Recently in Biofuels Category

The NFU has urged government not to “marginalise” the bioenergy sector, following publication of the Committee on Climate Change’s bioenergy review.

Chief renewable energy adviser Jonathan Scurlock was concerned by the lack of ambition for developing domestic bioenergy in the report, pointing to proposals to withdraw Renewables Obligation support for large-scale biomass power generation and the recommendation for delayed target setting for transport biofuels.

But he welcomed the report’s conclusion that the UK’s carbon targets would be hard to meet without bioenergy and that bioenergy should be combined with carbon capture and storage to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“Around 4m tonnes of straw, plus a similar amount of new energy crops, could be supplied without disrupting existing agricultural markets” he said.

There was an interesting take on the “food versus fuel” debate at last week’s ‘Power of 3’ event at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.

Addressing the issue of the increasing feedstock required to supply more anaerobic digestion plants, Masstock’s Roger Hellawell suggested land had already become available due to the decline in cattle numbers.

Defra census figures showed cattle numbers had fallen by 300,000 head over the past five years, which at a stocking rate of two per hectare, equated to around 150,000ha of land. At a grass yield of 40t/ha freshweight, that gave a potential 6mt of grass, enough to supply about 90 250kW AD plants, he said.

The figures may have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but they at least illustrate the potential that already exists to meet the growing demands from renewables.

The potential for a massive expansion in the amount of renewable energy to come from biomass over the next few years has been brought into the ongoing CAP discussions this week.

European farm commissioner Dacian Ciolos says the generation of renewable energy offers real opportunities for rural areas and the sector will continue to be supported via the second pillar of the reformed CAP.

But farm ministers are keen that biomass production does not compete with primary food production and suggest more needs to be done to exploit the energy value of agricultural waste and by-products.

The Commission is currently working on sustainability criteria for biomass, which should also be taken into account for imported biomass products.

If like me, you struggle to keep abreast of the increasing number of renewable energy companies, you’ll be glad to hear the latest edition of the Bioenergy Industry Directory is out.

It provides a comprehensive list of companies offering everything from the latest kit to consultancy and other bioenergy services.

“2011 will be a transformative year as the RHI and FiTs underpin the bioenergy markets going forward,” Richard Price from Biofuels Media said. “We fully expect bioenergy use to grow significantly over the next few years as the sector plays its part in achieving the UK’s 2020 renewable energy targets.”

Printed copies cost £25 each (+£2.50 post & packing), but the CD version is £15. See http://www.biofuelsmedia.com/directory

Rising oil prices appear to have caused a surge in biofuel production last year, according to figures from US research organisation Worldwatch.

It says global biofuel production reached an all-time high of 105bn litres in 2010, up 17% on 2009. Drivers include high oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the US.

The US and Brazil are the two biggest ethanol producers, accounting for 57% and 33% of global output respectively in 2010. Corn is the main feedstock in the US, while sugarcane is the main source of Brazilian ethanol.

But Europe led the way in biodiesel production, accounting for 53% of all biodiesel in 2010. “However, we may see some European countries switch from biodiesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than biodiesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel,” the report says.

The Renewable Energy Association has set up a campaign urging government to support the generation of heat and power from biomass.

Timed to coincide with the Renewables Obligation banding review, the “Back Biomass” campaign says future support and policy must be sufficient to stimulate investment in biomass technology.

A number of large projects - including two from Drax Power - are in the pipeline, and provided support levels are maintained, they should make a big contribution to meeting UK renewables targets, the REA’s Gaynor Hartnell said. See http://www.backbiomass.co.uk/index.php

Animal feed use and human consumption of cereals in the EU will grow only slightly this decade but overall use is forecast to rise by about 9%.

This will take total consumption from 276m tonnes to almost 301m tonnes by 2020, with production rising at around 6% over the same period from 294.2m tonnes to 312.9m tonnes.

“Demand for cereals within the EU is being driven by a growing biofuels sector,” says HGCA’s Sarah Nightingale.

“While official targets have been set for renewable fuels, the sector has been affected by third country competition and the high price for raw materials this season. Over the next 10 years, cereal demand by this sector is expected to more than double.”

Road fuel supplier Greenergy has started producing biofuel using oil and fats extracted from waste food.

In partnership with edible oil recycling specialist Brocklesby, oils are extracted from unsaleable fatty food such as crisps, pies and pastries, and then purified and converted to biodiesel at Greenergy’s Immingham facility.

The firm says only food that is not fit for sale is used, either because it is misshapen, overcooked or past its sell by date. Food is sourced from a variety of manufacturers nationally and other suitable foods include taramasalata and oil from fish frying containing high quantities of breadcrumbs.

Any food solids that remain after processing are dried and either composted or fed into an anaerobic digestor.

“The quantities of biodiesel that we’re currently producing from solid food waste are small, but we’re expecting to scale up so that this soon becomes a significant proportion of our biodiesel,” Greenergy chief executive Andrew Owens said.

“We’ve always tried to find ways of reducing the environmental impact of our fuel and as oil prices continue to rise, it’s obviously important to develop alternative sources of fuel.”

UK biodiesel consumption fell by a third (34%) in the first quarter of 2011, according to HM Customs figures.

Some 147,404t of biodiesel was consumed between January and March, down from 223,745t during the same period last year

HGCA said the fall was due to high vegetable oil prices putting pressure on producer margins and greater availability of ethanol, which had displaced biodiesel consumption - UK biofuel inclusion targets for transport fuel are based on total biofuel inclusion and do not require a specified type.

Figures suggest increased UK bioethanol capacity meant the proportion of imported fuel ethanol fell to 72% during April to October 2010, down from 86% (391m litres) in the year to April 2010.

The Ensus bioethanol plant on Teesside is to temporarily shut down at the end of April as operators resolve ongoing odour problems.

There have been a number of complaints about the brewery-type smell coming from the site since ethanol production began last spring and recent heightening of chimney stacks failed to solve the problem.

Ensus is spending £8m on two thermal oxidisers that will remove the odour from the animal feed drying section of the plant. Both units are on site and will be assembled and tested before the plant is shutdown at the end of April and the units connected.

The Environment Agency has an enforcement notice in place requiring completion no later than the end of May.