BURNINGissues Forest iNdustry’s priorities For Federal budget Ottawa, ON – In December 2008, the Forest Products As- sociation 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 corner- stone of the Canadian economy. “What we need is smart spend- ing and bolder economic poli- cies 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 priori- ties are related to biomass and bioenergy: help spur the trans- formation to bioenergy; provide tax incentives for investment and innovation; and invest in research and development, mar- ket development, and product promotion. Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada. eNsyN aNd uop to develop greeN gas Pyrolysis oil can be combusted 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 equip- ment to convert waste biomass such as residuals from the agri- cultural and forestry sector and woody construction and demoli- tion materials into pyrolysis oil. 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 economical- ly viable technology to modify the composition of biomass pyrolysis oil to solve these issues. “The development of second- generation biofeedstock conver- sion technology is critical for biofuels to support our growing energy needs,” said Jennifer Holmgren, general manager for UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business. “Find- ing 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 biomass- to-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. Brampton (800) 668-9065 Edmonton (800) 809-5066 Calgary (866) 809-6653 Saskatoon (800) 809-5066 Winnipeg (866) 548-1866 www.vermeercanada.com VERMEER and the VERMEER LOGO are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2008 Vermeer Corporation and Vermeer Canada, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 CanadianBIOMASS MARCH 2009 Montreal (800) 990-7919 Grande Prairie (877) 357-3299
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