Biomass Week - August 23, 2013

UK sets sustainability standards for solid biomass, biogas The U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change has announced that starting in 2015, the biomass industry must show its fuel is sustainable to receive financial support. The requirements apply to power generators with 1 megawatt capacity or higher. READ MORE SHARE
USDA offers surplus sugar to biofuels industry The Commodity Credit Corp. is accepting offers from bioenergy producers to purchase sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers (FFP). Offers, modification of offers or withdrawal of offers must be received by Aug. 28. READ MORE SHARE
	North American wood pellet exports reached new record in Q1 North American wood pellet exports reached a new record of over 1 million tons in the first quarter of 2013, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. In the U.S. South, pellet export volumes to Europe resumed their double-digit growth. READ MORE SHARE
Annual EU report projects increased pellet, biogas consumption The European Union recently published its annual biofuels report for 2013 with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, reporting that solid biomass will play an important role in meeting renewable targets. READ MORE SHARE
NextFuels targets palm oil waste for advanced biofuel production California-based NextFuels has emerged from stealth mode and is unveiling its strategy to produce advanced biofuels from wet, unprocessed agricultural waste via a hydrothermal process originally developed by Shell in the 1980s. READ MORE SHARE
Pressure Technologies secures two orders for biogas upgraders Pressure Technologies plc has announced that its Alternative Energy division, comprising Chesterfield BioGas Ltd., has secured two orders to supply biogas upgraders and ancillary equipment with a sales value of GBP 4.6 million ($7.17 million). READ MORE SHARE
Optinol hits ethanol energy cost parity feasibility for butanol Optinol Inc. announced that the company has achieved energy cost parity feasibility with ethanol for the production of biobutanol (n-butanol) from a wide variety of sugars using a production solution tailored to an organism. READ MORE SHARE
Aurora Algae completes construction of Australian site In collaboration with the Durack Institute of Technology, Australia-based Aurora Algae reported that it has completed construction of a new algae cultivation site in Geraldton, Western Australia. READ MORE SHARE
Pa. group seeks farmers for anaerobic digestion projects The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund is investing in a minimum of five dairy farms to generate electricity from anaerobic digestion (AD) technology in Pennsylvania's Cumberland County and Franklin County. READ MORE SHARE
NSF accepting grant applications under BBBE program The National Science Foundation recently opened a new funding opportunity under its Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering program, which supports fundamental engineering research on cellular and biomolecular processes. READ MORE SHARE
DTE Energy supports Michigan landfill gas energy project DTE Gas, a subsidiary of DTE Energy Co., is providing pipeline-quality natural gas, which was converted from landfill gas, to its residential customers as part of its commitment to renewable energy. READ MORE SHARE
Rentech sells Natchez site, reports Q2 financial results Rentech Inc. recently announced its subsidiary has closed on the sale of approximately 450 acres of land near Natchez, Miss., for $9 million. The company also released its second quarter financial results, providing an update of its pellet business. READ MORE SHARE
JBEI researchers combine pretreatment, saccharification Researchers with the U.S. DOE's Joint BioEnergy Institute have reported the first demonstration of a one-pot, wash-free, process for the ionic liquid pretreatment and saccharification of switchgrass, one of the leading potential biofuel feedstocks. READ MORE SHARE
USDA FSA solicits bids for Feedstock Flexibility Program Surplus sugar is one step closer to entering the U.S. biofuels industry as feedstock. The USDA Farm Service Agency recently published a notice soliciting bids under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers. READ MORE SHARE
Metso to supply biomass heating plant in Finland Metso announced it will be the supplier of a biomass plant for hot water district heating to energy company Elenia Lampo in Turenki, Finland. The 10 MW plant will be fired on locally sourced biomass and utilize Metso's BioGrate combustion technology. READ MORE SHARE
Microbial team turns corn stalks and leaves into better biofuel A fungus and E. coli bacteria have joined forces to turn tough, waste plant material into isobutanol. University of Michigan research team members said the principle also could be used to produce other valuable chemicals such as plastics. READ MORE SHARE