Biomass Week - October 9, 2015

REG acquires various KiOR plant assets for $1.5 million Renewable Energy Group Inc. announced Oct. 6 that one of its subsidiaries, REG Synthetic Fuels LLC, has received approval from a Mississippi court to purchase certain equipment at the KiOR Columbus LLC production facility in Mississippi. READ MORE SHARE
IEA releases mid-term forecast for biofuels, renewable energy The International Energy Agency recently released its annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report at a Group of 20 leaders’ meeting in Turkey. The report forecasts global market trends and developments for renewable energy and biofuels to 2020. READ MORE SHARE
	EIA short-term winter outlook forecasts renewables The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the winter edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting total renewables used in the electric power sector to decrease by 2.7 percent in 2015. READ MORE SHARE
IRENA report indicates renewable energy potential in Africa The African continent could generate nearly a quarter of its energy needs through the use of indigenous, clean, renewable energy by 2030, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency. READ MORE SHARE
Guide details UK pyrolysis progress The European Bioenergy Research Institute at Aston University has released a guide that reports United Kingdom capabilities and progress in fast, intermediate and slow pyrolysis, as well as torrefaction. READ MORE SHARE
US EPA invites comments on GHG emissions analysis of jatropha oil The U.S. EPA is inviting comment on its analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the production and transport of jatropha oil for biodiesel, renewable diesel and other biofuels to qualify under the renewable fuel standard. READ MORE SHARE
Greenlane Biogas contracts with Promus Energy on RNG project Greenlane Biogas has signed a contract with Promus Energy, a project development company focusing on renewable and sustainable technologies, to provide an integrated biogas upgrading solution for a dairy farm located in Yakima County, Washington. READ MORE SHARE
Fortistar expands landfill gas to energy portfolio Fortistar recently announced that it acquired two landfill-gas-to-energy projects, expanding its landfill gas portfolio by 11 MW. The acquisitions from Green Gas Americas follow the closing last week of $150 million in financing for its LFGTE work. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys’s interim results show progress in GTL commercialization Velocys plc released interim results for the six months ended June 30, highlighting the manufacture of the reactors and catalyst is complete for its gas-to-liquids plant, currently under construction adjacent to Waste Management’s East Oak landfill. READ MORE SHARE
UK scientists developing ways to produce green fuel faster Aberystwyth University scientists are playing a pivotal role in a £1.8 million ($2 million) project to develop the technology required to plant the energy crop miscanthus from seed. READ MORE SHARE
Konza Renewable Fuels commercializing wood torrefaction in Kansas A group of companies in Kansas created Konza Renewable Fuels to focus on commercializing wood torrefaction technology five years ago and are now in the process of fabricating the equipment for their first sale. READ MORE SHARE
Rivertop Renewables begins commercial production of glucaric acid Rivertop Renewables and DanChem Technologies Inc. recently celebrated the start-up of commercial manufacturing of Rivertop's glucarate-based products. READ MORE SHARE
Hawaii regulators approve biodiesel contract for HECO plants The contract between Hawaiian Electric and Pacific Biodiesel Technologies to supply biodiesel for Oahu power generators has been approved by Hawaii regulators. READ MORE SHARE
Alliance Bioenergy achieves record CTS conversion rates Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc. recently announced that its’ subsidiary Ek Laboratories in Longwood, Florida, achieved 63 percent conversion of Coastal Hay, at commercial scale, into fermentable sugars in less than 30 minutes. READ MORE SHARE
Scania approves use of renewable diesel in Euro 6 engines Sweden-based heavy-duty truck and bus manufacturer Scania has approved use of renewable diesel, or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), in its Euro 6 range provided it meets technical specification TS15940. READ MORE SHARE
New bed material improves combustion efficiency of waste, biomass Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have discovered that a certain bed material improves the combustion efficiency of waste and biomass while decreasing operating and maintenance costs significantly. READ MORE SHARE