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Volume 8, Issue 2
All eyes on Asia
Feature
On 14th and 15th of February, members of the biomass community met in Da Nang, Vietnam, for the annual international RISI conference, or “The Wood Chip Conference”, asit is also known. Although its destination – a beautiful coastal resort – could have had something to do with its appeal, it’s by no means the only reason senior figures flew from around the world.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Feature
In the waste and renewable energy sector, there is little more frustrating than the careless language used in relation to green technology. No matter how beneficial renewable energy systemsare to the environment, there is a sense of suspicion surrounding them. Attend a local council consultation on a planning application for ananaerobic digester and you will likely hear it described as an...
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Let me upgrade you
Feature
Although capitalexpenditures forenergy-from-waste (EfW) and biogas projects have been on a decline in recent years in the US, more states are exploring various organic waste diversion requirements,according to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy’s new 2017 “factbook” produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Skiing on an energy from- waste plant
Feature
The Amager Bakke energy-from-waste (EfW) plant, based close to Copenhagen, Denmark, is currently nearing completion and has been designed with the local community in mind.The architectural landmark is set to lead the way to a future in which such plants will be welcomed rather than deserted by their neighbours and transform people’s negative perceptionsabout EfW plants.
AD in Germany
Feature
Biogas is a very diverse source of renewable energy. Biogas plants can process both residues, from manure to organic waste, and energy crops, from corn to reed. In Germany, there are currently about 9,000 biogas plants(148 new plants in 2016)with an installed capacity of approximately 4,100MW.
Small but powerful
Feature
Describing a highly innovative technology as a“slurry tank with a lid on” is unlikely to win any marketing awards, but with nine successful farm-based AD plants in the UK and a new worldwide patent, Fre-energy’s simple grit removal system could make it the must-have agricultural installation.
Breaking the ranks
Feature
The approach ofelections in France and Germany this year is already raising questions about how the two countries might address their renewable energy future if the voting public decides to install new leaders in 2017. Set a gainst the background of the UK’s Brexit decision and the election of Donald Trump as the US President, the prospect of something dramatic happening inFrance and...
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Advancing energy production
Feature
The use of waste and biomass to produceenergy providesseveral solutions in terms of waste management and alternative sources of energy when innovative technologies are utilised. French renewable energy company CHO Power’s internal study, relying on European Commission data(Eurodata), shows that the production capacity of electricity from biomass and waste in Europe should triple...
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Theory of dryer evolution
Feature
Drying technologyis undergoing an accelerated evolution in the industrial wood pellet sector — mirroring the experience of the composite wood panel industry. It is just now reaching a par with the best state-of-the ar tcomposite wood panel plants, but the danger of rookie mistakes still lurks for some producers.
Maximising the biomethane opportunities for sewage
Feature
In the UK, the wastewater treatment sector has used both aerobic andanaerobic treatment for many years. It is therefore not surprising that when the Renewables Obligation(RO) was introduced in April 2002 (April 2005 in Northern Ireland), sewages ludge anaerobic digestion(AD) plants were well placed to become amongst the first facilities accredited under the system.
Eye on the fuel
Feature
Securing renewable energy supportcredits in the UK, under both the RenewableObligations Certificates(ROCs) scheme and the new Contract for Difference(CfD) mechanism, requires determining the biogenic content of waste processed by energy-from-waste (EfW)plants. This necessitates a fuel measurement and sampling (FMS) technique that is accepted by Ofgem, the national regulatory authority.
Efficient operations
Feature
In the case of Munich-based recycling specialist Breitsamer Entsorgung, the environmentalrobustness of the processing system was one of many additional considerations to make as the company invested in its future. Breitsamer Entsorgung is no stranger to the recycling scene.
Hot oil-based drying for wood pellet plants
Feature
When Astec made the decision toenter the wood pellet plant business as an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, it was immediately confronted with a host of existing issues faced daily by owner/operators of pellet plants. Among these were the all too common events of fires, explosions, and high emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Critical decisions in coalto- biomass conversions
Feature
In today’s political and economic environment, it is quite common to seeowners and operators of smaller coal-fired boilers (15 to 50MW) convert theirprimary fuel from coal to wood. In some cases, these boilers supply electricity to the grid under a purchase power agreement (PPA) with the local utility. In other cases, the boilers are owned and operated by industrial companies, such as the...
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Get down to the nuts and bolts
Feature
Mankind has usedwood to createheat and energy for millennia. In the 21st Century we are still burning wood, fuelled by the demand for renewable power to replace traditional fossil fuels.The UK has wholeheartedly embraced biomass energy production.
A grinding issue
Feature
Green waste isincreasingly being contaminated with metals and plastics ,as a result of non-organic materials being placed in green waste bins. CBI’s Metal Detection System(MDS) is able to detect a bag of bolts in a plastic sandwich bag before they enter the chamber of a grinder and cause damage.
