Biomass Week - July 31, 2015

Drax discusses recent regulation changes in half-year results On July 28, Drax Group plc released its half-year results for the six months ended June 30, delivering Europe's largest decarbonization project, on time and on budget, while also producing 8 percent of the U.K.'s electricity. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo announces first pump sales of isobutanol-blended gasoline Gevo Inc. has announced that Express Lube of Fredericksburg, Texas, is the first U.S. service station to sell gasoline blended with Gevo's renewable isobutanol at the pump. Express Lube has been selling the fuel at over a 50 percent premium to E10. READ MORE SHARE
	Energy bill includes language benefiting bioenergy, algae On July 22, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources introduced a bipartisan energy bill, titled the "Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015." The committee was scheduled to hold business meetings on the bill on July 28 and July 30. READ MORE SHARE
Greenleaf Power acquires Plainfield bioenergy plant Greenleaf Power recently announced that it has finalized the purchase of the Plainfield Renewable Energy Plant located in Plainfield, Connecticut, from Leidos Inc., which has owned and operated the 37.5 MW plant since it became operational in 2013. READ MORE SHARE
Enviva provides second quarter earnings, development update On July 30, Enviva Partners LP released its second quarter financial results, reporting revenue of $109.7 million, an increase of 60 percent over the corresponding quarter in 2014, on sales of 560,000 metric tons of pellets. READ MORE SHARE
3 bioenergy-related House bills introduced in late July In late July, several pieces of legislation were introduced that aim to impact the biorefining industry. Two of the bills aim to benefit bioenergy technologies, while a third would limit the U.S. EPA's ability to set cellulosic mandates. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel industry voices support for RFS as comment period ends July 27 is the final day members of the public can weigh in on the U.S. EPA’s recently released renewable fuel standard (RFS) proposal. As the comment period comes to a close, supporters of the biofuel industry are actively making their voices heard. READ MORE SHARE
DuPont: Iowa cellulosic biorefinery mechanically complete DuPont has released second quarter financial results, reporting an 11 percent drop in sales and a slight increase in earnings per share. The company also noted its cellulosic refinery in Iowa is now mechanically complete. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta reports on Q2 earnings, acquisitions, project activity Covanta Energy reported strong operational performance in its core business, achieved record quarterly special waste revenue, and provided several updates on acquisition and commissioning activities during its Q2 2015 earnings call. READ MORE SHARE
Wisconsin program offers funding for small-scale farm AD systems Wisconsin-based Focus on Energy, a statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, recently announced it is soliciting proposals for a program focused on small, farm-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) systems. READ MORE SHARE
DOE solicits applications for loan guarantee program The U.S. Department of Energy has announced it is soliciting applications for up to $4 billion in loan guarantees to support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects located in the U.S. that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gases. READ MORE SHARE
WBA releases thermochemical gasification of biomass factsheet In June, World Bioenergy Association launched a factsheet on thermochemical gasification biomass, the eighth in a series of publications. The factsheet overviews the technology, basics of gasification, feedstock and current global use. READ MORE SHARE
Republic Services reports increased volumes, revenue On July 23, Republic Services Inc. released financial results for the second quarter of 2015, reporting a net income of $190.3 million, or 54 cents per share, compared to $179 million, or 50 cents per share, for the comparable period in 2014. READ MORE SHARE
MSU research could improve cyanobacteria use in biofuel Overexposure to sunlight, which is damaging to natural photosynthetic systems of green plants and cyanobacteria, is also expected to be damaging to artificial photosynthetic systems. Michigan State University researchers aim to overcome that hurdle. READ MORE SHARE
USDA scientist helps Texas sorghum growers reduce water use Susan O'Shaughnessy, an agricultural engineer with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Bushland, Texas, is providing guidance to sorghum farmers in the Texas High Plains who are trying to save water by using less-than-optimal amounts of it. READ MORE SHARE
TerraVerdae BioWorks reaches milestone in PHA process scale-up TerraVerdae BioWorks Inc. recently announced that it has reached a major milestone: creation of its proprietary technology at a commercial scale. It has completed the scale-up optimization of its process to produce PHA bioplastics from methanol. READ MORE SHARE
Reproducible research for biofuels and biogas New research in the open access journal GigaScience presents a virtual package of data for biogas production, made reusable in a containerized form to allow scientists to better understand the production of biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Argonne National Lab finds butanol is good for boats Argonne National Laboratory recently teamed with industry to investigate alternative fuels for recreational marine applications. Research has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of a blend of fuel that includes 16 percent butanol. READ MORE SHARE
Enel Green Power: Integrated geothermal, biomass plant now online Enel Green Power has brought online the world's first biomass plant used to heat geothermal steam at the Cornia 2 geothermal power plant, which is located in Castelnuovo Val di Cecina in Tuscany, Italy. READ MORE SHARE
Viaspace completes design, engineering of biogas plant Viaspace Inc. recently announced that it has completed the engineering and design work for a 2 MW biogas power plant in Papua New Guinea for Salt Lake City, Utah-based Clean Energy Solutions Pacific. READ MORE SHARE
MassCEC awards $1.1 million to biogas projects The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center recently announced $1.1 million in funding for three anaerobic digestion projects across Massachusetts that will convert organic materials into energy. The projects are located in Bourne, Freetown and Hadley. READ MORE SHARE
UPS announces agreements with three renewable fuels suppliers UPS has announced agreements for up to 46 million gallons of renewable fuels over the next three years, constituting a 15-fold increase over prior contracts and making UPS one of the largest users of renewable diesel in the world. READ MORE SHARE
Amec Foster Wheeler wins second CFB CHP plant contract in Poland Amec Foster Wheeler has announced the award of a contract by Fortum Zabrze S.A. for the design, supply, construction and commissioning for a multi-fuel circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) steam generating combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant in Poland. READ MORE SHARE
Aston University bioenergy technology embarks on European tour Pre-testing of waste materials using prototype Pyrofab technology was recently underway ahead of a summer tour to evaluate sustainable sources of bioenergy from waste in Europe. The Pyrofab is based on technology developed at Aston University. READ MORE SHARE
Andigestion officially opens Bishops Cleeve biogas plant Andigestion's new anaerobic digestion facility in Bishop's Cleeve near Cheltenham, U.K., has officially opened. The facility processes food waste into renewable energy and an organic liquid fertilizer coproduct. READ MORE SHARE
BTEC to release draft of thermal efficiency test method The Biomass Thermal Energy Council has announced plans to release a draft of the first thermal efficiency test method designed specifically for commercial-sized boilers that utilize solid biomass as a fuel stock. READ MORE SHARE
EnviClear purifies contaminated wastewater at biogas plants A3 Water Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of EnviTec Biogas AG, has just developed an innovative and environmentally friendly membrane bioreactor process in conjunction with EnviClear that purifies contaminated surface waters for biogas plant operators. READ MORE SHARE
RNG purchase, injection project approved in Quebec The Regie de l'energie du Quebec has authorized Gaz Metro to purchase renewable natural gas (RNG) produced by the city of Saint-Hyacinthe and build the infrastructure required to connect the output to its distribution network. READ MORE SHARE
Brazilian president officially opens cellulosic ethanol plant Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched Iogen Energy's cellulosic ethanol technology at the official opening of Raizen's newly expanded Costa Pinto sugar cane mill in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 22. READ MORE SHARE