North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Aggie Digital Collections and Scholarship Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2014 A Distributed Model Of Oilseed Biorefining, Via Integrated Industrial Ecology Exchanges Jeremy C. Ferrell North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.library.ncat.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Ferrell, Jeremy C., "A Distributed Model Of Oilseed Biorefining, Via Integrated Industrial Ecology Exchanges" (2014). Dissertations. 65. https://digital.library.ncat.edu/dissertations/65 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Aggie Digital Collections and Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Aggie Digital Collections and Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Distributed Model of Oilseed Biorefining, via Integrated Industrial Ecology Exchanges Jeremy C. Ferrell North Carolina A&T State University A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department: Energy and Environmental Systems Major: Energy and Environmental Systems Major Professor: Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi Greensboro, North Carolina 2014 i The Graduate School North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University This is to certify that the Doctoral Dissertation of Jeremy C. Ferrell has met the dissertation requirements of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Greensboro, North Carolina 2014 Approved by: Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi Dr. Lyubov Kurkalova Major Professor Committee Member Dr. Lijun Wang Dr. Jeff Ramsdell Committee Member Committee Member Dr. Keith Schimmel Dr. Sanjiv Sarin Department Chair Dean, The Graduate School ii © Copyright by Jeremy C. Ferrell 2014 iii Biographical Sketch Jeremy C. Ferrell was born in Oakland, California March 4th, 1976. He was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina where he attended primary and secondary schools and was influenced by his father’s interest in renewable energy, having had a small wind turbine and solar thermal panels on the family’s home. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Ecosystem Assessment from North Carolina State University in 1999. He worked for the National Parks Service at Grand Canyon before serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural eastern Paraguay from 2000 to 2003. In 2004 he continued work in agroforestry development in Paraguay with GTZ where he was exposed to vegetable oil as a diesel fuel substitute in a permaculture course in Brazil and began to research agroforestry systems with mbokaya palm as a biofuel feedstock. Upon returning to the US, Jeremy entered a Master’s program at Appalachian State University’s Appropriate Technology program and took on a leadership role in an innovative closed-loop biodiesel project. Jeremy completed his Masters in 2007 and continued working on grant-funded biofuel projects through Appalachian Energy Center. Jeremy joined North Carolina A&T State University in 2009 to pursue a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Systems. He set out to use the emerging EcoComplex Biorefinery facility that he managed for the empirical side of his research. Jeremy continued to work at the EcoComplex throughout his time as a student. While a student, Jeremy participated as a Fulbright Fellow for the first Biofuels Technology Short Course in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also won an award for the FOCUSS ADM Biofuels Business Idea Competition. He is a member of the International Society of Industrial Ecology. After completing his Ph.D. degree, Jeremy intends to pursue a teaching career in academia and continue to research renewable energy and sustainable technologies. iv Dedication I would like to dedicate the fruits of this long journey to my supportive family and especially to my wife Katie, who shares my fiery passion for sustainability, and for her tireless support, understanding, and love throughout. v Acknowledgements I would first like to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to pursue this endeavor. The experience has been a tremendous blessing and a period of incredible personal development and growth, learning about my research topic as well as discovering my own abilities. I would like to sincerely thank and express my deep appreciation for all my dissertation committee members for their guidance, feedback, and support. I am grateful for having a Major Professor like Dr. Ghasem Shahbazi whose leadership and strength in content has greatly fortified my work. Dr. Keith Schimmel has been a pillar of support throughout, facilitating all aspects of the doctoral process and teaching the core of Energy and Environmental Systems program. He is an outstanding role model and mentor. I am also grateful for Drs. Luba Kurkalova and Lijun Wang who have provided their gracious support and invaluable assistance on the most technical aspects of my research. And to Dr. Jeff Ramsdell, committee member, Director of the Appalachian State University Energy Center, and mentor since my Master’s program, for his enduring support. My special thanks go to Barry Edwards and the staff of Utilities and Engineering at Catawba County for their support, encouragement, and commitment to blazing a trail for civic-scale industrial ecology. vi Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xiv Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... xvi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Proposed Solution: Distributed Biorefineries .................................................................... 6 1.2 Study Site: The NC EcoComplex ...................................................................................... 7 1.3 Dissertation Objectives ...................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Organization of the Dissertation ........................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 2 Literature Review ................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Industrial Ecology ............................................................................................................ 10 2.1.1 IE Principles. ......................................................................................................... 10 2.1.2 Applying Ecology to Industrial Systems. .............................................................. 12 2.1.3 Eco-Industrial Parks. ............................................................................................. 15 2.2 Biorefining ....................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.1 Biorefinery Process Technologies. ........................................................................ 18 2.2.2 Oilseed Biorefining ............................................................................................... 19 2.2.2.1. Tranesterification of Vegetable Oils. ......................................................... 21 2.2.2.1.1 Biodiesel Advantages and Disadvantages. ........................................ 23 2.3 Biodiesel: Historical Background, Policy, and State of Commercialization ................... 24 2.3.1 Historical Context of Biodiesel. ............................................................................ 24 2.3.2 US Policy Background. ......................................................................................... 26 2.3.3 State of Commercialization ................................................................................... 28 vii 2.3.3.1 State of the Art. ........................................................................................... 30 2.4 Critiques of Biofuels ........................................................................................................ 31 2.4.1 Food vs. Fuel. ........................................................................................................ 32 2.4.2 Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC). ....................................................................... 33 2.4.3 Energy Balance. ..................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 3 The Catawba County NC EcoComplex: County Government Led EIP Development using Municipal Biomass Resources for Clean Energy Production....................... 36 3.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 36 3.2 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.1 Industrial Ecology. ................................................................................................ 37 3.2.2 NC