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ZeaChem receives $233 million USDA loan
Jan. 26, 2012, Washington, DC - ZeaChem, Inc. has announced that it has been selected for a $232.5 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program.
Minister opens first commerical-scale NCC plant
Jan. 26, 2012. Windsor, QU - The Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, delivered a keynote address celebrating the opening of the new CelluForce facility, the world’s first commercial-scale producer of nanocrystalline cellulose.
Advanced Bio Heat announces new heating system
 Jan. 25, 2012 - The Advanced Bio Heat company has announced a new biomass heating system utilizing forced air furnaces.
Novozymes targets trash
Jan. 23, 2012, Franklinton, NC - America moved a step closer to making advanced biofuels widely available for consumers when the U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced a $25 million partnership with Fiberight.
Biodiesel process has 1,000 hr run time with wood
Jan 22, 2012, Durham, NC - After a rigorous testing process and 1,000 running hours, Energy Department project partners at ThermoChem Recovery International (TRI) have validated a process that converts wood waste into clean, renewable fuel.
New thermal engine more efficient than Rankine?
Jan 22, 2012, Port Severn, ON - An Ontario inventor has developed a heat engine that he claims is more efficient than the well-known Organic Rankine cycle, and according to the Toronto Star wants to test it out using waste heat at an Ontario cement plant.
Conference talks coal co-firing issues
 Jan 21, 2012, Copenhagen - Increasing the amount of biomass co-fired with
coal at power plants seems to be a relatively simple way to reduce
emissions of CO2. However,
co-firing does raise a number of issues, all of which will be topics at
the 2nd International Workshop on Co-firing Biomass with Coal.
Saskatchewan mill to put co-gen on grid
Jan 18, 2012, Prince Albert, SK - The CEO of Sask Power and the General Manager (GM) of P.A. Pulp have announced that the two companies intend to have the co-generation power facility at the local pulp mill providing power onto the grid by late May.
The future of garbage
Jan. 18, 2012, San Francisco, CA - Sierra Energy CEO Mike Hart was the keynote speaker at the third annual Pacific West Biomass Conference & Trade Show and discussed how landfills and garbage are the future of biomass.
Starwood Energy part owner in biomass plant
Jan. 17, 2012, Greenwich, CT - An affiliate of Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC, an energy infrastructure investment firm, has acquired a partial ownership interest in the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center from Tyr Energy, Inc.
Bowater adds 3.3 MW at Nova Scotia mill
Jan 14, 2012, Liverpool, NS - Bowater Mersey Paper Co. plans to install equipment to improve heat recovery from steam generated at its Brooklyn Power co-generation plant, according to an article in the Chronicle Herald.
Renewable energy sources showing growth
Jan. 13, 2012, Washington, DC - Renewable energy sources are seemingly increasing in prevalence by leaps and bounds, which is good news for producers and consumers.
Nova Scotia Power takes over plant
Jan. 13, 2012, Cape Breton, NS - Nova Scotia Power is moving ahead with a $200 million co-generation plant in a paper mill.
New integrated control system from Hurst Boiler
J  an. 13, 2012, Coolidge, GA - Hurst Boiler & Welding Company has developed a new high efficiency and integrated control system that can be used with all their existing products.
Chemical building blocks made from wood residue
Jan. 11, 2012, Amherst, MA - Chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a new catalyst that boosts the yield for five key "building blocks of the chemical industry" by 40 percent compared to previous methods.
Greenbelt provides equipment for Florida pilot plant
Jan. 10, 2012, Gainsville, FL - Greenbelt Resources Corporation announced that a subsidiary will supply the distillation and dehydration system for the $20 million Stan Mayfield Bio Refinery Pilot Plant.
Future Alberta biomass plant riding the rails
Jan. 9, 2012, Edmonton, AB - An Alberta-based company, Green Energy Solution Industries, is set to build a waste-to-energy plant that will utilize old and discarded railway ties.
Willow plantation to feed NY boiler
January 8, 2012, Geneva, NY - Prospects for meeting energy needs with locally grown biomass are heating up on a Cornell campus, where local buildings will get heat from the crop.
Cal-Bay moves forward alternative fuel plan
Jan. 6, 2012, Las Vegas, NV - Cal-Bay International, Inc. announced that the company has finalized the company's business plan along with the future direction for the production of "Alternative Fuels & Clean Energy" from subsidiary companies.
Nanaimo FP to sell bioenergy to BC Hydro
January 6, 2012, Nanaimo, BC - Starting in 2013, Nanaimo Forest Products Ltd. will be generating and selling clean power to BC Hydro.
Feds looking at more flexible coal power rules
 January 6, 2012, Ottawa - The federal government is offering the provinces a way to avoid tough
new regulations that would eventually force power companies to shut
down the country’s fleet of coal-fired power plants.
Finland set to open largest gasification plant
 January 4, 2011, Vaasa, Finland - According to a report on the British Gas client website, Vaskiluodon Voima Oy's 140-megawatt bio-gasification plant will be the world's largest when it starts later this year, replacing 25 to 40 percent of current coal use with locally-grown forest residues.
BP invests in carbon negative biofuel/biochar company
 Dec 30, 2011, Camarillo, CA - BP Technology Ventures has
made an investment in Cool Planet Biofuels Inc.'s C Round along with investments by the company's current investors, General Electric, Google
Ventures, ConocoPhillips, NRG and North Bridge Venture Partners.
Cellulosic targets less than 2% of original US plan
Dec 29, 2011, Washington, DC - According to a blog at www.globalwarming.com, the US government has dramatically reduced its call for cellulosic ethanol use in 2012 in recognition of how far the technology is from commercialization.
CHP biomass plant slated for Vermont
Dec 29, 2011, Springfield, VT - A combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant slated for southern Vermont will generate $15 million in local forest revenue, heat for a local business park, and 160 permanent positions.
NRC invests $31 milion in Alberta biodiesel
Dec 23, 2011, Lethbridge, AB - Canada strengthened its position as a clean energy player today with an investment supporting the production of biodiesel, according to a release from Natural Resources Canada.
Finns making butanol from woody biomass
Dec 23, 2011, Aalto, Finland - A method developed at Aalto University uses microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from woody biomass.
LEI Products introduces a green biomass boiler
Dec. 22, 2011 - LEI Products introduces The Bio-Burner a “green” biomass boiler which is proving to be the “Missing Piece” in the biomass burning industry.
Something new from something old
 Dec. 22, 2011 - What if there was a product that was
completely renewable, abundant, non-toxic and could be added to any number of
products to make them stronger?
NexSteppe raises $16 Million in funding
Dec. 21, 2011, Malibu, CA - NexSteppe has announced raising $16M in its second round of funding to help produce the next generation of sustainable feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products.
UK plans biomass plant powered by horse manure
Dec. 20, 2011 - A horse jockey club in the UK has revealed plans to create a biomass power plant run exclusively on horse manure from the stables.
Researchers create chemicals and biofuel from biomass
Dec. 20, 2011, Aalto, FI - Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have patented a way to extract raw materials in wood biomass for transformation into chemicals and biofuel.
Joint venture for cellulosic ethanol production
Dec. 16, 2011, Kinross, MI - Mascoma Corporation announced an agreement with Valero Energy Corporation to develop and operate a unique 20 million gallon per year commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility.
Largest biomass plant in the US nearing production
Dec. 16, 2011, Aiken, SC - The largest federally-owned biomass plant in the United States is entering final testing, and could begin production as early as mid-January 2012.
Canadian governments strengthen bio-extraction
Dec. 14, 2011 - New solvent-recovery equipment being installed at POS Bio-Sciences will improve its capacity to help Canadian industry and international clients bring new bio-based oil ingredients to market with reduced research costs and environmental impact.
Harris Group certified by Inbicon
Dec. 14, 2011, Skaeraek, DM - Inbicon today announced its certification of Harris Group Inc. as meeting all quality, reliability, and professional standards necessary for engineering projects involving Inbicon Biomass Refineries.
Enerkem raises financing for new Edmonton plant
Dec. 13, 2011, Edmonton, AB - Enerkem raises $15 million in project equity financing for its commercial waste-to-biofuels facility in Edmonton.
Cellulosic subsidies bashed in Wall Street Journal
Dec 13, 2011, New York - An article in the Wall Street Journal bashes US subsidies and mandates around cellulosic ethanol as unrealistic and outrageously expensive for the insignificant gains made to date.
World's first NanoCrystal plant opens in Quebec
Dec 12, 2011, Montreal - CelluForce announced today that the Domtar-FPInnovations joint venture has completed the construction phase and is starting operations at the first manufacturing plant for NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC) in the world.
Home heating bill introduced in US Senate
Dec. 9, 2011 - The United States Senate was introduced a new piece of legislation that, if passed, would allow US homeowners to receive a tax credit for reducing their heating bills.
Global Biomass And Waste-to-Energy report released
Dec. 8, 2011, New York, NY - Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Global Biomass And Waste-to-Energy Industry.
UM biomass plans suspended
Dec. 6, 2011, Missoula, MT - A proposed biomass plant located within the University of Montana-Missoula has been scrapped due to the low price of natural gas.
Rock Removal from Woody Biomass
The upsurge of interest in biomass-fired power plants usually is accompanied by an increase in curiosity regarding new methods for removing non-combustible, non-organics such as rocks, stones, sand and grit from woody biomass.
Second generation ethanol cost prohibitive
Dec 2, 1011, Kingston, ON - Costs for second-generation ethanol processing are unlikely to be competitive until 2020, according to a unique Queen’s University study.
Biomass better used for heating, not electricity
Dec. 2, 2011 - A new study released in the Environmental Science & Technology journal suggests that if biomass is used as an alternative to home heating oil, rather than as a source of electricity, it would be cheaper to reduce greenhouse gases.
BTEC diversifies Board of Directors
Dec. 2, 2011, Washington, DC - The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) today announced new members elected to the Board of Directors and Joseph Seymour as Executive Director.
E. coli engineered to turn switchgrass into fuel
Nov. 30, 2011 - A milestone has been reached on the road to developing advanced biofuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels with a domestically-produced clean, green, renewable alternative.
Britain's largest biomass power plant fires up
Nov 28, 2011, London, UK - RWE npower will start firing Britain's largest dedicated biomass plant at Tilbury in Essex by mid week, and full commercial operations are expected by the end of the year, a spokeswoman said late last week.
Algae biomass genetically increased
Nov. 25, 2011, Ames, IA - Scientists at Iowa State University have discovered a way to increase the biomass contained within algae by more than 50 percent, paving the way for surge in algae-derived biomass production.
Washington biomass proposal scrapped
Nov. 25, 2011, Vancouver, WA - It appears that after weeks of discussion with the locals, the biomass plant proposal set forth by Schneider Electric and Clarke County has been officially blocked.
Renewables becoming competitive, IEA
23 November 2011, Paris - Renewables are now the fastest-growing sector in the energy mix and offer great potential to address issues of energy security and sustainability, but their rapid deployment is also bringing a host of challenges, according to a new book from the International Energy Agency.
Paper mill looks for biomass state support
Nov 22, 2011, Potsdam, NY - A paper mill in this upper New York State town is looking to government for help as it continues its efforts to become more environmentally efficient, at a lower cost of operation.
West Fraser eyeing biomass plants x 2
Nov 22, 2011 - West Fraser Timber Company of Vancouver, British Columbia is mulling identical, biomass-powered generation plants at two of its subsidiaries in British Columbia.
Conference Board study backs ethanol
 Nov 20, 2011, Ottawa - The Conference Board of Canada released a study
late last week debunking several myths about the making and use of
ethanol in Canada.
USDA funds biomass conversion projects
Nov. 18, 2011, Halifax, VA - Deputy Agriculture Undersecretary for Rural Development Doug O'Brien announced that USDA is funding a series of projects to convert biomass to energy through USDA's Rural Energy for America program. (REAP).
CORE Biofuel Inc. produces gasoline from biomass
Nov. 17, 2011, Toronto, ON - CORE BioFuel Inc. announced that it has successfully tested the last step in its wood-to-gasoline process to produce high-octane, benzene-free, drop-in gasoline.
Biomass makes better chemicals than fuel
Nov 15, 2011 - In an article in the journal Angewandte Chemie, Esben Taarning and co-workers from the catalyst company Haldor Topsøe and the Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center (Denmark) argue that the most efficient use of biomass is for the production of petrochemical alternatives, rather than energy.
Kansas targets crop residue for ethanol production
Nov. 14, 2011 - The Kansas Alliance for BioRefining and BioEnergy (KABB) is working on decreasing costs for harvesting and transporting crop residues, for use in ethanol production.
OPEC outlook includes biomass growth
Nov 13, 2011, Vienna - OPEC's 2011 World Oil Outlook calls for higher average crude prices in the coming decade than those forecast last year, but also predicts a growing role for non-OPEC supplies as well as alternatives such as biomass.
Boralex writes off Quebec biomass plant
Nov 9, 2011, Dolbeau, QC - Renewable energy producer Boralex Inc. is closing the door on its troubled Dolbeau, QC, wood-residue plant by permanently shutting the idle facility and taking a financial writeoff.
Quebec's Boralex sells US biomass plants
Nov 8, 2011, Montreal - Boralex Inc. announced Monday it was selling its US-based biomass electric plants — including four in Maine — for $93 million to a New York energy company.
Alaska Airlines asks for local biofuel supply
Nov 7, 2011, Seattle, WA — Alaska Airlines will fly 75 commercial passenger flights in the United States powered by biofuel, starting this Wednesday.
50 MW biomass power plant for Texas
Nov 4, 2011, Woodville, TX - Gemma Power Systems has signed an engineer-procure-construct(EPC) contract with East Texas Electric Cooperative, Inc. for an approximately $165 million contract to design and build a 49.9 MW, biomass-fired power plant.
Three US coal plants convert to biomass
Nov 4, 2011, Washington, D.C. – Enviva LP has signed a contract with Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Virginia Power, one of the U.S.’s largest energy producers, to supply biomass to two power facilities in southeast Virginia.
Ontario to review FIT program, pricing
Nov 1, 2011, Toronto, ON - The McGuinty Government has launched a review of the province's Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) clean energy policy, appointing deputy minister Fareed Amin to lead the process.
USDA has $45 million to promote biofuels
Nov 1, 2011, Washington, DC - US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced payments for 156 advanced biofuel producers across the country to support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels.
One-step cellulose biofuel upgrade?
Oct 31, 2011 - University of Maine researchers have improved upon a centuries old process to convert cellulose directly to heating and transportation fuels. Is this the big break?
Spreading the Warmth
District heating is suddenly hot in western Canada. “Similar, yet different” is a good way to sum up the new projects in Prince George and Quesnel, British Columbia, and Strathcona, Alberta.
Heat, Power & Pellets
Combining heat, power, and pellet production all in one facility is a highly efficient use of biomass.
Manitoba university adds biomass heat
Oct 29, 2011, Otterburne, MB - A new biomass heating unit at Providence University College that burns waste straw and wood biomass byproducts from local suppliers to reduce greenhouse gases is now operational, Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux announced here today.
Following the US ethanol rabbit?
Oct 29, 2011 - A detailed opinion piece in the Weekly Standard tries to follow the US ethanol rabbit down the hole. Hang on - It is a wild ride.
Brazilian supplier to make torrefied biomass
Oct 29, 2011 - ERB Energias Renovaveis do Brasil Ltda., a Brazilian developer of biomass energy projects, will build a demonstration plant next year to turn wood into charcoal-like pellets that it will sell to European utilities.
BC community to heat pool with biomass
Oct 27, 2011, Sicamous, BC - Local officials here are looking into the potential benefits of bioenergy, including reducing the fire risk in urban interface forests and possibly heating public facilities such as community pools.
Finns to launch largest gasification plant
Oct 26, 2011 - Finland has announced plans for the world’s largest biomass gasification plant, a 140MW facility running mainly on forest waste.
Scotland favours tidal, CHP, not large power
Oct 22, 2011, Edinburgh - Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing made it clear yesterday that the government would favour tidal power and smaller, more efficient biomass combined heat and power (CHP) over large scale biomass power generation.
Report details pyrolysis and syngas markets
Oct 21, 2011 - A new report is available from UK-based Companies and Markets detailing the opportunities and growth in the North American gasification and pyrolysis markets.
SRC supports ethanol in Saskatchewan
Oct 21, 2011, Nipawin, SK - Nipawin Biomass Ethanol New Generation Co‐operative Ltd. (Nipawin Biomass) has signed a contract with the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to help complete its first cellulosic ethanol plant.
Wood residual power plant given OK
Oct 20, 2011, South Boston, VA - A power plant to run on wood chips and other wood waste products has been given financing and the green light in Virginia.
Virginia power plants going to pellets
Oct 20, 2011, Virginia - Biomass manufacturer Enviva has signed a contract with Dominion Virginia Power to supply wood pellets to two power plants that are being converted from using coal to renewable biomass.
Al-Pac to make bio-methanol in 2012
Oct 19, 2011, Boyle, AB - Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. has received $4.5 million in federal government funds to support the company's methanol purification project at its plant in Boyle, AB.
Biomass power plant slated for Antwerp
Oct 19, 2011 - In a move that would create a significant demand for imported wood pellets, the Antwerp Port Authority and Brussels-based chemical multinational Solvay have signed a letter of intent to build the first biomass power station in the port.
Old explosion gives Nexterra black eye
Oct 17, 2011 - It's hard enough building a solid reputation in the biomass sector as it is without getting blamed for problems you didn't cause. Just ask Nexterra.
Coskata hits 15,000 hours making ethanol
Oct 15, 2011, Madison, PA - Coskata Inc., a developer of technology for producing advanced biofuels and biochemicals from wood biomass and waste materials, achieved two operating years at their cellulosic ethanol semi-commercial plant.
Torrefaction plant ready to ramp up
Oct 14, 2011, Toronto - Topell Energy's Robin Post van der Burg told attendees at the 2011 CANBIO annual meeting and conference that his company's torrefied wood plant in the Netherlands will soon be ready to make its first 5,000 tonne delivery to local power generators.
Tembec co-gen project to power expansion
Oct 12, 2011, New York - At the Imperial Capital investor conference last week, Tembec CEO James Lopez reviewed green energy investments, including a pending co-gen project that may fuel future expansion.
China adds massive biomass capacity in 2011
Oct 8, 2011, Anyang, China - Biomass power generation has exploded in 2011, according to Charles, a sustainable energy blogger on www.biomass-energy.org.
Biomass power plant to create hundreds of jobs
Oct 8, 2011, Berlin, NH (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) - More than 250 people turned out for the groundbreaking ceremony of Burgess BioPower, formerly known as the Berlin Station, in Berlin, N.H., Oct. 6.
Wisconsin hospital installs biomass boiler
July 21, 2011, Coolidge, GA – St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin, is one of the few hospitals in the United States to achieve an energy performance rating in the top 25% of facilities nationwide, earning it the prestigious ENERGY STAR designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Cleaning up Coal Power
European utilities co-fire wood pellets with coal to reduce CO2 and other emissions. From about 1 million tonnes in 2000, European wood pellet consumption will reach 10 million tonnes in 2011 and is expected to exceed 100 million tonnes by 2020.
Landfill Diversion
The recent recession was unfavourable for many companies, but the BioFuels Recycling Centre wasn’t one of them.
Old-School Heating
There’s no smell of smoke, only a light pine scent from the new wood chips being unloaded.
All Fired Up
Kruger Products is showing off a new system that’s allowing it to replace natural gas with biomass energy.
Phasing out Coal
In late June 2010, the Canadian federal government announced plans to phase out older coal-fired power plants to cut the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Draft regulations are expected in early 2011, with final regulations in effect July 1, 2015.
What about Bio-oil?
Turning solid wood in-to liquid fuel sounds like an interesting concept. One way to do this is by pyrolysis, which involves placing biomass such as sawdust or wood chips into a reactor and rapidly heating it at extreme temperatures without oxygen.
Filling the Gap
From the roof of one of North America’s lar-gest biomass power plants, Wayne Clarke, the facility’s manager, surveys the huge mounds of wood fibre that fill the yard below.
Branching out for Fibre
The pellet plant in Middle Musquodoboit has an unusual history. The Nova Scotia facility began its life as a late addition to the former MacTara lumber mill, as a value-added way to dispose of sawdust and bark from the two sawmills.
Show Report
Faced with one tough year in the forest sector, the organizers of Wood Week 2009 wisely combined two key events and three sectors to allow the show to go on.
Advanced Biofuels
With all the talk about the development of second-generation biofuels like cellulosic ethanol, foresters and farmers may be wondering when they will be able to take advantage of this market by supplying biomass feedstocks.
Landfill Ethanol
In the race for successful commercial production of second-generation ethanol, Enerkem has chosen a radically different approach than most competitors. |
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