Biomass Week - December 27, 2013

Agenda set for 2014 International Biomass Conference & Expo BBI International announced this week the agenda for the technical sessions of the 7th annual International Biomass Conference & Expo, North America's largest and fastest growing biomass conference, taking place March 24-26 in Orlando, Fla. READ MORE SHARE
FERC: 108 MW of biomass power brought online in November The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects has reported that eight new biomass generation units were placed into service during November with a combined capacity of 108 megawatts (MW). READ MORE SHARE
	New biogas policy gets approval from NYC city council New York City Council passed new legislation that would require large, food service establishments to recycle food scraps. The initiative aims to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions and produce biogas and soil amendment products. READ MORE SHARE
Cellulosic biofuel, cellulosic diesel RINs generated in November The U.S. EPA has published renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for November, reporting that both D3 cellulosic biofuel and D7 cellulosic diesel RINs were generated during the month. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo achieves Army testing, UL approval milestones The U.S. Army has successfully flown a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a 50/50 blend of Gevo Inc.'s ATJ-8 renewable isobutanol, the company reported. Gevo also conformed Underwriters Laboratories approvals regarding an isobutanol blend. READ MORE SHARE
Green Dot develops synthetic leather made of its bioplastic Green Dot has developed a compostable synthetic leather made with the company's Terratek Flex bioplastic. The material can be returned to nature if placed in a composting environment when its useful life is over. READ MORE SHARE
Report addresses compliance costs of California's LCFS A recent report authored by two University of California, Davis researchers found that compliance costs for the low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) could increase rapidly in the future under certain circumstances. READ MORE SHARE
Our Own Best Advocates One of the most impressive aspects of the pellet industry is the passion that so many producers have for market development. Pellet producers understand the vital importance building a market for their product, customer by customer. READ MORE SHARE
10-year trials show 10-ton yields for miscanthus in Illinois Illinois researchers reported results from a decade of field trials with miscanthus. The average annual yield of miscanthus grown in seven Illinois locations over a period of eight to 10 years was 10.5 tons per acre. READ MORE SHARE
Study provides comparison of biomass crop growth in the Midwest Dennis Pennington, bioenergy educator at Michigan State University Extension, recently reviewed a study on regional biomass feedstocks conducted by researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois. READ MORE SHARE
EIA updates state profiles, adds data on renewables The U.S. Energy Information Administration has updated its state energy profiles and added new analytical narratives on the energy sectors of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers convert algae to crude oil in minutes Engineers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have created a continuous chemical process that produces useful crude oil minutes after they pour in harvested algae. Genifuel Corp. has licensed the technology. READ MORE SHARE
Study calls for changes to cellulosic tax incentives A new study published by the International Council on Clean Transportation and researchers from John Hopkins University determined that making minor changes in existing federal tax incentives for cellulosic biofuels could help unlock investment. READ MORE SHARE
Bioplastic market expected to increase significantly through 2017 The bioplastics market is predicted to grow from around 1.4 million metric tons of annual production capacity in 2012 to approximately 6.2 million metric tons in 2017, with the largest gain expected in non-biodegradable bioplastics. READ MORE SHARE
Pellets Hit the Right Notes as Fossil Fuel Replacement The notion of U.S. forests being clear-cut exclusively for wood pellets is demonstrably false. What is true is that demand for wood pellets is growing, and this is creating new jobs in forestry, manufacturing and shipping. READ MORE SHARE
Coming into the Country Superior Pellet Fuels General Manager Chad Schumacher talks about the long and winding road that led to the construction of Alaska's first operating pellet mill. READ MORE SHARE
Blazing New Trails in Pellet Project Development A close examination of the plants and projects tracked by Pellet Mill Magazine reveals a radical departure in scope is emerging when existing pellet mills are compared to those under construction or in various stages of preconstruction development. READ MORE SHARE