Biomass Week - August 30, 2017

D3MAX signs contract for design of first commercial plant Pilot testing of D3Max LLC's patented corn fiber-to-ethanol process has been successful and is allowing D3MAX to move to the next stage of commercial deployment, the design of a full-scale D3MAX plant at Ace Ethanol LLC. READ MORE SHARE
GNT to purchase, upgrade Scotia Atlantic Biomass facility Great Northern Timber Group has signed a tentative agreement to purchase the Scotia Atlantic Biomass pellet plant, pending due diligence and court approval, said Thor Olesen, CEO of GNT. The facility is expected to restart operations later this year. READ MORE SHARE
	Comment period on EPA’s 2018 RFS proposal closes Aug. 31 Those who wish to file written comments on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2018 volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard have until midnight on Aug. 31 to do so. To date, more than 30,000 comments have already been filed. READ MORE SHARE
EPA posts materials for SAB review of biogenic CO2 framework The U.S. EPA has posted new materials related to a quality review scheduled to be conducted by the Scientific Advisory Board on the agency’s draft framework for assessing biogenic carbon dioxide emissions from stationary sources. READ MORE SHARE
Report: Japanese imports of pellets, biomass expected to increase Japan recently filed a report with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network, noting the country imported a record 347,000 metric tons of wood pellets last year for thermal power generation. READ MORE SHARE
Report shows reduced carbon intensity of UK grid In the U.K., the latest Electric Insights report, produced by researchers at Imperial College London, in collaboration with Drax, found that renewables accounted for 25 percent of Britain’s electricity during the second quarter. READ MORE SHARE
Air Liquide enters the Norwegian biogas market Air Liquide has announced its acquisition of a majority equity in Norwegian company Skagerak Naturgass AS, a subsidiary of Skagerak Energi that belongs to Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, Statkraft. READ MORE SHARE
GE’s biogas engine technology to power 3 landfill sites in Turkey GE’s Distributed Power has announced that it is providing its Jenbacher biogas engine technology and myPlant Asset Performance Management solution for three new landfill power production sites in Turkey. READ MORE SHARE
NATO-funded Serbian researchers develop biofuel from algae Eight Serbian scientists are leading a research project to develop the commercial production of biofuel from algae. The pioneering project is supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers: Landfill sites aid in search for new enzymes Far from being a load of rubbish, landfill sites should be considered one of the great untapped resources in the search for new enzymes for biotechnology, and could fuel more efficient biofuel production. READ MORE SHARE
Domtar inaugurates biomass generating unit at Windsor Mill Domtar has inaugurated its second biomass generating unit with a power output of 18 MW at its Windsor Mill in Quebec. The facility now has a production capacity of nearly 50 MW, making it a major producer of renewable energy in the region. READ MORE SHARE
Turboden to supply 2.3 MW plant to bioenergy project in Turkey Turboden, a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has signed an order with Güres for a new ORC unit to be installed at its main egg production site in Manisa, Turkey. The system will generate electricity and hot water from chicken litter. READ MORE SHARE
DOE: Artificial intelligence helps improve biomass preprocessing Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory’s bioenergy program have successfully tested an adaptive, intelligence-based control system that increased the reliability of feedstock preprocessing equipment by more than 50 percent. READ MORE SHARE
SoCalGas streamlines process to support renewable gas projects Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) recently announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company's natural gas pipeline system. READ MORE SHARE
DOE: BETO publishes tech blog on innovations in the bioeconomy The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced the official launch of its new technical blog, Bioprose: Building the Bioeconomy through Technology & Communication. READ MORE SHARE