Biomass Week - January 13, 2017

Enviva launches wood supply tracking system Enviva Holdings LP recently released the first data from its groundbreaking Track & Trace (T&T) program. T&T is a proprietary system that enables Enviva to track every truckload of wood the company procures from the forest back to its source. READ MORE SHARE
Drax: 2016 renewable energy makes it UK’s greenest Christmas yet Drax recently announced more than 40 percent of the electricity generated on Christmas Day came from renewable sources, making it the greenest Christmas in the U.K. ever for energy generation. READ MORE SHARE
	Genscape responds to EPA’s plan to revoke its QAP registration Genscape has responded to a notice from the U.S. EPA indicating the agency may revoke the ability of Genscape to verify renewable identification numbers (RINs) under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) quality assurance program. READ MORE SHARE
Maine regulators approve biomass subsidies split across 4 plants In December, Maine Public Utilities Commission announced it has approved distributing up to $13.4 million in subsidies across four biomass energy plants, including two previously owned by Covanta and two currently owned by ReEnergy. READ MORE SHARE
EIA releases 2018 bioenergy forecasts The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the January edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting total renewables used in the electric power sector will fall by 0.3 percent in 2017 and increase by 7.3 percent in 2018. READ MORE SHARE
Appalachian Wood Pellets qualifies for PFI Standards Program The Pellet Fuels Institute recently announced the qualification of pellet fuel manufacturer Appalachian Wood Pellets of Kingwood, West Virginia, into the Pellet Fuels Institute Standards Program. READ MORE SHARE
Graanul seeking SBP certification on all 4 Estonian pellet plants Graanul Invest AS Estonian plants are applying for SBP certification. The main evaluation audits are completed at the Imavere and Ebavere Graanul OÜ pellet plants and audits for Osula and Helme are scheduled for February. READ MORE SHARE
Certification body NEPCon OÜ SBP status suspended in Russia On Jan. 11, Sustainable Biomass Partnership issued a statement that the approval status of NEPCon OÜ, which became an SBP-approved certification body in September 2015, is suspended as of Jan. 6 in Russia. READ MORE SHARE
DOE, USDA open FOA to support integrated biorefinery optimization The U.S. Department of Energy and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently opened a $22.7 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support the optimization of integrated biorefineries. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo releases operational update, achieves EPA pathway approval On Jan. 9, Gevo Inc. published an update describing fourth quarter operations at its Luverne, Minnesota, biorefinery. In addition, the U.S. EPA recently approved a fuel pathway for the plant regarding the production of butanol from corn and sorghum. READ MORE SHARE
100 percent waste-based renewable diesel hits market in Finland Neste has launched a renewable diesel made entirely from waste and residues under the brand name Neste MY Renewable Diesel at select service stations in Finland's Helsinki region Jan. 9. Neste has also signed use contracts with two firms. READ MORE SHARE
UK DBEIS publishes Q3 2016 energy statistics At the end of 2016, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy released Energy Trends and Energy Prices publications for Q3 2016, reporting renewables share of electricity generation increased to 25 percent. READ MORE SHARE
Avantium acquires Liquid Light Avantium recently announced it has acquired the assets of Liquid Light Inc., a developer of electrochemical processes. Liquid Light has developed proprietary process to make major chemicals from carbon dioxide. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa State engineer helps journal highlight pyrolysis A special issue of the journal Energy Technology details the latest advances in pyrolysis technologies for converting biomass into fuels, chemicals and fertilizers. READ MORE SHARE
DOE: Technology converts wastewater sludge to RNG Argonne National Laboratory has developed technology that synergistically uses two waste biomass streams to generate two bioproducts. The technology enhances the process of anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge. READ MORE SHARE
MHG Systems announces e-commerce service A novel e-commerce service, Wuudis, was recently announced by developers MHG Systems and Wuudis Ltd. The service forest allows owners to manage their forest information safely in one place. READ MORE SHARE
Species diversity benefits algal biofuel systems When growing algae in outdoor ponds as a next-generation biofuel, a naturally diverse mix of species will help reduce the chance of crop failure, according to a federally funded study by University of Michigan researchers. READ MORE SHARE
Pilot-scale project to produce fuels from wastewater sludge A consortium led by the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation has been selected by the Department of Energy to begin Phase 1 design and planning for a pilot plant to produce hydrocarbon fuels at a municipal wastewater treatment facility. READ MORE SHARE
Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year. However, current research shows dual-purpose biofuel crops could produce biofuels nine months of the year, increasing profits by as much as 30 percent. READ MORE SHARE