Biomass News

In Brazil, Solvay has opened its first fully dedicated Industrial Biotechnology Laboratory (IBL) to boost the development of innovations and solutions based on sustainable chemistry, used in a growing range of end-markets. The fully integrated laboratory in Paulinia will chiefly focus on researching new processes and molecules derived from biomass, which is mostly plant or vegetable based and…
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A new public-private partnership led by Clemson University and a worldwide biomass and bioenergy producer will research the use of crops that can both open new markets for South Carolina, US landowners and support the growing global demand for renewable energy. In forming the Carolina Energy Crop Alliance, Abengoa Energy Crops has committed more than $1 million (€900,000) annually to support…
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DNC Energy, an environmental firm focused on building renewable energy infrastructure, has received major funding through a bond programme to build a waste wood and crop residue fired biomass electric generation plant in Ukraine's Kyiv region. The 25MW facility is the thirteenth biomass plant to be built in Ukraine, which currently has six burning biomass plants and seven biogas anaerobic…
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In Scotland, Scot Heat and Power and Cochran have signed a joint agreement for the development of industrial biomass projects. Scot Heat and Power is one of Scotland's largest independent suppliers of biomass fuel stock, including woodchips and pellets, while Cochran is a supplier of industrial steam and hot-water boiler plants. Together the two companies will be able to target a wider market and…
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Renewable energy company ElectraTherm, in partnership with Air Burners, is to develop a whole log wood waste burner utilising its Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power generating technology. The product, called the PGFireBox, eliminates large amounts of wood waste without any pre-processing. Air Burners, an air curtain burning system, utilises patented technology to dispose of vegetative waste…
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Mexico can increase the use of renewable energy in its energy mix from 4.4%to 21% by 2030, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 'Renewable Energy Prospects: Mexico', prepared in collaboration with the Mexican Energy Secretariat (SENER), also found that Mexico could generate up to 46% of its electricity by 2030 from renewable sources such as biomass,…
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Renewable energy accounted for 9.8% of total domestic energy consumption in 2014, report the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). This marks the highest renewable energy share since the 1930s, when wood was a much larger contributor to domestic energy supply. Renewable energy use grew an average of 5% per year over 2001-2014 from its most recent low in 2001. The increase over the past 14…
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The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has selected E4tech to lead a consortium that will deliver the latest project in its bioenergy programme – a techno-economic assessment of biomass pre-processing. This 11 month project will provide an assessment of the economic and performance trade-offs associated with pre-processing options, and the value they provide compared with more conventional…
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Haven Power, the specialist electricity supplier to UK businesses and part of Drax Group, has signed a deal with Thames Water to supply its electricity requirements in an agreement worth more than £500 million (€681 million) over five years. There is an option for two further five-year renewals which could increase the overall value of the contract to more than £1.5 billion over…
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Alstom has signed its third contract this year with Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC), the Danish power plant specialist, for a Geared Reaction steam turbine (GRT) at the proposed Tilbury biomass project in the UK. The 45MW waste wood power station will be located on the River Thames near to London and will be built by BWSC and Aalborg Energie Technik (AET). This contract…
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Under a recently executed joint development agreement (JDA), energy services company Cirque Energy could potentially develop and sell renewable energy to Cat Cay Yacht Club, a private island in the Bahamas. The renewable energy could be produced using Cirque's 'Deployable Gasification Unit (DGU) technology. The operation will process the island's solid waste into syngas fuel using Cirque's…
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VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed a method of manufacturing chemicals such as benzene, toluene and xylene – known as BTX chemicals – by combining the gasification of lignocellulosic biomass, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and aromatisation. Over 85% of the separated benzene exceeded 90% purity and around 50% of the separated toluene was over 70% purity.The…
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Pallmann Group, a manufacturer of innovative size reduction technology, is joining forces with Standard Bio, an expert in novel biomass conversion technologies, to develop a new biorefinery concept that will use low-value organic waste as a resource for clean energy, natural fertilisers and animal protein. The concept is based around the conversion of renewable resources – in the first case…
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Aseagas, a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power and renewable energy company, has signed an agreement with GE's Distributed Power business to power its first waste-to-electricity project in Lian in the province of Batangas, Philippines. The 8.8MW facility will be a biomass power plant running with GE's 'ecomagination' approved Jenbacher gas engines. The Batangas plant will utilise organic waste from…
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