How Green is Your Queen? Alcohol from Algae=AlgenolBiofuels, Burris v Obama & Reid
Stafford 'Doc' Williamson
January 05, 2009
It may not be a subject you have thought about a lot, but I have to confess I've wondered myself, hundreds of times: What does Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain do when she has gas?
Well, that subject may forever remain a mystery. I don't know, and I am fairly certain I would not embarass the poor old girl by asking if I did meet her. I can reveal that my father was once involved in a "crisis of state" (or at least of protocol) when Queen Elizabeth II was to visit a remote town in Canada, and according to the protocol officer the Queen's ... umm, tush, was not to come in contact with any toilet seat that had been used by anyone prior to her christening of it herself. My father had been in charge of airports for a large region of Canada, and it was expected that when Her Majesty's flight landed after the long trip across the ocean (this was in the days when she flew in a propeller driven airplane) she would need to relieve herself. Of course the protocol officer was not in contact with the folks at the airport until sometime shortly before Her Majesty's "touch down" so-to-speak, and it was feared that in the small town, it might not be possible to even find a virginal hoop of polished oak. Well, being the sort of hands-on, everything-must-be-flawless kind of guy my dad was, he had to fly out to inspect the installation when it had been made, and to everyone's horror someone had removed the maid's "sanitized for your protection" seal from the as yet untested handiwork. As I said, dad was a thorough type. He flushed first, then, saved the day by sliding the unbroken loop of paper back over the seat and lid just in time to dash down to the receiving line to nod his bow to the Royal as she arrived.
Now, why am I telling that story this week? Well, it's because the Queen is going to have a lot less "gas" in the future (though she'd be calling it "petrol" anyway). It seems that both the Rolls Royce limousines that are maintained (by Rolls Royce, of course) for Her Majesty are being converted so that she can use biofuels instead of petroleum based fuels, it was reported on the Autobloggreen website. This is all part of the Rolls Royce company's program to go greener, which is heartily supported by members of the Royal Family according to the original article in The Daily Mail. The company plans on introducing a whole series of new flex-fuel engines with 40% better fuel economy by 2012. The article also notes that Prince Charles has been on a conversion campaign of his own, such that at least one of his Aston Martin's can burn ethanol, and his Jaguars, Audi and Range Rover all also use biofuels. Oh, yes, for the strict purists in the crowd, those limos are actually Bentleys.
Since not all that many of us will ever need to worry about the fine distinctions between a Rolls Royce and a Bentley, it is not the kind of thing most of us pay attention to anyway. But I got a surprise this week as I was reading along about how the DOE had said this and the NBB said that, and that in the "Biofuels Act of 2006" it said ... and I was suddenly derailed. "Biofuels Act of 2006" mandated a 2 percent "coco methyl ester content", and suddenly I came to realize that the article I was reading was referring to something call the "National Biofuels Board" (not the "National Biodiesel Board" we know in the USA) and that although the DOE still meant "Department of Energy", it was a reference to the Department of Energy of the government of the Philippines. It did occur to me as I read the headline on the article, that the idea of the DOE "certifying" biodiesel facilities was something "new" to me, but I was deep within the article before I found the clue about "mandate" before I realized I had crossed more than half the Pacific Ocean. I wonder if there will ever be a GPS for internet travelers?
Some things puzzle me more than others. Okay, that's not exactly a shocking or newsworthy revelation, but then sometimes it is not how original the information might be, so much as how that bit of information fits into the world. You see, I try to keep myself, and therefore you who read my columns, informed about what's going on, especially on the leading edges of biofuels and alternative energy technologies. It interests me, and it is one of the main reasons readers come back to see this stuff week after week. So what am I yammering about with "newsworthy" or not? Well, it just seems to me that sometimes things happen in places that are a little out of the mainstream that go un-noticed. Things that may be praiseworthy, or noble, if not earth shattering in importance. Sometimes too, my ignorance of these facts can give me yet another opportunity to show just how vast my ignorance is, and embarrass myself yet again (without dropping my pants in front of Royalty).
All of that is just to say that I came upon an article written by journalist Ann Wallace in a newspaper with a 200 year heritage that I had never heard of before, The Leaf Chronicle, at http://www.theleafchronicle.com . Just as a curious side note, the photo credit with the article was to Greg Williamson, who was surprised by the coincidence of our having the same last name when I spoke to him briefly today. (I asked for permission to use one of his photos in this article. He passed a note to his Executive Editor, so we'll see how that goes. If I get the permission in time, I'll use the photo above.) One of the pictures next to the article shows undergraduate coed, Dawn Danielson at the lab bench, working studiously with a pipette, an erlenmeyer flask stoppered with cotton and percolating a crop of algae in the foreground. She is also quoted in the article about the experiments and classes of Austin Peay State University professor Sergei Markov as saying that their project is "unique". The other photo shows professor Markov with a very simple two tube photobioreactor (and a comparatively large bank of fluorescent light tubes) (that's the one that will be above if I get permission to use it). It shows that one "time honored" tradition still lives. The use of concrete blocks by university students (and their professors) for just about every purpose under the sun. In this case, a couple of concrete blocks provide elevation for one end of the pair of tubes. I don't know if that will impress the folks at the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, D.C., this spring where, writer Wallace says they will be competing for some US$75,000 in prize money.
Here's a very interesting company. Algenol Biofuels is well on its way to producing large quantities of ethanol. Yes, you read that right. They produce ethanol from algae. They don't seem to be much interested in the oleo potential of the little darlings, and they seem to have developed some devoted fans South of the US/Mexico border. Indeed Mexico has recently passed (recently is a relative term, of course) the Law for the Development and Promotion of Biofuels. Of course, fermenting and distilling ethanol from algae is not exactly a new concept. Indeed Professor Markov and his students at APSU do that after extracting the oils.
According to their website Algenol says that the basic process was invented by a Professor Coleman at the University of Toronto back between 1989 and 1999, and has since been enhanced to tolerate a wider range of salinity, temperature and other factors (especially the high percentage of alcohol they themselves produce in this case). Their website describes the technology this way. "The Direct to EthanolTM process links sugar production to photosynthesis with enzymes within individual algae cells. The enzymes are naturally occurring and are the same as those used to produce bread, beer and wine, thus pose no known risks to humans."
Now, unfortunately, one of the aspects of this company and its enthusiastic trumpeting of the Mexican government cooperation is that all of this happened back about the Summer of last year (2008). The actual Law for the Development and Promotion of Biofuels is mostly a long litany of rules and who gets to define what regulations with respect to biofuels carved up among almost every possible branch of the Mexican bureaucracy. Although the Algenol Biofuels website talks about being on target for 6,000 gallons of ethanol per acre "by the end" of 2008, and well on their way toward targets in the 10,000 to 12,000 gallons per acre per year by 2012, it may be a stretch for them to attain their expectation of commercial production from their Mexican operations sometime in 2009 as announced.
One quick political triviality to set aside today. The US Senate does NOT have a legal leg to stand on with respect to denying the Illinois Senate seat to Mr. Roland Burris. The prior US Supreme Court decision with respect to seating Adam Clayton Powell clearly defined that they are limited to judging the candidate's constitutionally defined fitness for the seat, so as long as he is of age, a citizen and breathing they pretty much have to accept him. As was pointed out during prior Presidential elections when "tie-breaking" almost fell to that body (before being pre-empted by the US Supreme Court) they may have the power to judge "elections" but not the suitability of an appointment, nor may they judge the "appointer" (as Governor Blagojevich has been called). Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Sunday news program Meet the Press that he would meet with Mr. Burris and talk to him. Some pundits are saying they [the Democrats generally, and Mssrs. Reid and Obama] left too little wiggle room, but Sam Stein on the Huffington Post and the Druge Retort agree with me that it is very likely he will be seated without much more fuss. It does no one any good to focus more time, effort and attention on this matter than has already been wasted.
However, I won't take the same tack with the withdrawal of Governor Richardson of New Mexico to be the Obama Administration's announced candidate for Secretary of Commerce. The "no drama, Obama" dictum should not be cowed by a hangover from the prejudicial pursuit of a Democratic candidate/Office holder by the already tainted White House meddling in the US Attorney's office in New Mexico. You will recall that one of the controversial firings (at the suggestion of White House advisors) was of New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias because he felt pressured by calls from New Mexico's Senators to initiate witch hunt inquiries into the activities of the state's prominent Democrats. It seems that one of those cold trails that was pursued after Mr. Iglesias' departure was Governor Richardson, and like a bulldog jaw locked to his pant cuff, it follows him to this day without any substantiation, charges or indictments. Yet, to avoid "drama" over his Senate confirmation, Governor Richardson has withdrawn. It is clearly the country's loss (even if it remains New Mexico's gain) to not have Bill Richardson in the Federal Cabinet.
A good friend told me recently that the daochienergy.com website is a confusing mess. I had to agree with him and when I find some time (or some help) I will try to get it better organized, though my layout skills are somewhat limited. However, I do think that having the information there is more important that a pretty package so I'll leave it up until there is a better version to replace it.
Love and warm wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com/
p.s. Our planned announcement of the Green Shift Logo program is now "on hold" due to some other corporate developments. Stay tuned.
Well, that subject may forever remain a mystery. I don't know, and I am fairly certain I would not embarass the poor old girl by asking if I did meet her. I can reveal that my father was once involved in a "crisis of state" (or at least of protocol) when Queen Elizabeth II was to visit a remote town in Canada, and according to the protocol officer the Queen's ... umm, tush, was not to come in contact with any toilet seat that had been used by anyone prior to her christening of it herself. My father had been in charge of airports for a large region of Canada, and it was expected that when Her Majesty's flight landed after the long trip across the ocean (this was in the days when she flew in a propeller driven airplane) she would need to relieve herself. Of course the protocol officer was not in contact with the folks at the airport until sometime shortly before Her Majesty's "touch down" so-to-speak, and it was feared that in the small town, it might not be possible to even find a virginal hoop of polished oak. Well, being the sort of hands-on, everything-must-be-flawless kind of guy my dad was, he had to fly out to inspect the installation when it had been made, and to everyone's horror someone had removed the maid's "sanitized for your protection" seal from the as yet untested handiwork. As I said, dad was a thorough type. He flushed first, then, saved the day by sliding the unbroken loop of paper back over the seat and lid just in time to dash down to the receiving line to nod his bow to the Royal as she arrived.
Now, why am I telling that story this week? Well, it's because the Queen is going to have a lot less "gas" in the future (though she'd be calling it "petrol" anyway). It seems that both the Rolls Royce limousines that are maintained (by Rolls Royce, of course) for Her Majesty are being converted so that she can use biofuels instead of petroleum based fuels, it was reported on the Autobloggreen website. This is all part of the Rolls Royce company's program to go greener, which is heartily supported by members of the Royal Family according to the original article in The Daily Mail. The company plans on introducing a whole series of new flex-fuel engines with 40% better fuel economy by 2012. The article also notes that Prince Charles has been on a conversion campaign of his own, such that at least one of his Aston Martin's can burn ethanol, and his Jaguars, Audi and Range Rover all also use biofuels. Oh, yes, for the strict purists in the crowd, those limos are actually Bentleys.
Since not all that many of us will ever need to worry about the fine distinctions between a Rolls Royce and a Bentley, it is not the kind of thing most of us pay attention to anyway. But I got a surprise this week as I was reading along about how the DOE had said this and the NBB said that, and that in the "Biofuels Act of 2006" it said ... and I was suddenly derailed. "Biofuels Act of 2006" mandated a 2 percent "coco methyl ester content", and suddenly I came to realize that the article I was reading was referring to something call the "National Biofuels Board" (not the "National Biodiesel Board" we know in the USA) and that although the DOE still meant "Department of Energy", it was a reference to the Department of Energy of the government of the Philippines. It did occur to me as I read the headline on the article, that the idea of the DOE "certifying" biodiesel facilities was something "new" to me, but I was deep within the article before I found the clue about "mandate" before I realized I had crossed more than half the Pacific Ocean. I wonder if there will ever be a GPS for internet travelers?
Some things puzzle me more than others. Okay, that's not exactly a shocking or newsworthy revelation, but then sometimes it is not how original the information might be, so much as how that bit of information fits into the world. You see, I try to keep myself, and therefore you who read my columns, informed about what's going on, especially on the leading edges of biofuels and alternative energy technologies. It interests me, and it is one of the main reasons readers come back to see this stuff week after week. So what am I yammering about with "newsworthy" or not? Well, it just seems to me that sometimes things happen in places that are a little out of the mainstream that go un-noticed. Things that may be praiseworthy, or noble, if not earth shattering in importance. Sometimes too, my ignorance of these facts can give me yet another opportunity to show just how vast my ignorance is, and embarrass myself yet again (without dropping my pants in front of Royalty).
All of that is just to say that I came upon an article written by journalist Ann Wallace in a newspaper with a 200 year heritage that I had never heard of before, The Leaf Chronicle, at http://www.theleafchronicle.com . Just as a curious side note, the photo credit with the article was to Greg Williamson, who was surprised by the coincidence of our having the same last name when I spoke to him briefly today. (I asked for permission to use one of his photos in this article. He passed a note to his Executive Editor, so we'll see how that goes. If I get the permission in time, I'll use the photo above.) One of the pictures next to the article shows undergraduate coed, Dawn Danielson at the lab bench, working studiously with a pipette, an erlenmeyer flask stoppered with cotton and percolating a crop of algae in the foreground. She is also quoted in the article about the experiments and classes of Austin Peay State University professor Sergei Markov as saying that their project is "unique". The other photo shows professor Markov with a very simple two tube photobioreactor (and a comparatively large bank of fluorescent light tubes) (that's the one that will be above if I get permission to use it). It shows that one "time honored" tradition still lives. The use of concrete blocks by university students (and their professors) for just about every purpose under the sun. In this case, a couple of concrete blocks provide elevation for one end of the pair of tubes. I don't know if that will impress the folks at the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, D.C., this spring where, writer Wallace says they will be competing for some US$75,000 in prize money.
Here's a very interesting company. Algenol Biofuels is well on its way to producing large quantities of ethanol. Yes, you read that right. They produce ethanol from algae. They don't seem to be much interested in the oleo potential of the little darlings, and they seem to have developed some devoted fans South of the US/Mexico border. Indeed Mexico has recently passed (recently is a relative term, of course) the Law for the Development and Promotion of Biofuels. Of course, fermenting and distilling ethanol from algae is not exactly a new concept. Indeed Professor Markov and his students at APSU do that after extracting the oils.
According to their website Algenol says that the basic process was invented by a Professor Coleman at the University of Toronto back between 1989 and 1999, and has since been enhanced to tolerate a wider range of salinity, temperature and other factors (especially the high percentage of alcohol they themselves produce in this case). Their website describes the technology this way. "The Direct to EthanolTM process links sugar production to photosynthesis with enzymes within individual algae cells. The enzymes are naturally occurring and are the same as those used to produce bread, beer and wine, thus pose no known risks to humans."
Now, unfortunately, one of the aspects of this company and its enthusiastic trumpeting of the Mexican government cooperation is that all of this happened back about the Summer of last year (2008). The actual Law for the Development and Promotion of Biofuels is mostly a long litany of rules and who gets to define what regulations with respect to biofuels carved up among almost every possible branch of the Mexican bureaucracy. Although the Algenol Biofuels website talks about being on target for 6,000 gallons of ethanol per acre "by the end" of 2008, and well on their way toward targets in the 10,000 to 12,000 gallons per acre per year by 2012, it may be a stretch for them to attain their expectation of commercial production from their Mexican operations sometime in 2009 as announced.
One quick political triviality to set aside today. The US Senate does NOT have a legal leg to stand on with respect to denying the Illinois Senate seat to Mr. Roland Burris. The prior US Supreme Court decision with respect to seating Adam Clayton Powell clearly defined that they are limited to judging the candidate's constitutionally defined fitness for the seat, so as long as he is of age, a citizen and breathing they pretty much have to accept him. As was pointed out during prior Presidential elections when "tie-breaking" almost fell to that body (before being pre-empted by the US Supreme Court) they may have the power to judge "elections" but not the suitability of an appointment, nor may they judge the "appointer" (as Governor Blagojevich has been called). Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Sunday news program Meet the Press that he would meet with Mr. Burris and talk to him. Some pundits are saying they [the Democrats generally, and Mssrs. Reid and Obama] left too little wiggle room, but Sam Stein on the Huffington Post and the Druge Retort agree with me that it is very likely he will be seated without much more fuss. It does no one any good to focus more time, effort and attention on this matter than has already been wasted.
However, I won't take the same tack with the withdrawal of Governor Richardson of New Mexico to be the Obama Administration's announced candidate for Secretary of Commerce. The "no drama, Obama" dictum should not be cowed by a hangover from the prejudicial pursuit of a Democratic candidate/Office holder by the already tainted White House meddling in the US Attorney's office in New Mexico. You will recall that one of the controversial firings (at the suggestion of White House advisors) was of New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias because he felt pressured by calls from New Mexico's Senators to initiate witch hunt inquiries into the activities of the state's prominent Democrats. It seems that one of those cold trails that was pursued after Mr. Iglesias' departure was Governor Richardson, and like a bulldog jaw locked to his pant cuff, it follows him to this day without any substantiation, charges or indictments. Yet, to avoid "drama" over his Senate confirmation, Governor Richardson has withdrawn. It is clearly the country's loss (even if it remains New Mexico's gain) to not have Bill Richardson in the Federal Cabinet.
A good friend told me recently that the daochienergy.com website is a confusing mess. I had to agree with him and when I find some time (or some help) I will try to get it better organized, though my layout skills are somewhat limited. However, I do think that having the information there is more important that a pretty package so I'll leave it up until there is a better version to replace it.
Love and warm wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com/
p.s. Our planned announcement of the Green Shift Logo program is now "on hold" due to some other corporate developments. Stay tuned.
Print
Share
Email
