Biomass Week - August 10, 2012

August 10, 2012

Report explores role of wood pellets, biomass cofiring in Canada A report by Wood Pellet Association of Canada shows there is significant opportunity for the Canadian wood pellet industry to participate from the ground floor if Canada's power industry evolves away from coal, but there are some hurdles to overcome. READ MORE SHARE
Landfill gas ranks Coca-Cola third in EPA green power users The U.S. EPA released its top 25 onsite green power generators through its Green Power Partnership program for this quarter, and Coca-Cola has ranked third, mainly because of a 6.5 MW combined-heat-and-power system the company commissioned in April. READ MORE SHARE
	Gevo releases financial results, provides update of operations Gevo Inc. released financial results for the second quarter of 2012 on August 7. During a call to discuss those results, the company also provided participants with an update of operations at its first commercial-scale facility READ MORE SHARE
Southern Oregon University explores possibility of biomass system A $250,000 grant from the USDA to Southern Oregon University could lead to a 1.2 MW woody biomass cogeneration system on the university campus. The grant will pay for a feedstock feasibility study and analysis of other factors. READ MORE SHARE
Brookhaven scientists create low-lignin plants Scientists at the U.S. DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a new enzyme that effectively "masks" the synthetic precursors of lignin. When it was expressed in plants, this enzyme substantially reduced lignin content in the cell wall. READ MORE SHARE
Trade organizations form Biofuel Producers Coordinating Council Eight biofuel industry organizations recently announced the formation of the Biofuels Producers Coordinating Council to jointly advocate for national policy for increased energy security through domestic biofuel production. READ MORE SHARE
Cobalt, Rhodia to build n-butanol demonstration plant in Brazil Following the completion of a detailed feasibility study, Cobalt Technologies and Rhodia are moving forward with the development of a planned demonstration unit in Brazil. Work at the facility is scheduled to begin this month. READ MORE SHARE
Senate bill could extend biorefining, biopower tax incentives The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance has approved the Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012. The bill includes a variety of tax incentives that benefit the biorefining and biopower sectors, and adds algae to the definition of cellulosic biofuel. READ MORE SHARE
Stabenow, Vilsack tour biobased manufacturing facilities Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the "Jobs of the Future" tour on August 6 at Ford Motor Co.'s biobased lab in Dearborn, Mich. The following day, they toured Zeeland Farm Services. READ MORE SHARE
Fulcrum receives conditional USDA loan guarantee for Nev. plant Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc. received a $105 million condition loan guarantee from the USDA, putting its planned 10 MMgy Sierra BioFuels Plant closer to fruition. The facility is expected to break ground in early 2013, and take 18 months to complete. READ MORE SHARE
Fiberight expands demo plant, receives key EPA approval Fiberight LLC received a key approval from the U.S. EPA and is now working on a $20 million expansion of its demonstration facility in Lawrenceville, Va., to 1 MMgy. The plant is expected to begin operations in approximately two months. READ MORE SHARE
Ore. working group outlines strategy to improve biomass industry The Oregon Forest Biomass Working Group has issued a forest biomass strategy which includes four key initiatives. Made up of more than 40 stakeholders, the FBWG believes the measures will help expand the state's biomass industry. READ MORE SHARE
OPG awards Aecon contract for 200 MW biomass plant conversion Ontario Power Generation has signed a contract awarding Aecon Group Inc.'s Industrial Division design and construction work for the Atikokan Generating Station biomass conversion project. READ MORE SHARE