Is burning wood for energy a good idea? Certainly, using wood, wood pellets, and charcoal for heating and cooking can replace fossil fuels and may result in lower CO2 emissions overall. Also, wood can be…
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Forest Biomaterials
Forest biomaterials are a class of solid materials derived from trees and shrubs. Forest biomaterials are a source of renewable products that offer many benefits in terms of abundance, low density, strength, cost, easily shaped…
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Climate Change Experts
So, what exactly is climate change and what do climate change experts do? Climate change is defined as a change in global or regional climate patterns. It is most pronounced from the mid to late…
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More Rubber Extraction Refineries Coming?
Are more rubber extraction refineries in our future? In 2004, the History Channel broadcast a Modern Marvels Special on Natural Rubber. My favorite quote from that special is “Our four most important natural resources are…
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Hot Prospects for Chemicals from Biomass
Chemicals from Biomass? A major theme of 21st Century industrial development will be replacement of fossil resources by renewable resources in the production of fuels and chemicals. Due to their massive scale and cost, the…
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Organic Acids: Key Facilitators of the Bio-economy
Organic Acids: Key Facilitators of the Bio-economy? Recent declines in oil prices and the failure of start-up biofuel processes to meet production cost targets have increased the interest in producing value added chemicals from biomass…
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Early-stage, Breakthrough Technologies: Biofuels, 10 of the Best
The concept of early stage, breakthrough biofuels technologies is a bit of an oxymoron. At an early stage how does one determine if it something is a “breakthrough” biofuels technology? This article, first published in…
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CAN/CSA-ISO 17225 Solid Biofuels Standards for Forest Biomass
In 2015, the Canadian Standards Association adopted and published a series of CAN/CSA – ISO 17225 Solid Biofuels Standards based on the harmonization of European and ISO standards. The objective of the series, as stated…
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An Overview of the Biochar and Activated Carbon Markets
Activated carbon markets? Biochar is an emerging market; growing rapidly, still in its infancy, but with gigaton market potential when we, as in humanity, start addressing the climate crisis. Activated carbons are a mature market…
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Advanced Fermentation Agitation with Methanotrophs and Other Organisms
By Gregory T. Benz, Lee Enterprises Consulting Introduction Advanced fermentation processes, both aerobic and anaerobic, have been successful on an industrial scale for quite a long time, producing a wide variety of products. In most of…
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