Genetically modified trees have been extensively academically explored as ideal feedstocks for pulp/paper and cellulosic ethanol. Novel trees include modifications that increase cellulose content, reduce lignin content, and even change lignin monolignol ratios. However, companies considering investing in these engineered managed forests need to examine technoeconomic feasibility prior to adoption. Specific attention to regulations, site…
Agricultural Feedstocks for the renewable energy industry include starch and sugar crops (e.g., corn, sorghum), grass crops (e.g., switch grass, miscanthus), oil crops (e.g., soybean, sunflowers), and crop residues (e.g., corn stover, corn cobs, nut shells). Agricultural feedstocks can create sustainable paths by using marginal croplands to generate energy products, and by adding value or…
As of this 2022 writing, it appears to be a boom time for renewable diesel projects. The Energy Information Administration estimates that renewable diesel production capacity in North America will surge by up to 500% in a few short years. The question facing the industry is whether there are enough feedstock fats, oils, and greases…
Renewable diesel (RD) is a hot renewable energy topic. Produced by converting cooking oil, animal fat, and other waste products into renewable fuel, RD doesn’t rely on fossil fuels and it burns cleaner than either petroleum-based diesel or biodiesel. (The cetane rating of renewable diesel is 75 – 90 vs 48 – 52 for petroleum…
Last year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) revealed that reaching net-zero will require 4 trillion to 5 trillion dollars in annual investment for decades to come. It also revealed that over 450 companies from 45 countries have committed to the decarbonization of the world economy. By the end of the conference, 136 countries, 115 regions,…
(Note: This is was written in 2016 and may contain information that is now out of date). In thinking about algae, I am reminded of my visit some years ago to a platinum mine in South Africa. About a mile underground at the end of the maze of tunnels at the ‘minefront’ they excavate about…
What is an agricultural biomass supply chain expert? Simply put, it is a person that understands the dozens of issues that will affect the production of the tens of thousands of tons of feedstock that a project needs to be profitable as it produces a fuel or chemical. The expert should know how to get…
How do algae experts assist in techno-economic analysis (TEA). TEA is the combination of conceptual process design and production cost estimation activities. Algae cultivation refers to the growth and recovery of algal biomass in open ponds or photobioreactors. Many algae strains of interest produce oils that may be used as food or nutraceuticals, or upgraded…