(Deutsche Welle) Leipzig researchers have found an enzyme that rapidly breaks down PET, the most widely produced plastic in the world. It might just eat your old tote bags. — While
Tag "biodegradable"
by Yael Vodovotz (The Conversation/Curious Kids) To better understand why plastics don’t biodegrade, let’s start with how plastics are made and how biodegradation works. … Petroleum contains a lot of
(Clariant) Clariant joins the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) to promote the use of renewable raw materials; RCI aims to promote the transition from fossil carbon to renewable carbon for use
by Pramod Kumbhar (Praj Industries/Biofuels Digest) … Bioplastics are a sustainable solution to the impending plastic pollution crisis. They are produced from sustainable feedstocks. Bioplastics like polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
by Charlie Uglietto (Cubby Oil & Energy/Mechanical Hub) … There are better alternatives than electrification, and the best option we have available right now, at least for homes with an
by Shashi Menon (EcoEngineers) … The latter material eventually emits carbon — contributing to higher levels of greenhouse gases (or GHGs) in the atmosphere — whereas nonbiodegradable plastics can sequester
(Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research) The idea of biodegradable plastics sounds good at first. However, very little is known about how they are degraded in the soil and how this is
(Blue Biofuels/Globe Newswire) Blue Biofuels, Inc. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it filed two more patents that follow on the granted patent and three previously filed patents pending to
by Troy Shantz (The Sarnia Journal) A failed Sarnia bioplastics plant has been resurrected and is once again turning Ontario corn syrup into a key ingredient of biodegradable plastics. BioAmber was the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies Model – aka GREET – can be used to address impacts and conduct life cycle
(AgriLife Today) Agriculture byproducts can help produce eco-friendly, biodegradable plastics — Bioplastics — biodegradable plastics made from biological substances rather than petroleum — can be created in a more economical
Bioconversion Improvements: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Biorefinery Waste for Bioplastics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Being in a big state, Texas A&M University has some big goals like overcoming the key challenges for biorefinery cost-effectiveness and sustainability in the BETO
(Maire Tecnimont) The Front-End Engineering Design contract is a first step towards implementing a plant for processing up to 400,000 tons annually of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), or BioJet, at
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Competitors coming together – Adidas and Allbirds – both shoe manufacturers are working together on green sneakers, a company working to commercialize biobased silk polymers,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Enymatic hydrolysis, thermomechanical pretreatment, bioconversion and other ways to recycle plastic waste can change the way we look at plastics and polymers. Check out this
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Derived from widely available plant material, JANUS coated paper can be custom-shaped and when coated, creates moisture resistance equivalent to petroleum-coated products. Unlike the
by Nathália Fernandes Pimentel* (Advanced Biofuels USA) When we think about green transitioning, the most popular images we idealize are windmills, solar panels or electric cars. But apart from energy,
by Ryan Ghem (SAE International) … Biodiesel and renewable diesel will lead the way for alternative-fuel integration into the heavy equipment industry, according to Nick Block, director of worldwide marketing,
(CoverCress Inc./PR Web) CoverCress Inc. announces $8 million in partner funding for new low carbon oilseed. — Midwestern farmers are one step closer to the prospect of growing a new cover
(Government of Canada; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) … Today (March 22, 2021) the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced funding of more than $4.5 million for
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) As if 2020 wasn’t crazy enough, this week’s innovations include lab-grown lobster, renewable and biodegradable store mannequins, edible bug grants for companies looking to develop
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Cucumber peels converted into cellulose nanocrystals with potential to be used in food packaging, bamboo and sugar waste tableware that biodegrades in 60 days, a
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) COVID-19 has seen an explosion in disposable items, but now innovators in India came up with a paper based COVID-19 test (that happens to be
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced over $27 million in funding for 12 projects that will support the development of advanced plastics recycling technologies and
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of eight projects totaling over $5 million to conduct research and development (R&D) needed to accelerate the
by Liz Gyekye (BioMarkets Insights) “The current crisis is creating an opportunity for real change. Yet, plastic-to-fuel is encouraging reliance on our current linear system – convincing consumers that this waste
by Tammy Klein (Future Fuels Strategies) … Recently, I wrote a primer for the Methanol Institute entitled, Methanol: A Future-Proof Fuel. Polygeneration, the ability to scale efficiently and cost-effectively, its versatility
by Zoey Shipley and Miro Korenha (Our Daily Planet) NPR and PBS Frontline recently announced a new joint investigation which has revealed that since the 1980s, “the plastics industry spent tens of millions of dollars promoting
by Scottie Andrew (CNN) … Now scientists discovered a strain of bacteria, the first of its kind, that can degrade the harmful compounds in polyurethane products — a positive step toward reducing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Abu Dhabi, food and beverage company Agthia Group PJSC is set to launch the Middle East’s first plant-based water bottle made from corn sugar with
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We’ve seen the staggering numbers, 78 million tons of annual plastics production, 98% virgin feedstock, and only 14% gets collected for recycling. So what do
by Liz Gyekye (BioMarket Insights) … Biome Bioplastics CEO Paul Mines said that the discussion around plastics isn’t solely about its end of life but its start of life. He also
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The holiday season is in full gear for some and this means coming up with gifts for family and friends. For The Digest readers this week,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. today and many are gathering around the table, chatting about the latest news, like the new Air Protein –
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Science by Nature and Nature by Science is what it’s all about for Algenesis. Their goal is for 100% renewable, biodegradable, recyclable polyurethane that can be
by Gerard J. Ostheimer, Ph.D. (below50) and Douglas L. Faulkner (“the Clean Tech Conservative” / Leatherstocking LLC) (Biofuels Digest) … On the left there is a surging sense of climate action
(University of Wisconsin-Madison) Prolific biofuels researcher James Dumesic has been named the winner of the 2019 Eni Energy Transition Award. The internationally renowned Eni Awards were established in 2007 to recognize
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With Climate Week on many minds this week, it’s good to see innovations being developed to take a step in a better direction. Take CPI Card
( Indiana Corn and Soybean Checkoffs/WOWO) Without access to consumers, biofuels cannot grow. The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) joined Premier Energy and CountryMark to
by Liz Gyekye (BioMarket Insights) The European Union (EU)’s landmark ‘Circular Economy Package’ came into force last year. By July 2020, the bloc’s 28 member states will have to incorporate the Package into
by Leticia Phillips (UNICA/Ethanol Producer Magazine) We celebrated World Environment Day on June 5 and, although the date has passed, I believe the theme of this year’s event, air pollution, still
by Douglas L. Faulkner (The Cleantech Conservative/Leatherstocking LLC/ Biofuels Digest) … (W)e first addressed bio-based plastic research needs; second, we reviewed government regulations preventing the growth of advanced biofuels, a controversial action; then
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. … In today’s Digest, food and drink packaging from seaweed and animal hides, beer six-pack
(The Exponent) Three Purdue students brought home top honors and a $20,000 prize at this year’s Student Soybean Product Innovation Competition for their biodegradable soybean based drinking straw, according to a Purdue press
(Scion Research) Crown research institute Scion congratulates the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment on his report Farms, forests and fossil fuels: The next great landscape transformation released today. Scion CEO Dr
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 March 6th. In today’s Digest, super
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 February 20th. In today’s Digest,
by Bogdan Comanita (Lee Enterprises/MarketChemica Inc./Biofuels Digest) VIRIDISOL®, ecoXTRACT® and GreenFlame® are examples of B2B brands launched in 2018 that support the use of new biobased products in large B2C markets. All
by Jamie Johnson (Telegraph) Fungi could be the key to winning the war on plastic, leading scientists at Kew Gardens has said. The first ever report on the state of the world’s fungi has
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) IHS Markit published a plastics report saying that the market value for biodegradable polymers exceeds $1 billion and will rise sharply by 2023 thanks to increased plastic regulations
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product
by Emiliano Huergo (Clarin Rural) Claudio Molina, Executive Director of the Argentine Association of Biofuels and Hydrogen (AABH), announced that the line of collectives 132 of the Federal Capital will begin to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems
(Fox47News/MSU Today) Michigan State University scientists are proposing a new way to economically produce biodegradable plastics with sunlight and help from an ancient microorganism. The team, led by Taylor Weiss, a
by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Leaders Tout Potential Growth, Challenges for Renewable Refinery Products — … Whether it is spoons, Coke bottles or carpets made out of corn, livestock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) They called it Mission Impossible. Create a means to biodegrade any plastic out there that needs to decompose in the environment after use. Find little
by Clare Goldsberry (Plastics Today) A presenter at the recent ANTEC conference posed a provocative question: Are biobased materials really sustainable? — He (Professor Majid Sarmadi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(Plastics and Rubber Weekly) European Bioplastics (EUBP) has backed a new European Parliament report on revised waste legislation which has emphasised the role of bioplastics to help the move to
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Nebraska’s Laurel Biocomposite produces biomaterials for thermoset applications. — Laurel Biocomposite LLC is using distillers grains to create biomaterials that will be used in
(Indiana University Bloomington) Combining bacterial genes and virus shell creates a highly efficient, renewable material used in generating power from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Rivertop has developed a way to make glucaric acid, glucarates and other biodegradable chemicals from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mango Materials utilizes a patent-protected process to manufacture bioplastic from inexpensive sources of methane gas.