Heard on the Floor at Day 3 of ABLC: 2,834 attendees, Food, Fuel, Fun at ABLC Digital

Yes, we said fun. These days hanging out with friends online chatting about food, fuel, fiber, and more is certainly a great way to spend the day.

Once again, a day full of content on day 3 of ABLC Digital from 29 speakers that shared the latest news and updates with 578 registered delegates – and 2,256 additional viewers who took the stage virtually online for hours of ABLC content that was streamed on BioChannel.TV. Over 50 people took part in zoom-based Digest Lounges in the after-hours to meet and connect in a fun and in informal environment.

From how COVID-19 has changed things for some companies to how it may change things moving forward, it was lively presentations and discussions in the chat rooms at ABLC Digital with hundreds of interactive comments recorded in the Americas main stage online channel.

If you missed any of it, here’s a quick recap of some of the hottest thoughts from the audience on hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels, Nordic opportunity, advanced biofuels, renewable diesel, 2^nd gen fuels, cellulosic ethanol, the bioeconomy, and more.

The Due Diligence Wolfpack starts the day with Hydrogen as a platform

Is hydrogen dangerous? Is it good as a fuel? How about long-range marine fuels or transportation? Wolf Ron Cascone said no. Here’s what others had to say.

7/9/2020 12:26 Wolf (Steve) Weiss: For anyone interested in “waste” – two recommendations: a Frontline on “The Plastic Wars” (March 2020); and National Geographic’s The End of Trash” (March 2020). Kalundborg referenced in NatGeo

7/9/2020 12:28 Chris Roland Holst: Why say H2 is dangerous? Gas is dangerous as well and so is gasification Ad etc etc

7/9/2020 12:30 David Dodds: Chirs – the embrittlement issue is a big one.

7/9/2020 12:32 Chris Roland Holst: David, yess I know but nothing we do is humans is safe. There is allway’s a risk! There is no need to create perception that H2 is more dangerous compared to NG or we can not deal with it. @ Paul, what about making and storing H2 de-central to avoid distribution problems as described by you

7/9/2020 12:33 john oyen: I agree it needs to be continuous and not intermittent. safety is primary in all cases. remember the Hindenburg. Infrastrucure build out will be a challenge

7/9/2020 12:34 Chris Roland Holst: Go de-central

7/9/2020 12:34 john oyen: Fleet vehicles like at a Port is a good way to use it as a fuel

7/9/2020 12:34 Chris Roland Holst: @John , agreed

7/9/2020 12:36 john oyen: SG H2 Energy is proposing waste paper and plasma gasification to produce Hydrogen and use the CO to spin a GT for electricity.

7/9/2020 12:37 Keith Simons: Steve – Don’t forget that you also make BioLPG from the HVO/HEFA process. Also an important fuel.

7/9/2020 12:38 Matthew Langholtz: Efficient per area, or per dollar, or…?

7/9/2020 12:40 Jeffery Mahaffey: Isn’t there some work on recovering hydrogen from waste plastic?

7/9/2020 12:40 john oyen: and that is what Lanzatech is proposing

7/9/2020 12:41 Rachel Brenc: we’re interested in syngas from waste plastics, not just the hydrogen. What about methane pyrolysis?

7/9/2020 12:41 john oyen: Waste plastic is being used to produce renewable monomers, naphtha and aromatics

7/9/2020 12:43 john oyen: Heavy transport is the market for Hydrogen

7/9/2020 12:44 Christian Librera: what about the weight of a battery cars?

7/9/2020 12:44 john oyen: ABB is working on marine fuel cell technology with Ballard. Shell says the Hydrogen economy will take 30-40 years to come about

7/9/2020 12:47 Wolf (Steve) Weiss: @John: interesting; I hadn’t seen that Shell comment. Any time I hear predictions about ‘the XYZ economy’, I’m looking to understand the roadmap that lets you get there.

7/9/2020 12:48 Martin Brandt: Hydrogen takes an enormous amount of electricity. Worth it to do the calculations to understand.

7/9/2020 12:49 Chris Roland Holst: @John is that the reason why they are part of thsH2 project of 10GW https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/shell-exploring-worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-project

7/9/2020 12:49 Steve Weiss: e.g.: what are the major milestones along the way (not just technical – includes economics, market adoption, etc); what does it take to effect each of those transitions; and what are the forces that make those transitions likely (or not)

7/9/2020 12:50 john oyen: Look at Air Products and NOEM and their $5Bn investment in hydrogen production

7/9/2020 12:50 Chris Roland Holst: @Stev, agreed so it will very much depent on local situations and needs. The E grid will not be sufficient to deal with all the renewable electricity being abundant and cheap.

7/9/2020 12:51 john oyen: https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-air-prdcts-neom-idUSD5N2CA01G

7/9/2020 12:51 Jeff Passmore: Weiss is correct – it’s all about communications. A good idea that nobody knows about will go nowhere. On the other hand, superior marketing will sell an inferior product.

7/9/2020 12:53 john oyen: and that is why the fossil industry is under so much pressure for not having any outreach into communities

7/9/2020 12:53 Chris Roland Holst: @John , Amonia is an interesting route and if they can get in Eu for right price they will find the off takers ie in Rotterdam!

7/9/2020 12:54 Steve Weiss: @Jeff: yep. My background is actually deep tech – and I love all kinds of tech. But I moved to marketing, bizdev, general management many years ago when seeing, first-hand, how better tech didn’t always win. Lesson: really focus on how to tell a differentiated, exciting story. Enables fundraising, hiring great people, good community relations, new customers, etc.

7/9/2020 14:15 john oyen: PRODUCING HYDROGEN (AND MORE) FROM BIOMASS By Paul Grad | July 1, 2020 4 A new electrochemical system that uses biomass-derived lignin to produce hydrogen has been developed by a team from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (Ulsan, South Korea; www.unist.ac.kr), led by professor Jungki Ryu. In conventional technology, hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water. However, in this technology, the oxygen-generation reaction is slow and the hydrogen production is inefficient. This is because the electrons that produce the hydrogen come from the oxygen-evolution reaction. The team uses a molybdenum-based, inexpensive metal catalyst (phosphomolybdic acid) to break down lignin at low temperatures, and extract the electrons to produce hydrogen. The new system moves electrons from lignin along a wire to the electrode where the hydrogen-evolution reaction occurs. This makes it possible to produce hydrogen with less energy than conventional water electrolysis, as there is no need for oxygen reactions. “Our work is also significant, as it presents a new way to replace oxygen-producing reactions in the electrolysis of water,” says Ryu. Conventional methods require more than 1.5 V, but the new system can produce hydrogen gas at 0.95 V. Additionally, carbon monoxide and vanillin, which are produced via lignin breakdown, are useful in several industrial processes.

Flying High on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The morning’s sessions started with CAAFI, Energy for Airlines, Fulcrum Bioenergy and Airlines4America.

7/9/2020 13:03 Chris Roland Holst: @Steve do we have enough feed stock to achieve your SAF goals?

7/9/2020 13:04 Jim Lane: 15.6 Billion that’ll get your attention

7/9/2020 13:09 Chris Roland Holst: @Chris Tindal will SAF not compeet with Biochemicals andother markets possible paying more $ for streams needed for SAF?

7/9/2020 13:12 Tim Theiss: Do you envision SAF becoming cost competitive without policy intervention?

7/9/2020 13:13 john oyen: when your cost comparison is aviation fuel from oil and gas. Not anytime soon

7/9/2020 13:23 Joel Stone: Great progress and discussions as we carry on the presentations

7/9/2020 13:26 Chris Roland Holst: @Michael it sounds very similar to the BOARD NOW initiative from SKYnrg

7/9/2020 13:28 Michael Baer: Skynrg is affiliated with KLM/Airfrance and is a for profit company. Harder to get competitors to cooperate. My efforts are cost plus until fuel is delivered.

7/9/2020 13:30 Chris Roland Holst: Ok, affiliated as off take partner you mean? They are SAF supplier to who evers want to buy right.

7/9/2020 13:31 Michael Baer: SkyNRG was created by those airlines

7/9/2020 13:35 Michael Berube: Question to all – what R&D is need on SAFs specifically?

7/9/2020 13:35 john oyen: ABB categorizes Trash to Treasure as W2V or Waste to Value

7/9/2020 13:36 Michael Baer: I think the highest hurdle is commercialization. We need to level the playing field with Renewable Diesel

7/9/2020 13:40 john oyen: this is where ABB is looking at AI for the feedstock prep

7/9/2020 13:41 Maria Kolokotrones-Sweten: What does “pure” mean in terms of MSW feedstock?

7/9/2020 13:42 Nancy N. Young: Glad to join you all today. Despite COVID, the US airlines remain committed to SAF. Michael Berube, R&D efforts to help scale up, yield and cost effectiveness can help complement our efforts. Steve Csonka, CAAFI Executive Director, can share details on these and more areas.

7/9/2020 13:42 Valerie Reed: Glad to be back with my Bioenergy Homies!

7/9/2020 13:42 john oyen: recognizing components that would poison catalysts. ABB has been doing virtual FAT’s and SAT’s for power and automation scopes. good especially for the COVID era

7/9/2020 13:43 Michael Berube: Thanks – We are having intense discussions on what are R&D in this space should be. Steve and I met in February and are following up

7/9/2020 13:46 Valerie Reed: getting the hang of this chat thing – want to say PROUD of our partner Fulcrum for all they have to do to get through this pandemic and still keep moving forward in this important area

7/9/2020 13:47 Nancy N. Young: Jim Macias – are there ways the federal and state governments may help bridge during this difficult COVID time? (e.g., stimulus funding?)

7/9/2020 13:47 john oyen: these are challenges all heavy industry and commercial construction is facing

7/9/2020 14:10 Ira Dassa: On the subject of SAF policy support, check out the press release that IATA put out today. Link — https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-07-09-01/

7/9/2020 14:12 Jim Lane: IATA says: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) emphasized the aviation industry’s commitment to its emissions reduction goals and called for the International Energy Agency (IEA) to prioritize investment in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help power aviation’s contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery.

7/9/2020 14:22 Jim Lane: Here’s that Guidance Paper  and some other links of interest http://www.caafi.org/files/CAAFI_Business_Team_Guidance_Paper.pdf http://www.caafi.org/tools/Path_to_Alternative_Jet_Fuel_Readiness.html http://www.caafi.org/tools/Feedstock_Readiness_Level.html lots of tools at caafi.org

7/9/2020 14:33 Jennifer Holmgren: A big thank you to CAAFI, FAA, A4A, DOE, USDA, IATA and ATAG for their constant support of SAF production. 12+ years of great commitment… that is what it takes to create change and develop a new industry. 👏💪

7/9/2020 14:40 Maria Kolokotrones-Sweten: Is prevention of catastrophic wildifre by removal of woody biomass incentivized?

7/9/2020 14:41 Marina Bowie: Have you had any difficulties accessing RFS eligible biomass feedstock?

7/9/2020 14:42 John Shideler: Great presentations on SAF this morning–continuing a well established tradition!

7/9/2020 14:44 Joanne Ivancic: Our online library follows developments in SAF. Check out articles here https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/category/aviation/

7/9/2020 14:47 Marina Bowie: Hello all from Biobased Maine – in Portland, Maine, USA. Maine can sustainably harvest 13 million tons of biomass per year, which produces residual biomass that we need to find markets for! Maine also just passed an $0.08 per gallon renewable chemical and $0.05 per gallon biofuel tax credit. Please contact me if interested in learning more – [email protected]

7/9/2020 14:49 john oyen: study recently released that a 5% reduction in GHG emissions will not be felt for 20 years. That is some global inertia

7/9/2020 14:49 Rina Singh: Good update Jeff / Red Rock Biofuels!

7/9/2020 14:58 Jim Lane: gevo just announced an $18M cap raise this week details here https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/06/2058219/0/en/Gevo-Inc-Announces-Closing-of-18-0-Million-Upsized-Public-Offering.html. Breaking news today Amazon Air teams with Shell Aviation on SAF buy contract – details at the Digest https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2020/07/08/amazon-air-teams-with-shell-aviation-on-saf-buy-contract/. That fuel is being produced by World Energy.  More breaking SAF news from Washington state – WSU-Tri Cities leads lignin-based SAF research project – more on that here https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2020/07/08/wsu-tri-cities-leads-lignin-based-saf-research-project/

7/9/2020 15:01 Jayant Godbole: Great presentation Pat Gruber excellent progress!

7/9/2020 15:02 Jim Lane: Also this week in SAF, Neste delivers SAF to SFO via pipeline – https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2020/07/07/neste-delivers-saf-to-sfo-via-pipeline/

7/9/2020 15:05 james iademarco: Nice job Pat. Congrats on the recent capital raise. Best for continued success…industry needs it.

7/9/2020 15:06 DON SIEFKES: Charlie, how complicated is the process to make gasoline by your process? Cost per gallon?

7/9/2020 15:08 Charles Wyman: It is very simple. A single reactor system followed by decanter to make high octane additive/ blend stock

7/9/2020 15:15 Keith Simons: Charles – Nice work. Have the details of the catalyst system been published?

7/9/2020 15:16 john oyen: when ethanol is converted to a drop in fuel would the whining over RIN’s for gasoline blending go away with a better market?

7/9/2020 15:16 Charles Wyman: Some details in PNAS paper

7/9/2020 15:17 Jim Lane: Check out the PNAS paper here https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/12576

7/9/2020 15:18 DON SIEFKES: Charlie, what do you think is the main reason this technology hasn’t advanced more in actual practice. To make gasoline from biomass is really a phenomenal achievement and I’m very interested in why you think this hasn’t received more attention from ordinary new sources.

7/9/2020 15:19 Charles Wyman: Good question. Part of low interest is low oil prices.

7/9/2020 15:25 Chris Roland Holst: I like the circulair H2 name instead of calling it Renewable H2. Well defined !!

7/9/2020 15:26 DON SIEFKES: Charlie, another question. I’m familiar with a lot of your work on cellulosic ethanol, but I’m embarrassed to admit that I had not heard of Vertimass before this conference. Do you think Vertimass is clearly the leader in figuring out how to make gasoline from biomass? That would solve the problem of excessive CO2 emissions very quickly.

7/9/2020 15:36 Charles Wyman: The key is one reactor step bolt on that converts alcohols to hydrocarbons. Very similar in size and operation to existing molecular sieves that it could replace in addition to possibly replacing rectification unit.

The key is one reactor step bolt on that converts alcohols to hydrocarbons

Advanced Biofuels – Syngas, Renewable Diesel, Hydrocarbons, Recycling Chemicals, FOG and more

7/9/2020 15:33 Chris Roland Holst: Valerio, since plastics can no longer go to China howcome only one plant in the EU. What is holding roll out back? How do you deal with food and other residue contaminations in the plastic streams?

7/9/2020 15:36 MICHELE RUBINO: Chris, Michele here … answering for Valerio. Good question. The world needs this solution. We are actively developing projects with partners in North America and Asia. More to come

7/9/2020 15:38 Adrian Popescu: Valerio – Whose Gasification technology?

7/9/2020 15:40 Will Thurmond – Emerging Markets: NextChem – what type of Fischer Tropsch reactor do you use for converting Syngas to Renewable Diesel? is is proprietary or licensed from a company like Sasol/Velocys? NextChem – thanks also for an eye opening presentation on different types of Hydrogen – Green, Super Blue, Circular, Co2 Capture – impressive menu of Hydrogen options

7/9/2020 15:42 Chris Roland Holst: @Michele, now you have made me really curious!

7/9/2020 15:44 MICHELE RUBINO: @Roland, RE: food waste contaminating plastic waste, there is some level of sorting and pre-conditioning. There is a stream coming from these units of not mechanically recyclable material. Our goal is to apply chemical recycling for the non-chemically recyclable stream. @Will Thurmond, not FT. Feedstock is FOGs (Fats Oils and Greases). Traditional hydrotreat + isom. Just “sized to feedstock” rather than “sized to refinery”. NextChem has a partnership on this technology with Saola Energy (presented yesterday)

7/9/2020 15:48 George Baskin: @Michele. isn;t there a limit to the FOGs feedstocks. They are not generated in sufficient quantities to replace fossil fuels.

7/9/2020 15:53 MICHELE RUBINO: @George, you are correct, there is a limit. RD from FOGs is just a piece of the puzzle. All of the above!!

7/9/2020 15:54 George Baskin: @Michele. Agree. The ethanol fuel specific engines would also be a good step.

7/9/2020 15:50 Martin Brandt: The proposed ban will never work. You could try it city by city and then State by State and then country by country. You could start with large vehicles such as SUV and slowly work your way down. It’s way too disruptive to do these things all at once since the renewable industry is currently very reliant on indirect funding from the oil industry.

7/9/2020 15:54 Jim Lane: Martin makes a good comment about the power of bans that start small and grow over time, like the squeeze of an anaconda. Did a lot of good for smoking, creeping bans in offices and planes, first, later came bars, restaurants etc. Smoking has neevr been completely banned but usage is way down

7/9/2020 15:46 George Baskin: wouldn’t bannin LD gasoline vehicles just move the problem to some other source?

7/9/2020 15:55 Joanne Ivancic: We retrofitted my 2002 Ford Focus to use E85 and got so much better performance, along with knowing I was supporting US industry, overcame the mileage decrease. We wrote some articles about our experiences here https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/?s=%22Ford+Focus%22

7/9/2020 16:01 DON SIEFKES: Martin, I understand your viewpoint, but I don’t really agree. It’s no bigger, actually less difficult to do than replacing leaded gasoline with unleaded fuel. That took us 20 years to do and it worked. We just said that the car companies can’t sell a vehicle designed for leaded fuel starting, I think, with the 1975 model year. I can guarantee you that as long as the car companies can sell gasoline vehicles, they will. I do need to correct our proposal, however, after hearing Vertimass’s presentation that the ban has to be on vehicles powered by gasoline made from crude oil. Gasoline made from waste biomass would obviously be OK.

Daily Digest Lounge

There may or may not have been mid-day drinking and talk about naughty non-social distancing beachgoers at the Daily Digest lounge hangout but what was certain was talk of “Circular” as the new hot word, not “renewable” with one audience member noting that in Europe everything has to be circular now, not just renewable.

Jim Lane asked how do you start a conversation with people to explain what you do?

Joanne Ivancic said she likes to start with a problem like brown grease, that gets people interested in biofuels and how waste can be transformed into something valuable.

Jennifer Holmgren noted that Barbara Bramble once said ‘Great solutions are ones that solve two problems,’ like waste being converted to fuel solves two issues.

Joel Stone likes to start with a question: “What kind of world do you want to leave for your grandchildren?” Lead with legacy…

Here’s some more of the lounge chat:

Matt Snyder to Everyone:  12:04 PM Americans have always been a rather defiant lot.

William Collings to Everyone:  12:11 PM If you put carbon capture on corn ethanol, the carbon intensity becomes similar to renewable diesel.  Likewise you can put carbon capture on the hydrogen plant for renewable (or electrolysis, or natural gas feed from renewable methane sources).  That increases the profitability of your plant low lowers your CI by a small but not significant amount.

Matt Snyder :  12:16 PM If you ask me, there should be a tribe of Druids worshipping a statue of Jennifer on Easter Island.

Keith Simons SHV Energy :  12:17 PM 9 more years of stability – good in this day and age!

Don Siefkes  12:18 PM Anyone have an idea on what is the best route to renewable diesel or is that still being debated?

Keith Simons SHV Energy:  12:18 PM we will need them all Don!

John Oyen :  12:20 PM exactly. you have top build them and operate them to improve them. otherwise it is an academic discussion over beer.

George Baskin :  12:20 PM I’m finding that a lot of people think solar and wind energy when you say renewable.

Will Thurmond – Emerging Markets:  12:20 PM @DonSiefkes  HVO is easiest in many markets, ie EU

Matt Snyder:  12:20 PM Be explicit

Keith Simons SHV Energy:  12:21 PM HVO is great – but higher initial capital

Matt Snyder:  12:23 PM Identify your common enemy.

John Oyen:  12:23 PM With covid now we are seeing PPE collecting in the oceans. I am seeing gloves and masks in the parking lots at grocery stores and retail shopping centers.

Jennifer Gottwald:  12:27 PM I agree with the COVID effect – we need to be safe, but it’s resulting in lots more plastic waste and single use plastics.

Joanne Ivancic   12:28 PM @DonS We just published an overview of renewable fuels that can be used in compression ignition engines.  That might give you some ideas about the many ways to make renewable diesel and others and how the answer might depend on the circumstances.  And, whether that facility would prefer to make jetfuel or RD. https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/advanced-biofuels-usa-publishes-updated-whats-the-difference-between-biodiesel-and-renewable-green-diesel/

ABLC Keynote Speaker – Right Place, Right Time

CJ Warner, CEO of Renewable Energy Group was a hit at the ABLC Digital with a great video with REG’s latest updates, videos and more. Others from REG joined as well from their quarantine locations, leading to some LOL and ROTF comments.

Ira Dassa CJ, is REG considering expanding its focus to embrace sustainable aviation fuel (aka renewable jet fuel) as well?

12:36 PM Jim Lane REG’s Anthony Hulen is in the house. The guy who knows more Canadians than anyone else in the world, Jeff Passmore, is in the house.

12:37 PM Anthony Hulen I have been in the house (either mine or my in-laws), since March 10!

12:38 PM Anju Krivov CJ, what percent of REG’s fuel production is based on algae?

12:39 PM Keith Simons Bread today is better than jam tomorrow as my grandmother would have said!

12:43 PM Brandon Banks Impressive presentation by CJ and the REG Team

12:48 PM Jennifer Holmgren CJ and REG – well done. Keep on trucking. 😃👏👏

12:51 PM Kenneth Snyder Many thanks to CJ and REG for the fantastic update.

Nordic Opportunity Forum – paper straws, weight matters, and how one spoon can make a difference

Anne Larilahti, VP of Sustainability at Finnair and Ismo Sillanpää, VP Strategic Sales, Dolea showed us that one straw, one spoon, one kilo of luggage can make a difference when you multiply it by hundreds of flights, thousands of passengers. The conversation surrounded what they are doing to move to more sustainable options and lower their footprint across the board.

12:52 PM Jim Lane You have to love Finnair talking about how small they are. Story from Finland – Neste launches R&D project to develop sustainable scalable raw materials – https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2020/06/18/neste-launches-rd-project-to-develop-sustainable-scalable-raw-materials/ More on Finland and aviation here in “Finland to join Nordic forefront in reducing aviation emissions” here https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2019/06/09/finland-to-join-nordic-forefront-in-reducing-aviation-emissions/

12:56 PM Matt Snyder I can’t wait for Dolea straws to permeate California. I can get some sleep.

1:19 PM Jim Lane Shout out to Doug Faulkner for (originally suggesting) and helping to organize this session. Go Nordics

1:34 PM Douglas Faulkner Yes, as the Nordic panel emphasizes, telling the bio-story the right way is so important

Advanced Biofuels – Hydrogen, Chemicals, Ethanol, and more

Ways2H, Clariant and Honeywell UOP introduced the afternoon sessions with the latest on hydrogen, specialty chemicals, lignocellulosic ethanol, renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, and more. Pilot plants and latest updates from Zeton and Fluid Quip Technologies followed, as well as news from Sulzer Chemtech with separation technologies for biobased products and SBI BioEnergy and their renewable fuel process including their new venture of what they call bio-hydrogen using a proprietary catalytic technology.

Joanne Ivancic Great insight that shareholders are not the only groups to whom companies owe some responsibilities.

1:45 PM Chris Roland Holst Joanne, yes the power of the consumer. combine that with the power of the share holder and nothing will hold is back anymore. combined with Co2 tax

1:57 PM Joanne Ivancic @Chris Even more than consumers, some responsibility to society in general, some responsibility to the Earth in the areas that each company has an impact–beneficial impact or minimizing, avoiding or preventing harmful impact. I think that is in the background of many of the conversations and presentations at this conference. Although there are also disagreements as to what is beneficial and what is harmful.

2:07 PM john oyen there is no 100% perfect solution for anything.

2:08 PM Joanne Ivancic That’s 100% right!

2:08 PM john oyen ABB is doing the automation and safety system on this project

2:18 PM Keith Simons Could the process be applied to Paddy Straw in India?

2:30 PM Matt Snyder Algae oils of different species? With UOP is biogasoline theoretically possible? Excellent presentation!

2:54 PM Daniel Szeezil Hi – green naphtha is a secondary product from our Ecofining production of renewable diesel and is a potential blendstock into the gasoline pool

Chris Roland Holst @Adam, great you mentioned this DUTCH example of BTG plant from the Netherlands to Finland https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6684543229020385281/

3:06 PM Joel Stone Great presentation Adam. First time I actually saw a photo of the facility.

3:08 PM Jim Lane Some breaking news: Checkerspot has launched its Vital 100 and new Algal Cast material, billed memorable as “From Molecule to Material to Mountain”, in partnership with WNDR Alpine. Checkerspot CEO Charlie Dimmler was on stage with us yesterday. More on the story here: https://wndr-alpine.com/products/vital-100#shopify-product-reviews

Advanced Bioeconomy Policy

The day wrapped up with talk of how things have been changing daily it seems and Taite McDonald, Partner at Holland & Knight talked about the 4 big packages that came out of government as a result of COVID-19 and how it affects businesses in the biofuels and bioeconomy space. It came down to jobs, jobs, jobs, the farm bill, going beyond green, and more.

Daily Digest Lounge

There was lots of love in the Daily Digest Lounge as participants pondered the day’s presentations, the latest breaking news from Checkerspot and others, and how it’s a crazy world we live in but an exciting one too.

John Oyen  04:34 PM the virtual world is manic

Joanne Ivancic:  04:45 PM To follow on the lunchtime discussion about how renewable / circular / sustainable fuels address odious problems with solutions, here are some ideas: https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/tag/solutions/  includes things like the fatbergs, paddy straw burning and more.

Matt Snyder :  04:46 PM CARB Technicians and Engineers are SUPER! I used to work with them in another life.

Helena Kennedy:  04:47 PM Here is link to submit your Competitive Edge feature! http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07efpux9yrjmg77uy2/start

Joanne Ivancic:  04:50 PM I just posted an AP story about EU “betting” on hydrogen https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/eu-bets-on-clean-hydrogen-to-decarbonize-and-boost-economy/

George Baskin  04:50 PM I was intrigued by the waste to energy/plastic/etc this morning.  any thoughts?

Matt Snyder:  04:51 PM Our parents made a living making a mess everywhere, and now we get to make a living cleaning up after them Go figure!

Christine Lewis:  04:52 PM Waste to energy is a great idea when you are thinking from a decentralized standpoint.

Matt Snyder:  04:57 PM There’s a lot of love in this room.

Robin Johnston:  04:58 PM The reclaimed value will revert to either the ne tech companies or the brands, depending on how recovery occurs, But will this motivate chem companies to do better on developing technologies or recovery efforts?

George Baskin:  05:02 PM Lesser developed economies may actually be better positioned to build “circularly” than economies like first world countries. They would have lees inertia to change.

William Collings:  05:02 PM The Clariant presentation was excellent.

John Oyen:  05:08 PM agree with George on developing countries have a clearer slate to build on. They just have no credit rating

Matt Snyder:  05:10 PM I feel like a Visionary. LOL

Christine Lewis:  05:10 PM I think there needs to be more stringent rule on the beginning of the manufacturing process for policy that forces some level of responsibility for the end of life recycling of their products.

Matt Snyder:  05:12 PM The spreading ocean Dead zones

Chris Roland Holst:  05:16 PM Christine, that is what is called circulair economy and agree!!

Christine Lewis:  05:19 PM To prevent dead zones, we have to start at the agriculture and have innovation of in specific fertilization to avoid runoff.

Matt Snyder:  05:22 PM Making smokers into subhumans in the eyes of most.

Chris Roland Holst:  05:22 PM Christine why not limit the amount of NPK / acre. Set limits as government to protect the environment. It can be tailor different soils and zones.

Matt Snyder:  05:23 PM Sacramento truck ban. Silly

Christine Lewis:  05:23 PM either way it would result in investment into more efficient fertilization practices, and innovation.

George Baskin:  05:24 PMlimiting NPK would also limit food / feedstock production.

Matt Snyder:  05:24 PM A potential for incentives for those who can recapture nutrients.

Chris Roland Holst:  05:25 PM No George not necessary.

Christine Lewis:  05:25 PM That is because biofuels are a tiny percent of the market.

John Oyen:  05:25 PM Crop protection companies are looking for lower AI – active ingredients. They are looking at improving the soil via enzymes and bugs to improve nutrient adsorption and higher yield.

Matt Snyder:  05:26 PM biologic nutrients are interesting. They work even better if algae is included in the recipe.

Zachary:  05:26 PM During one of my grad school bioenergy classes, I was taught that one of the issues with going higher in ethanol blends was that most car companies will not warranty their cars beyond 15% ethanol blend. The engines themselves can go higher, but they will not warranty them. So perhaps we need to target car companies to do something about their warranties.

George Baskin :  05:26 PM Christine, i really like your proposal to manufacture products with a designed-in plan for reuse. Our efforts at recycling are sometimes hindered by the initial designs of products.

Matt Snyder :  05:26 PM Ethanol eats the rubber parts of the fuel system. An all metal replacement is not easy or cheap to make.

Chris Roland Holst:   05:27 PM current practice in unsustainable. In Germany, Netherlands as well, using manure as fertilizer has polluted many acres of good land with heavy metals no longer suitable for agriculture. We need to change our agriculture practices.

John Oyen:  05:27 PM plastics companies are looking to have a marker in the plastic to facilitate separation and segregation at the collection facilities.

Matt Snyder:  05:27 PM @Chris Roland – That’s why we created te bioremediation system in 2002

Chris Roland Holst :  05:27 PM Matt, How have car makers resolved it in Brasil?

Matt Snyder:  05:28 PM special fittings that increase vehicle costs

Christine Lewis:  05:28 PM I think there needs to be more incentive to biofuel innovation–going back to the DOE question. Especially for biofuel productions from algae or liquid base biomass that can be used dry or as a fuel and can be produced in repurposed infrastructures.

Joanne Ivancic:  05:29 PM @Zachary  It isn’t so much warranty.  There used to be incentives to produce flex fuel vehicles and then that was taken away during the Obama admin.  See articles about F Factor on our website library. https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/tag/f-factor/

George Baskin:  05:29 PM Chris, manure would be better used as RNG production.  In general, many people have an unrealistic view of “natural”. They thing everything natural is clean and good.

Joanne Ivancic:  05:30 PM Part of the issue is getting EPA certification.  Engines have to be able to meet emissions standards using the certification fuels and –contact me for more.

John Oyen:  05:30 PM what is old is new again

Christine Lewis:  05:30 PM Yes, of course

Robin Johnston:  05:30 PM DOE is increasing investment in algae despite major previous failures. happy to connect you to the DOE BETO program manager Christine.

Matt Snyder: 05:30 PM The certification fuels is a situation I mentioned to EPA years ago. An algae based indoline is not optional.

Christine Lewis:  05:30 PM Yes, I would love to hear more.

Chris Roland Holst:  05:32 PM George, what comes out at the back and of an AD system? Right still manure with part / all of its issues when used on land. I do not say it should not be used for NRG production! we call it digestate but still is manure

Christine Lewis  05:32 PM It is not optimal because we have to get photosynthesis to produce biomass at a faster rate–we can do that with innovation on the protein end of the photosynthetic electron transport chain.

Matt Snyder:  05:33 PM Thank you Robin. This will be fantastic! @Christine, Gotcha covered. Special secret handshake.

George Baskin:  05:34 PM Chris it comes out at digested solids (I know that’s manure :~). But it is greatly reduced solids content and the heavy metals are in a controlled state, not spread onto the land.

Matt Snyder:  05:34 PM Thank you everyone! This has been a great Lounge, said the Lounge Lizard.