Biomass Week - April 4, 2014

Senate committee approves tax credit extension package The Senate Finance Committee approved tax credit extension package on April 3 that includes several biofuel and bioenergy provisions. The committee voted down an amendment that aimed to strip biofuel and renewable energy credits from the bill. READ MORE SHARE
White House releases methane reduction strategy On March 28, the White House released its Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions under the President's Climate Action Plan. The strategy addresses methane from landfills, agriculture, coal mines and oil and gas operations. READ MORE SHARE
	KiOR announces $25 million funding agreement with Kholsa trust On April 1, KiOR Inc filed an 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing it has entered into a senior secured promissory note and warrant purchase agreement with Vinod Khosla's KFT Trust. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta facility wins EPA award for clean air technology The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility, operated by Covanta, has received the prestigious 2014 Clean Air Technology Award from the U.S. EPA. The award has recognized the facility for upgrading its emission control system. READ MORE SHARE
Cool Planet closes on $100 million series D financing Colorado-based Cool Planet Energy Systems finished its fourth financing round, meeting the $100 million objective. The lead investors during the round were North Bridge Venture Partners and Concord Energy. READ MORE SHARE
GeoSynFuels purchases, retrofits idle demonstration plant GeoSynFuels LLC has acquired the cellulosic demonstration facility formerly owned and operated by Blue Sugars Corp., the parent company of Western Biomass Energy LLC. GSF plans to retrofit the plant to use its proprietary 5CS Technology. READ MORE SHARE
Associations release renewable energy outlook paper Multiple renewable energy trade association have teamed up to produce a single report that contains current market reviews, outlooks and policy recommendations for each respective sector, including biomass power, biomass thermal, and waste-to-energy. READ MORE SHARE
Energex recovers quickly after fire After experiencing a fire in its Mifflintown, Pa., office and dry receiving facilities on March 29, Energex Pellet Fuel Inc.'s operation was back in full swing within two days. Old wiring appears to be the cause of the incident. READ MORE SHARE
Lawrence Livermore discovery could improve biofuel production Resistance is not futile when it comes to a new method to more efficiently convert biomass to biofuels. New research suggests that a type of that a type of bacterial resistance may provide more efficient production of biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Engineered bacteria produce biofuel alternative for rocket fuel Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Joint BioEnergy Institute have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene, a hydrocarbon produced by trees that could potentially replace high-energy fuels, such as JP-10. READ MORE SHARE
NYSERDA funds ESF effort to boost energy value of wood chips A research team at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry has received a $150,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to study the use of flue gas to dry wood chips to improve their efficiency. READ MORE SHARE
Purdue researchers launch innovative bioenergy company Purdue University researchers are launching a company, Spero Energy Inc., focusing on an innovative process that could revolutionize how lignocellulosic biomass is used to make biofuels and other bio-based products and chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
First functional 'designer' chromosome in yeast is synthesized An international team of scientists has synthesized the first functional chromosome in yeast, an important step in the emerging field of synthetic biology, designing microorganisms to produce novel medicines, raw materials for food, and biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
World Bank funds biomass district heating project in Belarus The World Bank Group's board of executive directors has approved a loan in the amount of $90 million to the Republic of Belarus for a biomass district heating project. READ MORE SHARE
Viaspace advances projects in California and St. Croix Viaspace Inc. has recently announced progress with its projects in California and St. Croix. The California project will convert Giant King Grass into advanced biofuels and power, while the St. Croix project will convert the feedstock to biogas. READ MORE SHARE
Senate Finance Committee to markup tax extenders legislation The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to markup a tax extenders bill on April 3. The legislation, titled the Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act, includes extensions of several biofuel tax credits. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass gasification plant in Bulgaria to use GE technology A landmark biomass-to-energy plant powered by GE's Jenbacher gas engine technology is being built near Stroevo, in Plovdiv province. The 5-MW Karlovo plant will use three of GE's Genbacher engines, one J612 and two J620 units. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa bill would extend state renewable energy tax credit The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that aims to extend the deadline for renewable energy projects to qualify for the state's renewable energy tax credits. It also has provisions that apply to cogeneration projects associated with ethanol plants. READ MORE SHARE
MARAD releases results of renewable diesel testing On March 28, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the results of biofuel testing completed onboard the training ship State of Michigan using a 67/33 blend of renewable diesel. READ MORE SHARE
Researcher wins grant for hybrid conversion biofuel process Hasan Atiyeh, assistant professor in biosystems and agricultural engineering at Oklahoma State University, recently received a South Central Sun Grant Award to advance the development of a new hybrid conversion process. READ MORE SHARE
European Biogas Association launches scientific advisory council March 31 marked the day of the official launch of the Scientific Advisory Council under the aegis of the European Biogas Association. The SAC work will be dedicated to the promotion of the biogas sector by means of scientific evidence. READ MORE SHARE
Amyris, Kuraray expand collaboration in farnesene-based polymers Amyris Inc. and Kuraray Co. Ltd. have announced a two year expansion and extension of the research and development portion of their ongoing collaboration in high performance polymers using Biofene, Amyris's brand of renewable farnesene. READ MORE SHARE
React Energy releases financial results, acquires thermal assets U.K.-based React Energy plc has released financial results for the six months ended Dec. 31, reporting progress with development of its Enfield Biomass project. The company also recently announced the acquisition of biomass thermal assets. READ MORE SHARE
Axens, Total and IFPEN launch ethanol-to-ethylene technology Axens, Total and IFP Energies nouvelles have launched Atol, an innovative technology for bioethylene production through dehydration of bioethanol. The resulting bioethylene can be integrated in existing downstream polymerization installations. READ MORE SHARE