November 2015 News and Matters of Interest

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

Ensyn's Renewable Drop-In Gasoline Receives US EPA Regulatory Approval

Delaware company Ensyn Corporation (Ensyn) has announced that it has been granted key regulatory approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for RFGasoline, its drop-in renewable gasoline product. This approval, pursuant to Title 40 CFR Part 79 under the Clean Air Act, is required for the sale of RFGasoline into US commerce. The approval follows the recently announced Part 79 approval of Ensyn’s renewable diesel product, RFDiesel. RFGasoline is created by processing Ensyn’s renewable crude (RFO) with customary petroleum feedstocks in conventional petroleum refineries (RFO Coprocessing). Ensyn is developing and commercializing RFO Coprocessing in a strategic alliance with Honeywell UOP, a global leader in technology solutions for the refining industry. Ensyn’s RFO is produced by processing non-food solid biomass, including wood residues, with Ensyn’s RTP™ technology. 11/28/2015

Financing and Construction Contract in Place for UK Waste to Power Plant

United Kingdom (UK) company Spencer Group has announced that a financial package and contractor are in place to enable construction of the £200m Energy Works power plant in Hull to begin in January 2016, with the 25MW net power output facility due to be operational by January 2018. Energy Works will be the largest facility of its type in the UK and the first advanced gasification power plant supported by the Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) arrangements, which have been put in place to stimulate investment in green energy developments to achieve targets for carbon reduction. Energy Works will be built on an eight-acre riverside site in Cleveland Street, Hull, and will generate renewable electricity from domestic and commercial refuse-derived fuel, using an innovative energy recovery process called fluidized bed gasification. The plant’s feedstock would otherwise be sent to landfill or transported to more distant UK or European processing facilities for disposal. 11/28/2015

MyLahore Restaurants Go Zero Waste To Landfill with FCC Environment

United Kingdom restaurant chain MyLahore with facilities in Bradford, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, teamed up with FCC Environment earlier this year to improve its recycling rates. Under the new system, staff take responsibility for separating glass, food, mixed recycling (plastics, cardboard, some metal, paper) and general waste. Cooking oil is also harvested, cleaned, and recycled with assistance from FCC Environment. A range of measures and training procedures have been put in place to ensure continuity and sustainability while FCC Environment is on hand to collect, process, reuse and recycle waste. Now 24.96 tonnes is recycled while 6.24 tonnes of food waste is sent to generate electricity. The remainder goes through a process to remove any recyclable material with the leftover material again being used to produce electricity, with zero waste going to landfill. 11/28/2015  

Biofuel Enzymes Market Growing Spurred by Second-Generation Feedstock

BCC Research reports that recent shift in interest from starch-based ethanol to cellulosic ethanol has helped spur growth in the biofuel enzyme market. The report finds that researchers have produced low-cost cellulosic ethanol using techniques that have significantly reduced the cost of biofuel production, which has boosted market growth. Various types of feedstock are being considered for producing fossil fuel alternatives of which biofuel enzymes play a vital part. Biofuel, as one of the best alternatives to fossil fuel, is biodegradable, non-toxic, and produces few emissions. This report analyzes the future direction of the biofuel enzymes market, which includes amylase, cellulose, xylanase, lipase, and other enzymes such as protease, lysomax, and FermaSure. A key driver of the biofuels market is the increased production of cellulosic ethanol. This, along with second-generation feedstock, has made it easier to produce cellulosic ethanol and other varieties of enzymes. 11/25/2015

Due 02/05/2016: Grant Applications for CEC EPIC Challenge

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has released a solicitation for Grant Funding Opportunity GFO-15-312 to fund a competition that will challenge project teams to develop innovative and replicable approaches for accelerating the deployment of Advanced Energy Communities in Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) service territories. The project teams comprised of building developers, local governments, technology developers, researchers, utilities, and other project partners that develop the best approaches in Phase I will then be eligible to compete for additional funding to fully realize their vision of an Advanced Energy Community.There is up to $48,253,180 available for grants awarded under this solicitation.Match funding is not required for Phase I of this solicitation. However, applications that include match funding will receive additional points during the scoring phase. Match funding is required for Phase II.One optional Pre-Application Workshop for Phase I will be held on December 8, 2015 to discuss the solicitation with applicants. Applicants may attend the workshop in-person, via the internet (Meeting Number: 920 824 471, Meeting Password: meeting@130), or via conference call (1-866-469-3239). The deadline to submit applications for Phase 1 is February 5, 2016 by 3:00 p.m. local time. 11/25/2015

IBI Publishes Version 2.1 of Biochar Standards and Certification Program

The International Biochar Initiative (IBI) has just published Versions 2.1 of the IBI Biochar Standards and of the IBI Biochar Certification Program Manual. The IBI Biochar Standards—which provide a framework for determining what biochar is and what it is not, and for demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its use as a soil amendment—are the backbone of the IBI Biochar Certification Program, whose program requirements are laid out in the Program Manual. Biochar producers whose biochar materials meet the requirements of the IBI Biochar Standards as well as other requirements outlined in the Program Manual can apply for an IBI CertifiedTM biochar seal to place on their biochar product. Versions 2.1 of the IBI Biochar Standards and the IBI Biochar Certification Program Manual, as well as a note summarizing the changes to each document, are available on IBI’s website. 11/24/2015

Global Bioenergies Reaches Two Milestones In BioMA+ Project

French company Global Bioenergies has announced that it has reached two milestones on the labscale development and the industrial scale up of its isobutene process, one of them over two months in advance. The project targets the development of a value chain that converts renewable resources into isobutene and subsequently into methacrylic acid, an essential component of acrylic paints. The BioMA+ project is financed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) in the context of the French “Investissements d’Avenir” State program. In 2013, the Company announced that the French government had granted financing of €5.2 million to a consortium bringing together Arkema, the French center for scientific research (CNRS), and Global Bioenergies. The project involves developing and demonstrating at pilot scale a process for converting renewable resources (sugar, cereals, agricultural and forestry wastes) into isobutene, which is subsequently converted into methacrylic acid, an essential component of acrylic paints and for which there is a market of more than €500 million. At the beginning of 2015, Global Bioenergies announced having reached the project’s first milestone. 11/24/2015  

UK Defra Updates Proposed Refuse Derived Fuel Definition

The United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued an update to its proposed definition for refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The revised definition includes a specification on its minimum calorific content as agreed with the end-user. Defra issued a single-sentence definition earlier this year after announcing last December that it intended to intervene in the market in order to clamp down on crime. Defra has now produced a two-sentence version that reads: "RDF consists of residual waste that is subject to a contract with an end-user for use as a fuel in an energy-from-waste facility. The contract must include the end-user’s technical specifications relating as a minimum to the calorific value, the moisture content, the form and quantity of the RDF." It will be trialed with the industry for a six month period, with the goal of regulating the RDF sector so that any waste described as RDF is legitimate and has a definite end-user. This will also help address cases of waste described as RDF being abandoned or causing environmental problems such as leaching, after being stockpiled for long periods. 11/23/2015

Genomatica and Braskem Confirm Direct Production of Bio-Butadiene

Genomatica and Braskem announced that they have been successfully producing butadiene at lab scale since June 2015, using their direct, bio-based process. The companies are jointly developing a commercial process for the on-purpose production of butadiene made from renewable feedstocks such as conventional sugars and sugars from cellulosic biomass, as announced in December 2013. Butadiene is a raw material used in the production of rubber for tires, as well as for electrical appliances, footwear, plastics, asphalt, building materials, and latex. The demand for butadiene is over 20 billion pounds per year worldwide, and growing. By producing a renewable butadiene, the everyday products made with it, like tires, can become more sustainable, with a smaller environmental footprint. 11/23/2015

FCC Is Awarded Contract to Recycle Dallas Waste for 15 Years

Spanish company FCC has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Texas city of Dallas to build and operate a plant to manage all of the recyclable waste in the city for a period of 15 years, which may be extended by a further 10 years. The turnover volume for the plant is around 270 million euros (300 million dollars) over the course of its lifetime. Under the terms of the contract, FCC will have the exclusive right to the material from all recyclable waste containers in the city for the period awarded. FCC will build an automatic sorting plant using state-of-the-art technology. This will use the latest sorting and classification techniques, including artificial vision, as well as optical and gravimetric sorting machines. The new facilities will sort all of the waste collected in the single recycling container into different categories. The plant will recycle and give thousands of tonnes of paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, metals, etc., produced by the citizens of Dallas, back to the market, thereby returning it to the production cycle. 11/23/2015 

2nd CalRecycle Study Characterizes Solid Waste from Commercial Sector

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has released the second of two reports characterizing California’s waste stream based on 2014 data. This report, the 2014 Generator-Based Characterization of Commercial Sector Disposal and Diversion in California, summarizes discarded materials that are generated, disposed, and diverted by the commercial sector as a whole, as well as for 16 individual industry groups and multi-family generators. The report also includes an assessment of diversion from source separation recycling programs on a general statewide level. The first report is a Disposal-Facility-Based Study that presents comprehensive information on materials disposed in California’s landfills. Data includes waste quantity and composition estimates for the commercial, residential, and self-hauled waste streams. 11/21/2015

EcoPAS System Fabricated by Greenbelt Resources Exceeds Expectations

 EcoPAS utilized the manufacturing expertise of Greenbelt Resources Corporation to fabricate the first commercial scale PAS-100 (Passive Alcohol System) and its complementary manifold system. The two California companies began working together on the system in January of this year. The PAS-100 captures alcohol vapor escaping from wine tank vents during fermentation and was installed in a southern Californian wine services facility. EcoPAS has informed Greenbelt Resources that the PAS-100 system they fabricated has exceeded performance expectations for the 2015 crush. According to EcoPAS, both its own engineers and more importantly, the winemakers themselves, who are EcoPAS target customers and end users, are pleased with all aspects of the operation. Thanks to the PAS-100, the winery was able to claim credit for enough captured VOCs (volatile organic compounds) to stay below mandated daily emissions rates.11/21/2015

Due 01/07/2016: Pre-Proposals to USDA to Manage Sudden Oak Death Impact

The USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection program has issued its 2016 Phytophthora ramorum Request for Pre-Proposals (RFP). Proposals should focus on management activities that could help limit the impact of sudden oak death (SOD) in California and/or southwest Oregon, improve understanding of pathogen spread, and promote the exchange of relevant information. In general, proposals should be for grants of between $10,000 and $90,000 per year.Multi-year collaborative projects are encouraged. The submission deadline is 4:00 pm on Jan. 7, 2016. Those applying should make note of new requirements for 2016, listed under "Important notes" found in the Pre-Proposal guidelines.For questions, contact Phil Cannon at: < > or (707) 562-8913. 11/21/2015  

CalRecycle Schedules Workshops on Meeting California's 75% Recycling Goals

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is hosting two workshops, one in southern California and one in northern California, on how to meet the state's 75 percent recycling goal. These workshops will focus on the state investment and partnerships needed to achieve California’s 75 percent recycling goal while sustaining CalRecycle’s ability to manage the handling of solid waste in California. Staff will present and seek feedback on potential funding mechanisms to support the 75 percent recycling goal and provide sustainable funding as disposal fee revenue decreases. Click on event details below. the southern California workshop will be held in Diamond Bar on December 8, 2015 from 1:00- 5:00 pm. The northern California workshop will be held in Sacramento on December 15, 2015 from 1:00-5:00 pm. 11/20/2015

Renmatix Plans First Commercial Biomass to Sugars Biorefinery Next Year

Pennsylvania based Renmatix Inc has announced plans to develop its first commercial biorefinery next year that will convert cellulosic biomass into sugars for the manufacture of a variety of biomaterials. The Bioneer™ Refinery will be commissioned by one of the company’s undisclosed partners and will be in the Americas, Europe or Asia, according to Duncan Cross, vice president of corporate development. The biorefinery will produce between 100,000 tons to 300,000 tons of sugars annually. Renmatix’s technology uses high-pressure steam to break wood chips and other biomass into sugars that can be made into materials such as bioplastics and biofuels. Inedible crops are more difficult to refine than their edible counterparts such as corn and sugar cane because they have tougher fibers. The Plantrose platform is a two-step continuous process that deconstructs a range of plant material into renewable feedstocks to produce separate streams of xylose and glucose. After sugar extraction, remaining lignin solids can be burned to supply heat energy required for the process (or utilized in higher value applications like adhesives or thermoplastics). 11/20/2015

Due 01/07/2016: Applications to US EPA SBIR Phase I Solicitation

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced release of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation SOL-NC-16-00001 to develop and commercialize innovative environmental technologies. The solicitation is posted on FedConnect, and all applications must be submitted through this electronic system. The EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participates in the SBIR Program as a result of the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982. The EPA is calling for small businesses to apply for Phase I awards up to $100,000 to demonstrate proof of concept in the following topic areas: air and climate, integrated cookstove-heating-electricity generation for small homes (biomass, liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, solar, etc), manufacturing, toxic chemicals, water, building materials and homeland security. Please see the full solicitation for specific subtopics under each topic area.  Successful Phase I companies are eligible to apply for Phase II funding, up to $300,000 for two years, to further develop and commercialize their technologies. Any questions on this solicitation should be directed to Jeffery Clodfelter, Contract Specialist at <>. Applications are due by January 7, 2016 at 12:00 PM ES. 11/20/2015 

California IOUs Schedule Webinar on Upcoming BioMAT Program

California Senate Bill (SB) 1122 was signed into law on September 27, 2012 and adds an additional 250 MW of capacity for investor owned utilities (IOUs) to offer feed-in tariff power purchase agreements (PPAs) for eligible bioenergy projects. Bioenergy Fuel Resource Categories include biogas from wastewater treatment, municipal organic waste diversion, food processing, and codigestion; biogas from dairy and other agricultural bioenergy; and biogas or biomass using byproducts of sustainable forest management. To implement SB 1122, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently established the Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT). The IOUs, Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE), will be jointly hosting a webinar on the BioMAT program launch on November 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM PST. The IOUs will cover the following topics: eligibility requirements, how to apply, the pricing mechanism and PPA awarding process, basic contract obligations, interconnection processes and more. 11/18/2015

EcoPro Polymers Develops Bio-Based Formaldehyde-Free Wood Adhesive

Oregon startup EcoPro Polymers, Inc, supported by Oregon BEST and Oregon State University (OSU), is developing a bio-based wood adhesive that contains no urea-formaldehyde for use in particleboard manufacturing and other advanced wood products applications. Oregon BEST is investing $124,000 of early-stage funding to speed commercialization of the adhesive. The lab testing at OSU is helping EcoPro Polymers refine adhesive formulations that pencil out economically. The new adhesive solves the decades-old formaldehyde off-gassing issue from furniture, cabinets and other products made from particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF). More than 60 percent of MDF and particleboard is currently made with adhesives that contain urea-formaldehyde, known to hydrolyze and release formaldehyde into the atmosphere over time. 11/18/2015  

New PULP2VALUE Demo Project Seeks Better Uses for Sugarbeet Pulp

The seven PULP2VALUE partners have launched the new Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking demonstration project in Roosendaal, The Netherlands. The objective of the PULP2VALUE project is to isolate more valuable products from underutilized low value sugarbeet pulp. Led by agro-industrial cooperative Royal Cosun, this 4-year project aims to demonstrate an integrated and cost-effective cascading biorefinery system to refine sugarbeet pulp and isolate high value products for a great variety of end products including detergents, paints, coatings, and composites, but also for applications in the personal care, and oil and gas industry. The project focuses on the demonstration and optimization of a cascaded refinery system, valorizing all components of the sugarbeet pulp side stream as functional additives to be used as a variety of value added non-food as well as food applications. The project is one of the two European demonstration projects that are being funded by the European Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU). PULP2VALUE has a total budget of €11.5 million with €6.6 million coming from the BBI JU. 11/16/2015

FDA's Final Food Safety Rule Impacts Fertilizers, Biochar, and Compost

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its Final Rule on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA; Docket Folder FDA-2011-N-092), along with the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Rule's provisions. The Rule is now scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on November 27, 2015. The implementation program for the Rule provides standards for growing, harvesting, packaging, and holding produce for human consumption. This sweeping reform touches upon the practices of every food related sector of commerce. For resource recovery such as biochar and compost, 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. The FDA will be hosting two webinars, the first addressing product safety on November 17 and the second addressing the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) and Third Party Auditors on November 23, 2015. For questions, contact Catherine McDermott at: <>. 11/16/2015  

Joule and Red Rock Biofuels Merger Will Strengthen Renewable Fuel Platform

Massachusetts based Joule Unlimited, Inc and Colorado company Red Rock Biofuels LLC have announced their intent to merge. Joule develops technology platforms for the production of sustainable, drop in, low carbon transportation fuels, and pioneered a direct CO2-to-fuel production platform. Red Rock adds a proven technology pathway that converts woody biomass to jet, diesel, and naphtha fuels to Joule’s own Helioculture technology and strengthens Joule’s platform for global supply of carbon neutral fuels. The transaction is expected to close during the coming 30 days. Red Rock Biofuels leverages a commercially proven Fischer-Tropsch technology to convert sustainably harvested biomass residues from forests and sawmills into jet fuel and diesel products. The company is poised to begin construction of its first refinery located in Lakeview, Oregon in early 2016. As part of this merger and expansion of the commercial pathways, Joule has also restructured its business operations to streamline resources and focus on its two commercial pathways. 11/13/2015

BDI Starts New BioLife Science Business, Receives Major Biodiesel Contract

Austria based BDI – BioEnergy International AG (BDI) has formed a new strategic BioLife Science business segment, and started construction of an industrial plant for the production of high valuable products from algae. BDI developed a new process for the production of high valuable products from algae in its in-house research and development department. The newly founded 100 percent subsidiary “BDI – BioLife Science GmbH”, now invests in the construction of its own production plant at the location in Hartberg/Steiermark. BDI was also commissioned with the construction of a BioDiesel plant for the treatment of commercial and industrial waste fats in the United Kingdom (UK) that is worth about EUR 30 million. 11/13/2015

EPA and Partners Launch Challenge to Recycle Nutrients from Livestock Waste

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is partnering with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), pork and dairy producers, and environmental and scientific experts to launch the Nutrient Recycling Challenge, a competition to develop affordable technologies that recycle nutrients from livestock waste. During the four-phase competition, innovators will turn their concepts into designs and eventually into working technologies that livestock farms will use in pilot projects. Challenge participants will develop technologies that extract nutrients from livestock manure to generate products with environmental and economic benefits that farmers can use or sell. Phase I, which begins November 16, 2015 and ends January 15, 2016, calls for papers outlining ideas for these technologies. Phase I prizes will be announced in March 2016 and include up to $20,000 cash to be split between up to four semi-finalists; an invitation to a two-day partnering and investor summit in Washington, DC; and entry into subsequent phases of the challenge with larger awards. Final awards will be announced January 2017, with farm demonstration pilots to follow. 11/13/2015

Due 12/15/2015: Renewable Power Proposals to City of McPherson, Kansas

The City of McPherson, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking up to 20MW of renewable energy to expand the BPU's portfolio. Any type of renewable generation will be considered, and generated energy will be delivered to a busbar in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) footprint. The renewable resource should be physically located within the SPP footprint, with connection to a transmission facility owned by one of SPP's members. Interested bidders should identify which ownership type of project is being proposed and firm prices are preferred. PPA proposals are anticipated to be 20 years and 5-year term is the minimum. BPU requests that renewable proposals be delivered by mail, fax or email (email preferred), on or before December 15, 2015 by 5:00 pm CST. Contact: Mark Wurm, 620-245-2533 or Tim Maier, 620-245-2532 for more information. 11/13/2015  

Goldman Sachs Sets Clean Energy Funding Target of $150 Billion by 2025

Goldman Sachs established a target in 2012 to finance and invest $40 billion in capital for clean energy globally over the following decade. The company is close to achieving the target set in 2012 with $37 billion already mobilized, and has now committed to expand this target to $150 billion in capital deployment for the clean energy sector by 2025. Goldman Sachs has now created a Clean Energy and Renewables team within its Investment Banking Division for this purpose. Investment targets include water and wastewater public-private partnerships, infrastructure and technologies; issuance of Green Bonds and Impact Investments; Climate and Weather Risk Solutions; and 'Market Making' to facilitate carbon and climate related commodity market development. The expanded investment targets are detailed in Goldman Sachs' updated Environmental Policy Framework. 11/12/2015

Due 12/08/2015: Small Business Innovative Research Phase 1 Proposals to NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has opened his year’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program solicitation. The SBIR is intended to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The SBIR is opened concurrent with but independent of the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program; together, they ‘seek to transform scientific discovery into societal and economic benefit by catalyzing private sector commercialization of technological innovations.’ The programs provide grants in phases: a proof-of-concept / feasibility Phase 1 grant (6-12 months, $225k) can potentially be followed by a longer Phase 2 development grant (2 years, $750k). The next deadlines are December 8th (SBIR) and 11th (STTR), 2015. You can start the application online. 11/12/2015  

Minnesota Invests $26 Million in Sweetwater’s Biochemical Facility

New York based Sweetwater Energy, Inc has announced receiving a commitment for $26 million in long-term loans from the State of Minnesota to construct a biochemical production facility near Mountain Iron in the northeastern portion of the state. The $53 million facility will use local timber to produce high-value industrial alcohol and activated carbon. The facility will use Sweetwater’s patented biomass processing technology, which splits Minnesota’s local timber and waste wood into valuable sugar and lignin. The sugar is used to create industrial alcohol—a key ingredient of many products, such as cosmetics and detergents—while the lignin is processed into activated carbon, used to purify municipal drinking water and power plant air emissions. 11/10/2015

Dyadic Sells Industrial Tech Business to DuPont, Retains Tech License

Dyadic International, Inc has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell substantially all the assets of its Industrial Technology business to DuPont Industrial Biosciences for $75 million in cash. Following completion of the transaction, Dyadic intends to focus exclusively on its biopharmaceutical business. Dyadic will sell to DuPont substantially all of its enzyme and technology assets, including its C1 platform, a technology for producing enzyme products used in a broad range of industries.  DuPont has granted back to Dyadic co-exclusive rights to the C1 technology for use in human and animal pharmaceutical applications with exclusive ability to enter into sub-license agreements in that field.  DuPont will retain certain rights to utilize the C1 technology for development and production of pharmaceutical products, for which it will make royalty payments to Dyadic upon commercialization. 11/10/2015

Praj and Gevo Sign Licensing and Joint Development Agreements

Colorado company Gevo, Inc and Praj Industries Limited have announced entering into a license agreement and a joint development agreement to enable the licensing of Gevo’s isobutanol technology to processors of non-corn based sugars, including the majority of Praj’s global customer base of ethanol plant owners. As part of these agreements, Praj will invest substantial resources in the development and optimization of Gevo’s isobutanol technology for use with non-corn feedstocks including sugar cane, sugar beets, cassava, rice, sorghum, wheat, and certain cellulosic sugars. This development work is anticipated to lead to process design packages (PDP) that would be expected to accelerate the licensing of Gevo technology to processors of these, particularly in Praj’s extensive customer base.  The development work is expected to build upon the PDP that Gevo already has developed for corn, translating it to other feedstocks and plant configurations. Gevo and Praj expect to license up to 250 million gallons of Biobutanol capacity over the next ten years under this partnership. 11/10/2015

Turboden Supplies ORC Turbogenerator for Sheffield Biomass Power Plant

London company Kantor Energy Ltd, the EPC principal contractor of the largest ORC biomass power plant in Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK), has selected Italy based Turboden Srl to supply the clean electricity generation equipment for the project. The project will be built on a brownfield site in Holbrook Industrial Estate, and Turboden’s Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbogenerator with air condensers will utilize approximately 55,000 tonnes of waste timber wood from demolition sites as carbon neutral fuel, and will generate more than 6.5 MW of electricity. The Turboden ORC system is expected to cut greenhouse emissions by approximately 12,700 tonnes of CO2e per year, the equivalent of taking 5,700 cars off the road for the life of the project. The Sheffield facility will also supply renewable heat to the local district heating network, which will warm over 6,700 houses and commercial properties in the area. Once in operation, the plant will sell electricity to GDF Suez UK under a long-term power off take agreement. Veolia Energy Services Ltd has been awarded the long-term operation and maintenance contract on behalf of Equitix. 11/10/2015

ENER-G Leads 1st Independent Landfill Gas Project in South Africa

A consortium led by ENER-G Systems is investing £11 million (circa 230 million rand) in five landfill gas generation plants in Johannesburg, South Africa, the largest landfill gas-to-power project to be developed in the country. ENER-G is the majority shareholder in the project, alongside state-owned Central Energy Fund (SOE) Ltd, and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) company Secure Rock Enterprises. The ENER-G Community Educational Trust will ensure that local communities have a 2.5% economic interest in the five facilities. The landfill sites are owned by the City Council of Johannesburg, which has been a key partner throughout the project's seven-year development process. It will share in the revenue generated from a 20-year power sale agreement with Eskom, which will sell the power into the distribution network. The five facilities will produce a total of 13MW of renewable energy, sufficient to power approximately 24,000 homes. 11/10/2015

Northern Ireland’s Largest Energy From Waste Plant Secures Funding

UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) has committed £47m of equity to a new £107m Energy from Waste (EfW) plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The facility will be located adjacent to Bombardier’s wing facility in the city’s Harbour Estate. GIB has made its investment in the 14.85 MW plant as part of a joint venture – Full Circle Generation – with developer RiverRidge Energy Limited, Equitix and P3P Partners. The plant, which will be fuelled by feedstock derived from household and commercial waste, is the largest EfW project to be financed in Northern Ireland. It will generate approximately 61 GWh of renewable electricity annually – enough to power more than 14,500 homes. The design-build-operate contract has been awarded to Bouygues Energies and Services, which expects the plant to be fully operational by late 2017. A long-term feedstock contract has been agreed with waste management company Pioneer Fuels and a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) has been signed with Bombardier. 11/09/2015

CEC Schedules EPIC Innovation Symposium to Showcase Energy Projects

The California Energy Commission (CEC), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), and Southern California Edison Company (SCE) will host the first Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Innovation Symposium on December 3, 2015. EPIC is an energy innovation funding program that seeks to drive efficient, coordinated investment in new and emerging energy solutions. The Symposium will showcase a variety of EPIC projects, including energy efficiency, generation and integration, systems architecture, and data analytics. The Symposium will contribute to ongoing coordination and understanding among administrators, parties, and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC); raise awareness and visibility of EPIC investments; and promote EPIC program transparency. The EPIC Administrators will consider ideas generated by the discussion to inform development of future funding opportunities. An Agenda, a Program Summary and an Attendance and Breakout Session Survey are available on-line. To learn more, visit the program announcement, email Pamela Doughman at <> or call (916) 445-5320. 11/09/2015

Roeslein's $120M Manure to Energy Project in Missouri Stays on Schedule

Missouri based Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC announced during an event at Ruckman Farm, one of the nine Smithfield Foods Missouri hog production facilities involved in the largest livestock manure-to-energy project of its kind, that the plant will be operational by mid-2016. The turnkey facility will create and inject large quantities of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) into the national grid system, created from one of the largest concentrations of finishing hogs in the Midwest. Construction on the $120 Million project began in 2014 and continues on schedule. Phase One, which is nearly 50 percent complete, involves installation of impermeable covers and flare systems on the 88 existing manure lagoons at Smithfield Foods hog finishing farms in Northern Missouri. The covers reduce greenhouse gases by preventing methane from escaping to the atmosphere, keep rainfall from entering the lagoons and reduce odor. Phase Two involves fabricating and installing technology to purify the biogas captured by the impermeable covers and developing an inter-connection to a natural gas pipeline operated by ANR, which transverses Ruckman Farm. Roeslein intends to supplement the hog manure feedstock with biomass harvested from restored prairie grasslands to produce additional RNG. RNG is projected to enter the pipeline in the Summer of 2016. 11/09/2015

CalRecycle Releases First 2014 Solid Waste Characterization Study

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has released its  2014 Disposal-Facility-Based Characterization of Solid Waste in California. The last study that was published addressed materials disposed at solid waste facilities throughout the state in 2008. This new study presents comprehensive information on materials disposed in California’s landfills in 2014.  Data includes waste quantity and composition estimates for the commercial, residential, and self-hauled waste streams. This is the first of two reports characterizing California’s waste stream. The second report, to be published later this month, includes detailed information on both disposal and diversion from the commercial sector and specific industry groups. 11/06/2015

Oregon CED Receives New Funds to Study Forest Biomass Management

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council's (COIC) Community and Economic Development Department (CED) has been working to improve biomass and small diameter wood markets and business opportunities since beginning forest restoration programs in 2001. The CED is now expanding its biomass activities thanks to new funding sources: a contract with the State of Oregon to provide community outreach, assistance for local biomass utilization processes for the Statewide Wood Energy Team (SWET), and a USFS Wood Innovation Funding Opportunity award. The latter will support overall biomass business cluster development activities, including the completion of a biomass supply assessment, further exploration of emerging markets, supply coordination and support activities, project and business development, and a regional biomass strategic plan. Funding will provide COIC with $127,000 over a three-year period and leverage a further $64,000 in partner services. The CED requested and was approved for match funding at the organization's November 5, 2015 Board Meeting (Attachment H, PDF page 51). For further information, contact Scott Aycock, COIC Community Development Manager, at <> or (541) 548-8163. 11/06/2015

California GO-Biz Publishes Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook

The California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has announced release of the first edition of a guidebook to help smooth the process of hydrogen station development. The Hydrogen Permitting Guidebook provides insights and lessons captured from the past two years of hydrogen station development in California, providing a detailed discussion of the permitting process and suggested best practices for local and regional governments and station developers seeking to open (or in the process of opening) a hydrogen fueling station. The Guidebook notes that, "Hydrogen is a carbon-free, non-toxic fuel that is domestically produced from local resources.9 Most hydrogen is made from natural gas, but increasingly it is made from water, biogas and biomass." Increasing both the coverage (number of stations) and capacity (amount of fuel available per station) will act as a market draw for production for increased waste and residuals conversion. Hydrogen is converted to motive power by in-vehicle  fuel cells. The program is one element of Governor Brown's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Action Plan, issued in 2013. 11/06/2015

US EPA Releases 2016 Cellulosic Waiver Credit Price for Biofuel

Conversion of cellulosic biomass to transport fuel receives price support specified by the Clean Air Act (CAA). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the 2016 Cellulosic Waiver Credit price for biofuel will be $1.33. The CAA requires that for any year that the EPA sets the projected volume of cellulosic biofuel below the volume in the Act, the agency must also provide obligated parties the opportunity to purchase cellulosic waiver credits (CWC). The act provides a very specific formula for calculating the CWC price. The EPA published a rulemaking in April 2015, stating the agency's intention to establish future CWC prices by posting a notice on the EPA website. This notification sets the CWC price for 2016 at $1.33. 11/05/2015

Ener-Core Launches Public Offering of Common Stock

California based Ener-Core, Inc has announced the launch of an underwritten public offering of 2,250,000 units, subject to market and other conditions, pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Each unit consists of a share of common stock and a warrant to purchase 0.25 of a share of common stock. In connection with the offering, the underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase additional securities equal to up to 15% of the aggregate number of units to be sold in the offering. The estimated price range for the public offering is $4.50 to $5.50 per unit. Ener-Core has applied to list its units, warrants and common stock on the NYSE MKT under the symbols ENCRU, ENCR WS and ENCR, respectively. Ener-Core designs, develops, manufactures and has commercially deployed unique systems that generate base-load, clean power from polluting waste gases including methane. the company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, if completed, for working capital and other general corporate purposes. 11/05/2015

Neste and Boeing Partner to Commercialize Renewable Aviation Fuels

Neste Corporation and Boeing will work together to promote and accelerate the commercialization of renewable aviation fuel with the goal of gaining widespread market acceptance for renewable aviation fuels, and progressing sustainability accreditation efforts. The companies will work toward American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) fuel standard approval allowing the commercial use of high freezing point renewable aviation fuel by airlines. In 2014, Boeing successfully tested Neste's renewable aviation fuel in a 15% blend with petroleum jet fuel in the Boeing ecoDemonstrator 787, a test airplane that assesses technologies that can reduce aviation's environmental footprint. The 787 made an initial flight with this biofuel blend in one engine, followed by several flights with the biofuel blend in both engines. Based on its test flights, Boeing reported that "the airplane performed as designed with the renewable jet blend, just as it does with conventional jet fuel." 11/04/2015 

CRS Publishes Guides to Renewable Energy in EPA Clean Power Plan

Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) recently released two reports on renewable energy in the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan, which directs states to implement greenhouse gas emissions limits for existing electricity generators. Renewable energy can be generated by biomass, wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal. Renewable Energy in the EPA Clean Power Plan. Part 1: Introduction to Emission Rate Credits gives an overview and explanation of Emission Rate Credits (ERCs), which can be used by regulated generators to lower their reported emissions rates. ERCs can be generated by renewable energy facilities, energy efficiency, and other measures. These credits can be traded between states that meet certain requirements. Renewable Energy in the EPA Clean Power Plan. Part 2: Interactions With and Impacts on RECs and Renewable Energy Markets explains the interplay of ERCs and emissions allowances with renewable energy certificates, existing state renewable portfolio standards, and the voluntary renewable energy market. The report also gives guidance to states that want to protect the integrity of their existing clean energy markets. CRS will also be hosting a free webinar on November 19, 2015, "Clean Power Plan: Interactions and Implications for Renewable Energy Markets." 11/03/2015

AGH's Pellet Stove Assessment Finds Advantages and Exaggerations

An independent assessment of popular pellet stoves conducted by the Alliance for Green Heat (AGH) found that pellet stoves, unlike most wood stoves, can achieve low levels of emissions in real world settings that are in line with laboratory results. The AGH ran a battery of tests on popular pellet stoves designed to approximate how they would perform in the real world. The group found that half of the stoves operated as clean at the end of the thirty-day test than they did at the beginning and the others were only slightly dirtier. All six stoves operated well, and produced enough heat for a small to medium- sized home in most of the United States. One of the biggest differences was that the three more expensive stoves tested (above $4,000) needed very little weekly cleaning and maintenance. The less expensive stoves ($1,200 to $3,300) needed daily or at least bi-weekly cleaning of their burn pots and glass. The study also found a lack of accepted reporting standards, leading to exaggerated claims about efficiency, BTU output and pellet hopper size on manufacturer websites and promotional literature. The study is part of a year long Pellet Stove Design Challenge that assesses the state of existing pellet stove technologies. 11/03/2015

Industry Groups Comment on EPA's Reconsideration of Boiler MACT Rule

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) has completed reconsideration of the Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule. The Boiler MACT rule, part of a package of combustion measures, sets air toxics limits for major source boilers emitting 10 tons per year (tpy) of one hazardous air pollutant (HAP) or 25 ton per year (tpy) of a combination of HAPs. The EPA proposed reconsideration of the rulemaking and opened the docket for public comment on December 1, 2014. American Wood Council (AWC) President and CEO Robert Glowinski comments: "With just three short months before the compliance deadline, AWC is pleased that this critical piece of the rulemaking is completed. Our member companies need to know these important implementation provisions to complete their compliance planning for a regulation that will nonetheless result in millions of dollars of capital expenditures. The addition of dry biomass as a qualifying 'clean fuel' for boiler start up is helpful. Wood product manufacturers produce almost 80 percent of their own energy through the use of carbon neutral biomass residuals, and this reconsideration will allow mills to avoid costly retrofits required to burn alternative fuels." The American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) issued this statement: "With the compliance deadline of January 2016 looming, we're pleased that the final Boiler MACT reconsideration rule has been completed and addresses many of the issues we asked EPA to reconsider, particularly around how to safely and quickly start-up and shutdown our boilers while preventing damage to control equipment." The final rulemaking changes impact clean air standards for industrial boilers and certain incinerators, affecting the air toxic standards that limit air pollutant emissions from large (major) industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters and small (area) industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers; and commercial and industrial solid waste incineration (CISWI) units. The EPA still had not publicly released the reconsidered rule, as litigation continues in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where oral arguments are set for December 3, 2015.11/05/2015 Update: The EPA has now issued final revisions to the rule affecting the air toxic standards that limit air pollutant emissions from large (major) industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters. 11/03/2015  

GE Completes Acquisition of Alstom Power and Grid Businesses

GE has announced that it has completed the €9.7B (approximately $10.6B) acquisition of French company Alstom's power and grid businesses, following regulatory approval of the deal in over 20 countries and regions. The acquisition strengthens GE's portfolio of circulating fluidized bed (CFB), heat recovery and steam generation (HRSG), and turbine systems. The complement is crucial to large scale power plants fueled by biomass, coal, natural gas, and nuclear operations, as seen from their combined current global project line-up. GE had announced their intent to acquire Alstom last year, shortly after Alstom was awarded a second biomass team turbine contract in the United Kingdom. GE also announced that it has completed the sale of its rail signaling business to Alstom for approximately $800 million. 11/02/2015

Vertimass Completes Technology Validation With US Energy Department

California based Vertimass LLC has announced completion of catalyst technology validation verifying the benchmark performance, initial process design, and preliminary cost information, and qualifying for a new award of $2 million by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO). Vertimass holds an exclusive license for the technology developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where scientists invented novel catalysts that convert a wide range of biomass-derived alcohols including ethanol and butanol into hydrocarbon blend stocks that can be used in existing gasoline, diesel, and jet engines without modifications. Additionally, this process can produce renewable chemicals including benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX).  This achievement allows Vertimass to move fully forward with building the foundation from which to begin scale up within two years of its transformational technology for converting ethanol into hydrocarbons for blending with gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. Bill Shopoff, Vertimass chairman: "We are very pleased to receive third-party validation of this technology as part of the DOE award so we can now rapidly move to commercialization." 11/02/2015

Due 01/13/2016: Proposals to USFS for Wood Innovations Funding

The US Forest Service (USFS) is requesting proposals to substantially expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the United States to support forest management needs on National Forest System and other forest lands. The grants and cooperative agreements awarded under this announcement will support the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79), Rural Revitalization Technologies (7 U.S.C. 6601), and the nationwide challenge of disposing of hazardous fuels and other wood residues from the National Forest System and other forest lands in a manner that supports wood energy and wood products markets. The USFS will hold an informational Pre- Application Webinar on November 10, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to present this funding opportunity and answer questions. The application deadline is Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 11/02/2015

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