Genesis Energy has found its coal-burning unit in Waikato can also produce electricity when fed wood. The Huntly power station replaced planet-heating coal with wood in a trial to bring down the facility’s large carbon footprint. In a busy year, the plant can import more than a million tonnes of coal to feed the national grid. Owner Genesis Energy has …
Government missing opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The announcement that the NZ Government has dropped the Sustainable Biofuels Obligation Bill is not surprising as the Government has consistently looked at the opportunities for greenhouse gas emissions reduction with the wrong lens. New Zealand is rich in sources of biomass which can produce greater economic and wellbeing opportunities for NZ Inc, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The …
Researchers partner to pelletise waste materials
The idea of using biomass or non-recyclable materials to produce power has been around for a long time, but techniques for developing a consistent feedstock to produce a fuel that is economical compared to coal, resistant to moisture, and has no spontaneous combustion in storage has been a daunting challenge. Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory, working with Michigan Technological University …
Fonterra and Genesis want to replace coal with wood
Genesis Energy and Fonterra want to use wood biomass to generate electricity and heat. Genesis interim chief executive Tracey Hickman said the companies signed an agreement to work together and explore the viability of biomass as a substitute for coal. The possibility of a domestic biomass supply chain would also be investigated, Hickman said. The companies had signed a biomass …
Never grapple with slash again
A new take on an old method to deal with forestry slash is set to help New Zealand logging crews more effectively manage skid sites and landings……with the potential to increase productivity. The locally developed Falcon Slash Grapple Rake brings fresh thinking to slash control in a typical Kiwi approach. The Falcon Slash Grapple Rake fits around two of the …
US$80m grant to make jet fuel from wood chips
A Georgia plant turning wood residue into jet fuel is receiving a big chunk of new federal funding to boost production, in the hopes that its products can eventually lower the climate change impact of the airline industry and other sectors. The Department of Energy announced that it is awarding a US$80 million grant to AVAPCO LLC, a biofuel, biochemical …
Waste not, want not: UN report on wood residues
Wood residues – the materials left over when trees are logged and processed – hold the potential to support resource-efficient energy access, revitalize rural economies and help mitigate climate change, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The role of wood residues in the transition to sustainable bioenergy, produced in collaboration …
