Biomass Week - July 18, 2014

E-Pellets acquires Georgia mill for wood pellet production E-Pellets Group LLC recently acquired the formally boarded up Louisiana Pacific OSB mill in Athens, Georgia, to convert it into a wood pellet production facility. The facility is expected to produce 450,000 metric tons annually by August 2015. READ MORE SHARE
Court sides with Drax in challenge to DECC subsidy decision On July 14, Drax Group plc announced the U.K.'s High Court has declared that the company's second unit biomass conversion was indeed eligible for an investment contract under the Final Investment Decision Enabling mechanism. READ MORE SHARE
	Study: U.S. waste could power 13.8 million homes A new report authored by Columbia University Researchers finds that if all MSW landfilled in 2011 was diverted to waste-to-energy plants, it would supply enough electricity to power 13.8 million homes. READ MORE SHARE
USDA funds state wood energy teams, wood-to-energy projects The USDA has announced the award of $2.5 million in grants to develop wood energy teams in 11 states. An additional $1.25 million was awarded to nine projects under the Wood-to-Energy grant program. READ MORE SHARE
USDA, DOE funding supports bioenergy feedstock development The USDA and U.S. Department of Energy have awarded $12.6 million in funding to 10 projects with the goal of accelerating genetic breeding programs to improve plant feedstocks for the production of biofuels, biopower and biobased products. READ MORE SHARE
Proposed constitutional amendment in Ohio would benefit biomass A political action committee in Ohio is one step closer to getting a constitutional amendment on the state ballot that would provide funding for clean energy. Biomass energy is among the sectors that would benefit from the program. READ MORE SHARE
DOE awards $6 million to advance cost-competitive biofuels The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $6 million for two projects to develop next generation biofuels that will help drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass. READ MORE SHARE
'Microbe sniffer' could point the way to advanced biorefining A biosensor invented at the University of British Columbia could help optimize biorefining processes that produce fuels and chemicals by sniffing out naturally occurring bacterial networks that are genetically wired to break down wood polymer. READ MORE SHARE
Policy reform may hinder German biogas development When Germany passed its Renewable Energy Resources Act in 2000, it set the stage for the huge success of the country's biogas industry, with nearly 8,000 installations currently in place. A recent change in policy, however, may limit future growth. READ MORE SHARE
Bioenergy education program comes to SFSC this fall Beginning this fall, South Florida State College will offer a Bioenergy Education Program to provide students with a foundation of environmental sciences and renewable energy. The program will focus on preparing students for technician positions. READ MORE SHARE
Report: UK independent renewables generation up significantly A report by SmartestEnergy found that GBP 297 million ($509.11 million) was invested in independent commercial-scale renewable energy projects in the U.K. last year, with an estimated GBP 61.7 million invested specifically in biomass projects. READ MORE SHARE
Viaspace enters collaboration with University of California Viaspace recently announced that the company has entered into a research collaboration with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Division. The collaboration will further research on Giant King Grass. READ MORE SHARE
Edeniq, Global Bio-chem to develop industrial sugar technology Edeniq Inc. has signed a letter of intent with Global Bio-chem Technology Group Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize processes to convert corn stover to industrial sugars for use in the production of chemicals, fuels, and other biobased products. READ MORE SHARE
Bluesphere biogas project receives term sheet for $15 million Bluesphere Corp. has received a term sheet from Energy Power Partners, a private equity fund manager, for full equity financing of over $15 million for its 3.2 MW biogas project in Johnston, Rhode Island. READ MORE SHARE
Penn State offers graduate certificate in renewable energy Bioenergy professionals interested in getting certified or earning a master's degree might want to check out Penn State's program in renewable energy and sustainability systems. The university recently added a bioenergy graduate certificate program. READ MORE SHARE
Ceres reports Q3 results, provides update on operations in Brazil Ceres Inc. has released its fiscal third quarter 2014 financial results, reporting revenue of $800,000 for the three months ended May 31. The company also announced progress with its sorghum evaluations in Brazil. READ MORE SHARE
$5 million waste biomass processing plant planned in Michigan BioCycle plans to make use of agricultural scrap and waste materials and other biomass sources as manufacturing precursors, via a $5 million bioprocessing facility that is currently in final financing stages. READ MORE SHARE
Elevance, Genting enter biorefinery collaboration Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. has announced a new collaboration with Genting Plantations Berhad through Genting Integrated Biorefinery Sdn Bhd, to be located in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel to comprise 6% of US aviation, marine fuel market by 2024 Aviation and marine biofuels represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the global biofuels market. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, biofuels will make up 6.1 percent of the aviation and marine fuel market in the U.S. READ MORE SHARE