BioMASSupdate researCh taCkLes Biomass suppLy issues biomass processing with bliss. Bliss Industries, LLC is a leading manufacturer of wood and biomass pelleting equipment for residential, commercial and industrial pellet fuel. Founded in 1981, Bliss Industries maintains a reputation of manufacturing the most efficient, reliable and well-built equipment in the industry. Developed from a design concept proven worldwide, the range of Pioneer Pellet Mills continues to expand. Overall reliability, maximum efficiency, ease of operation and maintenance combine to provide lower operating costs to each owner. With the ability to provide a wide range of die sizes, die speeds and drive power, Bliss can more than meet your requirements for high quality at a reasonable cost. Bliss also manufactures an extensive line of hammermills for biomass size reduction and processing. Proudly Manufactured in the USA Vancouver – Two new research projects, largely funded by Genome BC, will help to answer questions about biomass conversion to ethanol and long-term tree production to best use the valuable energy found in British Columbia’s forests. The research will be based at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The first project will use genomics to deter- mine the most efficient methods of releasing fermentable sugars from dead pine for cel- lulosic ethanol production. Dr. Jack Saddler, UBC’s dean of forestry, is leading this $1.1-mil- lion project to optimize ethanol fermentation from mountain pine beetle killed lodgepole pine. Saddler is confident that the solution found for coniferous trees will be transferable to deciduous varieties as well. “The idea is that once the dead lodgepole pine starts to run out in about 20 years, we will have had enough time to replant with a fast-growing variety to replace it,” he says. The second project will use genomics to iN Brief... ON has new feed-in tariff regulations New regulations for renewable energy have been introduced by the Ontario government under Ontario’s Green Energy Act. These include a feed-in tariff program that will allow individuals and companies to sell renewable energy such as biomass, solar, wind, water, biogas, and landfill gas to the grid at set rates. A streamlined approvals process has been established, as well as an Ontario Renewable Energy Facilitation Office, which will help renewable energy projects get off the ground faster. ON to update forest tenure system The Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, and Forestry has released a discus- sion paper, Ontario’ s Forests, Ontario’ optimize poplar breeding and selection to im- prove its potential as a biofuel resource. This $7.7-million project, led by Drs. Carl Douglas and Shawn Mansfield of UBC, will build on previous Genome BC research that contrib- uted to the sequencing of the poplar genome in 2004. In addition to their quick growth, poplars produce wood that is easier to convert to fermentable sugars for ethanol production than conifers. The researchers will identify the genetic characteristics of certain wild poplars that allow the wood to be broken down more easily and with a higher yield, so that liquid biofuels can be produced more rapidly and inexpensively, with less chemical processing. “We need to be thinking about feedstock supply 10 to 15 years from now, so that we will have poplars ready to be harvested, which will allow us to keep up with industry demand,” says Mansfield. The research will ultimately create the basis for a poplar breeding program to fuel the forestry bioenergy sector. s Future. The paper deals with how the province should modernize forest tenure and pricing; the system it uses to determine how wood supplies are licensed, allocated, and priced; and the associated legal obligations. A series of stakeholder and public consultations on these issues was held in September and October 2009. Atikokan Renewable Fuels to make pellets Atikokan Renewable Fuels has obtained full control over the former Fibratech mill in Atikokan, Ontario. The company plans to spend $15 million renovating the plant to pro- duce industrial wood pellets. Pellet production is estimated to begin in early 2010. Impacting Industries Worldwide. Bliss Industries, LLC P.O. Box 910 • Ponca City, Oklahoma U.S.A. 74602 Phone (580) 765-7787 • Fax (580) 762-0111 Internet: http://www.bliss-industries.com E-mail: [email protected] Cogen-pellet plant collaboration moves forward Biomass Secure Power and the Lower Nicola Indian Band (LNIB) have signed an agreement to build a biomass-fueled cogeneration power plant and a pellet mill in British Columbia. The joint venture will be developed under the name of Shulus Power, with each party owning 50% of the project. LNIB will provide the fibre and 25 acres on which the plant will be built. Biomass Secure Power will provide the engineering expertise to design, build, and operate the plant. Construction of the plant is expected to be completed by December 2010. 6 canadianBIOMASS SepteMBeR/OctOBeR 2009
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