A California company has received a $4.9 million grant to build one of the first forest-sourced biomass gasification plants. Phoenix Energy‘s joint venture, North Fork Community Power’s project, received the money from the California Energy Commission to build the plant, as well as funding research into the emerging field of forest biomass use. The plant will utilize local forest biomass …
Canadian Company Plans Biomass Pellet Plant
A clean-tech company in Canada is looking to build a $13-million commercial plant to turn biomass into pellets. This article from Halifax’s Chronicle Herald says Sustane Technologies Inc. will make the biomass pellets from landfill waste. The demonstration plant, which would be at Chester’s Kaizer Meadow landfill, is slated to be operational in mid-2016. Warden Allen Webber said Tuesday that …
Researchers Build Biomass for Batteries
Researchers at the University of Houston have discovered a polymer made from biomass that could end up being a key ingredient in a new organic material battery. This article from the school says the discovery promises a low-cost, environmentally friendly energy source. The discovery relies upon a “conjugated redox polymer” design with a naphthalene-bithiophene polymer, which has traditionally been used …
California Firm Buys Connecticut Biomass Plant
A California firm has bought a biomass plant in Connecticut. This article from the Sacramento Business Journal says Greenleaf Power has agreed to buy the 37.5-megawatt Plainfield Renewable Energy plant. Greenleaf did not disclose a value for the transaction, which is expected to close later this year. But the Washington Post reported the sale price was $30 million in cash …
Proposed Oregon Biomass Plant Seeks Energy Buyer
A proposed biomass plant in Oregon is getting closer to getting off the ground, if it can just find a buyer for the energy it produces. This article from The Columbian says the city of La Pine could get a wood-burning power plant. “It’s just been on hold due to market conditions,” said Rob Broberg, president of Biogreen Sustainable Energy …
U of Iowa Selects REPREVE Renewables
The University of Iowa has selected REPREVE RENEWABLES to provide agricultural and business development services for their Biomass Fuel Project. The goal of the project it to assess and improve environmental aspects of new and existing biomass crops and subsequent fuels. In addition, REPREVE RENEWABLES’ perennial grass, giant miscanthus, will be used to power the U of I’s power plant, …
Researchers Combine Biomass, Solar Conversion
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have come up with a new approach to combine solar energy conversion and biomass conversion. In a study published this week in Nature Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry Professor Kyoung-Shin Choi and postdoctoral researcher Hyun Gil Cha discussed their research to split water into hydrogen, a clean fuel, and oxygen using photoelectrochemical solar cells (PECs). They …
UK Opens Its Largest Biomass Plant
The largest biomass plant in the United Kingdom has opened in Scotland and promises to help the UK meet a goal of 11 percent of non-electrical heat demand by renewable sources by 2020. This story from the BBC says the RWE Markinch Biomass plant in Glenrothes replaces the former 1950s coal and gas-fired power station on the site of Tullis …
Global Bioenergies Makes First Isobutene from Biomass
Europe-based Global Bioenergies says it has made the first isobutene production from waste biomass. This company news release says it used its proven method of using first generation feedstock, such as wheat-derived glucose, and adapted it use non-edible resources, such as wheat straw, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse or even wood chips. Various companies are presently debottlenecking the conversion of …
USDA Gives Biomass Energy Development $8.7 Mil Boost
Up to $8.7 million in federal funding is being made available for next-generation bioenergy development in biomass. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is funding the bioenergy research and education efforts and will be publishing the final rule for a program that provides incentives for farmers and forest landowners interested in growing and harvesting biomass for renewable energy. “USDA’s support …