Biomass Week - August 17, 2012

Canadian biofuel industry benefits from bioclusters Murray McLaughlin, executive director of the Bioindustrial Innovation Center believes that "the ability to learn faster than the competition is often the only sustainable competitive advantage," a company might have. READ MORE SHARE
Coalition launches to help Conn. biomass project score PPA A coalition has been launched in Montville, Conn., in order to demonstrate support for a biomass repowering project proposed by NRG Energy Inc. Specifically, the group is focused on helping the project score a long-term power purchase agreement. READ MORE SHARE
	Novozymes develops fungus to produce biochemical Novozymes has succeeded in developing a fungus that enables production of malic acid from renewable raw materials instead of oil, and is out-licensing the technology to partners who are interested in producing and commercializing the biochemical. READ MORE SHARE
Enzyme maker's outlook altered by Big Oil's exit The near-term financial outlook of enzyme maker Codexis Inc., has been significantly altered by Royal Dutch Shell and the big oil company's announcement that it will reduce and end funding to the California-based company by October. READ MORE SHARE
Canadian bioplastic firm closes Series A financing Vancouver, British Columbia-based Solegear Bioplastics Inc. has secured Series A financing, led by Yaletown Venture Partners and joined by a number of leading angel investors. The funding will support the expansion of Solegear's business. READ MORE SHARE
AdvanceBio supplies SuPR2G reactor to Brazilian laboratory AdvanceBio Systems LLC recently announced that CTBE, the Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory selected AdvanceBio Systems' SuPR2G Laboratory Scale Pretreatment Reactor to conduct basic research and development work. READ MORE SHARE
Ence signs finance, EPC contracts for new biomass plant in Spain Madrid, Spain-based Ence recently signed the project finance and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for its Merida biomass power plant project. The 20 MW plant is scheduled to begin operations in the third quarter 2014. READ MORE SHARE
U.S.-India collaboration awarded funding for energy crop work A U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center grant will enable University of Missouri agroforestry researchers conduct a five-year testing program on crops suitable for marginal land, including switchgrass, sorghum and some trees. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta energy-from-waste plants win awards Covanta Energy has scored excellence awards for three of its U.S. energy-from-waste (EfW) plants from the Solid Waste Association of North America, recognition which was given at the annual WASTECON conference held in Washington, D.C. Aug. 14-17. READ MORE SHARE
ZeroPoint brings second biomass gasification project online ZeroPoint Clean Tech Inc. recently announced that the biomass gasification plant it developed in Newry, Ireland, is now operational. The installation is the second commercial-scale biomass gasification plant that the company has brought online. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces REAP funding, 5 biomass projects benefit On Aug. 14 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 106 projects have been awarded funding under the USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program, including five biomass-related projects. READ MORE SHARE
New research technique to benefit biomass, biofuel research Pioneering mass spectrometry methods developed at the U.S. DOE's Ames Laboratory are helping plant biologists get their first glimpses of never-before-seen plant tissue structures. The new method opens up new realms of study. READ MORE SHARE
TDA Research wins EPA award for biogas purification system The U.S. EPA has awarded Colorado-based TDA Research Inc. a $300,000 contract under its Small Business Innovation Research program competition to support the demonstration of proprietary biogas purification technology. READ MORE SHARE