iN brieF... Biomass forecast According to the Strategic Assessment for European Biomass Energy Markets by Frost & Sullivan, biomass will play a significant role in the European en- ergy market in meeting the target for 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. Biomass currently accounts for about 5 percent of total energy consump- tion 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. IrvingLtd. gets loans The New Brunswick government is providing J.D. Irving Ltd. with a $15-mil- lion term loan to upgrade the Grand Lake Timber operation and a $4.5-mil- lion 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 facili- ties more energy efficient. BC mill chips beetle-killedtrees 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 wood- only densified firelogs. Compaction of the sawdust into logs reduces the shipping volume and thus transportation costs. Benefits of the firelogs in- clude 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. • Pneumatics • Size Reduction • Vibratory Feeders • Material Handling • Storage & Reclaim • Screening & Processing Allow our 30 plus years experience in the Pulp and Paper Industry work for you. 1.800.615.9296 398 Willis Road • Woodruff, South Carolina 29388 • www.jeffreyrader.com/bioc CanadianBIOMASS 7
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