Other News

Denmark-based conglomerate Maersk is working on two new projects to develop biomass-based marine fuels. Each project involves work using lignin taken from plants and from the production of paper and bioethanol. ‘Lignin has a variety of industrial uses already because of its chemical characteristics, energy content and its abundance,’ says Peter Normark Sørensen of Maersk Oil…
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The Canadian government has awarded the village of Telkwa a grant to retrofit a municipal building with a biomass heating system. The grant comes in at CA$680,230 (€522,375) and the facility will burn waste wood from a nearby forest. As well as the municipal building, heat will also be provided to a nearby business, a school and four residences. ‘Building clean energy infrastructure is…
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Associated British Ports (ABP) has signed a 15-year contract with Drax Power which will see terminal investments of up to £100 million (€118 million) to handle wood pellet shipments at its Humber ports of Hull and Goole. The move will support Drax Power’s conversion to a low carbon electricity producer through replacing coal with sustainable biomass. Its power station,…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes its country’s farmers will grow the most corn since 1936 as growers look to take advantage of high prices driven by last year’s drought. A forecast of 97.3 million acres of corn is set to be sown in 2013 to help boost dwindling supplies, while soyabean plantings have been placed at 77.1 million acres. Wheat crops will rise 1% to 56.4…
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Malaysia-based Wah Seong Corporation (WS) is to expland its renewable energy division via plans to build biomass generated power plants in Asean, South America and Africa. The first two plants at the head of the push would be delivered into Congo and Cambodia, tentatively based at 5MW and 10MW of power respectively. ‘Usually, the cost to build a plant is between $1.2 and $1.5 million per…
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German Pellets is set to start constructing a $300 million (€229.9 million) plant in Central Louisiana, US this April. The proposed 1 million tonne capacity a year plant will be located in the town of Urania and is expected to employ 80 people once completed. This is the second renewable project to hit Central Louisiana after Sundrop Fuels announced a new plant of its own…
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Seaweed Energy Solutions (SES) has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of Danish company Seaweed Seed Supply (SSS) to reinforce its position in large-scale seaweed cultivation for renewable energy. SSS´ goal of increasing production to 100,000 tons by 2017 from the current 5,000 tons capacity can now become a reality via this purchase. SES technology will be introduced into Denmark and the…
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According to a report by Wood Resource Quarterly the exportation of logs and lumber from North America to China fell by 17% to $2.1 billion (€1.6 billion) last year. Despite this recent decline, timberland owners in the US and lumber companies in Canada have greatly benefited from China’s increased wood consumption over the past five years. The report says 2012 was the second highest…
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Danish firm Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian (BWS) has been given planning permission to build a new biomass power plant in Widnes, UK. The proposed plant is believed to be able burn 147,000 tonnes of wood a year via truck deliveries to generate around 20MW of energy and 3.5MW of heat energy. The project was passed by council officials as it is based on ‘environmentally-friendly way to…
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More biogas plants are set to be introduced in the eastern province of Holguin, Cuba this year. Thirty-five new facilities, specially adapted to handle the estimated mass and volume of animal waste produced by private swine producers, will produce methane to help power food plants. The are already 32 biogas facilities in the province producing around 8,750 cubic metres of methane per month,…
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Saxlund International, a UK subsidiary of energy and environmental technology group Opcon, is to provide its bulk material handling and storage knowledge to a new wastewater treatment facility this year. The contract comes from Anglian Water, the largest water and wastewater company in England and Wales, and represents the fifth time the two companies will have worked together on wastewater…
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Sino Bioenergy has announced the signing of a 10-year sales contract by its subsidiary Huizhou Shi Ji Wu Feng Agricultural Biotechnology (HB) to supply rice super seeds to Jiangxi Jingcai Nonglin Science and Technology (JJN). The contract includes consulting and technical guidance as well as providing promotional materials to JJN. The contract is expected to generate $1.46 million (€1…
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The California Energy commission has injected a multi-million boost into a pilot ethanol plant from Mendota Advanced Bioenergy Beet Cooperative. Mendota will use the $5 million (€3.8 million) to construct a plant that aims to produce 285,000 gallons of ethanol from 10,000 tonnes of beet feedstock. The plant is reported to be situated in Five Points. ‘Farmers need alternative crops that…
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India-based Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is to branch out its feedstock reach for its biogas plant, which is currently under construction in the Gajrawadi region of the city. Alongside vegetable waste and animal carcasses VMC will also look to incorporate hotel waste as raw material to feed to the plant. It already collects around 10 tonnes of vegetable waste from one market area alone…
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