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Date Published:
30 October 2017

Volume 8, Issue 6


Backing a winner

Feature
Bioenergy has traditionally been a difficult sell to investors, both in terms of debt finance and equity.Challenges around security of supply, confidence in the management of technically demanding equipment and processes, and deal size, have created a risk profile outside their comfort zone.

On the right track

Feature
One of the quirks of the mathematics surrounding the economics of biomass generation is that in round numbers, 1m3/h of wood pellets will produce heat to raise enough steam to generate 1MWh of electricity. A 500MW biomass unit willc onsume approximately 500m3/h or 300tph of pellets, operating for 8000 hours per year, a unit will consume approximately 2.4 million tonnes of wood pellets.

Towards a sustainable-based bioenergy sector in Africa

Feature
Demand for bioenergy in Africa is expected to go up 40% to 490 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2040, equivalent to one quarter of the anticipated global demand, according to the International Energy Agency. It is anticipated that this substantial surge in bioenergy demand will create numerous investment opportunities for renewable energy developers and also exert pressure on governments in... [read more]

Political risk insurance: The key to doing business in Africa

Feature
Australian immigrants are having an unprecedented effect on the economy of Ghana, West Africa.These ‘newcomers’ are eucalyptus trees, and they’re being cultivated in vast plantations to provide biomass fuel for a huge, 600MWe power plant.

Best uses of gasification in today's power sector

Feature
Biomass as a renewable energy source faces challenges in current regulatory markets in the US and abroad, due to currentl egislation focusing on energy storage for wind and solar renewable energy. Biomass as a renewable energy resource needs an advantage when competing for investment capital for new projects. Co-products formed when gasifying biomass is that advantage.

Power generation

Feature
Germany-based timber construction company HeberndorferLeistenfabrik (HLF) uses the waste wood from its wood processing activities to generate electricity and heat. Since equipping its power plant with the latest Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology from Dürr Cyplan,the specialist in base boards and accessories has managed to meet the majority of its annual electricity requirement with... [read more]

Capturing carbon

Feature
The fundamental problem remains for all existing conversion technologies in that they struggle with the issue of mass-energy balance. It takes energy to make energy, and all processes, with the exception of hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC), still require significant amounts of energy, no matter how they have been modified and advanced over the years. HTC is different.

From organic waste to high value biocoal

Feature
Biowaste can be defined as a mixture of biodegradablegarden and park waste, organic fraction of municipal solid waste (food and kitchen waste from households,restaurants, caterers and retail premises), food waste (waste from food processing plants), and sludge. To date, EU biowaste production is around 300 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) and is expected to rise to around 350MTOE in 2030.... [read more]

Fading out coal

Feature
Woody biomass is one fuel used to generate electricity,and when extraction rates do not exceed growth rates, biomass-derived electricity is generally accepted to be renewable energy. Using raw biomass feedstock for electricity production presents several challenges including high moisture content, low bulk density, low calorific value, high grinding energy requirements, hydrophilicity, relatively... [read more]

From the forest to the plant

Feature
More than 30 years ago, family-owned GrupoTransfradelos opened its doors as a forestry logging and transportation logistics company. As the Fradelos’ Portugal-based business grew, management explored other services that would complement its current operation. Before long, Grupo Transfradelos developed as pecialised handling service that included wood terminal management as well as cargo... [read more]

Safety first

Feature
The growth and development of renewable energy technologies and processes has resulted in a newset of risks and hazards being introduced to manyl ocations where previously there were no process risks or hazards present. Renewable energy technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD), gasification using pyrolysis and gas plasma technologies, biomass combustion, carbon dioxide captureand biomethane... [read more]

All aboard the biomass train

Feature
Iowa Northern Railway(IANR) is situated in northeast Iowa, US, operating 253 miles of track amongst high yield corn crops. IANR is perfectly located for a biomass processor because within fifteen miles of the track in each direction there is more than 4 million tons of excess corn stover. IANR has connections to three Class 1 railroads for access to the entire North American rail network.

Sustainable development

Feature
Africa is a huge continent with magnificent landscapes, many diverse cultures, and enthusiastic people, with a can-do attitude. Africans are keen to develop and grow Africa’s economy and to be able to participate fully in world trade, but are being held back by a lack of infrastructure especially away from the major cities and a lack of access to stable cost-effective supplies electricity... [read more]