Primus Green Energy Biopetroleum Breakthrough

The US based subsidiary of Israeli Corp (IC) has found a way to produce 93-octane rated gasoline from biobased feedstocks, which could create a drop-in greener option at the pumps in the future.

The process developed by Primus Green Energy Ltd converts waste biomass from agriculture into standard gasoline; not alcohol fuels such as ethanol or butanol but it is chemically identical to the gasoline currently in use and the company says it can be produced cost competitively. The fuel has the same properties and performance and can be run in conventional gasoline engines without any modifications or changes to fuel distribution infrastructure.

President of IC Green Energy, Dr. Yom-Tov Samia;

"Primus GE can produce 2,000 gallons of biofuel at its pilot facility. Primus GE's technology could lead to a positive revolution in the fuel industry, and signals a possible rehab from dependence on oil. IC Green Energy was founded in 2007 on the basis of Idan Ofer's vision to enter the renewal energy field. Fuel production from wood residue is another aspect of this strategy."

Primus is now working towards commercializing the product and they are in contact with a number of groups who they will use to assist them. Having built a pilot production facility they have partnered with aviation giants Lockheed Martin for engineering services to develop bio-jet fuel for the department of defense. They have a letter of intent from Eco Energy, which currently handle 20% of biofuel commerce in the US. To ensure that the company has enough biomass for production, Primus has been in contact with agricultural companies to negotiate use of marginal land for crop growth and also with forestry companies to gather their waste for use as feedstock. Landmark Ventures are also co-operating with Primus for future financing.

ADM Announces Start-Up of Renewable Biobased Propylene Glycol

Archer Daniels Midland Company announce the start-up of its biobased propylene glycol plant in Illinois.

The facility began start-up operations in late March and is now producing industrial-grade, biobased propylene glycol produced from renewable feedstocks such as corn and soy. Over the next few months, ADM will increase the plant’s production capacity and work toward adding production of propylene glycol which meets United States Pharmacopeial (USP) standards.

Business director, Paul Bloom;

“When we initially started propylene glycol production at the facility in June 2010, we made high-quality product and gained confidence in our technology. We also identified several opportunities to further improve product quality. We piloted the necessary design modifications, reviewed and updated our operational safety program and then implemented the improvements at scale to bring the facility online in late March. Because ADM is committed to safely producing high-quality, biobased propylene glycol, we took time to ensure our facility was getting the right results, the right way.”

Propylene Glycol has applications in a number of markets, as an additive or solvent in the pharmaceutical industry, as an additive in the food and cosmetics industries, a plasticizer, hydraulic fluid, unsaturated polyester resins and a plethora of other uses. Propylene glycol manufacture has been growing by about 4% annually over the past few years, with about 450 million kg produced a year in the US.

Arizona State University Study Algae Culture Crashes; Could This Research Make Algae a More Viable Feedstock?

Predator contamination can decimate a crop of algae, but researchers at the University of Arizona are trying to find ways to deal with the problem; this would make algae a more economically reliable feedstock.

Despite claims of land efficiency and high oil yields, microalgae have pests just like any other crop. These pests come in the form of zooplankton; various predatory microbes that can consume algae like a swarm of locusts on a corn field. This ends in a culture crash as the algae are consumed by predators and the batch is lost.

Culture crashes are one of the biggest hurdles for cultivation of algae as a feedstock for biofuel or biochemical applications as one of the cheapest methods of cultivating algae (in open ponds) is also the most susceptible to culture crash. Closed systems (such as photobioreactors) are more resistant to culture crashes but are also more expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. If particular risk factors for culture crashes could be identified they could be avoided or mitigated. If so, this would improve the productivity of algae, which could (depending on the cost of the method) make algae a more commercially viable feedstock.

Arizona State University recently received a million dollar grant for the next five years from the US Department of Agriculture for research into factors contributing to crop failure. Project leader Prof Qiang Hu is the co-director of the Arizona Center for Algal Technology and Innovation (AzCATI). He stated that the lack of detailed understanding of the factors influencing the occurrence, population dynamics, impact and control of zooplankton, it could make algae an impractical feedstock; his research team will endeavor to fill in the gaps in scientific understanding.

They will study zooplankton in commercial algae production facilities and also in their own algae facilities at ASU using bioimaging and DNA fingerprinting to determine the organisms present to build a detailed picture of culture crash by predation. This could lead to early warning monitors for commercial algae production; rather than waiting for the culture to start dying off as an indicator, an anti-microbial agent could be administered early to prevent infection from escalating and wiping out the batch. The studies could also be used to build more realistic pictures of the output of algae production facilities when predation is factored into the equation. 

The potential for improving algae technology that this line of research could offer is great; if technology and best-practice based solutions are made available they could make algae a more viable way to produce chemicals and fuel. The directors of AzCATI have stated that their findings will be made widely available as publications, journal articles and training courses, so that the algae industry as a whole can benefit. As these solutions are made available, AzCATI may well find itself in high demand for a growing algae industry.

Green tinted specs-Teijin’s BIOFRONT to be used in designer eyeglasses

Japan-based Boston Club, a designer eyeglass company will use Teijin’s heat resistant plastic BIOFRONT in its JAPONISM range.

Boston Club is active globally, producing a range of designer eyewear; however most of their business is located in Japan. The bioplastic glasses will go on sale in May and they expect 2000 pairs of the glasses to be sold each year. The BIOFRONT bioplastic is polylactic acid (PLA) based, though its performance has been greatly improved on standard PLA. It is produced from biobased feedstock and durable; it is resistant to sunlight bleaching or bacterial degradation, making it a good choice for use in glasses. In fact, BIOFRONT is more resistant to discoloration from cosmetics than acetate, the petrochemical based plastic most often used in glasses. BIOFRONT also has mild antibacterial properties which can help prevent skin rashes sometimes caused by glasses.

The glasses will be manufactured by Teijin and distributed by Boston Club. Teijin partnered with Tanaka Foresight in 2009, the plastics company which supplies 60% of all plastic parts for glasses in Japan and developed bioplastic frames for spectacles.

The Department of Energy Finds Algae Grown in Open Ponds Could Replace 17% of U.S. Oil Imports, But Clever Water Usage is a Must.

DOE researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studying the potential for Algae grown in open ponds found that algae grown this way could replace 17% of oil imports. However, while algae is very land-efficient, it is water intensive. The study was published in Water Resources Research.

Lead author and PNNL hydrologist, Mark Wigmosta:

"Algae has been a hot topic of biofuel discussions recently, but no one has taken such a detailed look at how much America could make - and how much water and land it would require — until now. This research provides the groundwork and initial estimates needed to better inform renewable energy decisions."

Congressionally mandated targets are calling for a reduction in oil imports by a third and fresh water algae ponds alone could potentially meet half of this reduction. This equates to 21bn gallons of biofuel which could be produced on an area of land the size of South Carolina. However, one gallon of algal biofuel requires 350 gallons of water to produce. The study also found that if significantly more land and water were used it would be possible to replace 48% of fuel imports, though this would be much more difficult.

Driving a mile on algal biofuel has a water footprint of 8.6-50.2 gallons and bioethanol production has a similar water footprint. Water availability is one of the big challenges set to face the world in coming years and the fact that algae production is so thirsty will hinder algal biofuel unless water is managed carefully in this growing industry. A number of methods exist for minimizing water usage in algae cultivation, some of which will be considered in future studies by Wigmosta’s research group and projects that bear their water consumption in mind might be the most sustainable.

This study represents the first in-depth attempt to determine the potential for algal biofuel growth. Thirty years of meteorological data, high resolution topographical data and information on population and land use were analyzed, along with mathematical modeling of algal growth under various conditions. While there are many ways of producing algae, open freshwater ponds are the most common in the US. The limiting factors considered in the study were location and climate; growing algae is water intensive and warm climates are ideal for algae cultivation, as they require less water input in these conditions. Three areas were identified as well suited to growing algae; the Gulf Coast, Eastern Seaboard and the Great Lakes.

Future studies by the group are aimed at investigating more advanced algae cultivation technologies, such as the potential for salt-water algae development, the impact of using waste CO2 to enhance growth, algae cultivation in waste water, the use of greenhouse ponds for colder climates and economic factors. A number of projects are pursuing algae technologies that use less fresh water; for example a Spanish consortium which is using waste water and a biofuel facility in New Mexico using salt water. If the potential of these technologies is demonstrated by this research, it could help attract investment and reduce the water footprint of cultivating algal feedstocks. Data on the water savings of non-fresh water cultivation technologies would be valuable for the algae industry. There are also locations for a “perfect storm” of conditions for algae cultivation; a combination of good geography, adjacent sources of waste CO2, abundant sunshine, humidity and non-fresh water supplies. Identifying these sites could give algae development a boost as producers compete to get hold of the best locations.  

Lignol develops adhesive resins for OSB, opening up a greener option for construction materials

Biofuels and renewable chemicals company Lignol Energy Corporation have announced the development of a resin adhesive which is renewable, making use of their High-Performance Lignin (HP-LTM). The resin will be used for making Oriented Strand Board (OSB).

Lignol President and CEO, Ross Maclachlan:

“The successful development and trial of our first renewable chemical product based on our High-Performance Lignin is an exciting milestone for our company. This achievement demonstrates that our strategy to develop commercial applications for the green chemicals produced at our pilot-scale biorefinery is delivering results. For Lignol, this paves the way to enormous worldwide markets for High-Performance Lignin formulations in other applications like particleboard, plywood and MDF for the composite wood products industry. The potential volumes needed to supply these markets would require production from multiple commercial-scale Lignol biorefineries.”

Canada-based Lignol have been developing cellulose to ethanol technologies for fuel production and several offshooting technologies for producing chemicals from intermediate sugars or ethanol. The new adhesive is derived from one of the company’s products, HP-LTM; a resin containing renewable lignin blended with a polymer known as pMDI. This high performance lignol based resin is to be used as a core component of OSB, which is a wood composite material commonly used in construction. OSB is comprised of wood and a resin, the substitution of the existing resin for the Lignol resin would make these panels more renewable. Production of OSB in the US in 2005 was in the region of 25bn square feet, indicating a large market for potential product expansion.

Previous attempts to make lignin resins for use in these boards failed to meet industry standards; however this product is tougher and makes the grade, being cheaper and greener. Lignol has partnered with FPinnovations to develop the product; FPinnovations had done the initial performance testing of the HP-LTM boards to find their performance exceeded the standards required by Canadian and American regulators. The finished boards are expected to be cost-competitive with existing products, making boards containing the resin an attractive option for construction operations seeking ways to green their business.

DOW and OPX Biotech partner to produce biobased acrylic acid.

Dow Chemical Company and OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. (OPXBIO) announce that they are collaborating to scale up OPXBIO’s process for synthesis of bio-based acrylic acid. This would be a drop-in replacement for the chemical rather than a similar substitute.

Pat Gottschalk, business director and vice president, Dow Performance Monomers.

“Dow is interested in bio-based products that are economically competitive to petrochemical-based products with equal or advantaged performance qualities. Through the use of innovative technologies and sustainable raw materials, this project may enable Dow to diversify its product offerings for customers.”

OPXBIO developed a way to convert sugars to acrylic acid via fermentation and DOW is now using its know-how for producing acrylic acid and esters to scale up the process. This process was found by independent LCA consultants Symbiotic Engineering to have carbon emissions 70% lower than the conventional acrylic acid synthesis from petrochemicals. OPXBIO has expertise in developing strains of microorganisms for fermentation in this area which it will contribute using its EDGE (efficiency directed genome engineering) platform. EDGE is a technology which has allowed OPXBIO to accelerate the rate at which it can develop strains for industrial application. If this joint process development succeeds, bio-based acrylic acid could be sold on the market within three to five years. 

Acrylic acid is chemical used in a variety of applications, with global production exceeding a billion kilograms a year and a market value of $8bn a year, growing 4% a year. It is used to manufacture a range of esters which are used in the flavors and fragrances industry and it also used widely in the polymers industry to produce a range of co-polymers, plastics, adhesives and elastomers. Polyacrylic acid is able to absorb large amounts of water relative to its weight; therefore it is often used in products such as disposable diapers. It is also used to prevent scale build up in circulating cool water systems in a range of industries.