Biomass Week - May 27, 2016

EPA schedules hearing on RFS proposal, registrations due May 31 The U.S. EPA has announced it will hold a public hearing June 9 in Kansas City, Missouri, on its proposed rule for the 2017 renewable fuels standard (RFS). Parties wishing to testify at the hearing must contact the EPA by May 31. READ MORE SHARE
Enviva Forest Conservation Fund awards 2016 conservation grants The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, a $5 million, 10-year program designed to protect tens of thousands of acres of bottomland forests in northeast North Carolina and southeast Virginia, has announced the recipients of its 2016 grants. READ MORE SHARE
	USDA announces application periods for BCAP The USDA Farm Service Agency has announced incentives will resume this month through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. According to the USDA, $3 million is available for BCAP during fiscal year 2016. READ MORE SHARE
Brigg Renewable Energy Plant opens in UK The Brigg Renewable Energy Plant was officially opened May 26. The renewable energy plant, which is the largest dedicated straw-fired biomass plant in the U.K., generates 40 MW of electricity every hour. READ MORE SHARE
Small-scale biomass gasification plant progressing in California A 2-MW biomass gasification plant in North Fork, California, will break ground later this year. The project is the result of a public-private partnership between North Fork Community Development Council and Phoenix Energy. READ MORE SHARE
DOE: Biomass committee schedules June meeting The U.S. Department of Energy has announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled for June 13-14 in Washington, D.C. Members of the public can observe the business of the committee. READ MORE SHARE
Hekotek announces pellet plant orders in Latvia, Belarus Estonia-based Hekotek has made two announcements regarding the development of pellet plants in recent months, including the development of a new pellet plant in Latvia and a pellet plant expansion in Belarus. READ MORE SHARE
Lynemouth conversion progresses, Doosan Babcock awarded contract In mid-May, the owner of U.K.-based Lynemouth Power Ltd. issued a brief statement confirming plans to convert the power station to biomass are proceeding according to schedule. Doosan Babcock has been awarded a contract to convert the facility. READ MORE SHARE
Ethanol plant digester to send 5 MW to California grid Not only does Tulare County, California-based Calgren Renewable Fuels LLC manufacture renewable transportation fuel and utilize renewable energy to power its operations, but starting next month, the plant will also send electricity to the grid. READ MORE SHARE
Former NBB CEO Joe Jobe launches new business consulting firm For a generation, Joe Jobe, the former CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, has fostered the U.S. biodiesel industry from its fledgling infancy to bountiful maturation. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces $21 million in bioenergy funding The USDA has announced the availability of $21 million in funding through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to support the development of regional systems in sustainable bioenergy and biobased products, as well as education and training. READ MORE SHARE
Metabolix considers sale of biopolymer, Yield10 businesses Massachusetts-based Metabolix has announced it is exploring strategic alternatives for its specialty biopolymer business and its Yield10 crop science program, including the possibility of selling one or both business segments. READ MORE SHARE
INL successfully tests oxidation catalyst in torrefaction system Advanced Torrefaction Systems LLC has collaborated with the Idaho National Laboratory to test a catalytic oxidation technology designed by ATS to address problems that have hampered the development of large-scale torrefaction plants. READ MORE SHARE
Purdue workshop to explore AD for livestock operations The Indiana Biomass Energy Working Group will offer a workshop at Fair Oaks Farms on management of wastes from large-scale livestock operations, including anaerobic digestion, a mechanism for transforming biological waste into bioenergy. READ MORE SHARE
Britcon wins contract for ReFood AD project Britcon has secured a GBP 13.5 million ($19.81 million) contract to deliver the construction works on a new anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Dagenham for food waste recycler ReFood (UK) Ltd. READ MORE SHARE
Wageningen UR launches development of durable bio-PBS compounds A joint development program on biobased PBS (polybutylene succinate) compounds for injection molding has been launched by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research in cooperation with Reverdia. READ MORE SHARE
Southern states lead growth in biomass electricity generation Over the past five years, U.S. electricity generation from biomass across all sectors grew from 56 terawatthours (TWh) in 2010 to 64 TWh in 2015. Much of this growth occurred in southern states such as Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. READ MORE SHARE
Toronto selects Anaergia technology for organics processing plant Anaergia Inc. recently announced that it is part of a team led that was selected by the city of Toronto, Ontario, to design, build, and operate the upgraded and expanded Dufferin Organics Processing Facility. READ MORE SHARE
Duke Energy inks second swine waste power deal in 2016 Duke Energy recently announced it has finalized a second deal in 2016 to buy captured methane gas derived from swine waste. The planned project will be at farms in Kenansville, North Carolina. READ MORE SHARE
DVO announces first anaerobic digester installation in China Installation and commissioning are complete on a DVO Inc. anaerobic digester at Austasia Modern Dairy Farm in Xianhe, Shandong Province, China. This is DVO’s first installation in China, and the country’s first modern, operational anaerobic digester. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: Nearly 17 million cellulosic RINs generated in April The U.S. EPA has published renewable identification number (RIN) data for April, reporting more than 1.511 billion RINs were generated during the month, bringing the net total for the first four months of the year to nearly 5.88 billion RINs. READ MORE SHARE
California biofuel industry calls on state to allocate funding California’s biodiesel, ethanol and biomethane industries are calling on state legislators to allocate $210 million in the Governor’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to incentivize in-state production of low carbon biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
WesTech, Cleanergy partner to bring GasBox to US WesTech is partnering with Cleanergy to bring the Cleanergy GasBox biogas generator to the U.S. The GasBox generates electricity and heat from biogas using a Stirling engine. It can run on biogas with a methane concentration as low as 18 percent. READ MORE SHARE
Advanced Flow Systems, Greenlane Biogas sign agreement Advanced Flow Systems Inc., a subsidiary of AdvanTec Global Innovations Inc., recently added Greenlane Biogas Ltd. to its existing portfolio of contract manufacturing clients by signing a two-year contract manufacturing agreement. READ MORE SHARE
DOE BETO hosts workshop on algal biology The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office is hosting a two-day workshop, titled “Sharpening Our Tools: Algal Biology Toolbox Workshop,” gathering lead experts in the field of algal biology from May 24–25. READ MORE SHARE
Study: Chance finding could transform plant production An almost entirely accidental discovery by University of Guelph researchers could transform food and biofuel production and increase carbon capture on farmland. The researchers doubled the plant’s growth and increased seed production by 400 percent. READ MORE SHARE