Next Step Biofuels announced the launch of PowerPellets, which is manufactured from corn stover — leaves, cobs and stalks leftover after the corn is harvested — and which the company refers to as the "Coal from the Farm."

According to the company's COO Russ Zeeck, PowerPellets overcome the three major problems that utilities have had with biomass: they are easy and affordable to ship and store; PowerPellets are hard and friable which means they pulverize and feed just like coal; they use America's most abundant source of renewable biomass.

He also went on to add that PowerPellets' superior material handling and burn characteristics were recently confirmed and quantified during an operational test conducted at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota.

Finally, Next Step said it is actively negotiating with several utilities to supply PowerPellets starting in 2010.

[source: Next Step]