Turning old mills into biorefineries (Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/business/stories/060328biogrant.shtml

The state's forest products industry could learn to make fuel ethanol, plastics and specialty chemicals by transforming paper and lumber mills into biorefineries, with the help of a federal research grant to be announced today.

<snip>

In hopes of attracting investors, it released a study last month that supporters said provides a blueprint for supplying half of Maine's fuel needs over the next 15 to 20 years. That would result in a significant boost to the state's economy, the report said, by producing bio-based heating oil, diesel and gasoline, as well as bioplastics and resins.

The UMaine method of biorefining would extract chemicals from wood chips or shavings before the wood is turned into pulp or oriented strand board. That would preserve the quality of the wood for further processing. The chemicals could be sold as raw materials or used on-site to manufacture materials such as fuel ethanol, plastics and specialty chemicals such as coatings - virtually everything currently made with oil.

UMaine's laboratory research is designed to help make this process viable on a commercial scale, and it will help determine what kinds of products could be made from the material and how to make them.

<more>

[eleny]

1. "blueprint for supplying half of Maine's fuel needs..."

This is truly wonderful news.

[jpak]

2. Maine already produces half of its electricity from renewables (~1050 MW)

There are ~1000 MW of wind and tidal power projects in the works around the state.

By 2015, the state will have enough renewable power capacity to satisfy ~100% of its electricity (or more if Energy Star rated appliances replaced the current stock of energy inefficient home appliances).

Biofuels from the forest products industry could satisfy half of the state's *current* fuel needs....

However, this scheme could supply nearly all of the state's transportation fuel requirements if fuel efficient vehicles and urban/suburban public transportation replaced the fuel inefficient vehicles on the road today.

Maine could become the first US state to satisfy ALL of its energy requirements from indigenous renewable sources...

Dirigo

:)

[mainegreen]

4. How much of that is bio-mass?

IE trash? Just curious.

[jpak]

6. 20+% hydro, 20+% biomass and the balance trash-to-energy (MERC and PERC)

There's been a lot of controversy over the MERC plant. It's under new management, however, and they really want to address the concerns of the locals...

Maine hasn't exploited its landfill, farm or sewage treatment biogas potential either.

or wave power or offshore wind potential either for that matter.

or biomass co-generation for district heating in the larger towns and cities.

Could it become the Saudi Arabia of New England????

Who knows...

:)

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Well, Maine might have about the same population density as Saudi Arabia..

so that makes it easier. The higher the population density, the harder it is to achieve energy self-sufficiency without tapping into fossil fuels or nuclear.

Not saying that to diminish what's being accomplished here; just pointing out that if you don't solve the problem of growing population, eventually you can't solve any other problems.

[Dead_Parrot]

15. This is very true...

Local solutions like Maine aren't on the same scale as global solutions - Keeping the lights on in Portland (pop 64,000) and Tokyo (pop ~35,237,000) are slightly different.

Still, every little helps...

[phantom power]

21. Yes, Maine has about 1/4 the population of the Phoenix metro area.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. Check out a Maine highway map. It's about 1/4 near-blank space...

...and even on a large-scale map there are PRIVATE roads marked, the only roads in that area. Looks really weird. Of course, in this case "private" means private corporation, i.e. a lumber company.

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Umm, one minor problem...

According to this article, Maine's forests aren't being managed very well. "cannot be considered sustainable by any fair definition." is the actual phrase used: Has anyone looked at the impact of using them as biofuel? And will the same biomass be availible when they are properly managed?

It's not a killer, I just want to check that biofuel use won't fuck up the forests...

[jpak]

7. Sustainable forest management is real political hot potato in Maine

There's been a lot of "liquidation" forestry going on that is clearly not sustainable and laws preventing these practices have come up against a lot of opposition from the more rapacious forest products interests.

There's no reason why the state's forest land could not be managed in a sustainable manner - it's a political decision.

The proposed biofuels scheme, however, doesn't require additional forestry resources and that's why I think it's so exiting.

:)

[Dead_Parrot]

8. That's what I'm hoping...

A small population in a mainly wooded state shouldn't have a problem managing biofuel, but I try to never underestimate people's stupidity.

Hey, out of interest, does anyone make a chainsaw that runs on ethanol? :evilgrin:

[jpak]

9. Run 'em on DME

A lot of logging contractors don't use chainsaws any more - they use feller-bunchers and skidders that run on diesel (or potentially biodiesel). Because they cost so much , however, they create an irresistible economic incentive to conduct liquidation forestry.

Most of the northern part of the state is unincorporated (and uninhabited) "industrial forest" that supports much of the state's forest products industry.

There's been a tremendous turnover in land ownership up there in recent years and that has a lot of people very nervous.

One outfit -Fucking Plum Creek - wants to develop thousands of acres of undeveloped forestland near Moosehead Lake and turn it into suburbs and upscale resorts.

Hopefully the State won't let them do it.

Fucking Flatlanders...

:mad:

Here's a link on that clusterfuck...

http://www.maineenvironment.org/news_detail.asp?news=448

[Dead_Parrot]

10. Ack

To create the largest development ever proposed in Maine, Plum Creek is seeking to rezone 426,000 acres of forest that it purchased in 1998 for less than $200 per acre. The land is zoned for timberland and backcountry use. The company seeks to develop at least 975 homes, two resorts and three RV parks on this timberland, surrounding beautiful Moosehead Lake. This area is in the heart of the nation’s largest remaining undeveloped forest east of the Mississippi River

:puke:

[jpak]

11. May I join you?????

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[phantom power]

12. Ooo, I hope Maine spikes that one back in their face.

[NNadir]

14. And just wait to the equivalent of bark beetles get them.

The big "if" in all these wonderful biofuel bits, besides Nepal like deforestration, is the assumption that the forests will continue to be there even without the interference of chainsaws.

Some of the forests around, like those in Portugal, have been functioning as firewood, but while the tree is still in the ground.

In 2001, Maine got half its normal rainfall.

In 2002, over 645 fires roared to the still rain deficient state.

It's no wonder they have lots of nice dry wood.

This week, Maine shows up on the drought monitor as "unusally dry."

http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

Maine doesn't produce or consume much energy, as it is sparcely populated. Even so, it has its energy eggs in the basket of believing in long term climatic stability, as do all biofuel schemes. The problem is that few people really believe climatic stability is actually going to be obtained. The Maine forests might well turn into yet another strip mine: Burn it before the dead trees rot.

[Dead_Parrot]

16. Sadly, that's a good point.

Planting a tree for each one you cut will be worth bugger all if they all die from dehydration.

Fuck.

[jpak]

18. Attributing any particular short term variation in regional precipitation

to global warming is just plain silly.

There are many annual and decadal scale atmospheric oscillations that effect regional precipitation patterns worldwide: ENSO, NAO etc. These oscillations will affect regional precipitation cycles in addition to global change.

An cherry picking climate data is wrong.

2005 was the rainiest year in Maine since records began in 1871.

Global warming will enhance the hydrological cycle, but to expect that drought will be the ONLY consequence of climate change is wrong.

What goes up must come down. Water evaporating from the Earth's surface will be deposited as rainfall somewhere else.

Condemning Maine's forests to death by drought or forest insect devastation it thus a silly notion unsupported by any entomological, forestry or climate science.

Maine is developing a sustainable low-carbon economy that will be the envy of the nation.

and they will do it without nuclear power....

[Dead_Parrot]

19. Are you saying Maine *won't* be affected by climate change?

If so, I think you're in a minority... Exactly what the effects will be is another matter - it could be better, could be worse, but will almost certainly be different, which is likely to put stress on the ecosystem.

Since we don't know the subtleties of climate change, I would certainly want them to have a go anyway. But they'll need to keep an close eye on the overall health of the forests while they're at it.

[jpak]

22. No - I'm just saying cherry picking climate data is wrong

Climate change might enhance forest productivity in Maine - or it might not.

and simply stating the drought is the ONLY consequence of global warming is just plain wrong.

I would rather bet Maine's energy future on local resources of renewable energy - biofuels, wind, solar, tidal, hydroelectricity - and energy efficiency than on a highly uncertain energy future based on a single energy resource - imported non-renewable uranium (which cannot effectively be used to fight global warming because there isn't enough of it around).

Furthermore, the proposed biofuels program can be used by ANY state (or country) with a wood products industry - it's not just a Maine thing....

[NNadir]

20. Climatic instability characterizes global climate change.

The point is that climate is unpredictable and it may effect areas relying on biomass in unanticipated ways.

Here is a poster from the Maine Forest Service and the University of Maine detailing the mortality of Beech trees there. The matter involves drought:

http://fhm.fs.fed.us/posters/posters05/beechmortality_me.pdf

I have no idea what kind of trees they burn in Maine, nor do I really care, but it would seem that the availability of beech may be impacted by recent climatic events.

The rain events of 2005 may be happy horseshit, but clearly there were big droughts in 1999, 2001, and 2002. The climate is unstable and unreliable. I thought everybody knew that. (Then again, it comes as no surprise that some people want to ignore that global climate change is happening right now. They seem to think we have a brazillion years to address the matter.)

In any case even if Maine were immune because it is protected from global climate change by the magic circle produced by chants of its former residents, the fact is - and this is clear to everybody - that Maine is not representative of the entire planet.

I note that if Portugal was relying on climatic stability, and the experience of Maine, for fire wood from their forests, they'd be shit out of luck.

[mainegreen]

3. Well, we've got a lot of woodchips.

I swear, every third vehicle by my in-law parents roads is a truck loaded with woodchips. Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are three lumber mills up the road. :P

Good news for us. One thing we have in Maine is a whole lotta fast growing trees. That and wind. And tides.

If we join Canada's Atlantic grid as well, things will be looking up for us!

[kestrel91316]

17. Sort of like swords into plowshares?