Manitoba BioEnergy Technology News |
WORLD ENERGY ENGINEERING CONGRESS
August 15 - 17, 2007
GA World Congress Center - Hall C1
Atlanta, Georgia - Earn 10 PDH / 1.0 CEU by attending the 3-day WEEC Conference
Details: http://www.energycongress.com/
BIOENERGY 2007
International Bioenergy Conference & Exhibition
Sep
03-06, 2007, Jyväskylä, Finland
Details: http://seminaarit.ohoi.fi/default.asp?seminarID=6 or www.finbioenergy.fi
REALIZING THE BIOENERGY OPPORTUNITY
September 12-14, 2007,
Three-day international conference to be held in Toronto
Details & Registration: http://www.canbio.ca/pdf/Toronto%20workshop%2007.pdf
BBI BIOFUELS WORKSHOP & TRADE
SHOW SERIES: BUILDING AN INDUSTRY
Western Region: October 9-11, 2007, Portland, OR;
Eastern Region: November
28-30, 2007, Philadelphia, PA
Western Region Details: http://www.biofuelsworkshop.com/DisplayPage.aspx?pageId=Registration1
Eastern Region Details: http://www.biofuelsworkshop.com/DisplayPage.aspx?pageId=Registration
INTERPELLETS: TRADE FAIR FOR WOOD PELLETS TECHNOLOGY
October 10-12, 2007, Suttgart, Germany
Details: http://www.interpellets.de/index.php?id=145&L=1
CELLULOSIC ETHANOL SUMMIT
October 15-17, 2007, Washington, DC
Details: http://www.infocastinc.com/cell07.html
MAKING WOOD WORK: LOCAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS
October 16-18, 2007,
Holiday Inn Parkside, Missoula, Montana
National 3-day workshop on implementing woody biomass energy systems.
Details: http://fuelsforschools.org/biomass_boiler_workshop.html
INTERNATIONAL DISTILLERS
GRAINS CONFERENCE: EDUCATING & EMPOWERING
END USERS
October 21-23, 2007,
Schaumberg, Illinois
The extraordinary growth of the U.S. ethanol industry is bringing with it the
production of massive quantities of distiller grains. About 11 million
tons of distiller grains is represented in the collective production capacities
of ethanol plants either on line or under construction today. Approximately 2
million tons of DDGS are already being exported annually, but that number needs
to double or triple in order for this growing industry to thrive. It is vital
to educate and empower end users and enhance customer outreach activities worldwide.
>Read more: https://www.distillersgrainsconference.com/DisplayPage.aspx?pageId=1
INTERNATIONAL BIOMASS '08
CONFERENCE & TRADE
SHOW: POWER, FUELS, AND CHEMICALS
April 15-17, 2008,
Minneapolis, MN
Call for Presentations: Submission deadline: October
1, 2007 http://www.biomassconference.com/speaker.aspx
THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL
BIOENERGY CONFERENCE
& EXHIBITION
June 3-5, 2008, Prince George, BC
Details: http://www.bioenergyconference.org/index.php
BIOTECH BREAKTHROUGH COULD END BIODIESEL'S GLYCERIN
GLUT
Globe-Net, July 10, 2007
Glycerin is the major byproduct of biodiesel production and has the
potential to cause waste problems with biodiesel production at its
height. Researchers
at Rice University have discovered a possible solution in the form of a bacterium
that ferments glycerin and produces ethanol, another popular biofuel.
> Read more: http://www.globe-net.ca/new_products/listing.cfm?ID_Report=1230
COOKING UP MORE USES FOR THE LEFTOVERS OF BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
HILLARY ROSNER
New York Times, August 8, 2007
Researchers are searching for innovative uses for a byproduct of the
production of biodiesel fuel, glycerol. This could help transform
the biodiesel industry into something that more closely resembles the
petroleum industry, where fuel is just one of many profitable products. Glycerol
(or glycerin) is used in a variety of products, including foods, soap
and dynamite. But the current market is saturated.
> Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/business/08biodiesel.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=business
THE ENGINEER: FIELD OF DREAMS
Stuart Nathan
Royal Dutch Shell PLC News, August 1, 2007
Producing a new generation of biofuels from waste products is an exciting
next step for green energy, but considerable technical obstacles remain
before it becomes a reality. This is a great overview of biomass
materials and processing technologies, including some of the challenges
and debates regarding bio-energy.
> Read more: http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2007/08/01/the-engineer-field-of-dreams/
PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL: POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES
Sulaiman Al-Zuhair,
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, September 2007, p. 57-66
Biodiesel, defined as monoalkyl fatty acid ester (preferentially methyl
and ethyl esters), represents a promising alternative fuel for use in
compression-ignition (diesel) engines. This article presents a comparison
between conventional processes and enzymatic processes and different
possible feedstocks for biodiesel production. In addition, possible ways
to overcome the problems facing the use of lipase are described.
> Read more: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/114285965/PDFSTART
PUTTING THE BITE ON C02
Toronto Star, July 23, 2007
One way to deal with carbon dioxide is to feed the greenhouse gas to
algae. Several companies have attempted over the years to develop
algae bioreactor systems that can be attached to coal- or natural gas-fired
power plants or big industrial facilities. But, designing them
presents many challenges. Nevertheless, The federal government
announced in March that it was contributing $100,000 toward the first
phase of a project to design microalgae systems with the potential to
capture up to 100 million tonnes of CO{-2} from industrial sources. The
newly created I-CAN Centre for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide, will
be co-led by government research centres in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
and Quebec.
> Contact the ITC library to obtain this article.
"Biomass energy systems are not composed of a single process. To conserve the stored solar energy, multiple processes are woven into a complete system. It is likely that some of the bioprocessing technologies will not produce energy, but some other useful outputs like construction materials, compost, or industrial chemicals. A complete system of processing technologies, a biomass energy system is conceptually similar to an oil refinery." The Biorefinery Concept is taken from the THE BIOTOWN, USA SOURCEBOOK OF BIOMASS ENERGY (page 4, diagram - page 5).
PROVINCE COMMITS $80 MILLION TO DEVELOPMENT OF
BIOFUEL PRODUCTION FACILITIES
Saskatchewan Government News Release, June 12, 2007
The Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) Program was announced
at the North East Saskatchewan Ethanol Forum in Tisdale. It's a four-year, $80
million provincial program that provides repayable contributions of up to $10
million per project. An additional $2 million will also be provided for biofuels
and bioproducts research and development.
> Read more: http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=81b3436a-59bc-4b04-b5c4-61d20811755d
SDTC APPROVES $48M MORE IN CLEAN TECH FUNDING
Globe-Net, July 11, 2007
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) has approved its latest
round of funding for clean technologies, issuing $48 million for the
development and demonstration of 19, recently approved, technologies
that benefit both the environment and the economy. Projects include sectors such as energy exploration
and production; power generation; energy utilization; transportation; agriculture;
forestry, wood products and pulp & paper products; and waste management.
> Read
more: http://www.globe-net.ca/news/index.cfm?type=2&newsID=2980
GEORGIA AND MICHIGAN IN RACE TO CONVERT WOOD
TO ETHANOL
EERE News, July 25, 2007
Efforts are underway to build the first commercial plant in the United
States to convert wood into ethanol, and the race is on to see if that
first plant will be located in Georgia or Michigan. The plant in Georgia has received a
state permit and plans to break ground this summer on the first phase of the
plant. No timeline has been announced for Mascoma's proposed plant, but
Michigan's Governor wants the facility to be the first commercial-scale wood-to-ethanol
plant in the country.
> Read more: http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/archive.cfm/pubDate=%7Bd%20%272007-07-25%27%7D#11123
QUESTAIR RECEIVES ORDER FOR BIOMETHANE PURIFICATION SYSTEM
Globe-Net, July 11, 2007
QuestAir Technologies, a British Columbia company, has received an
order for an M-3100 system to upgrade anaerobic digester gas created
from organic waste to pipeline quality methane. The plant
will produce pipeline-grade methane from anaerobic digester gas generated
from organic waste and is expected to be fully operational in the spring
of 2008.
> Read more: http://www.globe-net.ca/search/display.cfm?NID=2986&CID=9
PUBLICATIONS
THE BIOTOWN, USA
USA SOURCEBOOK OF BIOMASS ENERGY
Indiana State Department of Agriculture
April 3, 2006
BioTown, USA is Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniel’s, bold approach
to develop local renewable energy production, create a cleaner environment,
find new solutions to municipal/animal waste issues, and develop new
markets for Indiana products – all at the same time. It is
the conversion of Reynolds, Indiana from a reliance on fossil fuels to
biomass-based fuels.
http://www.in.gov/biotownusa/pdf/Biotown_Sourcebook_040306.pdf
BURNING BIO NEWS
Newsletter highlighting emerging biomass energy projects, policies and
technologies.
http://biomassrules.com/?page_id=168
INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIP IN THE BIO-ECONOMY: A DISCUSSION
PAPER ON THE FUTURE OF CANADIAN AGRICULTURE
CropLife Canada and GrowCanada
January 2007
Canada has the opportunity to become a global leader in creating specialized
markets for its agricultural products. This will not happen without the
dedicated commitment of all members of the bio-economy value chain and
without leadership from the federal, provincial and territorial governments.
http://croplife.ca/english/pdf/newsreleases/2006/GrowCanadaVision2015_E.pdf
THE USE OF BIOMASS FOR POWER GENERATION IN THE U.S.
Research Reports International
2006-2007
This overview of the renewed U.S. market interest in biomass-fueled power
generation provides a concise look at what's driving interest in biomass-fueled
generation, the challenges faced in implementing biomass-fueled generation
projects, and the current and future state of biomass-fueled generation.
Full copy of the report is $299.
http://www.researchreportsintl.com/products/product.cfm?report_ID=89
WEB SITES
G3: GOING GREEN GLOBALLY
This web site is designed to promote greater utilization of biomass technologies
worldwide. The site is sponsored by BBI International, it’s
content is available to bio products producers, vendors, researchers,
agencies, consumers, distributors, agricultural associations and corporations.
http://www.goinggreenglobally.com/DisplayPage.aspx?pageId=Welcome_to_g3
ASSESSORS FEAR FOR
OILSEED PRICES IN BIOFUEL BOOM
FoodNavigator.com, August 14, 2007
The European Commission has published a new impact assessment on the
ten per cent biofuel obligation, in which it says cereal and oilseed
prices are likely to rise as a result of greater demand for feedstock. The assessment predicts
that 15 per cent of utilised agricultural area will be devoted to biofuels by
2020. The impact is that growers are switching from food staples to biofuel crops
in order to tap demand.
> Read more: http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=79042&m=1FNE814&c=ubjblukryocokwm
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS WILL DEVOUR HUGE AMOUNTS OF LAND,
WARNS RESEARCHER
Ian Sample
Guardian Unlimited, July 28, 2007
Large-scale renewable energy projects will cause widespread environmental
damage by industrializing vast swaths of countryside, a leading scientist
claims. The statement follows an analysis of the amount of land
that renewable energy resources, including wind farms, biofuel crops
and photovoltaic solar cells, require to produce substantial amounts
of power.
> Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2133896,00.html
THINKING CLEARLY ABOUT BIOFUELS: ENDING THE IRRELEVANT NET ENERGY
DEBATE AND DEVELOPING BETTER PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Bruce E. Dale
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, September 2007, p. 14-17
The author suggests that a clearer and more accurate perception of the
value of alternative fuel resources needs to be viewed. The "net
energy" argument is a good example of how not to think about alternative
fuels. "For over 25 years a small but vocal group of critics
has argued that ethanol from corn has a negative net energy." Although
this theory has been widely spread, the author suggests that this is
wrong and dangerously misleading; and, if we are to make wise decisions
about energy, we need to carefully choose our metrics.
> Read more: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/114801276/PDFSTART
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The Manitoba BioEnergy
Technology News is produced by the Industrial Technology Centre
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