Third-generation biofuels research and development is largely focused on algae as a raw material.


EPA Chief signals push to declare wood energy carbon-neutral on N.H. visit
During his New Hampshire visit, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt signaled plans for new federal energy policies that could bolster a struggling regional industry – biomass.

Japanese companies turn to biomass to clean up coal power
Japanese companies are developing biofuels that can be burned alongside coal to cut carbon dioxide emissions at power plants without investment in pricey new equipment. Oil distributor Idemitsu Kosan has developed a new type of pellet fuel made from compressed wood waste carbonized at a low temperature that can be burned in coal-fired plants.

When the turkey chips and wood chips are down, make electricity
They’re the ninth largest taxpayer in Craven County, they employ 30 people on site and support the jobs of another 150, and best of all, they make electricity out of turkey manure.

Maine-based group acquires Old Town pulp mill complex
OTM Holdings LLC is the new owner of the former Old Town pulp mill complex, with plans to redevelop the site into a wood-fiber-based complex comprised of multiple tenants.

Duke Energy renews contract with biomass energy producer
Duke Energy has renewed a long-term power purchase agreement with a 50-megawatt biomass facility in North Carolina, continuing the company’s pursuit to diversify its electricity mix with biomass and alternative energy.

Botwood eyes wood chip project as biofuel plant bites dust
A U.K.-based company has set up shop in central Newfoundland with hopes of shipping wood fibres across the ocean and bringing hundreds of jobs to Botwood.

New website provides ecological information to companies, municipalities
A website launched this week could help attract green industries to Alberta by showing them where to find wood waste, agricultural products and other raw material they require.

Cool Planet announces patent for enhanced biochar
Cool Planet has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9809502 for enhanced biochar.

Company official shares biofuel plant details
PPD of WV is putting together the final financial pieces of the puzzle, in hopes of breaking ground on its new biofuel plant near Sam Black Church this spring, according to company official Jason Perry.

WISDOM reveals wood fuel shortage hotspots
The sustainable provision of wood fuels – a key energy source for an estimated 2.8 billion people worldwide – depends on the replenishment of biomass following harvesting.

Quebec town swaps out salt for eco-friendly wood chips on icy roads
The town of Rosemère, Que., is opting for a more environmentally-friendly way of keeping roads from becoming slippery due to ice, snow and freezing rain — wood chips.

FPInnovations and Resolute Forest Products announce investment in pilot project in Ontario to produce bio-chemicals derived from wood
FPInnovations and Resolute Forest Products announced a significant investment in the implementation of a TMP-Bio pilot project in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Should we burn trees for energy?
As the European Union Parliament debates changes to a directive on renewable energy, more than 650 scientists have signed a letter demanding an amendment to the directive’s definition of forest biomass.

Today’s timber markets: Who will buy Northeast’s low-grade wood?
Van Webb, a logger and farmer from Sunapee, harvested from a mostly white pine lot on a 57-acre property in Unity, N.H., in 2016.

Low energy prices force New England wood heat pioneers to pivot
It was May of 2014 and Charlie Niebling was feeling pretty good. As the wood buyer for New England Wood Pellets and a modern wood heat pioneer, he had reason to be optimistic. New England’s automated wood heat industry was finally beginning to hum.

Distillery installs wood chip boiler
The newly opened Ncn’ean distillery on the Morvern peninsula in Scotland has committed itself to environmentally friendly production by choosing locally-sourced wood as the primary power source for its new 850kW woodchip boiler system.

LePage tells lawmakers he will oppose borrowing aimed at helping biomass industry
Drawing on his experience in the forest products industry, Maine’s governor says the bills are not a wise use of money.

On Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island, wood heat pays social, economic dividends
Prince of Wales Island sits at the southern tip of Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago, its dense forests and tiny communities accessible only by boat or an hour’s float plane flight from Ketchikan.

Canada increases biomass capacity, generation
A report issued by Canada’s National Energy Board shows that the country’s non-hydro renewable power capacity grew by more than 8 percent in 2016, adding nearly 1,300 MW of solar, biomass and wind-generated power.