That old cornstalk’s worth money. And so is that dead tree stump. Known as biomass, such plant materials can be converted into an alternative fuel source. And eventually that will mean savings for drivers at the pump. Des Plaines-based Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is starting production of biomass fuel at a Chicago plant as part [...]
LanzaTech Set To Transform Range Fuels’ Assets
The technology to transform wood into ethanol on a large scale has yet to be developed. LanzaTech, the company that purchased Range Fuels’ assets in a foreclosure sale in January, may just be the first. As reported in Post-Mortem: Range Fuels Sputters to the Auction Block, the sale of Range Fuel’s assets was arranged after the Department [...]
Waste Wood To Bio Fuel: CRIBE Steps Up With $6 Million In Dryden
The Center For Research and Innovation In The Bio-Economy (CRIBE) are providing up to $6 million in funding to leverage a total project value of up to $14 million for a partnership between Domtar and Battelle to develop a new approach to converting underutilized wood to fuel. Domtar, designer, manufacturer and distributor of a wide [...]
New Arizona Biomass Energy Plant Helps Community Reduce Waste
Arizona will soon be able to check another renewable energy project off its list. This summer Pinal Power, a utility company in Scottsdale, will began the construction of a biomass plant that will generate electricity for 20,000 homes annually by 2014. This is according to Hal Mitchell, the C.E.O. of Arbutus Bio Energy, and the [...]
Washington’s Forest Floors May Supply Biomass For Energy Needs
The Washington Department of Natural Resources is studying turning forest biomass, the brush that litters the forest floor, into energy. DNR along with the University of Washington recently completed a study finding that there’s enough biomass on the forest floor to turn into jet fuel and other types of energy. Every year in Washington, the timber [...]
DOE To Fund $15 Million To Research Biomass-Based Fuel Supplements
As part of President Obama’s blueprint for an economy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources, the Energy Department announced last week up to $15 million available to demonstrate biomass-based oil supplements that can be blended with petroleum, helping the U.S. to reduce foreign oil use, diversify the nation’s energy portfolio, and create jobs for [...]
Ironbridge Power Station Plans Switch To Wood Pellet Fuel
Ironbridge Power Station, which generates up to 1,000MW of electricity, is planning to convert to use wood pellets as its main fuel. E.On has applied for permission to build a football pitch sized store on site for the pellets, which would be sourced principally from North America. Due to be decommissioned in 2015, it currently [...]
Assessment Of Nebraska Biomass Potential Underway
Nebraska officials are taking inventory of forest resources to assess the state’s trees’ potential for providing fuel for biomass energy projects. The Nebraska Forest Service plans to visit randomly selected locations in 48 of the state’s 93 counties between April and September to evaluate trees. Adam Smith with the Nebraska Forest Service tells the Lincoln [...]
LowCountry Biomass Expanding, Adding Jobs In South Carolina
LowCountry Biomass, a recycler of wood residues, plans to expand its existing wood pellet manufacturing operations in Jasper County, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s Office announced last week. The $16 million investment is expected to create 26 new jobs. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to grow our company in Jasper County. South Carolina [...]
Obama Administration Announces New Funding For Biomass Research
As President Obama recently visited Ohio State University to discuss the Administration’s all-out, all-of-the-above strategy for American energy, the White House announced up to $35 million over three years to support research and development in advanced biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. The projects funded through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), a joint [...]