There’s no snow in most of Minnesota, as of January 1. My kids have been outside riding their bikes and playing basketball over holiday break. While brown Christmases have happened here before, these 50-plus degree temperatures have broken records. Our neighbors to the west in North Dakota are on the tail end of a two-day ice storm; freezing rain crippled the state and closed our headquarters for two days. Trees coated in inches of ice have been giving way to the wind and splitting in two—including several trees my dad planted 30 years ago on our farm. Rain in North Dakota, where I grew up, at the end of December is very unusual. While most of us experiencing this weird weather joke that we don’t mind no snow and warmer temperatures, is it perhaps a subtle indication of things to come if we don’t change course?Throughout the pages of this issue, you’ll find a common theme. Repeated over and over again, in different versions from the authors and those quoted in the stories: We need to do something to stop climate change, and we need to do it now. Through any and all means possible. Gone are the days where different types of renewables are pitted against each other—there is room for all, and we need all hands on deck. As stated in the column by RNG Coalition’s Dylan Chase on page 6, “It is high time we recognize that our near future cannot be wind and solar alone … Nor can our future be electrons versus molecules, NIMBYs versus industry, or left versus right. A truly sustainable future will require a diverse portfolio of sustainable solutions.”In our page-26 feature, “The Quest to Capture Carbon,” I cover discussion had at the National Carbon Capture Conference &amp; Expo. While the programming wasn’t specific toward bioenergy, other biofuels—particularly ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel—were focused on as important parts of the equation in carbon emission mitigation (i.e., capturing and storing ethanol plant emissions via pipeline, bringing down its carbon intensity and qualifying the fuel as a SAF feedstock). While biomass energy carbon capture and storage is very much in its infancy, companies like Drax have begun the charge to deployment.Our other two features, “The Keyes to Success” on page 12 and “Restore and Revive” on page 20, are focused on projects that utilize waste and reduce carbon emissions. In the first, contributing writer Keith Loria interviews Aemetis’ Chairman and CEO Eric McAfee about the company’s project development strategy. Originally working and finding great success in the ethanol space, McAfee tells Loria that he “wanted to do waste—low carbon intensity, low cost, all the benefits of waste feedstock.” And that’s exactly what he and Aemetis have done, through ethanol, biodiesel, renewable natural gas—and soon, sustainable aviation fuel—projects that have continued to evolve to become more efficient and lower in carbon intensity.As for the latter story, staff writer Katie Schroeder chatted with Jeff Waldon, managing partner of Restoration Bioproducts, which is currently constructing a biochar plant adjacent to wood pellet producer Wood Fuel Developers in Waverly, Virginia. Waldon highlights the facility’s feedstock-sourcing strategy—waste streams from the pellet plant and other nearby sources—essentially minimizing feedstock transportation emissions. Pyrolysis gas will be captured and used as a process fuel, and the end product—biochar—is an excellent carbon sequestration medium. &nbsp;The project has already sold its carbon credits to Microsoft, and Waldon is confident the next year will see a wave of activity in projects like this one. He said, “There’s a tremendous amount of interest in this nascent industry. There are all kinds of things going on behind the scenes—there’s a dozen different stealth activities going on. Stay tuned, the announcements I think are going to come fast and furious [in 2024].”On a final note, if you’re one of those soon-to-announce projects, make sure you drop a line our way—we’d love to learn more and help spread the word.Author: Anna Simet&nbsp; Editor&nbsp; asimet@bbiinternational.com

2024-01-25 - All Hands (Renewables) on Deck (Biomass Magazine)

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The editor's note from Biomass Magazine Issue 1, 2024.

All Hands (Renewables) on Deck

Upcoming Events

2024 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

Biodiesel Summit: Sustainable Aviation Fuel & Renewable Diesel

Carbon Capture & Storage Summit

North American SAF Conference & Expo

RNG Conference