Biomass Week - March 14, 2014

Rentech announces possible IPO, pellet progress and sale of PDU Rentech Inc. has released 2013 financial results, reporting progress with the development of its Canadian pellet plants. The company has also announced an agreement to sell its alternative energy technology assets. READ MORE SHARE
Thermogen switches technology to Zilkha Thermogen Industries, an entity of Cate Street Capital that is developing a pellet manufacturing facility in Millinocket, Maine, has switched technology providers and will now employ Zilkha Biomass Energy's steam-exploded Zilkha Black Pellet process. READ MORE SHARE
	Minn. bills to incentivize biofuel, biochemicals, biomass thermal Legislation pending in the Minnesota Legislature aims to create a capital equipment loan program renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels, and production incentives for advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biomass thermal energy. READ MORE SHARE
Fortum, UPM, Valmet partner to produce advanced biofuels Fortum, UPM and Valmet have joined forces to develop a new, winning technology to produce advanced high value lignocellulosic fuels, such as transportation fuels or higher value bio-liquids. READ MORE SHARE
CARB discusses LCFS, ILUC revisions in workshops The California Air Resources Board held public workshops on proposed updates to the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard and revisions to the related issue of indirect land use change (ILUC) on March 11. READ MORE SHARE
CEC gives Pixley Biogas final grant approval California-based Pixley Biogas has been given final approval for a $4.68 million dollar grant from the California Energy Commission. The anaerobic digester will take in dairy farm manure as substrate and supply power to an adjacent ethanol plant. READ MORE SHARE
N.C. Bioenergy Research Initiative seeks grant proposals The N.C. Bioenergy Research Initiative is seeking grant proposals focused on research and development of agricultural and forestry-based feedstocks for bioenergy production, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler recently announced. READ MORE SHARE
Xcel Energy funds biomass, biogas energy projects Xcel Energy has announced that Minnesota regulators recently approved 29 renewable energy projects to receive $42 million in grants from Excel Energy's Renewable Development Fund, including several bioenergy projects. READ MORE SHARE
Study: Rural economies to benefit from bioenergy According to a new paper authored by two University of Missouri professors, rural regions are poised to benefit from the bioeconomy, which refers to the production of a wide range of goods and services from plant, animal and forest-based material. READ MORE SHARE
Vega Biofuels enters joint venture to build torrefaction facility Vega Biofuels Inc. recently announced it has entered into a joint venture agreement to build and operate a pilot torrefaction facility in South Carolina that will manufacture the company's bio-coal and biochar products. READ MORE SHARE
CRIBE, GreenField partner to test demonstration technology The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy is partnering with GreenField Specialty Alcohols to test and develop a technology that could provide pulp mills with new revenue streams and increased efficiency. READ MORE SHARE
Publication identifies promising locations for algae projects A new publication from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in partnership with Sapphire Energy, highlights a new process for rigorously identifying and evaluating sites for commercial algae production facilities. READ MORE SHARE
RockTenn to acquire paper mill, 55-MW biomass plant RockTenn and Simpson Lumber Co. LLC have announced an agreement whereby RockTenn will acquire the Simpson Tacoma Kraft Paper Mill located in Tacoma, Wash., which operates a 55-MW green biomass fuel cogeneration facility. READ MORE SHARE
EIA offers new short-term bioenergy predictions The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects electricity generation will average 11.3 terawatt hours per day in 2014, up 1.3 percent. The use of renewables for electricity and heat generation is expected to grow by 0.9 percent in 2014. READ MORE SHARE
Maverick Synfuels, PPE to produce methane-to-methanol plants Maverick Synfuels and Plant Process Equipment Inc. have formed a partnership to manufacture and sell small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants that convert biogas or natural gas into methanol. READ MORE SHARE
Vertimass licenses ORNL biofuel-to-hydrocarbon technology Vertimass LLC, a California-based start-up company, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology that directly converts ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend-stock for use in transportation fuels. READ MORE SHARE
Solvay launches production of torrefied biomass Solvay has launched the production of torrefied biomass at an industrial scale in the United States. The business will be run by the recently created Solvay Biomass Energy joint venture between Solvay and U.S. company New Biomass Energy. READ MORE SHARE
California brewery toasts new biogas system opening The Bear Republic Brewing Co. held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the world's first bioelectrically enhanced wastewater to energy system, dubbed EcoVolt, in Cloverdale, Calif. The EcoVolt was developed by Massachusetts-based Cambrian Innovation. READ MORE SHARE
USDA awards advanced biofuel payments to pellet, biogas producers On March 6, USDA Rural Development announced nearly $60 million in payments to 195 biofuel producers under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established by the 2008 Farm Bill and reauthorized in the recently signed 2014 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
FutureMetrics suggests 4.3 million homes ripe for pellet heat A new white paper from FutureMetrics LLC makes the case for pellet heat, concluding that not only will buying local for pellet heat lower consumer heat and hot water energy bills, but keep the money in the local economy and create jobs. READ MORE SHARE
RES ceases development of proposed biomass plant in the UK U.K.-based renewable energy developer Renewable Energy Systems Ltd. recently announced it is ceasing development of its proposed biomass power plant at the Port of Blyth in Northumberland, England. READ MORE SHARE