By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

REYNOLDS, Ind. — The power will soon be on for the small Hoosier community of Reynolds, using nontraditional sources of energy such as corn stover, livestock waste and even the town’s municipal waste.

On March 21, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Andy Miller broke ground on the BioTown Energy Park and the BioTown Technology Suite, taking Reynolds one step closer to meeting all its energy needs through biorenewable resources.

“Just 18 months ago, BioTown USA was a vision for our future. Today, we are taking the first step in making that vision a reality for the people of Reynolds,” Daniels said. “We could ask for no better partners than the BioTown USA (residents), who have welcomed us and helped us lead the way into the next generation of energy production.”

White County residents, farmers and entrepreneurs joined dignitaries at the new site in Reynolds to announce plans to build the BioTown Energy Park to include the Suite, as well as a Visitor Experience Center, which will share the story of BioTown through an interactive setting. It is fitting the Energy Park and Suite will be built in what is now a cornfield just west of town.

The groundbreaking event featured comments from Johanns, Daniels, Sen. Richard Lugar’s (R-Ind.) Director of Constituent Affairs Susan Brouillette, Miller, Indiana Office of Energy Director John Clark, Reynolds Town Council President Charlie VanVoorst and Rose Energy Discovery President Jodi Snodgrass.

Miller kicked off the festivities with a brief welcome and introduction of the BioTown project, including notable sponsors and supporters. “We are here to celebrate the progress and continued success of BioTown USA, and there is no day more appropriate then National Ag Day,” he said.

Reynolds was named the country’s first BioTown USA in September 2005. The goal of BioTown is to power the community using solely-renewable resources or biomass such as corn stover, wood waste, livestock manure and paper fluff.

A letter from Lugar commended BioTown as well as Daniels for his innovation in bioenergy and help in revitalizing not only the Indiana economy, but the nation, by promoting a sustainable future using renewable energy.

How it works
The Suite will link three systems for maximum efficiency, redundancy and versatility by using an anaerobic digester, gasifier and fast pyrolysis.

The digester breaks down organic liquid waste to form biogas, which is similar to natural gas. A gasifier will break down organic materials to produce a gas that can be burned to generate heat, steam or electricity, and fast pyrolysis will break down organic waste by heating it in the absence of oxygen, producing bio-oil and char (similar to charcoal, char is a byproduct of fast pyrolysis). The integrated system will yield methane, synthetic natural gas (syngas), bio-oil and fertilizer.

This system will require organic wastes such as livestock manure and corn stover to be shipped to the site. Most will be generated in the White County area from crop, livestock and sewage wastes. The Suite will use the digester, gasifier and fast pyrolysis, along with two generators, to turn gas from these processes into usable electricity, heat and fuel. In addition to the Suite, the Energy Park will feature a greenhouse to utilize algae and sunlight to help turn sewage into energy.

There will also be an office wing located in the Suite, which will include a lab and classroom. Reynolds officials plan to build a new municipal waste treatment facility to provide more biomass materials for energy production.

Timeline
The project goals for BioTown are divided into three phases. The goal of Phase I, completed in 2006, is to educate the community about biofuels and increase their use of E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) and biodiesel.

Some notable accomplishments, so far, include: a new fleet of town vehicles using flex-fuel or a combination of E85 and gasoline; nearly 20 percent of Reynolds residents purchasing a flex-fuel vehicle; and renovation of the local gas station to enable residents and visitors to fuel their vehicles with ethanol and biodiesel.

The ceremony primarily focused on the goals of phases II and III, which involve producing electricity and syngas from agricultural, municipal and industrial wastes.

Both phases will be complete when the Suite is fully operational.
VanVoorst speculated the gasifier portion will be up and running by the end of 2007. He said the entire Suite, including anaerobic digester and fast pyrolysis systems, will be at full power by the end of 2008.

“This is just amazing,” he said. “We are so excited about the possibilities within the new Technology Suite for the town of Reynolds. There is possibility for lower sewage rates, saving our local school, beautifying our downtown and an opportunity to make Reynolds a place where people want to come and visit.”

VanVoorst said the Suite will produce a handful jobs for White County, and most will come from businesses such as research and manufacturing companies which may be interested in relocating to the area. “This will bring new jobs and investment to Reynolds, which will help lower taxes, improve the infrastructure and enhance the community,” he said.

The Suite is primarily financed through Rose Energy Discovery, headquartered in Indianapolis. All $12.5 million to generate electricity in Reynolds will be supplied through Rose and other private investors.

“This is a monumental step for the Reynolds and White County communities, we are looking forward to using biomass and biofuels to produce enough gas and electricity to supply the entire energy needs of the Honey Creek township and 47980 zip code,” said Jodi Snodgrass, president of Rose.

VanVoorst said the town of Reynolds has supported this effort “full-heartedly.”

“Of course we have heard a few criticisms, and even I, myself, at one time had my doubts,” he said. “But Ryan West (ISDA) and Brandon Seitz (Office of Energy) told me quitting is not an option, and I haven’t looked back since. Director Miller and Gov. Daniels have stuck with us through this entire effort and at this point, I find it to be all kind of emotional.

“I’m not sure you could go to another town and do this; we are a very close-knit community, many of us are friends and together, we will to work hard to continue to advance BioTown onto the next level.”

Johanns complimented the work and ingenuity of the project.
“It’s no surprise to me that Indiana is making a bold vision a reality in renewable energy opportunities,” he said. “Tough problems have no better place for a solution than the Midwest.

“A lot of people can take notes from this small Indiana town. Here, you are turning local issues into opportunities, and America’s towns are listening. Your goals and outlines are clear: reduce dependence on foreign oils, create new opportunities in renewable energy and foster a cleaner environment. We all know that we can’t go on the way we are.”