Biomass Week - January 27, 2017

Covanta’s waste-to-energy plant in Ireland prepares for startup Covanta Energy Inc.’s 58–MW waste-to-energy plant in Dublin, Ireland, is on track for first-fire in March. Staffing of the plant is nearly complete, and the facility is currently undergoing commissioning. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 1.84 billion RINs generated in December The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for December, reporting more than 1.84 billion RINs were generated during the final month of last year, including nearly 16.83 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
	Report considers the impact of dedicated energy crop production In early January, the USDA Economic Research Service published a report, titled “Dedicated Energy Crops and Competition for Agricultural Land,” that examines three policy scenarios that could create a market for bioelectricity using switchgrass. READ MORE SHARE
Ecostrat releases white paper on biomass supply chain analytics Ecostrat Inc. recently released a white paper providing evidence for why industry developers and lenders should stay up to speed with the latest developments in biomass supply chain research and analytics. READ MORE SHARE
Company plans pellet plant in Brazil Brazil’s Secretary of Economic Development, Science and Technology formally announced that company Butiá Indústria e Comércio de Pellets Ltda’s plans to construct a 36,000-ton wood pellet plant in the municipality of Butiá, Brazil. READ MORE SHARE
EIA releases 2017 energy outlook with projections to 2050 The U.S. Energy Information Agency released its Annual Energy Outlook for 2017, providing modeled projections that indicate with strong domestic production and relatively flat demand, the U.S. becomes a net energy exporter in the projection period. READ MORE SHARE
PFI Standards Program qualifies New York, Maine pellet plants The Pellet Fuels Institute recently announced the qualification of two new pellet fuels manufacturers to the PFI Standards Program, including Lignetics’ Strong, Maine, facility and New York-based Instantheat Wood Pellets. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys announces alliances with Morimatsu, TRI In January, Velocys plc, a developer of smaller-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants, announced strategic alliances with Morimatsu (Jiangsu) Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. and ThermoChem Recovery International Inc. READ MORE SHARE
2017 RFS rule among regulations subject to additional review The rule to set 2014 volume obligations under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) is among 30 recent rules published by the U.S. EPA set to be temporarily delayed in order to allow for additional review by the Trump administration. READ MORE SHARE
Maryland opens animal waste-to-energy program The Maryland Energy Administration has opened the application window for its Animal Waste-to-Energy Grant Program, which will make investments in projects that utilize animal waste to generate electricity. READ MORE SHARE
EPA seeks comments on sugar beet GHG analysis The U.S. EPA is seeking comments on its analysis of upstream greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production of sugar beets for use as a biofuel feedstock. A 30-day public comment period is expected to open soon. READ MORE SHARE
European Biogas Association reports 17,376 biogas plants in EU European Biogas Association published the sixth edition of its statistical report, showing the number of biogas plants tripling in only six consecutive years to 17,376 biogas plants and 459 biomethane plants in operation in Europe as of late 2015. READ MORE SHARE
Air Products technologies featured in biobased hydrogen project Air Products is part of a consortium that recently took part in the inaugural ceremony of the Shikaoi Hydrogen Farm, a hydrogen production supply facility derived from livestock biomass waste located in Hokkaido, Japan. READ MORE SHARE
Microbe Detectives: Study aims to improve AD performance Microbe Detectives LLC recently announced a microbiome study aimed at creating new insights on how to improve biogas anaerobic digester performance, based on data collected this spring from 50 biogas/digester systems. READ MORE SHARE
DuPont Industrial Biosciences wins grant for biogas enzymes DuPont Industrial Biosciences has been awarded a grant from the European Commission to demonstrate high-efficiency enzyme production to increase biogas yields as part of the DEMETER project. READ MORE SHARE
BTS Biogas secures capital, enters US market BTS Biogas has raised a significant round of funding with a new U.S.-based investor group. The funding will fuel the acceleration of BTS Biogas’s strategic entry into the U.S. with several large plant projects and strategic partnerships. READ MORE SHARE
MIT researchers tap the hidden value of farm waste Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are developing a reactor that uses torrefaction technology to densify biomass, making it transportable and increasing its shelf life. The technology aims to benefit smallholder farms. READ MORE SHARE
European researcher aims to generate more value from biomass Roberto Rinaldi FRSC, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London has been awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant to fund his work on lignin valorization. READ MORE SHARE
Air Liquide, Puregas Solutions announce collaboration Air Liquide and Puregas Solutions have signed an agreement to access their respective biogas upgrading technologies, allowing the companies to provide biogas upgrading solutions that meet customers' needs and projects’ characteristics. READ MORE SHARE