2022 Biomass Magazine Issue 2 by BBI International

Issue 2, 2022

WHERE RNG AND BIOCOAL MEET CHAR Technologies’ Multiproduct Approach PAGE 20

PLUS:

International Biomass Conference & Expo: Photo Review PAGE 12

Smart Technology in Biomass Fan, Blower Applications PAGE 30

BiomassMagazine.com

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ISSUE 2 | VOLUME 15

FEATURES 12 EVENT The Time is Now

The 2022 International Biomass Conference & Expo welcomed more than 700 people to Jacksonville, Florida, for the three-day event. By Anna Simet

20 PYROLYSIS A Focus on Pyrolysis Coproducts

CHAR Technologies built its business case around ﬂexibility in feedstock and outputs, which include biochar, biocoal and renewable natural gas. By Susanne Retka Schill

EVENT PAGE 12

26 HYDROGEN From RNG to Hydrogen

COLUMNS

BayoTech weighs in on rapidly growing opportunities in the renewable natural gas-to-hydrogen sector. By Anna Simet

04 EDITOR’S NOTE

The Big Deal About Biocarbon By Anna Simet

06 Reviving the Fort St. James Green Energy Project By Raj Daniels

07 U.S. South Pulpwood Supplies and Echoes of the Great Recession By Brooks Mendell and Shawn Baker

BUSINESS BRIEFS

BIOGAS & RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS ROUNDUP

ON THE COVER

CHAR Technologies produces multiple products with its high-temperature pyrolysis process, including biocoal, which the company has dubbed as CleanFyre. PHOTO: CHAR TECHNOLOGIES

¦ADVERTISER INDEX 38 25 2 8 19 22 18 23 33

2023 Int'l Biomass Conference & Expo AGI Tramco Air Burners, Inc. Airoﬂex Equipment Detroit Stoker Company DLG Energy Decentral George K. Moss Company Hermann Sewerin GmbH IEP Technologies

24 40 31 37 28 35 29 9

IHI Power Services Corp. KEITH Manufacturing Company KESCO, Inc. Mid-South Engineering Company MoistTech NDC Technologies Tri-Mer Corporation Uzelac Industries

CONTRIBUTIONS 30 ASSET MANAGEMENT Specifying Fans and Blowers for Biomass Applications

Leveraging smart technologies can ultimately reduce maintenance and power consumption costs, as well as compound cost savings over time. By Margaret Wood

32 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Project Talk

Investing in comprehensive project management tools will provide insights that can help make projects successful and save money. By Sven Swenson

34 CARBON How Companies Can Proﬁtably Create Carbon-Negative Energy from Biomass

Combining complementary technologies such as biomass power generation, biochar production and carbon capture and storage can enable a profitable transition to a low-carbon economy. By Paul Stevers

36 TECHNOLOGY Critical Measurement Technologies for Live Monitoring of Biogas and Biomethane

Critical measurement solutions available today can help biogas and biomethane producers optimize operations by accurately measuring quality and ﬂow. By Narge Sparages

Biomass Magazine: (USPS No. 5336, ISSN 21690405) Copyright © 2022 by BBI International is published quarterly by BBI International, 308 Second Avenue North, Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Six issues per year. Business and Editorial Offices: 308 Second Avenue North, Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Accounting and Circulation Offices: BBI International 308 Second Avenue North, Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Call (701) 746-8385 to subscribe. Periodicals postage paid at Grand Forks, ND and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biomass Magazine/Subscriptions, 308 Second Avenue North, Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203.

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¦EDITOR’S NOTE

The Big Deal About Biocarbon

ANNA SIMET EDITOR

asimet@bbiinternational.com

I write this note just shortly after my return from the International Biomass Conference & Expo, which was held in Jacksonville in mid-March. Of the most popular and well attended sessions at the event were the ones focused on biochar, biocoal and pyrolysis. That wasn’t a surprise—interest in the value and versatility of biocarbon has been steadily growing and is at an all-time high, which led us to pursue our page-20 feature and cover story, “A Focus on Pyrolysis Coproducts.” In it, freelance writer Susanne Retka-Schill interviews CHAR Technologies CEO Andrew White, who developed a high-temperature pyrolysis technology as a graduate student at the University of Toronto. After successfully building and operating a London, Ontario, demonstration-scale plant that uses anaerobic digestate as a feedstock for biocarbon, the company has launched numerous, multiproduct projects that are in various stages of development. One is colocated at a biomass power plant in Quebec, and another near Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Both will produce biocarbon and upgrade syngas to renewable natural gas (RNG), which White says is a financing-friendly strategy. He tells Retka Schill, “You can’t get long-term contracts for biocoal, but we can get long-term, fixed contracts for RNG ... so that’s what you can build your project financing on.” As for other features in this issue, another topic I’m seeing a lot about is hydrogen. I attended an interesting webinar sponsored by the Renewable Natural Gas Coalition, during which Bayotech’s Stewart Stewart discussed the current hydrogen market and its potential, how RNGbased hydrogen stands up to other transportation fuels in terms of efficiency and emissions, and Bayotech’s efforts to build out regional hydrogen hubs. You can read the story, “From RNG to Hydrogen,” on page 26. We have a good mix of contributions to offer this quarter, with topics ranging from live monitoring of biogas and biomethane, increasing fan and blower reliability at biomass energy plants, the value of investing in project management tools, opportunities in biochar and carbon capture and sequestration, as well as a section dedicated exclusively to biogas and RNG-related news. In the previous issue, this was focused renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, and we plan to rotate the topic of this new section in each issue. We will focus on wood heat next time, so if you have some company news to share, whether you’re a producer, equipment manufacturer or feedstock provider, I’m happy to include it—reach out to me any time.

4 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

INDUSTRY EVENTS¦

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Anna Simet asimet@bbiinternational.com ONLINE NEWS EDITOR Erin Voegele evoegele@bbiinternational.com

ART

VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION & DESIGN Jaci Satterlund jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Raquel Boushee rboushee@bbiinternational.com

PUBLISHING & SALES

Carbon Capture & Storage Summit JUNE 13, 2022

Minneapolis Convention Center | Minneapolis, MN Capturing and storing carbon dioxide in underground wells has the potential to become the most consequential technological deployment in the history of the broader biofuels industry. Deploying effective carbon capture and storage at biofuels plants will cement ethanol and biodiesel as the lowest carbon liquid fuels commercially available in the marketplace. The Carbon Capture & Storage Summit will offer attendees a comprehensive look at the economics of carbon capture and storage, the infrastructure required to make it possible and the financial and marketplace impacts to participating producers. 866.746.8385 | FuelEthanolWorkshop.com

CEO Joe Bryan jbryan@bbiinternational.com

2022 Int’l Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

PRESIDENT Tom Bryan tbryan@bbiinternational.com

Minneapolis Convention Center | Minneapolis, MN

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS/MARKETING & SALES John Nelson jnelson@bbiinternational.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/BIOENERGY TEAM LEADER Chip Shereck cshereck@bbiinternational.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Bob Brown bbrown@bbiinternational.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jessica Tiller jtiller@bbiinternational.com MARKETING & ADVERTISING MANAGER Marla DeFoe mdefoe@bbiinternational.com SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING COORDINATOR Dayna Bastian dbastian@bbiinternational.com

Please check our website for upcoming webinars

www.biomassmagazine.com/pages/webinar

JUNE 13-15, 2022

From its inception, the mission of this event has remained constant: The FEW delivers timely presentations with a strong focus on commercial-scale ethanol production—from quality control and yield maximization to regulatory compliance and fiscal management. The FEW is the ethanol industry’s premier forum for unveiling new technologies and research findings. The program is primarily focused on optimizing grain ethanol operations while also covering cellulosic and advanced ethanol technologies. 866.746.8385 | FuelEthanolWorkshop.com

Biodiesel & Renewable Diesel Summit JUNE 13-15, 2022

Minneapolis Convention Center | Minneapolis, MN The Biodiesel & Renewable Diesel Summit is a forum designed for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers to learn about cutting-edge process technologies, new techniques and equipment to optimize existing production, and efficiencies to save money while increasing throughput and fuel quality. Produced by Biodiesel Magazine, this worldclass event features premium content from technology providers, equipment vendors, consultants, engineers and producers to advance discussion and foster an environment of collaboration and networking through engaging presentations, fruitful discussion and compelling exhibitions with one purpose, to further the biomass-based diesel sector beyond its current limitations. 866.746.8385 | BiodieselSummit.com

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts or samples before recycling TM

Subscriptions Biomass Magazine is free of charge to everyone with the exception of a shipping and handling charge for anyone outside the United States. To subscribe, visit www.BiomassMagazine.com or you can send your mailing address and payment (checks made out to BBI International) to Biomass Magazine Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. You can also fax a subscription form to 701-746-5367. Back Issues & Reprints Select back issues are available for $3.95 each, plus shipping. Article reprints are also available for a fee. For more information, contact us at 701-746-8385 or service@ bbiinternational.com. Advertising Biomass Magazine provides a specific topic delivered to a highly targeted audience. We are committed to editorial excellence and high-quality print production. To find out more about Biomass Magazine advertising opportunities, please contact us at 701-746-8385 or service@bbiinternational.com. Letters to the Editor We welcome letters to the editor. Send to Biomass Magazine Letters to the Editor, 308 2nd Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203 or email to asimet@bbiinternational.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or space.

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Reviving the Fort St. James Green Energy Project BY RAJ DANIELS

The Fort St. James Green Energy Project in northern British Columbia first began commercial operations in late 2017. The 40MW facility provided clean energy to the province, directly employing 38 individuals. But in June 2021, the facility ceased operations, leaving the bulk of a 30-year electricity purchase agreement and 20year forestry license for fiber supply on the table. In mid-October 2021, it was announced that BioNorth Energy, a joint partnership between Nexus PMG and an Indigenous community, had signed a purchase agreement to acquire the facility. Its revival has helped B.C. move toward its goal of a low-carbon economy. Significance of Biomass in B.C. Biomass energy may not receive the attention other green energy sources such as solar and wind do, but forestry biomass can accelerate B.C.’s move toward its energy plan, CleanBC. The CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 states, “B.C. uses a diverse mix of energy types to meet demands from our transportation, industry and building sectors. Clean electricity currently accounts for only 19% of the total. Low-carbon biomass and biofuels meet an additional 11%, and that proportion will rise in the future.” Canada recognizes the importance of biomass energy for remote and Indigenous remote communities, as renewable energy can power microgrids in these areas, supporting clean energy microgrid deployment through their Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program. Additionally, the clearing of biomass is a crucial part of forest management, especially as wildfires increase. British Columbia’s forest bioeconomy acknowledges the conversion of biomass to heat, electricity and fuel as a clean energy source. While B.C. has cited “lack of accurate information on the cost and availability of residual forest biomass” is holding up the development of the first local bioeconomy in the province, the province has developed a framework for the Indigenous forest bioeconomy. This framework is based on the need for collaboration between Indigenous communities and industry in the natural resource sector. B.C. has also established the value of the bioeconomy for jobs, with bioenergy creating 0.6 to 1 jobs per 1,000 oven-dried tons of feedstock. This may not match the job creation of biochemicals and biomaterials, but bioenergy uses biomass material not suitable for other applications and advances the region toward low-carbon energy.

6 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

BioNorth Energy: An Indigenous-Industry Partnership BioNorth Energy, a joint-venture partnership between the Arrow, Nak’azdli Development Corp. and Nexus PMG, has recently acquired and reopened the Fort St. James Green Energy Project. Arrow brings significant expertise in acquiring and producing biomass fiber, as well as transportation, logistics and supply chain management, with more than 100 years of experience in successful operations in the U.S. and Canada. Nak’azdli Whu’ten and NDC provide deep knowledge of natural resources and forestry, and have relationships with other major forest tenure holders within the region. As for Nexus PMG, the company brings a wealth of technical and operational knowledge of biomass power generation facilities, having designed, developed and commissioned over 1,000 MW of facilities around the world. In early December 2021, 34 employees were welcomed back to the Fort St. James Energy Project to complete minor recommissioning activities. The facility is now operational, generating clean power for British Columbians, with more extensive recommissioning work being executed in spring of 2022. Additionally, the forestry license has been successfully transferred. Smaller Footprint, Greater Impact The deal shows what’s possible when industry and Indigenous communities identify meaningful opportunities and work incredibly hard together to turn ideas into reality. As stated by Chief Aileen Prince of Nak’azdli White’en, while many communities have minority stakes in forestry-sector projects, there are very few partnerships where an Indigenous community has a significant equity position in a multimillion-dollar project. With BioNorth Energy, Nak’azdli Whut’en has a strong voice at the table, a seat on the board, and direct involvement in the management of forest resources within their traditional territory. BioNorth Energy believes the reopening of the Fort St. James Green Energy Project will have immediate and lasting positive impacts on the local economy and the environment. At the same time, it will demonstrate the value of Indigenous-industry relationships in the biomass sector, and green energy as a whole. Author: Raj Daniels Director of Strategic Partnerships and Sustainability Initiatives Nexus PMG Raj.daniels@nexuspmg.com

U.S. South Pulpwood Supplies and Echoes of the Great Recession BY BROOKS MENDELL AND SHAWN BAKER

Part of understanding the current Figure 1. Age 16-20 Pine Plantation Acres and market situation and then taking a poPlanted Acres 18 Years Earlier sition on how things could turn out in the future depends on evaluating history and how we got here in the first place. Dr. Shawn Baker, Forisk’s vice president of research, recently evaluated the current high pulpwood prices in the U.S. South within the context of forest supplies since the Great Recession 14 years ago. While forest rotations last decades, the effects of that major economic downturn can be seen in the forest and felt in the market to this day. While it may seem arbitrary to reflect on the Great Recession today, we revisit this timeframe because, according to our most recent southern silviculture survey, 14 years is the average age of a first thinning on intensively managed southern pine plantations. This begs the question of how echoes of the Data sources: Forisk; USDA Forest Service FIA; Tree Planter’s Notes; A Statistical History of Tree Planting in the Recession may reverberate today across South 1928 to 2012, G. Hernandez and R Harper, USDA Forest Service. pulpwood markets. Though having ended over a decade ago, the Great RecesReduced sawtimber harvests during and following the Great sion continues to affect the forest industry. Direct impacts on Recession led to fewer replanted acres. Data and analysis from wood demand translated into indirect impacts on timber supply, Forisk and the USDA Forest Service suggest that the acres of pine first through a surplus of sawtimber and now declining pulpwood. plantations available for first thinnings and the associated pulp- Pulpwood harvesting, inventories and planting have evolved during wood supplies could be reduced for a decade or more (Figure 1). this time to help create a current situation that can be seen in prices While measures of forest inventory are backward looking, plant- for pulpwood and residuals. ed acres over the past decade do represent our future pulpwood and, eventually, sawtimber supplies. Overlaying acres planted in the Author: Brooks Mendell & Shawn Baker South on acres of 16- to 20- year-old planted pine reveals that acres Forisk Consulting LLC 770-725-8477 peaked in 2014 and are on track to trend lower through 2028 before bmendell@forisk.com exhibiting a steady recovery. In our research, we often focus on the Great Recession’s slowdown in sawtimber harvest and resulting accumulation of forest supplies in the South to better understand the situation “on the ground.” Meanwhile, timberland investors care about the associated years of flat sawtimber prices over the past decade, despite the surge in southern lumber production.

BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 7

Business Briefs PEOPLE, PRODUCTS & PARTNERSHIPS

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in November reached 225,651 tons at an average price of $189.12 per ton. Exports in November reached 764,642 tons at an average price of $172.32 per ton. Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 163,356 tons in November, down from 216,306 tons in October. Inventories of utility pellets fell to 407,359 tons in November, down from 476,348 tons in October.

Delta signs SAF agreement with Gevo

Gevo Inc. has signed a take-or-pay agreement with Delta Air Lines Inc. to supply 75 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year for seven years. The agreement replaces the existing agreement signed with Delta in 2019 to purchase 10 million gallons per year. Delta will need to secure 400 million gallons annually by the end of 2030 to meet its 10% SAF procurement commitment.

SOURCE: U.S. EIA

US EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 990,000 tons in November

The U.S. EIA recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in November, with sales reaching 990,000 tons. The data was released as part of the February edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, which contains data for November. The 80 manufacturers surveyed for November had a total combined production capacity of 12.96 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,331 full-time employees. Respondents purchased 1.6 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in November, produced 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 990,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 149,511 tons of heating pellets and 645,782 tons of utility pellets.

UK groups ban wood products from Russia, Belarus

The U.K. Pellet Council and Forest Stewardship Council announced they will no longer recognize wood products coming from Russia and Belarus, stopping their import for use in bioenergy applications. The FSC on March 8 announced its international board of directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and block all controlled wood and forest product sourcing from the two countries. Wood and other forest products can no longer be sourced

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as FSC-certified or controlled from Russia and Belarus for their inclusion in FSC products anywhere in the world, although forest management certificate holders in Russia have the option of maintaining their FSC certification of forest management. Mark Lebus, chair of the UK Pellet Council, said in mid-March that wood pellets will no longer be sourced from Russia or imported from Russian producers. He cautioned the action might cause some short-term price increases for biomass heating systems and called on the U.K. government to invest in domestic wood pellet production.

US wood pellet exports at 655,657 tons in January

The U.S. exported 655,656.5 metric tons (MT) of wood pellets in January, down from 774,410.2 MT exported the previous month, but up when compared to the 599,624.2 MT exported in January 2021, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on March 11. The U.S. exported wood pellets to more than a dozen countries in January. The U.K. was the top destination at 458,598.3 MT, followed by Denmark at 91,872.1 MT, and the Netherlands at 91,172 MT.

Neste, bp announce separate SAF agreements with DHL

Neste and bp each announced agreements with DHL Express for the supply of approximately 105.67 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The agreements will help DHL Group reach its goal of using a 30% SAF blend for all air transport by 2030. Peter Vanacker, president and CEO of Neste, said the milestone agreement is the company’s largest ever for SAF.

PacBio ceases operations at Prince George pellet plant

Pacific BioEnergy Corp. idled production at its 550,000-metric-ton-per-year wood pellet plant located in Prince George, British Columbia, in mid-March. Company officials confirmed the facility is being sold. PacBio initially announced its plants to permanently close in December, after having reached an agreement to assign some of its assets, including long-term sales contracts for wood pellets, to Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc., part of the Drax Group. PacBio CEO John Sterling said the company had been battling several challenges for the past few years, including sawmill closures in the region that reduced the volume and increased the cost of raw materials, as well as forest fires, landslides and floods that impacted the ability to transport product by rail to the export terminal in North Vancouver.

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Biogas & Renewable Natural Gas Roundup EDL and key project stakeholders British Petroleum, Consumers Energy and Granger Waste Services welcomed the start of operations at the Wood Road Renewable Natural Gas Facility in Lansing, Michigan. RNG produced at the facility will be added to Consumers Energy’s existing pipeline network for delivery to end users, with a portion taken by BP to supply natural gas-powered vehicles across the U.S. The RNG will also be delivered for residential, commercial and industrial use in North America. EDL also recently signed agreements with U.S. gas company Pennant Midstream, the company’s fourth investment in the U.S. RNG market since 2019. Under the agreement, Pennant will transport RNG from the Carbon Limestone Landfill near the city of Youngstown, Ohio, through its existing system and redeliver the gas to EDL’s downstream markets. The landfill gas will be processed and conditioned at what will be EDL’s largest North American RNG facility. Greater Commercial Lending has completed nearly $73 million in USDA-guaranteed financing for two landfill gas-to-RNG facilities in North Carolina. The Foothills Renewables Project in Caldwell County, North Carolina, and the Upper Piedmont Renewables Project in Person County, North Carolina, are being developed by Evensol LLC. The North Carolina facilities will sell the RNG to BP. Construction of the facilities has begun, with completion targeted for Q3 2022. Aemetis Inc. has begun commissioning of its $12 million biogas-RNG upgrading facility connected to the PG&E gas pipeline interconnection unit at the Keyes, California, ethanol plant site. The full system commissioning process, including PG&E’s interconnection unit, is expected to be completed in April, enabling the production of utility-grade RNG for sale to customers via pipeline delivery. U.S. Gain recently entered into a supply agreement, through a competitive bid process, with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. U.S. Gain will provide RNG to fuel LACSD-owned fleet vehicles at two maintenance yards. U.S. Gain also announced its RNG supply will be used as a feedstock into hydrogen production in the California transportation market. Opal Fuels LLC has commenced commercial operation of a new facility to extract and capture waste methane from Rumpke Waste & Recycling’s Noble Road Landfill, transform it into

10 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

RNG and transport it through Chesapeake Utilities Corp.’s wholly owned subsidiary Aspire Energy of Ohio. An affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources LLC is a joint owner of the project. The new, state-of-the-art facility, located in Shiloh, Ohio, utilizes advanced, patented technology to treat and purify landfill gas to produce pipeline quality RNG. Aspire Energy constructed a 33.1mile pipeline that will transport the RNG. The fuel will be dispensed at Opal Fuels and fueling stations, as well as Rumpke trucks to displace diesel fuel. A new report by the Canadian Biogas Association indicates the country’s biogas industry experienced a decade of rapid growth from 2011 to 2020, with an almost 50% jump in operating biogas projects. According to the Canadian 2020 Biogas Market Report, Canada now has 279 biogas projects from coast to coast. These projects are capturing waste methane from agricultural waste, landfills, green bin programs and municipal wastewater treatment facilities and turning it into a total of 196 MW of electricity and 6 million gigajoules of RNG. The report calculates that Canada is tapping only 13% of its easily accessible biogas potential. The report projects that the 2020s will drive new biogas growth, with demand for RNG increasing rapidly, partly due to climate and clean energy policies at the national and provincial levels, such as RNG mandates in British Columbia and Quebec. Clean Methane Systems LLC and Ammongas A/S have introduced amine technology to North American RNG customers, which simplifies biogas upgrading by minimizing the steps required to prepare and inject RNG into the grid. Both CMS and Ammongas have a long history of serving the biogas and RNG markets. CMS provides equipment and RNG consulting solutions for its U.S. and international clients from its Tualatin, Oregon, headquarters, and Ammongas has focused primarily on the European biogas sector from its headquarters in Glostrup, Denmark. Air Liquide announced it is constructing what it believes is the largest biomethane production unit in the world. Located in Rockford, Illinois, the new production unit will produce biomethane from a solid waste treatment plant that is owned and operated by Waste Connections Inc. It will have a production capacity of 380 GWh per year, becoming operational by the end of 2023. Another landfill-based biomethane production unit is being built in Delavan, Wisconsin, and will be operational at the beginning of Q2 2022.

BIOGAS & RNG ROUNDUP¦

Venture Engineering & Construction Inc. has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for a $100 million-plus source-separated organic waste (SSOW) digester-to-RNG facility. Located on Long Island, New York, the site will collect SSOW such as food waste from residents, grocery stores and other commercial food entities in the area. Fats, oils and grease (FOG) will also be collected to serve as liquid feedstock for the digester. This facility will be designed to process up to 180,000 tons per year of SSOW and 30,000 tons per year of FOG into RNG, making it one of the largest such facilities in the U.S. The facility will produce approximately 1,450 MMBtu per day. The project is the eighth such RNG EPC project that Venture has been awarded in the past 12 months. Gevo Inc. has begun the process of bringing its wholly owned dairy manure-based RNG project online. Located in northwest Iowa, the project is known as Gevo NW Iowa RNG LLC and it is projected to produce approximately 355,000 MMBtu of RNG per year. The RNG is expected to be sold into the California market under dispensing agreements BP has in place with Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the largest RNG fueling infrastructure in the U.S. Archaea Energy Inc. reported the expansion of its commercial partnership with FortisBC Energy Inc. by entering into a new long-term RNG purchase and sale agreement. This is the second long-term commercial agreement between Archaea and FortisBC, a which serves approximately 1.2 million customers with natural gas, electricity, propane and renewable energy solutions. Under the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval by the British Columbia Utilities Commission, FortisBC expects to annually purchase up to 7.6 million MMBtu of RNG generated by Archaea’s portfolio of RNG production facilities, for a fixed fee and period of 20 years. Upon approval, the agreement is expected to commence in 2022, with the full annual quantity beginning in 2025. Green Impact Partners announced the signing of definitive agreements for its partnership in a dairy RNG project in Iowa. The project has secured long-term feedstock agreements with two dairies in close proximity and is expected to generate approximately 800 MMBtu per day of RNG. GIP is working to advance the final engineering, design and capital budget, as well as to secure material permits, approvals and financing. The Iowa RNG Project is similar in scope to GIP’s RNG project in Weld County, Colorado.

PHOTO: RAE

TPG Rise Climate announced an investment in Monarch Bioenergy, a joint venture between Roeslein Alternative Energy and a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc. Launched in 2018, Monarch leverages RAE’s state-of-the-art technology and Smithfield’s innovative, sustainable farming practices to capture methane emissions and convert them into RNG. As an equal partner in the JV, TPG Rise Climate will work with RAE and Smithfield to advance agricultural innovation, enhance existing projects in Missouri, and develop new ones in select states across the U.S. BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 11

¦EVENT

THE TIME IS

NOW BY ANNA SIMET

PHOTOS: BRANDI HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

he 15th annual International Biomass Conference & Expo convened in Jacksonville, Florida, in mid-March, the first time the event has been held in person since February 2020. More than 700 stakeholders representing a wide spectrum of bioenergy producers, feedstock suppliers, academia, technology and project developers, investors, equipment manufacturers and more met under one roof, many seeking an answer one of the most looming questions as the pandemic eases, inflation soars, and the world faces consequences as a result of foreign energy reliance: What are the potential implications for the broader bioenergy industry? Day one of the conference began with back-to-back panels focused on one of the wood-using biomass industry’s most critical and popular issues: fire and explosion protection and dust mitigation. Parallel to these sessions were panels hosting presentations on emissions control and operations and maintenance technologies. The following morning, the event’s annual award recipients were named— Excellence in Bioenergy (Harold Arnold, Fram Renewable Fuels) and Groundbreaker of the Year (Project Assai, Archaea Energy). Industry leaders then joined Anna Simet, editor of Biomass Magazine, for a state-of-the-industry discussion largely focused on current events, policy and industry catalysts moving forward. Participating were Tim Portz, Pellet Fuels Institute; Patrick Serfass, American Biogas Council; Carrie Annand, Biomass Power Association; Harold Arnold, U.S. Industrial Pellet Association; and Emanuel Wagner, Biomass Thermal Energy Council. Following the conclusion of the general session, a day and a half more of breakout sessions covered topics including, but not limited to, global wood pellet markets, fundamentals of RNG project development and financing, biogas technologies, sustainable aviation fuel, and very well attended biochar/biocoal panels (standing room only). Attendees spent ample time in the 128-booth expo hall, which hosted two lunches and two evening networking receptions that closed out with a $2,000 Blackout Bingo winner. The 16th annual Biomass Conference & Expo will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 28-March 2.

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Participating in the state-of-the-industry general session discussion were (from left) Harold Arnold, board of directors, U.S. Industrial Pellet Association; Tim Portz, executive director, Pellet Fuels Institute; Carrie Annand, executive director, Biomass Power Association; Emanuel Wagner, deputy director, Biomass Thermal Energy Council; Patrick Serfass, executive director, American Biogas Council; and Anna Simet, editor, Biomass Magazine.

BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 13

¦EVENT

General session panelists discussed topics including policy, world events, industry catalysts, challenges and growth projections, before moving into a live question and answer session with audience participants.

Harold Arnold, president of Fram Renewable Fuels, accepts the Excellence in Bioenergy Award.

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Lauren Turner, vice president of renewable partnerships at Archaea Energy, accepts the Groundbreaker of the Year Award on behalf of the company and its renewable natural gas project at the Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore, Pennsylvania.

Joseph Kochanski, SCS Global services, presents on a breakout session focused on global wood pellet markets. The panel was moderated by William Perrit of RISI (second to left), with additional speakers including Holger Streetz, Bathan AG; William Strauss, FutureMetrics Inc., and Portz.

(Left image) Tom Miles, executive director of the U.S. Biochar Initiative, and Jonathan Parrott, Renewable Heating Solutions (right image), ask questions during the general session Q&A.

BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 15

¦EVENT

Conference attendees Derek Godbold, KraftPowercon, and John DeFusco, Babcock & Wilcox (exhibitor).

Douglas Tholo, Symbiont Science, Engineering and Construction, presents on successful project development for EPC execution of RNG projects. Joining him on the panel were (from left) Andrew Eastman, Husch Blackwell; Kevin Tangen, Evergreen Engineering; and Todd Taylor, Avisen Legal.

Jupiter, Florida-based CV Technology Inc.’s Bernardo Sanson tends to booth traffic.

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Lissette Cordova, Diego Guevara, Enrique Sanz and Matthew Kieffer of Advanced Renewable Technology International (ARTi), traveled to Jacksonville from Des Moines, Iowa.

Eric Grim, Equustock, and Total Pelleting Solutions’ Kyle Theobald and Nate Harris attended the event as pellet producers.

The Biomass Engineering & Equipment crew chat with a visitor at their impressive booth display.

BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 17

¦EVENT

Jason Kessler, president of Blackout Bingo and Expo Hall Grand Opening sponsor KESCO Inc., drew the name of the $2,500 prize winner, Will Bonds of Grizzly Sprockets. (From left) Kessler, Bond, Simet and Portz.

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Melissa Leung of GECA Environment and Andrew White, CHAR Technologies, both presented at the conference. Leung participated on track two with “Levaraging the Carbon Market for Ethanol, Biogas & Other Types of Productions,” while White participated in track four, with presentation “Pyrolysis, Upgraded Biogas as Coal Replacement, RNG.”

The crew at the Professional Lubricant Solutions booth talks shop with trade show attendees.

BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 19

¦PYROLYSIS

A FOCUS ON PYROLYSIS

COPRODUCTS CHAR Technologies builds its business case around flexibility in feedstock and outputs. BY SUSANNE RETKA SCHILL

ith three projects in development, Toronto-headquartered CHAR Technologies is poised for commercialization of its high-temperature pyrolysis (HTP) process, producing biocarbon and renewable gases. “We’re in the right time with the right technology, and the opportunities are pretty substantial,” CEO Andrew White says. CHAR Technologies commissioned its demonstration/small commercial-scale plant in London, Ontario, in 2018, using anaerobic digestate as the feedstock and producing five tons per day of biocarbon for testing. Now, a California project, also using digestate, will double the throughput of the London plant and test hydrogen production from syngas. That project is expected to be online this fall. Two Canadian projects have been announced that will use woody biomass and quadruple the demo’s throughput. The company’s approach has been to develop multiple products geared to existing markets, White says. “The financial

20 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

‘In the Canadian context, biocoal to help heavy White industry viability of a project isn’t limited to decarbonize a single output like is in huge biocarbon, but it’s biocarbon and syn- demand,.’

gas. The syngas can Andrew White be used for direct CHAR Technologies energy, as renewable natural gas (RNG) or for green hydrogen.” On the feedstock side, the technology fits places where the biomass is challenging to handle or there are disposal issues. “Put all those pieces together, and you get a viable opportunity,” he says. De-risking is another theme for the company, White says, using a modular con-

cept where the kiln—the core of the HTP process—can be factory built. And while the technology around the kiln, biocarbon products and syngas is proprietary, the systems used to upgrade the syngas to RNG or hydrogen are off the shelf. CHAR Technologies’ process introduces raw biomass into a kiln—basically, a large tube heated externally with burners. When heated for 30 to 60 minutes at temperatures between 500 and 600 degrees Celsius (932 to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit)

CHAR Technologies commissioned its first high -temperature pyrolysis kiln train in 2018, producing biocarbon for testing and measuring syngas characteristics. PHOTO: CHAR TECHNOLOGIES

and in the absence of oxygen, the biomass does not burn. Instead, syngas is driven off, leaving concentrated carbon. A portion of the syngas produced is cleaned up and used in the external burners to make the process self-sustaining. Excess pyrolysis gas can be upgraded to green hydrogen, as it will be in the California project, or RNG, which is the plan for the Canadian projects. By adjusting temperature and holding time, CHAR Technologies produces either an activated charcoal, trademarked Sul-

faCHAR, or a biocoal, trademarked CleanFyre, that has a slightly higher energy density than the best coal it can displace. “In the Canadian context, biocoal to help heavy industry decarbonize is in huge demand,” White says.

Concept to Commercialization

White began working on pyrolysis as a graduate student at the University of Toronto. Following a tour of biogas plants aimed at improving methane gas cleanup,

he brought back samples of the digestate to investigate means of upgrading the low-value waste stream. He formed CHAR Technologies in 2011 to commercialize the technology to make SulfaCHAR. The initial concept was to use the activated charcoal to reduce hydrogen sulfide in biogas plants. SulfaCHAR can be used in the digester itself, or be used to help in cleaning the digester’s gas stream. The added benefit, White says, “is because of the chemistry of the SulfaCHAR, it converts BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 21

¦PYROLSIS

including

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By colocating with the Saint Felicien , Quebec, biomass power plant, CHAR Technologies will utilize existing biomass handling and preparation capabilities. PHOTO: CHAR TECHNOLOGIES

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hydrogen sulfide into elemental sulfur, so it has a second use as a sulfur-rich biochar for soil amendment.” By applying it to the soil, the material would be eligible for voluntary carbon credits. The market as a soil amendment is likely to take some time to develop, however. The better opportunity is in producing CleanFyre as a biocoal, offsetting fossil coal. Canada is mandating carbon reductions and enacting carbon taxes if provincial targets aren’t met, White explains. “That carbon tax is supposed to rise to $170 per ton by 2030. If one ton of coal gives you three tons of greenhouse gas emissions, that’s over $500 for the carbon, plus the cost of commodity coal is something like $100 to $150 per ton.” CleanFyre’s carbon intensity ranges in the single digits above and below net neutral, mostly dependent upon the feedstock source, its transportation and handling, he says. “That emphasizes why there is a big demand and opportunity to help heavy industry decarbonize.” But while biocoal presents an important opportunity, White adds that the RNG side of the equation has been equally important in the company’s approach to developing its two Canadian projects. “You can’t get long-term contracts for biocoal, but we can get long-term, fixed contracts for RNG,” he explains. “So that’s what you can build your project financing on. We’ve got ambitions to get 2 million gigajoules (GJ), or 1.9 million Btu of RNG into the grid in the next five years, based on woody biomass.”

22 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022 (' B [ B663B(1 LQGG

Surveying and geotechnical siting began in the fall at Kirkland Lake, Ontario, for an HTP project CHAR will build, own and operate next to a sawmill and down the road from a biomass power plant. The plant is projected to be online in 2025. In January, CHAR announced a second project in Quebec where it will deploy, own and operate an HTP system located next to a biomass power plant operated by a public-private consortium between the municipality of Saint Felicien and Greenleaf Power. Being colocated with a biomass power plant, much of the feedstock processing and handling systems are in place, lowering capital requirements and speeding up the project which is expected to come online in 2024. Similarly sized, the two woody biomass HTP projects will initially have one kiln train, processing about 3.5 tons per hour of biomass. White explains that the London, Ontario, unit processes between 500 and 550 kilograms of biomass per hour, with an annual output of 2,000 metric tons of biocarbon when running 24/5. The two Canadian projects will use kilns that are about 2.5 times larger than the demo, achieving a throughput about four times greater. The Kirkland Lake project’s October announcement projected RNG production of 500,000 gigajoules per year and 10,000 metric tons of CleanFyre. The scale up for the California project, billed as a test project, falls between the London demo and the two Canadian projects. Scheduled to come online this fall, the HTP-to-green hydrogen BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 23

¦PYROLSIS

project is being developed in a partnerships with Hitachi Zosen Inova at Hitachi’s existing San Luis Obispo anaerobic digestion facility in California, processing 18,000 tons of solid anaerobic digestate into 1,320 tons of green hydrogen and 2,800 tons of biocarbon annually.

Feedstock, Output Flexibility

The projects and their varying feedstocks illustrate the flexibility of the CHAR Technologies process. White explains the kiln design can handle variable moisture. “Because we have burners, if we have higher moisture content coming in, it means we have to recover and recycle more of the syngas we generate to run the burners,” he says. “But we can manage moisture variability that starts at 10% and goes to 30% throughout the day. It just means we get a little less gas net output, because we use more internally to drop the moisture.”

24 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

Digestate at 65% moisture is a wet feedstock, White admits, but not that much wetter than green wood chips that can push 50% moisture. “For both, we want to predry the biomass using waste heat and bring it down to between 15% and 30% moisture, depending on a particular recipe for that feedstock and the output.” The feedstock does impact outputs. “The kiln can run on either anaerobic digestate or woody biomass, or a blend,” White says. “But we want the project to be fed fairly consistently by feedstock type, so we know the output.” Whether the feedstock is digestate or woody biomass changes the percentage of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the syngas, determining the design of the backend gas process. On the biocarbon side, they won’t use digestate for CleanFyre because the ash would be too high, White explains. The better use would be for SulfaCHAR and soil

application. “When you do pyrolysis, solid yields are about 25% on a dry basis. Any elements in the feedstock end up getting concentrated. I called it ash, but there are nutrients like potassium phosphorus. Digestate has a lot of those elements because it’s made from food waste.” When CHAR Technologies began operating its London, Ontario, plant four years ago, there was no budget for the gas piece, White continues. Instead, as the HTP kiln produced biocarbon for test runs, the syngas was analyzed by an online mass spectrometer before being destroyed in a thermal oxidizer. “We have a lot of data now on gas quality,” White says, “so we can go the next steps of converting that to green hydrogen in California or RNG in these Ontario and Quebec projects.” RNG production uses a standard catalytic methanation process. “Our goal is to provide consistent, clean syngas to the

catalytic process that has been built on the back end of the plant,” White says. “After that, you take it through standard biogas separation because it’s just like a biogas plant or landfill point at that point.” The hydrogen upgrade has two options, depending on budget and hydrogen prices. “Directly off the kiln, we’re 40% hydrogen, sometimes 50% by volume. At that level of hydrogen, we can take it through a pressure swing adsorption unit to separate the hydrogen from the rest of the gas to get a nice, clean hydrogen. The other option is a catalytic process where we can boost the hydrogen to the order of 60 to 65% and take it through separation.”

CHAR Technologies’ focus on gas coproducts is key, White says. “Simplest way to explain the difficulty in relying on just the biocarbon is to look at yield on dry basis—25% plus or minus, based on feedstock. Now, your feedstock has to be so cheap to be able to support a biochar price. But if we’re able to leverage that biomass and create RNG along with the biocarbon stream, suddenly, the economics of a plant are different. You can get a biocarbon produced for a price that the market needs for its adoption.” Contact: Anna Simet asimet@bbiinteriational.com 701-738-4961

CHAR Technologies’ partner Fysikes Biosolutions visited the company’s Toronto facility earlier this year to evaluate rice husks processed through the company’s high-temperature pyrolysis technology. PHOTO: CHAR TECHNOLOGIES

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¦HYDROGEN

Fueling the

HYDROGEN REVOLUTION

RNG

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Stewart Stewart of BayoTech discusses the U.S. hydrogen industry, its potential to utilize RNG, and the company’s rollout of regional hubs. BY ANNA SIMET

he hydrogen economy is here and now. The rapidly growing opportunity is significant, and the RNG industry has a key role to play, according to BayoTech Chief Commercial Officer Stewart Stewart, who briefed the RNG industry on opportunities in hydrogen production from RNG, its advantages and what the sector currently looks like during a March webinar sponsored by the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. The hydrogen industry has traditionally served three very large, centralized industries, which Stewart categorizes as oil and gas refineries, methanol production and fertilizer production from ammonia. “In those value chains, hydrogen is traditionally produced in very large plants and shipped over long distances to their users,” he says. “The growth opportunity we’re focused on is in emerging applications—that’s where the growth will really come from over the next two decades.” Stewart says current hydrogen markets are approaching about $220 billion, and that’s projected to increase by 50% and then double over the next 10 to 15 years. So, where is that growth coming from and why? Some 26 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

examples of emerging applications include fuel cell mobility, hydrogen blending such as gas grid injections for natural gas, industrial end use applications such as chemical plants or glass production, as well as primary or backup power for data centers and smaller, off-grid or temporary power installations, according to Stewart. “Hydrogen is certainly a hot topic in area of energy transition and decarbonization, and it’s important to understand why hydrogen has benefits in the energy industry.” Stewart provides a comparison of hydrogen and natural gas, diesel and gasoline, highlighting its greater efficiency. “Hydrogen has the same amount of energy per kilogram as one gallon of gasoline or diesel, typically,” he says. “But by leveraging a fuel cell combined with an electric motor drivetrain, the efficiency is about two to three times greater than it would be in an internal combustion engine on compress natural gas, diesel or gasoline.” As for emissions, hydrogen has zero— but why not simply use low-emission technologies already widely available today like compressed natural gas (CNG), rather than

fuel cells and hydrogen production? Stewart says its important to understand the true advantages from the emissions standpoint.

How Far Can a Car Go on 1 Million Btu?

A traditional gasoline vehicle filled with 1 million British thermal units (Btu) of gasoline can drive about 200 miles, according to research done by the U.S. DOE, NREL and EERE. “If you look at the total CO2 emissions on a well-to-wheel basis, it produces about 430 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile,” Stewart says. The same amount of energy put into a CNG vehicle doesn’t go as far and is not as efficient, though there are some carbon benefits. “It can only reach about 175 miles per million Btu, but the value chain is more carbon efficient—you have about a 10% savings in total CO2 well-to-wheel emissions, at 390 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile. Now, if you took that million Btu of fuel as natural gas, converted it into hydrogen and used it in a fuel cell vehicle with its electric drivetrain, you would now go 255 miles—46% further than a CNG vehicle and 28% further than a gasoline vehicle.” And, because of the ad-

BayoTech currently operates a hydrogen generator at its headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Commercial units will produce 1 ton of hydrogen per day. PHOTO: BAYOTECH

The schematic depicts one of BayoTech’s future hydrogen production facilities to be deployed throughout the U.S. The first hub will be located on New Mexico Gas Company property and provide hydrogen to support the utility’s decarbonization goals. PHOTO: BAYOTECH

vantage of lower well-to-wheel emissions, Stewart adds, there is a dramatic drop of emissions from a carbon intensity standpoint, by about 35 to 40% in just 255 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile. “That’s just using pipeline natural gas and converting it into hydrogen,” he says. The bigger opportunity within the value chain is the replacement of the methane source with RNG. “Now, not only do you get the additional mileage of 46% further, but you also get zero emissions in both production and use, by using RNG. Or you could even go carbon negative.” As for the common pathway of biomethane and RNG to hydrogen, it involves steam methane reforming (SMR)—the most com-

mon production method in the U.S.—during which methane reacts with steam to produce a hydrogen-rich syngas and ultimately, carbon negative hydrogen. Beginning with anaerobic digestion, the raw biogas requires cleaning/ upgrading, with the separation of CO2, sulfur and any other impurities like siloxanes to get closer to pipeline quality natural gas. “The next step looks similar to the infrastructure of upgrading to RNG, but goes a step further by adding on-site hydrogen production,” Stewart says. “There is another step you can add to the process, which is carbon capture and storage, and this can be applied in one or two places, or both,” Stewart says. “The CO2 can be captured off the biomethane upgrading process when it is being separated, or as

part as the SMR on-site hydrogen production process—both are CO2-rich sources.” While BayoTech doesn’t do CCS systems, Stewart says, they have some partnerships with companies to put in CCS systems.

Potential and Buildout

As for real potential in the U.S., the total of potential of hydrogen from biogas is estimated to be greater than 4.2 million metric tons per year, from a variety of sources, including landfill gas (2.8 million metric tons (MT)year), wastewater (600,000 MT/year), animal waste (500,000 MT/year), and industrial and commercial projects (300,000 MT/ year), according to Stewart. “If you take all of those in sum, that give sustainable, readBIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 27

¦HYDROGEN ily available biogas potential as supporting as many as 11 million fuel cell vehicles on a daily basis.” There are currently around 200 active or developing RNG projects across the U.S. Stewart adds, but the potential is closer to around 43,000, per data from the RNG Coalition. BayoTech currently operates an onsite hydrogen generator at its headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Commercial units have a footprint of about 50 feet long by 25 feet wide and produce about 1 ton of hydrogen per day, being fed with less than 200 MMBtu of RNG per day. “We plan to develop larger plants that have a 5- or 10ton scale, going forward,” Stewart says. The modular, compact design of the systems allows for them to be built quickly and use a lot less energy than traditional hydrogen production methods, he says, by leveraging a bayonet-style design reactor. “It uses the internal heat of the reaction to heat up the incoming RNG, so that it reaches about 500 or 600 degrees Celsius before it even gets to the furnace,” he explains. “That high efficiency allows us to match what would happen at an industrial plant, but doing so on a local

basis. High energy efficiency and the avoided liquefaction and long-haul transportation result in lower carbon emissions than legacy technologies.” Bayotech’s solutions to move and distribute hydrogen include high-pressure storage, transport and dispensing product lines that support local hydrogen distribution. The company is in the process of rolling out a nationwide network of hydrogen hubs—filling stations similar to gas stations, Stewart says, with three expected to come online in the fourth quarter of this year. The first will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in partnership with New Mexico Gas Company. Hydrogen produced at the hub will be used by New Mexico Gas in a pilot project to demonstrate the safe and effective blending of hydrogen into the company’s natural gas distribution system. It will produce 1,000 kilograms per day of hydrogen for transportation and industrial use. Additional projects are planned for California, Oklahoma and Missouri, as well as other locations in the U.S. and U.K. The design of regional hydrogen hubs will be focused on producing low carbon,

local hydrogen supply for end users within a 200-mile radius. Stewart closed with discussing the U.S. DOE’s recent announcement of a $9.5 billion investment in the development clean hydrogen hubs, for which the department currently seeking regional applications. “It will be a 50/50 grant match program with private investment, designed to bring hundreds of tons of clean hydrogen into production over the next few years, and is current structured toward at least four regional hubs,” he says, adding that BayoTech is interested in partnering to seek funding. According to U.S. DOE data, the U.S. currently producers about 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually. “RNG has a key role to play in the hydrogen economy,” Stewart adds. “It’s not strictly an electrolysis game. RNG is the only way to create carbon negative hydrogen, and is the only carbon negative transportation fuel solution out there.” Author: Anna Simet Editor, Biomass Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961

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SPECIFYING FANS AND BLOWERS FOR BIOMASS APPLICATIONS Leveraging smart technology can reduce maintenance and power consumption costs, as well as compound cost savings over time with continuous monitoring and optimization. BY MARGARET WOOD

pecifying blowers for biomass energy applications requires finding the best value between the initial capital expense and ongoing operating costs. Biomass applications are inherently tough on fans, with extreme temperatures up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (980 degrees Celsius), high vibration and heavy dust loads that can quickly wear down components. Meanwhile, fan reliability is paramount, as the equipment supports many critical functions. The harshness of the environment— coupled with stringent energy and environmental standards—can make it challenging to specify industrial fans and blowers that both withstand the demands of biomass applications and avoid exorbitant costs. It is a delicate balance: attempting to cut costs upfront can come back to bite in the form of excessive power consumption due to inefficient fan operation, financial risk due to safety hazards, and high ongoing maintenance and repair costs. In many cases, specifications for biomass applications come with outdated requirements or no allowance for inexpensive options and newer technology.

Finding the Balance

Fortunately, economical options do exist, and the challenges brought on by outdated methods are no longer inevitable. Instead, smart technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming the industry and making possible what was once unimaginable. Now, there are many avenues to achieve high standards of equipment re-

The integration of remote monitoring systems is becoming more common. Pictured above is a shaft collar pressure and air temperature gauge. PHOTO: NEW YORK BLOWER COMPANY

liability, safety and efficiency while reducing the costs of equipment installation, operation and maintenance. The key? Leveraging IoT technology to reduce maintenance and power consumption costs, and compound cost savings over time with continuous monitoring and optimization. The following are steps to achieve these goals.

Reduce Maintenance, Repair and Replacement Costs

Biomass power generation creates a hot and polluted environment for air-blowing equipment. For this reason, the first step to saving costs is specifying industrial fans suited to the environment to avoid the need for frequent repair or replacement. For example, induced draft (ID) fans for boiler applications should be constructed with wear-resistant materials like heavy-duty carbon steel. In addition, surfaces that are particularly susceptible to wear should be covered with liners or overlay material as an additional

layer of protection. Fans used in boiler applications must also be able to withstand the high heats, including both normal operating temperatures and short bursts of very high heat—as high as 1,800 degrees—to ensure major fan components can survive in case of a boiler malfunction. Along with extreme temperatures, the presence of dust and debris must also be considered when specifying fans for cost savings. When dust particulates accumulate on the fan, this buildup can reduce performance, efficiency and reliability. Furthermore, dust buildup on fan blades is rarely uniform and can lead to rotor imbalances, increases in vibration, and early bearing wear and failure. A reputable fan manufacturer can help you select the appropriate blade geometry to limit particulate buildup and protect the fan from costly damage. A rugged build and ideal geometry is no longer enough for fans supporting critical power generation processes. Robust design

CONTRIBUTION: The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Biomass Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s).

30 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

must now be paired with IoT and predictive maintenance to ensure long-term reliability, reduce maintenance expenses, and avoid costly downtime. For example, mechanical IoT sensors can be installed at the motor shaft to measure changes in vibration and temperature in real-time, comparing them to an established baseline to provide early indication of potential mechanical problems. Particle sensors can also be used to monitor the volume of dirt and dust in the airstream. This real-time condition monitoring makes it possible to quickly identify acute problems that require immediate action, as well as monitor subtle performance changes that predict future failures so they can be prevented.

sensors can be used to measure and improve overall equipment effectiveness, which is a percentage value that represents the equipment’s total availability, performance and production quality. Furthermore, IoT sensors can be connected to artificial intelligence, enabling proactive readings of machine health automatically. With machine learning, IoT sensors can even become self-improving through fine-tuning optimization, accelerated reaction times, and increasing accuracy and safety. Ultimately, pairing rugged fan equipment with the latest smart technology enables your equipment to run at peak performance level, and even get better over time.

Reduce Operating Costs

Air-Blowing Equipment Without Compromise

Power consumption is one of the largest expenses associated with the operation of air-blowing equipment, so energy efficiency is critical. Just like specifying fans for harsh environments, fan construction and geometry play an important role in determining the fan’s efficiency. For example, centrifugal fans provide the highest efficiency and consume the least amount of power when they are constructed with airfoil blades (blades shaped like an airplane wing). However, with the emergence of IoT tech, geometry is far from the only way to maximize efficiency. With economical, battery-operated IoT sensors, users can measure airflow, pressure and other fan efficiency metrics in real time—and adjust as necessary. In addition, users can be notified immediately when a fan is running inefficiently and using more power than normal or necessary, so the problem can be resolved before costs add up. Because power is such a major expense, optimizing fan power consumption can significantly save costs and improve margins over time.

and operating expenses. First and foremost, selecting reliable, high-efficiency equipment that can withstand the demands of biomass applications is key. This, paired with IoT tech that can remotely monitor real-time conditions, proactively identify signs of wear, and prevent premature failure will keep your equipment running smoothly, ensure efficiency and maximize uptime. Finally, partnering with a knowledgeable and experienced industrial fan manufacturer that is ahead of the curve with next-generation capabilities can help you customize the right solution for your application Author: Margaret Wood New York Blower Company mwood@nyb.com www.nyb.com

The old rules of industrial fan specification are out. Now, there are many modern strategies and technologies available to optimize efficiency and save on both capital

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EXPERIENCE MATTERS

Compound Cost Savings Over Time

The real-time visibility provided by IoT sensors cannot be underestimated, but the true value is realized when these technologies are employed continuously over time. Not only does remote monitoring give equipment managers insight into fan performance and equipment health in real time, but it also allows users to track trends over time to continuously improve efficiency. For example, historical data from condition monitoring

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¦PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT TALK WITH SVEN SWENSON

n the last edition of Project Talk, I spoke with veteran biomass executive Ken Ciarletta about the importance of recognizing gaps in collective project knowledge in order to fill them with qualified people who can keep projects out of trouble. Knowledge is power. Along those lines but on a slightly different tack is the need for timely and accurate information as the project progresses—i.e., where are you really with regard to finishing the project in the magical land of “on time and under budget?” To explore this question, I turned to a veteran of project management and project controls, Ugo Santone. Santone is the partner overseeing professional services and talent at PTAG, a global project and construction management services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. PTAG is primarily engaged in supporting the owner in execution of large-scale capital projects. Among other things, Santone is working with a local Canadian technical university to introduce the basics of project management by developing a project management micro-credential course. Regardless of their ultimate profession, understanding the basics of project management, the interfaces and what each supporting group is responsible for can provide burgeoning professionals with insights into the grand scheme of things that will aid them for the rest of their careers. When I asked Santone about first steps that he would take when starting a new project, he said, “First, find a really good project manager.” (No surprise there—we’ve heard that one before.) Getting the right people onboard early is key, no matter how many

Swenson

times you say it. Along those lines, a good project team feeds off itself, and allowing the project manager (PM) to have an early hand in selecting the team is a good move. Santone offered that project management is a lot like coaching, and pointed to famed basketball coach Phil Jackson, who was known to believe that coaching is about managing personalities. If you allow the PM to form their team, they are consciously and unconsciously thinking about future team interactions. The PM will select those who will work well together, or understand if there are relationships that will need to be watched closely with potential interventions necessary. There are several people and multiple organizations who need to be on that team, from an owner’s perspective, including project controls, engineering, construction management, contracts and procurement.

Regardless of the bells and whistles brought by your EPC firm, the owner needs a strong project management team, and some degree of project controls to ensure success. Business legend Louis V. Gerstner Jr. once said, “People don’t do what you expect, but what you inspect.” I live by a similar mantra in the project world.

INspect what you EXpect

The PM should always be considering the expectations of the project, and from the outset be thinking about the types of project controls and feedback that they and the rest of the team will need to ensure these expectations are fully realized. These controls can vary drastically dependent upon project size and scope, and while picking the right controls is beneficial, overutilizing project controls can be cumbersome, expensive and

32 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

not always timely. Even with smaller projects, project controls can be time-consuming and rearward looking, allowing you to react to the data, but often too late to prevent issues: “Hey, I regret to report that the horses have all escaped, but the barn was on fire, so that’s a good thing.” What you would rather hear as an owner—the aforementioned statement, or: “Jethro noted the barn door latch was broken, so we fixed it, and Elroy saw a lit lantern sitting on a hay bale, so we moved it.” Relatively minor physical issues can derail a project in design and construction unless you are constantly inspecting what you expect, and it’s no different with financial and schedule issues. Fortunately, there is a lot of information available to help, and you don’t have to be a certified project management professional to use it (although it certainly helps). There are many resources for project management, project controls and construction management, such as the Project Management Institute and Construction Industry Institute. I encourage all professionals in the industry to join and participate in these organizations. There are also companies that actively participate in these industry organizations and educate the world with effective project management practices and tools. Some of these companies, like PTAG, have proprietary software based upon these tried-andtrue project management guidelines that not only save time with regard to data crunching and outputs, but provide assurance that the best tools for the job at hand are being used. This is critical, as projects come in all shapes and sizes, and the controls and reporting must be adaptable. As such, a crucial part of initially setting up a project is selecting the project controls platform and the metrics that will be used for feedback. This should be done as early in the project as practicable, and take into consideration the size, duration, complexity and other aspects of the project to provide the most bang per buck. For medium to large capital projects, investing in comprehensive project management tools will provide insights that can be used to help make the project a success and save money. Note that I did not say project

management tools will save you money and make the project a success—the project team must use the insights provided by the tools to take timely action and reassess for the proper outcome. PTAG has a fully integrated project management integration system (PMIS) that follows industry best practices and ties everything in from a knowledge and reporting perspective. The software is fully customizable, and the platform is modified by a team of advisors to meet the customer’s requirements. Categories include schedule formation, schedule progressing, cost, risk, quality inspections, testing, document controls, health and safety, etc. The information is consolidated and provided on a real-time basis to the PM and other appropriate team members via a dashboard, which significantly supports and enhances team communication, and allows the team to react and mitigate identified issues.

For large capital projects, Santone believes that integrated project controls following industry best practices are a must—and I agree. Even for smaller projects, the principles touted by PMI and CII should be applied. I encourage owners and managers to engage in a little project talk with their PMs and ensure they are familiar with and using these important principles. The above just scratches the surface of project controls, so don’t be afraid to reach out to a company like PTAG and discuss options with a company that lives and breathes these principles. Author: Sven Swenson Senior Vice President of Technical Services Delta Energy Services LLC Sven@workdelta.com 352-201-984

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¦CARBON

HOW TO PROFITABLY CREATE CARBON-NEGATIVE ENERGY FROM BIOMASS Combining complementary technologies can enable a profitable transition to a low-carbon economy. BY PAUL STEVERS

major opportunity has emerged to generate reliable power while capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, and it can be implemented on a global scale. This is now possible due to advances in four key technology areas that can be combined into one larger system: biomass or fossil fuel power generation with carbon capture, direct air capture (DAC), energy storage and renewable energy. Together, these technologies can provide reliable power to the electrical grid while generating substantial negative carbon emissions. In addition to scaling up renewable energy, this will help the hydrocarbon-based energy sector transition to and participate in a low-carbon economy. If implemented around the world, this approach could reduce carbon emissions by billions of tons per year, while creating major economic opportunities.

Utilizing biomass for power generation enables an even greater negative carbon emissions than when using fossil fuels, since biomass is already carbon neutral. Additionally, while generating energy via biomass, another valuable product can be produced: biochar. Several commercial-scale systems are now available that can produce both energy and biochar at the same time. Biochar is produced by heating the biomass in an oxygen-limited environment using some of the energy released from this biomass. After this biochar is produced, it has many uses, including significantly increasing the productivity of soil for growing food. Since producing biochar from biomass and incorporating it into soil is an internationally recognized way of removing carbon from the atmosphere, substantial money can be earned by creating this biochar. Even more

beneficial than creating biochar is combining it with nutrients and utilizing it in soil. For example, a 2019 study found that biochar combined with compost increased average crop yield significantly—by 40% compared with the control, which was compost without biochar. Many companies have committed to net zero targets over the next few decades. For instance, over 200 companies have committed to net zero by 2040, and 21% of 2,000 of the world’s largest public companies, representing sales of nearly $14 trillion, now have committed to net zero by 2050. These companies will need to purchase carbon emission credits to meet their respective commitments. Because of this, demand for these credits can be expected to grow rapidly, which can generate significant revenues for companies implementing these combined power systems with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Substantial

34 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

revenues can be earned by companies that generate reliable electricity and create negative emissions at the same time using this combination of technologies. In addition to being stored in the ground, captured CO2 by industrial carbon capture and DAC can be utilized in several ways, including vertical farming, increasing the strength of concrete, and methanol production. The rapid growth of carbon utilization opens up major economic opportunities such as the growth of local industries and the expansion of international markets and trade opportunities. Carbon utilization markets are estimated to reach $800 billion to $1.1 trillion by 2030 in the U.S., making it a profitable component of the energy transition. As reliable sources of CO2 become available around the world, it can be expected that utilization of this resource will increase. By including renewable energy sources like wind and solar in the combination of technologies, it provides a cost-effective source of inexhaustible energy while also generating new jobs and economic opportunities. Combining renewable power generation and energy storage with carbon capture and DAC enables reliable power to be supplied to the electrical grid, even when wind and solar farms are not generating sufficient power for many days at a time. The DAC system helps in this regard, as it can be turned down or off when necessary to allow more power to be supplied to the grid. It also helps maximize utilization of the power that is available, leading to a more profitable facility. While the cost of DAC is currently quite high, it is expected to quickly decline. For example, the cost of capturing and sequestering a metric ton of CO2 in the new plant by Climeworks in Iceland was reported to be in the range of $600 to $800. There are now several other companies developing DAC technologies, some of which are indicating that they can capture CO2 for less than $100 per metric ton when their respective technology is implemented on a commercial scale. Facilities that enable long-term carbon storage have been rapidly growing, and there is now increased availability of climate finance such as carbon-tech funding. This, combined with the technologies mentioned above, has created many new business opportunities around the world that can help

substantially reduce global carbon emissions, create jobs and enable economic growth at the same time. An important feature of this combination of technology areas is it is not dependent on any one company’s technology. As a result, organizations that want to implement this combination of technologies have many choices and can and should choose their best options. Progress can be further accelerated by organizations taking the initiative to develop projects in collaboration with these relevant technology communities and accessing the available financing. This would result in a faster rate of development and scale-up of technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Several funding sources are available to accelerate technology development and scale-up, such as venture capital, government grants and related incentives, private grant funding, crowdfunding and loans. To help companies obtain capital to build a facility, online platforms like Puro-Earth help facilitate long-term off-take agreements for the carbon that is expected to be captured and stored by the facility. Furthermore, to make investments in these substantial projects more attractive to investors, they can be refinanced with green bonds after they are operational and generating revenue. One of the easiest and most profitable ways of benefiting from this combination of technologies is to upgrade existing biomass-fueled power plants. These plants already have a source of biomass, material handling equipment and an offtaker for the power generated. The existing biomass-fueled power plants can be upgraded with new processing equipment so that these plants can produce biochar and more electrical power by combining them with renewable energy farms and energy storage. When it makes economic sense, carbon capture, hydrogen production and DAC can be included in a facility. The net result for existing biomass-fueled power plant operators is greater profits, substantial negative carbon emissions and helping to create a more sustainable world for us all. Author: Paul Stevers Founder and President Think Renewables Group Inc. 647-548-6301 Seversp2@thinkrenewables.com

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¦TECHNOLOGY

CRITICAL MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR LIVE BIOGAS MONITORING BY NARGE SPARAGES

iogas has been produced, cleaned up and used for several decades. Also for several decades, millions of tons of biogas has been lost

every year. However, the focus on optimizing and recovering all the renewable gases produced from biomass, livestock and other waste production has significantly increased over the past few years, driven by climate change and the road to net zero. Still, the growth potential for biogas use is significant. Today, there are critical measurement solutions that support biogas collection and use, regardless of its source. For example, Panametrics deploys process analyzers to monitor the oxygen content in the anaerobic digester and the carbon dioxide content in the biogas separation process, as well as measure the moisture content of biomethane prior to transportation and end use. Ultrasonic flow meters monitor the natural gas flow rate and determine its methane content to provide a good indication of the gas mixture calorific value.

This article will explain how these technologies work, where they are employed and how they enable producers to optimize operations by accurately measuring biogas and biomethane quality and flow, primarily focusing on the upgrading of the biogas to biomethane.

Separating Carbon Dioxide from Methane

The most useful part of the biogas is the biomethane. Most commonly, membrane filters separate the carbon dioxide and methane. Operators will want to know the ratio of the carbon dioxide and methane going into the separation process, and then the amount of methane on either side of the separation process, as an indicator of the efficiency. Given that carbon dioxide and methane are the two predominant components, this can be treated as a binary gas mixture, and a thermal conductivity analyzer like the Panametrics XMTC is used at all three points to measure percent levels of carbon dioxide in methane.

Carbon dioxide and methane have different thermal conductivities. A thermal conductivity analyzer will have one sensor exposed to air and the other exposed to the sample gas. The transmitter is calibrated with a zero and span that represents pure carbon dioxide or methane, as the zero and the span will be a mixture of the two. The transmitter measures the loss of heat from the sensor exposed to the sample gas compared to the loss of heat to air, and can then easily calculate the concentration of methane in carbon dioxide or vice versa. With no moving parts, this methodology requires little maintenance and is easy to implement.

Water Vapor Doesn’t Burn

Compression of the biogas will drop out the bulk of the water vapor that comes off the biogas collection process. The resultant gas is saturated with water vapor at that pressure. After separating the methane from the carbon dioxide, the biomethane will either be used as a fuel locally or sold into the natural gas grid for pipeline transportation

36 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022

to its point of use. Moisture in this natural gas can cause pipeline and infrastructure corrosion, and for this reason, there are tariff limits on the amount of moisture that can be present in this gas. To monitor the dehydration process and ensure that the tariff limits are met, the Panametrics pro.IQ using aluminum oxide sensor technology, or the Aurora tunable diode laser moisture analyzer, provide the versatility and the accuracy needed to meet the industry standards. Aluminum oxide is the lower cost method but requires annual sensor calibration for highest levels of accuracy. Tunable diode laser moisture analyzers do not require this maintenance and are faster to come back online after a moisture upset. When a dedicated analyzer is not required, spot checks on the drying process can be made using the portable analyzer versions of the pro.IQ and Aurora.

Safety Matters

has their individual requirements, and each application has its own nuances.

More Than Just a Flow Meter

Accurate flow measurement of biogas in the upgrading process—from collection through to the clean biomethane—is critical. There are challenges in making flow measurements in the raw biogas. This is low-pressure gas saturated with water and containing impurities such as high carbon dioxide contents (an attenuative gas). Ultrasonic transit-time flow meter technology is the perfect solution. The flow meter has no obstructions in the flow path of the gas, which results in no pressure drop to cause energy loss, nor moving parts that can erode to cause calibration drift. It simply sends and receives ultrasonic signals across the flow path, measuring the time to go against the flow and with the flow, to calculate the velocity of the gas. This smart technology can

then be used to calculate volumetric flow. The Panametrics advantage is the transducer design and the measurement algorithms that are used to ensure both accuracy and reliability in the measurement system. The not-so-hidden benefit of using this technology is that the Panametrics PanaFlow Z1G and Z2G meters employ smart ultrasonic signal calculations to calculate the percentage of carbon dioxide in methane at the same time they are calculating the flow measurement. Just as these two gases have different thermal conductivities that the XMTC can differentiate, they also have different speed of sound characteristics that the meters can differentiate to output the concentration ratio. Author: Narge J. Sparages Global Commercial Development Leader Process Analyzers Division, Panametrics www.panametrics.com

During the entire collection and upgrading process, air is present and can enter the biogas or biomethane. The oxygen content must be kept below the lower explosive level. An analyzer can alarm when the oxygen level exceeds 2%, giving the operator time to investigate and mitigate any issues. A thermal paramagnetic oxygen analyzer has no moving parts that can be impacted by light mists of water or corrosive constituents that can be found in the biogas. These analyzers use the paramagnetic properties of oxygen to measure percent levels of oxygen in the biogas or biomethane. In addition to knowing the moisture content in the upgraded biomethane, more customers are insisting on knowing the trace levels of oxygen. Here, galvanic fuel cell technology is best suited for the measurement. Biogas upgrading skids are manufactured and maintained by skilled artisans, experts in the collection and cleanup of biogas to biomethane. They rely on the expertise of analyzer manufacturers to provide an integrated solution that prepares the sample gas for the measurement of methane, carbon dioxide, moisture and oxygen. Each customer BIOMASSMAGAZINE.COM 37

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2022 Biomass Magazine Issue 2

Articles inside

CARBON

TECHNOLOGY

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Reviving the Fort St. James Green Energy Project

BUSINESS BRIEFS

EVENT

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

BIOGAS & RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS ROUNDUP

HYDROGEN

U.S. South Pulpwood Supplies and Echoes of the Great Recession