INDUSTRY NEWS


ISCC Plus certification for UPM Biofuels


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n 18 April, it was announced that UPM Biofuels has extended sustainability


certification to cover all of its output streams from the Lappeenranta Biorefinery in Finland under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Scheme (ISCC Plus). UPM Biofuels produces renewable diesel and naphtha at the Lappeenranta Biorefinery in Finland. Wood-based renewable diesel UPM BioVerno for transportation is the main product. However, the process also generates a smaller share of renewable naphtha, which can be used as a biocomponent for petrol. Existing biofuel sustainability certifications cover the use of these renewable fuels in transportation. However, with the new ISCC Plus certificate, the wood-based fuels can now also be utilised as certified feedstock, for example in bioplastics production. Other output streams from the Lappeenranta Biorefinery


the scope of this certification can be extended by voluntary add-ons like the Greenhouse Gas Emission Calculation, which is also included in the certification scope of UPM Biofuels.


Sari Mannonen, Sales and Marketing Director, UPM Biofuels, with certificate.


are renewable turpentine, pitch and sodium bisulphite, which are formed as residues of biofuel production. Like the main products, all these residues have several applications in the chemical industry. ISCC Plus is a sustainability certification scheme for bio-based applications like chemicals, food and feed products and applications in the bioenergy sector. It is built on the same basic requirements as the biofuel specific ISCC-EU scheme, covering sustainability and traceability criteria. In addition,


Sari Mannonen, Sales and Marketing Director, UPM Biofuels, stated: “The new ISCC Plus certification complements UPM’s existing biofuel specific sustainability certificate portfolio to cover new potential bio-based market segments and their requirements. There is a growing need for certified renewable fuels and chemicals, for example in the biochemical and bioplastics industries, which are seeking replacements for fossil usage in their processes and end- use.


“For example, UPM’s renewable turpentine can be used in the production of bio-based aroma chemicals for the fragrance industry and sodium bisulphite as a bleach in the chemical industry.”


Clean energy at chicken farm


Reno, Nevada-based ElectraTherm, a leader in distributed, waste heat to power generation, has shipped a Power+ Generator 4400 to a chicken farm in the United Kingdom This is its second installation in the country to use biomass to generate emission- free electricity.


The American firm utilises Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and proprietary technologies to generate power from low temperature heat ranging from 77-122° C. At this site, the farm is using wood chips to heat a 600kW


biomass boiler to 116° C. The boiler heats water to run the Power+ Gen- erator and produces clean electricity that is sold back to the utility at an incentivised rate. The Power+ also acts as a combined heat and power system, and remaining heat from ElectraTherm’s condenser helps dry wood chips as part of biomass processing.


“The addition of the Power+ Gen- erator to the farm produces power that is clean, efficient and generates revenue,” said Mick Jones, Director


of Woodtek Energy, one of ElectraTh- erm’s UK distributors. “The addi- tion of ORC technology is a critical component of our operations and the benefits of the Power+ Generator are proven with more than 50 machines in the field and more than 500,000 hours of operational runtime.” ElectraTherm’s Power+ Generator is available in three different sizes. The 4200 generates up to 35kWe, the 4400 generates up to 65kWe and the 6500 is the largest model, generating up to 110kWe.


EU funds forest mapping in Brazil


The European Union has funded a project known as Combined Positioning-Reflectometry Galileo Code Receiver for Forest Manage- ment (COREGAL), which aims to harness the combined power of positioning and reflectometry technology in order to create


a low-cost, unmanned aerial platform for biomass mapping of the Brazilian Amazon forest. This platform is the first of its kind, combining GNSS technology with drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems.


Not only is Brazil a large country,


but much of it is covered by the dense Amazon rainforest. A state- ment on the European Commis- sion website said: “Trying to man- age such a rugged and isolated area using traditional mapping, surveying and land management tools is simply impossible”.


SMALLTALK 1


WRA re-elects members to Board


Members of the Wood Recy- clers Association (WRA) have re-elected three of its current Board members to help oversee its management for the next three years.


The election saw three of the current Board facing a vote to retain their seats. All three - Geoff Hadfield, David Laing and Paul Caldwell, were re-elected by WRA members for a further three years.


Chair of the WRA, Andy Hill, said: “We had a great turn out by members voting for the elections this year which is really encouraging. The WRA plays a vital role in the UK’s wood recycling sector and it is crucial we have a strong Board to take us forward.”


The aim of the WRA is to pro- mote the interests of its member companies and the wood recy- cling sector in the UK, including: providing a voice for the sector; influencing UK and European leg- islation; promoting the sector to policymakers; and assisting mem- bers to understand and respond to changing market conditions, legislation and regulation.


US data firm backs wood for biofuels


A US-based data firm has stated that wood is the best feedstock choice to be converted into biofuels because it is the oldest energy source on the planet. In a statement, North Carolina- based Forset2Market said wood works as a logical choice for biofu- els because “the number of trees growing in the US has increased by more than 50% in the past 60 years” and “the wood supply chain is mature and stable”. The organisation concluded that for project developers and investors pursuing greener re- placements for petroleum-based fuels and chemicals, the choice of feedstock is a critical early decision point.


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