Biomass Week - November 15, 2017

California funds 18 dairy digester projects The California Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded $35.2 million to 18 dairy digester projects. The projects are part of the Dairy Digester Research and Development program and aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy manure. READ MORE SHARE
Hawaiian Electric, Pacific Biodiesel sign contract Hawaiian Electric Co. and Pacific Biodiesel Technologies have reached a agreement for the supply of biodiesel to the 50-MW Schofield Generating Station, 8-MW Honolulu International Airport Emergency Power Facility, and other facilities. READ MORE SHARE
	Diamond Green Diesel considers expanding production capacity Valero Energy Corp. and Darling Ingredients Inc. recently announced that they will initiate an engineering and construction cost review to consider expanding capacity at the Diamond Green Diesel plant in Norco, Louisiana, to 550 MMgy. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: 610,000 tons of densified biomass fuel produced in August The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the November edition of its Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, which includes data for August. The report estimates total U.S. production capacity is nearly 12.71 million tons per year. READ MORE SHARE
EIA updates short-term bioenergy, wood heating forecasts The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released its Short-Term Energy Outlook for November, providing updated bioenergy forecasts for 2017 and 2018, and updated wood heating forecasts for the 2017-’18 heating season. READ MORE SHARE
Rentech releases third quarter financial results Rentech Inc. released third quarter financial results on Nov. 9. The results were released roughly one month after announcing its shares would be removed listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market and be moved the OTCQB market, effective Oct. 16. READ MORE SHARE
BPA, ABC ask for parity in tax reform package The Biomass Power Association and American Biogas Council recently partnered with the Energy Recovery Council and National Hydropower Association to ask Congress for tax parity for all renewable technologies in tax reform. READ MORE SHARE
Lawmakers ask FTC to investigate manipulation of RIN markets A bipartisan group of six members of Congress wrote to the Federal Trade Commission on Nov. 7 asking the agency to investigate possible market manipulation in the renewable identification number (RIN) market. READ MORE SHARE
Advanced biofuel companies thank Trump for commitment to RFS A group of 19 advanced biofuel companies sent a letter to President Trump on Nov. 8 thanking him for his commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard and outlining the need to set strong advanced and cellulosic targets in the 2018 RFS rule. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel tests in Milwaukee Zoo locomotives a success Two steam locomotives at the Milwaukee County Zoo were fueled with a wood-based solid fuel last week, and the test runs were a success, according to the Coalition for Coalition for Sustainable Rail and the Natural Resources Research Institute. READ MORE SHARE
NRRI helps Lonza turn nuisance dust into biomass fuel source The University of Minnesota Duluth's National Resources Research Institute helps Lonza Inc. separate fines from wood chips and use the biomass coproduct to supplement its natural gas fuel source using a 200 HP biomass boiler system. READ MORE SHARE
Xebec announces orders from France, Italy and China Xebec Adsorption Inc., a global provider of gas generation, purification, and filtration solutions recently announced a significant lift in its order book, driven by more than CDN $9.8 million in recent biogas orders from Europe and China. READ MORE SHARE
Doosan to supply turbine to biomass power plant in Denmark In Kalundborg, Denmark, the construction of a biomass-fired power station has begun. A machine room delivered by Pilsen, Czech Republic-based Doosan Škoda Power will be the heart of DONG Energy's Asnæs Power Station. READ MORE SHARE
RNG Coalition adds new members The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) has announced the addition of several new members, including East Coast gas and electricity provider Duke Energy and Western U.S. gas utility Southwest Gas. READ MORE SHARE
Braskem, Haldor Topsoe sign partnership to develop biobased MEG Braskem and Haldor Topsoe have signed a technological cooperation agreement to develop a pioneering route to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The agreement calls for the construction of a demonstration plant in Denmark. READ MORE SHARE
Sweetwater Energy brings lignin-based activated carbon to market Sweetwater Energy’s biomass conversion technology has produced native lignin that can be easily carbonized and activated to make high-end powdered activated carbons for the municipal potable water and home water filters markets. READ MORE SHARE
UTIA awarded FAA grant to analyze biorefinery supply chains The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture was awarded Federal Aviation Administration grant for a three-year project to perform a multitude of techno-market analyses of U.S. biorefinery supply chains from feedstock to alternative jet fuel. READ MORE SHARE
NRRI develops solid biofuel to offset coal University of Minnesota Duluth’s National Resources Research Institute has announced it is now able to produce solid biofuels that perform at comparable energy values to coal in fossil coal-burning facilities. READ MORE SHARE
Mimicking giant clams to enhance the production of biofuel Two Penn researchers are collaborating to study how giant clams use sunlight in order to produce biofuels more efficiently. Their work could help improve photosynthesis in algae, enhancing the efficiency of biofuel production. READ MORE SHARE