ARC Endeavors

ARC Executive Director Harlan Sands and George Philippidis visited the University of Florida to meet with Dr. Lonnie Ingram, Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Director of the Florida Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels. While there Sands and Philippidis also attended the Bioenergy Network (BEN) meeting, a network of State-wide stakeholders with technical and financial interests in the commercialization of biofuels (ethanol from woody biomass, biodiesel and biogas), a presidential priority according to President Bush’s 2006 State of the Union Address.  The BEN has been organized in close coordination with Florida’s Energy Office at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, whose Director reports to Governor Jeb Bush on the State’s environmental and energy issues.  The State energy bill (House bill 1473 and Senate bill 888) calls for $30M to fund State-wide efforts in renewable energy.

The objective of the trip was to put FIU on the map with regards to Florida’s efforts to become a national leader in production and utilization of biofuels.  FIU’s activities in biofuels are represented by ARC’s expertise and work in biomass conversion to power in Latin America funded by DoD; hydrogen production from Florida biomass (citrus peel and bagasse) via gasification funded by NASA; hydrogen production from water using photosynthetic microorganisms to be funded by DOE in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Assessment of Florida biomass availability using GIS funded by NASA; and Development of improved PEM fuel cells via membrane and catalyst research funded by the Air Force and the Navy.

The University of Florida (UF) is currently promoting a request for funding to build an ethanol-from-biomass research/demonstration plant producing 1-2 million gallons of ethanol per year. This kind of facility is deemed essential to accelerate process improvements and commercialization (at the scale of 20-30 million gallons) and will be available to all interested Florida universities for R&D in ethanol production technology. It should be noted that the State of Florida is the nation’s top producer of woody biomass with potential to produce 12.4 billion gallons of ethanol per year, an output significantly in excess of its current gasoline use of 8.6 billion gallons per year. In other words, Florida could satisfy all its transportation energy needs with ethanol produced in the State from its own biomass, consisting primarily of urban waste wood, agricultural residues (citrus peel and bagasse), and forestry residues. Interestingly, South Florida is the largest generator of urban waste wood in the State presenting FIU with an opportunity (thanks to its location and excellent relationship with the our Congressional representatives, local authorities, and local communities) to become the leader in promoting and commercializing the use of this locally available biomass for production of ethanol.

Given the current (and future) status of ethanol as the alternative-to-gasoline transportation fuel of choice, as well as UF’s efforts to secure funding for this endeavor in renewable fuels, FIU is discussing joining forces with UF and its international ethanol research pioneer, Dr. Lonnie Ingram, to become a frontrunner in a cutting-edge research and technology development program with national and international importance.

Our action plan consists of follow-up contacts with biofuels stakeholders to form strategic relationships with UF and other key players and pursue sponsored research in biofuel production. The benefits for FIU include additional external funding and name recognition in biofuels and a possible alliance with UF to jointly promote multi-million dollar multi-year applied research in the energy arena to enhance the nation's energy security and create high-paying jobs in Florida.