Volume 1, Issue 1
Published: September 14, 2010
The big green Finnish machine
Finland was voted number one country in the world in a Newsweek poll in August and now thanks to a new biogas partnership the little-known Baltic country is poised to become a leading bioenergy producer....
The UK’s biomass pioneer
With the North Sea linking it to mainland Europe, and the expanse of the Atlantic Sea linking it to the Americas, the UK is ideally positioned on the global biomass distribution map. From biomass power,...
Reinventing the mills
Pulp and paper companies, which are closing mills as the industry consolidates, are creating opportunities for biofuel, biomass-to-power and pellet producers trying to commercialise their technologies....
Old but good news
Register or Log In to view this "Free Article"‘The problem with bioenergy is not that it is new. It has been around forever so its significance is very underestimated.’ That is the view of one Brussels-based renewable energy expert, who despairs...
Bumpy ride
Research into the short rotation tree crops willow and poplar has been going for more than 20 years, looking at the agronomy, handling, drying and how to use and convert the wood chips most effectively....
Barriers and opportunities for solid biomass trade
International trade of both solid bioenergy commodities has grown rapidly over the past few years. The most prominent example is wood pellets: in 2008 roughly 11.8 million tonnes were consumed worldwide...
Handle with care
Europe has vigorously promoted biomass as an alternative fuel but does not have sufficient sources of woody biomass. As a contrast, Canada has a tremendous amount of woody biomass. For decades residual...
Inspiring others
With the escalation of landfill tax, a growing emphasis on recycling and recovery, new government incentives to encourage renewable energy from waste, and innovative new technologies coming on stream,...
Call all biomass be treated equal?
Referred to by some as the fourth energy source, biomass undoubtedly has the potential to contribute towards reducing the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. However not all types of organic material...
Small scale success
Register or Log In to view this "Free Article"Pyrolysis is the production of gases, liquids, and char (solid residue) by thermal decomposition of an organic compound in the absence of oxygen. The liquid produced from pyrolysis of biomass used to be...
A steamy solution
The hunter has spent most of the summer by the lakes, but now autumn’s chill is advancing. After a long day of fi shing he gathers some wood for the evening fi re. He sets aside his fi sh, a good catch,...
Mixed not stirred
Anaerobic digestion is used to treat a number of different waste streams including municipal solid wastes, sewage sludge and farm waste matter. During the breakdown of these materials two by-products are...
One man's trash is another's treasure
Although efficient in dealing with waste, there is no escaping the fact that landfill sites are an eyesore. In 2006 landfills were the second-largest source of manmade methane, producing over 22% of the...
The pellet mill with a ring to it
In 2009 global production of wood pellets reached around 10-11 million tonnes, with players such as Denmark-based pellet mill provider Andritz Feed & Biofuel seeing a growth rate in excess of 20% a year....
Moving on air
Money does not grow on trees, but there is money to be made from trees. However in today’s fragile economy even a booming industry like bioenergy needs to watch the pennies. Mechanical faults, loss of...
