Velocys,Worley
Date: 2020-02-05
In the UK, Oxford-based sustainable fuels specialist Velocys plc is reporting the appointment of North Sydney, Australia-based Worley to manage the development of pre-feasibility, feasibility and FEED packages for all projects in the Velocys portfolio.

The Velocys technology package converts waste feedstocks into sustainable aviation and road transport fuels.

Velocys also notes it has now selected all the technology suppliers for its Bayou Fuels woody-biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The same technology package will be used for the Altalto Immingham waste-to-fuels project in the U.K. (Source: Velocys, PR, Chem Eng., 4 Feb., 2020) Contact: Velocys, Henrik Wareborn, CEO, +44 1235 838 621, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com; Worley, Paul Seaton, Pres., www.worley.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  Worley,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass-to-Fuel,  Aviation Biofuel,  Biofuel,  

Purdue University Center for Plant Biology
Date: 2019-11-18
In West Lafayette, Indiana, researchers at the Purdue University Center for Plant Biology (C3Bio) report their study of ways to increase production of biofuels from non-food biomass has identified lignin, a complex compound in cell walls, blocks access to plant carbohydrates that could be cleaved into sugars and then fermented into biofuels, as one of several barriers to the efficient conversion of that biomass.

The study notes researchers have found a way of removing lignin and making useful products from it, as well as getting access to plant carbohydrates for production of biofuels. Even with lignin removed, however, the Purdue team had to find ways to break the tightly connected plant cells apart so that chemical catalysts or yeasts used in the biofuel refining process could do their jobs.

With all the lignin removed through a nickel-carbon catalysis, the research team treated poplar wood particles with trifluoroacetic acid to loosen the tightly packed crystalline cellulose and its aggregation into large bundles in plant cell walls. The trifluoroacetic acid causes the cellulose to swell, making it easier to access the glucose molecules present in the cell walls for fermentation to ethanol -- or using other chemical catalysts discovered by the C3Bio team, the cellulose and other carbohydrates can be converted to platform chemicals, such as hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid, which are substrates or precursors for liquid hydrocarbon fuels. (Source: Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology Journal, AgriNews, 9 Nov., 2019)Contact: Purdue Center for Plant Biology, C3Bio, Prof. Maureen McCann, 765-496-1779, mmccann@purdue.edu, www.purdue.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Lignin,  Woody Biomass,  Purdue University,  

Velocys,Bayou Fuels
Date: 2019-10-11
UK-headquartered landfill gas-to-liquid fuels and chemicals producer Velocys Plc and its subsidiary Velocys, Inc. is reporting an agreement with Occidental Petroleum subsidiary Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (Oxy) under which Oxy will capture and store CO2 from Velocys' planned Bayou Fuels waste woody biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi.

According to OXY, it is uniquely positioned to transport and store the CO2 by leveraging Occidental's industry leadership in CO2 storage and utilization for enhanced oil recobery (EOR). (Source: Velocys, gasworld, 19 Oct., 2019)Contact: Velocys Plc, David Pummell, CEO, +44 1235 841 700, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com; Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, www.oxy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  Biofuel,  Biorefinery,  Waste-to-Fuel,  Bayou Fuels,  

ARENA,Boral Limited
Date: 2018-08-27
In the Land Down Under, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) reports it will provide up to $500,000 in funding to Boral Timber, a subsidiary of Boral Limited, to investigate construction of a "second-generation" biofuels refinery at Herons Creek near Port Macquarie, New South Wales.

Boral Timber's $1.2 million study will explore the technical and financial viability of establishing a biorefinery using innovative technology, which would see biofuels derived from waste sawmill residues from its Herons Creek sawmill. According to the company, the proposed $50 million plant could process up to 50,000 tpy of waste sawmill residue into transport-grade renewable diesel and bitumen. (Source: ARENA, 27 Aug., 2018) Contact: ARENA, Ivor Frischknecht, CEO, +61 2 6243 7773, arena@arena.gov.au, http://arena.gov.au; Boral Limited, www.boral.com.au

More Low-Carbon Energy News ARENA,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass-to-Fuel,  

Velocys
Date: 2018-05-25
The UK-based landfill gas-to-liquid fuels and chemicals producer Velocys Plc reports it is seeking one or more strategic investors for a woody biomass-to-fuel biorefinery project in Natchez, Mississippi, the final investment decision (FID) for which is now expected in the second half of 2019.

The company's £759,000 ($1 million) revenue in 2017 came mainly from the lease of catalyst to and engineering support for Envia Energy's plant in Oklahoma City, which uses the Velocys Fischer-Tropsch (FT) system, and revenues from feasibility studies, predominantly for a UK waste-to-jet fuel project, accordinb to the company. (Source: Velocys, Renewables Now, Others, 24 May, 2018) Contact: Velocys Plc, David Pummell, CEO, +44 1235 841 700, (713) 275-5840-- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Fuel,  Velocys,  Biofuel,  Biorefinery,  

Biozin ,Gas Technology InstituteCriterion Catalyst Company
Date: 2017-11-17
Fareham, UK-based CRI/Criterion Catalyst Company (CRIUK) has awarded an FEL-2 license agreement for the IH2* technology which converts biomass to liquid transportation fuels, to Biozin Holding AS (BZH). CRI is a global catalyst company wholly owned by Royal Dutch Shell. It operates research laboratories, development facilities, manufacturing plants and business units throughout the world. Biozin Holding is a cooperation between Norwegian saw mill company Bergene Holm and Swedish oil company Preem, which intends to realise full scale biofuel production sites in Norway. The production facility is set to be located adjacent to the Bergene Holm sawmill in southern Norway.

The IH2 technology is a route to convert woody biomass and forest residues feedstock into renewable, low carbon transportation fuels. The process was invented by Gas Technology Institute (GTI) of Des Plaines, IL and scaled up by CRI Catalyst Company of Houston, Texas which holds exclusive worldwide licensing rights.

Biozin intends to utilize residues from Bergene Holm's mill, and forestry residues from the region. The product will be refined by one of Preem's refineries in Sweden. (Source: Criterion Catalyst Company, Biofuels Int'l, 15 Nov., 2017) Contact: CRI Criterion Catalyst Company, www.criterioncatalysts.com; Gas Technology Institute, www.gastechnology.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Criterion Catalyst ,  Woody Biomas,  Gas Technology Institute,  

Woody Biomass
Date: 2017-10-27
In 2014, the City of Revelstoke, British Columbia, released an RFP for wood waste-to-energy energy power production and is now considering a report based on Canadian Biomass Energy Research data .

Now, three years later, the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RCFC), Downie Timber, Louisiana Pacific and other area forest tenure holders , want to "screen the market" and move ahead with the proposed project. Many of their tenures have an abundance of low margin or unprofitable hemlock which, due to a high degree of rot, is considered a strong candidate for wood-to-fuel Bioenergy, according to the study.

Revelstoke currently spends $12-million or more per year on imported fossil fuels. A woody biomass plant is seen as a way to retain that money in the local economy and enhance the area's forest sector's economic performance. (Source: City of Revelstoke, BC Local News, 20 Oct., 2017) Contact: City of Revelstoke, (250) 837-3637 -- Finance, www.revelstoke.ca

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

PPD of WV One
Date: 2017-10-02
Orion Strategies, a Charleston communications firm representing PPD of WV One, a newly-formed limited liability company, reports PPD will construct a $73 million synthetic fuel-from-woody biomass waste plant in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

The plant will produce 7.2 million gpy of synthetic diesel fuel and 7.s tpy of biochar utilizing a clean energy system that produces an inexpensive hydrogen gas stream on demand from biomass and waste sources. The plant will utilize primarily locally sourced wood industry and forestry wastes as its principal feedstock. The company is looking to acquire a series of revenue bonds totaling close to $80 million to help finance the construction and equipping of the plant. Construction is scheduled to get underway early in 2018, according to Orion Strategies. (Source: Orion Strategies, PPD of WV One, Woodworking Network, September 29, 2017 ) Contact: Orion Strategies, (304) 982-6050, www.orion-strategies.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel,  Biochar,  Woody Biomass,