Hawai‘i Biofuel Notes

These rough notes are maintained by Ben Discoe

General

• State DBEBT: Biomass is a good starting point
  • Physicochemical Analysis of Selected Biomass Materials in Hawaii (2005)
    • all the trees tested (ironwood, 4 eucalypts, waiwi..) were similar, with slightly higher energy in the Euc. robusta
  • Preliminary Gasification Testing of Eucalyptus Fuels (2005)
    • debarked Euc. grandis was used in a gasification test with a benchscale, fluidized-bed gasifier by HNEI
• UH Manoa Hawai‘i Energy Policy Forum
• The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI)
  • A project of US DOE and State of Hawaii (DBEDT), launched Jan. 2008, "clean energy" may not necessarily mean biofuels (although it is likely to include them)
  • As of March 2008, it's not clear if HCEI will do anything besides gather reports. In bureaucratic jargon, they are "seeking stakeholder input for an integrated strategic energy analysis, planning, and implementation function."
  • The State, for it's part, does have a goal: "70% of energy needs supplied by renewable resources by the year 2030 -reducing overall consumption of crude oil by up to 72%"
• Most people are talking about sugar, ethanol, wood or other biomass, oil palms, or jatropha.
  • CTAHR says: "The oil palm has double the oil yield of jatropha, but because the trees are so large, and expensive and laborious to harvest, jatropha is a better investment, because it has the potential to produce at least two crops a year, equaling out to the same production per unit as the oil palm."
• Hawai`i Island Energy Sustainability Plan, October 3, 2007 (full report)

Big Island

• Big Island Fuel Crops Project -> Hawaii Biodiesel Consortium -> Hawaii Biocrude
  • Originally a project of: South Point Propagation, was founded in 2004 and is a sole proprietorship owned by Ted Seaman ((808) 929-7181 Naalehu), setting up on a leased parcel of land in Pahala, Ka'u.
  • Site describes the desire to research, primarily Jatropha, but also "will be looking at several different crops that have been identified as excellent biofuel sources and others that have yet to be examined closely."
  • Related: The Hawaii Biodiesel Consortium (2006-2007) included Aloha Green, Kam. Schools, HARC (Mike Poteet), ... had a plan put together Sept. 2006. Contact: Bob Numbers (P.O. Box 26 Papa'aloa, HI 96780 895-3041)
  • As of Mar. 3 2008, Ted and Bob say that the Project (and the Consortium) is about to grow into something much bigger, called Hawaii Biocrude, perhaps announced publicly by May 2008 - stay tuned.
  • There is not yet any connection between them and HCEOC, they are pursuing different jatropha strategies.
• HCEOC
  • As of October 2007, this organization "has been working with Jatropha for past 18 months on a 20-acre, state-owned farm in Hilo." - $677k federal grants and $240k state grants in 2007-2008?
  • "We have committed to producing 2,400,000 seedlings in three years' time... Biogenetic engineer has been hired to help with the Hilo operation. "
  • Aloha Green LLC plans to buy the seedlings to produce biodiesel  (growing them around Onomea?)
  • Director George Yokoyama says: Jatropha project is headed by Bob Burkey
  • Bob Burkey is with the Hawaii Biotech Tissue Culture Center: (966-9074, 16-204 Melekahiwa Place, Keaau, 96749)
    • Their website talks only about orchids - no mention of the jatropha work there, yet.
  • BBob Burkey's own local farm is called Kamuela Greenhouse/Specialty Orchids (address on White Road, south)
• Value Added Foods and Fuels
  • Engineer Stephen Finch, in Laupahoehoe, has an ongoing project (Ethanol or Biofuels) "to develop an environmentally friendly Ethanol facility."
  • Ken Stokes reports: "His pilot scale ethanol/butanol extraction plant is small, yet it can run with sugar cane, sweet sorghum, food-grade sorghum, switchgrass, and other types of carbohydrates. Finch’s pilot plant is a high tech method of membrane technology, and does not require the use of distillation or dryers. So, he can run it “off grid” due to the reduction in energy requirements. This means you can produce your fuel quicker and at a much lower cost. Finch can also separate the ethanol or butanol with oil and sulphur. Oh, and, Finch knows fuels, having been involved with ethanol, DME and butanol for 17years and having degrees in Food Process Technology."
  • Stephen P. Finch: Office: 808-962-6213 Mobile: 808-854-5908, stephen@vafaf.com, 36-2270 Mamalahoa Hwy. Laupahoehoe, HI 96764
• Hamakua Biomass Energy
  • Announced on Feb. 29 2008, formed by Kent Smith, Hilton Unemori and Guy Gilliland, who were co-developers of wind farms on Maui and Kauai.  No website yet.
  • "A 30 MW biomass combustion power plant, which means it'll burn wood to create energy."
  • The group is in the process of securing land and expects to be in operation by the third quarter of 2010.

Maui

• The $61 million BlueEarth Maui Biodiesel LLC refinery on Maui
  • Set to open in 2009. In a partnership with HECO, it would generate 40 million gallons of biodiesel from imported vegetable oils in its first year for Maui Electric Co.
  • Company's page: BlueEarth Maui Biodiesel Project
  • The controversy seems to be about the source of raw materials, not about building the refinery.  Local environmentalists fear rainforest destruction for palm oil plantations.  The company has said they will adopt strict guidelines on the source countries, and plan to ultimately source their oil locally.

Kaua‘i

• The island's power coop, KIUC, is aggressively moving to include biofuels in its power mix.
• Green Energy Hawaii / EcoPower Hawaii / PowerPlants Hawaii
  • Eric Knutzen's Green Energy Hawaii will generate 6.4 megawatts (10% of Kauai's power needs) by gasification/thermal oxidation of wood chips from Bill Cowern's Hawaiian Mahogany (HMI).
  • 2006.05.27 - Seeing energy in the trees
  • The controversy seems to be about them growing Albizia, an aggressive 'weed' tree.  But the company says that by creating a demand for wood, they could actually contribute to reducing weed trees around the island: "Because Albizia is viewed as a pest, Cowern said Hawaiian Mahogany will also harvest trees from other people’s lands for a small fee, and send it on to Green Energy Hawaii."
  • 2008.01.23 - Biomass plant hinges on tree type
  • 2008.02.28 - County Planning Commission Approves Biomass Plant (it says 7.1 MW)
  • Green Energy Hawaii has also planted oil palms.
  • EcoPower Hawaii is another company partnered with HMI, focused on biodiesel.
  • PowerPlants Hawaii is another company partnered wit HMI, building greenhouses to do oil palm research.  It also says they are developing "solutions to resolve Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels for fertilizer and energy through the utilization of charcoal produced locally from plant-based materials as a permanent soil additive."
• HMI is also looking at biodiesel
  • "HMI has also already planted thousands of oil palm trees for the production of palm oil to be used in producing high quality biodiesel fuel."
  • However since the HMI website is broken (all links lead to filler page) it's hard to find out more
  • There is a very cool video on YouTube of Bill Cowern about Albizia lumber, oil palm, even cutting-edge biochar (!)
• Cleaves & Company
  •  will relocate an existing 4.5 megawatt biomass-to-energy plant to Kauai, temporarily utilizing waste walnut shells be shipped from California to Kauai in bulk until local biomass is available.
  • as of 2008-03-11, deal is off?
• eGenesis Industries
  • The first Eprida licensee, they are proposing to build a larger version of the Eprida research machine, at an estimated cost of $4 million, capable of 1 megawatt/hour, biodiesel, and 400-800 lbs enriched biochar/day.
  • Their FAQ specifically mentions Kaua'i as a proposed site!  "Without utilizing [a] tax credit, the Eprida machine just on energy and sales of fertilizer should pay itself off in three years in Kauai."  Presumably this is being considered by the Green Energy / PowerPlants Hawaii folks above.

Oahu

• HECO plans 110 MW biofuel plant to open in '09 in the Campbell Industrial Park
• There is a small, existing, waste oil to biodiesel conversion plant, as of 2007.
• At the UH Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) Renewable Resources Research Laboratory, they are doing work with "flash carbonization" to turn any organic waste into charcoal, which will burn cleanly and offer many other advantages.
  • Claim: "Charcoal would be a better choice than ethanol for the sustainable production of electric power here in Hawaii: [..] a ton of corn stover will deliver 37% more energy if it is converted into charcoal instead of ethanol."
  • Claim: "The cost of producing a ton of charcoal in the USA is usually much less than $200"
  • Claim: "The Biocarbon Fuel Cell has the potential to convert the chemical energy of carbon into electric power with an efficiency approaching 100%"
• CTAHR biodiesel research has jatropha fields on the North Shore.  Head researcher in 2007: Richard Ogoshi.
• Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC) is a nonprofit in Aiea, Oahu
  • September 2006: "Biodiesel Crop Implementation in Hawaii" by M.D. Poteet of the HARC (PDF 2 MB) - a long, excellently detailed presentation of every possible bio oil crop
  • the HARC website doesn't say anything about biofuels

Media coverage

• 2007.07.06 - Maui News, HECO sees a potential for local-grown biofuel
  • Hawaiian Electric Co. says there are at least 140,000 acres of land in the islands that were once farmed but are now fallow.
• 2007.07.22 - Star Bulletin, Tree holds promise for future of biofuel
  • UH hopes to grow an isle biofuel source to re-energize Hawaii's agriculture industry
  • "Mike Poteet, a crop scientist with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, believes biofuels have the potential to create a new agriculture industry in Hawaii."
  • "Steiner is leading a UH-Hilo effort to begin research in growing different types of oil palm on 120 acres of land in Pa'auilo on the Hamakua coast."
• 2007.08.07 - Star Bulletin, HECO plans biofuel plant to open in '09
  • HECO will build the $142.3 million facility on Oahu beginning early 2008.
  • Will run exclusively on renewable fuels made from ethanol or biodiesel.
  • 110 MW, joining the 1700 MW already on Oahu.
• 2007.10.04 - Pacific Business News, Big Isle gets biodiesel grant
• 2007.10.09 - Tribune Herald, "Energy jobs for Big Isle"
  • Energy jobs for Big Isle Tuesday, October 9, 2007 9:20 AM HST
    by Jason Armstrong Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
    A private nonprofit agency in Hilo stands to receive nearly $1 million in grants to grow a crop expected to power cars and electrical plants. The Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council plans to clone and mass cultivate Jatropha curcas seedlings under a $677,000 federal grant. "This grant will create jobs for about 70 people on the Big Island and provide needed information about the potential for Jatropha cultivation as a biodiesel resource," said U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in a written statement announcing the grant award. "This project is an important step forward in our vision for a self-sustaining energy future for Hawaii and our goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions," he added. Akaka said the development of alternative energy sources is Hawaii's best hope to reduce its use of foreign oil. The crop, if successful, also could lower the Big Island's fuel and electricity prices, which remain among the nation's highest. Jatropha curcas, also known as Barbados nut or Physic nut, is a shrub that originated in Central America, according to Wikipedia. Its seeds produce oil that can burned in combustion engines, but is not suitable for eating. HCEOC has been working with the crop for past 18 months on a 20-acre, state-owned farm in Hilo, said Executive Director George Yokoyama. "We have committed to producing 2,400,000 seedlings in three years' time," he said. A rented warehouse in the Shipman Industrial Park is being used for the cultivation work. Aloha Green, a Big Island company, plans to buy the seedlings to produce biodiesel, Yokoyama said. "We're thinking of electricity," he said of the energy goal. Others are thinking of the crop, too. Jatropha curcas is now being grown in India, Africa, South America and Asia, he said. "We're ahead of them," Yokoyama said, adding an internationally known biogenetic engineer has been hired to help with the Hilo operation. Yokoyama said cloning the best plants and then growing them should result in two to three harvests a year, compared with a single crop in other countries. "We're getting inquiries from Italy, Germany (and) Spain, you know, for our improved Jatropha seedlings, and we're going to export that in flasks -- small seedlings in flasks -- so the market is worldwide now," he said. The operation is expected to create employment for 15 culture laboratory technicians, five field-researcher technicians, 30 laboratory and field-equipment operators and 20 field workers. Yokoyama said he hopes to hire welfare recipients, noting he's already working with the state Department of Human Services to find candidates. He's also expecting $240,000 that this year's state Legislature approved for the research project. "It's going to be released by Oct. 31," Yokoyama said of the money awaiting Gov. Linda Lingle's signature before it may be spent. "I got 'em in writing."
• 2007.12.12 - Financial Times, Shell bets on algae to make biodiesel
  • Shell hopes to build a commercial plant producing biodiesel from algae in two years' time, following the launch yesterday of a joint venture with Hawaii-based HR Biopetroleum to develop a research project in Hawaii.
• 2008.01.23
  • There is a bill in the State House of Representatives, HB3442, to grant HCEOC $500k or so for: "renewable energy project ..establish an assembly plant to fabricate components to build rechargeable, battery-powered automobiles, or vehicles operated without an internal combustion engine, gasoline tank, or radiator that will run silently at a speed of sixty miles per hour, and will require a battery replacement only once everyone hundred and twenty miles. The project shall also assemble three-kilowatt-hour electric power storage batteries that will incorporate the rechargeable battery and solar thermal energy that will simultaneously provide power and hot water for household use."  HB3442_Status
• 2008.02.28 - Ha Ha Ha blog
  • "There was a talk on jatropha this week—its use for biodiesel, and its place as part of the solution to importing oil for transportation. We were told about a company working on cloning a high-yielding jatropha plant that is uniform in stature, so it lends itself to mechanical harvesting. They have plans to grow millions of jatropha plants. The speaker said Kamehameha Schools is planting 2,500 acres of jatropha plants in Ka’u. He said there are 130,000 acres of land on the Big Island suitable for jatropha cultivation."

Blogs

• http://pacbiofuel.blogspot.com/ is based in Fiji, covers the whole pacific, but occasionally mentions Hawai'i.
• http://biopact.com/ is global, but also sometimes mentions Hawai'i.
• http://kauaian.net/blog/ is SusHi on Kaua'i.
• http://hahaha.hamakuasprings.com/ is Richard Ha, successful tomato farmer and cool guy, interested in sustainability, but skeptical of the economics of biofuels for farmers.

Other Companies & Organizations

• BlueEarth Biofuels and Pacific Biodiesel are two different large companies that build and operate plants.
• Aloha Green LLC is a nursery business in Onomea, with a mission "to serve as a positive catalyst for economic-sustainability and revitalization of the Village communities along the Hamakua Coastal Region".
• HCEOC (Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council)
  • No website. Are they state-wide or just Hawai'i County? They regularly receive large grants from the State government to set up programs, often to give jobs to the unemployed and welfare recipients.
  • 47 Rainbow Dr Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 961-2681, George Yokoyama is at hceocgy@hawaii.rr.com

Wood

• How about just burning wood/biomass super-cleanly at the household level, with gasification?
• woodgas.com sells a small unit for $55, but it seems underpowered and meant for camping, not serious household use.
• Who sells serious household gasification units?