News

The US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is to open up its membership to include qualified renewable diesel producers, in a move that it hopes will unite the advanced biofuels industry in the diesel sector. The decision, made unanimously by NBB's governing board, consolidates the larger biodiesel industry with the younger and smaller renewable diesel industry together to create a stronger voice for…
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Xergi has signed contracts to supply two anaerobic digestion plants to UK-based company Tamar Energy (TE). These plants will be among the first projects in TE’s overall plan for a network of more than 40 biogas plants across the UK, with a total capacity of 100MW, by 2018. TE was set up in February 2012 with a capital base of almost £100 million (€116.8 million) via investment…
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Brazil’s biomass power production has increased 15% year-on-year to 1,860 average megawatts (MWa) in the first half of 2015, says Brazil’s Power Trading Chamber (CCEE). Installed biomass power capacity hit 10,793MW in June 2015, totalling at about 7.7% of the total power generation in Brazil for the period, a 9.4% expansion over the same period last year. The state of Sao Paulo…
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The Co-operative Group (Co-Op) in the UK is to start diverting waste away from landfill and into renewable energy scenarios. The initiative, rolling out over 2,800 food stores, is expected to move 34,000 tonnes of food from landfill a year, plus general waste too. All waste will be separated at store level before Co-Op’s logistics deliver it to be handled by Biffa waste management…
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FuturaGene, which works in the enhancement of yield and sustainability in woody crops for biopower and biofuel markets, will work with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre (DDPSC) to test its technology on staple crops grown by farmers in Asia, Africa and Brazil. Yield enhancement technology will be tested on model plants and, if successful, transferred to specific food crops.…
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US-based Fulcrum Energy (FE), which works in the waste to biofuels sector, will use a new grant from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to develop renewable drop-in biofuels for aircraft. The DoD awarded FE $4.7 million (€3.6 million) toward the research, which it will also potentially double from its own capital to help complete the development of its first municipal solid waste…
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Ranger Valley (RV), a large cattle station in Australia, is set to incorporate biogas technology on its feedlot to capture and reuse methane. RV’s parent company Marubeni has signed a MoU reportedly worth ‘a few million dollars’ with European technology supplier MT Energie, which will provide a series of digesters that will be fed with manure from feedlot pens and corn…
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A new multi-million dollar biogas facility is planned for the region of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, otherwise known as the Twin Cities. Rendering business Sanimax has been reported as wanting to build a $30 million (€23.1 million) plant which would convert food waste into natural gas and compost, in conjunction with Wisconsin-based Green Energy Partners. The city’s planning commission is…
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Specialty chemicals company Clariant will expand the raw materials used at its demonstration plant in Germany after new findings show that corn stover and sugarcane bagasse can also be used. The company's demo plant is converting agricultural residues into bioethanol using its Sunliquid technology. Following the opening of the facility in July 2012, Clariant now has new findings which show that…
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Kedco, a UK-focused renewable energy developer and operator, is building a 12MW biomass CHP plant in Enfield, north London and has appointed Foresight Group as the preferred funding partner for the project. Kedco has signed a non-binding heads of terms with Foresight, an independent private equity, infrastructure and environmental investor, for the provision of debt and equity facilities which…
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An investigation by Enagri suggests that Canada-based panel board manufacturer Norbord's lobbying against biomass energy was motivated by expediency and profits. Bioenergy Insight has learnt that Norbord recently paid an advertising agency to lobby MPs and place adverts in the National Press criticising the use of sustainable UK timber sources for energy generation. On its website, Enagri says,…
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SaniGreen Bioenergy, a joint venture between Canada-based Sanimax and Wisconsin's Green Energy Partners, is developing a $30 million (€22.9 million) biogas plant in South Saint Paul, Minnesota. The company is expected to break ground on the plant later this year, with completion scheduled for March 2015. The anaerobic digester will be able to process 150,000 tonnes of solid and liquid waste…
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US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun enrolment for farmers and forest landowners seeking financial assistance to grow new sources of biomass for energy production and biobased products. According to Val Dolcini, Farm Service Agency administrator, funding is available from the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) which was reinstated in the 2014 Farm Bill. The BCAP provides financial…
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A power plant in Finland is to rebuild its gas turbine control system to increase its reliability. Vantaan Energia (VE) will work with process technology provider Metso to replace the existing turbine control system that has reached the end of its life cycle at Martinlaakso. The project will include overspeed and vibration protection for the turbine, plus changes to turbine hydraulics, among…
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