Green Chemistry

Biofuels Producers Find Fertile Policies Across the Great Plaines.

In terms of production capacity (MMgy), a whopping eight of the 12 largest biodiesel plants call the Midwest home, according to Biodiesel Magazine.

While impressive, this is nothing new thanks to decades of painstaking innovation in the region. As attorney Todd Taylor explains, the Midwest was the original hub for biofuel developments, not a new powerhouse, and has been absorbing the industry’s many peaks and valleys since the ‘80’s.

For part two of our biofuels series, we looked at factors effecting the mainstream success of biodiesel and how government policies are driving further adoption.

Step One: Implement Renewable Fuel Standards
Technology is a drive, but still relies heavily on national and local policy in the U.S.

The best example is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, established and enforced by the EPA, which has enacted a coast-to-coast demand for biofuels.

Initiated in 2005, and extended in 2007, this measure set legal minimums of renewable fuels to be blended into gasoline, increasing the biofuel volume from nine billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022.

To explore this further, Dr. Darrel Good, Professor Emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, recently remarked:

“For the most part biodiesel production has been driven by the RFS mandate... As we move forward certainly the mandate will be an important component of whether or not biodiesel production expands.”

In response to the RFS program, many state-level governments offered – and continue to extend – incentives to draw production within their boarders, reaping the economic and environmental benefits of these renewable fuels.

Step Two: Add State-Wide Incentives
Many prairie states have recently extended legislation and, in some cases, incentive funds to promote enhanced biodiesel production.

The measure passed by Iowa legislators, for example, provides a refundable credit for the first 25 million gallons of biodiesel produced in any single plant now through 2017.

Missouri, meanwhile, has a Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund that grants up to $6 million annually to biodiesel production facilities that are at least 51 percent Missouri owned or use roughly 80 percent of feedstocks originating in the state.

Additionally, Illinois recently extended its pro-biofuels measure, providing 100 percent tax credits for biodiesel blends greater than B10. A measure enacted in 2003, it has popularized the unique B11 blend and, as REG President and CEO Daniel J. Oh explains:"

“Since Illinois’s inception of the B11 blending credits…more biodiesel has been blended in Illinois annually than in any other state…by extending the [measure], the Illinois legislature showcases its commitment to more than 1,500 green collar jobs in the state.”

Step Three: Mix with Abundant Resources
The region’s competitive policy-making, coupled with rich resources, is an essential component of Midwest biofuel production. How? By giving companies more stable and predictable regulations, and incentives to keep green jobs rooted back home.

What goes without saying, however, is none of these innovations or policies would exist if it weren’t for the abundant biomass throughout the Midwest.

Come back in July for our final look at the future of biofuels and the potential energy packed into these fertile plaines.

Produced by: Cassandra Oliveira

Beer. Everyone already knows that if we drink enough, we’ll eventually solve all the world’s problems. Now Sierra Nevada is proving it.

The North California brewery—6th largest in the US—produces beer so sustainable you can feel the planet healing with every sip.

They’ve halved water use, slashed transport greenhouse emissions and now generate more than 60% of their electricity onsite, from clean and renewable sources. All while delivering one of the most competitively priced craft beers on the market.

Here’s how they do it.

Energy
It’s hard to imagine when swigging a lazy summer beer in your hammock, but that beverage in your hand is energy intensive. Every drop has spent its entire life under some sort of temperature control—from steeping and boiling, through 60°F fermentation and into a refrigerated supply chain.

Sierra Nevada takes the heat off the planet with a two-pronged approach to sustainable energy that starts with efficiency. When done boiling a brew, for example, they don’t just cool the kettle with any old water. They use H2O that’s destined for the next batch. Doing so pre-warms the water, so it requires less energy to boil the next brew.

State of the art refrigerator seals and locks ensure cooling is equally efficient while large windows naturally light the workshop. Sensors switch on supplementary artificial lighting only when needed.

Even with these efficiencies in place, however, brewing still chews through a lot of energy. That’s why Sierra Nevada started generating their own onsite, using natural gas-powered hydrogen fuel cells and solar.

At almost 11,000 panels, theirs is one of the largest privately owned solar installations in the US, and literally no panel is left unturned to max out the available power. Tracking technology follows the arc of the sun through the sky and rotates some of the panels to face it, producing up to 30% more energy than if they were static.

Sierra Nevada also installed 2 miles of rail lines to connect their operations with the national network. The link not only cuts back on greenhouse-intensive road transport (rail is 50% cleaner than truck travel) but it significantly lowers their annual logistics bill.

Finally, and perhaps most ingeniously, the brewery derives energy from waste streams by using microbes to break down unwanted organic by-products. The process produces clean-burning methane, which is used to fuel boilers.

Water
A typical craft brewery uses between seven and eight pints of water to put one pint of beer on the bar. Sierra Nevada does it with less than five.

After filtering yeast residues and unwanted proteins out of the brew, they allow the sludge to settle out in ponds. By adding microbes to the remaining water, they’re able to break down finer organic fragments and send it back to the city in good shape for further cleaning.

Sierra Nevada has also refined dry bottle- and kettle-cleaning technologies to meet rigid hygiene demands with minimal H2O. And by using brewing water for heat exchange, they not only save energy but water as well.

Hop for the best
There are many reasons to like beer. Many indeed. Sierra Nevada’s just given us another, with a sustainable brew that makes you want to send a late night text saying: “I love you, planet.”

In the process, they’ve proven sustainable manufacturing is not just viable, but profitable. The brewery says its practices are set to yield considerable operational savings over the coming years, rewarding them for an innovative approach to environment and business.

Produced by: Murad Sabzali