Drax ends biomass plans at Selby due to poor support by government

Drax PLC has announced that they will not now be building a new dedicated biomass power plant at Selby because of the 'disappointing' support of the British government, but they will consider more co-firing of biomass with coal. Co-firing is a cost effective solution to decarbonising the electricity sector but dedicated biomass plants can offer even greater opportunities for reducing carbon emissions and there had been hopes that the company would build three new dedicated plants with German engineering giants Siemens.

However, the company has now abandoned plans to build the first of these plants near Selby because of the lack of financial support from Government and high cost to transport biomass inland from the continent, where most of the biomass would have originated. Read more ...

The GRAPAS Award made this week in Bangkok, Thailand

The GRAPAS Award made this week in Bangkok, Thailand at the Victam Asia Exhibition acknowledged the contributions in innovation made by four companies submitting products for consideration; two were ‘highly commended’ and two ‘commended’.

Dutch equipment manufacturer, Van Aarsen received a ‘highly commented’ award for its ‘Automatic Screen Exchange for GD Hammer Mills.

Van Aarsen receiving their award

 “Automatic screen exchange on a hammer mill is a distinct advance on normal operating practice and which will improve overall feed milling plant operating efficiency and safety. Screen changing is typically a laborious procedure which this innovation will address. The animal feed industry can achieve improvements in its utilisation of plant by applying this device,” the judges stated in their summing up.

Alco coming ‘highly commented’ was the Batch Call Optimiser from Norvidan Overseas A/S of Denmark.

“Plant control systems which optimise the utilisation of the plant are of ever increasing significance. Norvidan are offering an impressive facility to ensure the optimum use of  parallel lines of a process to ensure maximum output and thus best economic return,” the judges said.

Commended
The two companies receiving a commendation for their submissions were the Morillon company of France for its All-in-one Hydrascrew and the Queue-plus Software for Feed Plants by the Thai company Agentis Innovation. The hydraulic drive for the HydraScrew discharge screw is advantageous due to its good torque characteristics – “a commendable innovation with fairly wide opportunities for application as flat-bottomed storage grows in importance.,” said the judges.

“Queue-plus, as described, is an innovative software development which will provide material benefits for the feed miller and his customers of bagged products. A reduction in traffic congestion and turnaround time resulting from the improvements in scheduling is a major objective for a plant operator, concluded the judges.

Denmark looks at plant based manure for renewable energy

The use of non organic manure being used on organic farms will soon be a thing of the past, In the near future this will be replaced by green manure – in other words, a plant-based manure. In a new project at Aarhus University scientists will therefore look at how to get the maximum benefit of nitrogen in green manure while optimising the quality of the fertiliser.

"The objective is to optimise the yield of the nitrogen in plant-based fertiliser that is stable and readily available when needed," says senior scientist Jørn Nygaard Sørensen, who is behind the project. Read more ...

Farmgen rolls out expansion plan across the UK

An energy farming company is in talks with farmers across the UK as its UK£30 million (US$47.5 million) nationwide expansion program picks up progress. Farmgen has already put plans in place to develop more anaerobic digestion plants in Cumbria on stream later this year. In December Farmgen hosted a consultation day at Moss House Farm in St Michael’s on Wyre, to discuss plans with local residents to create a UK£4million (US$6.33 million) ‘energy farming’ power plant.



The Blackpool-based company already has one flagship plant up and running in Lancashire, with more in the pipeline for the county and across the UK. Farmgen’s inaugural AD operation at Warton was officially switched on in 2011 and is now generating 800kW of electricity the equivalent of powering more than 1,000 homes. Read more ...

NIB invests in biomass development program

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has provided bioenergy company Vaskiluodon Voima Oy with €18 million (US$13.134 million ), to build a gasification plant in Vaasa, Finland. The facility will produce 140MW and is to be connected to a power plant that is already established, allowing for the coal from the old plant to be substituted by domestic biofuels and peat.



Because of this, coal use will be lowered by between 25-40 percent, with a fuel mix for the gasification system that will be made up of about 25 percent peat and 75 percent forest residues and biomaterials such as reed. Read more ...

Miscanthus x giganteus has great potential as an alternative energy source

Recent findings from a study carried out by the University of Illinois has shown that Miscanthus x giganteus is a strong contender in the race to find the next source of ethanol. M. x giganteus is a bioenergy crop that can be grown to produce ethanol. The study investigated the establishment success, plant growth and dry biomass yield of the grass. Tom Voigt, lead scientist and associate professor in the U of I Department of Crop Sciences, said the overall goal is to promote biomass yield per acre for ethanol production using the fewest inputs with no environmental damage. Read more ...

PDM Group to further develop anaerobic digestion (AD) plants

The PDM group has announced plans to invest a further UK£40 million (US$62.314 million), in its network of ReFood anaerobic digestion (AD), plants this year. This investment will result in two new plants located in Widnes and East London.

The announcement follows the completion of the company’s first AD plant at its headquarters in Doncaster. The two new plants will each double the recycling capacity of Doncaster, each handling around 90,000 tonnes of food waste each year and producing 4MWhs of renewable energy. Read more ...

Plant nourishing gene discovered

Scientist at the University of Warwick have discovered a 'nourishing gene' that controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed. This discovery is a significant step in understanding the development of seeds from the mother plant. There is also the possibility of better understanding which could help increase global food production.

Dr Jose Gutierrez-Marcos, Associate Professor in the University of Warwick’s School of Life Sciences, said: “These findings have significant implications for global agriculture and food security, as scientists now have the molecular know-how to manipulate this gene by traditional plant breeding or through other methods to improve seed traits, such as increased seed biomass yield. “This understanding of how maize seeds and other cereal grains develop, for example in rice and wheat is vital as the global population relies on these staple products for sustenance." Read more ...

The US biomass industry outlook 2012

2012 should be a good year for the biomass industry in the United States, with four major biomass plants to be constructed, which will be pivotal in the expansion of wood fired power industry. Along with the coal to biomass plant conversions awaiting permits in Virginia, which could set the stage for a boom in biomass fuel use. One of the big problems is that there is too much red tape from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Bob Cleaves of the Biomass Power Association. said "We'll see gains for big projects where you have a combination of local fuel supply and strong political support". "At the same time, the weak economy, lack of demand for power and plummeting natural gas prices make it difficult to continue operations of smaller plants without long-term PPAs." Read more ...

Welsh firm announces biomass plant

A renewable generation company in Wales, has announced plans to build a new 40MW capacity biomass power plant. The new plant will take about two and a half years to build but planning permission could be gained within six months. About 240,000 tons of straw will be used in the plant which could be used to power 250,000 houses. Contracts for the straw will be set up with local farmers to the tune of UK£6 million (US$9.415 million). Read more ...

Straw fired plants to generate electricity

Eco2 a renewable generation company are planning to build a 40 MegaWatt capacity biomass power plant to generate electricity in the Southeast of England. According to a spokeswoman for the company, "construction of the plant would take two and a half years and the hope is that planning can be gained within six months, although the process is hard to predict and any objections could lengthen the process considerably". Read more ...

A symbiotic relationship to revitalise idle biomass plant

Two companies have joined forces to restart a biomass plant that has been idle for 10 years. Kiara Solar Inc, of San Francisco Bay and Siskiyou Forest Products. Kiara purchased the biomass plant off Siskiyou about two years ago for US$1.6 million (€1.182 million), now working with Siskiyou Forest Products the two companies intend to get the plant running and will be using waste wood that will provide steam for their dry kilns. The plant will employ 12 to 15 people who will start at US$15 to US$17 (€11 to 12 ) an hour, said Bob Chaudhuri, vice president of business development for San Ramon-based Kiara Solar. The biomass operation will run 24 hours, seven days a week. Read more ...

Residents complain of health risk fears over wood chip plant

A woodchip plant at Shoreham harbour, Brighton in the UK is causing serious concerns for residents and business owners. Stobart biomass opened the plant in March, but with in a few months of it opening residence and business owners have complained claiming sore throats and burning eyes. The company say that it is not originating from the woodchip plant. A spokesman for Stobart biomass said that the company has adhered to all the Environment agency regulations. Read more ...

New biomass plant for New Hampshire get underway

A groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for Thursday morning at the site of an old paper pulp mill, construction is due to begin on a new US$275 (€207.195) million biomass power plant in Northern New Hampshire. The plant will provide about 400 construction jobs and 40 permanent jobs, it will also impact on other including loggers and foresters. The new plant is expected to be up and running by late 2013. Read more ...

Thailand to get biomass power plant

DP CleanTech are to convert a coal fired power plant to biomass and run on wood and eucalyptus bark in Thailand. The retrofitted combined-heat-and-power plant will provide 20 megawatts of electricity to a nearby 1-million-liter-per-day bioethanol plant being constructed by TPK Ethanol in Nakorn Ratchasima. “This is a great project for DP CleanTech as it allows us to build our reference list in Thailand and prove ourselves in coal conversion projects,” said Jerome Le-Borgne, DP CleanTech sales manager for Southeast Asia. Read more ...

Vancouver plans a biomass plant at former Pepsi bottling plant

Former Pepsi bottling plant Vancouver

At the former site of the Pepsi bottling plant in downtown Vancouver, Clark County the new owners are planning a biomass plant be built on the site. The planning is being held up as last month the planning review officer ruled that under city zoning codes a biomass plant is not allowed a decision that has been challenged Read more ...