Advanced BioFuels USA

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of April 17th. In today’s Digest, beyond beef with no cow, sunflower crop waste for phone cases and binders, BASF’s bioactives from rambutan tree, repurposing wastewater algae, Nouryon’s biopolymer for hair care — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online.  READ MORE

#2 Dutch designer creates 100% sunflower-based products

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Sunflowers are often grown to produce oil, seeds, and biofuel, although the crop generates considerable amounts of agricultural waste. Vailly found that the “press cake,” the material left after oil is extracted from sunflower seeds, can be used to make vegan leather and glue. STV has used that glue combined with bark fibers collected post-harvest to produce a polystyrene replacement.

“Entering the realm of bioplastics, a vast number of applications of what was previously considered waste becomes possible: from a tiny bolt to a large insulation panel, from a bio-board to an smartphone case,” Vailly adds.
More on the story, here.

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#6 Wheat waste could become new biobased chemicals platform

In Europe, Global Bioenergies and Ineos are advancing technologies to convert wheat residue into chemicals.

Dubbed the OPTISOCHEM [OPTimized conversion of residual wheat straw to bio-ISObutene for bio based CHEMicals] project, the partners are eyeing biobased isobutene, a platform molecule that can be used to produce many chemicals. Global Bioenergies, the project’s coordinator, says that “currently underutilized residual wheat straw has been converted at demo scale into second generation renewable bio-isobutene, and will eventually be transformed into oligomers and polymers usable in lubricants, rubbers, cosmetics, solvents, plastics, or fuels applications.”

Jean-François Boideau, EMEA Commercial General Manager at project partner INEOS Oligomers, adds that INEOS has received several batches of biobased isobutene from Global Bioenergies for qualification and that the quality is promising. “During the next phase of the project, INEOS is ready to evaluate conversion of additional quantities of bio-isobutene into downstream products in order to assess the potential of this bio-based feedstock as a building block for end consumer applications,” he adds.

The International Council on Clean Transportation estimates the EU generates 144 million metric tons of wheat residues annually.

OPTISOCHEM has received funding by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking and will run until May 2021.
More on the story, here.

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