Biomass Week - September 7, 2012

September 7, 2012

Conservation biomass demonstration shows potential A demonstration project completed by The Earth Partners LP, Applied Ecological Services and Poet LLC has shown that biomass from native grasses, grown for conservation purposes, can successfully fuel a boiler to create heat and power. READ MORE SHARE
WERF pegs biogas energy barriers at wastewater treatment plants The Water Environment Research Foundation released a report identifying the barriers to biogas use for energy at wastewater treatment facilities, and it indicates that inadequate payback and lack of available capital remain the dominant hindrances. READ MORE SHARE
	NatureWorks expands Neb. facility, offers new bioplastics NatureWorks LLC and Sulzer Chemtech announced that Sulzer has shipped proprietary production equipment to NatureWorks' Blair, Neb., plant that will enable NatureWorks to increase production of Ingeo biopolymer and produce new resins and lactides. READ MORE SHARE
Lignol, Novozymes successfully complete enzyme optimization work Lignol Energy Corp. recently announced that it has successfully completed a major body of work in producing cellulosic ethanol at Lignol's pilot-scale biorefinery, in partnership with Novozymes Inc. Significant performance improvements were observed. READ MORE SHARE
Obama touts biofuels in democratic nomination acceptance speech U.S. President Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party for the Nov. 6 election with mentions of increased fuel efficiency, decreased oil imports, biofuels and the reality of climate change. READ MORE SHARE
BP Biofuels targets Gulf Coast for energy crop production A new research effort by BP Biofuels is reaffirming its role in the Gulf Coast region's economic health. Through a three-year project, BP Biofuels and Texas AgriLife Research are developing advanced biofuel feedstocks well-suited for the region. READ MORE SHARE
TEG wins EPC contract for London's first anaerobic digester Work to develop London's first anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is underway. The TEG Group recently announced it has secured funding to construct an organic waste facility in London. Alkane Energy plc will provide the gas-to-power capabilities. READ MORE SHARE
Airbus announces Chinese partnership, opens student competition Airbus recently announced a partnership with Tsinghua University to complete a sustainability analysis of potential biojet feedstocks in China and support a biomass value chain. The company also opened its annual Fly Your Ideas student competition. READ MORE SHARE
Gussing Renewable Energy operates biogas fuel cell in Austria Gussing Renewable Energy GmbH has successfully fueled a micro-combined-heat-and-power (CHP) fuel cell system developed ClearEdge Power with biogas. The system has been running at its full 5 kW capacity since Aug. 20. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass may benefit from Obama's industrial CHP Executive Order In conjunction with the release of a U.S. DOE report on the U.S. combined-heat-and-power (CHP) industry, President Obama has made an Executive Order to facilitate investments in energy efficiency at industrial facilities, focusing on expanding CHP. READ MORE SHARE
WPAC report addresses dust explosion, fire mitigation A new Wood Pellet Association of Canada report addresses dust management in pellet plants. The report, titled "Determination of Explosibility of Dust Layers in Pellet Manufacturing Plants," was written by WPAC Research Director Staffan Melin. READ MORE SHARE
Shell grants enzyme licensing rights to Codexis The research agreement between Royal Dutch Shell and Codexis Inc. may be over, but the California-based enzyme producer now has the ability to commercialize cellulose enzymes developed during the research partnership that started in 2006. READ MORE SHARE