UBC OPENS CHP Nexterra Systems Corp., the University of British Columbia and GE celebrated the successful completion of an energy-fromrenewable- waste combined heat and power (CHP) system located at UBC’s Vancouver campus. The system that combines Nexterra’s gasification and syngas conditioning technologies with one of GE’s high-efficient Jenbacher internal combustion engines. GE’s Jenbacher gas engine will produce 2 MW (megawatts) of clean, renewable electricity that will offset UBC’s existing power consumption, enough to power approximately 1,500 homes. The Nexterra system will also generate 3 MW of thermal energy, enough steam to displace up to 12 percent of UBC’s natural gas consumption. This will reduce UBC’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5,000 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking more than 1,000 cars off the road. Using Nexterra’s gasification technology platform and gas clean-up and thermal cracking solution, the system converts locally-sourced waste wood into a clean, reliable gas that is suitable for use in a highefficiency, industrial-scale gas engine to produce heat and power. “This project represents a significant milestone for Nexterra and we are thankful to our partners for helping to make this a tremendous success,” said Mike Scott, President and CEO of Nexterra. “We are seeing significant interest in this next-generation solution from around the globe. We look forward to further proving the system out at UBC and then replicating this system worldwide.” WPAC RELEASES REPORT ON DUST IN PELLET MILLS The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) has released a report that outlines steps that pellet mills can take to assess and minimize the risk of dust explosions in their facility. Penned by research director Staffan Melin, Determination of Explosibility of Dust Layers in Pellet Manufacturing Plants, looks at dust explosions in the pellet industry and outlines a dust management scheme that would eliminate much of the risk at a minimal cost. The report also discusses risk assessment, dust sampling and categorization methods. Part of the problem, says the report, is the limited understanding of the complex behaviour of dust explosions among plant operating personnel as well as corporate management. The report concludes that a successful dust management scheme is built upon a sharing of responsibility among management, operations and maintenance personnel and a robust safety record as the basis for safety inspections and audits. The allowable dust level is determined by a model and inexpensive instrumentation, which can be used by plant operating personnel and is based on characterization of the dust by scientific means. As a guideline, the report states that, “without knowing the Minimum Explosible Concentration (MEC) and dust bulk density the safety rules for a production plant and safety management becomes a guessing game. A safety margin policy of 50% or better should be established for any pellet manufacturing plant.” BIOFUEL FROM BIOMASS ONE STEP CLOSER Biofuel from biomass one step closer to reality thanks to discovery by University of Georgia researchers to manipulate ‘hot’ microbes. The single most important barrier to the use of lignocellulosic biomass such as switchgrass, populous, sorghum and miscanthus for production of biofuels is the resistant nature of the biomass itself. The problem lies in the conversion or degradation of complex biomass to make products of interest.' New research from scientists at the University of Georgia who are members of Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) provides a genetic method for manipulating a group of organisms, called Caldicellulosiruptor, that have the ability to use biomass directly at temperatures over 160 Fahrenheit. The ability to modify the microbes to make the needed fuel products is a required first step for modern industrial fermentations. This allows researchers to combine the natural ability to consume renewable plant materials with an altered, improved ability to make what is needed. “The most formidable barrier to the use of biomass, such as switchgrass, to biofuels is the ability to break down the biomass,” said Janet Westpheling, a microbial geneticist in the department of genetics in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a scientist of BESC. “Plants have evolved over millions of years to resist degradation by microbes, and that is exactly what we want to do. The ability to manipulate the genetics of organisms that can use biomass directly is essential to making them useful. We began with a group of bacteria that can use biomass for growth and will use genetics to teach them to make ethanol.” ABELLON ACQUIRES PELLET MANUFACTURER TREBIO Abellon Energy Inc. Canada has announced the acquisition of Canadian bio-pellet manufacturer Trebio Inc. Abellon, the wholly-owned subsidiary of India-based Abellon CleanEnergy, said Trebio has one of the largest pellet plants in Canada with a capacity of 130,000 MT/year, with the potential to increase capacity to 250,000-300,000 MT/year. Commissioned in August of 2011, it is the only plant in North America that is ENPlusA1 certified. The company has good access to fibre from nearby sawmills and dedicated, assured access to forest fibre through a timber licence from the Quebec Ministry of Forestry for at least the next 25 years that is managed in compliance with sustainable forestry practices and norms. Other advantages, according to a press release from Abellon, include a strategic location with good rail and port access, highly experienced and professional management operations teams and a strong and credible stakeholder base. Abellon says the acquisition is a significant step for both companies, and will harness its unique strategic advantages and complementing strengths to help expand collective reach, and enabling the collaborative entity to take up a global position in the pellet industry. “In Abellon, Trebio gains an experienced partner with proven selling, operational and project related capabilities,” stated the release. “Which can help the company quickly scale up to its full potential. The current team at Trebio will continue to manage the company, with strategic inputs from the global team.” According to Abellon, it has been strongly committed to establishing a base in Canada, and this partnership is one more step towards enhancing its presence in the country, as well as contributing to bilateral trade and investment between Canada and India. Canada’s forest biomass sector changes daily. Keep up at www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca, through our weekly Bio-Blast enews, and on Twitter@canadianbiomass. IN BRIEF... PRINCE RUPERT, BC The Prince Rupert Port Authority announced it has approved Pinnacle Renewable Energy's Westview Terminal Redevelopment Project, which will ship up to two million tonnes of wood pellets a year. According to PRPA, the Pinnacle terminal project represents an estimated capital investment of $42 million in Prince Rupert, 90,000 hours of construction work, up to 24 direct jobs in terminal operations, and a significant increase in the municipal tax base. WHITECOURT, AB Millar Western has announced it will spend $42 million to build a biogas power generation facility onto the effluent processing stream of its pulp mill in Whitecourt. With with the one-year provincial permitting process completed, construction of the anaerobic effluent processing plant at Millar Western's pulp mill will begin in September. When it finishes in late 2013, it will provide 5.2 MW of power to the combined pulp and saw mill, reducing the compound's power consumption by almost seven per cent. THUNDER BAY, ON The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) announced it is providing $467,212 to a partnership with Confederation College to develop the Bio-Energy Learning and Research Centre (BLRC) that will contain a fuel testing lab, demonstration space, and a separate 150 kW boiler dedicated to research and learning with associated emissions monitoring equipment. CRIBE is also providing $70,839 in funding to Atikokan Renewable Fuels (ARF) to begin testing various natural additives to wood pellets (to be used for biomass) to improve their performance in co-operation with Lakehead University. It is an important first step in helping ARF produce highquality pellets that will feed biomass energy facilities, said CRIBE.