Tradeline, Inc. filters and categorizes new-construction and industry news from regional and professional journals across the country. Here you will find new projects, products, and regulatory updates.
Industry News
Dow Chemcial Builds Algae Ethanol Plant
Dow Chemical Co. is partnering with Algenol Biofuels of Naples, Fla., to construct an ethanol production plant in Freeport, Texas. The facility will utilize algae to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol. Able to produce 100,000 gallons of ethanol per year, the facility will feature bioreactors made of advanced materials and specialty films created by Dow. Algenol is also constructing an $850 million demonstration plant in Mexico with partner Sonora Fields S.A.P.I. de C.V., a subsidiary of Biofields.
Maui Community College Plans Innovative Green Science Building
Maui Community College's planned $26 million, 34,000-sf science building, designed by Design Partners of Honolulu, is targeted for LEED Gold certification-a real challenge, as some of the LEED criteria, such as using building materials obtained from within a few hundred miles, are impossible for the island location. The building will house eight separate laboratories, a lecture hall, a large foyer intended for exhibitions, and a small, separate observatory. "Green" features will include solar photovoltaic panels, rooftop wind turbines, skylights, and light wells.
DOE and FutureGen Alliance Plan Commercial-Scale Carborn Capture and Storage Facility
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the FutureGen Alliance have agreed to develop plans for a commercial carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) facility in Mattoon, Ill. The flagship facility would be the first in the country designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
UM and Fermi Lab to Build Neutrino Detector Lab
The University of Minnesota (UM) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are planning the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance Experiment (NOvA), which will be built 45 feet below ground near Ash River, Minn. The $270 million project , which has received $40 million in Federal stimulus grant funding, will operate as a UM School of Physics and Astronomy lab. The balance of the funding will come from the U.S. Department of Energy. The subatomical research is expected to shed light on the origins of the universe.
Mesalands Community College Builds Wind Research and Training Center
Mesalands Community College will begin construction in November of 2009 on the $7 million North American Wind Research and Training Center in Tucumari, N.M. The 26,385-sf facility was designed by Kilmer and Associates of Clovis and is slated for completion in December of 2010. The project will be comprised of a 12,697-sf wind turbine workshop and a 13,688-sf facility housing classrooms, labs, offices, and a lecture hall.