A laboratory in Yucatán, Mexico has developed a prototype system that converts seaweed into biogas. Scientists started experimenting with sargassum after large quantities of the seaweed began washing up on the Yucatán coast. Raúl Tapia Tussell, head researcher in the renewable energy unit at the Yucatán Scientific Research Center (CICY) told newspaper El Economista... [Read More]

The Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre (GRREC) has officially opened. The site in Polmadie, in the south of the city, is the first of its kind in Scotland. It will be operated by UK recycling, resource and waste management company Viridor. The facility will divert more than 200,000 tonnes of the city’s green bin residual waste from landfill every year and... [Read More]

The University of British Columbia is to spend $20.4 million (€18.4 million) expanding its wood waste to energy plant, with an additional $7.6 million (€6.8 million) in federal support. The university built its initial biomass-fuelled research and demonstration facility in 2012 in partnership with Vancouver-based bioenergy firm Nexterra Systems and General Electric.... [Read More]

Finnish food company Apetit has signed an agreement to build a bioenergy plant at its site in Kirkkonummi in southern Finland. The company received an environmental permit for the project which is expected to be completed in October 2020. Originally, Apetit was granted an investment aid for the project based on renewable energy by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and... [Read More]

Reading Festival, one of the UK’s most iconic events, will be turning human waste into renewable energy. Waste produced by festivalgoers will be collected at the site and converted into electricity. The waste products will be collected by Thames Water during the five-day event as part of a green energy drive by the organisers. Nine tankers with the capacity to... [Read More]

US start-up company Electro-Active Technologies has licensed two biorefinery technologies to convert organic waste into renewable hydrogen gas for use as a biofuel. The technologies were invented and patented by the Tennessee start-ups co-founders, Abjijeet Borole and Alex Lewis, while working at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according... [Read More]

Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods have announced they are ‘breaking ground’ on North Carolina’s largest renewable natural gas (RNG) project. It is the first manure-to-energy project to begin construction under Align Renewable Natural Gas, a joint venture between Dominion and Smithfield. Once fully operational, the project will generate enough energy to power... [Read More]

The Canadian city of Montreal is investing $167 million (€150 million) to establish a biomethane plant and generate renewable gas energy. Once operational, the plant will produce biomethane which could create enough renewable gas to power around 3,600 homes. It will see 60,000 tonnes of organic waste processed annually rather than being sent to landfill. The new... [Read More]

Global resource management company Veolia has called for a ban on peat use in compost, to help reach net-zero carbon targets. Peat is made from partly decomposed plant material and forms in waterlogged areas. Peat harvesting (and burning) has long been a major industry in Ireland. The organic material is also attractive for compost use, as it retains water without soaking... [Read More]

Spanish sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy firm Acciona has won a major contract to operate a waste to energy plant in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Ness Energy Project will have the capacity to treat 150,000 tonnes of waste per year. Acciona will be responsible for the design and turnkey construction, commissioning and operation and maintenance of the plant... [Read More]

The Canadian city of Vancouver is considering processing dog waste using anaerobic digestion. Local reports suggest the city will soon hire staff to remove dog waste from dog waste bags, which residents are currently required to use before depositing the waste in designated bins. A recent report by the Bowen Island Undercurrent stated that city tender documents reveal... [Read More]

Danish shipping company Norden has signed a contract with Enviva to transport 1.3 – 1.5 million metric tonnes of wood pellets from the US to Europe over six years. The contract of affreightment (CoA), which runs from 2021 to 2026, is a further extension of the relationship between the two companies, which have been working together since 2012. Norden now holds several... [Read More]

A new incinerator which could burn up to 200,000 tonnes of waste per year is being planned in Cardiff, Wales. The proposed facility would be based near Wentloog Corporate Park in the east of the Welsh city, according to a report by Wales Online. The £150 million (€164.6 million) energy plant would produce 15MW of electricity – enough to power up to 30,000 homes... [Read More]

New legislation was introduced on 13 August to extend tax credits for investments in qualified renewable energy production. The bill, named the Renewable Electricity Tax Credit Equalisation Act, was introduced by US Representatives Elise Stefanik and Scott Peters and covers investments in renewable energy production including closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass,... [Read More]

The first power plant fuelled by turkey manure and wood chips in the US has been demolished, but a new biogas facility may take its place. The Fibrominn biomass plant in Benson, Minnesota, was built in 2007 to provide an alternative to land-spreading turkey litter. It was the first of its kind in the US and produced 55MW of electric power by burning turkey manure combined... [Read More]

A Dorset-based company has agreed to a major contract to supply wood waste to a plant in South Wales. Under the new contract, Eco Sustainable Solutions will supply Margam Green waste wood plant with up to 50,000 tonnes of waste wood per year over five years. Margam Green is a 250,000 tonnes-per-year capacity plant owned by Glennmont Partners, which acquired the site... [Read More]