Several recent successes indicate that Louisiana is poised to become a major player in the bioproducts industry, 10/12 Industry Report details in a feature from its new quarterly issue.
The advances were relayed by speakers during a bioenergy conference held by the LSU AgCenter in conjunction with National Bioenergy Day in October.
One successful bioproduct venture in Louisiana is Myriant, which uses sugars to develop bio-succinic acid. It opened its flagship facility in Lake Providence in December 2010. Mark Shmorhun, vice president of engineering and general manager for the facility, told the conference a lot of “great” things are happening right now.
“It’s been a slow process, but we’re seeing success with our product,” Shmorhun said. “Not all chemicals are created equal, and the succinic acid we’re creating is biobased; therefore, it is environmentally friendly.”
Succinic acid is used to make a broad range of products people use every day, as well as in pharmaceutical compounds.
Cool Planet Energy Systems in Alexandria is another Louisiana bioproduct success story. Vice President of Operations Mike Bukowski said the company’s focus is to “change the world for good.”
Cool Planet is a renewable energy and agricultural technology company that converts biomass into both hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. One of its products, CoolTerra, is a water- and fertilizer-saving soil amendment that sequesters carbon and offers other benefits to drought-stricken agricultural regions.
“The way CoolTerra works is that it acts as a virtual sponge to retain water and nutrients at the roots,” Bukowski said. “With reductions in water or fertilizer, CoolTerra maintains or improves total production levels.”
Richard Buhr, chief marketing officer and vice president of business development for American BioCarbon (formerly called NFR BioEnergy), said the company’s biorefinery being built in White Castle is slated to begin production in July using sugarcane waste to create pellets for coal-fired plants.
“The sugarcane pellets are similar to coal, but the sugarcane pellets do not contain the harmful gases that coal does,” Buhr said. “Our product presents an alternative to switching over to natural gas or to plants having to install new, very expensive equipment, because our material co-fires readily with no retrofitting of current infrastructure.”
Read the full story, which also features bioproducts from International Paper, Plum Creek Timber Company, Drax Biomass, and Brame Energy Center. Check out the full lineup of stories from the new quarterly issue of 10/12 Industry Report. Send feedback, story ideas and company news to editor@1012industryreport.com.
