Biomass Week - October 4, 2017

EPA opens comment period on proposal to reduce 2018, 2019 RVOs On Oct. 4, the U.S EPA published a proposal that that could reduce 2018 and 2019 blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard in the Federal Register, officially opening a 15-day comment period. Comments are due Oct. 19. READ MORE SHARE
Senators question Wehrum on his support for the RFS On Oct. 4, the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works held a hearing to consider President Trump’s nominations to fill several government posts, including those at the U.S. EPA. The RFS was among the topics discussed during the hearing. READ MORE SHARE
	New papers examine coal, wood pellet cofiring at US power plants If the U.S. wants to begin replacing coal with wood pellets at power plants, the government must provide incentives similar to the ones that solar and wind currently receive, according to University of Georgia researchers. READ MORE SHARE
DONG Energy to change name to Orsted DONG Energy, a Danish energy company heavily involved in renewables, is changing its name to Orsted. DONG stands for Danish Oil and Natural Gas and no longer accurately reflects who the company is. The name change is effective Nov. 6. READ MORE SHARE
FERC: US adds biomass power capacity in July The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has released its Energy Infrastructure Update for July, reporting that 206 MW of biomass power capacity were installed during the first seven months of 2017, up from 50 MW during the same period of 2016. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel groups ask Trump to continue to grow the RFS On Oct. 3, a group of biofuel supporters sent a letter to President Trump expressing concern over the U.S. EPA’s recent proposal that could reduce 2018 and 2019 blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
Drax appoints new chief executive Drax Group plc recently announced that Will Gardiner will be appointed as group chief executive, effective Jan. 1. His appointment follows Dorothy Thompson’s decision to step down from the position at the end of the year. READ MORE SHARE
Hearing focuses on Farm Bill rural development, energy programs On Sept. 28, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing on the 2018 Farm Bill focused on rural development and energy programs. The committee has now held nine hearings this year focused on Farm Bill development. READ MORE SHARE
DOE publishes report on algae cultivation for carbon capture The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office recently published the Algae Cultivation for Carbon Capture and Utilization Workshop Summary Report. This summary report shares the results of stakeholder discussions held in May. READ MORE SHARE
Bioreactors on a chip renew promises for algal biofuels Researchers from the Cornell-affiliated Boyce Thompson Institute and Texas A&M University report in Plant Direct exciting new technology that may revolutionize the search for the perfect algal strain: algal droplet bioreactors on a chip. READ MORE SHARE
Pinnacle Renewable Energy CEO wins award Rob McCurdy, CEO of Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc., the longest-established wood pellet producer in Western Canada, is this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Pacific winner. READ MORE SHARE
Wärtsilä to acquire Puregas Solutions The technology group Wärtsilä has reached an agreement to acquire Puregas Solutions, the Sweden-based provider of turnkey biogas upgrading solutions. Puregas utilizes a unique process to convert biogas to biomethane and renewable natural gas. READ MORE SHARE
MSU research to harness algae to contain power plant emissions Michigan State University scientists will explore new algae-based technologies to capture power plant emissions and sustainably turn them into valuable products. The research project is funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo to supply jet fuel to Virgin Australia at Brisbane Airport Gevo Inc. recently announced that it expects to supply its renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) to the Virgin Australia Group. The Virgin Australia Group will be responsible for coordinating the purchase, supply and blending of the ATJ . READ MORE SHARE
Grant to help beef up biofuels using evolutionary approaches Researchers at Michigan State University will use a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to fight disease in switchgrass by identifying regions of the genome that cause disease resistance. READ MORE SHARE
CSU shares in project to advance algae for better biofuels Colorado State University scientists are partners in a three-year grant of up to $3.5 million from the Department of Energy, aimed at improving how algae-based biofuels and bioproducts are made. READ MORE SHARE
USDA NIFA announces $21.1 million to grow the bioeconomy The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently announced six grants totaling nearly $21.1 million to support the development of new jet fuel, biobased products and biomaterials from renewable sources. READ MORE SHARE
Scientists explore eucalyptus as an alternative to dense jet fuel Washington State University researchers have developed a process for synthesizing dense jet fuel from mint, pine, gumweed, eucalyptus or other plants.The research is helping to make high-energy density biofuels affordable in the aviation industry. READ MORE SHARE
Brookhaven Lab: With extra sugar, leaves get fat too In a new study at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists show that retaining sugars in plant leaves can make them get fat. That extra fat could help turn plants into factories for making biofuels and chemicals. READ MORE SHARE