Biomass Week - November 7, 2014

Drax mulls fourth unit conversion, evaluates U.S. East Coast Drax has released management statements consistent with its interim report from July 1 to Nov. 3, which includes details on the company's continued conversion of its U.K.-based power station and potential expansion of operations in the U.S. READ MORE SHARE
Abengoa to develop 215 MW biomass power plant in Belgium Abengoa has been selected by Belgian Eco Energy to develop a 215 MW biomass power plant in Belgium that will be fueled by wood chips and agricultural residues. The system will also provide thermal energy to a district heating project. READ MORE SHARE
	Industry remembers contributions of Rosenthal The Algae Biomass Organization has announced that Mary Rosenthal, ABO's first executive director, passed away on Nov. 1 after a battle with cancer. READ MORE SHARE
Comment period on Oregon Clean Fuels Program closes Nov. 7 A public comment period on the Oregon Clean Fuels Program is set to end Nov. 7. The program, which is similar to California's Low Carbon Fuels Standard, requires a 10 percent reduction of greenhouse gases from transportation fuels by 2025. READ MORE SHARE
Amyris reports record revenue from renewable products Amyris Inc. has released third quarter financial results, reporting record renewable product revenue of $11.5 million. Record revenue and lowered production cost resulted in the first quarter of positive product gross margin. READ MORE SHARE
Metabolix outlines new strategic plan in Q3 investor call Metabolix Inc. has released third quarter financial results and reported it is implementing a strategic plan to reshape the company into an operation more focused on specialty biopolymers. READ MORE SHARE
Rentech closes on sale of alternative energy technologies On Nov. 4, Rentech Inc. announced it has closed on the sale of its alternative energy technologies to Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group Co. Ltd. for a total of $15.3 million. The transaction was first announced in March. READ MORE SHARE
Solayzyme shifts focus to lower-volume, higher-value products Solazyme Inc. recently released third quarter earnings, anticipating total revenue for the year just north of $60 million, up more than 50 percent from 2013. READ MORE SHARE
SMUD seeks project developer for Calif. bioenergy project The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has released a request for statements of interest (RSOI) in the development of a biomass gasification project for combined-heat-and-power (CHP) application in Sacramento, California. READ MORE SHARE
UW, Microsoft celebrate opening of biogas project The University of Wyoming and Microsoft are celebrating their collaboration in developing a zero-emission green data center that is fueled by methane biogas and allows the university to run high-performance computing and modeling applications. READ MORE SHARE
Forest Service opens $5 million funding opportunity The U.S. Forest Service has published a notice in the Federal Register seeking proposals for projects that substantially expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the U.S. to support forest management needs. READ MORE SHARE
Andgar to separate AD division under new name, expand territory Leaders of Ferndale, Washington-based Andgar recently announced today they are splitting off their digester division under the new name Regenis and expanding their project reach into California. READ MORE SHARE
LBNL startup Afingen uses precision method to enhance plants By manipulating a plant's metabolic pathways, two scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have figured out a way to genetically rewire plants to allow for an exceptionally high level of control over the spatial pattern of gene expression. READ MORE SHARE
Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory planned in Illinois University, state, and industry officials came together on Oct. 22 to celebrate the announcement of the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, a unique facility coming to the University of Illinois campus. READ MORE SHARE
NREL: Reviving algae from the (almost) dead Tucked away in darkness and almost dead, algae can emerge from a frigid and foggy environment to live again, and perhaps even become the seeds for a new beginning that can provide biofuel for a clean energy future. READ MORE SHARE
Webinar explores biogas considerations, challenges and financing Caterpillar Inc. installed its first biogas systems in the early 1980s beginning with landfill sites, and since then, the company has seen business soar with installation of over 1.5 gigawatts of capacity worldwide. READ MORE SHARE
DuPont reports growth for Industrial Biosciences division DuPont recently released third quarter financial results, reporting a 20 percent increase in operating earnings per share. The company's Industrial Biosciences segment experienced a 4 percent increase in operating earnings for the quarter. READ MORE SHARE
Biosuccinium earns USDA certified biobased product label Reverdia has earned the USDA certified biobased product label for its Biosuccinium bio-succinic acid. The label verifies that the product's amount of renewable biobased ingredients meets or exceeds levels set by USDA. READ MORE SHARE
Corbion Purac to construct PLA plant in Thailand Corbion Purac has announced plans to take the next step in the bioplastics value chain by becoming a polylactic acid (PLA) producer with the development of a proposed 75,000 ton-per-year plant in Thailand. READ MORE SHARE
NatureWorks announces $2.5 million DOE grant The U.S. Energy Department recently announced a grant of up to $2.5 million to NatureWorks in support of an ongoing program that aims to sequester and use methane as a feedstock for the company's Ingeo biopolymers and intermediates. READ MORE SHARE
New Bedford Waste to manufacture fuel briquette from recyclables New Bedford Waste Services LLC, a sister company of ABC Disposal Service Inc., is building a commodity, municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling and Eco-Tac briquette manufacturing facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts. READ MORE SHARE
New process transforms wood, crop waste into valuable chemicals Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have disclosed a new method to convert lignin into simple chemicals. The innovation is an important step toward replacing petroleum-based fuels and chemicals with biorenewable materials. READ MORE SHARE
Pellet exports from U.S. South continue to grow Pellet shipments from the U.S. and Canada to Europe have gone in opposite directions in 2014, with the shipments from the U.S. South increasing and Canadian volumes declining, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: Generation from wood-derived fuels increased in August The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently published the October issue of its Electric Power Monthly, which includes data through August. The report indicates the U.S. added 219.6 MW of bioenergy capacity during the month. READ MORE SHARE
Officials celebrate ReEnergy's Fort Drum contract On Oct. 30, Sens. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., joined with Army officials for a signing ceremony at Fort Drum celebrating the recent awarding of a 20-year contract, worth up to $289 million, to ReEnergy Holdings. READ MORE SHARE
Muradel produces crude oil from algae at demonstration plant Renewable fuels company Muradel has launched Australia's first integrated demonstration plant to sustainably convert algae into green crude. The $10.7 million demonstration plant was officially opened Oct. 31. READ MORE SHARE
ABO announces new board chair, vice chair The Algae Biomass Organization has announced that Tim Burns, cofounder and board member of BioProcess Algae LLC, has been appointed chair and Martin Sabarsky, CEO of Cellana Inc. has been appointed vice chair of the organization's board of directors. READ MORE SHARE