ClearFuels has plans to develop in other places across the Southeast.  By 2015, ClearFuels hopes to have built four more biorefineries in the U.S. in addition to the one being planned for Tennessee.

The report stated that EU countries will be free to set up separate national programs to promote biomass without binding standards on the origins of the plant or tree matter. To address environmental concerns, the Commission issued recommendations to member states on what types of biomass to avoid, such as material from cleared tropical forests, and to seek biomass feedstocks that offer maximum greenhouse gas reductions compared to fossil fuels. With an EU target for member states to derive 20% of their energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2020, biomass use in the EU is set to increase. Currently, biomass accounts for 60% of the EU’s renewable energy.

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The Mason County project will deploy Adage’s reference plant design, which employs advanced environmental controls to minimize air emissions and water usage. The proposed 55 megawatt facility will provide enough power for more than 40,000 homes. The $250 million initial investment will create more than 400 direct jobs during construction and more than 100 direct jobs during permanent operation. Adage plans to begin construction in late 2010.

The two companies are interested in the feasibility of opening a commercial-scale production facility next year that would make pellets from woody biomass and sell them to utilities and industrial users for energy production.

• Parametrix (Bingen) will launch a pilot to convert woody biomass into liquid fuels at SDS Lumber, using fast pyrolysis technology.
• Borgford BioEnergy, LLC (Valley, Springdale) will use wood waste to generate electricity, bio-oil, syngas, and bio-char.
• Atlas Products (Omak) will use forest biomass to produce wood pellets for heating.
• Nippon Paper Industries USA, Ltd. (Port Angeles) will use wood waste for the cogeneration of heat and electricity at its paper mill, as well as selling excess energy.

The projects will use woody biomass that the companies purchase in part from state trust lands managed by DNR. The biomass can come from timber harvests or be removed during forest health treatments, such as thinning over-crowded and fire-prone tree stands.

“These four partners will put their technologies to work using forest products they purchase from state trust lands to produce clean, sustainable energy and rural jobs,” said Goldmark. “These projects have a huge potential to help encourage rural economic development and improve the health of fire-prone forests. This will hopefully be the beginning of a new green industry on state lands.”

Longview Fibre hopes to have the plant operational in about two years.

The plant is expected to burn around 38,000 tons of wood chips, hog fuel, and sawdust monthly.

Because the process used to produce bio-sawdust is a cutting action, far less energy is consumed in producing the fine material. When using a diesel-powered Beast, up to three tons of material can be produced per gallon of diesel fuel consumed.

Additionally, the wood fibers are cut, not fractured. Pellet operations report that this type of material packs much more efficiently into the pellet dies, yielding greater production. Pellet operations in British Columbia receiving material from the Beast are reporting a 10% to 12% increase in production at the pellet mills when running material from the Beast.

The cutterbody is shaped like a sawtooth on a chain saw, which enables the chipping system to make a precise, regulated cut. The material entering the Beast is also controlled by the infeed system, which forwards material to the cutting system at the exact speed required to produce the desired chip length. When producing bio-sawdust, the chipping operation generally yields better than 95% acceptable material (¼ in,-minus) in one pass.