Biomass Week - October 25, 2017

Forest Service to award $7 million under Wood Innovations program The U.S. Forest Service has opened a funding opportunity for projects that expand wood products and wood energy markets, especially in areas with high wildfire risk. The announcement was made on National Bioenergy Day, Oct. 18. READ MORE SHARE
Pruitt commits to strong RFS, maintaining the point of obligation U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the agency is expected to set final 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations at or above proposed levels. He also indicated EPA will issue a final rule maintaining the current point of obligation. READ MORE SHARE
	EIA releases densified biomass fuel data for July The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released the October edition of its Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, noting the 88 facilities that submitted data produced 576,521 tons of pellets in July. READ MORE SHARE
Bill aims to provide tax credits for biobased chemical production Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., recently introduced legislation that aims to establish a short-term tax credit to support the production of renewable chemicals or investments in renewable chemical production facilities. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys announces site of first US biorefinery Velocys has announced its first U.S. biorefinery will be located in Natchez, Mississippi. The company said it has been offered an attractive package of economic development incentives to locate the plant at the site. READ MORE SHARE
MEP proposal ups renewables targets, phases out crop-based fuels Members of the European Parliament are calling for the European Union to source 35 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, set nationally binding targets for renewable energy and phase-out of palm oil and food-based biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass cogeneration facility, pellet plant planned in Ontario The Northwestern Ontario Indigenous community of Whitesand First Nation will develop an industrial park to support new biomass and wood processing facilities thanks to investments from the governments of Canada and Ontario. READ MORE SHARE
House Biofuels Caucus asks EPA to increase RFS RVOs On Oct. 19, the House Biofuels Caucus sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt asking the agency to formulate a more robust final rule regarding renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
BIO asks for reauthorization of Section 9003 program in Farm Bill The Biotechnology Innovation Organization and 66 renewable chemical producers recently asked the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture to reauthorize the Farm Bill’s Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Manufacturing Assistance Program. READ MORE SHARE
Report reveals impact of Drax Group to UK economy British energy business Drax Group contributed almost £1.7 billion towards U.K. GDP in 2016 and supported over 18,500 jobs across the country. The findings were revealed in a new report looking at the economic impact of Drax’s U.K. operations. READ MORE SHARE
UA to head new center focusing on biofuels and bioproducts The University of Arizona has received a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to lead a new center focusing on the mass production of biofuels and bioproducts in the Southwestern U.S. READ MORE SHARE
Drax sells Billington Bioenergy Drax has agreed to sell Billington Bioenergy, a distributor of wood pellets in the U.K. heating market, to Aggregated Micro Power Holdings, an energy company specializing in the sale of wood fuels and the development of distributed energy assets. READ MORE SHARE
Metsä Group inaugurates bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland Metsä Group celebrated the inauguration of its next-generation bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland, on Oct. 18. In the first phase, new bioproducts produced at the plant will include product gas, sulphuric acid, biogas and biofuel pellets. READ MORE SHARE
Fuel cell power plant using biogas earns CARB certification FuelCell Energy Inc. has announced that the SureSource 1500 fuel cell power plant operating on anaerobic digester gas (ADG) has received certification under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB 2013) distributed generation emission standards. READ MORE SHARE
Novomer to open new innovation center in New York Novomer Inc. has announced plans to open a new innovation center in Rochester, New York. The facility—named the Novomer Innovation Center—is designed to meet the expanding demands of the company’s growing biobased chemicals business. READ MORE SHARE
UH Hilo researchers design sustainable wastewater systems University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo researchers are doing their part to help HawaiʻiIsland industries utilize more renewable and sustainable energy sources. The research includes the development of a lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. READ MORE SHARE
Separating methane and carbon dioxide to become more efficient To make natural gas and biogas suitable for use, the methane has to be separated from the CO₂. This involves the use of membranes. Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a new membrane that makes the separation process much more effective. READ MORE SHARE