Biomass Week - July 15, 2016

UK government eliminates Department of Energy and Climate Change Newly appointed U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has abolished the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change as part of a larger ministerial overhaul. The functions of the DECC will be transferred to other government departments. READ MORE SHARE
DOE releases update of billion-ton report on biomass Within 25 years, the U.S. could produce enough biomass to support a bioeconomy, including renewable aquatic and terrestrial biomass resources that could be used for energy and to develop products for a variety of uses and benefits. READ MORE SHARE
	Nearly 42,500 comments filed on 2017 RFS proposal The comment period on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2017 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), along with 2018 RVOs for biomass-based diesel, has officially closed. READ MORE SHARE
SRP to test burn forest debris at coal plant Salt River Project is exploring the feasibility of using forest debris as a supplemental fuel at its Coronado Generating Station in St. Johns, Arizona, to improve the health of Arizona's forests and watersheds. READ MORE SHARE
Nebraska awards grant to Enginuity for BioCoal project Enginuity Worldwide recently announced that Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality has awarded the company a $250,525 grant to develop BioCoal Fuel using its patented rotary compression technology. READ MORE SHARE
USDA GAIN report highlights Russian pellet potential A report recently filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network provides an overview of the Russian federation’s biofuels industry, including data on likely growth with wood pellet production and exports. READ MORE SHARE
40-plus groups call on Congress to end tax breaks for Big Oil In a letter to U.S. legislators, a diverse coalition of environmental, veterans, labor, renewable fuels and social justice groups are challenging Congress to repeal nearly $4 billion a year in taxpayer subsidies given to Big Oil. READ MORE SHARE
House members issue letter in support of the RFS On July 14, 17 members of the House Biofuels Caucus sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy urging the agency to compete its 2017 renewable fuel standard (RFS) rulemaking “in a manner consistent with the Congressional intent." READ MORE SHARE
EIA updates short-term bioenergy forecast The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the July edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting total renewables used in the electric power sector will increase by 11.2 percent in 2016 and 3.9 percent in 2017. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys reports progress with Envia Energy GTL project U.K.-based Velocys plc recently issued a business update confirming construction of the Envia Energy gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is progressing well. A project in Ohio, however, has been put on hold. READ MORE SHARE
Comment period on 2017 RFS proposal closes July 11 at midnight The comment period on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2017 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), along with 2018 RVOs for biomass-based diesel, closes July 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET. READ MORE SHARE
USDA awards REAP funding The USDA has awarded Rural Energy for America Program funding to 821 projects supporting energy efficiency improvements and the installation of renewable energy systems, including $43.2 million in loan guarantees and $11.6 million in grants. READ MORE SHARE
UK DECC publishes Q1 2016 energy statistics The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change recently released first quarter 2016 energy statistics in its Energy Trends and Energy Prices publications, reporting 8.3 percent of final energy consumption in 2015 came from renewables. READ MORE SHARE
Spencer Group to design, build pellet facilities at Port of Tyne Spencer Group has won a contract from Lynemouth Power Ltd. to design and build wood pellet facilities at the Port of Tyne. The contract includes design and construction of a facility for the handling, storage and rail-loading of wood pellets. READ MORE SHARE
Andritz sludge dewatering line aims to increase biogas production International technology Group Andritz has received an order from Saugbrugs Bioenergi AS, a part of the Norske Skog Group, to supply a new sludge dewatering line for thickening and dewatering of fibrous sludges for its mill in Halden, Norway. READ MORE SHARE
UK plant hosts scientists, farmers interested in miscanthus The Brigg Renewable Energy Plant recently hosted a visit from scientists and farmers to explore the use of miscanthus as a fuel for renewable energy and support groundbreaking research into miscanthus growing. READ MORE SHARE
Vermont AD system demonstrates operational success “Big Bertha,” the anaerobic digester at Vermont Technical College, is operating at full capacity and successfully putting electricity onto the grid. At full power, the system transforms 16,000 gallons of waste to 8,800 kwh of electricity daily. READ MORE SHARE
ABO: DOT’s 2016 Billion-Ton Report shows potential of algae The Algae Biomass Organization hailed the findings in the Department of Energy’s 2016 Billion-Ton Report that show the United States possess ample resources to produce large quantities of biomass from algae. READ MORE SHARE
New hybrid sweetgum trees could boost paper, bioenergy production Researchers at the University of Georgia have crossed American sweetgums with their Chinese cousins, creating hybrid sweetgum trees that have a better growth rate and denser wood than natives, and can produce fiber year-round. READ MORE SHARE
1st sustainable flight in Africa fueled by tobacco-based biojet On Boeing's 100th anniversary, South African Airways celebrated Africa's first sustainable biofuel flight. The flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, operated by a Boeing 737-800, used biojet fuel produced from Sunchem's nicotine-free tobacco plant. READ MORE SHARE
Veolia signs contract to operate, maintain AD system in Michigan Veolia recently signed a five-year contract with Lowell Energy AD, managed by Sustainable Partners of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the operations and maintenance of its Lowell Energy Anaerobic Digester. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers: Generically improving sorghum could benefit biofuels New research conducted by a group of U.S. universities examines how genetic improvement of specific sorghum traits, with an eye toward sustainability, could help maximize the usefulness of sorghum as a bioenergy crop. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers investigate impact of biomass harvest on wildlife North Carolina State University researchers announce results of four-year study on how biomass harvesting treatments impact wildlife, noting no significant impacts were found. The study addressed six different harvesting treatments. READ MORE SHARE
NTU, NEA collaborate to develop waste-to-energy research facility The National Environment Agency recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore to co-fund the development of a S$40 million ($29.7 million) waste-to-energy (WTE) research facility. READ MORE SHARE
Gaz Metro converts biomass into renewable natural gas Gaz Metro has been conducting a demonstration project aimed at converting forestry biomass into second-generation renewable natural gas. The trials were carried out in collaboration with G4 Insights at the Natural Gas Technologies Centre. READ MORE SHARE