Researchers have combined supercomputing with nano-imaging to reveal how to efficiently break down plant biomass and convert it into transportation fuels. Fuels derived from agricultural or forestry waste, known as ‘lignocellulosic biomass’, have helped to reduce the use of fossil fuels worldwide. However, plant cell walls are difficult and expensive to break down. A... [Read More]

A New Zealand dairy plant has announced it is moving away from coal in favour of a wood biomass boiler. Fonterra, the owner of the Studholme milk processing plant in Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island, had received permission from Environment Canterbury and the Waimate District Council to build a 30-tonne-per-hour coal-fired boiler at the plant. However, it... [Read More]

Calls for a US college to rethink its plan to build a biomass heating plant have escalated after a public forum was opened. Attendees at the forum – which was intended to discuss potential locations for the plant – voiced their concerns that the planned project by Dartmouth College could worsen air pollution in Hanover, New Hampshire. The current heating system... [Read More]

Danone has announced a NZ$40 million (€23.7 million) investment in a new biomass project at its New Zealand spray drying plant. The company has a target of reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2021 and hopes that the installation of a new biomass boiler will help to reduce the plant’s emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year. Danone’s Nutricia plant is... [Read More]

Environmental regulators in Mississippi have controversially approved an air pollution permit for what could be the largest wood pellet plant in the world. The state’s Environmental Quality Permit Board voted unanimously to issue a permit for Enviva’s $140 million (€125.8 million) plant in Lucedale, Mississippi. However, those who oppose the plans claim that emissions... [Read More]

Global energy company Engie has been awarded a government contract to build and operate a biomass heating plant in Spain. The new plant will be built in Pamplona in Spain’s Navarre region with a capacity of 29 MW. The plant will have permission to operate for 25 years and will supply heat to 4,500 households, as well as several public buildings in Pamplona. It is... [Read More]

An application to convert an Irish peat plant to co-fire with biomass has been rejected, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. The local planning authority An Bord Pleanála refused permission for the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) plant in Shannonbridge, County Offaly due to climate concerns. The future of at least 300 jobs at the plant, run by Bord na Móna, is now uncertain. The... [Read More]

A former biomass plant in Lyonsdale, New York State will be dismantled by the end of 2019. The plant previously burned wood waste to power more than 20,000 homes in the area. Lyonsdale Biomass plant has been dormant for almost two years while the county’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA) has been searching for a new tenant. The facility used biomass material... [Read More]

British power stations are producing 100 million tonnes less carbon dioxide (CO2) per year than they were 10 years ago, renewable energy company Drax has reported. The amount of carbon being saved is equivalent to flying the entire population of the UK to Beijing and back. On 30 June, carbon emissions from electricity fell to 97g per kW, meeting the Committee on Climate... [Read More]

The biomass conversion of a previously coal-fired power station in South Wales is on track to begin operations by 2021. According to global sustainable energy company SIMEC Atlantic Energy, the Uskmouth plant in Newport will be fuelled with pellets derived from waste. The pellets will contain high levels of plastic waste, which cannot be recycled and may otherwise be... [Read More]

UK energy major BP has agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture (JV) with US agricultural trader Bunge, creating a bioenergy company in Brazil. The JV, which will be known as BP Bunge Bioenergia, will operate 11 mills across the southeast, north and Midwest regions of Brazil, one of the largest fast-growing markets for biofuels in the world. The new company will have... [Read More]

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revealed that there is over $400 million (€356.5 million) available in financing under a programme that provides loan guarantees to help rural small businesses in the US lower energy costs. Encouraging farmers, rural small business and agricultural producers to apply for the financing, acting assistant to the secretary for... [Read More]

The Government of Canada has invested CAD$2.7 million (€1.8 million) in a sustainable forestry project run by the Indigenous Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation in Quebec, which will create jobs, support the economy and displace diesel use. Announced by Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, the funding... [Read More]

The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand welcomed the proposal from Government in its Action on Agricultural Emissions to provide credits for reductions of gross greenhouse gas emissions from farms. Brian Cox, executive officer of the Bioenergy Association said that “The Government proposals will open up opportunities for farmers to offset biological emissions from... [Read More]

Ireland’s Energy in Agriculture 2019 returns for the fourth year on August 20 and aims to provide practical information for farmers and the rural sector about the various renewable energy and energy-efficiency options available for farm businesses. It is organised jointly by Teagasc, Tipperary County Council, the Irish Farmers’ Association, Tipperary Energy Agency... [Read More]