Toyota Motor Corporation has begun short-term rental of the Plug-in Prius (Prius PHV) from a Toyota rental and leasing company in Nagasaki prefecture, Japan. (Earlier post.)

Two vehicles will be available in the city of Goto. Rental fees will be:

• ¥8,400 (US$96) for up to six hours
• ¥9,450 (US$108) for up to 12 hours
• ¥11,550 (US$131) for up to 24 hours
• ¥9,450 (US$108) for each additional day

The Prius PHV can be recharged from a household power supply, and offers electric range of 23.4 km (14.5 miles) on the JC08 cycle.

The Nikkei reports that Itochu Corp. is participating in a project to extract lithium from the produced water from geothermal power generation at a site in California.

Itochu has taken a roughly 20% stake in Simbol Mining Corp., a company founded in 2007 to produce commodity minerals and metals—specifically lithium, manganese, and zinc—from geothermal, oil and gas, and other brines. Itochu has obtained exclusive sales rights for Asia, except for India, according to the report.

The lithium will be produced at geothermal power facilities near the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley region of Southern California. The lithium will be extracted from water geothermally heated underground and used for power generation. The lithium will be ready for shipment after undergoing dehydration and concentration processes.

The project will target annual production of 16,000 tons, or nearly 20% of the current global output, after three to four years.

Itochu is also an investor in Li-ion battery manufacturer Ener1. (Earlier post.)

Researchers at North Carolina State University are developing an ozone-based pre-treatment technique (ozonolysis) to release sugars from the energy grass miscanthus for production into renewable fuels or chemicals with minimal generation of chemical waste streams and degradation of the carbohydrate components.

Breaking down lignin—the woody, protective material that provides structural support. for plants—is an essential first step for processes that use the plant’s component carbohydrates. At present, pretreatment techniques include physical, chemical, physicochemical and/or biological
methods such as steam explosion; hot water extraction; sulfuric acid; sodium hydroxide; hydrogen peroxide; peracetic acid; ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX); and wet oxidation in addition to an emerging body of work on ozonolysis.

Following pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis turns the carbohydrates into sugars that can be then used for fermentation or other production pathways. However, many of the chemical pretreatment techniques often result in a significant portion of the plant’s carbohydrates being siphoned off with the liquid waste stream, the NC State researchers note. Producers must either incorporate additional processes to retrieve those carbohydrates, or lose them altogether.

Other research has shown the efficacy of ozonolysis pretreatment in degrading the lignin polymer but also slightly solubilizing hemicellulose content of lignocellulosic biomass.

Ozone is highly reactive towards compounds incorporating conjugated double bonds and functional groups with high electron densities. Therefore, the moiety most likely to be oxidized in ozonization of lignocellulosic materials is lignin due to its high content of C=C bounds. Ozone
attacks lignin releasing soluble compounds of less molecular
weight, mainly organic acids such as formic and acetic acid which
can result in a drop in pH from 6.5 to 2.

The main advantages linked to this process are the lack of any degradation products which might interfere with subsequent hydrolysis or fermentation, and the reactions occurring at ambient temperature.García-Cubero et al. (2008)

Exposing the miscanthus to gaseous ozone, with very little moisture, the NC State researchers are able to produce a carbohydrate-rich solid with no solid or liquid waste.

The NC State researchers are investigating the effect of ozonolysis as a pretreatment method under room temperature and pressure. Ozone concentrations up to 60 ppm at flow rates up to 0.5 L/min are being used to pretreat several varieties of miscanthus for varying times to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. The efficiency of pretreatment will be determined by measuring the reducing sugars generated after hydrolysis.

They expect that the results of this study will help in the development of a pretreatment process that provides higher specificity towards lignin removal compared than other delignifying agents/pretreatments.

This technique makes the process more efficient and less expensive. The technique could open the door to making lignin-rich plant matter a commercially viable feedstock for biofuels, curtailing biofuel’s reliance on staple food crops. Our eventual goal is to use this technique for any type of feedstock, to produce any biofuel or biochemical that can use these sugars.

—Dr. Ratna Sharma-Shivappa, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering at NC State

Sharma-Shivappa notes that the ozonolysis process is more expensive than using a bath of harsh chemicals to free the carbohydrates, but is ultimately more cost-effective because it makes more efficient use of the plant matter.

The researchers have recently received a grant from the Center for Bioenergy Research and Development to fine-tune the process for use with switchgrass and miscanthus grass.

The research is partially funded by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina and was presented June 23 at the 2010 Annual International Meeting of the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Pittsburgh, PA.

Resources

• Anushadevi Panneerselvam, Ratna Sharma-Shivappa, Praveen Kolar, Thomas Ranney (2010) Effect of ozonolysis on bioconversion of miscanthus to bioethanol. Presented: June 23, 2010, 2010 Annual International Meeting of the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Pittsburgh, Penn.

• M.T. García-Cubero et al. (2009) Effect of ozonolysis pretreatment on enzymatic digestibility of wheat and rye straw. Bioresource Technology 100 1608–1613 doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2008.09.012

UK-based Aeristech Ltd, recently secured £500,000 (US$760,000) with help from Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION), to further the development of its Hybrid Turbocharger Technology (HTT), a electromechanical turbocharging system designed to provide superior transient response—i.e., to eliminate turbo lag—in support of aggressive engine downsizing.

Hybrid Turbocharger Technology (HTT) uses a motor-driven compressor and a turbine-driven generator as separate systems. An intelligent control system manages power to the compressor. The separate components are connected electrically.

The separation of compressor and turbine enables a more optimal matching, and they can run at different steady-state speeds. The system can operate without a wastegate, using electrical energy storage to prepare for the next acceleration event.

Boost pressure is directly controlled by the ECU. The ECU also has control of back-pressure in combination with VGT control. This provides excellent control over combustion and a responsive, refined driving experience, according to the company.

Aeristech’s says that its technology allows the electrical power to be transferred very efficiently. This takes advantage of recent developments in electric machine design, power electronics circuitry, and energy storage.

Aeristech also says that its technology is well-suited for hybrid, extended-range electric and biofueled vehicles. Hybrid vehicles typically operate a complex engine start-stop cycle, where the rapid changes in air flow demand the level of control provided by the HTT system. Biofuel blends require control over the ignition temperature of the mixed fuel in order to exhibit fuel flexibility. This can be achieved by varying charge air pressure via HTT’s integral control system.

Fuel flexibility requires the capability to handle diverse air/fuel ratios, exhaust gas volumes, and mean effective pressures. The Aeristech turbocharger can cope with a variable ratio of exhaust gas to inlet air volume. By controlling charge air pressure, the Aeristech turbocharger adjusts an engine’s effective compression ratio and can control auto-ignition when fuel composition changes, the company says.

The funding round was led by Midven who invested alongside Minerva Business Angels Network and members of the OION Network. The Carbon Trust supported the initial development phase of the HTT system through its incubation scheme and Aeristech was also awarded R&D grants totaling £500,000 to produce a prototype that was well received by the industry.

Aeristech is now undertaking bespoke HTT testing program s with a global vehicle manufacturer and a construction equipment vehicle manufacturer for off-highway vehicles. Aeristech will use the new funding to progress these testing programs.

The motor industry is now seeking to bring the highest efficiency, lowest cost turbo systems into its supply chain and it is forecast that by 2014 around 75% of all European light vehicles will be boosted by turbo technology. We are delighted to have secured the investment we need to progress the development of our unique HTT system and our objective is to capture a 10% share of this market over the longer term.

—Bryn Richards, CEO of Aeristech

In February, Aeristech was the regional winner of a Shell Springboard Innovation Award with the judges citing the carbon savings potential, innovation and commercial credibility of the HTT technology.