PLANS FOR WEST COAST CELLULOSIC ETHANOL Paramus, NJ - The increasing demand for ethanol that is made from nonfood sources has created growing interest in producing cellulosic ethanol from woody biomass. To meet this need, Raven Biofuels is poised to build two new cellulosic ethanol biorefi neries on the west coast. Ground breaking is planned for early 2009 in Washington State and late 2009 in British Columbia. The feedstock for the Washington plant will come from construction wood waste supplied by a large construction aggregate. The plant in British Columbia will be built and owned in a joint venture with Spectrum Energy of BC and will be supplied by pine beetle-infested wood from northern BC. Each plant will consume approximately 450 tonnes of wood per day, with an initial expected yearly capacity of 26 million litres of ethanol and 15 million litres of furfural chemicals for further industrial uses. Potential expansions in capacity are planned for both sites. Biomass supply for both plants will be managed by Price BIOstock, a seasoned biomass producer from the southern US represented in Canada by Ken Day. SYNGAS SYSTEM READY FOR BUSINESS Vancouver, BC - The latest product development tests by Nexterra Energy Corp. indicate that the renewable synthesis gas, or “syngas,” produced by its directfi re biomass gasifi cation system can be used to replace 60–90% of the fossil fuels that are used in pulp mill lime kilns and up to 100% of those that are used in certain types of boilers. This could lead to substantial savings for industries such as forestry, mining, cement, and ethanol production by reducing the reliance on increasingly costly fossil fuels and by decreasing greenhouse emissions and their associated carbon taxes. Gasifi cation is the energyeffi cient conversion of a carbonbased material such as woody biomass into a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen; this syngas is then used as an energy source. Nexterra’s gasifi cation system is coupled with a heat exchanger to generate hot water, steam, or hot air. Because of the new direct-fi re application, syngas can be produced in one location and combusted elsewhere on site in the existing thermal process equipment. The “system is now ready for demonstration at commercial scale,” says Jonathan Rhone, Nexterra president and CEO. “Once proven at this scale, we plan a full commercial rollout for industries such as pulp and paper, wood products, mining, and others that want to reduce operating costs while lowering their carbon footprint.” Nexterra Energy is a private company based in Vancouver that develops, designs, manufactures and delivers advanced gasifi cation systems that convert waste fuels into clean, low cost heat and power. BIOMASS AS BLACK SHEEP? Washington, DC - Several organizations have recently come out with studies warning of disruptions to the traditional fi bre supply fl ow owing to the increasing interest in woody biomass. In mid September, an AF&PA workshop in Washington, DC concluded that bioenergy is a complex issue requiring better, and more comprehensive research and analysis for the US to realize the full potential that domestically produced bioenergy can bring to fi ghting climate change and dependence on foreign energy without distorting traditional fi bre markets. RISI also released a report on the effects the demand for woody biomass and low grade wood may have on established players like pulp mills. It suggests that the extra demand will be close to 50 million tons in the near future, including an extra 3 million tons in eastern Canada and over 4 million tons in western Canada and counting. Finally, Wood Markets September issue concludes that the emerging biomass markets will be both an opportunity and a threat to established forest industry companies. Opportunities abound for sawmills and other originators of wood residues, as well as landowners with an abundance of lower grade material. Threats are seen especially for those using that lower end of the fi bre spectrum – MDF, particleboard, and pulp plants.