US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office publishes biofuels report

By Biofuels International.

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the publication of a report, titled Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet and Gaseous Waste Streams: Challenges and Opportunities.

According to the US department, the report is the first comprehensive assessment of the resource potential and technology opportunities provided by feedstocks, including wastewater treatment-derived sludge and biosolids, animal manure, food waste, inedible fats and greases, biogas, and carbon dioxide streams.

These feedstocks can be converted into renewable natural gas, diesel, and aviation fuels, or into valuable bioproducts.

Complementary to the ‘2016 Billion-Ton Report’, this new resource assessment, conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, concludes that wet and gaseous organic waste streams represent a substantial and underutilized set of feedstocks for biofuels and biopower.

The analysis found that the United States has the potential to use 77 million dry tons of wet waste per year, which would generate about 1,300 trillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy.

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Disagreements Over Oregon Clean Fuels Program Could Resurface this Year Amid Need for Transportation Package

By Gordon Friedman, Oregon Live.

Weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for what's shaping up as a difficult 2017 session, one of their signature goals is facing serious challenges. 

A special committee that toured the state for months to craft plans for shoring up Oregon's transportation system has yet to agree on what a multimillion-dollar proposal should look like. They don't know which projects it will include. They can't say how those projects will be financed. 

They also aren't sure they can guarantee state officials will spend the money wisely. Instead, they're waiting for an audit that will tell them whether the Oregon Department of Transportation can manage a larger budget. 

Those concerns bubbled from interviews with lawmakers and during a hearing last month where legislators aired a long list of priorities alongside worries that reaching a complicated deal could take months. Because a deal would likely include a gas tax increase, any package would need bipartisan support. 

"It is troublesome that so much time has elapsed describing the problem," said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, a key voice on transportation issues, "and we are still without a working draft of a bill."

Some of the problems that plagued a much-hyped plan two years ago -- chiefly, partisan disagreements over clean fuel standards -- may resurface this year. Lawmakers may also find tension as they face another looming problem: how to plug a $1.7 billion budget hole. 

And even if lawmakers do manage a deal, interest groups could rebel over any tax hikes, sending the package to voters.

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Wastewater Bioenergy Project Selected by Department of Energy

By Carrie W. Capuco, WE&RF.

(Alexandria, VA) - A consortium led by the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) has been selected by the Department of Energy for award negotiations to begin Phase 1 design and planning for a pilot plant to produce clean hydrocarbon fuels at a municipal wastewater treatment facility. The project will use breakthrough technology to produce fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and renewable natural gas from wastewater solids. 

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, near Oakland, California, will host the pilot system. The consortium includes WE&RF representing many of the 16,000 wastewater systems in the USA, Genifuel Corporation with technology from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Merrick & Company, Southern California Gas Company, Tesoro Corporation, Metro Vancouver, MicroBio Engineering, Brown and Caldwell, and over a dozen utility partners.

The technology, called Hydrothermal Processing, converts waste solids from a wastewater treatment plant into biocrude oil and methane gas in less than one hour. The biocrude oil replaces fossil oil, providing green fuels with nearly zero net new carbon emissions. The methane gas can be used in the same ways as fossil natural gas. Biocrude oil produced in the system will be refined in an existing refinery, while the methane gas will be sold for transport in the gas pipeline system or used at the pilot plant to offset power needs elsewhere in the plant. If fully implemented in wastewater treatment operations across the U.S., the technology will produce more than two billion gallons of gasoline equivalent per year. The system also produces fertilizer byproducts. 

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'Food Power': How many apple cores does it take to power a light bulb?

By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.

Tackling food waste may seem daunting for the average consumer. Date labels can be confusing, shopping habits can seem hard to change and it may seem like one person's action can't make a difference when the problem is talked about on a national or global scale.

Save On Energy, an online marketplace, is trying to change that by putting food waste into more personal terms with a new project on energy usage dubbed "Food Power." Based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which estimates that approximately 1.3 billion metric tons of food produced for human consumption is wasted every year, the project uses North America's average per capita rate of 105 kilograms (approx. 231 pounds) as its baseline.

Using the conversion formula for Impact Bioenergy's HORSE AD25 microdigester (10 pounds of food waste can generate between one to two kilowatt hours of electricity) the team extrapolated this data into household energy usage terms on a larger scale. Impact Bioenergy confirmed for Waste Dive that this formula could be applicable for demonstration purposes, with larger digesters operating closer to the two kilowatt hour level.

The logistics of collecting all of this food waste, let alone siting and permitting large-scale digesters to process it, is of course much more complicated. The Save On Energy team recognized this and said their main goal was to frame the issue in a more consumer-oriented way. As noted in the ReFED report, homes account for 43% of the food wasted by weight in the U.S. at a financial cost of $144 billion.

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EPA Extends Comment Period On REGS Rule And RFS Point Of Obligation Petitions

By National Law Review.

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published two announcements in the Federal Register regarding an extension of the comment period for the proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support (REGS) rule and the proposed denial of petitions for the rulemaking to change the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Point of Obligation.

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Wisconsin county issues RFP for landfill gas project

By Waste Today Staff.

Dane County, Wisconsin, is requesting proposals for fabrication, delivery, installation and start-up of a biogas cleaning system to convert landfill gas (LFG) into high-Btu biomethane at the Dane County Landfill Site #2, located at 7102 U.S. Highway 12, Madison, Wisconsin, per information provided by the U.S. EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP). Only firms with capabilities, experience and expertise with similar projects should submit proposals. Performance and payment bond are required for this project. 

Dane County will be the owner/operator of the biogas cleaning system and retain rights to all the biomethane. The biogas cleaning system will be designed to have a flexible operating range, with a minimum flow of 500 scfm and maximum of 1,750 scfm LFG, and must be easily expanded in the future, up to 2,600 scfm LFG. The primary function of the biogas cleaning equipment will be to achieve the pipeline quality standards set by ANR Pipeline Co. 

Dane County has a power purchase agreement expiring in 2019 for LFG electricity produced at Site #2. The County plans for the new pipeline injection project to replace the electricity project at the beginning of 2019.

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New Study Improves Understanding of Natural Gas Vehicle Methane Emissions

By Joe Rudek and Jason Mathers, Environmental Defense Fund.

Many commercial fleet operators have considered switching their fleet vehicles from diesel to natural gas to take advantage of the growing abundance of natural gas and reduced emissions. Natural gas trucks have the potential to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions (NOx) from freight trucks and buses.

Yet, adopting the emission reduction technologies and practices needed to curb the methane escaping during the production, transport and delivery of natural gas is critical to unlock the full environmental potential of these vehicles. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere at every step from production wells to the vehicle fuel tanks. Even small amounts of methane emitted across the natural gas supply chain can undermine the climate benefit of fuel-switching vehicles to natural gas for some period of time, as EDF research has shown.

A newly published scientific study, led by researchers with West Virginia University at the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions, measured methane emissions from heavy-duty natural gas-powered vehicles and refueling stations, and is greatly expanding what we know about emissions from natural gas-fueled vehicles. The study is the first project in EDF’s coordinated methane research series to analyze where and by how much methane emissions occur during natural gas end uses.

The WVU study found that emissions from the vehicle tailpipe and engine crankcase were the highest methane sources, representing roughly 30 and 39% (respectively) of total pump to wheels (PTW) emissions. Fortunately, engines with closed crankcases have recently been certified by EPA, avoiding the single largest source of methane emissions from these vehicles.

Fueling station methane emissions were reported to be relatively low, representing about 12% of total PTW emissions. WVU researchers based the fueling station emission estimates on the assumption that liquefied natural gas (LNG) stations have sufficient sales volume to effectively manage boil off gases, or the fuel lost as vapors when the LNG heats above its boiling point. Without alternative methods to manage boil off gas, low sales volume risks large methane releases.

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Energy-sector CO2 to stagnate without Clean Power Plan — EIA

By Emily Holden, E&E News.

Coal use and energy-sector carbon emissions in the United States would both flatline without the Obama administration's climate standards for power plants, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration outlook released yesterday.

Natural gas and renewable power would grow to meet increasing power demand, although the specific levels will depend on how much each cost, the annual report notes. Overall, many EIA cases suggest the country could become a net energy exporter in the 2020s.

The study's baseline case assumes existing laws and regulations will be in place, although President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have sworn to reverse climate action in ways that could greatly alter the independent agency's projections.

"There's a lot of nuances in policy changes," said EIA chief Adam Sieminski. "Until we see a clear pattern of what both the Congress and the executive branch are going to do, I think you have to stick with EIA's existing set of side cases."

EIA has received some criticism for assuming in its business-as-usual case that the Clean Power Plan will move forward even though it faces court challenges and now will likely be shot down by the Trump administration. Projections from EIA traditionally assume current policies will continue, although alternative cases explore what else might happen.

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Senators of biofuel states have 'positive meeting' with EPA nominee Scott Pruitt

By Joseph Morton, World-Herald Bureau, via Omaha World Herald.

WASHINGTON — Nebraska and Iowa Republican senators seemed satisfied as they emerged Thursday from a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, arranged the sit-down to discuss the importance of renewable fuels with Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who has been critical of policies such as the Renewable Fuel Standard in the past.

Grassley and other senators indicated they liked what they heard.

“It was a very positive meeting,” Grassley told reporters as he stood next to Pruitt. “As far as I know, every senator was very satisfied with the answers we got.”

Pruitt declined to answer reporters’ questions.

Asked whether he’ll support Pruitt’s nomination, Grassley offered his standard line that he will wait until after the confirmation hearing to decide.

“There’s been nothing at this point that would discourage me from voting for it,” he said.

In addition to the four Nebraska and Iowa senators, the meeting included senators from South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri and Kansas.

Grassley said Pruitt offered not just reassuring words on renewable fuels but general support for the rule of law. That echoed comments from other senators in the meeting.

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API wants to 'change the conversation' under Trump, Pruitt

By Spencer Chase, AgriPulse.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2017 - American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard sees 2017 as a big moment in the life of the energy industry, and he hopes he has allies in the incoming administration.

Speaking at API's annual state of American energy event in Washington, Gerard said the industry is poised to have a banner 2017, but only if Congress and the administration permit it.

“For the first time in our lifetime, we can now say that North America has the potential to become a net energy exporter,” Gerard said in his speech. “That's a revolutionary change, a significant shift from where we were just a few short years ago.”

Gerard said for that to happen, the energy industry - oil and gas production in particular - will need help in the form of regulatory relief. He said there have been 145 “regulations and other executive actions” the industry has been subjected to in the “last few years,” but the new year and a new Congress provide “an opportunity to change the national conversation.”

“We need to look at the regulatory regimes be it the Endangered Species Act or (the National Environmental Policy Act), whatever it might be to determine what needs to be done to regulate smartly and with common sense, but yet achieve our potential as a world energy superpower,” Gerard told reporters after his speech.

One thing API will continue to fight into the future is the Renewable Fuel Standard, a policy requiring the increased use of ethanol and other renewable fuels in the American fuel supply. API and other oil and gas groups have been opposed to increases in RFS requirements, proposing instead to cap renewable fuel blending requirements at 9.7 percent of gasoline demand.

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