X-post from E&E: Old Town pulp mill (Red Shield) selected for biorefinery project

http://www.doe.gov/news/6164.htm

ALEXANDRIA, VA. – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced the competitive selection of three projects in which DOE plans to invest up to $86 million over four years (FY ’08 - ‘11) to support the development of small-scale cellulosic biorefineries in Old Town, ME; Vonore, TN; and Washington County, KY. This funding will further President Bush’s goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive by 2012, and reduce America’s gasoline use by expanding the availability of alternative and renewable transportation fuels. Secretary Bodman made today’s announcement at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Biomass 2008: Fueling Our Future conference in Alexandria, VA.

“These projects will help pioneer the next generation of non-food based biofuels that will power our cars and trucks and help meet President Bush's goal to stop greenhouse gas emissions growth by 2025,” Secretary Bodman said. “Sustained investments in cellulosic fuels made from corn cobs, woodchips, switchgrass and other agricultural waste will strengthen our nation's energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

The three small-scale biorefinery projects will use a wide variety of feedstocks and test novel conversion technologies to provide data necessary to commercialize full-scale biorefinery technologies. On average, commercial-scale biorefineries input 700 tons of non-food based feedstock per day, with an output of approximately 20-30 million gallons a year (MMGY). These small-scale facilities will input approximately 70 tons of feedstock per day, with an estimated 2.5 MMGY.

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RSE Pulp & Chemical of Old Town, Maine. (DOE share: up to $30 million.)

The proposed biorefinery facility will be installed in an existing pulp mill in Old Town, Maine, and will produce cellulosic ethanol from lignocellulosic (wood) extract. The project uses a proprietary process for pre-extracting hemicelluloses during the pulping process. This process has been proven on a laboratory and pilot scale, and RSE will now prove the viability of the process at the demonstration plant level. RSE Pulp & Chemical is part of the RSE renewable energy and technology-based business consortium that consists of 22 companies in the U.S. and Canada. RSE Pulp & Chemical participants/investors include: University of Maine Orono, Maine; and American Process Inc Atlanta, Georgia.

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:thumbsup:

to meet the increased demand for lignocellulose required for the production of cellulosic ethanol
with which to power the All Terrain Vehicles and snowmobiles that will soon be mindlessly speeding back and forth on what used to be viable railroad beds.
Why not? If we don't clear cut the terrorists will have won! I can hear it now.

Lignin ("black liquor") can be burned in recovery boilers at the mill, but hemicellulose and monomeric wood sugars have to be eliminated from the mill's waste stream at great expense.

Using hemicellulose (or lignin) to produce biofuels will *not* increase wood consumption at existing paper mills - it's value-added product.

Maine could produce up to 40% of its liquid fuel demand *without* increasing its wood harvest.

No clear cuts required.

get it??

"Existing paper mills" are, comparatively close to no longer "existing."
As a pipe welder and ironworker I've worked in the majority of the mills in Maine.
Do you really want to get in a pissing contest, what would be the point?
If the process turns out to be a money maker, what's left of the Maine Woods will be increasingly exploited. Do you doubt it?

I do

I do

:evilgrin:

What? I came here for an arguement! -jpak

Oh, sorry, this is "Abuse". -'roid

(apologies to Monty Python)
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Make love, not war.

I think it's a fine idea-you can't tell a union welder anything. having worked on many paper mill over hauls I can tell you man-power hours could be greatly reduced if the welders didn't hold up production.
more and more people are using wood for heat. seems I read somewhere that the making of wood pellets would produce other side line savings.
fossil fuel cannot sustain the energy for the world anymore. yes it will take years to wean off of it. but every drop we save will buy us time and create jobs this state needs.
by the way gonna do less trolling and more still fishing. drift fishing saves fuel.
parked one vehicle most of winter,lowered heat to 68 deg. made soups,chowders,roasts etc. in large quantities then froze in meal packs. helped the budget.
my oil dealer was telling me more and more of his customers are using credit cards. I see more and more using credit cards to buy groceries. how can anyone not see the urgency to get off fossil fuel. the reality is here now. wages can't keep up with fuel and food costs.
now for the flak attack!(ha ha need a good laugh-know your enemy)

ps the smells are running mid-coast streams heavy -peak this week.

Anything that does that sounds great to me.

our mills are becoming a thing of the past. for two reasons; one lack of cheap raw material. the second the multi-nationals are off to greener pastures to pillage their forests. if any one reads the paper or a magazine is still in every bathroom 50 years from now our forests will once again be able to supply cheap wood.(yea I know the bull crap about regrowth in Maine,I'm talking trees not scrub brush.) go see for yourself. take a ride on the stud mill road. is 50% of the trees over 12" at the butt? or do they average less than 4".
how about the reality road? the I.P. road; how about the western end the#6 road? all the same. scrub brush!
wood pellets could be the jobs of the future. right now anything that pays a living wage and gives benefits is a godsend!

Those unfamiliar with the roads Lefty mentions need only take a look
at the next truckload of what now passes for "logs" in Maine. These
truckloads of "scrub" can be found on any Maine road.
What's more, canoe Maine rivers and view mile after mile of "scrub"
but don't venture more than a half mile from the riverbank lest you
stumble into real forest devastation.