Forest Bioproducts Research Institute

Red Shield Acquisition, LLC. formerly Red Shield Environmental

Old Town: Red Shield Makes Biorefinery Plans

The University of Maine (UMaine) researchers began collaboration with the Old Town pulp mill personnel in May 2007 for preparing the proposal document in response to FOA #DE-PS36-07G097003 formalized in a joint Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted by Dick Arnold and Hemant Pendse   The full proposal was submitted on August 14, 2007 with a subcontract to  UMaine.  The proposal was selected by DOE for award on April 18, 2008.  Profs. Pendse, Genco, and van Heiningen have been part of the project team since the Letter of Intent was submitted along with Dick Arnold, who was the Principal Investigator.

UMaine – Red Shield Acquisition (RSA) collaboration on the project began with a visit to UMaine on November 3, 2008 by the principals of Patriarch Partners, and the kick-off meeting with DOE at the Golden Field office on December 2, 2008. UMaine conceptual framework for conversion of hemicelluloses-rich wood extract (and cellulose-rich brownstock) into ethanol, butanol, jet fuel, and other diesel additives along with co-products such as acetic acid or levulinic acid was presented at the Dec. 2, 2008 kick-off meeting. A detailed report on research and related activities performed by UMaine staff from January 1, 2009 to July 31, 2011 was submitted to DOE on Award No. DE-EE0003364.

Amy Luce had been the UMaine Lead Process Engineer for the integrated biorefinery project team. Since June 1, 2009  she had been responsible for all aspects of the test sample chain of custody and analysis. It is estimated that more than 1,500 test samples had been collected and analyzed in two years. UMaine research team (Pendse, Ceckler, Luce) worked in coordination with RSA process team (Waite, Mattila, Luce) with Amy Luce paying a dual role on all mill trials as well as bench and pilot scale studies. Both teams reported to the project management (St. Pierre, Arnold and Harrinton).