Each Friday afternoon, Biomass Magazine's editorial team brings you industry news followed by insightful discussions with staff writers, foreign correspondents, technical experts and industry insiders. From process technology to project finance, transportation to trade - you'll hear it here first.
Latest Episodes
One Powerful Microbe
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Lisa Gibson discusses her feature on Qteros, which recently announced that by using the Q Microbe, it has achieved production of 70 grams of ethanol per liter of fermentation broth in the laboratory.
August 7, 2009 at 09:48 AM CST
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Download mp3Aquatic Biomass-to-Natural Gas
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Anna Austin discusses a project involving Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Genifuel Corp. to grow aquatic biomass and convert it into natural gas.
July 31, 2009 at 11:15 AM CST
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Download mp3Island of Energy Independence
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Lisa Gibson discusses her feature about the Isle of Wight's desire to be energy independent and the gasification system that is helping the island achieve that goal.
July 22, 2009 at 03:26 PM CST
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Download mp3X-cellerating Biomass-Based Power
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Anna Austin discusses her feature about Xcel Energy and the conversion of the last co-fired boiler at its Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland, Wis.
July 17, 2009 at 08:54 AM CST
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Download mp3The Ties that Bind
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Lisa Gibson discusses a new gasification technology that turns creosote-treated railroad ties into renewable energy.
July 9, 2009 at 05:47 PM CST
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Download mp3Making Biofuels one Microbe at a Time
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Anna Austin discusses the University of California-San Francisco's research involving a genetically engineered brewer's yeast and a cellulose-eating bacterium.
June 25, 2009 at 05:45 PM CST
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Download mp3Betting on Biobutanol
Biomass Magazine Associate Editor Anna Austin talks about ethanol's energy dense cousin biobutanol.
June 18, 2009 at 04:50 PM CST
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Download mp3Examining the Benefits of CHP
Jeff Coombe, manager of technical studies at BBI International's engineering and consulting division discuss the white paper the group has written about Combined Heat and Power.
June 12, 2009 at 09:21 AM CST
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Download mp3Advanced Biofuels Workshop Sneak Peek
BBI International's Vice President of Content and Communications Tom Bryan discusses the upcoming Advanced Biofuels Workshop & Expo which is being held June 15th in conjunction with the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
June 5, 2009 at 09:08 AM CST
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Download mp3Seeing the Biomass and the Forest
Biomass associate editor Lisa Gibson discusses her feature on balancing the need to produce clean energy from woody biomass and preserving the nation's forestlands.
May 29, 2009 at 09:26 AM CST
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Download mp3Biomass Conference Review
Biomass Magazine editor Rona Johnson and associate editor Anna Austin talk about the 2009 International Biomass Conference and Expo, which drew more than 1,000 people to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
May 20, 2009 at 03:17 PM CST
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Download mp3Quacking Volumes of Potential
Biomass Magazine associate editor Bryan Sims discusses research activity into the development of duckweed as an ethanol feedstock.
May 15, 2009 at 09:24 AM CST
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Download mp3Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Biomass Magazine assistant editor Susanne Retka Schill talks about the town of Smethport, Penn., where engineer and construction firms are vying to build a communitywide woody biomass-powered, combined-heat-and-power district energy system.
May 8, 2009 at 01:14 PM CST
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Download mp3Explosion of Biogas Plants
Biomass Magazine associate editor Anna Austin discusses Stormfisher Biogas's ambitious plan to build up to 30 anaerobic digestion plants in North America.
May 1, 2009 at 09:49 AM CST
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Download mp3A Moving Experience
Biomass Magazine Editor Rona Johnson talks with Randy Hill, president of APT Advanced Trailer and Equipment about his company's plans for its agricultural crop drying trailer for biomass and how it could impact the industry.
April 24, 2009 at 09:24 AM CST
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Download mp3Sewer Sludge to Fuel
Senior Staff Writer Ron Kotrba talks about EnerTech's SlurryCarb process, which turns sewer sludge into E-Fuel, a renewable solid fuel substitute for coal.
April 17, 2009 at 10:07 AM CST
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Download mp3Biomass Conference Preview
Tom Bryan, BBI International's vice president of communications and content talks about the upcoming International BIOMASS Conference & Expo. The conference is being held April 28-30 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
March 20, 2009 at 11:22 AM CST
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Download mp3Pelleting Prowess
Staff Writer Anna Austin discusses her profile feature about Western Oregon Wood Products and its owner Chris Sharron. The Oregon company uses sawmill waste to make wood pellets, fire logs and animal bedding.
March 13, 2009 at 09:19 AM CST
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Download mp3Mixing Alcohol and Anaerobic Digestion
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen discusses ways that brewers and distillers use anaerobic digestion to produce renewable energy.
March 6, 2009 at 10:36 AM CST
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Download mp3The View from Capital Hill
Senior Staff Writer Ron Kotrba discusses an interview he did with Valri Lightner, the acting director for the federal Biomass Program. Lightner talked about how the program is being used to meet the new renewable fuels standard.
February 27, 2009 at 12:13 PM CST
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Download mp3Dethroning King Coal
Staff Writer Anna Austin talks about coal powered utilities that are planning to cofire with biomass or switching to 100 percent biomass.
February 20, 2009 at 09:13 AM CST
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Download mp3Biomass Pelletizing
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen talks about the benefits of densifying biomass and the challenges involved in pelletizing the many different varieties of biomass.
February 13, 2009 at 11:04 AM CST
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Download mp3Biomass Conference Preview
Tom Bryan, BBI International's Vice President of Communications, gives us a preview of the upcoming 2009 International BIOMASS Conference & Expo. The conference will be held April 28th- 30th in Portland, Oregon.
February 6, 2009 at 09:00 AM CST
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Download mp3In the Market for Pellets
Staff Writer Ron Kotrba discusses his feature on wood pellets. In his article, Kotrba examined the differences between pellet use in Europe and the United States to find out why Europe's market is so much larger.
January 30, 2009 at 10:30 AM CST
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Download mp3From Digestion to Distribution
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen discusses anaerobic digestion in America's dairy land. Christiansen talks about how dairy farmers and power companies are working together to find funding for anaerobic digesters and the means to distribute the energy that's produced.
January 23, 2009 at 10:57 AM CST
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Download mp3Taking Torrefaction to New Heights
Staff Writer Anna Austin talks about the commercial development of torrefaction. The thermochemical treatment process can be used to turn biomass into a substance that can be co-fired with coal for energy production or in gasifier operations.
January 16, 2009 at 08:56 AM CST
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Download mp3Size Matters
Staff Writer Anna Austin discusses two industry experts' answers to the question: what is the best size for a biomass-fired power plant?
January 9, 2009 at 09:39 AM CST
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Download mp3Corncob Logistics
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen discusses his feature, "Craving Corn AND the Cob," which details several prototypes that have been developed to harvest corn and corncobs for cellulosic ethanol production.
December 19, 2008 at 09:56 AM CST
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Download mp3Canada's Green Machine
Senior Staff Writer Ron Kotrba discusses the city of Toronto's efforts to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill.
December 12, 2008 at 09:26 AM CST
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Download mp3Hot Commodity
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen talks about the development of a commodity exchange program for biomass. The exchange is expected to be in operation by the end of 2009.
December 5, 2008 at 09:41 AM CST
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Download mp3A Global Perspective
Contributions Editor Dave Nilles interviews Travis Hochard, who attended the Fourth World Biofuels Symposium in Beijing, China.
November 21, 2008 at 09:46 AM CST
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Download mp3Plasma Gasification Potential
Staff Writer Bryan Sims talks about his feature "Proving out Plasma Gasification." The feature is about how plasma gasification has become more economically viable as the cost of transporting and disposing of municipal waste has increased.
November 14, 2008 at 10:47 AM CST
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Download mp3Innovations from the Prairie
Staff Writer Jerry Kram discusses his November feature "Plastics From the Prairie." The article focuses on research being conducted at North Dakota State University to make reinforced composite plastics from crops grown in the Midwest.
November 7, 2008 at 10:17 AM CST
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Download mp3Acid Trip
Senior Staff writer Ron Kotrba talks about a feature he wrote for the November issue. It focuses on the opportunity for biorefineries to produce ethanol and biochemicals such as lactic, acetic or succinic acid.
October 31, 2008 at 09:52 AM CST
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Download mp3Biomass Business Connection
BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota Senior Program Manager Gregg Mast talks about his group's role in a recent international conference and activities aimed at boosting his state's biomass industry.
October 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM CST
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Download mp3Rice Power
Staff Writer Bryan Sims talks about a company that is making rice straw powered generators for use in remote villiages in India that don't have electricity.
October 16, 2008 at 04:19 PM CST
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Download mp3Cellulosic Seeds
Staff Writer Kris Bevill talks about her feature titled, "Building Better Energy Crops." The article is about Ceres Inc., a company that is developing seeds for the crops that will be needed to produce second-generation biofuels.
October 10, 2008 at 10:15 AM CST
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Download mp3Plastic Waste Plight
Senior Staff Writer Ron Kotrba talks about his feature called "Power and Fuel From Plastic Wastes ", involving environmentally friendly ways to dispose of plastic waste, and at the same time, produce power and fuel.
October 3, 2008 at 09:11 AM CST
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Download mp3Trash Talk
Anna Austin goes in depth about her feature on a generator developed by the US Army and Purdue University that runs on trash and produces fuel and power.
September 26, 2008 at 10:12 AM CST
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Download mp3Talk is Powerful in Tualco County
Staff Writer Ryan Christiansen looks into an anaerobic digestion project in the Pacific Northwest involving environmentalists, dairy farmers and local Indian tribes.
September 19, 2008 at 10:05 AM CST
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Download mp3Waste Not, Want Not
This week's podcast features BBI International's Frank Baumgardt, who wrote a technical paper titled, "Waste(d) Opportunities." The paper is about the potential for converting waste feedstock into energy.
September 12, 2008 at 09:27 AM CST
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Download mp3An Algae Education
BBI International's Jeff Coombe discusses his recently released report titled, "Technologies for Commercial Production of Algae." The report is available online at http://store.bbiinternational.com.
September 5, 2008 at 09:10 AM CST
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Download mp3Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Staff Writer Jerry Kram elaborates on his feature about a group of researchers working in Minnesota's Superior National Forest to gauge the environmental and economic costs of removing biomass from the forest.
August 29, 2008 at 09:10 AM CST
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Download mp3Masters of Disaster Debris
Senior Staff Writer Ron Kotrba discusses how debris is managed in the aftermath of a disaster.
August 22, 2008 at 09:50 AM CST
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Download mp3Future Fuels Oceans of Biomass
Staff Writer Anna Austin talks about the ocean's potential as a source of biomass for energy and biofuels production.
August 15, 2008 at 09:26 AM CST
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Download mp3Future Fuels
Contributions Editor Dave Nilles and BBI International's Program Director Travis Hochard preview BBI's upcoming Advanced Biofuels Workshop & Tradeshow that will be held in Minneapolis September 28-30, 2008.
August 8, 2008 at 09:38 AM CST
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Download mp3Sprucing Up Wood Waste
Anna Austin discusses her August feature about the cleaning and recycling of wood waste.
August 1, 2008 at 10:10 AM CST
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Download mp3Sugar-Coated Biomass Resource
Kris Bevill looks into a project that may turn sugar beet waste into methane.
July 25, 2008 at 11:23 AM CST
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Download mp3Introducing Vertroleum
Staff Writer Bryan Sims talks about his recent trip to Baytown, Texas, where he interviewed John Rivera of Sustainable Power Corp. as the company prepares to introduce a biomass-based bio-crude called Vertroleum.
July 18, 2008 at 11:43 AM CST
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Download mp3Moving Mountains of Biomass
Senior staff writer Ron Kotrba talks about feeding the biomass gasifier at Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co.
July 11, 2008 at 10:56 AM CST
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Download mp3Pellet Standards and Testing Methods
Features Editor Rona Johnson and staff writer Jerry Kram discuss the pellet standards and testing methods that are being developed by Twin Ports Testing and Pellet Fuels Institute.
June 27, 2008 at 12:43 PM CST