BIOMASS update DEMO INTERNATIONAL POSTPONED TO 2021 Over the last 50 years, Demo International has become North America’s largest and most recognized ‘live, in-woods’ forestry equipment show; this year’s event scheduled for Sept. 24-26, 2020 in Venosta, Que., in the Gatineau Valley Region was shap-ing up to be an excellent show. As part of DEMO International, the pre-show conference entitled, “Digital Transformation in Forest Operations: A leap forward in driving business growth & competitiveness,” was also scheduled for Sept. 22-23 at the Delta Ottawa City Center, Ottawa. The program was 90 per cent complete and delegate registration was about to be launched in April 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprec-edented level of uncertainty and has had a profound impact on people’s health, livelihoods and travel, both globally and across Canada. Based on the current circumstances and uncertain timelines, and to comply with the stated policies and requirements from public health authorities throughout the country, the Canadian Woodlands Forum, in partnership with SBC Cedar and show and conference partners, have decided to postpone DEMO International 2020 until 2021. Gevo suspends operations at its Luverne facility Gevo, Inc. announced at the end of March that, due to the im-pact the COVID-19 virus has had on the economy and Gevo’s industry, Gevo has suspended production operations at its production facility in Luverne, Minn., for the foreseeable fu-ture. In connection with the suspension of operations and the overall economic disruption caused by COVID-19, Gevo also made the difficult decision to terminate 30 employees, cutting across Agri-Energy’s operations at the Luverne facility and Gevo’s headquarters in Colorado. The remaining employees that earn above a certain dollar threshold, including senior ex-ecutives, have agreed to take a 20 per cent salary reduction over the next three months, with the 20 per cent portion to be paid in stock. With these steps, Gevo expects to save several million dollars of cash burn during 2020. Gevo expects to continue the production of renewable isooctane and sustainable aviation fuel from the plant in Sils-bee, Tex. Additionally, Gevo intends to continue developing its hydrocarbon business, including the planned expansion of the Luverne facility, and will continue to move forward in se-curing the project funding needed to expand the Luverne facil-ity. The expansion is designed to allow Gevo to produce large quantities of low carbon isobutanol, sustainable aviation fuel and renewable isooctane. Gevo also expects to continue engineering efforts for the expansion of isobutanol production and the construction of a commercial renewable hydrocarbon production facility, as well as additional decarbonization projects at the Luverne Fa-cility. Furthermore, Gevo plans on continuing the development of its biogas projects in Northern Iowa.. GREENFIELD GLOBAL PRODUCING HAND SANITIZERS, DISINFECTANTS TO FIGHT COVID-19 Greenfield Global Inc. has been producing and shipping vital alcohols and solvents at a record pace to combat the worldwide spread of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. As part of this effort, the company has adjusted its pro-duction to maximize disinfectant, hand sanitizer, pharma-ceutical and food processing materials to supply the North American market at this time of increased need via its Pharmco and Commercial Alcohols brands. The 30-year-old company, which produces over 700 million litres per year of high-quality beverage alcohol, high-purity pharmaceutical and industrial alcohol, and fuel ethanol has maximized its production to keep up with increasing demand. This includes prioritizing its efforts to support indispensable front-line workers fighting the spread of COVID-19 (i.e., hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research labs, janitorial services, etc.), as well as other customers involved in meeting the demand for disinfectant products. Internal teams have also been tasked with developing plans to quickly increase production to satisfy the growing demand. In cases where community funds or supplies have run dry, Greenfield is donating product to improve the health and safety of residents who have resorted to using impro-vised sanitizers and disinfectants. 6 Canadian BIOMASS SPRING 2020
Canadian Biomass Spring 2020: Page 6
