Biomass Week - May 9, 2018

Enviva discusses Chesapeake fire, productivity improvements On May 3, Enviva Partners LP released first quarter 2018 financial results, providing an update of restoration work at the Chesapeake terminal following a recent fire and reporting year-over-year productivity improvements. READ MORE SHARE
Pinnacle enters new off-take contracts with Japanese customers On May 2, Pinnacle Renewable Holdings Inc. released first quarter 2018 financial results, reporting it generated record first quarter revenue and announcing it has entered into new off-take contracts with customers in Japan. READ MORE SHARE
	Trump to allow year-round E15 sales, attach RINs to exports President Donald Trump hosted a meeting May 8 on the RFS at the White House. During the meeting, attendees agreed to allow year-round sales of E15, to abandon plans to pursue a price cap on RINs, and to allow RINs to be assigned to exported biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
ABFA challenges EPA’s RFS small refinery exemptions in court The Advanced Biofuel Association has submitted a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to sue U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, challenging EPA’s process for granting RFS small refinery hardship waivers. READ MORE SHARE
USDA solicits applications for Repowering Assistance Program The USDA is soliciting applications for up to $5 million in funding under its Repowering Assistance Program, which helps eligible biorefineries use biomass as a replacement for fossil fuels used to create heat or power. READ MORE SHARE
Chempolis, Fortum, NRL partner to build biorefinery in India Chempolis, Fortum and Numaligarh Revinery Ltd. have formed a joint venture to develop a biorefinery in India that will convert 300,000 tons of bamboo annually into ethanol, furfural, acetic acid and biocoal. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta: Fairfax plant runs at record levels in Q1 Covanta Holding Corp. recently released first quarter 2018 financial results. During an April 26 investor call, the company provided updates of its waste-to-energy projects, including the restart of the Fairfax County, Virginia, plant. READ MORE SHARE
Neste reports strong Q1 performance for renewables division On April 26, Neste Corp. released first quarter 2018 financial results, reporting strong results for the company’s Renewable Products division. Overall, the company posted an all-time high quarterly profit. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys sells license to Red Rock Biofuels Velocys plc, the renewable fuels company, has received a “notice to proceed” action to commence manufacturing of the Fischer-Tropsch reactors and catalyst for the Red Rock Biofuels LLC biorefinery that will be located in Lakeview, Oregon. READ MORE SHARE
Sweetwater, Graanul announce first commercial biorefinery Sweetwater Energy and Estonia-based AS Graanul Invest will build a commercial-scale integrated biorefinery that will produce clean cellulosic sugars and highly pure lignin from 50,000 tons of local hardwood each year. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers produce biohydrogen using green algae A research group from the University of Turku, Finland, has discovered an efficient way for transforming solar energy into the chemical energy of biohydrogen through the photosynthesis of green algae that function as cell factories. READ MORE SHARE
Pasadena fire department switches to Neste renewable diesel The Pasadena Fire Department in California has switched much of its fleet of apparatus from operating on petroleum diesel to using Neste MY Renewable Diesel. Its entire fleet is expected to be fueled with renewable diesel by next year. READ MORE SHARE
REG launches REG Ultra Clean Diesel Renewable Energy Group Inc. launched the company’s latest innovation in diesel fuel, REG Ultra Clean Diesel, at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, California, May 2. READ MORE SHARE
RNG production facility begins operations in Iowa GAIN Clean Fuel and BioResource Development announce the start-up of a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility located at Water and Resource Recovery Center in Dubuque, Iowa. RNG produced at the facility will be used as transportation fuel. READ MORE SHARE
Air Canada operates biofuel flight from Edmonton to San Francisco Air Canada announced its Edmonton-San Francisco flight May 2 operated with biofuel onboard a 146-seat Airbus A320-200 aircraft. Air Canada continues to support and advocate for the development of biofuel in Canada. READ MORE SHARE
Pingree, Young launch bipartisan food waste caucus On April 30, Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and David Young, R-Iowa, launched a bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus to explore opportunities to reduce food waste. The American Biogas Council spoke at a recent briefing hosted by Pingree. READ MORE SHARE
Wood formation model to fuel progress in bioenergy A new systems biology model that mimics the process of wood formation allows scientists to predict the effects of switching on and off 21 pathway genes involved in producing lignin, a primary component of wood. READ MORE SHARE
Xebec, JNK heaters form strategic partnership Xebec Adsorption Inc. has announced a strategic partnership with JNK Heaters Co. Ltd. of Korea to advance biogas upgrading and on-site hydrogen generation solutions. JNK will exclusively market the Xebec biogas solutions in Korea and India. READ MORE SHARE
DOE offers bioenergy research funding opportunities The U.S. Department of Energy has announced four funding opportunities totaling up to $78 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. READ MORE SHARE