International Bioenergy News
Under the heading of 'International Bioenergy News' we offer a number of articles worthy of mention. Yet again this month news stories focus on the value in waste as a resource. That said, the first article below, demonstrates the ongoing need to win over public perception and understanding.
BiogasBiogas – What’s in a Name? - In Ireland, disinformation and nimby syndrome still play too big a role when it comes to biogas. Far too often still, in Ireland, a biogas plant is called an incineration plant. The Irish BioEnergy Association is struggling to raise awareness both in the north and south of the country, which are divided by two totally different regulatory policies and incentives.
Neste breaks ground on world's first Bio LPG facility in Rotterdam - The ground-breaking ceremony held today at Neste's renewable product refinery in Rotterdam marks the beginning of construction for the world's first Bio LPG production facility. The EUR 60 million facility will start production of Bio LPG in the end of 2016. Bio LPG will enable users of existing fossil fuels to reduce their carbon footprint without any modifications to existing gas applications technology.
US compost companies invest $40m in digester to turn food waste into natural gas - Long Island Compost (LIC) and its American Organic Energy (AOE) affiliate are moving forward with a plan to build a $40 million (€35.6 million) facility to turn food waste into natural gas. After delays, AOE is planning to begin construction of an anaerobic digester in Yaphank, New York state by early next year. Accepting and separating 180,000 tonnes of food waste.
Coffee Roasted by Biogas - Finland’s leading coffee company, Paulig, is reducing its carbon footprint. From August 2015, all Paulig coffee roasted in Vuosaari, Helsinki, has been made with 100% Finnish and renewable Gasum biogas. The company roasts an annual total of around 100 million packets of coffee for the domestic and export markets. The packaging of Paulig coffees roasted with clean energy can now also carry the biogas label communicating environmental responsibility.
Asian Cities’ Wastewater Used for Biogas Energy, Irrigation and Fertilizer - To meet the requirements of Asian cities, researchers are adapting an idea they have already applied in Germany for comprehensive water management: They are developing a concept for reducing water use, treating wastewater and extracting fertilizer for a strip of coastline in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang.
Liquid BiofuelsUnited States Department of Agriculture Paper, September 2015 - Biofuel Use in International Markets: The Importance of Trade, Jayson Beckman, Economic Research Service Economic Information Bulletin Number 144.
What do beef tallow and manure have in common with t-shirts and pine needles? Turns out you can make high-quality, low-carbon transportation fuel with all of them. A growing number of biofuel producers are teaming up with farms, meatpackers and waste management companies to tap gassy waste to meet new demand for renewable jet fuel and diesel for vehicles.
Abengoa says Bioenergy is key to Sustainable Growth - In recent years, the fields of energy and biofuels have undergone changes in terms of policy, consumer expectations and the environment. These changes have transformed the industry and obliged companies to adapt. Abengoa has strategically distributed its biofuel production plants in fifteen locations and these plants will continue to play an important role in the current and future growth of the company. As it looks to a sustainable future Abengoa is focusing on lignocellulosic fuels whilst achieving improved performance and sustainability.
Celtic Renewables lands £11 million grant ($AU24 million) after winning UK DfT competition - Scotland’s Celtic Renewables is the biggest winner in a competition run by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT), earning an £11million ($AU24 million) grant to help it build the world’s first plant dedicated to the production of advanced biofuel from the residues of the whisky industry. The Edinburgh-based company is one of three advanced biofuel producers to share in a £25million funding pot.
German ethanol production up 5% year-over-year - Germany's ethanol production has increased by over 5% year-over-year during the first half of 2015, reaching 370,484 metric tons, according to the German Bioethanol Industry Association. Meanwhile, year-over-year sales of Super E10 and E85 were down 11% and 29.5%, respectively.
Sweden's EcoEnergy to build 100MW biofuels plant in Ukraine - EcoEnergy Scandinavia, a Swedish renewables developer, has signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a 100MW biofuels plant in Ukraine. The development and initial phase of construction will require an investment $120 million (€106.4 million), according to the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration (DRSA). The Investment Centre at the DRSA has proposed three sites for the plant, with which EcoEnergy will eliminate all landfills in Dnipropetrovsk, according to its contract.
Wood Fuel / BiomassTurboden to supply 5.5-MW CHP unit to biomass plant in Turkey - Bioenergy Australia Member Turboden, a provider of Organic Rankine Cycle turbogenerators for distributed power generation employing renewable sources and waste heat, signed an order with Starwood for a new 5.5-MW cogeneration plant in Bursa, Turkey.
Veolia appointed operator of new UK biomass power plant - The 6.5MWe biomass-fired combined heat and power station will be built in Holbrook, Sheffield, and is designed to provide sustainable green energy for over 10,000 homes. It will use around 55,000 tonnes of waste wood as carbon neutral fuel which will be provided from local suppliers and has the capability to export renewable heat energy to a district heating scheme. Veolia will operate and mainatain the plant, monitor emissions, manage ash disposal and secure the biomass fuel. The plant is due to start generating low carbon heat and power in Spring 2017. It’s being developed by Equitix, an infrastructural investment company, which has a dedicated £200m fund for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects including £100m from the Green Investment Bank (GIB).
Global wood pellet market expected to grow by 14.1% annually until 2023 - The global wood pellet market for power plants and heating is expected to grow annually by 14.1% and reach a value of €20,073 million by 2023, according to Transparency Market Research. Wood pellets production has increased substantially in the past few years, owing to the implementation of stringent emission norms in Europe and North America.
SBP announces first-of-its-kind wood pellet producer certification - SBP, an industry-led initiative formed by major European biomass energy utilities, has announced its first certification of a biomass producer. NSF International, an SBP-approved certification body, has certified the Aliceville, Alabama, facility of US pellet producer Westervelt Renewable Energy. This assessment must be carried out by an independent, third-party certification body. A biomass producer that satisfactorily demonstrates compliance receives a certificate and is entitled to make the claim that the biomass it produces is SBP-compliant. Such certification can be the point of difference between biomass producers.
World Forestry Congress says forests are more than just trees - The world's forests must be recognized as "more than trees,” the XIV World Forestry Congress meeting in Durban, South Africa, concluded earlier this month. In its vision for the future of forests, The Congress states that forests hold vast potential to play a decisive role in ending hunger, improving livelihoods and combating climate change. It noted that sustainably managed forests were an "essential solution" to combating climate change, optimizing their ability to absorb and store carbon while also providing other environmental services. It also stresses the need for new partnerships among the forest, agriculture, finance, energy, water and other sectors, and strong engagement with indigenous peoples and local communities.
Yokogawa wins order for Brazil's largest biomass power plant - Yokogawa America do Sul, a subsidiary of Yokogawa Electric Corp., has received an order from Areva Renewables Brazil, a subsidiary of France-based Areva, to deliver a control system for a biomass power plant that will be the largest facility of its type in Brazil. The plant is being constructed by Bolt Energias in Sao Désiderio, Bahia, in the north eastern part of the country. The facility will have three power units with a total capacity of 150MW, and will burn eucalyptus as its fuel. For this facility, Yokogawa will deliver the Centum VP integrated production control system, ProSafe-RS safety instrumentation system, and other products. Yokogawa will also be responsible for engineering and for providing installation support and commissioning for these products. The plant will be connected to the power grid in mid-2017.
Biorefining / BiomaterialsBio-based and thinking outside the box – innovation with waste - Sustainability has become one of the most important factors for businesses both big and small, worldwide. And while many companies are implementing recycling and waste management systems that have worked for years, some people are thinking outside the box and coming up with sustainability schemes you might never have thought possible. How about Ford and its bio-based plastics – a partnership with Heinz? Or Sainsbury’s who are spearheading the use of eCO2: an alternative refrigerant which is derived from waste sugar beet.
Plastics without the fossil fuel emissions? - Think of the world's dependence on oil, and you probably think of cars. But much of the rest of our everyday lives is also made with oil, from the paint on our walls to our shoes, sofas, yoga pants, and even some foods. Petroleum-based industrial chemicals, a $3 billion global industry, are everywhere. So can we engineer the same chemicals from sugar, using microbes in a process like brewing beer? Sure we can.
General Bioenergy
Renewable energy outstrips coal for first time in UK electricity mix - Wind, solar and bioenergy surge to supply a record 25% of the country’s electricity for a whole quarter. Renewable energy has for the first time surpassed coal in supplying the UK’s electricity for a whole quarter, according to government statistics. The revelation of the surge in wind, solar and bioenergy to a record 25% comes in a week when the UK government has been heavily criticised of late by business leaders for cutting support for clean energy.
Does bioenergy have a green energy future in the US? - Bio-derived sources of energy – wood, grass, dung and alcohol – have a rich history yet have failed to command the “buzz” of solar, wind or even geothermal in public discussions regarding renewable energy. Even worse, for some, “bio” conjures images of clear-cutting forests, dead zones in our waterways, “food-versus-fuel” or additional carbon emissions – the opposite of sustainable development. In reality, bio-based energy has the largest market presence, involves the most stakeholders and currently has the greatest economic impact of any renewable energy industry sector. [back to the top] |
