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Leading figures from the biomass, biogas and pellet industries discuss what they think 2018 will bring. Representatives from Fachverband Biogas (German Biogas Association), Hawkins Wright, the Energy Technologies Institute, Gasum, AEBIOM, Ørsted, Drax Biomass, the European Biogas Association and the US Industrial Pellet Association explain what they think the biggest challenges,... opportunities and themes will be for the industry in the coming year.  [read more]

A look at the past, present and future of the US biogas market. As 2017 drew to aclose, Bioenergy Insight spoke with the American Biogas Council’s executive director Patrick Serfass about the direction of the US biogas market. 

Throughout history, man has been drawn by the lure of the city and the expectation of a better life. However, never before have cities been under such strain as they cope with record levels of migration. This trend is no greater than in India, where it is estimated that 30 people move from a rural to an urban area every minute. Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most forward-thinking states, is... now seeking to reverse this trend with the help of some of the world’ biggest corporations combined with breakthrough technology that can significantly improve the lives of millions in rural communities. One major project aim is to provide a source of sustainable, cheap and clean energy that is localised and can be easily implemented in the thousands of villages across the state. UK-based SEaB Energy became the obvious partner through its award-winning small-scale AD plants housed in standard shipping containers. [read more]

More than one million companies across the world are certified to the ISO9001 quality standard while numerous bodies are approved to deliver and audit the standard. This accreditation is recognised globally and should give customers and suppliers a level of comfort when contracting with an ISO-approved business. In this era of continuous and forensic supplier approval processes, however, we can... ook back at how things have developed and probably take heart that, today, we are taking the proper precautions to ensure our supply chain partners are vetted prior to use. Standards of old remain and the industry has seen new ones come into play to reinforce the integrity behind those companies that are audited and approved. [read more]

Since its implementation in 2008, the European Directive on biowaste has gradually been rolled out throughout various EU countries. Source separation— i.e. separating organic waste from packaging — has become a major issue for waste recovery, particularly thanks to anaerobic digestion that allows production of biogas. A decade later, it is clear that the choice of technology... implemented upstream plays a key role in the performance of anaerobic digestion. “A successful depackaging process offers the guarantee of a pure organic soup, with a rate of inert materials close to zero.” explains Hanna Merlière, managing director of Green Management Group, one of Poland’s leading players in waste treatment solutions and distributor of Green Creative’s Flexidry depackaging system. [read more]

ILUC, REDII and Brexit don’t immediately suggest themselves as the ideal ingredients for the delivery of policy certainty on bioenergy issues in Europe in 2018. Sadly, they don’t look so good when exposed to a more considered and objective analysis either. The year ahead for the EU’s bioenergy businesses certainly looks challenging, as it has in the recent past and as seems... likely for the foreseeable future. [read more]

According to the European Biomass Association, bioenergy represents about 60% of the EU’s total consumption of renewables. The EERA Bioenergy section of the European Energy Research Alliance indicates that agricultural residues and non-food crops should be used at farm- and village-scales, while low quality biomass and waste could be used for medium- and large- scalepower and CHP (combined... heat and power) plants. Among the barriers that hamper the efficient processing of solid fuels in thermal processes such as combustion and gasification, ash related issues are still very challenging, especially for plant operators. These issues include agglomeration in fluidised beds, slag formation, and fouling of convective heat exchangers. [read more]

ENCE Energía y Celulosa, (ENCE) is a leading European eucalyptus pulp producer and the largest Spanish power generator from agroforestry biomass. The company is expanding its energy production facilities in Spain, an aim which can be carried out thanks to the technology specific auction launched under a new mechanism set by the Spanish government in the 2013 energy reform. The auction took... place in January 2016, with a volume of 500MW for onshore wind and 200MW for biomass. ENCE was awarded 40MW. [read more]