Biofuel for Thought, Issue 5

BioFuel for
Thought
Newsletter of the
Roundtable on
Sustainable Biofuels
Volume 2, Issue 5
October 2012
1. Welcome
Dear friends, Inside this issue: Welcome 1 RSB Standards 2 RSB Steering Board 5 RSB Cer fica on 7 New Members 8 Projects 8 Stories from the RSB 11 Community: LanzaTech 12 Agenda Welcome to the latest issue of the RSB Newsle er! This is the last issue from the RSB as we know it: As of January 1, 2013, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels will become a legal en ty separate from the EPFL Energy Center. EPFL has hosted and managed the RSB Secretariat since its crea on in 2007, and the RSB Cons tuencies shall never forget the invaluable contribu on of EPFL to the development, promo on and implementa on of the RSB Standards. It will soon be me for the RSB to fly with its own wing. While this transi on surely cons tutes an important step for the RSB, the Secretariat did not reduce its work pace and spent the last six months working on many projects, from the benchmarking of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (Rainforest Alliance) to the develop‐
ment of an innova ve approach for the cer fica on of biofuels based on by‐products and residues, which should be finalized by the end of the year. Meanwhile, our Annual Report is currently available at: h p://rsb.epfl.ch The last six months also saw a fascina ng discussion on the possible inclusion of indirect impacts of biofuels into the RSB Standards. A er a public and a members’ consulta on, the Steering Board is yet to come to a consensus a er discussing at its last in‐person mee ng in June 2012. So far, the trend out of this consulta on shows a preference for the develop‐
ment of an op onal module for the cer fica on of “low indirect impacts biofuels” (LIIB), aimed at those companies willing to demonstrate their limited indirect impacts. This concept is based on a methodology jointly developed by WWF, Ecofys and EPFL that promotes produc on prac ces with low risk of indirect impacts (See sec on 6.e). Consider‐
ing the recent “leaks”, which were then confirmed by the European Commission, it seems that the legislator is considering moving forward on addressing indirect impacts. These new elements will need to be considered by RSB membership in order to finally reach a consen‐
sus. The conclusion of this process should be known before Christmas. Stay tuned! Finally, this newsle er will take you inside one of the most exci ng and innova ve biofuel produc on chain of the moment: LanzaTech. Follow us and discover how industrial symbio‐
sis is used to recycle flue gases into bioenergy, therefore avoiding any addi onal land use change. An insight on what the future of biofuels might look like? We are proud to count LanzaTech as one of our ac ve members. Schedule for RSB Members Consultation
12‐16 Nov – Steering Board consulta on Enjoy reading! on indirect impacts (TBC) 19‐23 Nov – Chambers consulta on on the Sébas en Haye, Ac ng Execu ve Secretary Screening Tool (Conserva on) and By‐products Policy 10‐14 Dec – Steering Board consulta on on the Screening Tool, By‐products Policy + other issues (TBC) BioFuel for Thought
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Newsletter of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
2. RSB Standards
a. Recognition of SAN Standard (Rainforest Alliance)
In June 2012, The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) announced its decision to recognize Rainforest Alliance Cer fied™ farms, which comply with the comprehensive standard of the Sustainable Agriculture Net‐
work (SAN). “This recogni on builds upon a thorough benchmarking process conducted by RSB and SAN, with technical support from The Proforest Ini a ve.” The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) promotes efficient and produc ve agricul‐
ture, biodiversity conserva on and sustaina‐
ble community development by crea ng © istockphoto.com/Mark Rasmussen social and environmental standards. SAN is a coali on of leading conserva on groups that Principle 3 (Greenhouse Gas) and RSB Princi‐
links responsible farmers with conscien ous ple 6 (Food Security). consumers by means of the Rainforest Alli‐
Rainforest Alliance Cer fied™ farms are now ance Cer fied™ seal of approval. able to access biofuel supply chains by receiv‐
This recogni on builds upon a thorough ing RSB cer fica on through a simplified benchmarking process conducted by RSB and audit process restricted to compliance verifi‐
SAN, with technical support from The ca on of RSB Principle 3 and 6, therefore Proforest Ini a ve to compare the respec ve saving costs. requirements of the RSB Principles & Criteria (RSB‐STD‐01‐001; Version 2) and SAN Sustain‐ The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and able Agriculture Standard (July 2010; Version the Sustainable Agriculture Network are 2). currently collabora ng to develop the inter‐
face between the two systems with regards The comparison of the respec ve sustainabil‐
to assurance and chain of custody aspects. ity requirements revealed that Rainforest Alliance Cer fied™ farms can be de facto RSB and SAN are both members of the ISEAL considered compliant with all 12 RSB Princi‐ Alliance, which defines codes of good prac c‐
ples & Criteria, with the excep on of RSB es for standard‐se ng organiza ons. b. Canadian Benchmarking
“In many cases, good prac ces, social acceptance or environmental accountability required by standards will already be ensured through compliance with law.” Generally speaking, a standard aims at providing rules for good management prac c‐
es and performances, especially where laws are insufficient to address environmental and/or social impacts. Nevertheless, in many cases, good prac ces, social acceptance or environmental accountability required by standards will already be ensured through compliance with law. The RSB needs to recog‐
nize when this is the case to avoid superflu‐
ous costs and efforts for operators. The pro‐
cess whereby RSB requirements are com‐
pared to exis ng laws is called a “regulatory benchmarking”. The RSB embarked in such processes in several regions over the past few years. In 2011, the RSB Standard was bench‐
marked against the legisla ons in the Pacific Northwest Region and a similar effort was recently completed in Hawaii where the RSB Standard is now being used to ensure that all biomass and biofuels used in the archipelago are sustainable. (Continued on page 3)
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(Continued from page 2)
As part of the projects supported by the Sus‐
tainable Biomass Consor um, the RSB is cur‐
rently conduc ng a regulatory benchmarking in Canada. The comparison of the RSB Princi‐
ples & Criteria with the current federal and provincial laws of Canada was undertaken by the Canadian Interna onal Grain Ins tute (CIGI). CIGI provided the RSB Secretariat with a thorough analysis of the laws, which could be considered as bringing similar results through an efficient enforcement as specific RSB requirements. © istockphoto.com/Rachel Kramer mandated a peer review by several experts from Canada‐based organiza ons, repre‐
sen ng both the private sector and the civil society. This peer review was useful to fur‐
ther improve the comparison made by CIGI and to accurately reflect the reality. This comparison will serve as a basis to devel‐
op guidance documents and checklists for operators and auditors. These will describe the requirements that are not relevant in Canada (for instance Principle 5, which spe‐
cifically applies in regions of poverty, as per the corresponding HDI/IHDI threshold) and the requirements for which demonstrated compliance with law is deemed sufficient. This will greatly facilitate the cer fica on process for Canadian operators. Such a thorough analysis is complex, especial‐
ly in a federal country where provinces are granted some autonomy in terms of how fed‐
eral laws are enforced at their level. In addi‐
on, the terminology, the approach to envi‐
The regulatory benchmarking for Canada ronmental/social impacts and the specificity should be completed by the end of 2012. of different biofuel value chains increase the complexity. This is the reason why the RSB Secretariat, in partnership with RSB Services, c. By-product and Residues Policy: Process
Over the past months, the RSB Secretariat has been developing a dra policy for the cer fi‐
ca on of biofuels based on residues and by‐
products. Residues and by‐products include a broad range of secondary biological products, which can be extracted out of agricultural, forestry, meat and other industrial supply chains, such as tallow, fish oil, logging resi‐
dues, straws, cobs, etc. The Secretariat col‐
lected the views from several industrial actors in order to be er understand the reality of these supply chains and shape a workable process, especially on animal fats. In addi on, the exis ng legisla on of the EU, the US and Canada was carefully analyzed, as it could be relied upon regarding certain aspects that are not covered in the RSB Standard (e.g. humane treatment of animals). In September, the Secretariat set up a work‐
ing group composed of experts from within and outside RSB membership to further im‐
prove the dra RSB policy on biofuels based on by‐products and residues. Once this work‐
ing group agrees on a dra , all RSB Chambers will be consulted in November, with the final approval by the Steering Board foreseen in December. © istockphoto.com/tshortell BioFuel for Thought
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d. Screening Tool – Revision Process
The RSB Screening Tool, an essen al step in is required regarding RSP Principle 7, is cur‐
the impact assessment process required in rently under review. As part of this process, the RSB Secretariat is collec ng feedback Principle 2, is currently under revision. from members on the current version, and During the first half of 2012, a group of social has set up a Working Group, which will hold experts revised the sec ons of the screening two conference calls (in October and Novem‐
dealing with “social” issues corresponding to ber) on the subject. RSB Principles 5, 6 and 12. They issued a number of recommenda ons to the Secretar‐ Both the revised social and conserva on sec‐
ons will be distributed to the Chambers for iat. consulta on before approval by the Steering The “Conserva on” por on of the Screening Board (December). Tool, which is used by operators to determi‐
nate whether a complete impact assessment e. Indirect Impacts
Castor plant. © istockphoto.com/
Photolinchen “The RSB organized a broad consulta on to decide whether and how to address indirect impacts of biofuels in the RSB Standard.” The RSB Secretariat organized a broad consul‐
ta on in 2012 within and outside its member‐
ship to decide whether and how to address indirect impacts of biofuels in the RSB Stand‐
ard. In spite of a large majority of respond‐
ents being in favor of adding an op onal cer fica on module for companies willing to demonstrate “low indirect impacts” prac ces (LIIB), no internal consensus could be reached on this issue. The RSB will decide on a way forward before the end of the year. Making a decision on how to move forward on this issue is especially important, given that policymakers are themselves forging ahead. The European Commission’s proposed amendment to the EU Renewable Energy Direc ve (RED) and Fuel Quality Direc ve (FQD) was recently “leaked”. Although the document is far from final (it has to undergo several layers of review and approval within EU bodies), it nevertheless makes it clear that biofuel policy in Europe has taken a turn because of the indirect impacts debate: the proposal suggests, for instance, capping food‐
based feedstocks and giving a clear priority to wastes, residues, and lignocellulosic feed‐
stocks. In the coming weeks, the RSB membership will further discuss the issue of indirect im‐
pacts and whether to introduce the LIIB (see below, Projects) as an op onal module in the RSB Cer fica on System. Jatropha seed germina on. © Ma Rudolf, RSB f. Publication of Annual Report 2011
The RSB Annual Report 2011 was published from 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012. These by the Secretariat and is now available on the include the EU recogni on, the first RSB RSB website. It covers the ac vi es of the RSB cer ficate, events, projects and more. BioFuel for Thought
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3. RSB Steering Board
a. Annual Meeting: Main decisions
“The revision of the screening tool will resume in October, based on addi onal feedback from users.” Canada with regards to legal equivalenc‐
The RSB Steering Board held its annual mee ng in Lausanne on June 12‐13, 2012. es. The key outcomes of the RSB Steering Board  Rainforest Alliance / SAN benchmark: mee ng are: Approval of the recogni on of par al  RSB Standard on Requirement for Adap‐
equivalence between RSB and SAN cer‐
ta on during the Start‐up Phase (RSB‐
ficates. STD‐80‐001): Approval of the proposed  RSB Policy on by‐products and residues: revision and extension. The dra policy on by‐products/residues  Screening Tool: The temporary version will be subjected to chamber consulta‐
approved in March will be used un l the on a er undergoing some changes. end of 2012. The revision of the screen‐
ing tool will resume in October, based on  Indirect impacts: Public consulta on and RSB chamber consulta on show a trend addi onal feedback from users. The Sec‐
towards the crea on of an op onal mod‐
retariat will propose a detailed process ule for cer fica on of “Low Indirect Im‐
and meline for this revision. pact Biofuels”. However, no consensus  RSB Generic Standard and the RSB EU was reached for the moment among RED Standard: Approval of the proposal Steering Board members about the way to merge them to maintain one unique forward. generic standard, which will apply world‐
wide. The Secretariat will further inves ‐  Consulta on process for auditors: Ap‐
proval of the proposed process. The RSB gate the condi ons for such merging and Secretariat is to provide the Board with a poten al issues in implementa on. bi‐annual report presen ng an analysis of  Country benchmarks (e.g. Canada): the queries submi ed by auditors. Approval of process for the provision of The full report of the Steering Board mee ng guidance to operators and auditors in is available on the RSB website. Sugarcane in Ethiopia. © Anne‐Sophie Dörnbrack, RSB BioFuel for Thought
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b. Transition to New Entity
“This organiza on will be registered as an associa on under Swiss law and should be fully opera onal as of January 1, 2013.” Biodiesel. © istockphoto.com/busypix
At the end of 2011, the RSB Steering Board decided to trigger the transi on process to create an autonomous organiza on, referred to as RSB Standards, to handle the steward‐
ship and further development of the RSB Standard. This organiza on will be registered as an associa on under Swiss law and should be fully opera onal as of January 1, 2013. Several members of the RSB Steering Board volunteered to facilitate the transi on pro‐
cess and officially cons tuted the RSB Transi‐
on Management Associa on (RSB TMA) which has now been formally created under Swiss law; they are: Khoo Hock Aun (Chamber 1), Mitch Hawkins (Chamber 2), Maarten Van Dijk (Chamber 3) and Barbara Bramble (Chamber 6), with Alwin Kopse, as Transi on Director. The RSB TMA has met several mes to prepare an expanded business plan and assess op ons for the legal structure of the new organiza on. In June, a formal le er of no ce was sent to EPFL sta ng the intent to launch the new RSB within 6 months. Over the last few months, discussions have been held among the members of the TMA, the Steering Board and other RSB Members, about the legal structure, governance and ar cles of associa on of the new RSB Stand‐
ards organiza on, which should be legally established as soon as these are formally approved by the Steering Board. Meanwhile, © istockphoto.com/wolv
the RSB TMA has begun the process of fund‐
raising for the new en ty, with several pro‐
posals submi ed and others in prepara on. The RSB Standards organiza on will have a similar governance structure as today, with decisions based on consensus among RSB Members. Please contact the RSB Secretariat ([email protected]) if you have any ques ons. Note: the RSB Transi on Management Associ‐
a on will cease to exist when the new RSB Standards Organiza on will become opera‐
onal (January 1, 2013). c. New Steering Board Members
Since March 2012, two new Steering Board Members have been elected: Gloria Viscon from the Inter‐American Development Bank for Chamber 3 and Helena Chum from the Na onal Renewable Energy Laboratory for Chamber 7. Congratula ons to both! The former RSB Vice‐Chair Kevin Fingerman stepped down from his posi on in June 2012, as he le UC Berkeley. The RSB thanks Kevin for his excep onal dedica on and wishes him all the best in his future ac vi es. BioFuel for Thought
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4. RSB Certification
a. Certification of Maple Energy PLC
“Maple was original‐
ly a pilot project for the RSB following the release of Ver‐
sion 2.0 of the RSB Standard.” The RSB is happy to announce that Maple en tled to a 20% discount on their licensing Energy PLC successfully completed the RSB fees for cer fica on. For more informa on, cer fica on process on September 13, 2012. please contact RSB Services! The audit was conducted by SGS (public re‐
port). Maple Energy produces bioethanol out of sugarcane in Peru. Maple was originally a pilot project for the RSB following the release of Version 2.0 of the RSB Standard, with an important support from the Inter‐American Development Bank, which requires biofuel projects to follow the RSB Principles & Crite‐
ria. Since this was the case for Maple, the company did not encounter major difficul es in the demonstra on of compliance during the audit process. In addi on, we have several other companies at different stages of the cer fica on process. Companies that are members of the RSB are Shipment of RSB cer fied ethanol from Peru to Europe. ©Maple b. New Team Members
The RSB Services Founda on is pleased to announce that it has added three team mem‐
bers since last April. Dr. Melanie Williams joins RSB Services as Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. She previous‐
ly worked at SERCO leading their Environmen‐
tal Measurements Group at the Na onal Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the UK for over seven years. Farmer and auditor. © istockphoto.com/
shotbydave Helena Tavares Kennedy joins as Director of Marke ng and Communica ons. She has over 14 years of experience and will manage RSB Services Founda on’s marke ng and commu‐
nica ons ac vi es, including adver sing, business development strategy, content management, communica ons, events, and website. Anne Uyeda joins RSB Services as Marke ng & Compliance Management Associate. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Envi‐
ronmental Studies, and a Biology minor. Prior to her promo on as a full‐ me associate, Anne worked as an Intern at RSB Services. Above all, Anne hopes to see sustainable business prac ce become a global priority, and it is a dream come true for her to work at an organiza on that truly cares about helping biofuel companies achieve sustainability. c. Auditor Trainings
RSB Services hosted three auditor trainings over the last months in the UK, the US and Brazil to ensure we have enough auditors able to help us in the implementa on of the RSB cer fica on system. There will be more auditor trainings scheduled soon, so keep an eye on the RSB Services’ website, where up‐
coming trainings and other events are an‐
nounced. BioFuel for Thought
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5. New Members
The RSB is happy to welcome the Public‐
Private Alliance Founda on and the Tanzani‐
an NGO SECCA (Sustainable for Environment & Climate Change Associa on) as new mem‐
bers. The Public Private Alliance Founda on (PPAF) is commi ed to improving lives through crea ng linkages with partners to help reduce poverty and help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. PPAF net‐
works with business, government, academia, the financial community, non‐profits, United Na ons agencies, Rotary clubs, communi es and individuals. SECCA operates around the Municipality of Arusha with the main goal of mi ga ng the effects of climate change and environmental conserva on in Tanzania. We also would like to express our gra tude to all our members for their outstanding com‐
mitment. The full list of members is available online. Please contact the RSB Secretariat if your organiza on is interested in applying for membership. 6. Projects
a. RSB report "Towards Sustainable Biofuels in Ethiopia"
“A newly published report analyses the Ethiopian regulatory framework against the RSB P&Cs and provides an ini al insight on priority areas for ac on.” The Secretariat has been suppor ng the de‐
velopment of sustainable biofuels policies in Ethiopia since mid‐2011 thanks to the finan‐
cial support of the Sustainable Biomass Con‐
sor um. Fuel imports account for over 90% of Ethiopian foreign earnings, while energy access is s ll limited, especially in rural areas. Looking at alterna ve fuels is therefore a priority for the current government, which is in the process of implemen ng an ambi ous na onal biofuels strategy adopted in 2007. A newly published report analyses the Ethio‐
pian regulatory framework against the RSB Principles and Criteria and provides an ini al insight on priority areas for ac on, including land rights and food security concerns. The report also describes the stakeholder engage‐
ment and consulta on process, which was a fundamental part of the work carried out during the development of the study. The report, which was produced with the support of a local Ethiopian consultancy, can be downloaded from the RSB website. Ethiopia: Pastoralist woman. © Helena Barton b. Sustainable Biomass Consortium I: Revision of the RSB Standard
With the launch of the implementa on phase (2011), issues related to the prac cality, ac‐
cessibility and cost‐effec veness of the RSB Standard and Cer fica on System are surfac‐
ing. While the RSB System is generally recog‐
nized as more comprehensive and robust than other op ons, it has to remain a rac ve and affordable for poten al par cipa ng operators. With the support of the Sustaina‐
ble Biomass Consor um and in coopera on with RSB Services, the RSB Secretariat has therefore launched a project aiming at iden ‐
fying poten al modifica ons in the RSB Standard and Cer fica on System, which would improve the accessibility and cost‐
efficiency of the cer fica on process. BioFuel for Thought
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c. Sustainable Biomass Consortium II: Brazil’s Biofuel Production: Challenges
and opportunities for sustainable aviation biofuels
“The aim is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the opportuni es and challenges for enabling a sustainable avia on biofuels industry in Brazil.” Boeing, Embraer and FAPESP have launched the Sustainable Avia on Biofuels for Brazil (SABB) Roadmap. The first mee ng took place in Sao Paulo in April. The aim of the SABB roadmap is to undertake a comprehensive na onal assessment of the opportuni es and challenges for enabling a sustainable avia on biofuels industry in Brazil. It will also recom‐
mend ac on plans for technology‐based, soci‐
oeconomic and environmental ini a ves. The RSB Secretariat provided support and feed‐
back on issues related to sustainability. To be er promote the understanding of chal‐
lenges and opportuni es for the developing Brazilian avia on biofuels sector, the Brazilian NGO 4 Cantos do Mundo and the EPFL Energy Center have planned three regional outreach‐
es in different parts of Brazil, from September to November 2012, which will be linked with the Sustainable Avia on Biofuels for Brazil (SABB) roadmap. The goal of these work‐
shops is to bring together producers, govern‐
ment officials, civil society organiza ons and companies to increase knowledge sharing about sustainable biofuels produc on, with a special emphasis on avia on biofuels. The first regional outreach took place in the Center‐west of Brazil, in Cuiabá, capital of Ma o Grosso, on September 17th. The state of Mato Grosso is the 4th largest producer and 2nd largest consumer of biodiesel in the country, producing 205 million and 950 thou‐
Workshop in Cuiabá, Brazil. © SABB Regional Outreaches sand liters of biodiesel only in the 1st half of this year. The workshop was very successful and brought together 21 par cipants from 14 different organiza ons represen ng civil soci‐
ety, trade unions and coopera ves of produc‐
ers, representa ves of the state government, research ins tutes and agricultural develop‐
ment and other stakeholders to discuss the development of biofuels and its expansion in Mato Grosso. The next regional outreach will be held in Recife, capital of Pernambuco, on October 22nd in the northeast of Brazil. The third and last workshop will be probably held in the South of Brazil, in a city to be determined, in mid‐November. d. SDC: Update on closed and ongoing activities
© istockphoto.com/dchapman
Thanks to the support received from the Swiss Development Coopera on Agency, the RSB Secretariat has worked with a team of experts to further develop the following guidelines for operators:  Guidelines on food security (RSB Principle 6)  Guidelines on land rights (RSB Principle 12)  Guidelines on water rights (RSB Principle 9a)  Guidelines for rural and social development (RSB principle 5) The guidelines, the RSB screening tool and the overall RSB approach to social impacts have been field‐tested by the RSB Secretariat, in partnership with local companies and independent evaluators, in the following countries: Mali, Peru, Mozambique, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia and Ethiopia. The opera‐
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ons visited ranged from large and well established planta ons to new business and various smallholders and out‐growers schemes. The guidelines are available for download here and the field evalua on reports are “EPFL is now star ng to available for download here. work on the topic of improving access to cer fica on to smallholders and suppor ng a number of roadmap processes in developing countries.” The Swiss Development Coopera on Agency has now renewed its funding agreement with EPFL. EPFL is therefore now star ng to work on the topic of improving access to cer fica‐
on, par cularly RSB cer fica on to small‐
holders and suppor ng a number of roadmap processes in developing countries. Ethiopia: Sugarcane truck. © Anne‐Sophie Dörnbrack, RSB e. Publication of LIIB methodology (Version 0)
In September 2012, EPFL, WWF Interna onal organize a public outreach on the LIIB in Brus‐
and Ecofys published Version 0 of the Low sels on November 14, 2012. Indirect Impacts Biofuels (LIIB) methodology, a methodology that describes certain biofuel categories with low risk of causing ILUC, namely: biofuel and bioenergy produc on from (1) Increased yields, (2) Integra on of sugarcane and ca le, (3) End‐of‐life products (waste), and (4) Unused land. “The LIIB has been designed with cer fica on and audi ng in mind.” The LIIB methodology was developed by WWF Interna onal, the consul ng firm Ecofys, EPFL‐Energy Center and other project partners, which included cer fica on body DNV. The project, funded by the Dutch devel‐
opment and implementa on agency NL Agen‐
cy, ran from January 2011 through end of March of 2012 and included a pilot test for each of the “low risk” categories listed. The LIIB has been designed with cer fica on and audi ng in mind. WWF, Ecofys and EPFL will f. ITAKA
We are happy to announce that the FP7 officially launched in November with a kick‐
project on sustainable avia on biokerosene off mee ng in Brussels. (ITAKA), in which EPFL is a par cipant, will be BioFuel for Thought
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7. Stories from the RSB Community: LanzaTech
by Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaTech
“LanzaTech’s proprietary biological microbe can use a variety of waste gases as a nutrient source.” “Founder Dr. Sean Simpson had a vision to create a process that operated completely outside of the food value chain.” Emerging technologies and con n‐
ued innova‐
on hold the promise of real solu ons to the combined challenges of improved energy efficiency and new renewable energy. We need solu ons which defy our current defini on of energy sources and how energy should be u lized or deployed and need to constantly challenge our assump ons and innovate to change the rules. LanzaTech is very much part of this new field of innovators and by challenging our preconcep ons of waste and energy sources, we see a future where access to energy is universal. carbon rich gas as a nutrient source to make fuels and chemicals. Founder Dr. Sean Simpson had a vision to create a process that operated completely outside of the food value chain and it was with real excitement and trepida on that the team worked to get the microbes performing consistently and with increased efficiency to turn this vision into reality. Scaling the technology: Today, LanzaTech has grown from watching over two small reactors, to having a state of the art research facility with over 40 bioreac‐
tors; a pilot facility in NZ and a fully opera‐
onal, 400,000 liters p.a, demonstra on facility in Shanghai, China both of which are LanzaTech, a company founded in 2005, with producing ethanol from the conversion of CO 2 people and a test tube of data, has devel‐ gas contained in flue gases produced by the oped a novel biological process of carbon steel making process into fuels and chemicals. capture and reuse. LanzaTech’s proprietary biological microbe can use a variety of waste gases as a nutrient source ‐ including waste gases from industry, which would otherwise be used in low effi‐
ciency electricity genera on or even flared as carbon dioxide (CO2). LanzaTech can also use syngas generated from any biomass resource (such as municipal biowaste, organic industri‐
al waste, and agricultural waste) and re‐
formed natural gas. However, as with many things, establishing control over the microbi‐
ology was not as straigh orward as it ap‐
peared at first glance, and many years of gentle coaxing of the microbe were needed to get it to do exactly what was needed. In early 2007 the company was s ll wai ng for funding and owned two 5 litre reactors in which to conduct experiments. These reac‐
tors were the most important items in the company and were treated like royalty‐with all 4 employees focused on making sure that the microbes were fit, healthy and consuming Demonstra on facility in Shanghai. © LanzaTech (Continued on page 12)
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In each case, microbes developed by LanzaTech have been moved out of the labor‐
atory to a bioreactor co‐located at an oper‐
a ng steel mill. Gas is fed into the bioreactor through a direct connec on from the mill’s waste flue gases; gases which would other‐
wise be flared as CO2. Sustainable Prac ce as an Opportunity for Business: Stuart L. Hart noted in a Harvard Business Review ar cle, “Rarely is greening linked to strategy or technology development, and as a result, many companies fail to recognize opportuni es of poten ally staggering pro‐
por ons.” LanzaTech is working with a number of Global Fortune 500 Companies who have recognized the opportunity of linking ‘greening’ and sustainable prac ces to their core strategy. The LanzaTech pla orm offers an industrial symbiosis never contemplated previously. Steel mills for example, could be producing not only the raw materials needed for con‐
struc on of vehicles, but could be producing low carbon fuels for them as well. LanzaTech, a member of the RSB since 2011 is commi ed to working with the RSB’s Global Sustainability Standard and Cer fica on System for biofuel produc on as it is an important step in ensuring accountability when developing novel technologies for a clean energy future. We need to find com‐
mon ground when understanding the impact new technologies can have on not only our environment but also our society and econo‐
my. The RSB is able to address these issues with a credible cer fica on system that supports these goals. Agenda
The RSB will be speaking or organizing side events during the following conferences. Please contact the Secretariat for more informa on. We strongly encourage you to a end the following major events: 

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ISEAL Credibility Principles Public Consulta on: Sep. 3‐Dec. 7, 2012 (online, workshops etc.) Argus European Biofuels and Feedstocks Trading: London (UK), Oct. 23‐24, 2012 Biofuels Interna onal 2012 Conference: Antwerp (Belgium), Nov. 21‐22, 2012 Atelier sur les poli ques publiques en faveur des biocarburants à base de Jatropha: Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Nov. 26‐29, 2012 © Anne‐Sophie Dörnbrack, RSB ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS EPFL ‐ Energy Center Sta on 5 | 1015 Lausanne Switzerland Email: [email protected] Telephone: +41 21 693 00 45 Fax: +41 21 693 00 00 We’re on the Web!
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The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels is an interna onal ini a ve coordinated by the Energy Center of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Swit‐
zerland. RSB brings together farmers, companies, non‐governmental organiza ons, experts, governments, and inter‐governmental agencies concerned with ensuring the sustainability of biofuels produc on and processing. The RSB has developed a third‐party cer fica on system for biofuels sustainability stand‐
ards, encompassing environmental, social and economic principles and criteria through an open, transparent, and mul ‐stakeholder process. Par cipa on in the RSB is open to any organiza on working in a field relevant to biofuels sustainability. RSB Secretariat Staff: Sébas en Haye ‐ Execu ve Secretary (Ac ng) Elisa Calcaterra ‐ Manager, Transparency & Social Affairs Victoria Junquera ‐ Manager, Science & Technology Anne‐Sophie Dörnbrack ‐ Manager, Projects and Partnerships Elisabeth Bato ‐ Administra on Manager Samira Ben Mansour ‐ Administra on To subscribe or unsubscribe to our mailings, please contact [email protected]. Permission is granted to reprint the content of this newsle er, provided proper a ribu on to the RSB/Energy Center/EPFL is made. © Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, Lausanne, Switzerland BioFuel for Thought is published twice a year by The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB).