Biomass Week - May 23, 2014

May 23, 2014

Drax plans another Mississippi pellet plant A unit Drax Group that is currently constructing a 450,000-ton wood pellet production facility near Gloster, Miss., is planning to build an additional facility roughly 40 miles away in Magnolia, Miss., according to documents filed with the state. READ MORE SHARE
USDA to offer BCAP funding The USDA has announced support for agriculture producers and energy facilities working to turn renewable biomass materials into clean energy. The support comes through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
	Segetis plans commercial-scale renewable chemical plant in Minn. Segetis Inc. is preparing to break ground on a commercial-scale facility at the Laskin Energy Park in Hoyt Lakes, Minn. In late April, Minnesota's Iron Range Resource and Rehabilitation Board approved $21.1 million in funding to support the project. READ MORE SHARE
Sweden, Minnesota seminar highlights bioenergy Sweden and Minnesota are moving full speed ahead on a partnership that is serving to address complex and challenging issues concerning sustainable energy and transportation. A May 19 seminar brought stakeholders together to discuss the initiative. READ MORE SHARE
Webinar focuses on air emissions from pelletizing wood Tackling emissions at pellet plants was the topic of the latest offering in Biomass Magazine's webinar series. Dryers produce the most emissions, but producers must consider VOC development from hammermills and post-dryer operations as well. READ MORE SHARE
Roadmap shows how to improve lignocellulosic biofuel production When making cellulosic ethanol from plants, one problem is what to do with a woody agricultural waste product called lignin. The old adage in the pulp industry has been that one can make anything from lignin except money. READ MORE SHARE
Minn. funds 5 biofuel and bioenergy projects, thermal RFP soon The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has named five in-state bioenergy projects as recipients of NextGen Energy grants. The projects include those in the biofuel, bioenergy and biochemical sectors. READ MORE SHARE
Strauss: Pellets to be solution for inevitable US carbon policy The U.S. is likely to follow the E.U.'s lead in increasing use of renewables for power generation to lower carbon footprint. Sustainably managed wood pellets are solution to reliable baseload generation. READ MORE SHARE
BPA, BIO comment on EPA's treatment of biogenic emissions in rule The Biomass Power Association and Biotechnology Industry Organization are among the more than 1.24 million groups and individuals that provided public comments on a proposed U.S. EPA rule that would regulated carbon emissions at certain power plants. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: U.S. wood pellets doubled in 2013 due to European demand Wood pellet exports from the United States nearly doubled last year, from 1.6 million short tons (approximately 22 trillion Btu) in 2012 to 3.2 million short tons in 2013. More than 98 percent of these exports were delivered to Europe. READ MORE SHARE
Arisdyne adds mobile lab, announces Valero licensing agreement Arisdyne Systems Inc. has added a mobile validation laboratory to its toolkit as it continues to introduce its Controlled Flow Cavitation system to the industry. The technology has applications in several sectors, including biofuels and biogas. READ MORE SHARE
FERC: US added 20 MW of biomass capacity in April The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has published its Energy Infrastructure Update for April, reporting that five new biomass units with a combined capacity of 10 MW came online last month. READ MORE SHARE
CREW requests investigation into industry influence on RFS Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has requested U.S. EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins investigate whether the Carlyle Group and Delta Airlines improperly influenced the EPA's proposed renewable fuel standards (RFS). READ MORE SHARE
Sen. King pushes Biomass Thermal Utilization Act Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, renewed his push to promote the economic and environmental benefits of biomass thermal energy on May 15 by filing the Biomass Thermal Utilization Act of 2013 as an amendment to legislation pending before the Senate. READ MORE SHARE
Active Energy Group unveils biomass fuel granule technology AEG Pelleting Ltd., a subsidiary of Active Energy Group plc, is unveiling a revolutionary biomass fuel granulating solution that converts industrial and agricultural byproducts into biomass granules for use in boilers and power plants. READ MORE SHARE
Draft appropriations bill aims to cut funding for BCAP, REAP The House Appropriations Committee has released its fiscal year 2015 agricultural appropriations bill, which aims to reduce funding levels for several Farm Bill Energy Title programs. A subcommittee markup session on the legislation was held May 20. READ MORE SHARE
Biobased chemicals get boost from shale gas boom Long used as starting materials for shampoos and detergents, biobased chemicals now attracting interest as drop-in replacements for petroleum-based commodity chemicals READ MORE SHARE
BioNitrogen holds ribbon cutting ceremony at Florida plant site BioNitrogen Holdings Corp. recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the site of its initial plant in Hendry County, Fla. The facility will utilize the company's patented technology to convert biomass into urea fertilizer. READ MORE SHARE
RusForest releases 2013 results, provides update of Russian plant RusForest AB, a Swedish forestry company with operations in Russia, recently announced the results of its 2013 annual report. The company began operations of a 100,000 ton-per-year pellet mill in Arkhangelsk, Russia, earlier this year. READ MORE SHARE
GIB, Foresight support anaerobic digestion facility in London The U.K. Green Investment Bank recently announced a GBP 7.5 million ($12.63 million) commitment in a new GBP 15 million anaerobic digestion and green waste composting plant in Enfield, just outside London. READ MORE SHARE
Airbus, KLM complete 10 hours flight on biobased jet fuel An Airbus A330-200 of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has commenced the longest commercial flight with sustainable jet fuels ever performed by an Airbus aircraft. The aircraft took off with a 20 percent blend of sustainable fuel made of used cooking oil. READ MORE SHARE