PRACTICAL STEPS

ON THE ROAD TO BIOMASS RECYCLING

Tools for the journey include being a visionary, taking stock of available resources, knowing technologies and markets, establishing partnerships, anticipating regulatory barriers and creating a constituency.

Part 11

Kay Martin

A DECADE ago, local officials took bold steps to create an en- tirely new infrastructure for waste reduction and landfill di- version. They did so at the iin- petus of statute and public sen- timent, and, a t the beginning,

with little practical knowledge or guidance. Indeed, the technology for large-scale mu- nicipal recycling and coinposting developed largely by the seat of its pants. There were stops and starts, and some splendid failures along the way. But eventually a functional system for the collection, processing and marketing of secondary materials took shape. The next phase of bioinass recycling poses similar challenges. The following are some practical steps to begin this journey:

OWN THE VISION Being a change agent equates, in inany

iinportant respects, to being a visionary. Looking a t a biomass stream that currently has little or no market value, picturing the recovery and conversion of this stream by technologies not yet on the ground, and see- ing a steady flow of these bioproducts to brand new inarket sectors takes a little bit of knowledge and, at times, a giant leap of faith. But, in fact, that is what must be brought to the table.

Grasping the vision ineans getting smart on new science and technology, and becom- ing conversant in the environmental and econoinic benefits of new bioinass markets. An iinportant part of this ongoing learning process is establishing contacts and a regu- lar dialogue with federal and state agency staff, university professors, and private companies involved in bioindustry research and development. This inforination flow is a critical tool in creating a inenu of new biomass recycling options that fits your local coininunity or region.

A good starting point for tapping into the growing information on bioproducts devel- opment is the U.S. Department of Energy's web site for the National Biobased Products and Bioenergy Coordination Office (www. bioproducts-bioenergy.gov). Soine states have also begun to develop clearinghouses on these technologies and products, and can serve as iinportant points of contact. Cali-

fornia's Integrated Waste Management Board, for example, has recently established a special site devoted to bioconversion tech- nologies (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Organics/Con- version) and a free list serve that provides subscribers with periodic einail updates.

Owning the vision also ineans taking it on the road. Information about national bioen- ergy policy and the potential of bioconver- sion technologies has not yet hit the radar screens of most solid waste management as- sociations and gatherings. Talk to your col- leagues about i t and give papers a t profes- sional meetings.

INVENTORY AVAILABLE FEEDSTOCKS Because every community or region is

unique, the first step in tailoring a more in- tensive biomass recycling strategy is to take stock of available resources. One approach is to conduct a comprehensive renewable re- source inventory, focusing on all potential sources of biomass generated within the area of interest. What are they? Who owns or controls them? How are they currently handled or managed?

For most jurisdictions, good data a re available for bioinass inaterials currently segregated for recycling and reuse. Since one of the overarching goals is to optimize bioinass markets , part icular at tent ion should be paid to the efficiencies and eco- noinics of existing activities. To the extent that inanageinent strategies for separating, processing, and moving specific types of biomass inaterials to inarket are environ- inentally and economically sound, they should be maintained. The recycling of waste office paper and corrugated, for ex- ample, though subject to normal inarket fluctuations, is generally sustainable over- all. Other biomass commodities, such as low-grade inixed papers, inay be less favor- able performers, and hence constitute bioinass sources that could be earmarked for alternative value-added processing and end uses. Similarly, where local compost mar- kets are strong, they should be optimized to enhance both the quality and yields of exist- ing products. Conversely, where such mar- kets have become saturated, consideration should be given to redirecting some of the feedstock materials to other end uses.

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The primary target for substantial gains in biomass recy- cling, namely the unsegregated materials currently going to disposal, are often less well known. Biomass fractions of the post-recycled or residual solid waste stream must be inven- toried by type, volume and relative accessibility. This typi- cally requires completion of a waste characterization study conducted at the point of transfer or disposal, as appropriate. In addition, a technical assessment of the recovery potential for these biomass fractions must be undertaken. Important local factors in this regard will be the nature of the existing solid waste infrastructure, the recovery technologies em- ployed, and the attendant costs.

The renewable resource inventory should also include biomass materials that may not currently be part of the sol- id waste stream, but could contribute to an aggregate pool of feedstocks that may attract a new bioindustry. This will re- quire looking beyond the materials that you currently man- age to what may a t first seem unlikely places. For example, are there agricultural sources of biomass, such as orchard and food processing wastes or manures, that are currently problematic or expensive for growers to handle that could be economically diverted to other processing options? Or, to take another example, an invasive bamboo-like plant called arundo grows wild in the major waterways of southern Cal- ifornia, and is creating an environmental and flood control problem. Could the periodic removal of this material provide a reliable source of biomass feedstock for a future industry?

Once completed, the renewable resource inventory will yield a comprehensive picture of the type, volumes, current uses, availability, and economics of locally generated biomass materials. The next step is to match these potential feedstocks with the best possible range of process and prod- uct options.

KNOW THE TECHNOLOGIES AND MARKETS Bioindustries capable of accepting biomass waste materi-

als come in many shapes and sizes. Some of the major cate- gories of commercially ready technologies, such as anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis, and hydrolysis, were briefly outlined above. But surveying the full range of bioconversion processes and potential project developers can be a mind- boggling experience. Moreover, because of the relative youth and rapid growth of these industries, it is still a "buyer-be- ware" market. In matching up your feedstock inventory with candidate technologies, product markets and vendors, i t will be necessary to do your homework. Proceed with caution, but by all means, proceed!

The information network you've established with academ- ic, government and private sector experts, and new resource documents, such as the BioCycle Guide to Anaerobic Diges- tion, will serve you well in this process. These sources can provide local officials with a beginning list of proven tech- nologies and credible firms. High on this list will be compa- nies that have research and development track records with universities or national laboratories; engineering process guarantees for their technologies; operating reference facili- ties; and sound organizational and financial standing. Get to know these companies, their processes, feedstock needs, and target markets. Visit their facilities, and invite them to your community to explain what they have to offer, and to meet their project team.

Finally, in matching your untapped biomass resources with new candidate industries, think diversity. One of the things the past decade has taught us is that markets are fick- le. An optimized system for biomass recycling is one that maximizes its market penetration and hedges itself against economic downturns by diversifying its end products. So think about multiple options -be they electricity to the grid, distributed energy opportunities, transportation fuels, soil amendments, or a flexible array of chemical products. In short, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

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ESTABLISH SYNERGISTIC PARTNERSHIPS One of the nuances of future diversion activity is that siz-

able portions of the biomass stream will be redirected to in- dustrial facilities that function, for the most part, outside the existing waste management system. Local waste managers seeking to catalyze these new industries must therefore look beyond the scope of their own agencies to identify other po- tential stakeholders and to forge strategic external partner- ships. These new alliances will, by definition, be both tech- nical and economic.

Technology partnerships are perhaps the most fundamen- tal. Local waste management officials may be expert in the engineering, financing, and construction of solid waste facil- ities, but less well versed in high-tech modular digestors, gasifiers, refineries, and other bioconversion technologies. Technical resources abound, both within and outside the tar- get community, but must be inventoried and pursued with the same enthusiasm as the feedstocks themselves.

A pool of expertise is available through universities, the national laboratories, non-profit research institutes, federal agencies, military installations, and industry. Some of these potential partnerships may be already framed by existing federal grant funding or technology transfer programs. Oth- er opportunities for matching talent, knowledge, and fund- ing to local circumstances may require some additional imag- ination and ingenuity.

In Ventura, California, the county government is pursu- ing two formal partnerships for initiation of local bioindus- try projects. The first is a federal technology transfer pro- gram Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy and a private company for de- velopment of a biodiesel production facility a t the local base. The county will assist in the identification and aggregation of feedstocks for the project (spent restaurant cooking oils and grease trap wastes), and also participate in fleet testing of the biodiesel fuels. The second ~artnershir , is with a non- profit energy development think-tank a t thglocal state uni- versity campus. The county will coordinate with the re- search center in the aggregation of local biomass feedstocks (agricultural wastes and urban yard debris) for an on-cam- pus anaerobic digestion power plant, and for other local dis- tributed energy projects.

Such partnerships typically create economic synergies among the parties. In the examples cited above, the biodiesel facility will provide the developer with technical assistance, a facility location, and feedstock supplies; the Navy with a source of biofuels for international non-combat applications; local businesses with a significantly cheaper disposal alter- native for restaurant wastes; and the county with a source of clean biofuel for fleet testing and potential future procure- ment. In the case of the research center bioenergy partner- ship, the university will benefit from lower onsite energy costs; the local agricultural community from a lower cost al- ternative for food processing wastes; municipal waste haulers from a lower cost processing option for urban yard debris; and the county from higher waste diversion rates, pursuant to the requirements of state law.

These examples illustrate how mutually-beneficial part- nerships can be created across disparate sectors of the same community or region to stimulate the development of new bioindustries. These efforts must be tailored to local circum- stance, but a re limited only by the creativity and en- trepreneurship of the parties.

ANTICIPATE REGULATORY BARRIERS When all the necessary groundwork of surveying feed-

stocks, identifying technologies and markets, establishing partnerships, and selecting project vendors has been com- pleted, logic would dictate that the lion's share of hurdles for putting new biomass facilities on the ground have been cleared. But, depending upon the prevailing state and local

regulatory climate, significant roadblocks to construction may remain.

All discretionary projects have to jump through a number of specific siting and per- mitting hoops to come to fruition. Bioindus- tries, however, often carry the additional burden of not being sufficiently anticipated by regulators. In short, because of their rel- ative novelty, there may be no neat little boxes into which these types of facilities fit in local land use policies or state environ- mental regulations.

Because of these eventualities, opening an early dialogue with the regulatory com- munity is key. Talk to these officials about bioconversion technologies, and make sure they are familiar with the inputs, through- puts, and outputs of proposed facilities. Jointly survey existing statute and regula- tions to identify potential barriers and per- mit streamlining opportunities. Determine in advance the remedies necessary to cure identified siting or regulatory problems.

For example, if you plan to develop an anaerobic digestion facility for the genera- tion of electricity a t a farming cooperative, make sure that your local zoning ordinance allows for the siting of power plants on agriculturally-zoned parcels. If not, what administrative or local legislative mea- sures must be taken to clear the way? Sim- ilarly, does the regulatory structure in your state address biorefinery facilities that pro- duce fuels or chemicals from mixed waste paper or yard debris? Should these plants be regulated by the state as solid waste fa- cilities, or simply permitted locally, as oth- er heavy industries?

Officials a t the California Integrated Waste Management Board are attempting to get a jump on such issues by sponsoring stakeholder forums on how new bioconver- sion facilities should be permitted and reg- ulated. In Ventura, California, county offi- cials are convening an interagency task force which ill focus local a i r , water , waste and land use regulators on cross-me- dia permitting issues relevant to bioindus- try development. Such prospective efforts a t both the state and local levels will help to establish a receptive and informed com- pliance framework.

CREATE A CONSTITUENCY Advocacy both catalyzes and sustains

change. It is the driving force behind bioen- ergy initiatives and the voice for expanded production of beneficial products from biomass wastes. Advocacy is where politics, environmental goals and economic develop- ment intersect. To be effective, it requires both a legislative platform and a diversified constituency crafted to fit local needs.

The legislative process can be utilized to create positive public policy that facilitates and guides the next phase of biomass recy- cling. Make your state and local legislators aware of the National Bioenergy Initiative. Encourage their formal adoption of a com- prehensive platform supporting a renew- able fuels s tandard . renewable energy

- -

The vision of a bioindustrial economy is one of renewable inputs and recyclable outputs - recycling that goes beyond materials recovery into environmentally benign fuels and products.

portfolios, biofuel production credits, fi- nancial guarantee programs for bioconver- sion facilities, bioproducts procurement policies, and state or local permit stream- lining measures.

Moving from policy to action requires the organization and effective deployment of constituencies - political coalitions of par- ties with parallel or convergent interests. VC%o are the stakeholders that will benefit from the development of bioindustries in your community? What synergies can be cultivated among these potential partners that will secure their support and sustain their participation? Look for opportunities to enlist the leadership and integrate the ob- jectives of environmentalists; councils of governments, the solid waste industry, farm bureaus and cooperatives, economic derel- opment agencies, and business and commu- nity groups.

The exciting specter of a bioindustrial economy is one of renewable inputs and re- cyclable outputs - recycling that goes be- yond materials recovery and reuse to chem- ical conversion or molecular recombination of biomass into environmentally benign fu- els and chemical products. Municipal offi- cials can not only anticipate, but facilitate these industry changes a t the local level. E

Kay Martin is tlze deputy director of Public Works for Srentura County Ln Cal i forn ia . E-mail: kaymartin@mail.co.uentura.ca.u~.