Biomass Week - February 26, 2016

Drax sees challenging year, remains confident in biomass Despite a tough year influenced by severe deterioration of the commodities market and a challenging regulatory environment, Drax had a very good operational year and stands ready to convert more units to biomass, said CEO Dorothy Thompson. READ MORE SHARE
GE to build world’s largest commercial biomass-fired power plant GE recently announced that it has been selected by Mechelen-based Belgian Eco Energy to build the largest greenfield, 100 percent biomass-fired power plant in the world. The plant will be powered by wood chips and agro residues. READ MORE SHARE
	Senate holds hearing on RFS oversight On Feb. 24, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on oversight of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator of the U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, was among those testifying. READ MORE SHARE
Bio plant for handling household waste to be built in UK A world first bio plant for handling unsorted household waste will be built in Northwich, Cheshire by DONG Energy. The facility will handle unsorted household waste, without prior treatment, using enzymes. READ MORE SHARE
Valero asks EPA to redefine RFS definition of obligated party Valero Energy Corp. has filed with a petition for reconsideration with the U.S. EPA, asking it to revise its definition of “obligated party” under the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The company has also challenged the recent RFS rule in court. READ MORE SHARE
Mercedes-Benz Trucks approves use of renewable diesel Mercedes-Benz Trucks has granted immediate approval for the use of HVO for its in-line six-cylinder engine variants of its OM 470, OM 471 and OM 936 as well as the in-line four-cylinder variants of the OM 934 meeting the Euro VI emissions standard. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 1.74 million cellulosic RINs generated in January The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for January, reporting that a net total of 1.44 billion RINs were generated during the month, including nearly 1.74 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
Washington bill incentivizes conversion of last coal plant Washington’s last coal-fired power plant may have a new incentive to convert to a cleaner fuel, rather than closing down in less than a decade. SB 5575 would provide the 1,340-MW plant with incentives to convert to biomass or natural gas. READ MORE SHARE
Astec reports annual results, highlights pellet plant activities Despite a challenging quarter that saw a 10 percent decrease in net sales, Astec Industries President and CEO Benjamin Brock said the future of Astec is bright, and highlighted pellet plant quoting as an active area in its business. READ MORE SHARE
RusForest reports startup of Russian pellet mill On Feb. 22, Sweden-based RusForest released preliminary fourth quarter results, announcing its 30,000-ton-per-year pellet mill in in Magistralny, Russia, began operations during the final quarter of last year. READ MORE SHARE
FutureMetrics comments on why CPP opponents should reconsider FutureMetrics published a white paper on why opponents to the Clean Power Plan should change their minds. Amongst the reasons is a demonstration why cofiring industrial wood pellets with coal should be part of a plan to a more decarbonized future. READ MORE SHARE
Louisiana pellet mill files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy On Feb. 18, subsidiaries of German Pellets associated with its Louisiana-based pellet plant filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana. READ MORE SHARE
Federal biomass board releases bioeconomy report The Biomass Research and Development Board, an interagency collaboration composed of senior decision-makers from federal agencies and the White House, recently published a report, titled “Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy.” READ MORE SHARE
UN report gives sweeping overview of advanced biofuels Advanced biofuels can be exploited to meet sustainable development and climate change mitigation goals, says a new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The report updates a similar 2014 survey. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass report finds significant reductions in GHG emissions A report released to the European Union Directorate-General for Energy, titled “Carbon impacts of biomass consumed in the EU: quantitative assessment,” confirms using bioenergy has significant carbon savings and can reduce greenhouse emissions. READ MORE SHARE
Best regions for growing bioenergy crops identified Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have identified regions in the United States where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing effects on water quantity and quality. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers find bioenergy potential in fungi found in manure Nature’s figured it out already, how to best break down food into fuel. Now scientists have caught up, showing that fungi found in the guts of goats, horses and sheep could help fill up your gas tank too. READ MORE SHARE
National Trust: Former home of Shell Oil chairman goes green U.K.-based National Trust has announced its first completed Renewable Energy Investment Programme project, Upton House, Warwickshire, has made the switch from oil to a renewable energy heating system. READ MORE SHARE
ElectraTherm ORC to generate clean energy from biomass in UK ElectraTherm has shipped the Power+ Generator 4400 to a chicken farm in the United Kingdom, its second application in the country to utilize biomass to generate emission-free electricity. The project is expected to be commissioned this spring. READ MORE SHARE
Boeing, Aeromexico, Mexican government collaborate on biofuels Boeing, Aeromexico and Mexico's Airports and Auxiliary Services will collaborate with a biojet program supported by Mexico's Sector Fund for Energy Sustainability to advance research and development of sustainable aviation biofuel in Mexico. READ MORE SHARE
Lux: Cellulosic ethanol price hinges on feedstock cost Six companies have now brought cellulosic ethanol facilities online, but with widely varying costs that indicate where innovation is still needed to make next-generation biofuels competitive, according to Lux Research. READ MORE SHARE
National Trust: Getting warmth from the woods Amber Rudd, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, visited Croft Castle in Herefordshire countryside to see how a new biomass heating system is getting the property off oil, reducing costs and benefiting the environment. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo signs licensing and joint development agreements with Porta Gevo Inc. recently announced that it has entered into a license agreement and a joint development agreement with Porta Hnos S.A. to construct multiple isobutanol plants in Argentina using corn as a feedstock. READ MORE SHARE
Anellotech continues to build intellectual property portfolio Anellotech recently announced it has been granted U.S. Patent No. 9,249,080 that describes a catalytic process for converting non-food biomass into a wide range of intermediates for the chemical industry. READ MORE SHARE
ANL: Genetic diversity can lead to more productive biofuel growth Researchers have mixed different genetic varieties of switchgrass on production-size plots, hypothesizing this could increase yield, produce a fuller crop and potentially reducing the crop's vulnerability to weather fluctuations. READ MORE SHARE
Tiny red crystals dramatically increase biogas production University of New South Wales Australia-led researchers have discovered a way to produce a tenfold increase in the amount of methane gas emitted by naturally occurring microbes living in coal seams and on food waste. READ MORE SHARE
GFBiochemicals acquires Segetis, enters US market GFBiochemicals, an industrial-scale producer of biobased levulinic acid, has acquired the assets and intellectual property of Segetis, the main levulinic acid derivatives producer in the U.S. market. READ MORE SHARE