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A 20-ton per day mobile pyrolysis unit is being used in Washington State to perform pyrolysis on wood chips near the place where they’re generated. Pyrolysis chemically decomposes organic matter (like wood chips) with heat but without oxygen. Turning small trees into a potentially useful feedstock is the first step. The second step is finding a use for…

Grow-Tech, a member partner of the Sustainable Bioplastics Council of Maine, recently announced the release of  BioStrate Felt™, “a biobased textile specifically engineered for the growing of hydroponic microgreens and baby salad greens.  BioStrate Felt™ was developed in-house with the support of USDA funding and is manufactured in Maine.  The blend of biopolymers and natural fibers is…

GLOBEco Maine makes a paper towel alternative that is compostable and more sustainable — and they want to manufacture these towels in Dover-Foxcroft. GLOBEco’s Chief Technology Officer, Bob Chiosi, said the benefits of manufacturing in Maine are reduced transportation costs and carbon footprint. Spun wood fiber from Canada would be woven, treated, cut, sown, and…

The Department of Energy (DOE) just issued a funding opportunity entitled “Landscape Design for Sustainable Bioenergy Systems.” DOE is looking for interdisciplinary projects that integrate cellulosic feedstock production with landscape design in existing agricultural/forestry system. Available funding is capped at $14 million.

The size of the growing global bioplastics market is now valued at $3.94 billion, according to a recent report. As companies are increasingly faced with high raw material costs, volatile crude oil prices, consumer demand for more responsible products, and increasing regulation of toxic chemicals, the market for bioplastics will continue to grow.

The City of Edmonton, Canada is upping the ante on the percentage of its waste that’s converted into other materials – from 60% to 90% (a world-leading level). The company Enerkem has developed technology to aggregate, sort, and clean municipal waste and convert it into methanol. Instead of $90 per ton to landfill the waste,…