Cow manure power plan steams ahead

DutchNews, October 4, 2016

Grass: a new potential power source.

Photo: DutchNews.nl

Two hundred farmers will soon be generating electricity from cow manure and there are plans to recruit 1,000 in four years, reports NOS on Tuesday.

FrieslandCampina, the largest dairy collective in the Netherlands, set up a business in September called Jumpstart to channel subsidies to farmers who want to install mono-digesters that break down waste into biogas.

Henk Kamp, minister for economic affairs, has committed €150m to the project and turned on the first mono-digester in Friesland on Tuesday morning.

FrieslandCampina plans to pay farmers a surcharge of €10 per thousand litres of milk they sell if they buy a mono-digester, and currently works with 13,500 of the Netherland’s 17,000 farmers. The organisation has committed to carbon-neutral growth, and currently most of the 13% of carbon emissions from the agriculture sector come from methane released by cow manure. 

There has been some debate about whether it is sustainable to generate electricity from cow dung, since mono-digesters only become profitable for a farm of at least 150 cattle. 

On Monday, FrieslandCampina announced that it wants to change its profit-sharing scheme with members, abolishing a quantum allowance and effectively stopping seasonal payments to farmers. It intends to increase its premium for outdoor grazing to €1.50 per 100kg of milk (from €1), and final proposals will be agreed in December.

Related Articles:

Dutch food policy needs rethink on dairy and meat: WRR

Kryon Q&A

(39) Question: Dear Kryon: I've noticed how many children are developing severe allergies to foods (my daughter included). When I've researched this, it seems that most of the allergies are essentially to seeds, grains, legumes, eggs, and dairy. I've noticed that these foods all hold the potential for life, or in the case of dairy, are essentially used to sustain the first stages of life in an animal's baby. My feeling is that because we're not releasing the life force within these foods (that is, sprouting, etc.), they're becoming harmful to us. I would like your impressions of this.

Answer: For thousands of years, these foods have worked for humanity. In these cases you speak about, the main culprit continues to be the way in which these foods are collected and processed. You won't find these allergies in third-world countries, and you won't find them within the children who work on farms, where they eat the foods directly. There will eventually have to come a day when you relax some of your efficiency attributes and go back to the way food was meant to be collected and eaten. And yes... there are effects from how the dairy animals are treated, too. Going back to some basics will help, and so will eliminating some of the procedures that supposedly create a "safer food." These procedures have instead made them begin to look like foreign food to the Human body.

'Reverse photosynthesis' could change fuel production

Researchers in Denmark have discovered that a certain enzyme causes sunlight to break down the chemical bonds in plants. The finding could improve industrial processes such as the production of biofuels.

Deutsche Welle, 17 April 2016

Photosynthesis is a process in which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy that can be later released as fuel. But now, a group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen have found that adding an enzyme called monooxygenase to the process causes sunlight to break down plant material instead of helping create it. They refer to this phenomenon as "reverse photosynthesis."

The discovery could be applied to processes that require the breakdown of chemical bonds, such as the production of bioethanol, which is made from biomass via a fermentation process.

In a press release, Professor Claus Felby from the Plant Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen, the head of the study, called the discovery a "game changer" that could transform the production of fuels and chemicals, increasing efficiency and decreasing pollution.

Great usage potential

The first step to producing bioethanol is breaking down cellulose, an organic material that forms the walls in plant cells. This is exactly what happens when monooxygenase is added to the photosynthesis process.

Ethanol is widely used as engine fuel

"Basically, we have found a new way of using solar energy - going directly from sunlight to chemistry," Felby told DW. "This opens up a lot of possibilities."

The scientists' lab tests indicated that applying this process resulted in much faster production of ethanol and at lower temperatures. The duration of some of the chemical reactions was reduced from hours to minutes when sunlight was involved.

Ethanol has a multitude of uses in the modern world, mostly as engine fuel, but also as an ingredient in medical and personal care products.

The team also found that the same process can be applied to oxidizing methane. This produces methanol, a key ingredient in the manufacture of different chemicals.

"Methanol currently requires very large and expensive steel units to produce," explained Felby. "If our method was applied to this process, you would only need small, simple production units, something similar to a greenhouse."

Need to test large-scale application

While the process has proven effective in a lab environment, the scientists need to do further research to determine how it would work in real life.

"We are now working on exploring this," David Cannella, a co-author of the study, told DW. "You need to make sure that sunlight penetrates the organic material that you are converting, and we still need to work out how to do this."

Cannella feels optimistic about the commercial applicability of the process, as does Felby.

"We have to determine the exact amount of light needed for the process and how and when to apply it," said Felby. "But that's just a question of engineering."

He added that going directly from sunlight to chemical energy results in very little energy loss: "It's a near-perfect process."

TEDx Binnenhof: Farming green energy for cows and men (Video)

Related Articles:

Could cow manure be the future of green energy?

Could cow manure be the future of

green energy?

Kryon Q&A

(39) Question: Dear Kryon: I've noticed how many children are developing severe allergies to foods (my daughter included). When I've researched this, it seems that most of the allergies are essentially to seeds, grains, legumes, eggs, and dairy. I've noticed that these foods all hold the potential for life, or in the case of dairy, are essentially used to sustain the first stages of life in an animal's baby. My feeling is that because we're not releasing the life force within these foods (that is, sprouting, etc.), they're becoming harmful to us. I would like your impressions of this.

Answer: For thousands of years, these foods have worked for humanity. In these cases you speak about, the main culprit continues to be the way in which these foods are collected and processed. You won't find these allergies in third-world countries, and you won't find them within the children who work on farms, where they eat the foods directly. There will eventually have to come a day when you relax some of your efficiency attributes and go back to the way food was meant to be collected and eaten. And yes... there are effects from how the dairy animals are treated, too. Going back to some basics will help, and so will eliminating some of the procedures that supposedly create a "safer food." These procedures have instead made them begin to look like foreign food to the Human body.

Heating homes with cowpats

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, by Marjolein Stoop, 7 December 2009 - 4:16pm

The manure from one cow can provide enough fuel to heat seven houses. In the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, we are looking at unusual energy-saving initiatives.

Nij Bosma Zathe is an experimental Dutch farm with 200 dairy cows. The manure these cows produce is used to make biogas. The gas is turned into electricity in a generator which feeds it into the national grid. The heat this releases goes directly to houses in the new estate in Techum.

The heat arrives, through a grate in the wall, in Carla Koelstra's home five kilometres away. "Just a push of the button and the house is warm," she says. Her children are surprised it doesn't smell: "They must use a lot of perfume on it."

As a result of the economic recession, not all the houses planned for this neighbourhood have been finished. Less than a hundred are now heated by means of biogas.

Related Article:

Chilled in Amsterdam: sustainable cooling

Villagers commit to saving forest and water sources

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Batu, East Java

A small mosque sits atop a spring in Toyomerto hamlet, Pesanggrahan village, Batu district in Batu city, East Java. It is used for religious activities and also as a meeting place for local villagers.

The water source is one of 11 spread around the village, located between 900 to 1,000 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Panderman.

According to community figure Syaifuddin, better known as Gus Udin, thanks to the small mosque, 277 household heads have united in a mission to save 11 water sources at risk of being exploited by outside parties.

Local residents are aware of the importance of reforestation and protection of the production forest area owned by the Perhutani state forestry company, spanning 21,640 hectares around the village, from illegal loggers.

According to Gus Udin, people initially opposed the conservation effort, which began in 1997. Farmers and firewood sellers depended on the trees in the production forest, which they felled and sold to make a living.

The forest is a catchment area which feeds 11 springs that people rely on for their daily needs.

The slopes of Mount Panderman at one point appeared barren due to uncontrolled logging, which triggered floods and landslides during the rainy season in 1998 and 1999. Recurrent droughts occurred during the dry season, thus affecting water quality in the 11 springs.

Residents also became prone to illnesses, such as diarrhea.

"The situation is better now. The residents have found other ways to make a living, such as raising dairy cows and cattle for meat, the results of which are starting to show," said Gus Udin.

In 1997, a rumor that a prominent businessman from Jakarta was interested in purchasing the village, including the 11 springs, prompted the local community to protect the forest and water sources in their village. They eventually formed an environmental study group called Yayasan Iqro.

"I also heard that a significant amount of gas was located in the ground below our village," said Gus Udin, who also heads the foundation.

During meetings, residents were made aware of how to preserve the surrounding environment. They were taught to change their habit of felling trees in the forest, shown how to live a more healthy lifestyle through planting trees and learned the importance of preserving their water sources. Even children were taught to cherish the environment by planting trees in the forest.

After three years, the group imposed stiff regulations in the form of customary law, which residents mutually agreed on.

The punishments are quite stern; anyone caught felling a tree is required to pay a fine of a truck-load of sand, while those found felling five trees are fined 100 sacks of cement.

"Harsh punishments have been cast on the community," added Gus Udin.

The customary law is currently effective and acts as a deterrent to those who destroy the environment in the village. So far, residents have been able to protect the 11 water sources, which each supply four liters of water per second.

Each family pays a monthly fee of Rp 7,500 (approximately 83 U.S. cents) toward operational funds to manage the springs. From each fee, Rp 1,000 is set aside to fund the building of schools, roads, houses of worship and other community facilities.

To help improve people's welfare, the foundation offers credit for dairy cows and cattle. It has so far distributed 600 heads of cattle to residents without collateral.

This scheme has somewhat been able to change the look of Pesanggrahan village, which is evident from the 3,600 dairy cows and cattle already raised by the villagers.

The residents can now even fulfill their household energy needs by turning cattle dung into butane biogas to light their stoves and lamps.

"Residents can finally save on fuel and electricity," said Gus Udin.

A villager, Lasmi, 50, said she was able to make use of biogas from cattle manure after receiving a grant from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) for a pilot project in 2005.

Gas is channeled through a small pipe to her stove and lamps from the back of her home, which is directly next door to a cattle shed.

Two structures resembling septic tanks are stored inside the cow shed; one is used to store the manure, which is connected to the other that collects gas.

"We no longer buy kerosene because we can use biogas derived from cattle dung," Lasmi said.

Transforming waste into energy at Suwung Garbage dump

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The foul smell of piling garbage at the largest landfill in Bali, the Suwung landfill, has been a source of disgust for the Balinese.

Thanks to technology, however, people on the island-province can now look forward to making use of their waste.

Home to household waste from four areas of Bali - Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan - the landfill receives as much as 800 tons of waste per day.

As two third of the waste is organic, it releases methane gas -- the source of the "foul smell" and is one of the greenhouse gasses that contributes to global warming - to the atmosphere.

The Bali administration, working with PT Navigat Organic Energy Indonesia (NOEI), set up an integrated waste management system at Suwung by building its first biogas plant.

The plant would capture methane gasses and turn it into energy in the form of electricity. The plant will also help rehabilitate the landfill site.

"By August 2008 the facility would be able to produce two megawatts for public use," PT NOEI spokesperson Bernt Bakken said Sunday.

The facility was launched by the Bali Governor Made Dewa Beratha on Dec. 13, sporting the momentum of the United Nations Climate Change Conference that ended on Dec. 15.

It is the first project in Bali carried out under the United Nation's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) -- a carbon trade scheme that enables a group of developed countries and countries in transition, which are binding for emission cuts to earn emission reduction credits by promoting sustainable development in developing countries.

Indonesia has 11 projects under the carbon trade scheme registered at the CDM executive board so far, with only two of them approved by the board.

The biogas plant project would reduce around 123,423 tons per year of the amount of methane gasses released to the atmosphere, cutting the greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming.

Bakken said from 2010, the facility would produce 10 Megawatts of electricity.

State Electricity Company (PLN) has signed an agreement to buy power from the biogas plant.

PT NOEI uses a Jenbacher machine, distributed by GE Energy. GE Energy country executive Gatot Prawiro said waste-to-energy conversion was a good solution to provide energy in areas that has no access to the national power grid.

Bali is still dependent on Java for power supply, with 130 Megawatts of the 439 Megawatts needed to power Bali comes from the Paiton Power Plant in East Java.

Is Jatropha The New Wonder Feedstock For Biodiesel? New White Paper Reveals All.

PR-USA.net

The JatrophaWorld 2008 Conference to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 23-24 January 2008, is being organized by Centre for Management Technology (CMT). In line with JatrophaWorld 2008, KnowGenix, a Knowledge Partner of CMT, has released a position paper called 'Sustainable Biodiesel Feedstock. Jatropha: Strategic Option' (http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatrophapaper/).

Author of the position paper, Dr. R. Rajagopal of KnowGenix, explains "the biofuel business is a complex web continuously reacting to the traditional oil business, as rising oil prices spur demand for biofuels." The focus is now on non food crops with Jatropha (http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatrophapaper) rediscovering itself as the new pin up boy of alternative energy industry proponents. Contemporary trends across the world indicate a pronounced shift towards Jatropha as a more viable and sustainable feedstock for biodiesel compared to other food based crops.

"The worldwide development of biofuels has raised a myriad of issues by stakeholders. Complex trade-offs are demanded by the production, distribution, and utilization of biofuels and its feedstocks. Besides, the biofuel economics has become so location specific for its sustainability that it rules out the possibility of common approaches," said Dr Rajagopal.

The position paper attempts to answer several questions about Jatropha (http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatrophapaper). These include:

• Is Jatropha really the best among energy crops and does it leave the least environmental footprint?
  
  
• What are the impacts of large scale Jatropha plantations being planned in developing nations to feed the energy demands of the western world?
  
  
• How does the Jatropha economics work for the developing nations?
  
  
• To what extent is it more conducive in reducing GHG emissions?
  
  
• Is Jatropha cultivation and propagation sustainable globally to feed the needed market demand?
  
  
• Is biotechnology the answer to optimize Jatropha cultivation?

Those interested in Jatropha and biofuels are encouraged to download a complimentary copy of 'Sustainable Biodiesel Feedstock. Jatropha: Strategic Option' at http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatrophapaper

The questions the paper endeavors to answer and other questions will be expanded on at JatrophaWorld 2008.

The JatrophaWorld 2008 (http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha) organizer, Centre for Management Technology (CMT), has brought together the best expertise and brightest brains to discuss and analyze the present and future dynamics of Jatropha. The companies represented include Germany's Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Singapore's Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Malaysia's Asiatic Centre for Genomic Technologies Sdn. Bhd., the Indonesian Center for Estate Crops Research & Development (ICERD) as well as India's Naturol Bioenergy Limited and Labland Biodiesel Private Limited. Delegates will be able to expand their knowledge about Jatropha and alternative energy and also network with the crиme de la crиme of the Jatropha industry.

JatrophaWorld 2008 is going to be the most important conference of 2008 for those who want to keep abreast of the latest developments in the agriculture, processing, socio-economics and financing of Jatropha as an alternative energy source. Those wanting more information or who are vitally interested in Jatropha as a feedstock for Biodiesel and alternative energy must visit http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha While there, they can register for this essential conference.

About Centre for Management Technology

CMT is dedicated to the provision of the latest global technology and business information in the chemical industry through high profile conferences focusing on renewable, liquid energy sources. CMT has organized industry specific conferences on Liquid Natural Gas, and LPG, ground breaking summit on technologies like Coal to Liquids, Gas to Liquids, and Bio-mass to Liquid, and alternative energy or future fuels forums like Biodiesel, Biofuels and Ethanol. This has established CMT as the market leader in promoting this nascent industry as an alternative global powerhouse.

About KnowGenix

KnowGenix a growth strategy service firm with Chemicals, Materials and Energy practices is a Knowledge Partner of CMT. The firm researches business and technology trends in petrochemicals, fine, specialty and life science chemicals value chain as well as in materials and energy. It assists clients with growth strategy services through customized, competitive and timely solutions covering Asia, M.E., EU and US geographies in collaboration with its global partners. To learn more please visit www.knowgenix.com.

Chemical manufacturer gets loan from Japanese firms

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s chemical manufacturing company PT Budi Acid Jaya has secured a US$3.5 million loan from Japan`s Nedo Fund and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, a spokesperson said here Friday.

The fund will be used for development of a biogas-fueled power plant, PT Budi Acid Jaya President Director Santoso Winata told the Jakarta Stock Exchange.

The loan carries an interest rate of 2 percent, higher than that of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, he said.

The loan with a period of grace until 2012 will be repaid after the power plant has been fully operational, he said.

Budi Acid Jaya`s core businesses are manufacturing and selling tapioca starch, citric acid and other chemicals, monosodium glutamate, plastic bags, glucose and modified tapioca starch.

The tapioca starch is marketed under the Red Mountain and Green Mountain brand names. The group`s factories are located in Subang, Lampung and Jambi with their products sold at home and abroad.

The business group was set up on January 15, 1979 under the name of PT North Aspac Chemical Industrial Company.

Lampung on target to become major biofuel center

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Lampung is set to become a major national production center for biofuels during the next four years, an official says.

Four local companies are spending more than Rp 860 billion (US$90.52 million) on bioenergy projects in the province, while a South Korean firm plans to invest more than Rp 90 trillion to build a bioethanol refinery.

A project worth Rp 184 billion and managed by PT Acidatama Lampung Chemical Industry in Central Lampung was approved by the provincial administration in 2005.

In 2006, PT Bio Energi Ind. invested $900,000 to build a plant in Tulangbawang regency. That year, three other local firms -- PT Sumi Asih in Bandarlampung, PT Medco Ethanol in Lampung and PT Luhur Prakarsa Maju Dinamika in North Lampung -- began investing a total of Rp 675.6 billion.

Meanwhile, South Korean's PT CSM Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lampung administration to invest Rp 90 trillion in the province to build an ethanol refinery in North Lampung.

CSM has already planted a 20,000-hectare plot of land with cassava -- 10,000 ha in Way Kanan, 5,000 ha in Tulangbawang and another 5,000 ha in North Lampung.

The head of the Lampung Investment, Culture and Tourism Promotion Office, Syaifullah Sesunan, said the interest shown by investors indicated the province's potential and that foreign investors' trust had improved.

"We intend to become the center for biofuel in Indonesia. Large companies in Lampung such as PT Sugar Group, which has been producing refined sugar, and the PT Perkebunan Nasional VII state plantation company have built biodiesel and bioethanol plants, along with foreign investors," Syaifullah said on Monday.

Lampung Research and Development Agency head Rellyani was optimistic that biofuel production in Lampung could easily meet 10 percent of the province's energy demands as stipulated in a presidential decree on fuel supply.

"Lampung is estimated (currently) consume around 43,000 kiloliters of bioethanol annually, while (biofuel) production capacity could reach 740,733 k/lt a year," Rellyani said.

"We're confident Lampung could become a bioethanol producing center and supply fuel to the western part of the country, particularly Sumatra and Java," she said.

Rellyani estimated local demand for biodiesel at 97,597 k/lt a year, "while production of biodiesel is projected at around 128,000 k/lt annually. This shows a surplus in biodiesel production", she said.

She said Lampung was more suited to producing bioethanol than biodiesel.

"There is a huge amount of cassava and sugarcane here, and the soil conditions are also suitable to grow these crops."

"Biodiesel is made from palm oil and the jatropha plant. Most farmers prefer to turn palm oil into crude palm oil than biodiesel, while supplies of jatropha are still limited at the moment."

Lampung has a plantation area covering 543,800 hectares, producing 367,840 tons of palm oil a year, 5,386,062 tons of cassava per ha annually and 7,101,600 tons of sugarcane yielding 340,876 tons of molasses annually.

The government wants biofuels to make up 10 percent of total energy production by 2010, however, current production levels are well below this amount.

Total levels will increase, however, with the work of PT Medco Ethanol Lampung (MEL), which has been operating in North Lampung since October, and is targeting production of 60,000 k/lt of bioethanol annually.

The country's first bioethanol plant is currently in the design and construction planning stage. Workers are building access roads to the factory site and securing partnerships with cassava and sugarcane suppliers.

PT MEL project director Panya Siregar said the company planned to invest around $4.12 million in the plant through a project funding scheme. The plant is expected to employ 150 workers and be backed by a supply of around 13,000 ha of cassava plantations, providing around 600,000 working days for farmers annually.

"The factory's presence will have positive impacts on supporting sectors, such as transportation, and create a new distribution network for cassava and sugarcane farmers," Panya said.

The company will also use modern technology to benefit from biogas produced from by-products, he said.

"The factory is designed to produce 180 k/lt of bioethanol daily or an equivalent of 60,000 kiloliters annually. In its initial stage, the company is planning to produce high quality ethanol for industry, especially for overseas markets, such as Singapore and Japan," Panya said.

Electricity Project Hoping for Funds from UN

Monday, 15 January, 2007 | 16:54 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Denpasar: A garbage-powered electricity generating plant project that is being built in Denpasar is hoping for funds from Clean Development Management of the United Nations.

“The project helps reducing poisonous gas emitions which is in line with the mission of the institution,” said Made Sudharma, Head of the Garbage and Sanitation Supervisory Agency of Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan, yesterday (01/14).

According to Made, development started one year ago by joining together with British company PT Navigate Organic Energy Indonesia.

The task of the company is to organize the areas of garbage disposal in Suwung, the location of the project.

Made explained that there were some models of garbage management that may produce energy such as sanitary landfill technique—a land management that is equipped with special installation—and anaerobic digestion or decomposition using microorganism for new garbage.

New dry garbage such as plastic, glass, iron, and building ruins, he said, require high temperature non-oxygen warming.

The biogas, which is a byproduct of the process, will be utilizes to activate the turbine.

With an anticipated 1,500 cubic meters of garbage per day, electricity production could be between five and eight megawatts.

Rofiqi Hasan