by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A bipartisan delegation of California lawmakers are urging the U.S. EPA to resolve any issues that prevent biomass and waste-to-energy pathways from receiving the same level of support as other forms of energy under the
Forest resources
Back TO HOMEWSU Researchers Creating Catalyst to Improve Jet Biofuel Production
by Maegan Murray (Washington State University-Tri-Cities) Efforts to create an environmentally friendly catalyst that will lower the cost and increase the efficiency in producing bio-based jet fuels has netted Washington State University researchers a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
June 29, 2018 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Effort Kicks off in Örnsköldsvik
(SEKAB/MyNewsDesk) Representatives from eleven European companies and universities gathered yesterday in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik, to kick-start the EU-funded project Rewofuel. The long-term aim is to lay the groundwork for many new biorefineries across Europe, using wood residues from the
June 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Maine Developments – Bio News Mounts from the Pine Tree State
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... First, let’s start with the latest from the Maine Technology Institute, which just announced a request for information regarding emerging forest industry technologies, with the goal of accelerating matchmaking to connect the most viable,
June 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Request for Information: Forest Industry Technologies DEADLINE: July 20, 2018
(Biobased Maine/Maine Technology Institute) The Maine Technology Institute is collecting publicly available information on technologies that could be deployed within Maine’s forest industry. The purpose of this RFI is to encourage technology companies to submit preliminary information on their technology and
June 14, 2018 Read Full Article
SLU and Stora Enso in Strategic Partnership
(Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Stora Enso. Through the agreement SLU and Stora Enso intend to establish a long-term collaboration in research and development, education, competence building,
June 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Preem and RenFuel to Create the World’s First Lignin Plant for Biofuels
(Cision/Rottneros) Preem and RenFuel are assessing, in collaboration with Rottneros, the construction of the world’s first lignin plant for biofuels, at the pulp mill in Vallvik, Söderhamn. The plant is expected to produce an annual volume of 25,000-30,000 tonnes of lignin,
May 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Russian Direct Investment Fund : RDIF and JBIC Agree to Collaborate in the Russian Bioenergy Industry
(Russian Direct Investment Fund/4-Traders) The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and JBICIG Partners (JBICIG, a subsidiary of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)) as part of the Russia-Japan Investment Fund (RJIF, launched by RDIF and JBIC), together with RFP Group
May 29, 2018 Read Full Article
Boom — Like that: Biofuel Plant Gets Financing Terms
by Kali Katerberg (Daily Mining Gazette) After months of waiting, Synsel Energy announced on Thursday that financing terms for construction of a biofuel plant at the site of the former Smurfit-Stone paper mill have been finalized. The $300 million refinery will create
May 25, 2018 Read Full Article
St1 and SCA Form Partnership to Produce Renewable Fuels
(St1 and SCA/Globe Newswire) The energy company St1 and the forest products company SCA have formed a partnership to develop large-scale production of renewable fuels from tall oil. The planned production site will be St1's refinery in Gothenburg The aim of
May 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Arizona Public Service Issues Call for Bioenergy Project Proposals
(Bioenergy Insight) Arizona Public Service (APS) in the United States has issued a Forest Bioenergy Resources Request for Proposals (RFP). APS is seeking proposals for projects that utilise biomass feedstocks from high-risk forest lands in Northern Arizona to generate capacity and
May 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Building Out Biomass in the Land Down Under
by Patrick C. Miller (Biomass Magazine) Will Australia use bioenergy to its full potential, or primarily serve export markets? -- Australia’s bioenergy sector is alive and brimming with ideas about how to keep pace with progress being made internationally. However, biofuels advocates
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Port of Seattle Announces Partnership for Sustainable Aviation Fuels at Sea-Tac Airport
(Port of Seattle) Innovative partnership with 13 airlines aims to replace 10 percent of traditional jet fuel with local, sustainable supply in 10 years -- The Port of Seattle announced today that 13 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Horizon Airlines,
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Velocys Picks up Velocity While Rockin’ with Red Rock
by Helena Taveres Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In the United Kingdom, renewable fuels company, Velocys, received a “notice to proceed” action to commence manufacturing of the Fischer-Tropsch reactors and catalyst for the Red Rock Biofuels biorefinery that will be located in Lakeview, Oregon. RRB has
May 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Canadian Green Aerospace R&D Collaboration GARDN Joins Biofuels Sustainability Standards Body RSB
(GreenAir ONline) Canada’s Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN), a non-profit organisation that brings together government, academia and the aerospace industry to develop technologies and processes to lessen the sector’s environmental impact, has joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).
April 27, 2018 Read Full Article
UPM Biofuels Gains the World's First RSB Low Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) Risk Certification for Its Feedstocks
(Globe Newswire) UPM Biofuels' continuous efforts for a more sustainable supply chain and operations has been recognized by the world's first RSB (Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials) low ILUC (indirect land use change) risk certification. The certificate was received for crude tall
April 25, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Announces Biomass from Managed Forests Will Be Considered Carbon Neutral
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Georgia, in a meeting with members of the forestry community, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Agency issued a statement of policy making clear, that future regulatory actions on biomass from managed forests will
April 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Next Generation Forest Company: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Conifex
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Conifex’s business is the harvesting of timber and the manufacture and sale of lumber, primarily for North American and Asian markets. Its sawmills process high-quality SPF logs into higher-grade and commodity-grade lumber, wood chips that are sold externally
April 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Italy Earmarks EUR 4.7bn for Biofuel Incentives in the Transport Sector
(JDSUPRA/McDermott Will & Emery) Transport fuel retailers are obliged to sell a minimum amount of biofuel annually, calculated as a percentage of the energy content of the transport fuel sold in the relevant year. Such obligation can be met by either
April 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Draft 2018 Farm Bill Reauthorizes Energy Title Programs
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On April 12, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, released a draft of the 2018 Farm Bill, officially titled the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. The legislation reauthorizes many bioenergy-related programs, but
April 13, 2018 Read Full Article
FedEx Finds Unexpected Benefits from New Fuel Technologies: Q&A with Mitch Jackson
by Alyssa Danigelis (Environmental Leader) Each business day, FedEx serves over 220 countries and territories with more than 600 aircraft as well as more than 190,000 on-road and off-road vehicles, which includes around 132,000 company-owned vehicles. The shipping company, which has
April 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Lumber’s Lure: Thanks to Physics, Viable Biofuel May Grow in the Woods
by Chris Lee (Ars Technica) Future biofuel production requires new catalysts—or better training for stubborn enzymes. ... I thought New Zealand would offer some chemistry-minded contrast. The country makes a lot of money on timber exports, but this profit is generally not from primary forest.
April 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Duluth Steam Plant to Burn Biofuel
by Peter Passi (Duluth News Tribune) Duluth's steam plant will be swapping out coal and natural gas for biofuel in the near future. Earlier this week, the Duluth City Council authorized Duluth Energy Systems to enter into a five-year agreement with
April 01, 2018 Read Full Article
NACSAA Advances Recommendations to Shape UNFCCC Agricultural Work Program
(25 x '25/North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) Last November, we wrote here of a major breakthrough occurring at the global climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where, for the first time, delegates approved plans to establish an agricultural work program. What
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
ABLC 2018 Preview: Deployment Dawns, Products Proliferate, and Techs Land Major Venture Deals as the Bioeconomy Advances into a Big 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, ABLC 2018 opens amidst a flutter of government rollbacks of deployment support but the hope of regulatory relief, breakthroughs in financial structuring, a decisive shift in early-stage projects to nutrition & health, and an
February 28, 2018 Read Full Article
NZ Could Forge a Green Transport Fuels Future
(Scion/Scoop) Study proves New Zealand could forge a green transport fuels future -- New Zealand could build a renewable low-carbon transport fuels industry - but only if the nation decides to act. A report by Crown Research Institute Scion outlines how the country
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Bio-CCS and Bio-CCUS in Climate Change Mitigation--Market and Regulatory Issues Related to Bio-CCUS
(International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 41) The fourth IEA Bioenergy Task 41 workshop on Bio-CC(U)S was organized in Brussels 16 January 2018. The topic of the workshop was Market and regulatory issues related to Bio-CCUS. The workshop was a full day event divided
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Is Energy from Woody Biomass Positive for the Climate?
(International Energy Agency) IEA Bioenergy has produced a brief on the question ‘Is energy from woody biomass positive for the climate?’ The brief provides background and a number of concise arguments on this question. Overall, energy from woody biomass can be very
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
Butanol from Forest Waste: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Fermentation of AVAP Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The objective? To create an economically viable process for the production of butanol from the underutilized natural resources domestically available economically sustainable biofuel at or below DOE target selling price. And, suitable for roll-out in multiple regions containing
February 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Pruitt Commits to Creating Regulatory Certainty for Biomass
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Feb. 13, U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt met with members of the forest products industry and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to discuss a range of environmental issues. Pruitt also provided Sununu with a letter
February 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Agroforestry Systems May Play Vital Role in Mitigating Climate Change
by Jeff Mulhollem (Penn State News) Agroforestry could play an important role in mitigating climate change because it sequesters more atmospheric carbon in plant parts and soil than conventional farming, according to Penn State researchers. An agricultural system that combines trees with crops
February 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Biomass Data-Management System Launches in Alberta
(Silvacom/Canadian Biomass Magazine) Silvacom Ltd. and Alberta Innovates are pleased to announce that the Bio-Resource Information Management System (BRIMS) is now available for public use. BRIMS is a world-class, publicly available data and information management system that collates inventories from forestry, agriculture, and municipal
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Enviva: Track & Trace Data Conforms Sustained Forest Growth
(Enviva/Biomass Magazine) Enviva, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, has released its latest Track & Trace sourcing data, marking one year of public reporting and two years of tracking the company’s sustainable sourcing practices. These data are a key
January 31, 2018 Read Full Article
MIT Professor Says Biomass-Based Power Worse than Coal for the Environment
Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Massachusetts, a new report from MIT Sloan professor John Sterman supports the growing argument that burning wood pellets for power is worse for the climate than burning coal, because of the short-term effects and the “potentially irreversible impacts
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Liquefy Thy Forest: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Liquefaction of Forest Biomass for Hydrocarbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team of researchers from Iowa State led by Robert Brown and supported by the DOE’s Biomass Technologies Office is aiming to demonstrate the liquefaction of forest biomass for hydrocarbon fuels, as a viable path to stable
January 30, 2018 Read Full Article
The Rise, Rise, Rise of Bio-Methanol for Fuels and Chemical Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The clearest intersecting theme is bio-methanol. Let’s see why. For one, Södra has much more going on than Silva, and we reported on a major development in December when we related that Södra will invest more
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Calculating the CO2 Emissions of Biofuels Is Not Enough
(Science Daily/Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)) A new EU regulation aims to shrink the environmental footprint of biofuels starting in 2021. But a scientist thinks we should go one step further and take into account all compounds produced at biorefineries,
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Biomass Industry Responds to ‘Morbid Mathematics’ of FERN Study
by Daryl Worthington(Bioenergy Insight) Two major associations for the biomass industry have responded to a study claiming the burning of biomass prematurely kills tens of thousands of people each year. The study was commissioned by FERN, an NGO created in 1995 “to keep track
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Is Energy from Woody Biomass Positive for the Climate?
(International Energy Agency Bioenergy) IEA Bioenergy has produced a brief on the question ‘Is energy from woody biomass positive for the climate?’ The brief provides background and a number of concise arguments on this question. Overall, energy from woody biomass can be
January 15, 2018 Read Full Article
The Story of Red Rock Biofuels and the Bond Market Breakthroughs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the world of drop-in military biofuels, two major updates appeared this week. In Oregon, Red Rock Biofuels got good news on Monday when the governor approved $245 million in bonds that will allow the company’s planned
January 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Bond Authorization Opens Door to Lake County Biofuel Project
by Kurt Leidtke (Herald and News) Jeff Manternach, CEO of Red Rock Biofuels, says the company was created in response to widespread and devastating wildfires in the Western U.S. caused by forest debris and the rising demand for drop-in, cost competitive
January 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Finland Looks to “Finnish” First in Biofuels
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Finland cities are taking action on their carbon neutral goals and taking them oh so seriously. The Public Works Department at the City of Espoo, the second largest city in Finland, announced their decision
January 08, 2018 Read Full Article
$76.8 Million Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Plant Coming to Norway
(Biofuels International) A (CDN) $76.8 million (€50.7 million) industrial scale advanced biofuel demonstration plant will be constructed at a former pulp mill in Tofte, Norway. The new facility is apparently a step towards the creation of a commercial scale project. Danish-Canadian clean-fuel
December 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Dutch Researchers Create Maps of GHG Emissions from Biofuel Production
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In the Netherlands, a team of scientists charted greenhouse gas emissions resulting from biofuel production, presenting them as global maps. Dedicated crops grown on grasslands, savannahs and abandoned agricultural lands could provide around 30 exajoules per year (i.e.
November 27, 2017 Read Full Article
No Crop Left Behind: Inside the USDA’s Bioeconomy Feedstock Strategy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... You’d be forgiven if you mistook Ahb Subi Banr-Sbar for a well-placed official in the Iranian government — but, in fact, it’s a 9-project network to facilitate the development of regionally-based industries producing advanced biofuels, industrial
November 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Positive Results from Flagship Biorefinery Feasibility Study
by Processum (Canadian Biomass Magazine) The project Flagship Biorefinery has been carried out in order to investigate the prerequisites to realize a new, full scale biorefinery based on sustainable wood raw material from Swedish forests. The biorefinery would produce approximately 1 million
October 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Slash and Build: Study Aids Forestry Biofuel Industry
by Siddharth Vodnala (Washington State University News) Researchers from Washington State University, along with those from Oregon State University and the University of Montana, have recently devised refined methods to estimate the amount of forest residue — the leftovers from trees
October 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Four Swedish NGOs Write MEPs Demanding a Shift in Biofuels Policy
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Sweden, a group of four NGOs have written an open letter to members of European Parliament urging them to rethink the proposals for the second version of the Renewable Energy Directive, claiming that Swedish
October 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Marketing Sustainability: How Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) Are Planning to Take Flight
By Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Flying in Formation: Since the first test flight almost 10 years ago, there have been over 40,000 commercial flights supported by four international airports supplying SAFs. Michael Gill, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air
October 19, 2017 Read Full Article
St1 Progresses with Renewable Diesel Production Plans at Its Refinery in Gothenburg
(St1) Energy company St1 continues its series of investments targeting to begin the production of renewable diesel in 2020 at its refinery in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company has now signed an Engineering design package and license agreement with Haldor Topsoe for
October 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Top 10 Wood Waste Projects – Not Letting Waste Go to Waste
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, the chopping continues and there are literally tons of wood waste left behind that doesn’t get used up, but we can all agree we
October 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Any Renewable Energy Solution Requires Extracting the Full Value of Biomass
by A.J. (Sandy) Marshall (Bioindustrial Innovation Canada/Canada Biomass) ... Today, climate change concerns are demanding an ever-increasing management of greenhouse gases. As a result, society is establishing a pricing on carbon through cap and trade and carbon taxation mechanisms. This shift
September 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Timber Bio-Fuel Stymied by Lack of Government Incentives, Says Industry
(ABC News Rural) With a number of coal-fired power stations tipped to close over the next decade, the Queensland timber industry says it could help alleviate any energy shortages by producing green fuel from its waste but is being held
September 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Integrated Bioenergy Hybrids: Flexible Renewable Energy Solutions
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On September 14, IEA Bioenergy presented a free international webinar entitled, “Integrated Bioenergy Hybrids - Flexible Renewable Energy Solutions” presented by Elina Hakkarainen. Designed to optimize the potential of a variety of different energy sources, an
September 15, 2017 Read Full Article
Bounding Maine: Top 10 Companies Targeting Maine’s Forest Resource for Higher-Value Apps
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But pulp and paper markets have taken big hits. Headlines have centered around damaged balance sheets that make it difficult to modernize or expand, mothballed plants, bankruptcies, job losses that have struck hard at northern
September 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Hi-Temp Deconstruction: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Solvent Liquefaction, and Biomass-to-Hydrocarbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The US Department of Energy is supporting a project to demonstrate solvent liquefaction as viable path to stable intermediates for subsequent upgrading to fuel blendstocks. This is based on a technology originally developed in large
August 30, 2017 Read Full Article
Environmentalists Are Urging the USDA to Reject This Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus Tree
by Chelsea Harvey (The Washington Post) A genetically engineered, freeze-tolerant eucalyptus tree is moving closer to receiving approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, amid concerns about the tree’s possible negative effects on the environment. The USDA has proposed lifting restrictions
August 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuel Plant Construction Set to Begin
by Vanessa Dietz (The Daily Mining Gazette) ... SynSel Energy Inc., of Elmhurst, Illinois, chose Ontonagon as one of two U.S. sites to build advanced biofuels plants that will produce synthetic gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels the company sells in commodities
August 10, 2017 Read Full Article
What Price Biomass? The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Supply Forecasting
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How much biomass is there? What types, prices, when will they be available, and produced by whom, and how? These are questions that the US Department of Energy undertook to answer, to address a program-wide need
August 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Massachusetts May Overlook Climate Impacts of Biofuels
by Bobby Magill (Climate Central) Massachusetts is considering a plan that would classify wood pellets and other tree products as sources of renewable energy, allowing the logging industry to contribute to the state’s climate goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, research
August 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Production Could Play a Part in Reducing Forest Fires
(Bioenergy Insight) Bioenergy can play a role in reducing the risk of forest fires, according to a video recently published on the European Forest Institute’s website. ... “Now, we need a new vision where the focus is shifted from fire suppression to
August 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Study Finds that Markets Are Key to Retaining Southern Forests
by Carlton N. Owen (Forest Business Network) ... “Forest2Market’s new study proves what many of us in the forest sector have said for years — robust markets are the key to keeping forests as forests, “says Carlton Owen, President and CEO
August 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuel Potential in Southeast Asia: Raising Food Yields, Reducing Food Waste and Utilising Residues
(International Renewable Energy Agency) Southeast Asia has considerable resources to produce liquid biofuels sustainably, using biomass feedstocks that would not cause carbon-dioxide emissions or interfere with food supply. Fulfilling the region’s biofuel potential would depend on increased residue collection from food
July 25, 2017 Read Full Article
SynSel Energy Inc. to Open Biofuels Plant in Ontonagon
by Jan Tucker (Your Daily Globe) Ontonagon has been selected as one of two initial sites in the U.S. for the construction of an advanced biofuels plant. SynSel Energy, Inc., is partnering with a U.S.-based financier and Lost Bowl Development, LLC,
July 19, 2017 Read Full Article
N-butanol and Beyond: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Green Biologics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar cane bagasse, forest materials
June 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Velocys Pivots from “FT Tech Co” to “Renewable Fuels Company”, Eyes California
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, Velocys CEO David Pummell said that “Our new strategy is for Velocys to be at the heart of building plants that convert woody biomass to high specification renewable diesel and jet fuel
June 27, 2017 Read Full Article
S2G BioChem Announces Build of Advanced BioRefinery in Sarnia, Ontario
(S2G BioChem/Marketwired) Funding Support Provided by Bioindustrial Innovation Canada; Production of Xylitol to Begin in 2018 -- S2G BioChem (S2G), a developer of natural biotechnology conversion processes, announced today that it has started work on the company's first standalone biorefinery demonstration
June 26, 2017 Read Full Article
Can’t Get No (Liquefaction): The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide Liquefaction of Forest Biomass to Drop-in Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lysle Whitmer on behalf of an Iowa State-led group of researchers gave this illuminating overview of Liquefaction of Forest Biomass to Drop-in Fuels, at the 2017 DOE Project Peer Review sessions. READ MORE
June 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Norway's Statkraft to Make Biofuel from Wood Chips and Other Waste
by Geert De Clercq (Reuters) Norwegian utility Statkraft has found a way to produce biofuel from wood chippings and other solid organic waste, which it says replicates in minutes a process that made crude oil underground over millions of years. Using high
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
BIC Announces New SIRA Roadmap to Develop Europe’s Bioeconomy
(Bio-based Industries Consortium) To help build a resource-efficient, circular and bio-based economy, the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) has announced its new Strategic and Research Agenda (SIRA). The SIRA identifies the activities needed to speed up the development of sustainable and
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
Ecofys Study on Crude Tall Oil Markets and Availability: Sufficient Supply for Advanced Biofuels, Biomaterials and Energy Usage
(UPM) UPM Biofuels commissioned a study from leading international energy and climate consultancy Ecofys - A Navigant Company, entitled "Crude tall oil low ILUC risk assessment: comparing global supply and demand". The study looked into crude tall oil (CTO) availability,
June 21, 2017 Read Full Article
ARC Awards $1.5 Million to Support Biorefinery Center at ASC
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Appalachian Regional Commission recently awarded a $1.5 million grant to New York-based Alfred State College to support its Biorefinery Development and Commercialization Center project, which aims to help private and public partners leverage
June 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Next Generation Forest Company: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Conifex
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Conifex’s business is the harvesting of timber and the manufacture and sale of lumber, primarily for North American and Asian markets. Its sawmills process high-quality SPF logs into higher-grade and commodity-grade lumber, wood chips that are
June 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Keeping the Forests as Forests
by Charlie Niebling (Biomass Magazine/Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC) Across the Northeast U.S. and much of the country, markets for low-grade wood resources have fallen off dramatically. In this context, “low grade” is used to describe wood feedstocks that have few,
June 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Stimulating Sustainability Certification in North America
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) The Dutch are motivated buyers of North American wood pellets, but the lack of sustainability certification of small forest owners in the U.S. and Canada has created an intense need for intercontinental collaboration. The fact that
June 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Urban Transport Cleans Up Its Act - HSL and Stara Shift to Renewable Fuels Only
(Globe Newswire/HSL/The Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT Ltd/UPM Biofuels) Buses in the Helsinki region and most of machinery and trucks used by the City of Helsinki are switching to waste and residue-based biofuels. Helsinki Region Transport HSL, the City
June 07, 2017 Read Full Article
MEP Calls for Sweeping Changes to EU Biofuel and Bioenergy Legislation
(Bioenergy Insight) MEP Bas Eickhout has proposed sweeping reforms to EU legislation regarding bioenergy and biofuels. They come amid the Dutch politician’s proposals for increasing the EU’s renewable energy share target for 2030 from 27% to 45%. ... Eickhout proposes allowing sustainable and
June 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Supercritical Hydrofaction: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Steeper Energy and Decarbonizing Long-Haul Transport
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Not long ago, we updated on Steeper Energy, which has been executing on a $3m grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada towards development of a $30M 100 barrel per day demonstration project for the company’s hydrofaction biomass-to-liquids
May 26, 2017 Read Full Article
BPA: Study Demonstrates Emissions Benefits of Forest Residue Use
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Biomass Power Association has released the results of a study demonstrating dramatic carbon benefits can be achieved by using forest residue-based biomass instead of natural gas in power generation facilities. The research determined that
May 10, 2017 Read Full Article
The Digest's Complete March Madness Webinars Available Online
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest's Complete March Madness webinars - 700+ slides available for your on-demand review. -- The Digest's March Madness series - 20 webinars covering the hottest topics as selected by Digest readers - featuring dozens
May 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Researchers Find More Efficient Way to Make Oil from Dead Trees
(University of Washington/Biomass Magazine) The mountain pine beetle has destroyed more than 40 million acres of forest in the western United States. That amounts to an area the size of Washington state that is strewn with conifers left for dead. The
May 04, 2017 Read Full Article
Old Town Mill Eyed for Full-Scale Plant to Turn Wood Pulp into Ingredient for Diesel, Jet Fuel
by Tux Turkel (Portland Press Herald) 'The biggest obstacle now is financing,' says Stephen Fitzpatrick, president of Biofine Technology LLC, which is partnering with UMaine on a pilot plant at the site. -- The former Old Town Fuel and Fiber
May 04, 2017 Read Full Article
NEWBio Commercial Collaborators: Building a Sustainable Energy Future in the Northeast United States
(Extension.org) The Northeast region of the United States (from the Ohio River to the New England coast) has the natural, social, and technological resources needed to help create a sustainable, rural renaissance by using biomass to create biofuels, biopower, and
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Great Leaf Forward: The Top 10 Trends Driving the Canadian Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although the bigger players — China, the US, Brazil and the EU take most of the headlines in the advanced bioeconomy, Canada is definitely “boxing above its weight class” these days, as the saying goes. In
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
US Wood Pellet Exports Are Sustainable, Despite Growth: Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Tennessee, officials at Oak Ridge released a report on an ongoing debate about costs and benefits of wood-pellet based bioenergy production in the southeastern United States (SE US) requires an understanding of the science
April 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Oregon Senate Backs Woody Biomass as 'Green Energy'
(KTVZ.com) Bill sponsored by Sens. Tim Knopp, Ted Ferrioli -- Oregon Senate Republicans say adding woody biomass as a recognized source of green energy technologies will help reduce carbon emissions and create jobs in rural Oregon. The proposal, Senate Bill
April 19, 2017 Read Full Article
US Forest Service and Biomass: A Symbiotic Partnership
by Bob Cleaves (Biomass Power Association/Biomass Magazine) More than 100 million trees across California, many located in the federally managed Sierra, Stanislaus and Sequoia National Forests, are dead, owing to a years-long drought and a nasty bark beetle infestation. As many
April 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Addressing Biomass Energy 'Alternative Facts'
by William Strauss (FutureMetrics/Biomass Magazine) ... The recently released paper by the Chatham House is a study that contains many inaccurate statements about the use of wood for energy. Those statements are presented as facts, or as uncontested conclusions. This article
April 05, 2017 Read Full Article
Allendale Wins $6 Million Biomass Investment, 35 New Jobs
(South Carolina Promise Zone) Thunderbolt Biomass, Inc., a manufacturer of wood pellets from sawmill residuals, is launching new processing operations in Allendale County, according to news releases. The company is planning to invest $6 million in the project, creating 35
March 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Developing Bio-Manufacturing in Gippsland
by Philip Hopkins (Gippsland Times) Australian Paper, working with the CSIRO, a European technology leader and Federation University, is forging ahead with plans to create a bio-manufacturing hub in the Latrobe Valley that could generate several thousand jobs. The venture, which
March 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Neste Welcomes the High Ambition Level for Renewable Fuels in Sweden
(Your Renewable News/Neste) Neste welcomes the Swedish government's draft law proposals for the emission reduction mandate for traffic fuels and the continued tax exemption for high-blend biofuels. Long-term perspective and ambitious targets provide a much needed basis for innovation and
March 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Oh, the Irony! 'Eco-Friendly' Biodiesel Found Environmentally Destructive
(Sputnik News) Whereas biofuel is often touted as the "greenest" solution to the Earth's climate woes, such as global warming, many experts find it at least as damaging to the environment as ordinary fuel. Another characteristic worth considering is the
March 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Co-Processing Biointermediates: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Honeywell UOP
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating power, transportation fuel and heating
March 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Academics and IEA Slam ‘Misleading’ Chatham House Bioenergy Report
by Liz Gyekye (Bioenergy Insight) More than 125 academics have joined the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Bioenergy) slamming Chatham House’s recent report on bioenergy, calling it ‘misleading. The group of academics from across the world and the IEA
March 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Could Biofuel Save Maine’s Timber Industry?
by Darren Fishell (Bangor Daily News) The company EMEP LLC wants to buy the shuttered East Millinocket paper mill to build a biorefinery that it said would be a centerpiece of a larger $240 million plan for biomass energy parks
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
FutureMetrics Has Published a New White Paper: "Alternative Facts" in the Recent Chatham House Study
(FutureMetrics) Providing misleading, inaccurate, and sometime outright fiction as facts could be called propaganda. With overtones of Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the term "alternative facts" has recently been coined. Either way, it is information that is biased and misleading that is
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
New Study Shows Novia Scotia Has ‘Strong Potential’ to Produce Advanced Biofuels
(Biofuels International) A new study shows Nova Scotia has strong potential to develop an innovative biorefinery that produces an advanced biofuels from renewable sources of fibre. The liquid biofuel could be used to heat homes and power marine vessels, among other
February 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Forestry Firm UPM Says Eyeing Next Biofuel Investment
by Jussi Rosendahl (Reuters) Finnish pulp and paper maker UPM-Kymmene is planning its next step in wood-based renewable fuel products after a successful ramp-up at its initial biofuels plant, the head of UPM's biofuels business said on Wednesday. UPM says the plant
February 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Botwood Biofuel Plant One Step Closer to Green Light
by Ryan Cooke (CBC News) Forestry minister confident in project, says resources are sufficient -- ... NewGreen Technology Inc, the company behind the project, will soon be offered a tentative deal by Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial government for the allocation of wood fibres
January 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Economics of Forest Biomass Raise Hurdles for Rural Development
(Oregon State University) The use of residual forest biomass for rural development faces significant economic hurdles that make it unlikely to be a source of jobs in the near future, according to an analysis by economists at Oregon State University. In
December 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Integrated Seawater Agriculture in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf as a Potential Food and Aviation Biofuel Resource
by Brian Warshay, J. Jed Brown, Sgouris Sgouridis (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment) Prospective evaluation of the lifecycle impacts of aviation biofuel production in Abu Dhabi, UAE based on a production system that integrates aquaculture, saltwater agriculture, and mangrove silviculture, termed an
December 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Specialty Chemicals: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Green Biologics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar cane bagasse, forest materials and
December 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Drop-In Fuels at Scale: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Ensyn
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ensyn uses its patented and proprietary RTP fast thermal technology to convert wood residues and other non-food, cellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Ensyn has had continuous commercial operations for more than 25 years. Its technology has
December 01, 2016 Read Full Article
EC Releases RED II, Proposes First-Generation Biofuels Phase-out and New Sustainability Criterion for Forest Biomass
(Biofuels International) The European Commission has released its long-awaited revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and proposed the phase-out of food crop-based biofuels from 2021. The EC also wants to simultaneously introduce a sub-mandate for advanced biofuels. It also proposes to introduce a
November 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Be the Change: Maine’s New Born Global Challenge
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For some time in The Digest, we have examined the problem of matching capital to projects. As Ecostrat’s Jordan Solomon observed at ABLC Next a few weeks back, “the vast majority of projects are given
November 30, 2016 Read Full Article
There Is a Cornucopia of Feedstock Options for Making Biofuels
by Mark Elless (U.S. Department of Energy) Switchgrass, algae, forest trimmings, corn husks and corn stalks you can't eat these crops, and you would never put them on your table for Thanksgiving; however, together they make up a bountiful harvest
November 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Survey Identifies More than 100 Million Dead Trees in California
(USDA/Biomass Magazine) The USDA recently announced that the U.S. Forest Service has identified an additional 36 million dead trees across California since its last aerial survey in May 2016. This brings the total number of dead trees since 2010 to
November 25, 2016 Read Full Article
White House Decarbonization Report Addresses Biofuels, Biomass
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The White House has published a mid-century strategy on decarbonization that addresses biofuels and bioenergy. On Nov. 16, the report was filed with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change under the Paris climate
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Silk Purses from Hog Fuels: A Golden Opportunity to Add Value via New Solid Biofuels Standards
by Patrick Olivier (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) In 2015, the Canadian Standards Association adopted and published a series of CAN/CSA – ISO 17225 Solid Biofuels Standards based on the harmonization of European and ISO standards. The objective of the series, as stated
October 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Finds Biomass Harvesting Techniques with Minimal Impacts
( USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station/Biomass Magazine) A set of newly published studies evaluated nearly 40 years of data on the impacts of biomass utilization on soil, tree, and plant recovery and found minimal impact using certain forest
October 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Studies Link Biofuel Demand, Habitat Loss
by Brad Rich (Coastal Review Online) As the U.S. and other countries have ramped up development of bio-energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, demand is rising for trees for wood pellets, or biomass, and agricultural products for liquefied biofuels. A recent multi-year
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Solvay, Stora Enso
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Solvay and Stora Enso and their direct investments,
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Researchers Make Breakthrough in Biobased Materials
by Tina Hilding (Washington State University) Washington State University researchers have developed a way to practically separate lignin from wood, a breakthrough that could provide new sources of lignin for advanced renewable fuel and advanced materials applications. The work is featured
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Biorenewable Deployment Consortium Holds Candid Discussion of Current Bioeconomy Happenings from a Forest Resources Perspective
[caption id="attachment_77283" align="alignleft" width="282"] Chris Tindal, U.S. Navy's Director for Operational Energy, explains the launch, operations and use of renewable fuel by the Great Green Fleet.[/caption] by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) An intimate group that shares some background or interest
September 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Joins Preem, Sekab and Sveaskog in the “Bio-Based Gasoline Project” in Sweden
(Global Bioenergies) Global Bioenergies (Alternext paris: ALGBE), Preem, Sekab and Sveaskog announce having joined forces to develop a high-performance fuel entirely based on forest resources. The consortium has signed a collaboration agreement to carry out a conceptual scope study for a
September 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Biofuels Market Will Gain Momentum Due to Increasing Energy Security Until 2020, Says Technavio
(BusinessWire/Technavio) The global biofuels market is expected grow at a CAGR of nearly 6% during the forecast period, according to Technavio’s latest report. In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global biofuels market for 2016-2020.
September 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Maine Trees Could Fuel Military Jets, but as Long as Oil Costs $40 a Barrel, It’ll Be a While
by Christopher Burns (Bangor Daily News) ... The alternative fuel revolution has so far belonged to corn, but efforts to develop a wood-based biofuel, particularly jet fuel, from Maine’s abundant timberland got a boost last month when the U.S. Department of
August 22, 2016 Read Full Article
CEQ Guidance Addresses Biogenic Emissions from Land Management
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Council on Environmental Quality, a division of the Executive Office of the President, has issued final guidance on considering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change in National Environmental Policy Act reviews that addresses
August 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Out Now: CASCADES – Study on the Optimised Cascading Use of Wood
(Bio-based News) The most comprehensive study on cascading use of wood including material flows, barriers and potential measures -- Efficient and environmentally responsible biomass use is central to sustainable development and key to delivering an effective circular economy, an efficient
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Feedstocks for the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Behind the Scenes look at the Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last month, the DOE released the first volume of its monumental two-volume update of the Billion Ton report, looking not only at the economics of biomass but also the environmental trade-offs associated with various approaches
August 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Governments of Canada and Quebec Support Innovative Renewable Fuel Oil Project
(Ensyn) Support for clean technology innovation is vital to growing Canada’s economy and addressing climate change. With its abundance of renewable biomass, Canada has the potential to develop a strong and globally competitive bioenergy sector. The Governments of Canada and Quebec will provide
August 08, 2016 Read Full Article
U.S. Commerce Department Invests More Than $4 Million In Maine, Deploys Interagency Team To Help Strengthen State's Forest Economy
(U.S. Economic Development Administration) U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine today announced the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) will invest more than $4 million to help diversify and grow the Maine economy, which includes
August 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Endowment Launches Updated Bioenergy Database, Mapping Tool
(U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities/Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities recently announced the launch of the revitalized wood bioenergy facility database and mapping tool. The site, www.wood2energy.org, is the most comprehensive database of its kind in
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Report Features Data on EU Pellet, Biogas Markets
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) A report recently filed with the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network provides an overview of the European Union’s biofuel market, including data on wood pellets and biogas. Regarding pellets, the report explains that
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Commission to Study Maine’s Biomass Industry to Meet in August
by Katie Fletcher (Biomass Magazine) ... This past April, Maine enacted a resolve establishing the 13-member commission. Members include two from the Senate and three from the House of Representatives. Four members are appointed by the president of the Senate, including a
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
[Exclusive] Bioenergy Industry Consultant Critiques Scientists’ Letter to Congress
by Josh Schlossberg (The Biomass Monitor) A white paper by a bioenergy industry consulting firm critiques a recent letter sent to Congress by 65 U.S. scientists opposing a carbon neutral “biomass” amendment to an energy policy bill, saying the letter includes
August 01, 2016 Read Full Article
How Much Wood Could a Woodgrower Grow if a Woodgrower Would Grow Wood? Relaunched Wood2Energy Site Has the Answers.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In South Carolina, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities relaunched a revitalized wood bioenergy facility database and mapping tool. The site is the most comprehensive database of its kind in North America. The vision for
July 27, 2016 Read Full Article
Canada and Quebec to Provide C$76.5 Million to AE Côte-Nord Bioenergy Canada
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, the Governments of Canada and Quebec will provide C$76.5 million in funding to AE Côte-Nord Bioenergy Canada Inc. for the production of renewable fuel oil from forest residues at its Port-Cartier facility. Canada’s Minister
July 20, 2016 Read Full Article
A Simple Regulatory Solution for Biogenic Emissions
by Bob Cleaves (Biomass Magazine/Biomass Power Association) ... Also at the top of the list is how the plan will eventually treat biomass. For us, there is a very simple solution: If fuel is derived from residues, whether it’s forest, agricultural
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Canfor Eyes Prince George for Major Biofuel Facility
by Jon Hernandez (CBC News) New facility could produce up to 400,000 barrels of biocrude annually, says Canfor Pulp president -- One of the world's largest logging companies is looking to get into the oil business. Canfor is in the early phases of
July 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Shows Trees with Altered Lignin Are Better for Biofuels
(Brookhaven National Laboratory) Fundamental enzyme study leads to increased access to bioenergy feedstocks and improves ethanol yield by modifying plant cell wall structures. Lignin is a natural component of plant cell walls, the scaffolding that surrounds each cell and plays a
June 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Verbal Deal on Sawmill, Biofuel Plant 'Kick in the Arse' for Botwood Economy
by Ryan Cooke (CBC News) A verbal agreement has been reached between the Town of Botwood and an unnamed partner, or partners, to bring major industry back to the shipping town. Botwood Mayor Scott Sceviour confirmed the agreement to CBC earlier this
June 28, 2016 Read Full Article
The Terpene Fuel Machine: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Terpenes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Much has been written about terpenes in the area of flavors and fragrances. But they have astonishing properties for super high-density jet fuels in the 130,000-140,000 BTU range. Think valencene, premnaspirodiene, and b-caryophyllene. Now, we
June 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Time-Dependent Global Warming Impact of Tree Stump Bioenergy in Sweden
Carina A. Ortiz, , Torun Hammar, , Serina Ahlgren, , Per-Anders Hansson, , Johan Stendahl (Forest Ecology and Management/Science Direct) Stump bioenergy was assessed using LCA and forest ecosystem modelling; Stump bioenergy gave a climate benefit within ca two decades when
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Psst! Heard on the Floor at the International Bioenergy Conference
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The eyes of the world might well be on tiny Prince George, British Columbia these days — because that is the proposed site of Canfor’s commercial-scale biofuels and chemicals project. The success of such a
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
The Huge Flaw in How Congress Is Approaching Burning Wood for Energy
by Chelsea Harvey (The Washington Post) ... The controversy centers on a specific provision in theHouse appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017 regarding the burning of biomass (typically wood and other plant material) for energy. The bill proposes that the Environmental Protection Agency treat
June 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Solutions from the Land Leaders Bring North American Climate Smart Agriculture Ideas to Global Summit in Rome
(North American Climate Smart Agricultural Alliance) Solutions from the Land (SfL) is taking an active role in the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) summit underway this week in Rome, pressing business, government, NGO and other leaders there to
June 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Has Significant Potential to Reduce Fossil Fuel Reliance in Cities, New Study Finds
(Bioenergy Insight) Bioenergy has the significant potential to become a pillar in the future energy portfolio of cities, according to a new report by the World Bioenergy Association (WBA). The new study from World Bioenergy Association addresses the challenges cities are
June 14, 2016 Read Full Article
It Depends: Heard on the Floor at ABLC Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... The headline from the event is that projects and feedstock providers are more engaged than we have seen previously — a wave of technology development that once took place with a “we’ll work out
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
The Wonder from Down Under: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Licella
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Licella produces drop-in biofuels from a wide range of biomass and uses a supercritical water-based technology and catalysts to break up biomass and reform it into a drop-in fuel hydrocarbon. The compelling features of supercritical are
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Licella, Canfor Form JV for Low-Cost, Drop-In Biofuels from Wood Residues and Biomass
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Licella and Canfor will form a joint-venture under the name “Licella Pulp Joint Venture” to integrate Licella’s unique Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor upgrading platform into Canfor Pulp’s kraft and mechanical pulp mills to economically convert biomass,
May 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Specialty Chemicals: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Green Biologics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar cane bagasse, forest materials
May 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Coming to Terms With Sustainability
by Charlie Niebling (Biomass Magazine/Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC) ... I, for one, endorse the notion that if America’s forests are stable or growing, when viewed in total, then American use of wood biomass to make energy is by definition
May 16, 2016 Read Full Article
The Ethanol in Your Gas Tank Should Come from a Tree in a Maine Forest
by Kevin L. Raye (Bangor Daily News/Down East Strategies) Yet our forestry sector is in serious trouble, as mill closures and job losses reverberate through Maine’s economy. The urgency of finding innovative new uses and new markets to maximize the
May 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Results, Additional $72.3 Million Soil Health Investment to Support Paris Agreement
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack shared the first results of USDA's Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry, one year after he unveiled the plan at Michigan State University. In addition to providing specific goals
May 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Harmonisation and Pragmatism Required for an Effective Future EU Sustainable Bioenergy Policy!
(European Biomass Association) AEBIOM answer to the European Commission Public Consultation - A sustainable bioenergy policy for the period after 2020 -- The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to define a sustainable EU bioenergy policy for the
May 11, 2016 Read Full Article
What Price Feedstock?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In all, respondents foresaw an $11.352 billion feedstock bioeconomy, at $57 per ton for advanced feedstocks — based on reaching that 200 million ton scale. Let’s look at the responses, in terms of feedstocks and
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Don’t Conflate Science and Scientists
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/The Washington Post) Letter to Editor: Regarding the April 29 editorial “Burning wood is not the answer to climate change”: Biomass is a renewable energy resource. Congress is appropriately exercising its oversight authority in directing federal agencies
May 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Biomass Provision in Bipartisan Energy Bill Touches Environmental Flash Point
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... In the sweeping measure that was overall non-controversial, one provision in particular has some environmental groups in apoplexy – the categorization of biomass as carbon neutral. ... Passed by voice vote in February and advanced by
April 29, 2016 Read Full Article
NGOs Clash over Eligibility of REDD+ Forestry Credits under ICAO's Proposed Aviation Carbon Offsetting Scheme
(GreenAir Online) ... UNFCCC launched in 2008 a programme called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD, later enhanced to REDD+) in developing countries through which a financial value could be created on the value for the carbon stored in
April 22, 2016 Read Full Article
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