Kārtējais raksts par bioetanolu ASV

"Developments in the past week include emphasis on ethanol production, increasingly likely for Park Falls at Butch Johnson’s new Flambeau River Biorefinery, in Gov. Jim Doyle’s State of the State message Tuesday night, Jan. 30.
Doyle’s call for more startup funding for greatly increased biofuel production closely followed similar comments by President George W. Bush in his annual State of the Union address one week before, in which he specifically mentioned wood chips among materials researchers hope can be used in large quantities soon for cellulosic ethanol production.
Bush’s speech to the nation came four days after Butch Johnson, his son, Bill, and Park Falls Mayor Tom Ratzlaff returned to Park Falls with the news that the Department of Energy won’t be able to come up with the $80 million grant until next year for a demonstration ethanol plant that the Johnsons, mill employees and entire community had been hoping for in 2007 federal budget. Now it appears that the three $80 million grants won’t be funded until the 2008 budget.
As explained by Bill Johnson in an interview with him and his father in Butch Johnson’s office at the mill in Park Falls on Friday, Jan. 26, Congress has been unable to adopt a 2007 budget, partly because of preoccupation with funding for the war in Iraq, and has been funding government operations with continuing resolutions based on 2006 funding. Bill Johnson is in charge of political affairs for the paper company and biorefinery.
Far from being taken aback by that news, Butch and Bill Johnson continued to talk of future biofuel/ethanol production at the refinery here as though it were a done deal.
They were reinforced by a new DOE program to make 80% guaranteed loans to applicants seeking money for putting to use innovative biofuel energy-production technology, and by an even more significant new development bringing their plans for the Flambeau River Biorefinery closer to reality.
At the Park Falls Common Council meeting last Wednesday. Jan. 24, along with an update to the council in which he reported that he is pleased at the progress Flambeau River Papers is making in reducing costs, Butch Johnson announced that Flambeau River Biorefinery has entered into a “memorandum of understanding” with American Process Inc. of Atlanta, GA, to provide project management and engineering services for its cellulosic ethanol project at Park Falls.
After giving the council a report on cost- containments at the mill and stating that he is very happy with the efforts that all employees are making to “find better ways” to do what has to be done for the company to succeed in papermaking, he circulated copies of a news release from the Georgia firm with the title heading, “Cellulosic ethanol takes off,” and with a subheading stating: “Engineering commences for the first U.S. pulp mill based biorefinery.”
It states in the opening paragraph that “the new biorefinery will be constructed adjacent to the Flambeau River Papers facility in Park Falls, and continues “Flambeau River Papers, LLC, makes 400 tons per day of book printing and copy grades on three paper machines. The mill recently announced plans to replace its natural gas boilers with a biomass boiler or gasifier. This will make Flambeau River Papers the first energy independent integrated mill in North America.
“The Flambeau River Biorefinery project will be the first modern U.S.-based pulp mill biorefinery to produce cellulosic ethanol. It will be designed to produce 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from spent pulping liquor. The technology selected for this biorefinery is AVAP™, a patent pending process technology of American Process Inc. This technology enables production of ethanol without putting additional pressure on the wood basket and without fossil fuel consumption.
“The new biorefinery, as designed, will have a positive carbon impact of 140,000 tons per year. That is, it will displace carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Once in operation it will increase employment in the Park Falls area by approximately 100 people.
“A feasibility study and preliminary engineering were completed in August 2006, when Flambeau River Biorefinery, LLC applied for the Integrated Commercial Biorefinery Demonstration grant from the Department of Energy. The project has strong support from the city of Park Falls, the state of Wisconsin and Clean Tech Partners Inc., key partners in the project. Project engineering has commenced, with production of ethanol expected to begin as early as 2009.
“The commercial production of cellulosic ethanol got a boost after last Tuesday’s announcements in the president’s State of the Union address that increased the emphasis on domestic renewable fuels production.
“The Flambeau River Biorefinery project will be among the first industrial co-producers of pulp and ethanol from wood,” the announcement continued. “Flambeau River Biorefinery, LLC is based out of Park Falls, WI, and is the owner and developer of the pulp and cellulosic ethanol facility to be constructed in Park Falls.”
“American Process, Inc. is an engineering and consulting company based out of Atlanta, GA, specializing in pulp and paper and biorefineries, and is the inventor of the AVAP™ technology proposed for use at the Flambeau River Biorefinery,” it concludes.
Regarding the paper-making operation, Johnson also told the council at the Jan. 24 meeting that paper prices are below the company’s projected forecast, but the prices are expected to improve yet this month.
Bill Johnson provided another, more detailed description of the paper company biorefinery operation in a comprehensive publicity release under the heading “Flambeau River Biorefinery – A Modern Forest Biorefinery That Lowers Ethanol Cost.” Referring to the “carbon-positive” designation for the company that would result from operation of the biorefinery after installation of the new technology, Bill Johnson said Flambeau River Papers would become nationally known as a “green, green mill.”
The more comprehensive release begins with an explanation of the mission of the project and its “benefit to the nation.”
“Flambeau River Papers (FRP) will be the first pulp and paper facility to become a biorefinery through the integration of known technologies that are proven commercially or at the pilot scale. This presents a new benchmark to the industry and one sufficiently powerful to influence additional conversions.
“The production cost for cellulosic ethanol is conservatively estimated at 50 cents per gallon. This is roughly half the operating cost of ethanol from corn starch fermentation. The low cost is the result of several factors, none of which can be matched by corn. On a tonnage basis, the nation’s supply of wood far exceeds corn and crop residues.
“Cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule on the face of the planet. The forest products industry processes 278 thousand dry tons of wood per year. Trees are dense, which minimizes transportation costs and may be left standing until needed, eliminating 10 months of storage for annual crops. The integrated forest biorefinery produces three useful and relatively high value products concurrently. In order of current value, they are pulp,ethanol and lignin. The nation needs a large supply of low-cost ethanol,” the release states.
Providing a review of progress on the project as of Jan. 14 this year, the release continues: “FRP restarted last fall and is ahead of schedule in sales through improved quality in recognized brands and a unique relationship with the world’s largest specialist in the marketing of wood pulp and paper products. FRP can produce 400 tons/day of book, printing and copy grades on three paper machines. It produces 150 tons/day of hardwood sulfite pulp and 80-100 tons/day of post-consumer waste or recycled pulp. The remainder of the pulp is purchased.
“The current pulping operation is one of a kind in the U.S. Most of the hemicelluloses in the pulp wood are converted into shorter chain, five carbon sugars by the acid pulping. These sugars are sold into the sweetener market under a long-term contract. The sugar-free lignin from the wood is also recovered and sold into the binders market. When the Flambeau River BioEnergy project is completed, FRP will be completely fossil fuel free
“Mill energy is supplied from biomass, coal and natural gas. Five megawatts of power is co-generated from the steam before it goes to supply the mill’s thermal needs. Annual energy purchases range from 14 to 16 million dollars, making energy the mill’s second largest purchase.
“The new combined cycle facility feedstock will include bark, tree tops and solid wood, much of this currently left on the forest floor during logging. Utilizing this reduces fossil fuel use and leaves the site more environmentally pleasing. A commitment for the required wood has been obtained from Futurewoods Corp., Hayward, WI (also a Johnson operation).
“Quotes for a biomass boiler/steam turbine and a biomass gasifier/steam turbine are being evaluated. The biomass gasifier is preferred as it fits the environmental strategy of FRP and will be less costly to permit. However, the higher costs will make financing more difficult. An advisory committee is being formed to assist with planning, startup and deployment to other facilities. The entity will be named Flambeau River BioEnergy.
“The biorefinery mission will be accomplished by building a second 500 ton/day softwood pulp line adjacent to the existing 150 ton/day hardwood pulp line. A modified low energy pulping technology will be used to make a stronger sulfite pulp and concurrently produce 18 million gallons per year of fuel grade cellusoic ethanol and 154,000 tons per year of lignin for energy self sufficiency.
“The hemicelluloses in the pulpwood will be removed and hydrolyzed to C5 and C6 sugars by the new pulping process. The C6 and C5 sugars will be fermented to cellusoic ethanol with technologies developed at the U.S. Forest Products Labs in Madison, WI, which are superior to those used to ferment ‘wood sugars’ to ethanol at the obsolete pulp mill in Bellingham, WA recently closed by GP. Details and attractive economics are presented in a response to DOE Funding Opportunity DE-PS-06GO96016.
“All of the required ingredients have been developed including feedstock requirements, procurement commitment, proposed processes, energy, emission compliance, economics feasibility, project plan, team qualifications, operational management plan, market plan, deployment plan and financial commitments for the approximately $140 million of non-grant funds. All of this detail is available.
“This is of such importance that the state of Wisconsin has committed funds included in the numbers above. The detailed schedule begins with a notice to proceed from investors. One year is allocated for preliminary engineering and permitting. Construction is estimated at roughly 12 months and commissioning/startup adds another six months (The Johnsons said no additional property will be acquired for the project, and although the exact location of new construction has not yet been decided upon, the entire facility will be on present paper mill property).
“It has been observed that large corporations will not take the lead in changes of this magnitude (see article ‘Why Not Become Fossil Fuel Free,’ Pulp and Paper, January 2007). At Flambeau River Papers there is a convergence of need, opportunity, willingness and demonstrated capability. The project developed is of sufficient size and magnitude that it will be recognized as a milestone event by the pulp and paper industry.
‘The DOE secretary should create an internal set-aside of one award for at least one forest-based ligniocellulosic biorefinery in deployment solicitation DE-PS36-06GO96016 as well as future biorefinery deployment solicitations.
“FRP will obtain and commit funds for 20% of the installed cost. The city of Park Falls will lend its name to a state industrial revenue bond to finance the remainder. FRP has made application for the DOE loan application program. Any guarantee will enable the bonds to carry the needed interest rate.
“Following financing, startup will occur 16-20 months after permit approval. Permits will be expedited under Wisconsin’s ‘Green Tier’ program,” the second release concludes.
More than before, questions have arisen about the prospects for continuation of the biorefinery project if the Flambeau River Biorefinery doesn’t get the $80 million grant. It’s something the Johnsons and everyone else in the community would rather not think about, but Butch Johnson said should that occur, he is hoping to continue with the project through investor funds, although it will be much more difficult.
He noted that in the most recent cut of 30 remaining applicants, 15 were notified that they didn’t qualify. “We were not one of them, so we’re one of the 15 left. Obviously the grant would be very beneficial in getting the project off the ground,” he said.
“We are still laying plans to proceed with the project” even if the Flambeau River Biorefinery is not chosen to be a recipient of one of the $80 million grants, he said, adding that a future cut from among the 15 remaining applicants would leave five, and those five remaining applicants may be asked to send representatives to Washington to make presentations before DOE officials.
Park Falls was among a very small number of communities in the state taking center stage in an advance front page Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on Doyle’s State of the State address in the newspaper’s Sunday, Jan. 28 issue.
Flambeau River Papers was identified in the article as one of three potential applicants for $5 million in state funding earmarked by Doyle to help Wisconsin become the site of the first plant in the nation that would make ethanol from cellulose, described in the article as “a catch-all term for a variety of materials from paper pulp and wood chips to corn stalks and straw.”
Other potential applicants for the new state funding were identified as Georgia Pacific and Stora-Enso. As also disclosed locally by Butch and Bill Johnson, the article notes that Flambeau River Papers has already started developing plans to produce ethanol by 2009 “from the natural sugars contained in its surplus wood pulp.”
Preceding the announcements by the Johnsons relating to the biorefinery plans was an announcement of the appointment of Ben Thorp as president of Flambeau River Biorefinery. Butch Johnson described Thorp, formerly employed by Georgia Pacific, as a “very renowned expert in the field.” The Journal Sentinel quotes Thorp as saying, “There are a lot of people working on cellulosic ethanol, and it’s going to be a race to see who can get it first.” The newspaper also quotes him as saying that if built, the ethanol plant would add 100 jobs in the Park Falls area.
The Journal Sentinel also provided a preview of ethanol tax credits announced by Doyle, which would cost $2 million and which would lower the cost of installing a biodiesel or E-85 ethanol pump by up to $5,000. E-85 is described as a fuel that contains 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, a blend on which an increasing number of vehicles can run.
The Milwaukee newspaper alerted its readers that in his State of the State, address, Doyle would announce that he will appoint a global warming task force and create an energy independence office to coordinate the state’s effort to dramatically expand the use of renewable energy by 2025. The article preview of the governor’s address included the fact he would propose grants, loans and tax credits for projects to help the state rely less on fossil fuels and curb emissions linked to global warming “at a time when energy costs and concerns about climate change are rising.”"