Other News

UK science minister David Willetts has announced the opening of a new £3.5 million ($5.4 million) research centre dedicated to making bioenergy generation more widespread. Researchers across six universities will work together at the Supergen Bioenergy Hub to explore how biomass plants can work more efficiently to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. ‘The key thing about the hub is…
Read More »

It has been announced that four of the five contenders set to receive EU funding for innovative low-carbon energy projects come from the bioenergy sector.The European Commission has said the eventual recipients will receive a share of proceeds from the sale of 300 million carbon credits from the New Entrants’ Reserve (NER).Money will be raised through the NER 300 programme in Phase III…
Read More »

A new pilot plant for the production of climate-friendly cellulose ethanol in Germany has been inaugurated. Developed by Swiss chemicals company Clariant, the €28 million ($33.8 million) project will produce up to 1,000 tonnes of cellulose ethanol from around 4,500 tonnes of wheat straw. It is believed that Germany has around 22 million tonnes of available straw for use that wouldn’t…
Read More »

US power business Southern Company has completed a 100MW biomass facility in Texas. The power plant is based on 165 acres, will primarily use wood waste from saw mills as a feedstock and is reported to have cost around $500 million (€412.4 million). A 20-year power purchase contract has also been signed with Austin Energy. ‘We recognise our on-time, on-budget completion of the nation's…
Read More »

Community members of Klamath Falls and Keno in the US will get the chance to discuss their objections over a proposed new biomass plant set for construction by Klamath Falls Bioenergy (KFB). The Oregon Department of Energy has released a notice of contested case proceedings and those opposed to the idea will be able to voice their concerns at a hearing in a court of law this September. Vice…
Read More »

Chemical and biofuels company Gevo has signed a joint development agreement with Beta Renewables to develop an integrated process for the production of bio-based isobutanol from cellulosic biomass. The agreement anticipates production plants will be located where cellulosic feedstocks like switchgrass, miscanthus, agriculture residues and others will be readily available. Depending on the success…
Read More »

Biomass facility providers DP CleanTech has signed off on a new Philippines-based 12MW biomass power plant in partnership with Asea One Power. The plant will become part of an overall 42MW clean energy initiative to meet the increasing power supply required by the regions of Panay and Guimaras. The plant will be constructed in the Aklan province and hopes to add a meaningful contribution to…
Read More »

Austria-based plant manufacturer and technology supplier BDI Bioenergy International has been commissioned to build a multi-feedstock biodiesel plant at the port of Le Harve, France. BDI won the contract worth €16.4 million ($20.1 million) from EcoMotion France (EF) and it involves implementing the entire biodiesel process as well as the assembly and installation of the plant. EF is a…
Read More »

Advanced biofuels producer Sundrop Fuels (SF) is set to use ExxonMobil technology at the site of its first commercial ‘green gasoline’ plant in Louisiana, US. The plant will use sustainable forest waste combined with hydrogen from clean-burning natural gas to produce up to 50 million gallons annually of what SF claims will be the ‘world’s first ready-to-use, renewable…
Read More »

US-based advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company Aemetis has acquired ethanol plant owners Cilion, which includes a 55 million gallon per year production plant. The acquisition is set to advance Aemetis’ plans to use the existing ethanol plant’s infrastructure to create a next-generation biorefinery producing advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, in addition to ethanol and…
Read More »

A redeveloped Columbia Pacific  ethanol plant has delayed production due to being confronted with what it calls ‘declining market conditions’. Columbia Pacific had hoped to begin ethanol production in February but have now taken the decision to wait out a combined slump in ethanol price while corn feedstock price remains high. General plant manager Dan Luckett was quoted as…
Read More »

A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a 40% jump in the global use of green energy by the year 2017. The IEA’s Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2012 believes the world’s dependence on fossil fuels will lessen as the use of biopower, wind, solar and hydro will grow. The document focused on eight common renewable energy sources* including…
Read More »

A new pilot plant heralded as ‘the world’s first direct solid biomass-into-diesel fuel operation’ has opened onsite at an ONV refinery in Schwechat, Austria. The BioCrack technology-powered plant is a joint venture by Austrian industrial company OMV and customised bioplant construction company BDI Bioenergy International, with support from the Austrian Climate and Energy…
Read More »

The US Department of Defence (DoD) has announced a public-private partnership opportunity to support an integrated domestic advanced drop-in biofuel biorefinery. The funding opportunity is designed to share the cost of establishing one or more first-of-a-kind biorefineries and feedstock supply chains to provide the US military with already certified blends of biofuels. The Biotechnology Industry…
Read More »