First Nations to supply biorefinery Paramus, NJ – In November 2008, Raven Biofuels International Corporation entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Kamloops Indian Band (KIB) of Kamloops, BC, to further the development and construction of a proposed cellulosic ethanol biorefinery and cogeneration power plant in conjunction with the KIB. The nonbinding MOU outlines a mutual interest towards pursuing an alliance leading to the construction of a cogeneration power facility and biorefinery using technology and expertise provided by Raven, plus a site, feedstock, and other resources provided by KIB. KIB brings significant access to feedstock resources secured through a multiyear provincial forestry agreement in which KIB has rights to 124,000 cubic metres of beetlekilled wood within the Kamloops Timber Supply Area. Raven, through its Canadian subsidiary, and KIB plan to move ahead quickly and develop a course of action for the lease of a 30-acre site with direct rail and road access located near Kamloops, BC, for the construction of a facility. Current plans identify an initial annual output of 7 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol and 4 million gallons of furfural and related chemicals and lignin cake; future capacity could be increased to double this proposed production. Planning for a definitive agreement includes a feasibility study to develop arrangements with KIB for a continuous supply of approximately 500 dry tons per day of organic cellulosic waste. This feedstock would primarily be wood chips from regionally sourced, mountain pine beetle-killed wood, as well as other appropriate wood waste sources from the area. En erkem fires up commercial biofuel plant Montreal, QC – Enerkem Inc.’s first commercial-scale biofuels and biochemicals plant is entering the start-up phase with the production of clean, conditioned synthesis gas. Construction on the plant, located in Westbury, QC, began in October 2007 and the facility was mechanically complete in December 2008. The conditioned synthesis gas (syngas) platform has been finalized and is in an advanced commissioning stage in preparation for its upcoming start-up. The syngas platform serves as the chemical production platform to which methanol and ethanol production modules will be added over the next months. Once these gas-to-liquid modules are bolted to the syngas platform, Enerkem will become the first commercial producer of liquid fuels and biochemicals using renewable, nonfood, negative-cost feedstock. The Westbury plant will be the world’s first ethanol plant to use negative-cost and unconventional materials—treated wood from used electricity poles. It is operated by a team of 13 people and will produce 5 million litres (1. 3 million gallons) of secondgeneration ethanol annually. The Enerkem thermo-chemical process uses one tonne of waste to produce 360 litres (95 gallons) of ethanol. Enerkem is one step closer to becoming the first commercial producer of biofuels and biochemicals using waste biomass feedstock. New plans for co-generation in BC Vancouver, BC – Biomass Secure Power is obtaining the necessary approvals to build a 10-megawatt co-generation plant in Abbotsford, BC. The plant will be constructed on property owned by a greenhouse operator who has signed a 20-year lease to allow co-generation operations on the site. The greenhouse has also agreed to purchase hot water heat and CO2 on a fixed contract price. A second greenhouse located nearby is also interested in purchasing hot water heat. The electricity produced at this site will be sold to BC Hydro under its Standing Offer Program. The fuel will be whole trees that have been destroyed by the mountain pine beetle; these trees must be removed to reduce the danger of forest fire. The plant is expected to commence operations in late 2010. Forestry diversification strategy for NL St. John’s, NL – In December 2008, the Newfoundland and Labrador government released its consultant’s report on the comprehensive review of the forest industry in Newfoundland. Many of the recommendations in the report have already been implemented and several biomassrelated initiatives have been undertaken. In April 2008, the provincial government announced a $14 million Forest Industry Diversification Program to assist the industry to identify and develop specific new products and market opportunities. A residential wood pellet rebate program provides a 25 percent rebate for the purchase of residential wood pellet appliances to create a local market for wood pellets. One wood pellet production facility is already in operation and a second facility is under development. The provincial government has also contributed $1 million for a cost-shared economic study with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper to convert wood to an alternate fuel source to reduce the mill’s requirement for bunker C oil. Forestry for renewable energy Toronto, ON – A report released by the Atlantica BioEnergy Task Force in December 2008 says that actions must be taken to implement renewable energy technologies in the forest products industry of the Atlantica Region (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine). The study, compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), recommends 15 distinct actions to be taken to drive the Atlantica Region to the forefront of the renewable energy economy. The report puts forth recommendations in areas of sustainable forest management, transportation infrastructure, transmission and distribution systems, technology, greenhouse gas strategy, market development, financial support, and regional collaboration in research and education. “The Atlantica Region is rich in forests and has historically depended on the forest industry to drive its economy,” says Bruce McIntyre, leader of PwC’s Forest, Paper, and Packaging practice in Canada and a partner in the firm’s Sustainable Business Solutions practice. “But the Region is now struggling to attract new investment and is facing the added challenges of high log and wage costs, weak markets, and energy costs that are above average. Without new investment, the business prospects for the Region’s forest products sector are bleak, with little room to improve energy efficiency, develop emerging technologies, or generate new sources of revenue.” The study indicates that there are opportunities to revitalize the forest industry and its competitiveness by making use of available wood feedstock for the production of bioenergy, biofuels, biochemicals, and other bioproducts in an environmentally conscious manner. However, it remains unclear how much wood feedstock is available for use in bioproducts and at what cost this can be brought to market. “These issues and opportunities could apply to the forest industry right across North America,” says McIntyre. The report and recommendations can be found at www.atlanticabioenergy. com. Possible pellet plant for the Rock Roddickton, NL – A local forestry entrepreneur has plans to build a pellet plant in Roddickton, NL, according to Aaron Beswick of The Northern Pen newspaper. Ted Lewis, who owns a local logging operation and sawmill, is considering creating a pellet plant that would use sawmill residue and wood that is unsuitable for sawlogs. The peninsula’s pulpwood and sawdust market has dropped off since Corner Brook Pulp and Paper shut down one of its paper mills last year. The plant would produce about 50,000 tonnes of pellets annually, which could be shipped to mainland Canada and across the island. The plan has received support from the Northern Peninsula Forest Resources Association. Biomass forecast According to the Strategic Assessment for European Biomass Energy Markets by Frost & Sullivan, biomass will play a significant role in the European energy market in meeting the target for 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. Biomass currently accounts for about 5 percent of total energy consumption in Europe (15–20 percent in Finland, Sweden, and Austria) and is used mainly for heat and power cogeneration and municipal district heating. J. D. Irving Ltd. Gets loans The New Brunswick government is providing J.D. Irving Ltd. With a $15-million term loan to upgrade the Grand Lake Timber operation and a $4.5-million term loan to upgrade the Deersdale sawmill. The loans are intended to help J.D. Irving Ltd. Install a new biomass boiler at each site to dry wood products prior to shipment, reducing production costs and making the facilities more energy efficient. BC mill chips beetle-killed trees RiverCity Fibre’s new whole-log chipping mill in Kamloops, BC, opened in November 2008. The mill processes mountain pine beetle-killed trees to supply chips for Domtar’s Kamloops pulp mill, as well as fine material for the pellet industry and waste material for Domtar’s bioenergy plant. Waste not, want not Buchanan Lumber, a family-owned and -operated sawmill located in High Prairie, AB, is making use of its sawdust by compacting it into 5-lb woodonly densified firelogs. Compaction of the sawdust into logs reduces the shipping volume and thus transportation costs. Benefits of the firelogs include no bugs, little smoke, and high BTUs. Guide to biomass policies State Woody Biomass Utilization Policies, compiled by Dennis Becker and Christine Lee of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Forest Resources, is available online at www.forestry.umn.edu/publications/ staffpapers/index.html. This database provides a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to woody biomass legislation for each U.S. state. Ontario funds bioproducts research The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation is investing $333,000 to establish an Industrial Research Chair at Nipissing University in North Bay, ON. The Chair will work on economically and ecologically sound proposals and conduct a forest resource inventory to support current and emerging demand for forest products such as biofuels and biopharmaceuticals. Northern Ontario looks to pellets Both Westwind Forest Stewardship, which manages the publicly owned French-Severn Forest near Parry Sound, and Algoma-area Clergue Forest Management have received funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to study the potential for a wood pellet industry. The studies will address the logistics, fibre availability, and costs associated with starting wood pellet mills. Forest industry’s priorities for federal budget Ottawa, ON – In December 2008, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) laid out five urgent priorities that the federal government must address in its upcoming budget if it wants to secure the forest products industry as a cornerstone of the Canadian economy. “What we need is smart spending and bolder economic policies to make sure our industry not only perseveres, but is able to capitalize on the investments it has already made modernizing its mills, diversifying its markets, and greening its product,” says Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC. Three of the priorities are related to biomass and bioenergy: help spur the transformation to bioenergy; provide tax incentives for investment and innovation; and invest in research and development, market development, and product promotion. Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada. En syn and UOP to develop green gas Des Plaines, IL – Ottawa-based Ensyn and Honeywell’s UOP company have formed a joint venture to combine Ensyn’s thermal combustion and UOP’s refining technologies. The plan is to offer the technology and equipment to convert waste biomass such as residuals from the agricultural and forestry sector and woody construction and demolition materials into pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil can be combusted in industrial burners and furnaces for power and heating or further refined into transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. However, the oil is corrosive and unstable, making it difficult to store and transport. UOP has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop economically viable technology to modify the composition of biomass pyrolysis oil to solve these issues. “The development of secondgeneration biofeedstock conversion technology is critical for biofuels to support our growing energy needs,” said Jennifer Holmgren, general manager for UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business. “Finding a cost-effective solution will ensure that pyrolysis oil is a viable renewable source for power and transportation fuels.” “We believe this alliance will generate multiple commercial breakthroughs in the biomassto- energy world,” says Dr. Robert Graham, chairman and CEO of Ensyn. The joint venture aims to develop and commercialize technology to convert biomass to drop-in transportation fuels by the end of 2010. Syngas to power tissue plant New Westminster, BC – Kruger Products Ltd. Has selected Nexterra Energy Corp. to supply a biomass gasification system for its tissue mill in New Westminster, BC. The gasification system will convert locally sourced wood residue into synthesis gas (syngas) that will be fired directly in a boiler in place of natural gas. The Kruger installation will produce 40,000 lbs/h of process steam and displace about 445,000 gigajoules of natural gas annually, which is equivalent to the amount of natural gas used to heat 3500 homes in Canada for one year. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the plant by more than 22,000 tonnes per year, the equivalent of removing nearly 5500 cars from Canadian roads. Kruger, Nexterra, and FPInnovations have formed a consortium to build the new system, which will be the first commercial demonstration of Nexterra’s direct-fired gasification solution. The project has received support from Natural Resources Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, the British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy Fund, and Ethanol BC. The plant should be completed in late 2009. Slash harvest demo a success Payette National Forest, ID – In August 2008, the U. S. Forest Service provided a well-attended demonstration of woody biomass chipping and hauling using newly developed equipment. Their aim is to collect forest residues and thinned trees from hazardous fuel reductions for alternative uses. In the past, most slash has been piled and burned at the site, creating environmental concerns. Now, once collected, this material will be burned in highly efficient biomass burners to generate heat and electricity, and in the future may be used in cellulosic ethanol production. Some of the harvested biomass Will be used in the Fuels for Schools program to heat public schools in the area. The demo showcased a hook-and-lift roll-off trucking system developed by Craig Thomas and the Montana Community Development Corporation, as well as a stinger-steered chip van hauler developed by the U.S. Forest Service San Dimas Technology and Development Center. This new equipment facilitates the removal of previously unused biomass. Standard chip vans are unable to negotiate the rough logging roads. The new systems can move both slash and chipped material and can operate on narrow forest roads.