News release from Enerkem:
Enerkem and GreenField Ethanol Announce Quebec's First Waste-to-Biofuels Production Facility
VARENNES, Québec, February 6, 2012 – At a news conference in Varennes today, the
Government of Québec announced its plan to inject $27 million in Québec’s first
full-scale commercial cellulosic ethanol plant through the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Wildlife and Investissement Québec. This facility will be built and operated by a
joint venture partnership formed by Enerkem (www.enerkem.com), a waste-to-biofuels
and chemicals company, and GreenField Ethanol (www.greenfieldethanol.com), the
Canadian leader in alcohol production.
The future plant will be located in Varennes, Québec and will use Enerkem’s proprietary
technology to convert non-recyclable municipal solid waste into biofuels. With a
full-scale waste-to-biofuels facility under construction in Edmonton, Alberta, and another
one under development in Mississippi, the Varennes facility represents Enerkem’s third
full-scale commercial project.
"By producing liquid transportation fuel from non-recyclable waste, this facility opens the
door to the emergence of a new energy sector and will allow for local sustainable
management of our waste materials", declared Vincent Chornet, Enerkem President
and CEO. "Located on the site of Ethanol GreenField's current plant, this project will
represent one of the first integrations between an existing, first generation ethanol plant
and a new cellulosic ethanol plant."
"The construction of this innovative plant on our current site marks the beginning of our
transition to an integrated biorefinery in Varennes", said Jean Roberge, General
Manager, GreenField Ethanol Québec. "We are pleased to partner with Enerkem and
integrate their technology to build Québec’s first full-scale commercial cellulosic ethanol
plant. The use of waste materials, that is made possible with Enerkem's technology,
complements GreenField Ethanol R&D efforts with other types of biomass. "This waste-to-biofuels production facility will help reduce greenhouse emissions, fossil
fuel imports and landfilled volumes. The non-recyclable waste will come from
institutional, commercial and industrial sectors, and from construction and demolition
debris. The anticipated annual production capacity of this plant is approximately
38 million litres.
"In addition to presenting a solution to landfilling, today's announcement will enable
greenhouse gas emission reductions by about 110,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.
Cellulosic ethanol is a renewable fuel that will contribute to reducing our dependence on
petroleum products. By supporting this project, our government is concretely reinforcing
energy security for Québec. Today's announcement puts Québec in an advantageous
position in the search for alternatives to fossil fuel consumption", outlined Minister
Clément Gignac.
"Québec has resolved to reduce, by 2020, its greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below
1990 levels, as part of its 2006-2012 Climate Change Action Plan. We believe we can
be productive and create wealth and jobs, all while protecting our environment. The
construction of the cellulosic ethanol facility belonging to the joint venture formed by
Enerkem and GreenField Ethanol, is one step closer towards reducing our greenhouse
gas emissions. It is with solid and structured projects, such as the one presented today,
that Québec will reassert its leadership in a green and sustainable economy",
commented Minister Sam Hamad.
The $27 million contribution from the Government of Québec includes $18 million in
financial assistance from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife and a $9 million
loan from Investissement Québec.
Showing posts with label biorefinery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biorefinery. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Flying Planes with Biofuels
From USDA Blog:
Today, in Chicago, I joined Secretary Vilsack as he met with leaders from Boeing, United Airlines and Honeywell, to talk about support for the development of biofuels to power our jets.
In the United States alone, passenger and cargo airlines spend about $50 billion on fuel each year. If just a fraction of those billions were used to purchase American-produced aviation biofuels, we provide the opportunity to create thousands of good-paying jobs in communities across the nation.
President Obama and Secretary Vilsack have been strong advocates for using biofuels to power our cars, trucks and planes. This reliable source of energy has the potential to drive important economic growth, especially in rural America. You can read some of his thoughts on why this is important here in the Secretary’s weekly column.
This past few months reminded us that the future of biofuels for aviation is bright. We saw the first domestic passenger flights powered by biofuels and USDA issued a loan guarantee to a private firm that will build and operate a biorefinery in New Mexico to support the conversion of algae into a renewable jet fuel. Secretary Vilsack visited the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels InitiativeBiannual Meeting and met with a host of partners to talk about promoting the use of renewable fuels for commercial aviation.
Projects like these that exemplify USDA’s support of aviation biofuels. As such, at the CAAFI meeting USDA and FAA released a ‘Feedstock Readiness Level Tool’ to help support future planning efforts to develop biofuels for aviation. Also, USDA is releasing a draft report – authored in conjunction with the Airlines for America and Boeing – that outlines our work on aviation biofuels to-date, and contains our findings and our private partners’ recommendations for next steps.
Working together, we can build a future where renewable energy is a win-win: creating jobs for the American people while increasing our domestic energy security.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Bioenergy Pumps New Life into Pulp and Paper Mills
From the website of the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Personally, I find this announcement to be rather unsatisfying. Which biofuels are they producing? Ethanol? Biodiesel? What processes are they using? What are the break-even costs of the finished products and how do those compare with similar products produced by conventional means?
I am all for turning wastes into useful products, but we need more information than what this announcement provides.
Old Town Fuel and Fiber, a former pulp mill, converts a portion of
the wood chips used to make pulp to biofuels. |
Energy Department photo.
I am all for turning wastes into useful products, but we need more information than what this announcement provides.
Bioenergy Pumps New Life into Pulp and Paper Mills
December 13, 2011
Old Town Fuel and Fiber, a former pulp mill, converts a portion of
the wood chips used to make pulp to biofuels. |
Energy Department photo.
Despite Americans’ voracious appetite for paper products -- a staggering 700 pounds per person annually -- America’s pulp and paper industry has been struggling as of late due to competition from countries where environmental standards are less stringent and labor rates are lower. To stem plant closings and retain American jobs, the Energy Department’s Biomass Program is helping the industry diversify by producing bio-based products such as biofuels and bio-based chemicals.
We started in Maine, which is the second leading paper-making state by volume, producing three million tons of pulp in 2009. Today, there are nine paper companies employing approximately 7,400 people with an average annual salary of over $63,000. However, due to the weak economy and overseas competition, the current industry is struggling to stay afloat.
The struggle of paper mills in this region is distilled in the story of Penobscot Chermical Fiber Company. In 1882, a saw mill in Old Town, Maine, began using its wood byproducts to produce fiber as a commercial product. This repurposing of the mill created a new venture which became the Penobscot Chemical Fiber Company, a staple of the community that produced pulp fiber and quality jobs for over 100 years.
However, in 2006 the economic pressures became too great and the last owner, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, officially shut down the mill – costing 400 workers their jobs in the process. But where many saw a dying industry, a small group of investors saw potential. That same year, they bought the mill and submitted a proposal to the Energy Department to convert a portion of the wood chips used to make pulp to biofuels. Its application was selected and since then the mill has reopened as Old Town Fuel and Fiber and 300 people were rehired. The management team has been working with us as part of the Biomass Program’s Integrated Biorefinery portfolio to re-purpose the site to produce fuel, fiber and other products.
This might seem like an isolated example, but the entire pulp and paper industry is well-positioned for this kind of bioenergy re-invention. They understand the technology to deconstruct wood, have an experienced and capable work force, and the biomass supply chain is already in place. Because the jobs are higher quality, they can also get support from state and local authorities. Many of these converted mills could be repurposed and commissioned within 12-15 months after approvals, saving jobs and providing economic opportunity across states such as Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York.
We started in Maine, which is the second leading paper-making state by volume, producing three million tons of pulp in 2009. Today, there are nine paper companies employing approximately 7,400 people with an average annual salary of over $63,000. However, due to the weak economy and overseas competition, the current industry is struggling to stay afloat.
The struggle of paper mills in this region is distilled in the story of Penobscot Chermical Fiber Company. In 1882, a saw mill in Old Town, Maine, began using its wood byproducts to produce fiber as a commercial product. This repurposing of the mill created a new venture which became the Penobscot Chemical Fiber Company, a staple of the community that produced pulp fiber and quality jobs for over 100 years.
However, in 2006 the economic pressures became too great and the last owner, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, officially shut down the mill – costing 400 workers their jobs in the process. But where many saw a dying industry, a small group of investors saw potential. That same year, they bought the mill and submitted a proposal to the Energy Department to convert a portion of the wood chips used to make pulp to biofuels. Its application was selected and since then the mill has reopened as Old Town Fuel and Fiber and 300 people were rehired. The management team has been working with us as part of the Biomass Program’s Integrated Biorefinery portfolio to re-purpose the site to produce fuel, fiber and other products.
This might seem like an isolated example, but the entire pulp and paper industry is well-positioned for this kind of bioenergy re-invention. They understand the technology to deconstruct wood, have an experienced and capable work force, and the biomass supply chain is already in place. Because the jobs are higher quality, they can also get support from state and local authorities. Many of these converted mills could be repurposed and commissioned within 12-15 months after approvals, saving jobs and providing economic opportunity across states such as Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York.
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