Feb. 21, 2019 - The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) held the workshop Silo Fires – Prevention and Response at the Prince George, B.C., civic centre on Feb. 14. This workshop was produced in co-operation with WorkSafeBC and media partner Canadian Biomass. Sixty-five participants included pellet plant operators, maintenance personnel, and representatives from insurance companies, universities, fire detection equipment suppliers, and WorkSafeBC. Notably, a large contingent of fire-rescue personnel from Prince George and Quesnel participated too.

Feb. 19, 2019 - At the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), we advocate on behalf of our membership. Here are some of our recent activities:

Feb. 12, 2019 - Pinnacle Renewable Energy announced yesterday that operations at its wood pellet production facility in Entwistle, Alta., have been temporarily suspended.

Feb. 4, 2019 - Japan is studying the potential for a seismic increase in wood pellet imports from western Canada – especially from British Columbia. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has engaged the Japanese Coal Energy Center (JCOAL) to examine the business case for increasing wood pellet co-firing with coal from the current level of two per cent, up to 20 per cent, resulting in a potential annual demand of 30 million metric tonnes of wood pellets, worth some $6 billion a year. Japan prefers Canada as a supply source due to our country’s reputation for high quality, reliable supply and strong sustainability credentials.

Feb. 4, 2019 - Skeena Sawmills Ltd. and Pacific BioEnergy Corporation (PacBio) have entered into a long-term off-take agreement for wood pellets. Under the terms of the agreement, PacBio will purchase all of the pellets produced at Skeena Sawmills’ new, state-of-the-art pellet plant, in support of PacBio’s long term supply agreements with power producers in Japan.

Feb. 8, 2019 - After completing its review of B.C.’s forest inventory program, a blue ribbon panel has come out with recommendations to improve the program.

Jan. 18, 2019 - B.C. Premier John Horgan has announced several policy changes to revitalize the province’s coastal forest sector, including establishing a coastal fibre recovery zone. 

Jan. 11, 2019 - As global consumer trends and demands continue to shift at an escalating pace, a new Forest2Market report shows that both structural and temporal market shifts in recent decades have impacted the markets for wood fibre residuals. The report, Changes in the Residual Wood Fiber Market 2004 to 2017, analyzes data from the U.S. Forest Service, Forest2Market’s proprietary database of timber transactions and other scientific research to understand the relationship between the supply and demand of wood residual materials over a 14-year period.

Jan. 11, 2019 - Trimble today released its Connected Forest Xchange (CFX) and Connected Forest Business (CFB) as core solutions to provide the global forestry industry with an end-to-end ecosystem for supply chain management, trading partner collaboration and financial settlement. CFX and CFB are integral to Trimble's Connected Forest initiative to provide solutions to manage the full raw materials lifecycle of planning, planting, growing, harvesting, transporting and processing.

Jan. 7, 2019 - In the 3Q/18, Chinese importation of hardwood chips reached a record high, and Vietnam substantially increased its shipment as compared to 2017, reports Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). While the average import price has only increased slightly in the past year, Australian prices have gone up substantially from the end of 2017.

Feb. 19, 2019 - Global Bioenergies has announced that runs using wheat straw hydrolysate provided by its partner Clariant were successfully performed in its Leuna demo plant in France, leading to the production of cellulosic isobutene for the first time at this scale.

Feb. 15, 2019 - New research from scientists at the University of Alberta is demonstrating how biochar can be optimized for agriculture, water treatment or even carbon storage.

Feb. 6, 2019 - Fortress Global Enterprises Inc.'s wholly-owned subsidiary, Fortress Xylitol Inc., has entered into a definitive contribution agreement with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) whereby NRCan has committed $10 million in contribution funding to support the planned construction of a xylitol and complementary bioproducts demonstration plant at Fortress' dissolving pulp mill in Thurso, Que.

Feb. 5, 2019 - The federal and Quebec governments have announced a combined $6.4-million investment in the upgrade of CelluForce's cellulose nanocrystal facility to become the world's first full commercial demonstration-scale plant of its kind.

Jan. 24, 2019 - Southern Research announced that it has moved a team of scientists working to develop promising clean-energy technologies from North Carolina to a new state-of-the-art laboratory it is opening on the organization’s downtown Birmingham, Ala., campus.

Feb. 14, 2019 - In a bid to valorise waste in the dairy processing industry, AgriChemWhey is testing and proving the techno-economic viability of converting agriculture and agri-food waste into sustainable lactic acid through innovative technology at the first-of-a-kind bio-refinery in Ireland. 

Feb. 11, 2019 - A University of Saskatchewan research team’s quest to extract protein from more than a billion litres of annually produced wastewater (called thin stillage) at Saskatchewan’s ethanol plants has yielded something far more valuable – a compound used in many countries to slow cognition loss in Alzheimer patients.

Jan. 28, 2019 – Gevo, Inc. announced today that it has joined with the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), certain airlines and other industry participants for the use and advancement of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), a low-carbon and sustainably produced alternative to conventional, petroleum jet fuel. Gevo has signed on to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a group of eight airlines and certain fuel producers to work cooperatively on expanding the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels at SFO. The consortium, initially formed in September 2018, is the first of its kind to include fuel suppliers, airlines, and airport agencies in a collaborative effort to accelerate the global transition to SAF.

Jan. 24, 2019 - Attis Industries Inc., a diversified innovation and technology holding company today announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Sunoco LP to acquire and operate its corn ethanol plant and grain malting operation in Fulton, N.Y. The plant will become the essential element of Attis’ expanding technology portfolio as it develops the site into the most comprehensive Green Tech campus for renewable fuels in the country.

Jan. 18, 2019 - World Energy, SkyNRG and AEG Fuels completed the delivery of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Bombardier Business Aircraft. As a part of the OEM’s environmental leadership and commitment to industry objectives to reducing emissions, the SAF was used for a flight on a Challenger 350 jet flying from Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Hartford, Conn., to the Business Jets Fuel Green event at the Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, Calif.

Feb. 20, 2019 - As with most machinery, frequent and thorough maintenance can extend the life of biomass dryers, and help avoid unexpected dryer shutdowns.

Feb. 5, 2019 - FAE has introduced a new, unstoppable forestry mulcher, the UMH/S/HP. This machine takes both productivity and safety to a new level.

Feb. 5, 2019 - Vaisala has introduced the world’s first in situ 3-in-1 biogas measurement instrument, Vaisala MGP261 for measuring methane, carbon dioxide and humidity in demanding environments. This compact measurement instrument is Ex certified up to zone 0, which enables in-line installation also in explosive atmospheres.

Feb. 1, 2019 – Given the number of conveyor-related accidents that occur during routine maintenance and cleanup, every bulk material handler has a vested interest in technologies to help reduce hazards and prevent injuries. Seemingly mundane tasks such as adjusting belt cleaners and removing spillage often require employees to work in close proximity to the moving conveyor, where even incidental contact can result in serious injury in a split second. Further, spillage can contribute to the risk of fire by interfering with pulleys and idlers and by providing potential fuel.  Even worse, in confined spaces, airborne particles can create the right ingredients for an explosion.

Jan. 24, 2019 - Bandit Industries is proud to announce that it will offer select trommel screens and conveyor stackers manufactured by Poland-based company, Pronar, Sp. z o.o.

Jan. 8, 2019 - Are you a manufacturer or researcher offering an innovative optimization or automation solution that can help modernize pellet plant operations?

Dec. 13, 2018 – Biomass Magazine announced this week the agenda for the 12th Annual International Biomass Conference & Expo taking place March 18-20, 2019 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center in Savannah, Ga. The three-day agenda will be divided into four tracks covering pellets & densified biomass, biomass power & thermal, biogas & waste-to-energy, and advanced biofuels & biobased chemicals, as well as a pre-conference event titled, the Biomass Preparation, Handling and Storage Workshop. The pre-conference event is a full-day session taking place Monday, March 18, prior to the evening opening reception in the expo hall and will detail the latest advancements in material handling. More information can be found here.

Nov. 9, 2018 - The Canadian Biogas Association is excited to announce that the agenda and tours are now confirmed for Value of Biogas West taking place in Vancouver Jan. 15-16.

Nov. 6, 2018 - Over the past 10 years the development of biomass heating projects has increased significantly. The Northeast United States led the way, motivated by replacing fossil fuels with biomass in public buildings. Biomass Resource Energy Center (BERC) has been at the forefront of promoting the push towards biomass heating.

Oct. 30, 2018 - More than 70 international and Canadian bioeconomy industry leaders and policy makers will head to Ottawa November 5–7 for Scaling Up 2018: Competing in the Global Bioeconomy Market. Scaling Up is the largest industrial bioeconomy conference of its kind in Canada dedicated to advancing the commercialization of bio-based solutions to meet the growing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.