for how policy, industry and social
connections can combine to drive the market. As demand
has gone up, the average price of installed residential boilers
in Maine has dropped by $3,000, a 17 percent decrease.
Moving to chip-based systems for larger installations,
the state of Vermont has generously funded schools to shift
from oil to biomass and now about 30 percent of Vermont
schoolchildren attended wood-heated schools, and the average school has cut its fuel costs by over 50 percent.
In Colebrook, N.H., the center has been working with
the town to research the feasibility of installing a biomass
district heating system that could provide heat to buildings
along Main Street and at some large facilities, including the
hospital.
Regional ImpactA Triple Play

Each one of these installations is an important step toward realizing the vision of an energy economy that brings
substantial economic benefits to rural communities, reduces
dependence on heating oil, cuts net CO2 emissions over
time, and supports healthy, working forests.
Wood heat is not new to the Northeast, but wood heat
that burns at 85 percent efficiency through systems that are
thermostat-drivenentirely automated or nearly sois a
game changer. It makes wood heat more convenient and
efficient than ever before. With a cost per Btu that is significantly lower than oil, heat from wood is now in a position to
compete against the dominance of oil in the region.
Author: Maura Adams
Program Director, Northern Forest Center
kshort@northernforest.org
http://www.northernforest.org/renewable_energy.html
More than a few things need to happen for new technology or systems to take hold. Some of the essentials for
PELLETS
382,000 BTU OF PELLET HEAT: With an office just across the hall from the boilers, Oxford County employee Ed Curtis is able to keep close tabs on the
countys pellet-driven heating systems. The system is comprised of three OkoFen boilers that share the load. Only on the coldest days of winters will Curtis
hear all three boilers fire up to serve the heat load.
Pellets Warm County Seats

A century-old courthouse in western Maines Oxford County transitions
away from oil and toward pellet heat.
BY TIM PORTZ
PHOTOS BY TRISH LOGAN, TRISH LOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY.
PELLETS
or more than 100 years, the red brick Oxford county courthouse in South Paris,
Maine, warmed judges, commissioners,
clerks, auditors and inmates with fossil
fuel-derived heat. Those days are over. The courthouse, built in 1895, has just emerged from its third
winter of utilizing locally produced wood pellets to
heat its occupants and daily visitors.
Funded largely by an Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Block Grant program that was a
part of the stimulus package officially known as
the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery
Act, the new heating system has nearly halved the
countys annual heating expense. The genesis of
the project can be traced back to the stimulus package, recalls Oxford county administrator Scott
Cole. We tried to get it going in 2010, but we realized we didnt have the administrative capacity to
handle it, so we punted one more year and we went
after it with gusto in 2011, and succeeded.
The project was broader and more involved
than simply swapping out the existing heating oil
boilers with new pellet boilers. The courthouse, MAXIMUM CONTROL: County technicians can quickly assess all of the control points of the
a 17,000-square-foot, two-story structure that is boiler system including run time, flue gas temperature, water temperature and level of modulation.
situated over a basement was bleeding warm air
through large, single-pane windows and a poorly
insulated attic. This attracted the immediate attenLargely, two boilers are able to generate the heat that the building
tion and effort of the project engineer, Rick Grondin of Integrated Enthermostats
call for. Occasionally, the third boiler kicks on the coldergy Systems. We used some of the money to insulate the attic, he says.
Instead of putting in one more boiler, I first looked to reduce the load est days, adds Grondin.
and used dense-packed cellulose insulation in the attic.
Further driving down the load was a move away from steam fed Fuel Storage Challenges
radiators to a forced hot water system. It takes a lot less energy to make
The tight spaces in the boiler room also created fuel storage chal140 degree water than it does to make 215 degree water, Grondin notes. lenges for the project team. Fuel storage is tough here, says Cole.
After the completion of the attic insulation and window projects, The footprint of the building is not conducive to putting in a large
the heat load requirements were determined, and Grondin went to work silo, which would have been ideal. Space around the building is at a
on satisfying the new heat load. Complicating the issue was the buildings premium, and snow removal already presents a challenge for Cole and
limited space for its heating infrastructure. We had a very small boiler his team, so a decision to move fuel storage inside of the building was
room for all of this, says Grondin. Through a competitive process, the made. We really tried to find a place to put a 30-ton silo. In my opincounty arrived at a system centered around the use of three pellet boil- ion, that would have been preferable. We just couldnt do it. Parking is
ers of Austrian design. The OkoFen boilers offered a solution that ad- tight. The last thing we needed was one more obstruction outside of
dressed all of the problems.
the building, so we had to convert some space in the basement. I think
OkoFen is an Austrian boiler manufactured, assembled and distrib- we are a little undersized, but we had to have it that way, says Cole.
uted in North America under a licensing agreement by Maine Energy
In an average winter, the pellet boilers at the courthouse can be
Systems. Austrian manufacturers are global market leaders in pellet boiler expected to consume somewhere between 65 and 70 tons of pellets.
design and manufacturing and their products are beginning to gain mar- If the external silo Cole favored were feasible, around half of the anketplace momentum in the U.S. and Canada.
nual usage could have been stored onsite, meaning that only one pelGrondin and the county decided upon three separate boilers that let delivery would have been necessary each heating season. Instead,
would be connected to the same hot water delivery infrastructure. The two fabric storage bags were deployed into the boiler room with a
boilers work together, communicate with one another and share the an- total storage capacity of just over 16 tons. The county now takes fuel
nual heating work load. Each boiler is capable of delivering 191,000 Btu deliveries of between 8 and 10 tons of pellets seven or eight times in
per hour at full power. The boilers are staged, says Grondin. When a given heating season. Pellets are delivered by Maine Energy Systems
you have a very low load, one fires and then it modulates up to the next pellet delivery trucks, and pneumatically blown through hoses into the
load requirement. If it cant meet the load at full power, the second boiler waiting storage bags in the courthouse.
fires and ramps up. If the load still isnt met, the third boiler fires up.
PELLETS
NONTRADITIONAL STORAGE: Project engineers preferred to have

one fabric pellet storage bag per boiler, but space constraints dictated
system design to two bags placed side-by-side.
THE COUNTY PELLET SEAT: After three heating seasons in the books,
other cities and schools within the county are taking notice of the success
and ease of the pellet solution and deploying their own biomass solutions.
Navigating the Learning Curve

All heating systems require some attention and technical acumen
for the operators, and both Grondin and Cole recall a learning curve
for the Oxford county maintenance staff. The first year is more or less
a learning experience for the facilities person, because it is something
a little different, says Grondin. But really, the only thing they need
to concern themselves with is making sure they have pellets to burn,
PELLETS
ordering pellets and making sure that when the
ash containers get full, they get emptied.
Grondin is quick to point out the misconceptions surrounding the technology and its
ease of use. These are fully automated. When
thinking about these types of solutions, people
tend to think of wood stoves with all of their
manual operations, manual adjustments during a fire and then the manual cleaning. This is
the other end of the spectrum in the extreme.
Maybe not as good as gas or oil in terms of low
maintenance, but its pretty darn close, he says.
For Cole, it was important to develop
some technical know-how for the systems
in-house. The operation and maintenance is
certainly trouble free. That said, it is good to
have someone on the staff with a little training
in troubleshooting the system. Someone has to
really embrace the system and not just call on
outside help right away, he says, adding, Its
not an enormous leap (relative to operating an
oil-fired boiler), and it is certainly worth the
savings.
because we didnt have to amortize the cost of

the capital, says Cole.
With such a prominent building installing
a pellet-fired heating solution and enjoying the
economic benefits, it is no surprise that cities and
schools in the county are taking notice. Since
the county installed its system, several of the
town offices have gone to pellets as well, which
is cool, reports Cole. This momentum also has
the net effect of getting more and more of the
HVAC technicians in the area comfortable with
these pellet technologies. What we are noticing
now, after having gone through three winters, is
the familiarity with pellet boilers in the field of

technicians has gone up, Cole says. Its pretty
cool. Its happening. Its definitely happening.
Finally, Cole points to the growing pellet
supply chain in the area and the positive economic impact of using local resources to heat
local buildings. Its definitely a fuel that makes
sense for this part of the world, he adds.
Author: Tim Portz
Executive Editor, Biomass Magazine
tportz@bbiinternational.com
701-738-4969
Half-Priced Heat
While Oxford County didnt need to be
convinced of the environmental benefits of
a transition to pellet-derived heat, the budgetconstrained county needed the project to deliver some savings, and the sooner, the better.
Before the transition to pellets the courthouses heating oil boilers consumed somewhere between 8500 and 10,000 gallons of
heating oil each winter. With recent heating
oil prices fluctuating between $3.50 and $4.00
per gallon, heating the building was costing the
county between $30,000 and $40,000 a year.
Cole points to a comparison of 118 gallons of fuel oil and one ton of pellets, each
delivering about the same amount of Btu. At
a price of $3.50 per gallon, the heating oil Btu
would cost $413. The county currently enjoys
a three-year contract for pellets at $219 a ton,
delivering a nearly 50 percent reduction in total
heating cost. Weve cut our fuel costs in half,
notes Cole.
Stimulus Hastens Economic Benefit

Cole reports the project cost the county
right around $300,000, with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant contributing $235,000. The remaining funds were
contributed by the county. We could realize
our savings much quicker because of the grant,
ThermalNews
Net fuel cost comparison
Price per unit
Grass bales (assumed price of $80
per ton at farm gate, and $30 per ton
transportation costs)
Wood chips
Natural gas
Unit
Net cost per mmBtu
$110.00
ton
$11.18
$65.00
ton
$8.81
$7.00
Mcf
$8.38
Grass pellets
$200.00
ton
$17.79
Wood pellets
$230.00
ton
$17.83
Propane
$2.10 gallon
$29.32
#2 Fuel oil
$3.50
$31.80
gallon
SOURCE: GRASS ENERGY IN VERMONT AND THE NORTHEAST, WILSON ENGINEERING
Energy grasses show potential for

thermal energy in Vermont
A recent report published by Wilson
Engineering on behalf of the Vermont
Bioenergy Initiative explores the potential
of growing and harvesting energy grasses
for thermal energy in Vermont.
Four different grass energy project
models are evaluated in the paper, including an in-depth analysis of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of each.
The paper explores a closed-loop model,
a small-scale, on-farm model, a regional
model, and a consumer model. The
report indicates the regional processing
model would make sense for Vermont.
It includes a central processing plant that

would purchase baled biomass from local
farmers and process that feedstock into
cubes, briquettes or pellets for delivery to
commercial or institutional thermal installations.
The report also notes millions of
acres of idle and marginal lands in the
Northeast are conducive for growing these
energy crops. As the market for bioenergy
products develops, they could provide am
impact source of feedstock for heat, fiber
or liquid fuels production.
UK opens biomass
fuel registration
Biomass fuel suppliers serving the
U.K. thermal market are now able to register their fuels as sustainable by applying
to the governments Biomass Suppliers
List. The U.K. Department of Energy and
Climate Change said the list will ensure
biomass supported under the Renewable
Heat Incentive is sustainable. Beginning
this fall, biomass fuels used under the
RHI must certain greenhouse gas (GHG)
reduction thresholds.
Producers and traders of wood fuel
who wish to access the growing RHI market can apply for free to the BSL. Small
and micro enterprises will be able to use
a new simple carbon calculator developed
to make the process as easy as possible for
small businesses.
Larger enterprises will be able to use
the U.K. Solid and Gaseous Biomass and
Biogas Carbon Calculator to calculate the
GHG emissions associated with their fuel.
Individuals and businesses that self-supply
their fuel are also encouraged to register as
self-supplier.
THERMAL
Wood Stove Politics: Democrats,

Republicans and Unlikely Bedfellows
BY JOHN ACKERLY
Wood stoves are finally getting attention in Washington, D.C., and they will get even more next year. Most of
the focus surrounds the U.S. EPAs proposed regulations,
but residential heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
(HVAC) tax credits are also on the chopping block.
The sides are not as evenly drawn as one might expect.
Some conservative Republicans supported wood and pellet
stove tax credits this year, and some of the most liberal
Democrats urged the EPA to soften its emission regulations. Republicans are mostly concerned with the economic
impacts of these policies on industry, and Democrats with
the health impacts of wood smoke.
So far, Congressional strategy of the stove industry has
been to mobilize support of Republicans, most of whom
are friends of fossil fuels. Such is the topsy-turvy world of
wood stove politics. It gets stranger.
People who heat with wood and pellets mainly do it
because its cheaper than the alternatives. The attraction of
newer stovesthe ones that industry will build in coming yearsis that they can be more efficient than the old
and will save consumers even more money. Demonstrably
higher efficiencies are key in motivating consumers to replace an older stove sooner. Despite this, industry is fighting
against consumer hangtags that would list the efficiency of
the appliance.
Even more surprising and counterintuitive is that the
EPA is also proposing to eliminate consumer hangtags, but
at the same time is spearheading ever more detailed and
clear consumer hangtags for Energy Star products, automobiles and other things.
Here is the dilemma of reducing stove emissions, and
its not too different from power plants: regulation only
covers new stoves and grandfathers all older ones, which
produce far more smoke. Industry makes a legitimate point
that the focus should be on retiring older stoves, not making
new ones marginally cleaner than they already are. Industry
trade group Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association may
end up going to court with a legal challenge that the EPA
has not adequately demonstrated that making stricter
emission standards is the best system of emission reduction because it didnt sufficiently show that the alternative
of retiring older stoves isnt a better system of emission
reduction.
Here is another example of the extreme topsy-turvy

nature of wood stove politics: if a court sided with HPBA
and directed the EPA to regulate existing stoves, conservative Republicans supporting the industry would flee in
droves. One of the only tenets that the Obama administration has to move these regulations forward with Republicans is the assurance that existing stoves will be grandfathered and with no requirement to remove them or stop
reinstalling old ones purchased on the secondhand market.
Industry favors voluntary, not regulatory, measures to
remove old stoves from operation. On a national scale, that
would cost hundreds of millions. If that were the solution,
there would be little support from conservative Republicans
who are not fans of cash for clunker type programs.
(As some predicted, a program audit found it was not an
efficient way to reduce carbon output.) Of all of the letters
to the EPA from conservative Republicans, none suggested
any large-scale funding to tackle the problem of existing
stoves, and even HPBA has not put effort into that solution.
Democrats and moderate Republicans have been more
supportive of stoves and boilers as a renewable energy
solution and are making some progress at the state level.
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Oregon are
starting or expanding rebate and change out programs. and
other states will be joining that list. Democrats in charge of
the EPA are moving much slower, if at all, and still seem to
regard stoves mainly as a pollution problem, not an energy
solution.
The most likely result is an NSPS that enacts stricter
regulations on new stoves and boilers, and a continuation of
small, local programs that offer voluntary rebates to remove
stoves from areas with particularly high levels of wintertime
particulate matter. The result will be a very gradual reduction in wood smoke, as the EPA tries to balance practical
and legitimate concerns. This will be less impactful than
the Democrats wanted, and more intrusive than Republicans wanted. The real beneficiary will be consumers who
heat with wood and pellets, who will finally have access to
cleaner, higher-efficiency appliances. Maybe the EPA will
even allow them to see that information on a hangtag.
Author: John Ackerly
President, Alliance for Green Heat
jackerly@forgreenheat.org
www.forgreenheat.org
THERMAL
THERMAL
Vermonts Wood
Heat Renaissance
The Green Mountain State is a national
leader in community-scale wood heat, but
it didnt happen overnight.
BY ANNA SIMET
s world oil prices were on the brink

of collapse back in the mid-1980s,
Vermont was seeing its first successful wood chip-to-heat school
installation come to life. Today, more than
40 schools in the small state of 625,000
people have adopted wood heat, and thats
just a snippet of the industrys success story
there.
Though Vermont is still very much
considered an oil statethree quarters of
energy consumed in the state is petroleumbased, and No. 2 heating oil still dominates
home heatingits portfolio of biomass
thermal projects is extensive. Besides 46
schools, there are more than 40 public
buildings, multifamily complexes, college
campuses and businesses that have installed
wood chip heating systems, and more than
120 bulk residential pellet installations.
THERMAL
Vermont's Wood Heat Feats
District heating systems
College campuses
Businesses
Public buildings
Low-income, multifamily complexes
What does it mean?
5
8
Wood thermal energy:

Supports local economy
$43.6 million stays local annually
Saves on heating costs
$149.1 million not spent on oil
14
15
Schools
Bulk pellet residential boilers
Multifamily Buildings in Vermont with Biomass Systems
3%
Current
30%
Goal
Equals an additional 3 million

liters of oil replaced annually
46
THERMAL
Wood-heated Public Schools

28% of undergraduates
attend a wood-heated
university
University Campus Sector
Middlebury
Bennington
GMC
Goddard
Norwich
10%
3%
3%
3%
8%
Others
During the 2010-11 heating season, Vermont wood-heated schools cumulatively:

saved more than $2.6 million on heating costs, an average of $60,634 per school
used a total of 25,420 tons of woodchips
offset the equivalent use of more than 1.5 million gallons of oil
avoided a total of 17,095 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
Castleton State
Lyndon State
Johnson State
Saint Michaels
University of Vermont
9%
9%
6%
9%
43%
120+
78%
of Vermont is forested
80%
privately
owned
20%
publically
owned
80,000 private
landowners
THERMAL
And its no coincidence that the origin
of the word Vermont is thought to stem
from the French phrase les verts monts, or
green mountains. Nearly 80 percent of the
states rolling terrain is covered by 4.6 million
acres of forests, mostly privately owned, and
that number is on the rise. In fact, the net
growth of trees has exceeded removal since
the first inventory in 1948, according to the
Vermont Woodland Association.
At the same time, forestry activities in
Vermont annually contribute nearly $3.5 billion to the state, and are a significant driver
of the economy, including the workforce. A

2013 report from the Vermont Department
of Forests, Parks and Recreation indicates
that nearly 21,000 jobs in the state are directly impacted by Vermonts forests.
The success of the states burgeoning
biomass thermal industry is associated with
its heavy reliance on expensive oil, sustainable forestry and the multifaceted advantages that this abundant natural resource
offers. But without the individuals who have
worked tirelessly for decades to advocate for,
ieducate about and implement wood heat,
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those characteristics would be meaningless to the industry. Foresters, state agencies and officials, environmental groups,
nonprofits, equipment providersand list
goes onhave banded together to keep
wood heat rolling, and it has resulted in the
highest concentration of local, communityscale biomass thermal installations in the
country. And for many, its not just a trend
or profession, its a passion.
Thats the case for Tim Maker, who is
one of a small handful of people who have
been around since the beginning. Maker
was the founding executive director of
the Biomass Energy Resource Center, the
nonprofit largely responsible for driving
the industry in Vermont, and has played a
significant role in seeing numerous projects
in other states to success.
Success Maker
Maker has witnessed the evolution of
wood heat in the state firsthand. Back then,
it was a very small group of people working
to illustrate some big ideas, he reflects. At
the start, you could count the people doing
it on one hand, he says. All are still, to
some capacity, involved to this day. There
were just two vendors for equipment then,
and they fiercely battled each other for each
project that came up. That was a really important driverit was somebody who really cared, and they were selling this stuff
to make their livelihood.
Maker, 68, says he retired from BERC
and the industry in 2009, but it didnt last
long. Things were still so interesting that
I just couldnt [retire], but maybe I can in a
couple more years, he jokes.
Now CEO of Community Biomass
Systems, Maker, described by his colleagues
as a wood energy pioneer who wrote the
guidebook on intuitional wood heat systems, began his career in the industry in
1980 by working for a state energy audit
program that was run through the University of Vermont Extension Service. When
the program was defunded, Maker began
his own consulting business, and at one
point volunteered to be part of a small
team advised by a local school board to
determine a heating solution for the small,
rural school. Thats where it all started.
THERMAL
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FEELING CHIPPER ABOUT BIOMASS: Vermonts wood heat market

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businesses.
PHOTO: BIOMASS ENERGY RESOURCE CENTER
We decided wed look at everything, even renewables, he

says. This was in 1985. We learned there were a couple wood
chip heating plants in Vermont, and we observed them and ended
up making a school board recommendation, which it took to the
voters, and the bond vote passed unanimously. Nobody said no.
We figured we were on to something.
Soon after, Maker decided to work wood heat into his consulting business, which was initially more about efficiency than
heating technologies. I went on to be the project manager of
about one school system per year over the next 12 to 15 years,
and I wrote a book about it for the Northeast Regional Biomass
Program, and that was what led me to this relationship with the
state, which I had been sort of partnering with for years to create
BERC.
With a desire to package up Vermonts wood heat successes
and make it available outside of the country, the state energy office hired Maker to lay the groundwork for a nonprofit to do so,
and BERC was founded in 2001. Maker took on the role of executive director six years after moving to a new position. At that
point, the reins were handed off to Christopher Reccia, who is
now commissioner of the Vermont Public Service Department.
Reccia, who has also worked in renewable energy since the
early 1980s, says hes always had an interest in utilizing alternatives to fossil fuels, and emphasizes the importance of sustainable
forest management. The metaphor I have is within a garden, if
one only picks the vegetables and not the weeds, eventually he
will end up with all weeds. We have a lot of low-grade wood, and
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THERMAL
if we keep taking out the timber only, well
have no market for the low-grade wood,
and thats all well be left with. Using these
low-grade wood resources helps provide
added-value back to landowners.
Reccia says the PSD was a partner on
the well-known Fuels for Schools program, which provided a 30 percent rebate
to schools making energy improvement
and was one of the main drivers for the
influx of installations, and has always been
supportive of wood heat. Its comprehensive energy plan, enacted in 2011, calls for
90 percent renewables by 2050 in all sectorselectricity, thermal and transportation, and Reccia believes wood heat has a
strong role to play in meeting that goal. I
think biomass, at scale, is a really important component of the thermal piece for
us.
The work of BERC and the popularity of wood heat installations at schools
have provided a strong market for lowgrade wood, and that success has reverberated down the supply chain. Its allowed
chipping businesses to flourish, Reccia
says, and its also serving as an anchor use
for loggers providing that fuel. Combined with the fact that Vermont is 80 percent forested, its a natural fit.
On top of the widespread economic
benefits, many dollars are being saved.
When we first started, we usually saw a 30
to 35 percent fuel cost reduction from oil
to wood chips, Maker says. At the peak,
it had grown to an 80 percent cost savings.
Its eased back a little now, to about 70 percent, but thats still the real driver.
Foreseeing the Future

Growth of Vermonts biomass energy
industry has been steady over the decades,
and though some slight changes may be on
the horizon, the consensus is that isnt going to change any time soon.
Since the 30 percent Fuels for Schools
subsidy isnt available, the rate of schools
adopting wood heat technologies has
slowed down, but that doesnt mean a
slow-down of the entire sector. We have
the beginnings of a vibrant pellet industry,
pellets are starting to come into the smaller
schools, and we have one pellet mill do-
THERMAL
ing really innovative work. Their business
model is to be smallthey procure their
feedstock from within 30 miles and sell
their pellets within 30 miles, and thats pretty unusual.
There are some financial incentives
for people to switch to pellet boilers in
smaller applications, and thats starting to
take off, Reccia says. The price differential
between a pellet installation and oil, gas or
propane has been a little harder, but federal
tax incentives have helped there.
Reccia says he sees biomass energy
use continuing to expand in Vermont, particularly using wood resources for thermal
purposes, rather than large-scale, electric
generation. I think the efficient use of
biomass, and the need to document sustainable harvesting practices is the most
important factor to retain public acceptance and ensure the renewability of this
resource over time, he says. Thats where
some of the focus has been during the last
several years. As carbon becomes more of
an issue, being able to show that its lowcarbon will be important, and again, that
goes back to sustainability.
Maker notes that the movement of
colleges and large facilities transitioning to
wood chip heat is really cost driven, rather
than subsidy driven. Theyre really not getting any incentives from anybody. Maybe
for a study, but after that, theyre doing it
because the economics are so good. And
theres so much potential for communityscale district heating to take holdone tremendous success has been the Montpelier
district heating system just becoming operational now. Theyre hard projects to develop and get going, but Im hoping there
will be more of that.
Part of Vermonts continued success
will be showing other states that they can
follow suit, and that wood heat technologies are no longer a new or unfamiliar approach to heating, in the opinion of BERC
Executive Director Adam Sherman. Vermont is demonstrating how you can combine best-in-class projects, policies, legislation and programmatic support to achieve
critical mass thresholds of market transformation, he says. A real theme thats come
out of numerous biomass thermal confer-
ences in the last year and a half is this notion

of demonstration that its the new normal.
Its not fringe behavior, its not fringe technology. This is mainstream, and we have an
opportunity to make it as normal as heating
with oil, propane and natural gas. The technology is there, the economics are there, and
were getting there with public understanding.
The fact that Vermont remains the largest consumer of No. 2 heating oildespite
its widespread adaptation of wood heatis
something that will keep the industry mov-
ing forward. Thats going to motivate us to

get to the next level, Sherman adds. Well
continue work here, and Vermont will be a
proving ground for the build-out of the biomass heating fuel market. What works here
can be exported and adapted to the rest of
the country.
Author: Anna Simet
Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine
asimet@bbiinternational.com
701-738-4961
BiogasNews
Landfill gas consumption for electricity generation, useful
thermal output in all U.S. sectors (in million cubic feet)
2004
146,018
2005
143,822
2006
162,084
2007
168762
2008
196,802
2009
207,585
2010
219,954
2011
235,990
2012
259,564
2013
302,989
SOURCE: U.S. Energy Informaton Administration
Landfill gas-to-energy project begins

production in Georgia
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently held to commemorate completion of a
landfill gas-to-energy project at the Pecan Row Landfill in Valdosta, Ga. The 4.8-MW
project is expected to generate enough energy to power approximately 2,000 homes.
Advanced Disposal partnered with Energy Systems Group to design, build, own
and operate the project. Power produced at the facility will be purchased by Green
Power EMC via a long-term power purchase agreement. Green Power is a nonprofit
corporation comprised of 38 member-owned electric cooperatives in Georgia. The mission of the group is to facilitate the procurement and marketing of renewable energy in
Georgia and make it available to member cooperatives.
This marks ESGs third landfill gas project in Georgia, and our sixth in the United
States, further exemplifying our strong focus on developing sustainable infrastructure
solutions, said Greg Collins, president of ESG.
GIB supports London

AD facilities
Two U.K. Green Investment Banksupported anaerobic digestion projects in
London are progressing. In late April, GIB
announced that the TEG Biogas plant in
Dagenham has officially begun operations.
The plant is the first project GIB invested in,
via its Foresight-managed fund. The facility
can produce 1.4 MW of electricity each
year, which is being sold to the National
Grid. Approximately 1.15 MW of residual
heat produced at the plant will be used by a
nearby plastic bottle recycling operation.
In May, GIB announced a 7.5 million
($12.63 million) commitment in a separate
15 million anaerobic digestion and green
waste composting plant under development
in Enfield, just outside London. The investment is being made by Foresight, one of
GIBs fund managers.
Construction on the plant was expected
to begin in June, with full operations reached
during the spring of 2016. Once operational,
the plant will process 30,000 metric tons of
food waste per year, sourced from hotel,
restaurant, retail trade and local food manufacturers. According to GIB, the facility is
expected to generate 7,400 MWh of renewable electricity each year.
BIOGAS
Community Digesters:
Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies
BY SURYA PIDAPARTI
Nearly 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. is

discarded. More than 36 million tons were sent to landfills
in 2012. Landfilled waste is believed to be a major source of
greenhouse gas emissions, and generates leachate that is hard
to treat. A patchwork of regulations and initiatives has been
implemented to divert the material from landfills to beneficial uses, the most common of which is composting, but
only five percent is being diverted for that purpose. Another
promising use is anaerobic digestion to generate biogas.
In the U.S., there are about 1,500 digesters at sewage
plants and 300 on farms. Success of farm and community
digesters is mixed with a success rate of 60 to 80 percent.
There are myriad factors that undermine the use of digesters. They include poor characterization of feedstock, lack of
adequate construction and operating capital, and lack of process, application and operation understanding, among others.
Digestion requires a proper balance of macro and micro
nutrients, as well as an adequate supply of carbon to balance
out oxygen and its surrogates. In addition, the feedstock has
to be processed to a certain particle size to establish adequate
substrate-to-microorganism contact. The processing system
is feedstock dependent, and is a major component of digester costs. Feed materials often contain remnants of packaging,
discarded prescriptions, inert materials and residual antibiotics. These contaminants can be toxic to the process and cause
failures or suboptimal process. Frequently, digester operators
collect any and all feedstocks that they can get. The variability
in feedstock composition seriously impacts the viability of
the digester. The reliability of the feedstock supply must be
insured through long-term contracts.
The underlying process in anaerobic digestion involves
several steps and sets of organisms working in concert. Each
of the groups of organisms in the system needs very specific
conditions, including pH and temperature. And much like
humans, critical nutrients and micronutrients comprise the
critical enzymes in the organisms. The feed must have these
elements in the correct proportions for the process to function. These organisms are the earliest forms of life on the
earth that formed in the absence of oxygen. Oxygen and its
analogues, antibiotics, fungicides are poisonous and can cause
the process to fail.
With traditional digester efficiencies, sale of the gas as
a replacement for fossil fuels does not provide an adequate
financial return. Consequently, digesters are heavily reliant on
regulatory requirements, governmental funding and tipping
fees for viability. A digester project can be profitable and

feasible, however, if the conversion efficiencies are increased,
the gas or power could be sold as a premium fuel and the
digestate sold as a fertilizer.
After removal of carbon dioxide and other contaminants, biogas and its derivative, biomethane, are classified as
a renewable fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This
law and its corollaries require fuel marketers and petrochemical companies to blend renewable fuels into all fuel sold in
the U.S. and create a marketplace for renewables. Under this
scenario, it is possible to secure long-term purchase agreements from obligated parties for the biogas or biomethane,
with the latter fetching a far better price that is several multiples of price for the heat value alone.
Digestate contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,
as well as micronutrients in a form that can be easily absorbed
by plants. Digestate also contains significant organic matter
and microbial populations that enhance soil productivity. For
this reason, there is a strong interest from the organic farm
sector in using digestate as a fertilizer.
A multifaceted approach is needed to overcome anaerobic digestion challenges. First, the solution must identify
the potential feedstock and assess the potential for production of biomethane and fertilizer. The feedstock must be
characterized to address the nutrient supplementation and
processing needed, and the approach must identify and size a
solution best suited to the feedstock. A financial model with
potential revenues and costs must also be developed. Once
a cost-effective solution is determined, it must be tested in a
continuous mode in local conditions to validate effectiveness.
The operation will identify changes necessary.
Novus Energy LLCs BioCatalytic system has been successfully deployed as a scale mobile plant to several industrial
sites with biodiesel, food processing and chemical residues.
The company is building a renewable energy plant in Boardman, Ore., that will convert agricultural biomass residues into
2.9 million cubic feet of biomethane, 700 gallons of 6-2-6
fertilizer and 250,000 gallons of clean water daily. Biomethane is being purchased by BP to fuel the natural gas bus
fleet of San Diego Metro Transit. The fertilizer is being sold
to organic farmers, and the water is being used to clean up
discharges from the local industries.
Author: Surya Pidaparti
Vice President, NBC Systems, Novus Energy LLC
surya@novus-energy.com
952-345-1068
BIOGAS
BIOGAS
California Craft Beers

and Biogas Bargains
On-site biogas installations are saving craft brewers
heat and water treatment costs.
BY CHRIS HANSON
BIOGAS
hen ordering a frosty mug of

their craft beer, consumers might
enjoy its citrusy notes, the robust,
roasted taste of a stout, or the
bitterness of a signature hop blend. For some,
the experience may be even more enjoyable
knowing their favorite brewers are utilizing
biogas technology to save on their operational
costs, address water management issues and
become sustainability leaders within their
communities.
Although anaerobic technology has already been embraced by larger brewers such
as Anheuser-Busch, the smaller players are
beginning to adopt that trend. We are seeing more of the craft brewers starting to look
toward putting in an anaerobic system, rather
than pay surcharges or installing an aerobic
system, says Denise Johnston, vice president
commercial at Biothane LLC. Biothanes upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and
Biobed expanded granular sludge blanket
(EGSB) technologies have been implemented
in approximately 100 wastewater treatment
operations located at both large and small
beer breweries around the world.
As our members grow in size, they

have been looking for ways to increase their
bottom line and become better stewards
and citizens in their communities, says
Chris Swersey, technical brewing projects
manager at the Brewers Association. By
identifying with their communities, sustainability efforts have generally become more
important within recent years, he adds.
Within the group of craft brewers that are
large enough to capitalize biogas projects,
the technology has caught the interest of
other members reaching that threshold.
Within the whole subset of sustainability
efforts, biogas is starting to become an option for some craft brewers, Swersey adds.
Not for a large number yet, but enough
where we are starting to pay attention to it
as an association.
Biogas Potential
Harnessing power from biogas has the
potential to help one of the fastest-growing
sectors in the U.S. address sustainability objectives in energy consumption, solid waste
and wastewater treatment. According to
the U.S. EPA, 70 percent of all U.S. brewers electricity consumption is for refrigeration, packaging and compressed air generation. Plus, U.S. breweries use an average 12
to 22 kilowatt hours to produce one barrel
of beer.
A brewhouses heating operation accounts for roughly 45 percent of all U.S.
breweries natural gas and coal consumption, and takes 1.3 to 1.5 therms, or 130,000
to 150,100 Btu, to produce a barrel of beer,
according to Brewers Association data.
Smaller breweries tend to have higher kilowatt-hour-to-barrel numbers since smaller
volumes cannot make up for the base energy requirements for a barrel of beer.
Although energy consumption is one
of the big issues facing the craft brewing industry, the greatest is water usage, Swersey
says. The amount of water to brew a barrel
of beer varies from each location, brewing
processes and types of beer, and, on average, it can take roughly seven barrels of water for every barrel of beer. The majority
of breweries discharge 70 percent of this
incoming water through its effluent waste
BIOGAS
SWITCHING GEARS: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company will be replacing its fuel cells within the next
year and is currently examining ways to better use its biogas capturing technology.
PHOTO: SIERRA NEVADA BREWING COMPANY
W E
C O N V E Y
stream.
AD technology helps breweries address wastewater objectives while generating a fuel from organic compounds for
thermal or electrical power. In addition
to biogas production, anaerobic pretreatment has lower operating costs, a smaller
footprint and costs roughly the same, or
sometimes less, than aerobic technologies, according to the Brewers Association. A 50-kiloliter UASB reactor is the
smallest, entry-level AD system a brewery can use. Additionally, the 50 kiloliter
unit is sized for breweries that annually
produce 118,000 to 236,000 barrels of
beer, and has an estimated installed cost
of $700,000 to $1.2 million.
In addition to capital costs, available
space is weighed in the decision of anaerobic versus aerobic. Nobody has a
lot of free space, but some brewers are
more space constrained than others,
Swersey says. If you have a very limited
footprint, youre likely going to go with
anaerobic even though it might cost you
a little more than to go aerobic, because
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BIOGAS
INSIDE A BREWER: Water is a main ingredient within the brewing

process, and better business practices help protect it.
PHOTO: SIERRA NEVADA BREWING COMPANY
space is the limiting resource there. So a lot of our members may

have grown really fast into the space they have, and they just dont
have a lot of open area on their facility.
Drought-stricken regions add extra pressure on breweries to
conserve water and wastewater processing. Particularly in California, water is an issue. We are in a drought year currently, and that is
being talked about a lot, says Tom McCormick, executive director
of California Craft Brewers Association. We know that in future
years, water will be a rare commodity here in California, and its just
best business practices for everyone to begin thinking about how
to use less water.
As these breweries, especially in California, continue to
expand and grow, its increasingly adding pressure on their local,
wastewater treatment infrastructure, says Cheri Chastain, sustainability manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. When breweries are looking to site a new facility or an expansion, they are
often hit with these high wastewater fees that they werent expecting because it isnt something that immediately comes to peoples
minds. Anaerobic digestion is one way to help offset that cost because you can recover the initial capital investment a lot quicker by
using the biogas.
Although anaerobic technology addresses wastewater issues,
brewers may be unsure when to start thinking about implementing
the technology. The Brewers Association suggests craft brewers,
that produce 150,000 to 300,000 annual barrels of beer, should
begin considering advanced wastewater pretreatment technology
when annual sewer discharge costs reach $250,000 or more.
BIOGAS
Revamping Current Systems
To address its growing pains, the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico,
Calif., looked toward anaerobic and aerobic technology to clean up
wastewater and take pressure off the local waste water treatment infrastructure. The municipality got to a point where they couldnt handle
the loading anymore, Chastain says. So either we had to install the
system and handle the load here or pay additional money to the municipality to upgrade their system.
In 2002, the brewery constructed its waste water treatment facility
with Biothanes 132,000-gallon UASB anaerobic digestion technology
to treat outgoing effluent and capture biogas. More than 95 percent
of the captured biogas is used to fuel the brewhouse boilers, Chastain
says. Were capable of producing and using up to 70 standard cubic
feet of biogas per minute.
After being treated by the UASB, the wastewater is further processed by the facilitys conventional activated sludge system, Johnston
explains. According to Sierra Nevadas 2012 sustainability report, the
brewerys wastewater becomes comparable to the effluent water from
residential zones at the end of the treatment process.
In 2005, the brewery installed hydrogen fuel cells, which are powered by natural gas, and is capable of generating up to 1 MW of electricity. The brewery currently does not use biogas to fuel the fuel cells
because the current cleaning skid lacks the design to pipe the biogas
into the fuel cells, Chastain explains. There was no storage for gas. It
just comes straight off the digester into the cleanup skid and right into
the use point, she adds. There wasnt any storage either pre- or postcleanup, and that would create a variable pressure going into the fuel
cells, which dont handle that [variable pressure] well.
The brewerys fuel cell contract expires within a year, and the
company is investigating other ways to enhance its biogas usage. After
a year, the fuel cells will be coming out, Chastain says. So we are
looking at replacement technologies, what we can replace the fuel cells
with, and hopefully we can better use our biogas to generate electricity.
As more craft breweries come on line and become thriving businesses, brewers will look toward technology producers to build their
standing within their community and make the entire process more
efficient. I know there is a lot of interest out there, and there surely is
a lot of potential, Swersey says. Were going to hit 3,000 breweries in
the U.S. this year. When that happens, they all start small and they grow.
As those breweries hit a certain size, theyre going to need to take steps
to maximize their efficiency and control their costs and to control their
resource consumption as much as possible. Biogas is just one tool of
many in the potential toolbox.
Were not seeing any major obstacles to implement the technology, Johnston adds. Theres certainly some permitting they have to
go through. From a regulatory standpoint, even if they plan to use
all the generated biogas, you still must have a flare, which needs to be
permitted. So there are some permitting requirements, but again, all
of our systems have been permitted without any delays or problems.
Author: Chris Hanson
Staff Writer, Biomass Magazine
chanson@bbiinternational.com
701-738-4970
AdvancedBiofuelNews
Navy, Pudue team on
renewable energy
Airbus, KLM complete 10-hour biofuel flight

In May, the longest biofuel flight to date completed by an Airbus aircraft took
place. An Airbus A330-200 operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines completed a 10hour flight from the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba on a blend of 20 percent biofuel.
The flight was the first in a series of 20 long-haul commercial flights in the context
of the European initiative called ITAKA, or the Initiative Towards sustAinable Kerosene for Aviation, which aims to speed up the commercialization of aviation biofuels
in Europe. ITAKA is funded by the European Union and is designed as a collaborative project that aims to produce sustainable aviation fuel and test its use in existing
systems and normal flight operations. The project also aims to link supply and demand
by establishing relationships among feedstock growers and producers, biofuel producer,
distributors and airlines.
Airbuss major role in the testing is to collect data before, during and after the flight
on the engine fuel system, engine performance, and other factors. Airbus also provides
insights into the use of nonpetroleum-based fuels compared to traditional fuels.
The U.S. Department of the Navy

and Purdue University recently signed a
statement of cooperation agreeing to work
together to convert up to half of the Navy
and Marine Corps' energy consumption to
alternative sources, including biofuels, by
2020.
The Department of the Navy and
Purdue have a deep interest in working together to reduce reliance on carbon-based
fuels and energy sources, said Secretary
of the Navy Ray Mabus. Not only does
this help decrease our dependence on fossil
fuel, it makes our Navy and Marine Corps a
better warfighting force.
Together, the Navy and Purdue will
focus on promoting more efficient production and refinement of advanced biofuels
and sharing and discussing the results of
testing and demonstration projects involving the certification of advanced alternative
fuels in aviation and marine engines, said
Purdue President Mitch Daniels. We also
will pursue agricultural and other biobased
feedstocks that will ensure the most economically viable production of advanced
alternative fuels.
ADVANCED BIOFUELS AND CHEMICALS
Pathway to Nowhere
BY MICHAEL MCADAMS
When the renewable fuel standard (RFS) was greatly

expanded in 2007 (termed the RFS2) to include advanced
and cellulosic biofuels, little was known about what new,
innovative technologies would become available. By contrast, ethanol from corn or sugarcane and biodiesel from
soybean oil had existed for more than a century. To address future innovation, the RFS2 included provisions
that called upon the U.S. EPA to review and approve
regulatory pathways by which new fuels and technologies can participate in the mandate, and generate tradable
biofuel credits called renewable identification numbers
(RINs). In reviewing pathway petitions, the EPA considers feedstock, conversion technology, finished fuel
molecule, and greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts relative to
petroleum-based fuels. To qualify as an advanced biofuel,
the RFS2 stipulates a minimum reduction in GHG emissions by 50 percent, and 60 percent for cellulosic biofuels.
The question for today is: Seven years after passage, have
the pathway provisions of the RFS2 been successful? Unfortunately, we are nowhere close to where we should be.
Currently, the EPA is averaging approximately two
years to approve a new pathway. The reason behind this
lengthy process is that the agency insists it must do everything by regulatory rulemaking. Rulemaking entails a fullblown administrative review and sign-off by related agencies, including, but not limited to, the U.S. DOE, USDA
and U.S. DOD. Under this approach, all bets are off for
pathways that have political forces lined up against them.
Such pathway petitions may languish for years without
either an affirmative or negative determination. This has
been the fate of several proposed pathways, including
those for biogenic oils, palm oil, palm fatty acid distillates
and sorghum biomass.
However, one should note that other EPA programs
do not take this approach, such as the Toxic Substances
Control Acts chemical approval process, which limits the
review to 90 days, at which point the product is automatically approved barring any adverse findings.
Today, the EPA has a total of 38 pending pathways.
In acknowledgement of the problem, the agency recently
issued a program announcement titled, "Improving the
Petition Process for New Renewable Fuel Pathways." We
are pleased EPA is exploring options to streamline this
program. One concern to note is that in the document,
the EPA states, "We expect the process (of review) to
take six months. During this time, we suggest that par-
ties considering new petitions pursuantdelay their submissions until the new guidance is provided." In other
words, there will be some additional delay as EPA moves
to make improvements.
Also noteworthy, in its guidance, the EPA states that
new pathways will be based on the following criteria:
Ability to contribute to the cellulosic biofuels mandate.
Potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on
a per gallon basis (such as nonfood feedstocks).
Ability to contribute to near-term increases in renewable fuel use (consideration of the ability of the fuels
to be used in the existing fuel distribution network).
On a positive note, the Pathways II Rule has been
forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget for
final review after two years at the EPA. The actual language of the rule remains confidential until such time as
all the agencies have concurred. Only then will we see
which pathways are included for approval and which
were deep-sixed. Based on conversations with EPA, I
expect butanol and biogas, among others, to be included
in the regulation.
In conclusion, the pathway delays are a significant problem for the industry. For those attempting to
raise capital, banks prefer enterprises with an approved
pathway prior to making an investment in the technology. Some former companies have gone out of business
while waiting for their pathway to be approved. For those
of you currently submitted in the process, the EPA is
now indicating that they may require you to resubmit depending on the outcome of their revisions to the pathway review process. All of these factors create delay and
uncertainty and undermine otherwise promising biofuel
technologies. The Advanced Biofuels Association has
made pathways one of our highest advocacy priorities.
We urge all of you who are impacted by regulatory delays
and uncertainty to contact the EPA directly. Further, if
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach
out to me directly.
For now, we remain in the struggle together to build
the advanced and cellulosic industry and alter the future
of energy.
Author: Michael McAdams
President, Advanced Biofuels Association
Michael.mcadams@hklaw.com
www.advancedadvancedbiofuelsassociation.com
VESTED BIOMASS INTEREST: Western Renewable Technologies and Amaron

Energy demonstrated mobile pyrolysis units at an event held in early May at SDS
Lumber Company.
PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS: The WRT and Amaron units generated syngas, bio-oil (left) and biochar (right) during the demonstration.
Mobilizing Pyrolysis
Adding mobility to pyrolysis systems could improve project economics.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KOLBY HOAGLAND
he biomass industry produces a highly diverse range of

energy products and chemicals from an array of biogenic feedstocks. Despite the diversity across feedstocks and
products, bioenergy producers share the inherent challenges of aggregating and storing biomass. Regardless of type or
originwhether a chemical is being produced from switchgrass,
or heat or electricity is being coaxed from forest residuebiomass
feedstocks have less density and a shorter shelf life than their fossil fuel counterparts. Throughout the aggregation and storage
phases, biomass projects are burdened with the necessity of keeping biomass dry and efficiently stored more so than projects that
utilize fossil fuels. Biomass must be harvested, often from across a

landscape, transported to an energy installation, and stored where
it is susceptible to spoilage. Acknowledging these difficulties and
seeking solutions are what brought numerous industry stakeholders together at an event sponsored by the Washington Department
of Natural Resources, at the SDS Lumber Company campus in
Bingen, Wash., in early May.
At the event, demonstrations were run of two commercially
available mobile pyrolysis units, provided by Western Renewable
Technologies and Amaron Energy. Attendees could view the units
in full operation and speak with company representatives about the

generated syngas is often
used to power the pyrolysis
unit, thus reducing the need
for an outside fuel to power
the process, other than at
startup. By altering the temperature and residence time
of biomass in a pyrolysis
reaction chamber, operators
are able to generate varying
ratios of syngas, bio-oil, and
biochar from biomass. The
specifics and nuances of the
pyrolysis process technology
are highly guarded trade secrets, but the WRT and Amaron units were accessible to
attendees, offering solutions
to some of the industrys
most pressing issues.
The cost of transporting biomass feedstocks to
bioenergy installations is often the culprit that tips the
balance sheets of biomass
PYROLYSIS POTENTIAL: The oil from WRTs technology has multiple potential applications depending on the
projects into the red. By addfeedstock, including undergoing refining for use in transportation fuel or used as heating oil.
ing mobility to the pyrolysis
possibilities of overcoming district barriers
Pyrolysis offers a potential solution to
process, the WRT and Amathat hinder the advancement of biomass transportation and storage issues by trans- ron Energy units will enable producers to
projects. Given the regional setting, most forming biomass into a denser product that preprocess biomass into syngas, bio-oil, and
of the attendees were interested in greater is less susceptible to spoilage. By heating biochar at a landing site near the harvest site
utilization of forest residue, but the dem- biomass in an oxygen-deprived environ- of the biomass, as opposed to transporting
onstration of mobile pyrolysis technology ment, the pyrolysis process creates syngas, it to a centralized location far from the harhas implications across the broader biomass bio-oil, and biochar from any type of bio- vest site. An operation that converts forest
industry.
mass, regardless of moisture content. The
PORTABLE PROCESS: A look inside Amaron Energy's mobile pyrolysis unit.
BIO-OIL: The oil condenser on WRT's unit.
residue into heating oil, for example, could

partially render the bio-oil in the forest and
transport it to a refiner for further processing, while utilizing the syngas to power the
pyrolysis process, and spreading the biochar back into the forest to improve forest
soil quality.
There is a considerable amount of
research on the beneficial use of bio-char
in soil health, as well as carbon sequestration and remediation. While bio-oil and
syngas also have distinct opportunities of
their own, market penetration of pyrolysis
technology in the biomass industry is in its
infancy. The demonstration of WRT and
Amaron Energy's mobile pyrolysis technologies confirms the arrival of commercial mobile pyrolysis options, offering the
industry an opportunity to perform a portion of the biomass-to-energy conversion
process near the harvest location, and alleviate adversities that hinder the advancement of the biomass industry.
Author: Kolby Hoagland
Data and Content Manager, BBI International
khoagland@bbiinternational.com
701-738-4966
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Biomass Magazine - July 2014

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INSIDE

JULY 2014 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 7

Vermont's Vision for

Bioenergy Pans Out In Gold

With his hands full of

JULY 2014 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 3

Hazlehurst, Georgia, USA

Modular design with replicated 20 TPH rated lines

JULY 2014 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 7

2014 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo

2015 International Biomass Conference & Expo

BBI Project Development

Continental Biomass Industries, Inc.

CPM Wolverine Proctor, LLC

Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. Inc.

KEITH Manufacturing Company

New Holland Agriculture

Parr Insturment Company

Pellet Fuels Institute

SAMSON Materials Handling Ltd.

Seeger Green Energy, LLC

Terex Environmental Equipment

TerraSource Global (Jeffrey Rader)

Vector Systems Inc.

West Salem Machinery Co.

Wolf Material Handling Systems

COPYRIGHT 2014 by BBI International

ADVANCED BIOFUELS & CHEMICALS

Please recycle this magazine

JULY 2014 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 5

6 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | JULY 2014

PUBLISHING & SALES

Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate

Minneapolis Convention Center

International Fuel Ethanol

Minneapolis Convention Center

JULY 2014 | BIOMASS MAGAZINE 7

Superior Industries adds

Mascoma adds scientific

industrial applications for customers the

Biomass Pelletizing & Energy Systems

Professor wins NSF award

technology Institute and the Michigan State

Verdezyne reaches production

signed an agreement with Bolton-Emerson

Biomass CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Torrefied Biomass in Production on Commercial Scale

Completion of wood pellet production

resulting from the manufacturing process

nent standing across the biomass-to-energy

Atikokan Generating Station, Ontario Power Generation Inc.

Drax Power Station, Drax Group plc

Drax, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Aecon, Doosan, Nordmin

Suspension fire system

Pulverized fueled boiler

Combined heat & power

Combined heat & power

April 2013 (1st unit)

Eagle Valley Clean Energy, Evergreen Energy

Biomass-to-Energy Plant-Green Energy Team LLC, Standardkessel Baumgarte Group

Standardkessel GmbH, Germany

Forest restoration residue

Combined heat & power