Genesis Energy and Fonterra want to use wood biomass to generate electricity and heat. Genesis interim chief executive Tracey Hickman said the companies signed an agreement to work together and explore the viability of biomass as a substitute for coal. The possibility of a domestic biomass supply chain would also be investigated. The companies had signed a biomass collaboration agreement as they looked for an alternative fuel source to help decarbonise the businesses, she said. The agreement came ahead of a trial to burn biomass at Genesis’ Huntly Power Station next week, Hickman said. …The biomass used in the trial was black torrefied biomass was made from tree sawdust. The process created a solid and uniform pellets that had about 30% more energy than raw biomass, Hickman said. Burned torrefied biomass generally produced less than 10% of the emissions of coal, she said.

Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Corp. and Green Earth Institute Co. Ltd. agreed to look into the production of wood-based cellulosic bioethanol in Japan and its development into products including sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, Nippon Paper said in a statement. Under the agreement the companies will study the possibility of producing “several tens of thousands of kiloliters per year of bioethanol” derived from domestic timber at Nippon Paper’s mills in the fiscal year 2027. Nippon Paper said the bioethanol’s main use will be as a feedstock for SAF. Earlier this year the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that total production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, tripled in 2022, reaching at least 300 million liters, or about 79.3 million gallons compared with 100 million liters, or 26.4 million gallons, the previous year.

Warming temperatures unleash termites in more areas of the world, and more termites may actually accelerate warming temperatures. Scientists say it’s time for climate prediction models to take note. Not only do termites find warm and humid climates more hospitable, but they consume and decay wood at much higher rates in such climates, according to an international team of scientists including Florida International University biologist Oscar Valverde-Barrantes. As the termites consume wood, they release stored carbon into the atmosphere. More carbon dioxide means higher temperatures—a vicious cycle not currently accounted for in current climate predictions, Valverde-Barrantes said. …Using climatic models, the scientists concluded that termite habitats could increase by more than 30 percent of their current range. As they consume more wood, they will release carbon that has been stored in previously untapped forests for hundreds of years. 

An updated guide written by eight conservation and Indigenous organizations offers a detailed path forward for companies that want to offset their carbon emissions. Though the carbon market faces criticism over the true value it brings to climate change mitigation, proponents say it can complement earnest efforts to decarbonize supply chains if used properly. The updated Tropical Forest Credit Integrity guide calls for due diligence on the part of companies to ensure the credits they purchase will result in climate gains. The authors of the guide also stress the importance of including Indigenous peoples and local communities in decisions about offset projects.