News & Events

Recently, it has been shown that all lignin in soft wood is chemically linked to carbohydrates and especially to the hemicelluloses by covalent bonds (Lawoko et. 2005). The main LCC bonds proposed are of the ester-, α-ether-, phenyl glycosidic- and carbon-carbon type. Selective cleavage of LC bonds will be essential when extracting hemicellulose mostly free of lignin in an extraction step prior to pulping.

In this study the cleavage of the phenyl glycosidic bond of a model compound, phenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, was studied at practical wood pre-extraction conditions. A method involving a combination of GC-MS and GC-FID has been developed to quantify the degradation products, glucose and phenol, as well as the remaining amount of model compound. Thus, the degree of cleavage of the phenyl-glucoside at different extraction conditions has been determined from three inputs:
1) The amount of glucose formed
2) The amount of phenol formed
3) The amount of phenyl-glucoside left.

The differences in the yields obtained from the three determinations will be discussed. The GC-MS analytical method is advantageous in that secondary degradation product, if any, are also identified and quantified, making it possible to determine the reaction mechanism.

Technical Considerations -The term "Biomass fuel" is about as useful a descriptor as "Fossil Fuel", but lots of biomass projects & project developers assume a degree of homogeneity that doesn't exist. Biomass as a fuel is complicated by: ash considerations, moisture content, supply consistency over the life of a project, competing uses & impacts on economics, emissions variation by type (fugitive and combustion).

Value considerations -- Most rules of thumb make implied - and often incorrect - assumptions about use. Many assume that the primary value is thermal. REC markets transform these economics. Cogeneration is often ignored. Technology assumptions typically assume wet fuel and compromised efficiencies-there are often opportunities to use other thermal sources to dry fuel

Market considerations. Markets are changing faster than conventional wisdom - this creates significant business opportunities. The ethanol boom has increased the value of animal feed while deflation of the US dollar has created significant export markets for all commodities - including biomass. Shifting landscape of REC and carbon markets - and the 2007 Energy Bill- are increasing the value of bioenergy and creating arbitrage opportunities. The general energy market volatility makes stability of biomass attractive, but there are very few "bioenergy experts" to capitalize on these opportunities.

Sean Casten, President and CEO Recycled Energy Development

Sean Casten has worked in the on-site power industry for ten years.
In 2005, the U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association (USCHPA) identified Sean as a "CHP Champion" in recognition of his leadership toward greater national use of clean, efficient, and reliable combined heat and power. He is the 2007 chairman of USCHPA and the founding (2005) chairman of the Northeast Combined Heat and Power Initiative, both organizations dedicated to advocacy before state and federal energy regulatory agencies and legislatures.
Sean holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, a M.S. in Biochemical Engineering from Dartmouth College and a Master's in Engineering Management from Dartmouth College.

DOE announced on Friday that it will fund the project, which involves a partnership among Red Shield Environmental, the University of Maine and American Process Incorporated. The partners will create, at the former paper mill site in Old Town, a near-commercial scale demonstration plant to make ethanol from forest-based biomass. The project will continue the research work being onducted by UMaine's Forest Bioproducts Research Institute and will move that research closer to commercilization.

Jack Cashman, Gov. Baldacci's senior economic adviser, will represent the governor at Tuesday's event, and the members of Maine's Congressional delegation have been invited, as have local legislators. UMaine President Robert Kennedy will share his perspectives on this landmark grant, as will UMaine researchers and students, along with representatives of Red Shield Environmental and American Process Incorporated.

The event will also include tours of the facility and information about how it will be modified to create ethanol from forest-based biomass.

This award is the largest grant ever involving University of Maine research and certainly one of the largest for any academic or research organization in the state.

With more than 90 percent of its land area covered by trees, Maine is the most heavily forested state in the country. Forests provide thousands of jobs, abundant clean water, critical wildlife habitat and a host of other benefits to Maine people. They are the foundation of Maine's wood products, outdoor recreation and tourism industries. They define the Maine way of life.

To celebrate the many benefits provided by the state's 17 million acres of woodlands, Forests for Maine's Future will host the second annual All Things Woods Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Portland Exposition Building.

Fifty exhibitors and a full day of activities for children and adults are planned. Admission is free.

The Chewonki Foundation, Maine Discovery Museum and Tanglewood 4-H Camp will offer woods-oriented activities for kids. Visit with live owls, see meat-eating plants and hear about other wild wonders. Bring a camera and have your picture taken with Smokey the Bear.

Adults can learn about geo-caching, spring mushrooms, backyard birds and much more. The Patten Lumbermen's Museum will talk about old-time logging, and "Timber" Tina Scheer of "Survivor" will demonstrate her skills with axes and saws.

Exhibitors will include wood products firms, conservation organizations, outdoor recreation  businesses, forest management companies and many others.

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