Burning Bio News

Officials break ground on Jackson County, 550,000 ton fuel pellet plant.  This project has been mentioned before, but it still mystifies me.  The fuel pellet industry reports that in the 2005-2006 heating season, there was about 1.1 million tons of fuel pellets produced.  Now this project is being built in FL (to be completed in 2007) and they are doubling the annual North American fuel pellet supply.

The legal battle over the fate of a proposed ethanol plant in southern Webster County, MO, is set for trial on March 6, 2007. Opponents of the ethanol plant worry it will negatively impact groundwater in the area.

Bioresin/bioplastics company, Cereplast Inc., Hawthorne, CA, is in the middle of an expansion. Current total plant capacity is 55 million lb/yr, but expansion could take hourly production capacity per machine from 3000 lb/hr to around 10,000 to 15,000 lb/hr.

ALICO to receive $33 million for construction of a cellulosic ethanol plant in FL. The plant will produce 13.9 million gallons of ethanol a year and 6,255 kW of electric power, as well as 8.8 tons of hydrogen and 50 tons of ammonia per day. (This link is to an article about all six DOE-Funded projects.  I couldn’t locate an ALICO-specific article). 

San Bernardino County supervisors OK opening of sludge facility. A proposed open-air sludge-composting facility near the Mojave Desert community of Hinkley will be allowed to open, San Bernardino County supervisors decided Tuesday.

Shelley, ID plant among recipients of DOE biorefinery project investments. The Shelley plant will produce 18 million gallons of ethanol annually using the Iogen technology, and will use 700 tons per day of agricultural residues including wheat straw, barley straw, corn stover, switchgrass, and rice straw as feedstocks.

Department of Energy gives $40 Million to BlueFire Ethanol for southern CA landfill to build 19-million gallon cellulosic ethanol plant. Other products that will be sold include lignin, gypsum, and yeast. Start-up is expected on or before the end of 2009.

US DOE has awarded Abengoa Bioenergy a financial assistance grant up to $76 million to build a commercial facility in Colwich, KS to produce ethanol from cellulosic biomass. When completed, the facility will produce 15 Mgal from lignocellulosic biomass and 85 Mgal from starch. The energy for the process will be obtained via biomass gasification.

U.S. Department of Energy Awards Range Fuels up to $76 million grant funds to be used to build first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in U.S. Soperton, GA.  The plant will produce about 40 million gallons of ethanol per year and 9 million gallons per year of methanol.

Topeka-based Westar Energy Inc. has requested bids for renewable energy projects, that could produce up to 500 megawatts of electricity from renewable resources such as wind, solar energy and biomass. Proposals are due April 2.

Broin gets grant to make ethanol in Emmitsburg, IA. The Broin plant was one of six companies to be awarded federal DOE grants for development of cellulosic ethanol. The plant is expected to initially produce 50 million gallons of ethanol and expand to 125 million gallons.

National Wildlife Federation proposes perennial biomass energy crop program for the Energy Title of the Farm Bill. The Biofuels Innovation Program would provide financial and technical assistance to landowners to produce native perennial energy crops and crop mixes in a manner that protects the nation’s soil, air, water and wildlife.

Prime BioSolution’s closed-loop, cattle-methane-powered ethanol plant receives conditional use permit for a new facility in Dakota City, NE.

Arizona State Unversity is developing algal-biodiesel technology.

Chesapeake Renewable Energy is planning a 50-million gallon corn-ethanol plant powered by 200,000 tons of wood chips in Somerset County, MD.

ProEco Energy announce plans for 100-million gallon corn-ethanol and cellulosic research plant in Belle Fourche, SD.

Roplast, Oroville, CA develops a biodegradable grocery bag, B-4. Which is a durable bag for reuse and completely compostable in the end.

Forest biomass: Looming ruin to Oregon’s biodiversity. Ok, this isn’t news, but it is a an example of a new kind of biodiversity — that is a ‘diversity’ of opinions on the costs and benefits of biomass.

Central Missouri Energy, LLC, announces a 10-million gallon biodiesel plant to be constructed in Fulton, MO.

Global Green Solutions Inc. Completes Acquisition Agreement With Greensteam Development, Signs MOU With Aera Energy LLC. Waste biomass will be converted to steam using a low-polluting cyclonic solid fuel burner. The burner is incredibly efficient and releases minimal carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, and virtually no sulfur, into the atmosphere.