International Bioenergy News
Under the heading of 'International Bioenergy News' we present the following storis for your interest.
BiogasUK Government cuts support to AD - The Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA) strongly objected to the UK Government’s plans to massively cut back government support for new AD plants post their review of the Feed-in Tariff. The proposals would cut industry growth to negligible levels compared to 2014 and 2015, failing to deliver the baseload electricity generation capacity that would help keep the lights on. The proposed ‘cap’ in capacity supported represents a budget cut of 65% for plants <500kW and 41% for plants >500kW compared to deployment in 2014.
DC’s Poop Power - Located in the US capital is one of the first wastewater utilities in the country that is producing some of its own power from, yes, 'poop', allowing it to reduce its own energy costs by up to $10 million a year. DC Water’s $470 million Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant processes an average of 330 million gallons of raw sewage each day, turning it into 10 megawatts of electricity. This, according to a news release from the facility, translates to one-third of the plant’s energy needs.
Mashed potato to power UK food factory - The parent company of some of the UK’s biggest food brands including Fox’s Biscuits and Goodfella’s pizzas is this week set to flick the switch on a new electricity generator that will be powered by waste mashed potato. The new bio-refinery at 2 Sisters Food Group’s Carlisle factory is expected to produce 3,500 megawatt hours (MWh) each year in electricity and the equivalent of 5,000MWh in steam to help power the factory. The AD plants will use potato waste from the factory’s mashed potato and pie manufacturing lines as a feed stock.
Bio2Watt injects BMW with green - BMW South Africa’s target of powering its production process 100% from sustainable energy by 2020 has received a boost with the motor manufacturer this month receiving the first green energy from the Bio2Watt biogas energy plant in Bronkhorspruit. It means between 25 – 30% of the electricity requirements at its Rosslyn plant will now be generated from renewable sources. This follows BMW SA last year signing a power purchasing agreement with Bio2Watt, the first commercial viable biogas project in South Africa.
Global biogas upgrading market to grow to $1.97bln by 2020 - The global biogas upgrading market is expected to grow to $1.97 billion (€1.72bln) by 2022 at a compound annual growth rate of 28.65% from 2014-2022, according to a new market study. Some of the key drivers of the market include strict government regulations, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, volatile fertiliser price, and demand for renewable energy and transportation fuel. The biogas market is estimated to drive the market over next decade due to significant growth in residential and industrial applications. The global biogas upgrading market is segmented by technology and by geography. The full study is available here.
Green light for a tenth gas-to-grid plant in the UK - Agraferm Technologies has received three new orders for biogas plants in England which by the end of the year will bring its portfolio of UK-based biogas plants will total 20. The first of the three is a gas-to-grid biomethane plant consisting of one digester and a post digester yielding 400Nm3/h of biomethane and 500kW of electricity. The second project has a digester and post digester loaded directly with a combination of energy crops and refuse. This downstream combined heat and power (CHP) plant produces 2.8MW of electricity. The third project has an individually drafted concept with a flexible substrate mix. Of the 50,000 tonnes of the raw material that will be used at this third plant, more than half will come from pig manure rather than from energy crops. This is made possible by upstream milling, two digesters and one post digester. The plant will produce biomethane at a rate of 400Nm3/h as well as power for the 500kW CHP plant. Liquid BiofuelsPushing for Aviation Biofuel - All airline companies operating in Indonesia will be obliged to use aviation biofuel for their aircraft instead of avtur from 2018 onwards, which aims to help reduce air pollution, Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan has said. According to the minister, the government had planned to produce aviation biofuel from palm oil or water hyacinth as raw materials, the supply of which is abundant in Indonesia.
Avril opens 100,000 t/yr biodiesel plant in Mediterranean France - French biofuels producer Avril has opened a 100,000 t/yr biodiesel plant to meet the higher blending levels issued by the French government. The new plant will raise the company’s biodiesel production capacity to 1.7 million tonnes. In 2013 Avril shut down its two northern France facilities in the aftermath of the government’s refusal to raise biodiesel blending level beyond 7%. However, late last year the government agreed to increase the blend level by 1%, bringing it to 8%. The €13 million Avril plant is set to compete with Total’s planned factory, also to be constructed in southern France and expected to have an output of 500,000 tonnes of biodiesel by 2017.
hhe USDA Announces $210 Million investment in Renewable Energy Infrastructure through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) - 21 States and Private Partners Match Federal Funds to Expand Infrastructure and Increase Fuel Options for Consumers - investment will nearly double the number of fuelling pumps that supply renewable fuels to American motorists. In May 2015, USDA announced the availability of $100 million in grants through the BIP, and that to apply states and private partners match the federal funding by a 1:1 ratio. Applications requesting over $130 million were received, outpacing the $100 million available. With the matching commitments by state and private entities, the BIP is investing a total of $210 million to strengthen the rural economy.
Marginal Soil can make for good biofuel crops - Switchgrass a perennial native to the tallgrass prairie, is one of the most promising bioenergy crops in the US, with potential to provide high-yield biomass on marginal soils unsuitable for traditional agricultural crops. Research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, UC Berkeley, the University of Oklahoma, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation is looking into whether switchgrass cultivation could result in an enhancement of key ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, soil fertility and biodiversity. The team found that switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) can grow and propagate in marginal soils, making it a good candidate for sustainable biofuel production.
Wood Fuel / BiomassUS researchers and forest industry look for new ways to use forestry residues – US foresters and researchers are innovating unique ways to make use of forest residues, or low quality trees, tree tops, limbs, and chunks that formerly would have been left in slash piles and burned, or worse, left to rot. Last year, Humboldt State University (HSU) and 15 regional partners in California, US, began the Waste to Wisdom project after receiving a $5.88 million (€5.17m) grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to expand biomass research. The grant is part of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a collaborative effort between the DOE and the US Department of Agriculture. Now, initial research from that project is beginning to show promising results.
Turboden's biomass ORC units start commercial operation at two Canadian sawmills –Turboden (a Bioenergy Australia Member), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and provider of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power systems for distributed generation from renewable sources and waste heat, has announced the successful commercial operation of two biomass-fed ORC units supplied to West Fraser, an integrated wood products company based in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
A reason to diversify forestry markets - Australia’s largest forestry investment company says drought in China that forced the temporary closure of one of the world’s biggest paper processors, in Rizhao, earlier this year is reason for Australia to diversify forestry export markets. The CEO of New Forests, Australia’s largest forestry investor, David Brand said increasing pressure on China’s climate is a good reason to diversify Australia’s forestry export markets. “From our perspective it does raise the question of whether we should be diversifying our markets and making sure we have several markets we can trade into and not be overly reliant on any one,” he said. Mr Brand said a key component to longevity and success for the company is keeping abreast of consumer changes and being adaptable to change. He said there were new markets emerging in Europe, including flourishing bio-markets.
Biorefining / BiomaterialsEurope’s bio future set for greatness with new 3BI Cluster - Biobased Delta, BioEconomy, BioVale and Industries & Agro Ressources, the leading bioeconomy clusters in the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and France have joined forces as the 3BI intercluster – ‘Brokering Bio-Biobased Innovation’. Their goal is to support European companies to access important new bioeconomy markets successfully. All four clusters use biorefining to convert biological resources into food, feed, materials, chemicals and fuels. They will work together in the research, development and deployment of novel high-tech approaches to the conversion of biomass, renewable raw materials and waste streams into value-added products and applications.
The Role of Bioeconomy in Climate Change Mitigation - The climate change mitigation potential of the bioeconomy is estimated at 2.5 billion tons CO2 equivalent per year by 2030 - EU decision-makers and stakeholders have gathered to stress the pivotal role that the bioeconomy and bio-based products can play ahead of COP 21 in Paris, coupled with its potential to provide win-win situations benefitting both the environment and the economic growth of Europe. Ahead of COP 21 in Paris, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri MEP, member of EP Intergroup on “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development”, gathered Parliamentarians and stakeholders in the European Parliament on 29 September to discuss the pivotal Role of Bioeconomy in Climate Change Mitigation. The benefits of a bioeconomy and bio-based products were made clear by all stakeholders, particularly focusing on carbon sequestration and storage benefits, and the need to replace fossil-carbon-based materials. The need to look at new markets and identify efficient sources of biomass was also pointed out as vital for reaching the promise of a bioeconomy.
Spruce trees have a secret weapon: The secret? - their resin fights off bacteria and these healing powers have been harnessed by Finland’s Repolar Pharmaceuticals and it is targeting international markets. Spruce resin been used for healing purposes for centuries and after years of clinical and laboratory tests, Finnish medical company Repolar Pharmaceuticals has developed a series of spruce resin-based products for the treatment of both acute and chronic wounds, burns and fungal infections. ……just another part of the bioeconomy jigsaw.
Trees to Chemicals? - Sweetwater Energy, a New York state based bio-products company, wants to build a $70 million factory in Mountain Iron, Minn., that would turn trees into chemicals that can be used for "green" plastics, pharmaceuticals and other products. Sweetwater Energy describes the proposed Mountain Iron project as a "biomass-to-biochemical facility," has developed technology that it says can convert timber into cellulosic sugars and clean non-sulfonated lignin fibre, which can be used in a variety of industrial and food products. [back to the top] |
