Biomass Week - September 30, 2016

Court hears oral arguments in Clean Power Plan challenge On Sept. 27, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The hearing, held before a panel of 10 judges, spanned nearly seven hours. READ MORE SHARE
Sustane Technologies to produce pellets from MSW in Canada Sustane Technologies Inc. recently finalized a 20-year contract with the municipality of Chester, Nova Scotia, to make the commercialization of its process that converts municipal solid waste into biomass pellets a reality. READ MORE SHARE
	Velocys: Construction complete on Oklahoma City GTL project Velocys plc has announced that construction of Envia Energy’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is now complete. The company has also released its interim results for the first half of 2016. READ MORE SHARE
Novamont opens plant for production of biobased 1,4-butanediol Novamont has opened a commercial-scale facility in Italy for the production of biobased 1,4-butanediol (BDO), a major intermediate chemical. The Mater-Biotech plant will produce 30,000 tons of BDO per year from renewable sources. READ MORE SHARE
299-MW UK biomass plant selects boiler supplier MGT Teesside Ltd.’s Tees Renewable Energy Plant planned for Teesport near Middlesbrough in North East England will deploy the world's largest circulating fluidized boiler utilizing only biomass as fuel, once the facility is up and running in 2020. READ MORE SHARE
EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2016 addresses bioenergy The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released its Annual Energy Outlook 2016, which includes projections through 2040. The outlook features forecasts for renewable energy, including bioenergy. READ MORE SHARE
Global Bioenergies, Clariant produce isobutene from wheat straw Global Bioenergies and Clariant have announced the production of isobutene from a wheat straw hydrolysate in the industrial pilot of Pomacle Bazancourt. This success is the result of a collaboration initiated more than 18 months ago. READ MORE SHARE
Ginkgo Bioworks, Genomatica forge alliance Ginkgo Bioworks and Genomatica have announced an alliance to more rapidly deliver biology-based solutions for the world’s highest-volume intermediate and specialty chemicals. The companies will share existing technology and develop new processes. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers develop method to separate lignin from wood Washington State University researchers have developed a way to practically separate lignin from wood, a breakthrough that could provide new sources of lignin for advanced renewable fuel and advanced materials applications. READ MORE SHARE
GreenWood Resources licenses ORNL process to boost biofuel yield GreenWood Resources has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology based on the discovery of a gene in poplar (Populus trichocarpa) that makes it easier to convert poplar trees into biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Northern Forest Center holds information session on pellet heat The Northern Forest Center is offering incentives that help Vermonters switch to wood pellet boilers and furnaces. An information session about these heating systems and the incentives is scheduled to be held on Oct. 4 in West Burke, Vermont. READ MORE SHARE
SEC charges Mard, formerly KiOR, for disclosure omissions The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Texas-based Mard Inc., formerly known as KiOR Inc., and its former CEO and President Fred Cannon for failing to disclose important assumptions about the yield that KiOR claimed to achieve. READ MORE SHARE
Global Bioenergies joins biobased gasoline project in Sweden Global Bioenergies, Preem, Sekab and Sveaskog announced they have joined forces to develop a high-performance fuel made from forest resources. The consortium has signed a agreement to carry out a conceptual scope study for a facility in Sweden. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa State, Chevron advance biofuel technology with pilot plant A new pilot plant at Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm is a joint project with Chevron U.S.A. University engineers are using the pilot plant to develop and demonstrate an advanced biorenewables technology called solvent liquefaction. READ MORE SHARE
UT-ORNL team hopes to ease path from vegetation to biofuel A University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory team led by governor’s chair Jeremy Smith is using supercomputing to figure out ways to ease the path of turning vegetation into biofuel. READ MORE SHARE
E.ON and SBI open Denmark’s largest biogas plant E.ON and Sonderjysk Biogas Invest recently brought Denmark’s largest biogas plant, Sonderjysk Biogas, into operation. The facility will convert 540,000 tons of livestock manure, straw and other organic residues per year into green energy. READ MORE SHARE
Iona Capital invests in UK biomass project Newbridge Energy will be doubling the size of its workforce and installing three biomass generating units in North Wales after a multi-million pound investment from the independent energy and environmental investment company, Iona Capital. READ MORE SHARE