(World Bio Market Insights) Over the last several years, precision fermentation has attracted attention as a manufacturing methods that could drastically lower the environmental impacts of everyday products, from edible proteins to animal feed and cosmetics ingredients. Precision fermentation is a biomanufacturing
cosmetics
Back TO HOMEFermbox Bio Introduces EN3ZYME: A Global Solution Transforming Agricultural Waste into Renewable Biofuels and Sustainable Synbio Products
(Fermbox Bio/PR Newswire) Fermbox Bio, a synthetic biology research and manufacturing company, announces the launch of EN3ZYME, a cutting-edge enzyme cocktail designed to enhance both the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of transforming pre-treated agri-based residues into fermentable, cellulosic sugars. These sugars pave
May 16, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Cemvita
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We’ve engineered microbes that turn the waste such as CO2 into helpful compounds, therefore closing the carbon/waste loop and address those recovery and production processes that, in current heavy industry, creates waste and emission outputs. Cemvita’s Pedro
May 03, 2024 Read Full Article
Kenyan Maasai Women Turn Harmful Cactus Species into Bio-gas and Food
(Rédaction Africanews and AP) A group of women in central Kenya are on their way to harvest prickly pear that will be turned into biogas. The cactus is an invasive species which is disturbing the ecosystem. Its encroachment hinders wildlife navigation as well
November 28, 2023 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to BDNE and the Circular Carbon Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) BDNE was formed In 2019 to commercialize proprietary Biofine technology and is the exclusive Licensee of the IP Portfolio for the Northeast Region. This is a patented continuous chemical conversion process, enabling the economic production of
November 23, 2023 Read Full Article
Lignin: A Way towards the Sustainable Biorefinery
Siddhartha Pal (Praj Industries/Biofuels Digest) Various sources of lignocellulosic biomass, such as forestry waste and agricultural feedstocks, are available all over the world. The Lignocellulosic biomass consists of three major components: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose form a network
January 02, 2023 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies - Successful Scale-up of Pomacle Commercial Unit
(Global Bioenergy/Globe Newswire) Global Bioenergies announces the successful scale-up of production at its Pomacle commercial unit. All sub-units are now up and running, a few weeks ahead of schedule. Global Bioenergies announces that its first commercial production unit is now fully operational. All units (biological isobutene
December 08, 2022 Read Full Article
The Bioeconomy Is Hiring
by Craig Bettenhausen (Chemical & Engineering News) Industry sees a shortage of qualified people as a hurdle they must overcome -- he Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition, a bioeconomy industry group, held its second annual Global Biobased Economy Conference this
November 16, 2022 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Agrees Collaboration with Shell in the Development of Low Carbon Road Fuels
(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) Following the delivery of testing samples this summer, Global Bioenergies and Shell agree to collaborate on the development and testing of low carbon road fuels. The first phase of this agreement will evaluate new concepts based on high-octane gasoline components derived
November 14, 2022 Read Full Article
Will Algae Biofuels Become Viable? Pioneers of Commercial Biofuel Production Had to Shut Shop or Diversify Their Portfolio
by Rahul Jain (Down to Earth) ... It can synthesise large volumes of oil (20 times more than that of mustard per acre), grow fast (10 times quicker than terrestrial plants) and capture carbon dioxide (CO2). Since then, big industries and startups
September 25, 2022 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Sells to Repsol Testing Volumes of Bio-isobutene Derivatives for Gasoline Formulation
(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) Global Bioenergies sells to Repsol testing volumes of bio-isobutene derivatives for gasoline formulation -- Repsol, the Spain-based multi-energy company, signed a purchase order for a volume of Global Bioenergies’ full-bio-ETBE to be used for formulation and performance assessment of
September 19, 2022 Read Full Article
The Business of Their Biology, the Biology of Their Business: 10 Years after IPOs, How Are Amyris, Gevo, Codexis Doing?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s been more than 10 years since the celebrated IPOs of Amyris, Codexis and Gevo showed that the second wave of industrial biotechnology (after the first wave of ethanol companies) was producing mature companies of size
August 10, 2022 Read Full Article
Competitive Edge: Algae for Future
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On this Earth Day, we highlight a very green organization – literally green – Algae for Future. This Portugal-based biotech company has the world’s largest algae cascade raceway and is designing, building, and operating commercial-scale microalgae
April 22, 2022 Read Full Article
Competitive Edge: AlgEternal Technologies, LLC
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)... The world desperately needs an alternative to fossil hydrocarbons. AlgEternal (www.algeternal.com) solves this problem by growing microalgae at scale faster, more reliably, cleaner and at a lower cost for use as alternative feedstock in multiple
March 25, 2022 Read Full Article
Converting CO2 to Fuels: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Phytonix
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bruce Dannenberg, CEO of Phytonix shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC Connect highlighting how Phytonix utilizes cyanobacteria engineered via synthetic biology to produce 1-butanol and potentially other higher alcohols. And there’s a sister company,
March 22, 2022 Read Full Article
Sweetwater Receives Final Acceptance of Commercial Sunburst Unit at Sweetwoods Project in Estonia
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Estonia – a NATO country that borders Russia. U.S. based Sweetwater Energy received final acceptance of its first commercial Sunburst unit at the Sweetwoods Project in Estonia, proving that Sunburst has met all criteria—including
February 28, 2022 Read Full Article
Why Are Certain Crops Used to Make Biofuels?
(Sustainable, Secure Food Blog) ... Biofuels are a low-carbon fuel option that we can use to make a difference right now. Many states are already using ethanol as part of their gasoline supply systems. In California, biodiesel and renewable diesel
January 25, 2022 Read Full Article
CropEnergies AG Unveils Plans to Produce Renewable Ethyl Acetate Using Johnson Matthey Technology
(Crop Energy AG) CropEnergies AG, Mannheim, and Johnson Matthey, London, a leader in sustainable technologies, have entered into an engineering, license and technical services agreement for a plant to allow CropEnergies AG to produce renewable ethyl acetate from sustainable ethanol
January 14, 2022 Read Full Article
The Hottest Biofuels Companies of 20 Years Ago Are Now Doing Something Completely Different
by Annie Hammang (Slate) ... Amyris also isn’t alone in this shift; Solazyme, Lanzatech, Neste, LiveFuels, LS9, and Pacific Biodiesel are all biofuel companies that also got their start in the early aughts and have since expanded their business into cosmetics, fragrances, and household cleaners. From
January 12, 2022 Read Full Article
Meat Milestones, Lab Cultivated Shrimp, Levis Strauss Greener Blue Jeans, First-Ever Commercial Extract from Lily of the Valley Flower, and More: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the Week of December 23rd
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In this week’s Top 8 Innovations, there may be a rumbly in your tummy after hearing that Dokdo shrimp was cultivated in a lab for the first time ever, Singapore regulators okayed the second cultivated meat
December 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Makes Breakthrough on the Road toward Biojet Fuel
(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) Global Bioenergies has made major advances in its process for converting plant-based feedstocks into isobutene. The resulting improved performance will speed up penetration of the cosmetics market over the next few years and allows to target production costs that would make this process the world
October 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Eye-opening, Carbon-saving Bioinnovations, Gingko, Bolt Threads, NatureWorks, Dow News and More: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the Week of August 12th
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Can black algae instead of carbon black extracted from tar sands for garment dying save the day? What about kapok trees for fibers instead of water-intensive cotton? How about biobased sun lenses? Biobased ropes for
August 12, 2021 Read Full Article
Enzyme from Amazon Fungus Could Enhance Efficiency of Second-Generation Ethanol Production
by Maria Fernanda Ziegler (Agência FAPESP) Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil have found an enzyme from the Amazon fungus Trichoderma harzianum to be capable of breaking down biomass. Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are present
August 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Élisabeth Brière Announces $2 Million in Government of Canada Funding for 96 Plus
(Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions/Markets Insider) The Sherbrooke-based business will produce high-purity ethanol and create 28 jobs in the region. -- The Estrie region counts a number of dynamic businesses and organizations whose innovative ideas help create a strong local
August 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Upcycling Carbon to Fuel, Fragrances and More: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week we are sharing some of the hottest 2021 ABLC Digital presentations and you won’t want to miss this one from LanzaTech’s Dr. Jennifer Holmgren on commercial scale operations, the first European plant, other global
August 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Indonesia Bets on Biofuels over Oil, but Electric Vehicles Could Render Both Moot
by Hans Nicholas Jong (Mongabay/Eco-Business) Increased adoption of electric vehicles could render redundant Indonesia’s biofuel infrastructure, which the government is touting as its chosen alternative to fossil fuels. The rapid development of electric vehicles looks set to overtake the biofuel infrastructure
July 15, 2021 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies and Swift Fuel Plan the First International Flight of an Aircraft Powered by Aviation Gasoline Made from over 97% Renewable Resources
(Global Bioenergies/Swift Fuel) A one-hour flight from Saarbrücken to Reims; Aviation gasoline, a one billion-litre market in Europe and the USA; A step towards the emergence of an aviation biofuel sector -- Global Bioenergies (Euronext Growth: ALGBE), a French company
June 14, 2021 Read Full Article
LanzaTech and BASF Achieve First Milestone in Utilizing Industrial Off-Gases for Chemical Production
(LanzaTech) Industrial exhaust gas used to produce sustainable alcohol; White biotechnology enables carbon recycling -- Transforming the carbon contained in industrial off-gases into valuable chemicals is the aim of a partnership between LanzaTech and BASF. Now the partners have achieved a key first
May 11, 2021 Read Full Article
The 10 Big WOWs from ABLC Day 1
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, day 1 of ABLC is now complete, with 18 presentations covering more than 60 companies and technologies as well as comprehensive updates from major supply chain companies and four presentations on priorities, programs, economics
May 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Coty to Partner with LanzaTech to Pioneer New Sustainable Fragrance Production
(LanzaTech/Business Wire) Fragrance products to contain sustainable ethanol, created using carbon-capture technology; Coty targets majority of fragrance portfolio using carbon-captured ethanol by 2023; Planned partnership supports Coty’s ‘Beauty That Lasts’ sustainability program -- Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY), one of the world’s
March 03, 2021 Read Full Article
Sustainability Plan 2030: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Avantium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Avantium just released its Sustainability Plan ‘Chain Reaction 2030’, highlighting the company’s ambitious vision to achieve a fossil-free chemical industry by 2050. By outlining future plans and next steps alongside a series of case studies,
February 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Flavors, Fragrances, Cannabinoids: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to SCMC’s Industry Snapshot
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cracking the high end markets is what DigestConnect was all about last week, but if you missed it, check out popular F&F expert Scott Chaplin’s slide guide with answers to all our questions on flavors,
December 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Clariant Chemtex Approach
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Two world leaders in cellulosic deployment – Jeff Taylor from Chemtex and Paolo Corvo from Clariant – talked about how cellulosic fuels are on the march on last week’s DigestConnect. Check out this exclusive slide
October 26, 2020 Read Full Article
Powerful Pennycress: Dr. Sedbrook’s Research Team Is Transforming a Weed into a Crop
(Illinois State University) Though farmers consider pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) nothing more than a weed, Illinois State Professor of Genetics Dr. John Sedbrook is working to change their perspective—and the plant itself. Sedbrook and his student researchers in the School of
September 29, 2020 Read Full Article
EECi Biorefinery Project almost 50% Complete
(The Nation/Thailand) The Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) project is 45 per cent complete and will be ready for operation by June 2021, EECi director Jengrit Khanatharana, who is also the National Science and Technology Development Agency deputy director, said. The
September 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Lignocellulosic Platform Goes Beyond Biofuels: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Clariant’s Sunliquid
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Chemicals, catalysis, additives – At ABLC Digital this July, Clariant shared how they are working on advancing biofuels globally and details on their sunliquid technology to decarbonize transportation. A fully integrated and carbon negative process, sunliquid
September 06, 2020 Read Full Article
Innovative CO2 Recycling for Liquid Detergent and Cleaning Products
(Mibelle Group) The Mibelle Group uses novel technology to obtain alcohol from CO2. -- The Mibelle Group has recently started to use alcohol (ethanol) obtained directly from exhaust gases, which would otherwise pollute the environment and damage the climate, in its
August 24, 2020 Read Full Article
Renewable Chemicals and Materials: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj’s Bioeconomy Perspective
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Praj Industries recently added renewable chemicals and materials to their portfolio of products going beyond biofuels and their Executive Chairman Dr. Pramod Chaudhari shared this illuminating presentation at ABLC Digital on the India story, the
July 23, 2020 Read Full Article
Milking Algae Can Produce Eco-Friendly Biofuel
by Hannah C. (The Science Times) ... Furthermore, the costs of culturing, collecting, and extracting algae can be countered by a safer way of milking the algae. Alice Uchida and Masaki Ihara led a team from Shinshu University, Japan in the development of cultivating
July 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Biossance Announces Clean Academy Impact Award and Partnership With Oceana
(Amyris) Biossance, a pioneering clean skincare brand from Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic biotechnology company in Clean Health and Beauty markets through its consumer brands and a top supplier of sustainable and natural ingredients, is pleased to announce The Clean Academy
July 06, 2020 Read Full Article
Q&A on Cellulosic Ethanol with Clariant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) DigestConnect hosted a wildly popular webinar in late April with Clariant’s Head of Business Line, Biofuels & Derivatives at Clariant but there were so many fantastic audience questions we didn’t to, that we decided to follow
May 28, 2020 Read Full Article
Could Biofuels Answer Zimbabwe’s Fuel Headache?
by Shingirai Huni (The Herald) Zimbabwe is facing fuel shortages, with long queues now the order of the day at fuel stations. Many motorists now leave their cars at home and use public transport to save money on fuel as prices keep
March 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Fortum India to Make Valuable Products from Agro-Waste, Delhi to Get Clean Air: Faizur Rehman
(DevDiscourse) Paddy residue burning has been a major cause of air pollution in Delhi but now some companies are coming up with innovative solutions. Fortum India which is constructing a refinery in Assam for making Ethanol from bamboo is also
February 19, 2020 Read Full Article
The Magic behind the Molecules and Materials: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Checkerspot’s Synthetic Biology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “The measure of how disruptive Synthetic Biology is lies in the applications, the use cases and relevance to consumers,”according to Checkerspot which uses biology and chemistry to generate novel building blocks. Their ingredients include custom oils
November 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Oh So Sweet! Amyris’s Look at Farnesene Production from Sugars: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to MegaBio and Farnesene
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Amyris is working on a MegaBio goal. Mega because it’s a big goal – develop a fully integrated and scalable process to produce farnesene from cellulosic sugars at $2 per liter in the U.S. Quinn Mitrovich from Amyris
November 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Robocar’s Biobased Seat Cushions, Miscanthus Bedding, Churro Waste Fat Based Diesel, Edible Spoons, Cellulose-Based Fabric, Sausage without the Sausage, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of August 15th
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the end of summer approaches, county fairs are popping up around the U.S. and with it, churros and other waste. But innovators are turning churro waste fats into renewable diesel, using edible flavored spoons to
August 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Range of Possibilities: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Global Bioenergies’ Bio-Isobutene
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Bioenergies produces isobutene from sugars with a commercial plant in preparation. Their technology can transform isobutene into isooctane, ETBE, C12/C16 hydrocarbons and more, which makes it relevant for a wide range of markets including specialty
August 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Euglena Sets Sights as an Olympic Hopeful for Algae-Based Aviation Jet Fuel
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Midorimushi – other than being a cool sounding Ninja name, it’s scientific name is Euglena. No, it’s not the latest superhero in a manga comic. It’s a kind of algae. In a magical sort of hybrid
August 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Rules and Regulations: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Regulatory Landscapes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How chemical products and novel substances are regulated in the U.S. has a huge impact on the bioeconomy and the companies that are producing bioproducts today. Bergeson & Campbell shares their thoughts on the Toxic Substances
July 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Biomanufacturing 2.0 Cell-Free: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Invizyne Technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Invizyne Technologies is making chemicals the cell-free way using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. By inputting sugar and using engineered microbes, they can result in useful compounds and commodity chemicals, biofuels, fuel additives, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. James
June 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Towards Sustainable Bioeconomy - Lessons Learned from Case Studies
by Marta Gomez San Juan, Anne Bogdanski and Olivier Dubois (Food and Agricultural Organization) ... )T)his report offers lessons from 26 case studies of sustainable bioeconomy interventions from around the world and from a range of different sectors. The overall aim of the report is
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Corn More than Just for Foodstuffs
by Mary Smallsreed (Tribune Chronicle) ... After I read an article about GMOs by my favorite agricultural blogger — The Farm Babe, Michelle Miller — I did some Internet surfing to find everyday items that contain corn. Even when you
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Of Renmatix and All These Pivots
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pennsylvania bioeconomy pioneers debuts Celltice, a “Petro-Free Breakthrough in Clean Cosmetic Formulations” -- From Pennsylvania, comes the news that Renmatix is introducing Celltice, its “zero-chemical self-emulsifying active,” built from cellulose and lignin, and aimed at the clean
May 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Algal Biofuel: The Long Road to Commercial Viability
by Chris Lo (Power Technology) The green technology sector has fallen out of love with algae as a feedstock for biofuel production, but there is hope yet for algae-derived fuel in the long-term. What are the recent advances that are refining
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
The Fundamental Things Apply: The Rise of Checkerspot and Supermaterials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recently from California comes the news that advanced materials wunderkind Checkerspot has closed its Series A financing for $13 million. ... ...(A)dvanced materials are perhaps the first breakout anyone will really notice. Because materials are stuff and stuff
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Made from Roadkill, Cardboard Café, Wheat Straw Transformed to Isobutene, 3D Printed Biobricks, Algae Plastic, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of April 25th
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 25th. In today’s Digest, biofuel made from roadkill, cardboard café, wheat straw transformed to isobutene,
April 25, 2019 Read Full Article
This Sustainable Biofuel Company Is Also a Beauty Company
by Eillie Anzilotti (Fast Company) ... Bob and Kelly King founded Pacific Biodiesel in Hawaii in 1995 in response to a concerning issue: the volume of used cooking oil that was being dumped into a landfill in Maui. Bob, who at the time owned the
April 16, 2019 Read Full Article
No Compromise: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Amyris has a proprietary process of engineering organisms (yeast) using renewably-sourced carbon from plants (sugarcane) to make sustainable, custom molecules. They use their technology to create products that support biopharmaceutical drug discovery and production, from cosmetic emollients
March 29, 2019 Read Full Article
The Next Chapter for Algae: The Farm Bill of 2018 Recognizes Algae as a Crop for the First Time. Will We Be Bold Enough to Treat It Like One?
by Rebecca White (iWi (Qualitas Health, Inc.)/Biofuels Digest) This Wednesday marks a major milestone in the history of the American algae industry: the first meeting in which the Biomass R&D Board Technical Advisory Committee officials will discuss algae as an agricultural crop. Up
March 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Gevo and HCS Group Enter Into Game-Changing, Long-Term Supply Agreement for Renewable Isooctane Worth Up to $180 Million; Gevo and Haltermann Carless Ready to Roll out to Mass Markets like Outdoor Power Equipment
(Gevo) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) announced today that HCS Group and Gevohave entered into a long-term, definitive, binding and bankable renewable isooctane purchase and sale agreement, dated February 21, 2019. HCS Group will be supplied exclusively for sales of Gevo’s renewable isooctane into high-end applications ranging from high purity solvents
March 01, 2019 Read Full Article
We’ll Begin Production of Ethanol, Glucose Syrup from Sweet Sorghum Soon
by Vincent A. Yusuf (Daily Trust) Nigeria will in the first quarter of 2019 begin the production of ethanol and glucose syrup from sweet sorghum for industrial use. In this interview, the Director General of Raw Materials Research Council (RMRDC), Dr.
January 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Who’s Up, Down, Top, Charmed and Strange in the Bioeconomy: Learnings from the Earnings, as Four Bellwether Stocks Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... So, let’s look at Q3 earnings statements now just coming out from four of the sector’s signature companies in light-duty and heavy-duty fuels, enzymes, and nutrition and wellness. Namely, Aemetis, Novozymes, Renewable Energy Group and
December 18, 2018 Read Full Article
RSB Assembly Approves Groundbreaking Standard for Advanced Products
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In a leap forward for the sustainable bioeconomy, the members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials approved our groundbreaking Advanced Products Standard. The culmination of over 18 months of consultation, expert working groups and member dialogue, the
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
One Molecule at a Time: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For many people, a key question in the advanced bioeconomy continues to be: “what is Amyris becoming, and when, and where and how?” Becoming a global leader in the health and beauty market, and self-funding operations in
November 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Jet Biofuel Mass Production to Begin in Japan
by Akane Okutsu (Nikkei Asia Review) Biotech company euglena teams with ANA to fuel green commercial flights -- Japan's biotechnology company euglena is to start mass production of bio jet fuel and biodiesel out of algae and waste oil, with the aim of being the
November 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Strategic Positioning: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For many people, a key question in the advanced bioeconomy continues to be: “what is Amyris becoming, and when, and where and how?” Becoming a global leader in the health and beauty market, and self-funding operations in
August 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Brief Thoughts on the 2018 Bio World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology (July 16-19, 2018, Philadelphia, PA)
by Craig Laufer* (Advanced Biofuels USA) After hearing from many speakers at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, one recurring theme from the sessions I attended was the application of digital biology, synthetic biology in silico modeling, machine learning
August 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Building Commercialization Partnerships: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Green Biologics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar cane bagasse, forest materials and
August 07, 2018 Read Full Article
A Factory No Bigger than a Molecule, Now Producing Fuels, Chemicals and Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A team from Switzerland has come up with a black box the size of a molecule, and inside that box they can generate the precursors for fuels, pesticides and face creams with astonishing yields and simplicity. Specifically, they are
August 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Montana’s (bio) Materials Maestros: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Blue Marble Biomaterials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) When it comes to Blue Marble’s coordinates in the bioeconomy star-field, think advanced flavorings made from seemingly impossible materials. Most recently we reported that Missoula’s Masters of Metamorphosis this past summer released a highly sought after U.S.
August 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Thabang Mabapa on Producing Biofuel
by Phathu Luvhengo (Destiny Man) Social entrepreneur and biofuel producer Thabang Mabapa has stepped up to provide a viable solution to South Africa’s energy crisis Public relations and communication graduate Mabapa has stepped up to help solve the energy crisis by providing
July 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor at the BIO World Congress: Iowa, Plastics, Benzene, Queensland, Skin Care, Jet Fuel in the Mix
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The rounds of applause at BIO have been loud and steady but the biggest ones were heard not for a presentation or a speaker — rather, BIO’s decision to stage the World Congress next year in
July 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Top 10 Transformations – Pivotal Pivots for Survival in the Bioeconomy
Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Some of these started with biofuels then went into chemicals, nutrition or protein and some are going back to their beginnings. What they all have in common, however, is they are transforming…as markets change, as
July 16, 2018 Read Full Article
The Carbon Rescuers: 20 Top Waste Projects and Breakthroughs that Capture Used Carbon from the Waste Pile for New Uses
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In these top 20 projects, we usually say that we are using waste, but really we are converting something from a state of waste to a state of value — and that’s not just good for
June 05, 2018 Read Full Article
BioDisruption: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For many people, a key question in the advanced bioeconomy is: “what is Amyris becoming, and when, and where and how?” Becoming a global leader in the health and beauty market, and self-funding operations in 2018 with
May 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Drop-in Fuels and Biomaterials: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Global Bioenergies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Global Bioenergies is a pioneer in the development of one-step fermentation processes for the direct and cost-efficient transformation of renewable resources into light olefin hydrocarbons, the key building blocks of the petrochemical industry. Since inception, the
May 15, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of May 10th, 2018
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 and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
May 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Succinctly Succinic: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Reverdia and Bio-Succinic Acid
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Reverdia is a joint venture between Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, and Roquette Frères, the global starch and starch-derivatives company. Reverdia is dedicated to be the global leader in the
May 04, 2018 Read Full Article
BIO Showcases 100 Companies in New Renewable Chemical Platforms Report
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) The biobased economy encompasses the entire value chain of sustainable manufacturing – from the supply of renewable or waste feedstock, through biotech platforms, to production and use of biobased fuels and products. BIO is
May 02, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of May 2nd, 2018
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 and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
May 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Going Our Way: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For many people, the key question is — what is Amyris becoming, and when, and where and how? We reported on Amyris’ progress most recently in “The New Colossus aims to unlock its Golden Door” and
April 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Partners in Production--Chemical Companies Are Developing Technologies that Would Create New Market Opportunities for the Ethanol Industry
by Tim Albrecht (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The ethanol industry has polished its coproduction of distillers grains. Now, a handful of companies have found different uses for DDGS, or ethanol itself, that can provide new value-added coproducts for the industry. Ethanol is flexible
April 20, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of April 18th, 2018
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 and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
April 19, 2018 Read Full Article
Leveraging the Power of Algae: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Algenol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Algenol is a global, industrial biotechnology company that is commercializing its patented algae technology platform for production of ethanol and other biofuels, chemicals and biobased materials. Formed in 2006, and headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida with an
March 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Sunflowers One Day, Oily Stuff the Next: Pacific Biodiesel Turns Sunflower Seeds into Oil for Cooking and Massages — in Addition to Biofuel
by Melissa Tanji (Maui News) ... Around 1,330 gallons of sunflower oil was generated from the first 14-acre field farmed by Pacific Biodiesel last year. Company founder and President Bob King said this past week that most of last year’s initial crops
February 12, 2018 Read Full Article
The 12: The Advanced Bioeconomy’s 12 Biggest Talking, Fretting, Praying and Action Points Right Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... What are the top trends? Here are the 11 we see dominating the debate on the stage and on the floor. Jet fuel deployment – how much, how soon, by whom? California, look up, not down!
December 13, 2017 Read Full Article
A Spirit of Kuleana: Renewable Fuels Ventures Strive for New Geographies, Feedstock, Products
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Nothing rang clearer as an industry imperative at ABLC Next last week than the theme of diversification in a Year of Living Dangerously, and we saw it in the news this week from Velocys, Pacific Biodiesel
October 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Algal Biofuel Production Is Neither Environmentally nor Commercially Sustainable
by Kevin Flynn (The Conversation/Phys.Org) Modern biofuels have been touted as a greener alternative to petrol and diesel since the early 1900s. It seems like a good idea on paper, and they do work – but their use and production
August 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Amyris Partners with Queensland on Biofutures Acceleration Program in Next Step Toward Planned Development of Biorefinery
(Globe Newswire/Amyris) -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, and the Government of Queensland, Australia today announced the next step their plans to develop a leading industrial biotechnology hub in Southeast Asia. Plans call for developing a new production
June 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Algae — Life after Biofuels: Mining Algae's 1001 Uses
(Algae Industry Magazine) Monica Jain of Fish 2.0 writes in National Geographic about how the algae brand is about to undergo an image makeover, and may soon seem flat-out glamorous — once again. Algae got a lot of excited press
June 14, 2017 Read Full Article
10 Industrial Biotechnology Wave Trends to Watch
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are news items, then there are trends, and finally there are wave trends — trends of critical importance and that carry the likelihood of having long-lasting impact. Like the fast ripples that presage a fearsome tsunami,
May 26, 2017 Read Full Article
How Gold Can Recycle Biofuel Waste into Useful Additive
(Phys.Org/Tomsk Polytechnic University) Gold nanoparticles serve as catalysts for obtaining valuable chemical products based on glycerol. Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University and their international colleagues are developing gold catalysts to recycle one of the main byproducts of biofuel production. The
May 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to DSM in the Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences, DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to
May 09, 2017 Read Full Article
CHASSY – New EU Yeast Biotech Project
(CHASSY) ... Yeast is already the powerhouse behind many food flavourings, the anti-aging compound Resveratrol, the malaria drug Artemisinin, the grapefruit extract Nootkatone, insulin, bioethanol, bioplastics, and there is potential for many more industrial applications. To better exploit the potential of yeast
May 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Hard Lessons From the Great Algae Biofuel Bubble
by Eric Wesoff (GreenTechMedia) Entrepreneurs can have tunnel vision. VC herd mentality doesn’t produce results. Physics and thermodynamics are fairly important in energy applications. -- ... Today, the few surviving algae companies have had no choice but to adopt new
April 21, 2017 Read Full Article
TerraVia in the Wilderness Years
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Algae Butter can reduce saturated fat by up to 50 percent in most applications. ... While butter doesn’t exactly rival gasoline as a market — it’s pretty substantial, when you get down to it. The global market
April 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Here Comes BioChina: Amyris, Others Bypass the 4 Myths of Business in the Middle Kingdom
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From California arrives the very interesting news that Amyris has entered into an agreement with Blue California whereby its affiliates will provide access to its fermentation manufacturing in China and provide the necessary capital to
April 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Capital Corp Merchant Banking Gives Green Light to $18m Funding for Californian Biodiesel Project
(Biofuels International) US investment bank Capital Corp Merchant Banking has given the green light to help fund a biodiesel project in California. In a statement, the bank said that the facility will be able to process multiple feedstocks of any quality
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Company Makes the Leap into Cosmetics, Parts I and 2
by Simon Pitman (CosmeticsDesign.com) It is not every day that a biodiesel company branches out into the cosmetic ingredients market, but that is exactly what Hawaii-based Pacific Biodiesel has done. Pacific Biodiesel made a big jump from biodiesel to diversify into
March 07, 2017 Read Full Article
The Emerging Synthetic Biology Ecosystem: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Gingko BioWorks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recently, Ginkgo BioWorks announced the launch of their next generation foundry, Bioworks2. With 125,000 square feet and an 6X expected increase in capacity compatred to BioWorks 1, Bioworks2 represents a step change in what is possible for
January 23, 2017 Read Full Article
Amyris Partners with Queensland to Create the Leading Industrial Biotechnology Hub in Southeast Asia
(Amyris/Globe Newswire) Government and Local Sugarcane Industry Partners with Amyris to Produce Sustainable Ingredients for the Personal Care and Nutraceutical Markets -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, and the Government of Queensland, Australia today announced a partnership to
December 12, 2016 Read Full Article
What To Do With Algae
by Terry Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) ... So the process removes and processes about 25 tonnes of earth to obtain each gram of Pt, valued at about $35. It is a very lucrative business. Biomass is much like the platinum mine. It
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Poised for Production: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Fermentalg
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Fermentalg’s technology optimizes the industrial exploitation of the exceptional properties that are found in microalgae to produce molecules of interest such as the Omega 3 fatty acids, coloring agents, antioxidants and biopolymers, etc. that we
October 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Solvay, Stora Enso
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Solvay and Stora Enso and their direct investments,
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Deinove Dumps Biofuels for Nutrition and Antibiotics; Shares Plunge
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This past week, Deinove’s shares have been plunging and you might wonder why. Bottom line, the company’s directors decided on a strategic refocus of its activities on high value-added markets of carotenoids (nutrition and cosmetics)
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
The Rise of Organic Manufacturing: Ginkgo, Amyris, Genomatica’s Circle of Innovation Is a Trend to Watch
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The factories of old — a technological wave that swept in with the Industrial Revolution — these were inorganic manufacturing centers, and they are now the wave of the past. They used a suite of lifeless
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
From Farm to Fingernails: GreenBiologics Remakes Little Falls Ethanol Plant
by Zach Kayser (Pine and Lakes Echo Journal) A multi-million dollar conversion project in Little Falls aims to bear uncommon, environmentally sustainable fruit when it's completed later this year. Green Biologics, which is based in the city of Abingdon in Oxfordshire,
September 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Europe’s Broken Biofuels Policy
by Dick Roche (EurActiv) Public policy should be built on firm foundations. Objective analysis, verifiable facts and solid science are good starting points, but that was absent in biofuels policy-making, writes Dick Roche. The foundations on which Europe’s biofuel policy has
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
The New Colossus: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Amyris
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Amyris reported a Q2 net loss of $13.8M on revenues of $9,6M, up from $7.8M in Q2 2015. Revenues rose 27% from the corresponding period in 2015 primarily driven by the shipment of
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Amyris: The New Colossus Aims to Unlock Its Golden Door
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Let’s look at the 7 factors that have the company poised for a revenue transformation in the second half. 1. Gingko. Entered into an Initial Strategic Partnership Agreement with Ginkgo Bioworks to accelerate commercialization of bio-based
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $11.3 Million for MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts To Enable Biofuels
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today up to $11.3 million for three projects that support the development of biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and/or products based on external
August 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Adopting a Circular Economy: The Biorefinery Concept
by Paul Hudman (Renewable Energy World) ... For many governments, part of this shift involves adopting a circular economy approach, utilising all aspects of ‘waste’ throughout the production chain. The concept of the biorefinery embraces this standard by making use of the entire
July 27, 2016 Read Full Article
The Huge Unexploited Potential of Generating Biofuels from a Food Processing Residue, Palm Kernel Oil (PKO), with Ghana in Perspective
By Theophilus Kumah* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Energy is a great determinant in ensuring the growth of the economy of every country. Ghana, as a country, has faced some instability in the supply of energy for domestic and industrial use owing
July 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Turn and Face the Strange: The New Algae Makes a Bowiesque Pivot into New Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But the RE in algae these days has been, more or less, REposition. Possibly REthink. Certainly not much REfinance, or REcommit to the original targets. The algae business models of 2009 burst up in a
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Amyris Busts a Move: Major Deals with Givaudan, Ginkgo
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... First, Amyris announced a collaboration with Givaudan (SIX:GIVN), a leading global flavors and fragrances company. The two companies have been engaged in the research and development of proprietary fragrance ingredients for several years, and the
June 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Baseball, the Trade Deadline, and the Industrial Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Some teams are sellers. They reduce costs, go lean, and hunker down in a case of “wait’ll next year”. In industrial biotechnology, the calendar tells us it’s May but it might as well be July, because
May 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Muradel Refocuses Whyalla Biofuel Venture
(Algae Industry Magazine) Valerina Changarathil writes in Adelaide Now that the Whyalla, Australia-based commercial biofuel producer Muradel will receive a new federal grant next month to start scaling up its demonstration plant as it refocuses on new feedstock. Muradel did
April 26, 2016 Read Full Article
What Do We Do about Palm Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of fuels, Neste Oil has backed away from palm oil in order to expand in the US market on more favorable terms, with palm’s lowly status after indirect land use change modeling
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Based on the Mother of All Plants: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to TerraVia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The goal: Transforming Solazyme into a food, nutrition, and specialty ingredient innovation platform harnessing the power of algae: The mother of all plants and earth’s original superfood. The new company identity? TerraVia. Let’s take a
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
No Pain, No Gain: A Tale of Three Companies, Pacific Ethanol, BioAmber and TerraVia at a crossroads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... a fascinating look at the evolution in the fuels, renewable chemicals, specialty products and nutrition that make up the advanced bioeconomy. ... The most spectacular news of the week belonged to TerraVia, which landed a
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Protein and Perfume: At ABLC, Even Less of a Focus on Fuels
by Pavel Molchanov (Raymond James/Biofuels Digest) This week, we attended the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, a major annual gathering of firms in the bioindustrial space. As we noted in our conference recap from March 2015, the industry’s focus had been pivoting
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Nigeria: Investing in an Ethanol Plant for Export
by Uba Godwin (This Day/AllAfrica.com/Global Trust Consulting Group) Uba Godwin writes on how cassava and other raw materials could be processed into ethanol for export -- It is disheartened that Nigerians at this level of technological development worldwide are still
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Move From Lab to Frying Pan
by Amy Harder (Wall Street Journal/Governors' Biofuels Coalition) Solazyme Inc., a company founded 12 years ago to make car and truck fuel from algae, is vigorously pushing a new product. But this time, it is fuel for the body: cooking oil, based
December 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae: 2015, the Year in Review
by Matt Carr (Algae Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... Low oil prices, company mergers or evolving business strategies may be easily spun by the skeptics as reasons to fret, but in the case of our industry they are almost all illustrations of
November 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Solazyme Expanding: The Digest’s Updated 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Headquartered in South San Francisco, Solazyme’s renewable products can replace or enhance oils derived from the world’s three existing sources – petroleum, plants and animal fats. Initially, Solazyme is focused on commercializing its products into
November 02, 2015 Read Full Article
8 Ways around the Big, Bad Oxygen Problem in the Advanced Bioeconomy Parts 1 and 2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the terrestrial world, oxygen is colorless, odorless, and try to get through an hour without some. In the Bioeconomy Cinematic Universe, oxygen is harder than steel, heavier than a black hole, and higher than
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Amyris and the Velocity of Renewables
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What makes Amyris, Amyris? We look at the products, the evolution of the story, the partners, the focus on yield, and deeper into the story of Rate. ... Amyris experienced last month what CEO John Melo
August 28, 2015 Read Full Article
What’s up with Algae Now?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... 31 Algae players, what do they make now, and how are they making out? ... Here’s our company by company guide to 31 of the players on the scene — project developers and technology suppliers. ... AlgaEnergy AlgaEnergy is
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
3 Biobased Strategies to Beat $60 Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil price predictions are all over the map. So, how are biobased businesses coping when no one quite knows what’s up with the incumbent? Amyris, Cellerate and Propel Fuels are three ventures showing the way(s) forward. If
July 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Algae Underfunded in Energy Hunt
By Kazuaki Nagata ( The Japan times)...While the technology itself is not new, Japanese scientists say they believe oil from aquatic algae could become an important raw material as biomass technology improves and the world looks for oil sources other than
July 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Iberdrola-Backed AlgaEnergy May Build Mexico Biomass Plant
by Stefan Nicola (Bloomberg) AlgaEnergy SA, part-owned by Spain’s Iberdrola SA (IBE) and Repsol SA (REP), is in talks with potential partners to set up a plant in Mexico to supply the American markets with biomass made from algae. Chief Executive
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
Biobased Products and Algae
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...For all the excitement about fuels — biobased products may be even a hotter trend for the renewables sector’s hottest feedstock. One of the big trends this week? The biobased product side of algae – all