Neste
Date: 2020-12-02
The Government of Quebec has announced $5.943 million ($4.55 million US) in funding to a non-profit organization Bioenergie La Tuque (BELT) to develop and demonstrate the potential of producing advanced biofuels from locally-sourced forestry waste, woody biomass in La Tuque, Quebec, Canada. The funding will be used to continue project development and plant design, and the potential of building a renewable fuels plant in the area.

BELT, the Council of the Atikamekw Nation and renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel provider Neste have been jointly assessing the feasibility of utilizing sustainably-sourced forest-based biomass and residues for advanced sustainable biofuels production since 2017.

The BioEnergie La Tuque project would utilize 650,000 metric tpy of forest biomass and aligns with and supports Quebec's established forest product industry and commitment to sustainable forestry management and biodiversity, according to the release. (Source: Neste Corporation, Press Release, 30 Nov., 2020) Contact: Neste Corp., Thorsten Lange, Exec. VP, +358 10 458 4128, www.neste.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Neste,  Woody Biomass,  Advanced Biofuel ,  

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,