December 2015 News and Matters of Interest

Remember to check our Highlights for new postings on other areas of Teru Talk.

Dyadic Closes Sale of Industrial Technology Business to Dupont

Dyadic International, Inc has completed the closing of the previously announced sale of substantially all of the assets of its Industrial Technology business to DuPont’s Industrial Biosciences business for $75 million in cash. The sale includes substantially all of Dyadic's enzyme and technology assets, including its C1 platform, which is a technology for producing enzyme products used in a broad range of industries. As previously announced, following the closing, Dyadic intends to focus exclusively on its biopharmaceutical business. In connection with the closing of the Transaction, all of Dyadic’s outstanding debt has been paid off or converted into shares of Dyadic’s common stock. The remainder of the net proceeds from the Transaction will be used to fund the previously announced stock repurchase program, ongoing professional liability litigation, the ongoing biopharmaceutical business and for general corporate purposes. 12/31/2015

Ener-Core Signs Definitive Agreements for Private Placement Transaction

California based Ener-Core, Inc has announced that it entered into definitive agreements on December 30, 2015, with certain institutional and other accredited investors for a private placement of 625,000 shares of common stock. Ener-Core announced the launch of an underwritten public offering of 2,250,000 units the first week of November 2015. The private placement stock is priced at $4.00 per share and five-year warrants to purchase up to an additional 312,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share for an aggregate offering amount of $2.5 million, before deducting placement agent commissions. As part of the terms of the private placement, Ener-Core has agreed to file a registration statement to register for resale the shares of common stock and the shares underlying the warrants issued in the private placement. The private placement is expected to close on or about December 31, 2015, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Ener-Core intends to use the proceeds from the private placement for general corporate purposes and to continue supporting the fulfillment of product deliveries against closed commercial orders. Ener-Core provides Power Oxidation technology and equipment that generates clean power from low-quality waste gases and is deployable in a wide variety of industries. 12/31/2015  

Blue Sphere Increases Working Capital with $3M Financing

Blue Sphere Corporation has announced that it closed on a debt financing round on December 23, 2015 of US $3,000,000, consisting of company Notes and warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock. The Notes sold in the financing have a face value of $3,000,000 and after commissions and selling expenses, Blue Sphere received net proceeds of $2,672,000. Blue Sphere worked with Maxim Group, LLC, a New York based investment banking firm to offer and sell the Notes. The proceeds of the financing will be used for general business activities. This financing at the corporate level will allow Blue Sphere to further focus on its pipeline of acquisition targets in Italy as well as further develop opportunities in the United States. As previously reported, the Company has recently acquired four biogas facilities in Italy and continues to develop Anaerobic Digester facilities in the United States. 12/30/2015

GM Now Has 131 Landfill-Free Facilities Globally

General Motors Company (GM) has announced the addition of six landfill-free sites in Mexico and England, making a total count of 131 landfill-free facilities. The Luton Assembly plant and Ellesmere Port Assembly plant were two of the six sites to most recently achieve landfill-free status, and that makes all 18 Opel/Vauxhall manufacturing plants in Europe landfill-free. Being “landfill-free” means daily waste is recycled, reused, or converted into energy. Part of this initiative includes the washing of solvent-drenched rags and making shoe soles out of recycled material. The 16 facilities at GM’s Toluca, Mexico complex work closely with resource management suppliers to find higher uses for their byproducts, such as turning polystyrene foam packaging into footwear. This is done by taking the material to a warehouse where it is baled and sent to be crushed and densified into pellets, which are then combined with other polymers to create shoe soles. GM’s goal is to achieve 150 landfill-free sites globally by 2020. 12/30/2015  

New Pretreatment Process Improves Conversion of Woody Biomass to Biofuels

Researchers at Chonnam National University, South Korea, have published a study on a new pretreatment process for woody biomass that enables efficient and cost-effective separation of lignin from cellulose and hemi-cellulose materials. The paper explores development and use of a reagent combining hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid (HPAC). Compared to organo-solvent pretreatment under the same conditions, the HPAC pretreatment was more effective at increasing enzymatic digestibility. The newly developed HPAC pretreatment was highly effective for removing lignin from lignocellulosic cell walls, resulting in enhanced enzymatic accessibility of the substrate and more efficient cellulose hydrolysis. In addition, HPAC pretreatment enables year-round operations, maximizing utilization of lignocellulosic biomass from various plant sources. Fermentation of the pretreated biomass resulted in the equivalent ethanol production of up to 85.0 % of the maximum theoretical yield, based on the amount of glucose in the raw material. 12/26/2015

Bio-on and Gruppo Plan Facility in Italy to Produce Bio-Plastic from Glycerol

An agreement signed by Bio-on and S.E.C.I. S.p.A, part of Gruppo Industriale Maccaferri, will see Italy's and world's first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastic from glycerol, a biodiesel production co-product. The two companies, operating in sustainable biochemistry and industrial development of levulinic acid with Eridania Sadam, will work together to build a production site with a 5 thousand tons/year output, expandable to 10 thousand tons/year. Requiring a 55 million Euro investment from S.E.C.I., the facility will be located at an Eridania Sadam site and will be the world's most advanced plant producing PHAs biopolymers from glycerol. PHAs, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, are bioplastics that can replace a number of traditional polymers currently made with petrochemical processes using hydrocarbons. 12/26/2015 

California Air Resources Board Posts FAQ on New Alternative Diesel Regs

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to assist regulated parties in complying with the Regulation on the Commercialization of Alternative Diesel Fuels (ADF regulation) that was adopted by the Board in September 2015. The ADF regulation contains recordkeeping and reporting requirements applicable to entities in the biodiesel industry. Effective January 1, 2016, biodiesel producers, importers, and blenders are required to report and keep records concerning biodiesel production, sales, and blending. Biodiesel distributors and retailers are only required to keep records. For more information on the ADF regulation, visit the web site or contact Alexander "Lex" Mitchell at 916-327-1513 or. 12/23/2015

NIB Finances Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plant in Sweden

Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and the municipality of Jönköping have agreed on a long-term loan for SEK 100 million (EUR 10.8 million) for the construction of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, and the expansion of the local fiber optic cable network. The 25-year-maturity loan has been provided for financing Torsvik 2, a newly constructed biomass heat and power plant, located 10 kilometers outside of Jönköping. The 110-MV power station was commissioned in autumn 2014, and is operated by Jönköping Energi AB. Torsvik 2 is fuelled by residue from the regional forestry industry and otherwise unrecyclable waste. The plant’s capacity for annual heat production is 340 GWh, and it can generate 120 GWh of electricity. This corresponds to about 50% of the region’s requirements. Approximately 30,000 households connected to the district heating and energy network are supplied by the plant’s output. Additionally, the loan finances the expansion of Jönköping Energi’s city fibre cable network, providing operator-neutral Internet access for 26,000 households and small and medium-sized enterprises. 12/23/2015

BETO Announces NOI to Develop Pathways to Biofuels and Bioproducts

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced its intent to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled "MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels." This FOA supports BETO’s goal of meeting its 2022 cost target of $3/gallon gasoline equivalent for the production of hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. The intent of this FOA is to identify research and development projects that develop biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. The FOA is expected to be posted on the EERE Exchange in or around January 2016. 12/23/2015

Ramboll Environ Shows Dairy Digesters are a Good Investment for California

According to a new study by Ramboll Environ, dairy methane digesters are among the most cost-effective investments the State of California can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and help achieve the state's climate change prevention goals. The study prepared for Sacramento based Dairy Cares indicates that projects currently funded by the state provide a return on investment ranging from as low as $2 to as much as $1,250 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalents reduced. Dairy digesters represent one of the most cost effective investments of state funds with a rate-of-return of just $7 per ton of reduction. Equally important, because dairy digesters destroy methane, a short-lived climate pollutant, the value to the state's efforts to address climate change is much greater because climate-forcing emissions reductions can be realized sooner.  When these short-term investments are factored in, the cost per ton of reduction is closer to $2, and as a result, even more cost effective. 12/23/2015  

RES Polyflow Will Build Commercial Waste Plastics-to-Fuel Plant in Indiana

Ohio based RES Polyflow LLC has announced that Ashley, Indiana has been selected as the location for its Midwest plastics-to-fuel production facility. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the second quarter of 2016. Once operational, phase one of the facility will produce 17.0MM gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel and gasoline blendstocks annually for the petroleum market from the conversion of 100,000 tons of plastic scrap utilizing the company’s patented process. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered RES Polyflow up to $900,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. A local economic development package valued at $4.4MM offered by Steuben County and the Town of Ashley complemented the state’s investment offer.  Company officials estimate that a second phase of the project planned for completion by 2021 will double the capacity of the plant. The Ashley, Indiana facility is the first commercial facility featuring the RES Polyflow plastics-to-fuel conversion technology. 12/22/2015

US Biodiesel Production and Blender's Tax Credit Reinstatement Approved

The US Biodiesel Production and Blending Tax Credit (BTC) was passed on December 18, 2015 by Congress as part of the budget package just before their holiday recess. The reinstatement provides $1.00 per gallon of 100% pure biodiesel (B100) or renewable diesel (produced by processes other than transesterification of used vegetable and animal oils). Support is available to qualified biofuel blenders retroactive for 2015 and extends through 2016. The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) maintains a free-access database of state and federal support. Both domestic and foreign biofuels producers immediately saw benefits. Finnish company Neste Corporation expected the BTC to improve profits substantially, while US base Renewable Energy Group (REG) stock prices rose a full 5% just after the House and Senate reached the spending agreement. The US mandates refiners use increasing amounts of biodiesel, more expensive than standard petroleum diesel with the current low per-barrel prices. The tax credit, paid to companies that blend biodiesel with diesel, is designed to make renewable fuels usage more economically attractive. 12/21/2015

Mitsui and Avantium to Commercialize bio-based FDCA and PEF in Asia

The Netherlands company Avantium has signed an agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd, to commercialize 100% biobased chemicals FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid) and PEF (Polyethylene Furanoate) in Asia. Avantium's YXY technology platform uses 1st and 2nd generation carbohydrates as feedstock to produce a wide range of 100% biobased materials and products. As part of this agreement, Mitsui has been granted a right to purchase a sizable volume of FDCA from the first commercial FDCA plant to be constructed by Avantium. Currently Avantium is in the preparation stage of the construction of the first FDCA production plant and plans to share further details on the capacity, location, and time lines for the construction in Q1 2016. Avantium and Mitsui have entered into a development and roll out agreement for PEF thin films in Asia and PEF bottles in Japan. Given its barrier performance, Avantium research demonstrates PEF can bring significant benefits as packaging material for oxygen sensitive goods such as food, beer and health care products. The parties are also partnering to launch and grow the market for other FDCA-based applications such as co-polyesters. 12/21/2015 

Construction of Global Bioenergies' Demo Plant in Germany Ahead of Schedule

France based Global Bioenergies has announced the installation of the central unit at its demo plant in Leuna, Germany 40 days ahead of schedule. The core of the demo plant’s central unit is a stainless steel 5,000 liters fermenter, representing 10 times the volume of the pilot currently up and running in Pomacle, near Reims in France. The early installation puts Global Bioenergies 40 days ahead of its construction schedule. Connection of the downstream unit, which will purify isobutene up to 99.7%, is scheduled for Q2 2016, closely followed by start-up of the demo plant in the summer. Construction of the plant was announced in March of this year. 12/17/2015

MagneGas® Fuel to be Part of $100M Kennedy Space Center Project

Florida based MagneGas Corporation has announced that S&R Enterprises LLC, a lead sub-contractor for a major $100 + million Kennedy Space Center build-out project, has placed their first order for MagneGas2® fuel. The purpose of the 2-year project is to modify the vehicle assembly building for the space launch system. The fuel will be used for the metal cutting portion of the project which is anticipated to be significant. S&R was first introduced to MagneGas® about 3 weeks ago during a demonstration arranged by a MagneGas partner, Suwannee Ironworks. Suwannee is MagneGas's partner in a MagneGas subsidiary, ESSI of North Florida. Immediately after the demonstration, S&R chose to switch to MagneGas2® and requested pricing and training for its personnel. In addition, S&R also chose to purchase their other welding supplies from the Company. 12/17/2015

Reverdia and Omnia Collaborate to Distribute Biosuccinium in Africa, Australia

Reverdia and Protea Chemicals, a division of Omnia, have announced an exclusive strategic collaboration agreement to distribute Biosuccinium™ in Africa and Australia, as well as for potential investment in and off-take from future Biosuccinium™ plants.  The two companies will work closely together to develop the African and Australian markets for bio-succinic acid. Succinic acid is a chemical used directly in a variety of applications, such as pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive, and also as an intermediate for the production of several polymers and resins. Until now succinic acid could only be produced from crude oil and natural gas. Biosuccinium™ succinic acid however, is produced via fermentation of sustainable, bio-based feedstocks. Reverdia received approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2014 to label its biomass-based succinic acid as a Certified Biobased Product.12/17/2015 

US Federal Agencies Release Update on National Biogas Activities

The US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have jointly released the Biogas Opportunities Roadmap Progress Report, updating the federal government's progress to reduce methane emissions through biogas systems since the Biogas Opportunities Roadmap was completed by the three agencies in July 2014. This new report highlights actions taken, outlines challenges and opportunities, and identifies next steps to the growth of a robust biogas industry. The 2014 roadmap identified more than 2,000 sites across the United States that produce biogas, as well as the potential for an additional 11,000 biogas systems. Since July 2014, the DOE, EPA, and USDA have revised their programs and policies to further support the growth of the biogas industry, such as improving the application process for various biogas funding and financing programs, and including biogas as a cellulosic advanced fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. 12/16/2015

Chempolis Partners with Avantha to Extract Ethanol from Cellulosic Bio-Waste

Finland based Chempolis Limited has entered into a partnership with Avantha Group’s research wing Avantha Centre for Industrial Research & Development (ACIRD) in India to offer technology to extract ethanol from  various agricultural residues for blending with petrol. India is a leading agricultural country producing large amounts of bagasse, cane trash, and rice and wheat straw whose disposal is an environmental problem. The partnership will help to deliver biorefining technology to India to convert various agri-residues, such as bagasse, cane trash, rice and wheat straw, corn stems, grasses, and bamboo to clean sugars, which can then further converted to cellulosic ethanol and other biobased chemicals. 12/16/2015

ZooShare Offers New $2.2M Bond Round for Toronto Zoo Poo Digester

The Toronto Zoo's ZooShare program has announced that new bonds are being offered to help finance its proposed Zoo Poo and Food Waste Digester. When ZooShare sold out of bonds in March, demand kept growing, so a plan was developed to offer new bonds that will earn 5% each year for 5 years. These bonds have no construction risk: They will be held in an escrow account until after the biogas plant is built and will be used to repay the construction loan provided by its technology supplier. ZooShare had originally intended to borrow these funds from a commercial lender, however, due to overwhelming demand for ZooShare bonds, the decision was made to issue another $2.2M worth of bonds. Each year, the proposed digester will recycle 3,000 tonnes of animal manure from the Toronto Zoo and 14,000 tonnes of inedible food waste from local grocery stores into 4.1 million kilowatt-hours of renewable power for the Ontario grid. 12/16/2015  

RESYNTEX Project Is Launched to Convert Textile Waste to New Raw Materials

RESYNTEX is an €11 million research project created with the core objective to create a new circular economy concept for the textile and chemical industries. Through industrial symbiosis, the project aims to produce secondary raw materials from textile waste.  The EU-funded project will hold its first executive board meeting on December 18, 2015 in Bled, Slovenia. Each of ten work packages focuses on a specific goal such as the development of industrial applications for recovered feedstocks or the assessment of the economic and environmental performance of newly developed processes. After the successful launch in June, work package leaders will meet to evaluate the project’s progress. The project co-coordinator IOS (Institute for Environmental Protection and Sensors) is based in Slovenia and will host the meeting.  RESYNTEX is led by the SOEX GROUP, a German company active in high quality collection, sorting and processing of used textiles at global level. The project has 20 partners from across 10 different EU member states, which include industrial associations, businesses, SMEs and research institutes. 12/15/2015

Community-Owned Biodiesel Plant in Massachusetts to Open Early 2016

Massachusetts based Co-op Power's partner Northeast Biodiesel, LLC is constructing a biofuel manufacturing plant at the Greenfield Industrial Park. The plant will use waste cooking oil from restaurants, schools, and institutions in the area (instead of virgin oil), and will initially produce 1.75 million gallons annually. An expansion to 3.5 million gallons is planned within a year of launch. Northwest Biodiesel will be the first locally owned biofuel facility in the region. Co-op Power is investing $3.5 million to build the plant and says the 14 people who end up working there will also have shares in the cooperative. 12/15/2015

UK GIB and Foresight Back Northern Ireland On-Farm Energy Project

UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) and Foresight Group LLP (Foresight) have committed £1.7m to the construction of a £3.4m anaerobic digestion plant (AD) in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The investment is being made through the Foresight-managed Recycling and Waste LP (RAW) fund, in which GIB is a cornerstone investor. SQN Capital Management will also invest £1.7m in the 0.5 MW plant, which will be built and operated by Northern Irish engineering company Williams Industrial Services. Once operational, the plant is expected to generate around 3,600 MWh of renewable electricity, and save around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Silage, slurry, chicken litter, and beet will be used to generate a biogas that will produce renewable electricity when combusted in a gas engine. The digestate produced by the plant – around 18,500 tonnes annually – will be used as fertilizer on local fields. This is the third Northern Irish AD project that GIB and Foresight have funded, the others being located in County Tyrone and County Down. 12/15/2015

City of Austin Awards $10K for Spent Grain Brewnola Bars in [RE]Verse Pitch

The first-ever [RE]Verse Pitch Competition awarded a $10,000 innovation prize to Austin, Texas resident Brandon Ward for his idea of turning spent grain, a byproduct from the brewing process, into “Brewnola” granola bars. Ward is one of eight finalists who presented ideas on how to repurpose byproducts at the final competition Dec. 9 at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He presented alongside two team members, Matt Miller and Ceschino Brooks de Vita, who are his classmates at the UT McCombs School of Business. The winning pitch proposes to create a company that would pay employees $24 per hour, locally source ingredients for the granola bars, use compostable packaging, and donate a portion of proceeds to Austin-area homeless shelters. The [RE]Verse Pitch Competition is a one-of-a-kind social innovation program to turn valuable raw materials that are currently leaving local businesses, nonprofits and institutions as waste into the foundation of new social enterprises. 12/15/2015  

HeidelbergCement and Joule Partner to Mitigate CO2 in Cement Manufacturing

Massachusetts company Joule Unlimited, Inc and Germany based HeidelbergCement Group have announced a partnership designed to explore application of Joule’s technology to mitigate carbon emissions in cement manufacturing. This initial relationship fits well with Joule’s strategy of turning waste CO2 into liquid fuel. A successful partnership between Joule and HeidelbergCement could over time result in the co-location of Joule’s Helioculture Technology at one or more HeidelbergCement sites around the world. Joule's Helioculture process directly and continuously converts sunlight and waste CO2 into infrastructure-ready fuels, including ethanol and alkanes that serve as highly blendable feedstock for diesel and jet fuel products. The technology only requires abundantly available inputs, including sunlight, brackish or sea water and waste CO2. 12/11/2015

Shell India Markets to Build  IH2 Technology Demo Plant in Bangalore

Shell India Markets Pvt Ltd (SIMPL) will proceed with the installation of a 5 tonne/day IH2 technology demonstration plant on the site of its new Technology Centre in Bangalore, India. SIMPL will build, operate, and own the demonstration scale IH2 plant. IH2 technology is a continuous catalytic thermo-chemical process which converts a broad range of forestry/agricultural residues and municipal wastes directly into renewable hydrocarbon transportation fuels and/or blend stocks. The IH2 technology was developed by US-based Gas Technology Institute in 2009 and is being further developed in collaboration with CRI Catalyst Company (CRI), Shell’s Catalyst business. CRI will supply the proprietary catalysts for the unit. The Basic Engineering Package for the plant will be provided by Zeton, Inc of Ontario, Canada. 12/11/2015

Ensyn Receives Conditional Loan Guarantee to Build Georgia Biofuel Plant

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a conditional commitment for a $70 million loan guarantee to help build a cellulosic biorefinery in central Georgia. Ensyn Georgia Biorefinery I, LLC (Ensyn) will construct and operate a cellulosic biofuel refinery in Dooly County, Georgia. The company will produce 20 million gallons of renewable fuel per year employing its Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) technology. RTP uses a fast thermal process to convert non-food-based feedstocks into biobased fuels. Ensyn will convert 440 dry tons of woody biomass into a renewable fuel oil (RFO) product. There is an abundant supply of woody biomass near the plant due to excess forest materials in the region. Ensyn can also use a variety of other non-food cellulosic feedstocks. Ensyn received regulatory approval last month from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for RFGasoline, its drop-in renewable gasoline product. USDA is providing the loan guarantee conditional commitment through its Biorefinery Assistance Program.  12/11/2015

European Investment Bank Releases Circular Economy Financing Reports

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has released two reports addressing the institution’s current and projected plans for investment in support of the circular economy. The first short report, "The EIB and the Circular Economy", outlines a clear need for investments in separate collection infrastructure for materials and bio-waste, and related treatment facilities for such streams. While in the past the EIB has mainly focused on municipal waste management projects, there is now both a need and potential to expand the lending to projects targeting commercial and industrial waste streams, in particular for the recycling and recovery of such waste. The associated market risk is different than for municipal waste, but can be managed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and other risk mitigating instruments. The second and much more detailed report, "Assessment of access-to-finance conditions for projects supporting Circular Economy", was co-authored with the bank’s advisory body the InnovaFin. The EU bank, owned by the 28 EU Member States, provides finance and expertise for projects in Europe and beyond; projects further EU policy objectives. The bank is the largest multilateral lender and borrower in the world with headquarters in Luxembourg and a network of some 30 local offices. A key element of the investment plan addresses ways that advanced waste management can now close the loop in the circular economy. The report’s release coincides with opening of the banks’ collaborative conference, "Financing the Circular Economy",  held December 10, 2015 at their Luxembourg headquarters. 12/11/2015  

PTG Contracts to Reduce Golden Road Brewing's Energy Costs by >50%

Pasteurization Technology Group (PTG) Water & Energy has been selected by Golden Road Brewing to provide onsite power and hot water at its craft beer production facility in Los Angeles, California. By integrating PTG’s system into its production process, Golden Road will generate the bulk of its electric power needs onsite and will use the thermal energy that is co-generated from the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) process to produce the lion’s share of its hot water for free. Golden Road calculates that the PTG system will pay for itself in less than three years by reducing its facility’s energy costs by more than 50%, while efficiently producing thousands of gallons of hot water without consuming additional energy resources. 12/10/2015

Forester Releases New Report: From Waste to Energy to Zero Waste

Forester Media has released a special report entitled " From Waste-to-Energy to Zero Waste: Opportunities and Challenges in Solid Waste Management" from MSW Management that provides a practical roadmap through the controversy. The free special report digs into the myriad issues and opposing viewpoints in the zero waste debate, and deliver a vast array of opinions from waste management professionals around the world. Despite all of these challenges, there are many creative solutions to the thorny question of landfill versus waste-to-energy versus zero waste. The report goes on to take the question of zero waste one step further, how to implement such programs when most solid waste management professionals are traditionalists who entered the field during the last great upheaval and innovation in solid waste management during the 1970s and early ‘80s. 12/10/2015

Congresswoman Pingree Introduces Bill Designed to Reduce Food Waste

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has introduced a bill in the United States Congress aimed at reducing the amount of food that is wasted each year in the United States. The Food Recovery Act (HR 4184) includes nearly two dozen provisions to reduce food waste across the economy. Pingree's bill tackles wasted food in four areas--at the consumer level, in grocery stores and restaurants, in schools and other institutions, and on the farm. Congresswoman Pingree: "Wasted food costs us over $160 billion a year in this country. That works out to about $125 a month for a family of four. We can save money and feed more Americans if we reduce the amount of food that ends up getting sent to landfills." 12/10/2015  

SJVAPCD to Host Meeting on Alternative Fuel Infrastructure RFP

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) in California is hosting an informational meeting to address questions regarding the Request for Proposal (RFP) to accept proposed projects for alternative fuel infrastructure under its Public Benefit Grants Program. The meeting will be held Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 1:00 PM in the District’s Central Region Office VTC Room at the District Central Region Office, 1990 E. Gettysburg Ave., Fresno, CA 93726. The Alternative Fuel Infrastructure RFP is available on the District's website. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to the following program staff: Ms. Ashley Burrow, Phone: (559) 230-5869 - Email: <> or Mr. David Lopez, Phone: (559) 230-6144 - Email: <>. 12/09/2015 

First Global Green Bank Network Is Planned to Accelerate Shift to Clean Energy

A group of six green banks and two leading non-profit groups have announced they are establishing a Green Bank Network to help meet the urgent need of increasing and accelerating investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency worldwide. Green banks are public entities created to partner with the private sector to increase investment in clean energy and bring clean energy financing into the mainstream. They are a relatively new phenomenon that has been successful in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and several US states. The founding partners of this major clean energy initiative are the UK Green Investment Bank, the Connecticut Green Bank, NY Green Bank, the Green Fund (Japan), Malaysian Green Technology Corporation and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (Australia), and the network plans to expand rapidly. The banks have appointed the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Coalition for Green Capital (CGC), which are experienced in the development of green banks, to spearhead the creation of the network. ClimateWorks Foundation has agreed to provide seed funding. 12/08/2015

WELTEC BIOPOWER Erects Its Second Biogas Plant in South Korea

Germany based WELTEC BIOPOWER has announced that its second biogas plant in South Korea is under construction. In October 2015, construction work began for the 450-kW anaerobic digestion plant, and is scheduled to go live in the early summer of 2016. The plant site is located about 80 km north of the capital Seoul, in Gyeonggi-do province. South Korea with its population of 51 million is one of the world's 10 largest power consumers. However, the country does not have any significant fossil resources and is forced to import 97 percent of its conventional energy sources. Beginning in 2016, the operator will supply the stainless-steel digester with its capacity of almost 4,000 m³ with 100 tons of organic waste a day, of which 70% is pig manure. This feedstock will be converted into biogas and high-quality fertilizer by anaerobic digestion. The generated biogas will be used to operate a combined heat and power plant with an electrical output of 450 kilowatt. The power will be fed directly into the power grid, and the heat will be used to heat the company buildings and for internal processes. 12/08/2015

Outotec Contracts for Two More Waste Gasification to Energy Plants in UK

Finland based Outotec Oyj has been awarded two more contracts for the design and delivery of waste-to-energy plants to be built in the United Kingdom (UK). Outotec has also received 12-year operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts for these two plants. Within a year, Outotec has won already seven waste-to-energy or renewable energy plant orders in the UK. Outotec's scope of delivery for both plants covers the license for Outotec fluidized bed advanced staged gasification technology, engineering and delivery of the main process equipment for 10 MW (net) energy, as well as advisory services for installation, commissioning and start-up. Once fully operational in 2017, both plants will consume annually about 80,000 tonnes of processed waste wood and/or refuse-derived fuel. Outotec also provides comprehensive operation and maintenance services for both plants. After two years' preliminary work including the design process, Outotec's personnel will operate the plants for ten years. 12/08/2015

Solvay Subsidiary Receives RSB Certification for Epicerol®

Solvay subsidiary Advanced Biochemical Thailand Co, Ltd. (ABT) has received certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) for the production of Epicerol®, a bio-based building block for renewable chemicals and resins. The certificate covers the manufacture of bio-based epichlorohydrin (ECH), using Solvay’s innova-tive technology, from vegetable glycerol derived from biodiesel and oleochemical production. Epicerol® is a chemical intermediate for a wide range of industries, including epoxy resins for coatings and composites. ABT has been operating its manufacturing unit using Solvay’s proprietary technology in Thailand since February 2012. ABT is the first bio-based chemical operator in Asia to obtain RSB certification. RSB certified the first Smallholder Project in Southeast Asia in October 2015. 12/07/2015

Republic Opens Advanced Residential Recycling Center in Nevada

Arizona based Republic Services, Inc has opened the Southern Nevada Recycling Center serving Clark County, which is capable of processing two million pounds of recyclable material per day, or 70 tons per hour, and is expected to double recycling capacity in the area. The Southern Nevada Recycling Center features several advanced recycling technologies, including five optical sorters which use 2D and 3D technologies to make material separation decisions in milliseconds. The Center's recycling systems also provide operators with a highly automated, touch screen control system, as well as tablet-based capabilities that allow for real time systems management and monitoring, data acquisition and remote access. Republic also installed a Learning Center that features sustainability oriented educational displays and community videos, as well as a live video stream of recycling operations. The Southern Nevada Recycling Center is located next to an existing 88,000 square-foot recycling facility. Together, they comprise the largest known residential recycling operation in North America. 12/07/2015  

Boeing, Canadian Aviation Industry Launch Sustainable Biofuel Project

Boeing, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and SkyNRG, with support from Canada's aviation industry and other stakeholders, are collaborating to turn leftover branches, sawdust and other forest-industry waste into sustainable aviation biofuel. Canada, which has extensive sustainably certified forests, has long used mill and forest residues to make wood pellets that are used to generate electricity. A consortium that includes Boeing, Air Canada, WestJet, Bombardier, research institutions and industry partners will assess whether forest waste could also be harnessed to produce sustainable aviation biofuel using thermochemical processing. A 2015 Boeing-sponsored study by UBC found that aviation biofuel made from forest waste could meet 10 percent – about 46 million gallons, or 175 million liters – of British Columbia's annual jet fuel demand. These efforts could also supply biofuel to ground and marine vehicles, saving about 1 million tons of CO2 emissions per year on a life cycle basis across the transportation sector, the study found. 12/04/2015

CEFC Commits $100M to New Australian Bioenergy Fund

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is aiming to accelerate investment in Australia’s bioenergy sector through a $100 million cornerstone commitment to the new Australian Bioenergy Fund. The Australian Bioenergy Fund will support investment in a broad range of projects seeking to produce energy from agricultural, council, forestry and mining waste streams. It is aiming raise more than $200 million in equity and will be managed by the Foresight Group (Foresight). The Australian Bioenergy Fund will invest in a range of technologies including: energy from waste, anaerobic digestion, sustainably sourced biomass-to-energy projects, landfill gas capture, wood pelletization (where forestry plantation waste is converted into pellets that can be burned as fuel), and the production of biofuels. Foresight, which manages funds on behalf of the UK Green Investment Bank and the European Investment Bank, has invested more than $1 billion in bioenergy and energy from waste projects. 12/04/2015

SEaB Energy Receives EU Funding to Boost Expansion into New Markets

United Kingdom (UK) based SEaB Energy Limited has received European Union (EU) funding that will help it accelerate the adoption of its innovative, waste-to-energy technology across Europe and international markets. SEaB’s patented micro-power plants, housed in standardized shipping containers, turn food scraps, grass clippings, and animal waste into heat, electricity, and water directly on the site where the waste is produced. This generates an attractive revenue stream, eliminates the need to transport food waste to distant processing plants and significantly reduces the site’s carbon footprint. The grant has been awarded by LoToNo; a ground breaking regional project to help nurture innovative business that develop low-carbon solutions in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Funding for the project has come directly from the EU and will provide SEaB Energy, along with 24 other regional businesses creating novel solutions to sustainability challenges, with access to technological and design expertise and a network of research organizations, as well as a valuable injection of cash. 12/04/2015 

California Will Host Sessions on New US Food Safety Modernization Act

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will host informational sessions on the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rules for Produce Safety and Preventive Controls for Animal Food. The Produce Safety Rule will be presented on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 in Tulare and both the Preventive Controls for Animal Food Rule and the Produce Safety Rule will be presented on Thursday, January 14 in Seaside. The FSMA was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011. It aims to ensure that the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to contamination to preventing it. On September 17, 2015, FDA published the final rule for Preventive Controls for Animal Food, and on November 27, 2015 they published the final rule for Produce Safety. The final rule becomes effective on January 26, 2016. The purpose of the informational sessions is to provide industry with an overview of the final rules and respond to questions. Due to limited space, pre-registration is requested. The FSMA now establishes protocols and baseline requirements for all fertilizers and soils amendments, as well as for quality of water used for agricultural production. A key tenant of the FSMA is the requirement for full chain of custody tracking. 12/03/2015

ElectraTherm's Waste Heat Technology Will Use Biomass for CHP in UK

Nevada based ElectraTherm, Inc has announced shipment of the first Power+ Generator 6500 (up to 110kW electrical output) to a garden centre in the United Kingdom (UK). Scheduled for commissioning in early 2016, the facility will use biomass to generate clean electricity. The Power+ also acts as a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) unit with excess heat from the condensing side to be utilized for heating the garden centre, as well as drying the biomass fuel to a lower moisture content to increase the boiler’s efficiency. At the garden centre, ElectraTherm utilizes Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and proprietary technologies to generate power from low temperature heat at 119°C. The facility will use wood chips to fuel an Ariterm Bio Boiler. The boiler will heat water to run the Power+ Generator, and produce clean electricity that will be sold back to the National Grid at an incentivized rate. The remaining heat from ElectraTherm’s condenser will help dry wood chips as part of the biomass process. 12/02/2015

Green Biologics' Commercial Bio-Chemical Plant in US is Under Construction

United Kingdom (UK) company Green Biologics, Ltd (GBL) has announced the start of construction on its 100% renewable bio-based n-butanol and acetone commercial plant in Little Falls, Minnesota. The existing manufacturing site, formerly known as The Central MN Ethanol Cooperative (CMEC), was acquired by Green Biologics in December 2014 and re-named Central MN Renewables (CMR). Permitting was completed in late August and construction began on September 1, 2015. Commercial production is scheduled to commence in 2016. GBL’s Clostridium fermentation platform converts a wide range of sustainable feedstocks into high performance green chemicals such as n-butanol, acetone, and through chemical synthesis, derivatives of butanol and acetone  Earlier this year, the company raised $76 million in financing to repurpose the 21 million gallon per year ethanol plant. Commercial production is scheduled to begin next year, positioning the company to deliver the first modern commercial plant in the United States to produce these chemicals, which are vital to the production of paints and coatings, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and food ingredients. 12/02/2015

CHO Power Achieves FAR Status for Waste to Power Plant in Morcenx

The French company Europlasma has announced that its subsidiary CHO Power has reached Final Acceptance with Reserves (FAR) status for its advanced gasification waste to power facility in Morcenx. With completion and governmental approval of FAR tests completed at CHO Morcenx, all the fundamental parameters of the process are technically validated and the plant is provisionally delivered. The FAR status means that stable production of renewable electricity will now begin to generate revenues. System endurance testing was completed in June 2014. The next stage, from FAR to FA (Final Acceptance), will address economic and environmental optimizations of the process, as the last areas of improvement before lifting the reserves. CHO-Power's technology platform for thermal conversion of municipal and agricultural wastes and residuals couples mechanical pre-treatment with gasification, followed by use of plasma for polishing the raw synthetic gas or syngas. FAR serves as catalyst for development by also approving advancement of CHO Power's other projects, including CHO Tiper, CHO Locminé (Building Permit was granted November 26, 2015) and CHO Brocéliande. 12/01/2015

HomeBiogas Launches IndiGoGo Campaign to Fund Home Digester

Israeli company HomeBiogas has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $100,000 in partnership with Tross Creative House to advance production of its  HomeBiogas® biogas systems that turn organic waste to clean biogas for cooking, and to liquid natural fertilizer for the garden. Within the first 10 days, the campaign had already reached $134,923. The perk for a donation of at least $945 is a HomeBiogas unit with a retail price $1,500 and an estimated delivery date of May 2016. Shipping is extra. The system can digest up to 6 liters a day of any food waste, including meat and dairy. On average, 1 Kg (2.2 pounds) of food waste produces about 200 liters or 7 Cubic feet of gas, which generates around one hour of cooking over a high flame. Therefore, at 6 liters (1.58 gallons) of food scraps, one can generate 1-3 hours of cooking gas each day - the perfect amount for three meals. 12/01/2015

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