Biomass Week - March 7, 2018

Wood chip heating fuel quality standard approved in the US A new quality standard for wood chip heating fuel is now available. The American National Standards Institute recently approved AD17225-4 Wood Chip Heating Fuel Quality Standard, which is a revised version of the international standard ISO 17225-4. READ MORE SHARE
Finalists announced for the 2018 Wood Stove Design Challenge The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the second round of finalists for the 2018 Wood Stove Design Challenge have officially been chosen. Finalists will showcase their wood stove technology on the National Mall in November. READ MORE SHARE
	Trump hosts industry meeting on RFS, no deal reached On March 1, President Trump met with a variety of stakeholders from the biofuels and refining industries to continue the discussion on the Renewable Fuel Standard and renewable identification numbers (RINs). READ MORE SHARE
Drax increases pellet capacity, plans fourth unit conversion On Feb. 27, Drax Group plc released 2017 financial results, reporting improved earnings from biomass generation and Opus Energy. During an investor presentation, the company provided insight into its future bioenergy plans. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: 640,000 tons of densified biomass fuel produced in November On Feb. 28, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced U.S. manufacturers of densified biomass fuel reported producing 640,000 million tons of product in November, and selling 670,000 tons. READ MORE SHARE
EPA approves new fuel pathway for REG Geismar On Feb. 23, the U.S. EPA approved a fuel pathway for the Renewable Energy Group Inc.’s Geismar, Louisiana, biorefinery that will allow the facility to generate D5 advanced biofuel RINs for naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LGP). READ MORE SHARE
Italian support scheme for advanced biofuels approved On March 1, the European Commission approved an Italian support scheme for the production and distribution of advanced biofuels, including advanced methane, for use in the transportation sector. The scheme has an indicative budget of €4.7 billion. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers triple the number of grains in sorghum Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have figured out how a simple genetic modification can boost the sorghum's yield. By lowering the level of a key hormone, the change allows the crop to generate more flowers and more seeds. READ MORE SHARE
TUI welcomes the first 737 MAX on biobased jet fuel TUI Group recently announced it welcomed the first ever 737 MAX delivery flight on biobased jet fuel. The flight from the Boeing in Seattle to Stockholm was performed using a 30 percent blend of biofuel. READ MORE SHARE
L'Oréal USA to purchase RNG from Kentucky facility L'Oréal USA has announced it is adding to its diversified energy portfolio with RNG purchased from a new processing facility in Kentucky at the Big Run Landfill. Construction of the RNG processing plant is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. READ MORE SHARE
ExxonMobil, Synthetic Genomics advance algae biofuels program ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics Inc. recently announced a new phase in their joint algae biofuel research program that could lead to the technical ability to produce 10,000 barrels of algae biofuel per day by 2025. READ MORE SHARE
Enviva: Chesapeake terminal impacted by Feb. 27 fire Enviva Partners LP reports that a fire commenced at its deep-water marine terminal in Chesapeake, Virginia, late on Feb. 27. The fire was quickly controlled. Enviva said the fire may impact the timing and number of shipments in the first quarter. READ MORE SHARE
Brazil: Landfill gas-based fuels eligible for RenovaBio program On Feb. 21, Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy published a notice announcing that landfill gas-based fuels will be eligible to comply with the requirements of RenovaBio, the country’s new national biofuels policy that was established in December. READ MORE SHARE
IATA sets goal for flights using sustainable fuels On the tenth anniversary of the first biofuel flight, the International Air transport Association has set a goal for 1 billion passengers to fly on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025. READ MORE SHARE
Protein studies inform biofuels research Research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is paving the way for the optimization of biofuel production processes by providing insights into reaction pathways and developing methods for predicting their properties. READ MORE SHARE