April 2016 News and Matters of
Interest
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Remember to check our Highlights for new postings on other areas of
Teru Talk.
NIB Funds Novozymes' Biomass Conversion and Enzymatic
Research
Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Danish biotech company Novozymes A/S have signed a ten-year loan agreement that is the equivalent of EUR 70
million in DKK to finance research in bio-innovation technology during 2016–2018. Novozymes’ research and
development program for that period is intended to expand the company’s existing product portfolio of enzyme and
microbe solutions and to tap into new business areas in bio-agriculture, biomass conversion technology, and
animal health and nutrition. Researchers in the bio-agriculture program are looking to replace chemical
fertilizers and pesticides with more sustainable solutions. The biomass conversion R&D program focuses on
the application of enzymes for biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol, while the animal health and nutrition program uses
enzyme technology for more environmentally efficient animal feed products.
04/27/2016
EC Funds LEILAC to Demonstrate Calix Carbon Capture
Technology
The LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) consortium has
successfully secured €12 million in funding over five years from the European Commission (EC) Horizon 2020 Grant
program. The consortium, led by technology provider Calix, and comprising Heidelberg Cement, Cemex, Tarmac, Lhoist, Amec
Foster Wheeler, ECN, Imperial College, PSE, Quantis and the Carbon Trust, aims to demonstrate a technology that
will enable Europe’s cement and lime industries to reduce their carbon footprint significantly. The consortium
will also contribute a further €9 million towards the project. Calix’s Direct Separation process provides a
common platform for carbon capture in both the lime and cement industries. During the first three years, the
project will focus on finalizing the design of the demonstration plant that will be constructed at the
HeidelbergCement plant in Lixhe, Belgium once the necessary permits have been secured. The high
temperature Direct Separation Calciner pilot unit will then undergo two years of
extensive testing in a standard operational environment, at a feed rate capacity of 240 tonnes per day of cement
raw meal and 200 tonnes ground limestone respectively, over a continuous basis for several weeks.
04/27/2016
CalRecycle Schedules Food Waste Prevention and Rescue
Workshop
The California Department of Resources and Recycling (CalRecycle) will host a public workshop on
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 between 1:30 and 4:00pm in Sacramento to discuss the proposed criteria for the new Food
Waste Prevention Grant Program (FY16-17). The workshop is to directly solicit feedback from stakeholders
regarding the proposed criteria and guidelines specifically aimed at food waste prevention and rescue efforts.
The funds for the Food Waste Prevention Grant Program are proposed and subject to the passing of the
Governor’s FY2016-17 budget. Webinar capabilities will be available for those that will not be able to
attend in person. The agenda and details will be posted at the Public Notice page below. If you have questions, please email
<>. 04/26/2016
CTi's Bio-Diesel Nano Reactor System Sells to South American
Refinery
Cavitation Technologies, Inc (CTi) has announced that Desmet Ballestra Group, CTi's strategic partner since
2010, has entered into a new sales agreement with a bio-diesel refinery in South America. This sales contract
becomes fully effective after Desmet Ballestra and the refinery fulfill certain technical specifications. This
particular refinery processes approximately 100MGPY of Bio-Diesel and the company anticipates system
installation in the first quarter of CTi's fiscal year 2017. This bio-diesel order marks CTi's first bio-diesel
system sale in South America, a region that provides enormous business opportunity for the company's line of
products and allowing bio-diesel producers to have greater efficiency and productivity. CTi's patented
NanoReactor™ is designed to allow refiners to reduce both processing costs and
environmental impact, while also increasing yield. 04/26/2016
Renewable Energy Group Holds Ribbon Cutting for Wisconsin
Biorefinery
Renewable Energy Group, Inc (REG) celebrated the formal opening of the newest addition to its fleet of
biorefineries Tuesday with a ribbon cutting at REG Madison in DeForest, Wisconsin, and also announced upgrades to the
plant. The ceremony recognized the transition to REG’s ownership of the 20-million gallon per year nameplate
capacity biodiesel refinery formerly owned by Sanimax Energy. The event also served as a groundbreaking for
approximately $7 million of additional improvements to the biorefinery. The upgrades include process
improvements, a dedicated entrance for the plant, additional biodiesel storage, and locker rooms for the team.
REG now has 11 active North American biomass-based diesel refineries in seven states with a combined nameplate
production capacity of 452 million gallons. 04/26/2016
Tarkett Partners with Veolia to Accelerate Its Transition to Circular
Economy
The Tarkett Group, a global flooring and sports surface solutions company, has chosen Veolia to help accelerate the deployment of its
ReStart® program for the collection and reuse of its products. Veolia
will collect and sort flexible flooring off-cuts from Tarkett’s customers in the building industry for recycling
in Tarkett’s production sites. By 2020, European regulations will require the building industry to recycle 70%
of its waste. Remco Teulings, President Tarkett EMEA: "For several years, Tarkett has been committed to a
transition to a circular economy by applying Cradle to Cradle® principles across all its activities. The
ReStart® collection and recycling program is one of the cornerstones of our commitment to closing the material
loop." As part of Tarkett's ReStart® program, Veolia will collect flexible flooring offcuts from building sites,
using equipment suited to building industry professionals and making use of its extensive infrastructure in
France. The offcuts will then be sorted to ensure the purity of the different materials before being
reintegrated into the process of manufacturing new flooring in Tarkett’s factories.
04/22/2016
ZooShare Celebrates Groundbreaking for Biogas Plant at Toronto
Zoo
On April 19th 2016, Zooshare, the Toronto Zoo, Bullfrog Power, and TREC Education gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the ZooShare biogas plant.
Speakers included the Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli, the Chair of the Toronto Zoo board, Councilor Raymond
Cho, and the CEO of Bullfrog Power, Ron Seftel. Media at the event included Global News, CityNews, The National
Post, The Scarborough Mirror and more! The event was held at the ZooShare site, on the east side of Meadowvale
Road, across from the Toronto Zoo. The ZooShare biogas plant will recycle manure from the Toronto Zoo and local
food waste into renewable power for the Ontario grid. This process will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
return valuable nutrients to the soil. Last year, Zooshare sold out of $2 million worth of bonds that will be used to build the plant this
Spring. 04/21/2016
Praxair Signs Long-Term Agreement to Source Waste Carbon Dioxide in
US
Praxair, Inc has signed a long-term agreement to purchase by-product carbon dioxide
from US Nitrogen LLC, a subsidiary of Austin Powder Company. Praxair will build, own, and operate a carbon dioxide purification and
liquefaction facility at US Nitrogen’s recently constructed ammonia plant in Tennessee, which is part of a
larger vertical integration project. Praxair’s facility will purify by-product carbon dioxide and produce
beverage-quality liquid carbon dioxide for distribution and use by customers throughout the Southeastern and
Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Expected to start up in late 2017, the facility further expands
Praxair’s carbon dioxide sources. The company expects to start up a previously announced carbon dioxide purification plant in late 2016 at
a refinery in Delaware. In the Eastern region of the United States, Praxair operates additional carbon dioxide
purification and liquefaction facilities in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
04/21/2016
Valmet Supplies Wood Pellet Heating Plant to Helsinki Power
Facility
Finland based Valmet Corporation will supply a wood pellet heating plant to Helen Oy's Salmisaari power plant. The wood pellet plant will enable Helen to increase the use of biofuels in
district heat production in Helsinki. Valmet's delivery includes fuel conveyors from the existing storage silos,
wood pellet grinding and the wood dust equipment, hot water boiler, and flue gas cleaning by way of a bag hose
filter. In addition, Valmet will supply the plant construction, electrification and a Valmet DNA automation
system. The start-up of the heating plant is expected to take place at the beginning of 2018 with a district
heating capacity of 92 megawatts (MW). 04/20/2016
Ecova Schedules Webinar on Starving the Landfills: Food
Waste 201
Washington state based Ecova, Inc has announced the second webinar in its food waste
series, Starving the Landfills: Food Waste 201, on how Chelsea Market found
food waste success by leveraging waste characterization studies to provide the data driving long term diversion
strategies. A live Q&A session will immediately follow the presentation. Through rising landfill costs, new
regulations, and public demand for sustainability, food waste is getting more national attention than ever, but
finding the right solutions for your business seem complicated. Register online for the webinar, which is
scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 11:00am PDT. The first session, Feeding the Bottom Line: Food Waste 101, covered the impactors driving
the rising cost of food disposal and the top questions that arise when evaluating your food waste strategy.
04/20/2016
Clariant Concludes Extensive and Successful Tests On Sugarcane
Residue
Clariant has conducted comprehensive tests on over 40 containers of sugarcane
bagasse and tops and leaves from Brazil at its pilot and pre-commercial facilities in Straubing, Germany to validate
its sunliquid® technology. With the tests, Clariant confirmed once more that the total cost per liter of
cellulosic ethanol including feedstock, conversion, and depreciation using the sunliquid technology can achieve price competitiveness with sugarcane
ethanol pricing in Brazil. A yield of up to 300 Liters of ethanol per ton of dry bagasse was achieved and
validated during extended performance runs. These tests constitute an important milestone for the realization of
a commercial-scale project with sugarcane residues. Besides excellent yields on both C5 and C6 sugar conversion
to cellulosic ethanol, Clariant was able to demonstrate its superior fermentation performance and stability. The
Clariant pre-commercial plant has also demonstrated cellulosic ethanol production on agricultural residues such
as corn stover and cereal straw for the North American and European markets.
04/20/2016
Comet Biorefining Signs Supply Agreement with BioAmber
Canadian company Comet Biorefining Inc has signed an off-take agreement with bio-succinic acid producer BioAmber for high-purity dextrose from
Comet’s planned commercial plant in Sarnia,
Ontario. The dextrose will be
produced from agricultural residues using Comet’s innovative technology. Comet’s technology enables sugars to be produced competitively from biomass
versus corn or cane-derived sugars. The off-take agreement includes provisions for Comet to supply dextrose to future BioAmber
manufacturing facilities and provides BioAmber with certain exclusive rights in the fields of succinic acid,
1,4-butanediol (BDO) and tetrahydrofuran (THF).
BioAmber provided an equity investment in Comet in 2015 and its CEO Jean-Francois Huc is
now joining Comet’s board of directors. The off-take agreement is the culmination of development work performed by Comet and BioAmber as part of
BioIndustrial Innovation Canada’s recently completed cellulosic sugar study. 04/19/2016
UPM Biofuels Gains ISCC PLUS Certification for Bio-Based
Applications
UPM Biofuels has received extended sustainability certification to cover all of its
output streams from the Lappeenranta Biorefinery in Finland under the International Sustainability and Carbon
Certification Scheme ISCC PLUS. UPM Biofuels produces wood-based renewable diesel UPM BioVerno as the main
product at the biorefinery. However, the process also generates a smaller share of renewable naphtha, which can
be used as a biocomponent for petrol. With the new ISCC PLUS certificate, the wood-based fuels can now also be
utilized as certified feedstock in bioplastics production as an example. Other output streams from the
Lappeenranta Biorefinery are renewable turpentine, pitch, and sodium bisulphite, which are formed as residues of
biofuel production. The Lappeenranta Biorefinery was awarded the Commercial Scale Plant of the year in the Bio business
2015 competition. 04/19/2016
Due 05/31/2016: Abstracts for Biochar 2016 Conference at OSU
Abstracts are now being accepted for the Biochar 2016: The Synergy of Science and Industry: Biochar's Connection to Ecology, Soil, Food
and Energy conference scheduled for August 22-25, 2016 at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon. The
US Biochar Initiative and Sustainable Obtainable Solutions aim to bring together stakeholders in
the applied biochar research community and the private sector to further biochar market development. Your
abstract must be submitted by May 31, 2016 for consideration of being a speaker at
the conference. 04/19/2016
CalRecycle Posts Recycling and Disposal Reporting Workshop
Agenda
The California Department of Resources and Recycling (CalRecycle) has posted the agenda and presentation for the first Stakeholder Workshop on new recycling and
disposal reporting requirements per Assembly Bill (AB) 901, previously announced in March. The sessions will address new reporting
requirements for Recyclers, Composters and Solid Waste Facilities. This is the first of a series of workshops
seeking stakeholder feedback on AB 901 regulations. CalRecycle staff will provide an overview of the law, topics
for which regulations are needed, and some preliminary draft language for consideration and comment. The
first workshop will be held in Sacramento on April 19, 2016, with
a second workshop in Southern California on April 26th. CalRecycle
asks that comments be filed in person during the workshops, or by email to <>.
04/16/2016
California Agencies Will Co-Host Workshop on Agricultural Sector
Emissions
California's Department of Food and Agriculture, Natural Resources Agency, and Air Resources
Board are jointly hosting a public workshop on the agriculture sector on April 27, 2016 from 10:00am to
1:00pm. The workshop will be held at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) office in
Fresno, California. Much of the Scoping Plan process addresses emissions associated with waste and biomass
residuals management. This workshop will support the process to update the AB 32 Scoping Plan to reflect
California’s goal to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, as
directed in Executive Order B-30-15. The session builds upon the Natural and Working Lands public workshop
held in Sacramento on March 23, 2016. An agenda and other supportive materials will be posted the day prior to the workshop on the Air Resources Board's AB 32
Scoping Plan webpage. The workshop will also be webcast and information will be posted on the SJVAPCD's website prior to the workshop.
04/16/2016
DOE Announces FOA for Bioenergy, Bioproducts Facilities Development
Plans
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE)Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office, a
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Project Definition for Pilot and Demonstration Scale
Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower (PD2B3)”. This FOA supports technology development plans
for the manufacture of drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels, bioproducts, or biopower in a pilot- or demonstration-scale
integrated biorefinery. Scale-up and validation of these process technologies are essential to enable the
industry to build future pioneer- and commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. Plans for facilities that use
cellulosic biomass, algal biomass, or biosolids feedstocks will be considered under this funding opportunity.
The FOA is expected to be posted on the EERE Exchange on or about May 2, 2016. 04/15/2016
AGH Announces 2016 Pellet Stove Design Challenge Winners
The Alliance for Green Heat (AGH) has announced the winners of the 2016 Pellet Stove Design Challenge. This
was the third Stove Design Challenge promoting innovation in wood and pellet heating to help consumers reduce
fossil heating fuels with appliances that burn far cleaner and more efficiently than average stoves. A German
designed Wittus stove that is distributed by a New York company, and a stove
made by Seraph Industries, the smallest US pellet stove manufacture, won first
and second place in the Challenge. The Pellet Stove Design Challenge is a partnership between various
organizations and agencies that are interested in exploring the potential of technology to meet a growing demand
for renewable energy. 04/15/2016
Acme-Hardesty Is New Distributor for Green
Biologics' Renewable Products
Acme-Hardesty and Green Biologics, Inc have signed a two year distribution agreement to market and sell
renewable n-butanol and acetone to the US market. Green Biologics' GB nC4-OLTM, a 100% renewable n-butanol, and
GB C3-ONE™, a renewable acetone, are both produced through fermentation of agriculturally derived sugars by Green Biologics’ proprietary
Clostridium microbial biocatalysts. Earlier this month, Green Biologics announced a US distribution agreement with Texas based Nexeo
Solutions. Green Biologics is currently constructing its first commercial production facility for renewable
n-butanol and acetone in Little Falls, Minnesota, and plans to start up the plant in late 2016 with shipments to
customers by the 4th quarter. 04/14/2016
WELTEC BIOPOWER Builds 2 New Agricultural Biogas Plants in
UK
WELTEC BIOPOWER UK Ltd. has reported orders for two new agricultural biogas plant projects in England and Northern Ireland. A 500-kW plant
is currently under construction for Stephen Carson's agricultural enterprise near Strabane, Northern Ireland.
The plant's two stainless-steel digesters (3,573 m³ and 4,903 m³) will be fed with 24,500 t of cattle manure,
whole plant silage, dry chicken dung, grass silage, sugar beets, and small quantities of maize. The project is
progressing smoothly, and the plant is set to go live and feed in power as early as summer 2016. Low Farm in
Sherburn, England, also decided to have its 500-kW biogas project built with WELTEC technology. The plant has
been online since September 2015, producing power and heat from pig manure, dry chicken dung, beets, and some
maize silage. In both plants, the upstream MULTIMix input system ensures optimum pre-treatment of the
substrates. 04/14/2016
PROBIO Energy Exports Scottish Refuse Derived Fuel to
Scandinavia
Hartlepool based PROBIO Energy Limited has entered into a three-year contract with recovered materials recycling company Newport Paper Ltd
to export 100,000 tonnes of baled Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to Scandinavia. The RDF is being produced by Avondale
Environmental and exported via Grangemouth, Scotland. The Avondale waste management plant has undergone a £3m
facelift in preparation for the contract start, which saw the first shipment of RDF transported to Scandinavia
last week. There is currently a ‘zero-waste’ policy in Scotland, requiring waste producers to sort, reduce,
recycle, and process waste as Scotland moves away from landfilling. The waste-to-fuel deal will see thousands of
RDF bales produced at the high-tech Avondale plant before being exported by PROBIO Energy to Scandinavia where
it will be used for energy production and heating homes. 04/13/2016
Xergi Delivers 3rd Biogas Plant to Danish Client, Introduces X-chopper to
UK
Food waste and livestock manure are being transformed into biogas and green fertilizer at the
biogas plant NGF Nature Energy Midtfyn, which was inaugurated on April 8, 2016. This means that Xergi
has now supplied three modern biogas plants to Danish NGF Nature
Energy in less than one year. The new biogas plants will supply 11 million cubic meters of biomethane every
year, which corresponds to the heat consumption of 7,000 Danish households. Xergi has also just introduced its efficient pre-treatment technology for difficult
biomasses, X-chopper®, to the British market. X-chopper® is designed to separate
biomass such as that characterized by long and strong fibers, making them difficult to utilize in a biogas
reactor. The separation also helps to avoid fiber clogs in pipes and pumps. The X-chopper® will, among other
things, pre-treat grass silage and vegetable waste products to be used in the new biogas plant at Beeswax
Farming near Boston. The construction of the biogas plant at Beeswax Farming is now complete and the plant is
being commissioned. The plant is designed to treat maize silage, grass silage, vegetable waste products and
other agricultural products. 04/13/2016
RSB Webinar on New Developments in Aviation Biofuel Production and
Regs
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has scheduled a webinar on April 28, 2016 at 7:00am PDT covering New
Developments in Aviation Biofuel Production and Regulation. Presentations will address recent and upcoming
developments in aviation biofuels production and regulation worldwide and get your questions answered by the
experts from RSB, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Amyris In this 45 minute free webinar, you will learn about: The
latest on a market based mechanism (MBM) from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); expected timetable
for ASTM approval of new types of aviation biofuel; the Amyris route to a new aviation biofuel; and aviation
biofuel availability in the US and Europe. Space is limited, so RSB recommends that you register online by April 22.
04/12/2016
CARB Schedules Workshop on Draft Short-Lived Climate Pollutant
Strategy
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released its Proposed Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy (SLCP
Proposed Strategy) and the Draft Environmental Analysis (EA) for public review. Key elements of the SLCP
strategy include reduction of methane and black carbon (soot) emissions and multi-agency support for
improvements in urban, agricultural, and forestry waste and residual management practices. CARB will host
a public workshop on April 26, 2016 at 10:00am, and will then formally
consider the SLCP Proposed Strategy during its public Board Meeting on May 19, 2016 at 9:00am. CARB
invites comments on the SLCP Proposed Strategy and Draft EA during the 45-day
public comment period that ends on
May 26, 2016 at 5:00pm. Pertinent documents can be found on CARB's SLCP webpage. Further inquiries regarding this item should be
directed to Dave Mehl, Air Resources Supervisor, at 916-323-1491 or Marcelle Surovik, Staff Air Pollution
Specialist, at 916-327-2951. 04/12/2016
CO2 Recovery Plant Starts Operation at Neste's Singapore
Refinery
Finland based Neste Corporation has announced that the carbon dioxide (CO2) recovery and liquefaction plant built at Neste's
renewable products refinery in Singapore has started commercial operation. Since the completion of its
construction at the end of 2015 and start-up at the end of March 2016, the plant has been recovering the
CO2-containing crude gas that is released as a by-product of Neste's renewable fuel refining process. The
recovery of CO2 is expected to cut Neste's Singapore refinery's CO2 emissions significantly at an annual level,
while simultaneously increasing the refinery's resource efficiency and decreasing the carbon footprint of the
renewable products that Neste produces in Singapore. The plant is expected to reach full production capacity
during fall 2016. Neste estimates to supply the plant approximately 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide-containing
crude gas annually. The plant was constructed and it is operated by Neste's Singaporean partner Leeden National Oxygen Ltd (LNOX), a subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation from
Japan. 04/12/2016
Fetzer Vineyards to Use Worms and Microbes to Treat Winery
Wastewater
California based Fetzer Vineyards, in a move to change the way US wineries conserve
water, has announced that it will install the BioFiltro BIDA® System at its Mendocino winery. In doing so, Fetzer
Vineyards will become the first American winery to use the innovative, closed-loop biological wastewater
treatment system to process 100% of its winery wastewater. The BIDA® System will begin processing Fetzer
Vineyards' wastewater during the 2016 harvest season, accruing energy savings up to 85% over current wastewater
treatment technologies and optimizing water conservation measures. BioFiltro's patented BIDA® System is a
passive aerobic bioreactor that catalyzes the digestive power of microbes and selected species of red earthworms
to naturally remove up to 99% of contaminants from Fetzer Vineyards' wastewater, in as little as four hours. The
chemical-free system consumes significantly less electricity than traditional wastewater treatment technologies,
and generates compost-enhancing castings from worm digestion, returning nutrients to the soil.
04/10/2016
CalRecycle to Consider Organics Grant Program Criteria at Monthly
Meeting
At its next public meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, the California Department
of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will consider proposed eligibility, scoring, and evaluation
process criteria for the Organics Grant Program 2016-2017 as announced last month. The Organics Grant Program is an element of
the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for Fiscal Year 2016-17. The Request for
Approval and Scoring Criteria documents as well as the agenda will be posted to the Public Meeting Notice
web page closer to the meeting date. The meeting will be webcast for
those that are not able to attend in person. 04/08/2016
J.R. Simplot Will
Distribute Cool Planet's Biocarbon Agricultural Product in US
Cool Planet has announced that the J.R. Simplot Company will serve as a distributor for Cool Terra
throughout the Western United States and portions of the Midwest in agriculture, turf, nursery, and landscape
markets. Cool Terra is an engineered biocarbon product (biochar) that delivers
structure and efficiency to the soil by retaining water and nutrients at the root zone. This same structure
nurtures microbial life in the soil, helping to establish lasting, naturally organic support systems for plants.
Cool Terra sequesters carbon from the atmosphere by taking CO2 captured by plants and storing it in the soil
where it contributes to increased soil health. Cool Planet is in the process of expanding its distributor
network, and this Simplot agreement extends Cool Terra’s reach to growers through Simplot’s network of over 90
retail locations. Cool Planet already has distributors across the Mid-Atlantic region and southeastern United
States. 04/08/2016
Due 04/22/2016: Comments to CARB on Draft Emissions Calculator,
Methods
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has published a Draft Quantification Methodology (QM) and Draft GHG Emissions Reduction Calculator for assessing FY 2015-16
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) applications. In addition to these documents, CARB has posted
a supplemental workbook with additional information on how the emission
reduction factors used in the draft calculator were developed. All documents are available on the
CARB’s Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Quantification Materials web page;
scroll down to the Natural Resources and Waste Diversion section, and see the CalRecycle notices for the
Waste Diversion Grant and Loan
Program. CARB is accepting public comments on the draft QM, draft
calculator and supplemental workbook until April 22, 2016 via <>. The final QM,
final calculator, and final supplemental workbook will be posted approximately two weeks after the public
comment period closes. The final versions will be available at the same CARB website. The draft QM and
accompanying draft calculator will be used by applicants until CARB approves its final QM, at which time GHG
emission reduction calculations will be modified by CalRecycle in consultation with CARB, if necessary.
04/08/2016
New Waste-to-Energy Plant in Tennessee Will Use CETI Power
Technology
California based Clean Energy Technologies, Inc (CETI) has announced a waste-to-energy system under construction in Tennessee
that will provide renewable electricity from waste material to a municipal waste water treatment plant. The
facility is scheduled for completion later this year and will mark CETI's second commercial collaboration with
Nashville company PHG Energy (PHGE) utilizing the Clean Cycle Generator™. PHGE designed and is now building the facility in Lebanon that will initially convert
some 32 tons per day of wood waste, scrap tires, and sewer sludge into a fuel gas through a patented
downdraft gasification process. The synthetic gas created will fuel a
thermal oxidizer and that heat energy will be transferred to three (3) 140- kilowatt Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
generators provided by CETI. CETI's equipment will generate over a million kilowatt-hours of renewable
electricity over the 20-year life of the project by converting 8,000 tons of waste material diverted from
landfills each year. 04/07/2016
DOE Schedules Webinar on How Feedstock Type Affects Biofuels
Conversion
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has scheduled a webinar in honor of Earth Week about its Bioenergy
Technology Office's (BETO) Field-to-Fleet project and its outcomes to date on Wednesday, April 20, 1–2 p.m.
Eastern Time. Field-to-Fleet is part of BETO’s larger Thermochemical Feedstock Interface Project and is a joint project with
Idaho National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that
is designed to determine how feedstock type affects various thermochemical biofuels conversion processes. The
multi-year project has quantified the impacts that feedstock type has on hydrotreating of pyrolysis oil, and is
now ready to apply the methodology to other thermochemical conversion pathways. You will learn about
Field-to-Fleet outcomes, impacts, and opportunities for partnership, and hear from laboratory project leads and
BETO's Conversion Team. You may register online for the Field-To-Fleet Webinar: How Does Feedstock
Type Affect Biofuels Conversion. 04/07/2016
Green Biologics Selects Nexeo Solutions as its US Distribution
Partner
Green Biologics, Inc, the US subsidiary of United Kingdom (UK) based Green Biologics Ltd,
has announced a distribution agreement with Nexeo Solutions, a Texas
(U.S.) based distribution company. Nexeo Solutions will become Green Biologics’ national distributor of renewable n-butanol and
acetone to US customers in a number of key markets including CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and
elastomers), HI&I (household, industrial & institutional cleaners), PCI (personal care intermediates)
and energy chemicals. Green Biologics' Clostridium fermentation platform converts the complex cellulose and
hemi-cellulose carbohydrates contained in lignocellulosic biomass into C5 and C6 sugars which can then be
digested for further processing. Green Biologics is currently constructing its first commercial production facility for renewable
n-butanol and acetone in Little Falls, Minnesota, and aims to start up the plant in late 2016 with shipments to
customers by Q4. 04/07/2016
Orineo Voted 'Bio-Based Material of the Year 2016' By Industry
Peers
Belgium company Orineo was awarded the prestigious Bio-based Material of the Year 2016 for its bio-based Touch of Nature®
materials at the 9th International Conference on Bio-based Materials in Cologne, Germany. Selected by over 200
industry experts, Touch of Nature® was recognized for its innovative character and
functional validity. The material has already been used successfully in a range of design projects where
environmental credentials were valued, for example as a bio-based countertop at the OR Coffee shop in Ghent,
Belgium. Orineo produces Touch of Nature®, a plant-based material, from a combination of a bio-based resin and
natural residues like coffee grounds, cork stoppers, or fruit residues. Touch of Nature® can be used for
seamless floors, tabletops, and countertops. 04/07/2016
Therma-Flite Provides Biosolids Drying System to Wisconsin
Cities
Texas based Therma-Flite has been awarded a contract to provide a biosolids drying system for a Wisconsin sewerage commission
representing a joint effort by two cities to upgrade from Class B, to Class A biosolids of exceptional quality
(EQ). Two main goals of the upgrade include helping alleviate a phosphorus-based pollution issue in their water
streams and solving the problematic restrictions and diminishing acreage available for land application of Class
B biosolids. A compelling fact influencing the final decision was that Class A biosolids can be applied anywhere
and is a very effective fertilizer for golf courses and landscaping due to its 4-5% nitrogen which is released
slowly over time. 04/06/2016
Covanta ES Acquires Material Processing Facility in Augusta,
Georgia
Covanta has announced that its subsidiary, Covanta Environmental Solutions (Covanta ES), has acquired a material
processing facility in Augusta, Georgia from US Ecology, Inc. The facility provides non-hazardous waste
solidification, shredding, water treatment, and transportation services to commercial and industrial customers.
Waste streams include waste oil, petroleum contaminated water, latex wastewater, process wastes, and tank rinse
waters. The acquisition will expand Covanta's existing network in the Southeast, complementing Covanta-operated
Energy-from-Waste facilities in Florida and Alabama, as well as the company's material processing facilities in
North Carolina. 04/06/2016
Air Canada Joins CBSCI to Introduce Sustainable Aviation Biofuel to
Airport
Air Canada has announced that it will participate in Canada's Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI) and introduce 400,000 litres of
sustainable aviation biofuel (biojet) into a shared fuel system at a Canadian airport. CBSCI is a three-year
collaborative project with 14 stakeholder organizations, and is coordinated through BioFuelNet Canada's Aviation Task Force. Previous Air Canada biofuel flights used biojet that was segregated and loaded
separately into an aircraft via tanker truck. The biojet used in this project will be sourced from commercially
available, certifiably sustainable Canadian oleochemical feedstocks using the Hydroprocessed Esters and a Fatty
Acids (HEFA) conversion process. The biojet will be blended with petroleum jet fuel to meet all technical
quality specifications before being introduced into a shared fuel tank at a Canadian airport. CBSCI's objective
is to start developing a more efficient operational framework that will introduce biojet into a multi-user,
co-mingled airport fuel supply system. 04/06/2016
Air Products Will Exit Energy-from-Waste Business and Tees Valley
Projects
Air Products (NYSE: APD) has announced that the Company will exit its Energy-from-Waste (EfW)
business and focus on its core Industrial Gas business. Air Products’ management has previously communicated the
challenges with the Tees Valley projects in the United Kingdom. Testing and analysis completed during the
Company’s fiscal second quarter indicated that additional design and operational challenges would require
significant time and cost to rectify. As a result, the Board of Directors has decided that it is no longer in
the best interest of the Company and its shareholders to continue the Tees Valley projects. 04/05/2016
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