Other News

Germany-based biogas plant manufacturer Weltec Power has been chosen to help bring a new project online in France. The company will work with engineering and development business Methaneo to establish a 500kW plant in Saint Varent, western France. Weltec has worked on five previous biogas projects in the country to date. ‘We decided to work with Weltec because it is capable of integrating…
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A working partnership believes it has found, following a year and a half of research, a direct biological pathway to convert renewable sources into butadiene. Butadiene, a light olefin generated from oil, is used to manufacture rubbers, nylon plastics and latexes. Around 10 million tonnes is produced a year with a market value coming in at over $20 billion (€15.4 billion). Industrial biology…
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US-based Portland General Electric (PGE) is delving deeper into alternative biomass sources to help replace coal at the Boardman power plant. According to plant research and development director Wayne Lei, 18 different products have been tested in scaled-down apparatus at Washington State University. Of the 18, it has been decided that corn stover, wheat straw, poplar chips, special biomass…
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Control systems provider Tri-Mer and Enginuity Energy (EE) will work together to test the air emission quality of various biomass fuels. Both companies will share technologies and work out of EE’s research and development laboratory in Pennsylvania, where EE gasifies a range of high moisture and high ash content material. Tri-Mer will provide a filter system that is capable of removing NOx,…
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Energy from waste company DP Cleantech has been subject of an equity buyout which has led to a change of ownership structure. The change comes as a result of an equity buyout led by longstanding CEO Simon Parker and is accompanied by a refinancing deal. ‘We are pleased to take full control of the company at such an exciting time for the industry, which we strongly believe is primed for…
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New Leaf Energy (NLE) has set in motion plans to purchase a biomass plant which closed in 2011. A letter of intent for the purchase of the Greenville Steam plant has been signed by NLE and it has claimed it will rehire around 20 employees that had been laid off after the closure. The plant is currently owned by Gallup Power Greenville. The plant has the capacity to produce 120,000MW of power a…
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Bioethanol producer Vivergo has started up its production process from wheat at its Humberside facility. The wheat is being supplied by grain marketing company Frontier via selected farmers under its Humber Gold brand and it has also confirmed that the milling, fermenting and distilling process has now began at the plant. Despite a challenge in providing constantly high quality wheat this season,…
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Advanced biorefinery owners Borregaard has received a multi-million grant from the Research Council of Norway to further wood processing projects. The grant totals NOK 30 million ($5.3 million) and will be spread on projects over a three year period. Borregaard won the investment after submitting three applications for funding on projects within the areas of lignin products for use in concrete,…
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A new laboratory to develop technologies to produce high-value chemicals from biomass has opened in Singapore. The Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory was officially opened by the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) in December and will design and drive factories that can produce cost-efficient wastes.  ‘Most of the world's current chemicals and chemical-based…
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Renewable fuel producer Fulcrum Bioenergy has received multi-million dollar financing for a new facility in the US. The total amount comes to $175 million (€134 million) and construction of the Sierra Biofuels municipal solid waste to low-carbon fuels facility represents Fulcrum’s foray into such a plant. ‘The current IPO market environment remains challenging, especially for…
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Hong Kong-based investment company Greenheart Group is set to use bioenergy to power one of its tropical hardwood processing facilities. It has signed multiple agreements with various suppliers and contractors to construct a bioenergy plant which will generate power for the processing facility in West Suriname from its own wood waste. Greenheart claims the plant will convert five tonnes of wood…
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Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has announced contracts to supply thousands of tonnes of biomass wood pellets to a large facility in northwest Ontario. The Atikokan Generating Station will receive 45,000 tonnes of pellets from Atikokan Renewable Fuels, while another 45,000 will be delivered by Resolute Forest Products Canada (RFPC). OPG believes these contracts will boost the northwestern Ontario…
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The first UK Green Investment Bank was officially opened by business secretary Vince Cable in November. Headquartered in Edinburgh, with a large presence also in London, the bank will use £3 billion ($4.8 billion) of government money to invest in sectors like carbon capture and storage, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Cable believes the bank will place green economy at the…
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Biogas plant developer Agri Capital and technology provider BioWatt Developments are to work closer together following the completed signing of a mutual cooperation framework agreement. Agri Capital will use the agreement to help springboard its attempt to break into the UK market from Europe, where it operates 80 biogas plants throughout Germany, while BioWatt seeks to capitalise on further…
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