Biomass Week - October 19, 2012

ZeaChem selected for Calif. Energy Commission award ZeaChem Inc. announced it has been selected as a proposed recipient of a $4.6 million award from the California Energy Commission for the development of a pilot plant at its Menlo Park, Calif. research and development facility. READ MORE SHARE
German greentech report highlights biomass, biofuels The German Federal Environmental Ministry has released an environmental technology atlas produced by Roland Gerger Strategy Consultants. The report, titled "GreenTech made in Germany 3.0," is the third such atlas produced for the German government. READ MORE SHARE
	BSR publishes sustainability report, seeks public comments BSR has released a new report that assesses the sustainability impacts of commercial transportation fuels, as well as the market outlook for a range of fuels, including biofuels. The organization is seeking comments on its analysis. READ MORE SHARE
Discovering the keys to improved biofuel catalysts Scientists at the U.S. DOE's Ames Laboratory are learning more about how nano-scale catalytic systems work, and their research could be the key to improved processes for refining biofuels and producing other chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
Profiling Team Romney: American Petroleum Institute's Jack Gerard Jack Gerard is the current president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, but if presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins the 2012 election, he could become Romney's chief of staff or secretary of energy at the U.S. DOE. READ MORE SHARE
RTI International develops new biofuels research facility RTI International has begun construction on a new 3,000-square-foot energy technology development facility on RTI's main campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The facility will house a biomass pyrolysis reactor. READ MORE SHARE
EU releases proposal to alter biofuel policy The European Commission has released a proposal that aims to make significant changes to the EU's biofuel policy, including adding indirect land use change emissions reporting requirements and capping the amount of crop-based biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta adds 30 MW to Hawaii biomass plant Covanta Energy has completed a $302 million expansion of the H-POWER energy-from-waste facility in Honolulu, Hawaii, adding 900 tons to its daily municipal solid waste (MSW) capacity with the addition of a third boiler. READ MORE SHARE
USDA loan guarantees support 3 biomass power plants The USDA announced loan guarantees to support three biomass power plants, located in Colorado, Hawaii and Texas/Louisiana. The plants will all use wood as fuel. The funding was awarded by USDA's Rural Development's Rural Utilities Service. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces sixth grant to develop advanced biofuels The USDA announced a $10 million grant has been awarded under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to research shrub willow, switchgrass and miscanthus grown on marginal and abandoned lands, such as reclaimed mine sites, in the Northeast. READ MORE SHARE
European Bioplastics releases 2016 market forecast European Bioplastics has released results of its annual market forecast, which is published in cooperation with the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites from the University of Hanover. The report projects a fivefold capacity increase by 2016. READ MORE SHARE
Profiling Team Romney: Fla. Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam is the national chairman of the Farmers and Ranchers for Romney coalition and co-chair of the Romney/Ryan agricultural advisory committee. He has also served in the Florida House and U.S. House. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: More households heating with woody biomass this winter The U.S Energy Information Administration has released its Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook, which includes data related to woody biomass used for heating. Approximately 1.6 million U.S. homes are expected to heat with wood this winter. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa State engineers convert bio-oil into advanced biofuels Microbes are working away in an Iowa State University laboratory to ferment biofuels from the sugar and acetate produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust. But it's not an easy job for E. coli and C. reinhardtii. READ MORE SHARE
Novi Energy opens Mich. community digester Energy infrastructure development and project consulting company Novi Energy has opened a large-scale community digester project in Michigan. Construction on the project began in 2010 and is slated for completion in the fourth quarter of 2012. READ MORE SHARE