Biomass News

Biomass is widely considered a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, with many experts saying it could play a key role in combating climate change, according to Yale University. Biomass stores carbon and can be turned into bio-based products and energy that can be used to improve soil, treat wastewater, and produce renewable feedstock. However, economic constraints and challenges to optimising…
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Malaysia's minister of economy Rafizi Ramli has said that the government intends to focus on three renewable energy sources - namely biomass, hydrogen and ammonia - after announcing the country had joined the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community (Azec), reported Malay Mail. Azec is an energy bloc consisting of Japan, Australia and all Asean countries except Myanmar. Ramli led a Malaysian…
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The state government of Himachal in India has said it will collaborate with the Indian School of Business (ISB) to provide policy inputs and research support for the emerging bioenergy sector, according to The Tribune. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced this while presiding over a meeting with the representatives of the ISB. Sukhu said: “The government will start a pilot project…
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Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited the ABSL biomass fuel plant in South Marston, reported the Swindon Advertiser. In doing so, she said she wanted a Labour government to support such businesses in scaling up, to help make Britain "a green energy superpower". Leader of the Labour group of borough councillors Jim Robbins accompanied Reeves around the biomass plant, with the…
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The Irish Bioenergy Association has welcomed the relaunch of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communication Eamon Ryan T.D. and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Speaking at the relaunch event in Dublin, IrBEA CEO Seán Finan said: “We welcome the relaunch of the SSRH scheme for biomass and anaerobic digestion heat…
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Anaergia announced it has been approved for a non-repayable contribution from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada of up to $1.7-million (€1.6m). The development was highlighted by Canada's minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau, during a ceremony at Anaergia's global headquarters in Ontario on 2 March. The approved project is part of an additional investment of over $24.1…
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Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson has announced a $35 million (€ 32.9m) investment to the Whitesand First Nation-owned Sagatay Co-Generation Limited Partnership. The funds will enable the deployment of a combined heat and power facility that uses locally sourced wood waste to produce energy for the communities. Once constructed, the facility will reduce the use of…
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A new assessment of the EU bioeconomy shows that while resource efficiency is improving, there is a growing pressure on ecosystems from forestry and agriculture, according to the European Commission (EC). A better policy coordination is therefore needed to tackle the multiple pressures on land from biomass demand. The EC defined the bioeconomy as covering all sectors and systems that rely on…
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Drax Group (Drax) has released its full year financial results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2022, reporting a strong performance. Its total profit after tax was £83 million (€94.2m), an increase of 50.9% from 2021, where profit after tax from continuing operations was reported as £55m (€62.4m). The firm further reported a robust result in earnings before interest, taxes,…
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Genesis Energy has successfully completed a biomass burn trial as it looks at alternative fuel options for Huntly Power Station, the company announced on 21 February. The objective of the week-long trial was to prove the technical viability of operating a Rankine unit solely on biomass. That was achieved with a Rankine running only on biomass for several hours, Genesis said. Significant…
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SNP MP Martyn Day visited the UK’s largest waste wood-powered biomass plant to understand the critical role of biomass in producing renewable energy. The Member of Parliament for Linlithgow and East Falkirk was shown around RWE’s £300 million (€340.2m) biomass combined heat and power (CHP) facility at Markinch in Fife, Scotland. The tour took place on 10 February, and was organised by…
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Chief minister of the Indian state of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, has said the state government will leave "no stone unturned" to transform the area's stubble-burning challenges into wealth-creating opportunities, according to The Statesman. “Stubble and water management is the need of the hour. Haryana has taken commendable steps to reduce the cases of paddy straw burning,” he said while…
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Researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and University College London (UCL) in collaboration with Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron, have imaged the porosity of biochars for the first time. The unprecedented operando experiments were led by Dr Roberto Volpe of QMUL, whose work to address existing knowledge gaps within the thermochemical decomposition of biomass…
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Japanese power utility Chubu Electric Power and five other firms have signed a loan agreement to build a 28.11MW biomass-fired power generation plant in western prefecture Tottori's Sakaiminato city, reported Argus. The agreement to finance the plant was signed by the companies and an unspecified financial institution on 15 February, although Chubu did not disclose the investment amount. Chubu…
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