International Biomass Conference & Expo is where future and existing producers of biobased power, fuels and thermal energy products go to network with waste generators and other industry suppliers and technology providers. It’s where project developers converse with utility executives; where researchers and technology developers rub elbows with venture capitalists; and where Fortune 500 executives and influential policy makers sit side-by-side with American farmers and foresters.

The event  will include 30-plus panels and more than 100 speakers, including 90 technical presentations on topics ranging from anaerobic digestion and gasification to pyrolysis and combined heat and power, all within the structured framework of six customized tracks:

Track 1: Crop Residues

Track 2: Dedicated Energy Crops

Track 3: Forest and Wood Processing Residues

Track 4: Livestock and Poultry Wastes

Track 5: MSW, Urban Wastes and Landfill Gas

Track 6: Food Processing Residues

Date: April 16-19, 2012

Venue: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado, USA

TO know more about the event and registration details, visit: http://biomassconference.com

From it’s inception in 1985, the mission of the event has remained constant: The FEW delivers timely presentations with a strong focus on commercial-scale ethanol production – from quality control and yield maximization to regulatory compliance and fiscal management. The FEW is also the ethanol industry’s premier forum for unveiling new technologies and research findings. The program extensively covers cellulosic ethanol while remaining committed to optimizing existing grain ethanol operations.

The 2012 FEW program is segmented into four concurrent tracks:

Track 1: PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS
Track 2: LEADERSHIP & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Track 3: COPRODUCTS & PRODUCT DIVERSIFICATION
Track 4: CELLULOSIC ETHANOL

Date: June 4-12 2012

Venue: Minneapolis Convention  Center, Minneapolis

For more details on the event and registration rates, visit www.fuelethanolworkshop.com

In addition to the two day conference there will also be an opportunity for the conference attendees to  visit BioGasol’s pretreatment and C5 fermentation pilots as well as Inbicon’s Kalundborg Demonstration Plant.

Key Topics include:

• Economic challenges & developments of lignofuels
• European market outlook & policy
• Feedstock optimisation
• Case Studies: Cellulosic Ethanol
• Case Studies: Alternative Lignofuels
• Biobutanol production
• Pre-treatment technologies
• Gasification & Pyrolysis pathways
• Fermentation & Hydrolysis improvements
• Future advancements to meet requirements of the Transportation industry

Date: 28 – 29 September 2011

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Click here for more details

Dilute acid pre-treatment of biomass can result in the formation of Furfural and HMF (5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde). These compounds disrupt the yeast genetic material by degrading the yeast cell walls, thereby inhibiting the growth of yeast and  lower ethanol yields.

Well, scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have discovered a new biorefinery tsrain of the common baker’s yeast, called NRRL Y-50049. They say that this strain is capable of neglecting the effects of furfural and HMF.

Scientists used a unique approached called “evolutionary engineering”, speeding up the microbe’s natural adaptation to the hostile environment created by the inhibitors. As of now, this has been tested in a small-scale fermenter. The scientists aim to carry out a trial run in a much larger fermenter and also have plans of studying various genes responsible for this behavior.

For more information, click here.

Washington State Senator, Mariah Cantwell, has recently said that BCAP would be the easiest route to initiate farmers to grow camelina and thereby produce biofuels.  ”Unless many more Western U.S. farmers grow camelina, few companies will invest money in production facilities to turn camelina oil into biodiesel, or its higher-value option, “green” aviation fuel” Cantwell said.

Farmers at eastern parts of Washington  would recieve upto $4.5 million from the BCAP program for five years, if they grow camelina. To be a part of the BCAP, farmers would have to enroll themselves by mid-September.

Cantwell expresses that once this program is established and camelina is grown, there would be a boost in the jet-fuel industry, not to mention the amount of jobs that would be available.

For more information, follow these links:

Western Farm Press

The Spokesman

The company aims to bring into force a novel enzymatic hydrolysis process which will then be incorporated into all the existing plants. Abengoa has carried out all initial tests and has perfected the technologies by testing it in its plants situated in York and Salamanca.

The company thinks that this will be an eye-opener for the cellulosic ethanol industry and lead way to a more secure energy future

ZeaChem has been known for its ethanol manufacturing facility that employs a unique technology of breaking the biomass into sugars and subsequently inject it into the guts of bacteria to produce acetic acid which is then mixed with hydrogen to produce ethanol.  Presently, ZeaChem owns a pilot plant in California. Simultaneously, a demonstration plant is being built in Oregon which is expected to produce 250,000 gallons of ethanol annually.

Chrysler seems to have given the cellulosic ethanol industry a helping hand! Lets hope the industry sets its foot into something big!

This new center is expected to produce 8 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, in addition to generating  power for up to 6 MW. The construction of the bioenergy center has begun and is presently 20% complete. It has been projected to start operations by mid of 2012.

Peter Williams, Ineos Bio CEO and chairman of Ineos New Planet BioEnergy, said. “The Vero Beach BioEnergy Center is the first of its kind in the world and provides a template for a technology that can make a real contribution to energy independence and job creation, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diverting wastes from landfill and lower value users.”

Kudzu grows well under a wide range of conditions and in most soil types. Preferred habitats are forest edges, abandoned fields, roadsides and disturbed areas where sunlight is abundant. Over a period of several years, it will kill trees by blocking the sunlight and for this and other reasons many would like to find ways to get rid of it. Once established, these plants grow rapidly, extending as much as 20m per season at a rate of about 30cm per day.

It has been suggested by researchers working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Kudzu may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol.   Due to the starch (sugar) content, kudzu can be used to replace corn to make ethanol. All the kudzu plant is used after harvesting, no part goes wasted.

Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent). Daidzin is a cancer preventive and is structurally related to genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate.) It has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headaches.It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea.

Apart from the fuel part of it, Kudzu is widely used for:

• Relieving constipation.
• Slowing down the ageing process.
• Boosting the immunity.
• Kudzu is used for the treatment of cough, rheumatism, and malarial fever.
• swellings of joints.
• The herb is an aphrodisiac, emetic and a general tonic.
• Treating skin discolorations.

There is a big market for biopolymers. According to a USDA study conducted in 2008, bio-based polymers could account for nearly 33 percent of the total global market by 2025.

Interested and want to read more?? Click here