by Bev Betkowski (Troy Media/University of Alberta) University of Alberta research is brewing up better ways to help ethanol producers make the most of plant waste they use to make their fuel. A process developed by researcher David Bressler’s lab in the Faculty of
fermentation
Back TO HOMELanzaTech 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
Biomass to Sugar Conversion Mechanisms: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Pretreatment and Enzymes for Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Get the latest on thermochemical pretreatment and enzymatic reactions for biofuels and biochemicals production from Rajesh Gupta from Lee Enterprises Consulting in this illuminating slide guide. From lignocellulosic and algal biomass, comparison of popular pretreatment
April 21, 2021 Read Full Article
The “Coming Apocalypse:” Will Industrial Biotech Flourish or Flounder?
by Christopher J. Guske and Mark Warner (D2 Biotech Consulting/Warner Advisors/Biofuels Digest) ... “Capital Light is great until you run out of someone else’s capital.” As multi-decade Industrial Biotech veterans, we are seeing more start-up companies “dressed up with nowhere
April 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Earth Day Series Day 11: Microbial World for Renewable Fuels and Chemicals Production
by Anahita Bharadwaj* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The versatile world of microorganisms is a perfect source for the production of a variety of biobased fuels, chemicals and materials. Microorganisms have the ability to break down biomass, components of these biomass or other
April 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Net Zero Drop-In Fuels: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Low-carbon, drop-in fuels with a pathway to “net zero” is what Gevo is all about. Capturing renewable energy and transforming it into energy dense, liquid hydrocarbons that can be drop-in fuels is a game changer,
April 08, 2021 Read Full Article
Termination of Synthetic Ethanol Production & Sales and Contract to Handle the Distillation of Fermented Ethanol
(Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Masayuki Waga) hereby announces that it is planning to shut down its synthetic ethanol production facilities at the Mie Plant (Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture) and terminate the production and
March 31, 2021 Read Full Article
AFYREN and Südzucker Reach Long Term Deal to Supply Factory Producing Biobased Organic Acids AFYREN Secures Procurement of Sugar Beet Co-Products, Major Feedstock for Industrial-Scale Production of Its Sustainable Chemicals
(Bio-based News) AFYREN and Südzucker have reached an unprecedented long-term agreement on the supply of sugar beet co-products as feedstock for AFYREN NEOXY, the zero-waste, low-carbon biorefinery that will begin producing seven 100% biobased organic acids at industrial scale in early
March 26, 2021 Read Full Article
TeselaGen Partners with Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit to Accelerate the Bioeconomy
(Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU)/CISION) Collaboration deploys the TeselaGen AI-enabled operating system to close the gap between promising research and large-scale fermentation-based production of renewable bioproducts -- TeselaGen Biotechnology and the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) of the Lawrence
March 22, 2021 Read Full Article
5 Key Tech Takeaways: Highlights from Tech Presented at ABLC 2020
by Iacovos Vasalos (Center for Research and Technology-Hellas/Biofuels Digest) This report summarizes highlights from the ABLC 2020 Biofuels Digest Virtual Conference, which took place in July 7-10, 2020. (And if you haven’t already registered for this year’s ABLC Digital on May 3-7,
March 10, 2021 Read Full Article
LCRI Looks at Hydrogen, Biofuels, Synthetic Fuels: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Low-Carbon Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic hydrocarbon fuels, and biofuels can provide greenhouse gas emissions reduction for difficult-to-decarbonize sectors when produced via low-carbon means—from clean electricity, renewable feedstocks, or fossil resources with carbon capture, utilization, and storage, says
March 04, 2021 Read Full Article
Iowa Company Plans to Capture Midwest Ethanol Plants' Carbon Dioxide, Store It Underground
by Katie Piekes (National Public Radio/Harvest Public Media) A new business in Iowa wants to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants. It would pave the way for biorefineries in Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas to deliver carbon-neutral
March 03, 2021 Read Full Article
Landfill Gas to Ethanol
by Gary C. Young (Bio-Thermal-Energy Inc./Ethanol Producer Magazine) Mixed with steam, run through a reformer and fermented, landfill gas proves an economic and environmentally beneficial feedstock for ethanol production. And each LFG project is a source of green energy that
February 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Innovations in Bioprocess Tech for Fuels: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to USDA
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA’s Bruce Dien shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 focusing on the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois and recent success of NCAUR research. From biorefineries, advanced ethanol and biobutanol,
February 12, 2021 Read Full Article
Biochemical, Deacetylation and Mechanical Refining Process: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to NREL’s Biomass Deconstruction
What does an ideal biomass deconstruction process need? Find out in this illuminating slide guide from Xiaowen Chen, Senior Chemical Engineer in the Catalytic Carbon Transformation and Scale-up Center at National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Also take a peek into NREL’s
February 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Green Plains Announces Clean Sugar Project in Nebraska
(Green Plains/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Green Plains Inc. and Ospraie Management today announced that recently acquired Fluid Quip Technologies is engineering and constructing a fully scalable commercial Clean Sugar Technology production facility at the Green Plains York Innovation Center. This technology effectively
January 26, 2021 Read Full Article
SAIL Planning to Set up India's First Gas-to-Ethanol Plant in Chandrapur
(Asian Age) It would cost around Rs 400 crore for to set up the plant, of which 20 per cent 'viable gas funding' will be provided by the government--SAIL with the help of the Centre is planning to set up
January 25, 2021 Read Full Article
Getting to Neutral Carbon: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Carbon Drawdown
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s A.J. Simon shared this illuminating slide guide at ABLC 2020 to look at the role that bioeconomy pathways play in drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere. From pathway selection, corn starch,
January 19, 2021 Read Full Article
South by Yeast: Ginkgo Acquires a Venture that Sputtered but Never Failed to Intrigue
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It was styled as a biofuels and biochemical producer, founded back in the heady days of the Recovery Act in February 2009, focused on developing high value oils and animal feeds by fermentation of low cost
January 12, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuels Need Cost-Effective Separations Tech: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Bioprocessing Separations Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Four critical challenges in biochemical and thermochemical processing were addressed in the just released “Bioprocessing Separations Consortium Three-Year Overview” U.S. BETO report, including targeting the fractionation of lignin to enable valorization; Developing technologies to enable
January 05, 2021 Read Full Article
IISc Researchers Turn Stubble into Ethanol
by Chiranjeevi Kulkarni (Deccan Herald) At a time when pollution from stubble burning has become a concern, researchers from IISc have devised a way to extract ethanol from it which is a valuable fuel. Professor T V Ramachandra and his doctoral
December 30, 2020 Read Full Article
This Biotech Startup Is Making Palm Oil-Substitutes and Omega-3s from Carbon Emissions
by Kristin Toussaint (Fast Company) Instead of having more carbon go into the atmosphere, making our planet warmer and speeding up the effects of climate change, you might soon be able to eat those emissions. Biotech company LanzaTech has successfully
December 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Advanced Membrane Tech: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Whitefox
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed last week’s DigestConnect, have no fear, check out the Whitefox slide guide here! Whitefox CTO Stephan Blum, advisor Bill Lee, Process Engineer Virginia Andrade and Field Engineer Sean Lorimer shared all about improved
December 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Microbioreactors for Fermentation Optimization: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to m2p-labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed ABLC this summer, check out this illuminating slide guide from Jeff Thornton at m2p-labs where he shares how microbioreactors can be used to de-risk larger scale, more expensive systems, increase throughput data
December 04, 2020 Read Full Article
New Membrane Could Pave Way for Cheap, Efficiently Made Biofuels
by Sara West (Imperial College London) Scientists have developed a cost-effective method of biofuel extraction which could make them viable alternatives to fossil fuels in transport. Biofuels, which are made from renewable organic matter, hold great potential as green alternatives to fossil
November 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Ethanol Use Seen Growing Quickly in India, Not as Much in Thailand
by Marcelo Teixeira (Reuters) Ethanol production and consumption in India, the world’s third largest fuel market, is expected to increase quickly in coming years as the government seems keen to push the industry to higher blend rates, an industry official said on
October 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Waste Not, Want Not: INL Studies Potential of Municipal Solid Waste for Biofuels
by J. Richard Hess (Idaho National Laboratory) ...Even though MSW (municipal solid waste) has great potential, not much was known about the cost and quality of feedstocks that could be derived from MSW or MSW blends for fuel production. In
October 19, 2020 Read Full Article
NAWCWD, Amyris Collaborate to Develop, Test High-Energy Biosynthetic Fuel
(Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division/NAVAIR News) What do bread and liquid jet fuel have in common? Yeast. At least they can, if you’re talking about the biosynthetic research being done in China Lake, California, by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and
October 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Updates to Task 39’s Demonstration Plant Database
(IEA Bioenergy) The Task 39 pilot and demonstration plants database was recently updated. Information on all European facilities (121) were verified and updated. 226 entries are currently active in the online database. Technologies covered include gasification, fermentation, hydrotreatment, fast pyrolysis,
October 05, 2020 Read Full Article
Scotland’s Opportunity to Grow a New Clean, Sustainable Economy
by Mark Bustard (Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC)/Biofuels Digest) The idea of a net zero carbon emissions and zero waste economy isn’t as far-fetched as some may think. The key promise of a bio-based economy is that we can grow the
September 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Fermentation Tech: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From fermentation ingredients to fermentation technology for fuel alcohol and distilled beverage production, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits has an interesting story and even more interesting path ahead. Check out this slide guide from a recent DigestConnect
September 28, 2020 Read Full Article
Biomass Feedstocks and Process Variability: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The U.S. Department of Energy leads the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium, which is a collaborative effort among 9 labs to develop first-principles based knowledge and tools to understand and mitigate the effects of biomass feedstock and process
September 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Celtic Renewables Biorefinery Sparks Boost for Scotland’s Green Economic Recovery
(Celtic Renewables) The first sign that the Scottish economy is on track for a green recovery became evident today as the construction of Scotland’s first biorefinery took a significant step forward with the arrival of six purpose-built 130,000 litre fermentation vessels
September 21, 2020 Read Full Article
Pivoting from Plants-to-Food to Plants-to-X – What’s the Future of Ag?
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Is it a battle of plants for food versus plants for biofuels, biochemicals, biobased products? What about fermentation? Will food made from fermentation be the end of agriculture as we know it? Will one be
September 21, 2020 Read Full Article
LanzaTech Eyes Two More Spin-off Companies
by Kirstin Korosec (TechCrunch) LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren said Tuesday on the Disrupt 2020 virtual stage that the carbon capture technology company is planning to use its core technology to create two other businesses. LanzaTech captures waste gas emissions and uses bacteria
September 18, 2020 Read Full Article
R&D Advances Abound LanzaTech’s India Contract, NovoNutrients’ Food & Feed from CO2, Industrial Microbes’ New Methane Related Patent
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech’s 2G Ethanol India contract, NovoNutrients’ food & feed from CO2, Industrial Microbes’ new methane related patent -- In just the last 24 hours or so there has been a flurry of R&D news.
September 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuel Facility Gets Green Light in India
(Lanza Tech) Distributed Approach Enables Local Production of Ethanol from Agricultural Residues -- Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), a leading Indian Refining company based in Mangalore, is planning to install a second generation (2G) ethanol facility in the State of
September 16, 2020 Read Full Article
Lallemand Launches New Convergence Yeast, Enzyme Platform: Could Save Ethanol Producers $1M/Year in Replacing All External Fermentation Enzymes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Wisconsin, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits has announced a next generation advanced yeast and enzyme platform called Convergence, which combines a new yeast that generates virtually all the glucoamylase (GA) required for fermentation combined with a
September 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Integrating D3MAX Distillers Tech with Ethanol Facility: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to ACE Ethanol with D3MAX
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ACE Ethanol’s facility in Stanley, Wisconsin has a D3MAX corn fiber to ethanol plant. Mark Yancey, Chief Technology Officer at D3MAX takes us on a tour of the plant, shares their startup issues and successes to
September 10, 2020 Read Full Article
In COVID-19 World, Biobased Industries Key to Rebuilding a Strong, Sustainable Economy
by Matt Lipscomb (DMC Bio/Biofuels Digest) ... One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the realization of the fragility of current global supply chains. As consumers and companies begin to value supply chain stability and robustness in addition
September 08, 2020 Read Full Article
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Could Soon Take Flight
by Kathiann M. Kowalski (Energy News Network) The Midwest is ready for takeoff as a leader in cleaner aviation, thanks to researchers in Ohio and elsewhere and a cleantech startup in Illinois. -- Just as Ohioans pioneered aircraft flight more than a
September 07, 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
Biogenic Emissions: Credit Where It’s Due
by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The push to alter biogenic emissions regulations could boost corn farming and ethanol production while cementing the role of biobased solutions in the fight against climate change. Political inertia, however, remains the primary barrier
August 17, 2020 Read Full Article
Mustard Family Member Seen as Biofuel Source
(Canton Daily Ledger/US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) Lesquerella (a.k.a. Fendler’s bladderpod and Yellow Top) is a member of the mustard family that’s native to the U.S. Southwest. But Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are now eyeing it as a
August 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Frontiers in the Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj’s Bio-Mobility, 2G Ethanol & Renewable Chem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Digital in July, Pramod Kumbhar, President and CTO at Praj Matrix’s R&D Center shared this illuminating slide guide on their Bio-Mobility platform, enfinity – Praj’s 2G ethanol technology, their latest work in marine
August 11, 2020 Read Full Article
CO2 Usage in an Old Application, with a New Twist in an Ever-Growing Spiked Beverage Market
by Sam A. Rushing (Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd./Biofuels Digest) New markets are opening, and competition is heating up over carbonating more than the traditional Coca – Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper – Snapple, and many private labels of purely soft drinks. The rise,
August 07, 2020 Read Full Article
NextChem and LanzaTech Sign an Agreement to Promote Circular Ethanol Production
(NextChem) NextChem's #CircularDistrict model is enhanced with a new dimension: in addition to hydrogen and methanol derived from the chemical conversion of plasmix and non-recyclable dry waste, it will now be possible to obtain ethanol, an important chemical for sustainable
July 28, 2020 Read Full Article
Top Renewable Diesel Projects and Pathways: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you missed last week’s DigestConnect webinar, have no fear, the full deck is here! From 11 pathways on who’s doing what, how and with what, 21 projects and who’s running them and where, 13
July 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Quality Unconcern
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol producers have sustained adequate production yields in 2020, despite low-quality corn from last year’s harvest. While experts aren't sure why problems haven't arisen, improved enzymes and yeasts have probably helped plants stay
July 21, 2020 Read Full Article
On a Molecular Level: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Checkerspot’s Microbes to Products
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A company that designs materials at a molecular level by optimizing microbes to biomanufacture unique structural oils discovered in nature, but not previously accessible commercially, is what Checkerspot is all about. Check out their Slide Guide from
July 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Selects New Projects to Accelerate Innovation and Growth in the Biomanufacturing Sector
(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 US biomanufacturing sector. Part of the Agile BioFoundry (ABF) consortium, these
July 10, 2020 Read Full Article
The Competitive Edge: Drystill Holdings Inc.
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... Drystill invented a low temperature low energy distillation technique. While beneficial in a many industrial sectors, it has can be particularly helpful in reducing capital and operating costs in the biofuel industry. The technology
June 26, 2020 Read Full Article
SAF Trends for 2020 and Beyond: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Aviation Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s making what, how, where and when? Find out why there are a zillian paths to sustainable aviation fuels and take a look at The Digest’s latest slide guide from last week’s DigestConnect webinar to
June 15, 2020 Read Full Article
Fugitive Methane, Eating Elephants, and Brewing Quarantine Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... We left the discussion with a hint about the potential conversion of methane to methanol, which can serve as a powerful chemical building block or, in China most prominently, as a fuel. We’ll pick up from that
June 11, 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
Sekab and Praj Industries in Collaboration to Accelerate a Green Transition
(Praj/Sekab E-Technology AB) Sekab E-technology AB and Praj Industries, India have signed a collaboration agreement in order to upgrade and commercialize technology solutions geared towards the production of sustainable biofuels and chemical products. Praj industries will through this collaboration help to
May 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuel Reduces Carbon Emissions: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Clariant’s Sunliquid and Lignocellulosic Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Clariant takes us on a journey on how carbon emissions can be reduced by advanced biofuels, more specifically, how lignocellulosic ethanol made from agriculture residues like straw, non-food materials, and waste can make an immediate impact,
April 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Fraunhofer IFF Researchers Design Green Hydrogen Factory
by Matthew Mercure (NGT News) Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF (Fraunhofer IFF) have designed a factory for the distributed and modular production and distribution of green hydrogen. While hydrogen provides an eco-friendly option to meet industry demand for
April 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Bio-Based Chemicals: A 2020 Update
Ed de Jong, Heinz Stichnothe, Geoff Bell and Henning Jørgensen (EIA Bioenergy) Since the first issue of the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 report on bio-based chemicals in 2011, the importance of a circular economy has become evident. In the transition to
April 01, 2020 Read Full Article
INA Selects FUTUROL™ Licensed by Axens for Its Project of Advanced Bioethanol Production in Croatia
(Axens) The Croatian oil and gas company INA has awarded Axens a license agreement to supply Futurol™ cellulosic ethanol technology and contract for basic engineering design of an advanced bioethanol production plant in Sisak, Croatia. Supplying INA with its innovative and sustainable
March 10, 2020 Read Full Article
5 Lessons Learned on Controlling Fermentation Facility Capital Costs
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Biofuels Digest) Biotechnology funding is surging and contract fermentation options remain limited, so companies seeking to commercialize advanced biotechnologies are again evaluating options to build required production capacity. While the “build” approach comes with many benefits, capital
March 10, 2020 Read Full Article
Minding the Cost Gap: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to IEA Bioenergy’s Cost Reduction for Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today’s top story, “Mind the Gap,” refers to a rather bleak and disturbing assessment offered by IEA Bioenergy on the prospects for cost-competitive advanced biofuels. The report looked at 89 different organizations and their technologies,
March 04, 2020 Read Full Article
Engineered Bacteria for Acetone and Drop-in Fuels from Syngas: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech’s Acetone Platform
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sean Simpson and Michael Köpke from LanzaTech and researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on developing and scaling up a novel technology platform for direct conversion of biomass syngas to acetone, which can be
February 18, 2020 Read Full Article
The Competitive Edge: Sustainable Technologies srl
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Sustainable Technologies is active in the niche of R&D on fermentative processes. The company has developed a rational method for the management of anaerobic digestion processes. Currently the company is also engaged in a
February 14, 2020 Read Full Article
3 Reasons to Scale-Up and How: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Scale-Up of Industrial Fermentation Processes
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There are 3 big reasons to scale-up a process but how exactly do you go about doing it? What should you do to prepare for scale-up? How do you successfully scale-up a fermentation process? H. Brett Schreyer
February 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Posted for Comment: Red Trail Energy, LLC Richardton, North Dakota Starch Ethanol Pathways with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
(California Air Resources Board) Pathway Summary Red Trail Energy (RTE) operates an ethanol production facility located at Richardton, North Dakota with annual production of about 60 million gallons per year. The facility has been in operation since 2007. RTE has two
February 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Prehistoric Microbes Valorize Carbon Dioxide under High Pressure to 'Green Gas'
(Krajete GmbH/TechXplore) A completely new kind of bioreactor for the biological production of methane has enabled the use of extremely high pressure levels for the first time—and set new efficiency standards for the conversion of CO2 and H2 into methane. This significant
January 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Microorganisms Fed with Toxic Gas to Produce Biofuel
(University of Borås/Phys.Org) Today, various processes are used to convert organic waste into biogas. By combining two different processes, it is possible to obtain even more of valuable substances such as hydrogen and methane. The key is to make the most
January 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Pioneering a Path to Cleaner Fuels and Fewer Emissions
by Matthew Menzies (University of Alberta) Unconventional greenhouse gas reduction research brings biology and chemistry together in engineering -- ... UAlberta engineering PhD candidate Fatemeh Bakhtiari Ziabari is investigating ways to eliminate atmospheric methane on an industrial scale while producing sustainable
January 06, 2020 Read Full Article
Autothermal Pyrolysis: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Rethinking Thermochemical Processing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iowa State University is working on fast pyrolysis, and Robert Brown, Director of the university’s Bioeconomy Institute looks at how their work is making us rethink thermochemical processing. By looking at autothermal pyrolysis, and more, Brown
December 27, 2019 Read Full Article
MAGIC System Allows Researchers to Modulate the Activity of Genes Acting in Concert
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/EurekAlert!) Genomic research has unlocked the capability to edit the genomes of living cells; yet so far, the effects of such changes must be examined in isolation. In contrast, the complex traits that are of interest in
December 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Confessions of a Biorefiner: Green Plains’ Journey into the Land of High-Value Proteins, and the Who, What and Why of That
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week news came out of a partnership between Novozymes and Green Plains to use biological technology to extract more value from corn protein, at what used to be known as corn ethanol plants, but with
December 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Simplifying Biology for Biochemicals: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to DMC’s Metabolic Engineering Tech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Digital biology, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are not all the same – just ask Matt Lipscomb, CEO and Founder of DMC who shared this presentation at ABLC NEXT in San Francisco. Check out
December 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Production and Consumption in Denmark: Status, Advances and Challenges
by Sune Tjalfe Thomsen and Henning Jørgensen (IEA Bioenergy Task 39 Newsletter) 1. Status of transportation biofuel industry in Denmark -- In Denmark, a considerable part of the total energy demand is derived from renewable sources. In 2017, 26% of
December 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Engineered Strains for Fermentation: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to n-Butanol from Biomass and CO2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) $2.25/gal or less than $3/gge (gallon gasoline equivalent) sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? That is one of the goals of a project that is working on developing engineered clostridial strains and a fermentation process that can
December 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Edible Wood? Bringing Biomass into the Food Chain: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Arbiom’s Wood to Food
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s all about the evolution of food production, according to Arbiom’s Ricardo Ekmay, VP Nutrition & Product Development. During his presentation at ABLC NEXT in San Francisco, Ekmay noted that their technology can bring wood into
November 27, 2019 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
Mitsui to Invest in Chinese Next-Generation Ethanol Producer and Promote SAF Production Business
(Mitsui) Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Tatsuo Yasunaga), has resolved to acquire an equity interest in China-based next-generation ethanol producer Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Technology (SGLT). After obtaining the appropriate licenses and permissions, Mitsui
November 15, 2019 Read Full Article
How to Make Better Biofuels? Convince Yeast It’s Not Starving
by Adam Hadhazy (Princeton University) Yeast already helps make bread and beer and cranks out the biofuel ethanol, but scientists believe it can be used to create an even more efficient fuel called isobutanol. Normally, yeast only creates a tiny amount
November 15, 2019 Read Full Article
40% Biomass Boost for Bioethanol: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Aequor’s Green Chemistry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A Wonder Woman Power Duo spoke at the recent ABLC NEXTin San Francisco and in case you missed it, this is one presentation you won’t want to miss. It’s got the goods on green chemicals
November 15, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Grants Request for Reconsideration of Title V Ethanol Rule
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA announced Nov. 6 it is granting a request for reconsideration filed by the National Resource Defense Council in March 2009 related to the agency’s exclusion of ethanol plants from Title V permitting
November 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Are Ancient Bugs the Key to Storing Wind and Solar?
by Stephen Lacey (GreenTechMedia) In this special podcast episode: We tour NREL’s new bioreactor that creates renewable methane from microorganisms, hydrogen and CO2. NREL and SoCalGas are finally running their novel power-to-gas system. -- As grids get saturated with wind and
November 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Fractionation Processes Can Improve Profitability of Ethanol Production
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois) The U.S. is the world's largest producer of bioethanol as renewable liquid fuel, with more than 200 commercial plants processing over 16 billion gallons per year. Plants typically use dry grind processing methods; however, implementing fractionation techniques that
November 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Undergraduates Participate in Bioenergy Research at GLBRC
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Each year, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) hosts a group of undergraduate students to participate in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, designed to immerse students in research. This summer, 11 undergraduate
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Tolerating Even More: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Improving Yeast Tolerance to Lignocellulosic Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Wouldn’t it be great if we could boost fermentation of high-toxicity biomass hydrolysates? Well, folks are working on this via enhanced biocatalytic tolerance. At the recent DOE BETO 2019 Project Peer Review, Felix Lam and
October 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Engineering Thermophiles to Produce Drop-in Fuels from Syngas: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Syngas Bioprocess
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Drop-in fuels from syngas are in. Syngas feedstocks are relatively inexpensive and diverse, thermophiles have several unique advantages, and end products have value as fuel and solvent applications among others. Sounds like win, win, win, right?
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Algae and Bacteria Team up to Increase Hydrogen Production
(University of Cordoba/EurekAlert!) In line with the fight against climate change and the search for a sustainable future, the idea appears of a future society based on hydrogen used as a fuel. This biofuel of the future could be what cars
September 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Food and Feed: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to BioMar’s Algae
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Had algae ice cream lately? BioMar is working on getting that to become a reality by making algae in food and food mainstream. At the recent Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida, Vidar Gundersen, Global
September 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Alcohol School: Yancey Delivers D3Max Project Update
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Minimizing feedstock cost is one rule for a successful cellulosic ethanol project, according to Mark Yancey, chief technology officer for D3Max. “That can be a very large component of your project costs.” Yancey spoke Sept. 13
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
ORNL Develops Method to Customize Microbes for Better Biofuel Production
by Kimberly A Askey (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a method to insert genes into a variety of microorganisms that previously would not accept foreign DNA, with the goal
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Lube It up with Sugar: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Lubricants from Cellulosic Sugar
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Petroleum based lubricants are everywhere, but Cargill is working on producing lubricants from cellulosic sugars instead. Utilizing a novel bioprocess that converts lignocellulosic hydrolysate sugars to caprylatemethyl ester, they are laying the foundation for this product
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Contract Fermentation Update, Market Continues to Tighten
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC) ... Contract manufacturing options are diminishing and the facilities currently operating are looking for more favorable commercial terms. If you are planning to scale a fermentation process through contract fermentation facilities, it is going
September 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Highest Yield, Lowest Cost: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to 2nd Gen Mixotrophy for Biochemicals
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Shawn Jones from White Dog Labs shared this as part of the of U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office presentations on second-generation mixotrophy for the highest yield and least expensive biochemical production. Check out
September 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Gevo Announces Breakthrough Development of Low-Carbon No Particulate Renewable Diesel
(GEVO) Converting Isobutanol or Fusel Oils to Renewable Diesel -- Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer, announced today that it has developed proprietary, breakthrough processes that converts either low-carbon isobutanol or low-value “fusel oils,” a mixture of alcohols
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
India’s Rising Prowess in Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj’s Perpective from India
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Product, processes and partnerships are what it’s all about in India right now with the country’s latest bioenergy policies and growing activity in the bioeconomy. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman at Praj Industries gave this illuminating presentation at
September 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Vegan Renewable Diesel, Futurol Tech: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Axens’ Fuel Feedstocks
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Axens Solutions is covering the entire project development cycle and working on things like BioTfuel and Vegan which are renewable diesel and jet fuels, Futurol, a cellulosic ethanol using biomass enzymatic fermentation, Atol made from
August 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Fermentation On Demand: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Culture Biosciences
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Cloud based fermentation – sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s real. Culture Biosciences’ vision is to make biomanufacturing a digital experience: they want running bioreactors to be as easy as running code
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
POET Outlines Lessons from 4-Year Long Startup of Project Liberty Cellulosic Ethanol Project
(Green Car Congress) Commercially viable cellulosic ethanol plants has proven devilishly difficult to bring to fruition. The primary outlier from the list of efforts that have shut down over the past few years is POET/DSM’s Project Liberty (earlier post). In an
July 22, 2019 Read Full Article
NovoNutrients Gets $300K from DOE Program for CO2 to Feed Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $600,000 in federal funding for two projects that fall under the High Performance Computing for Materials (HPC4Mtls) program. One of the projects caught The Digest’s eye in particular – California-based NovoNutrients‘ fermentation
July 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources and New Age Renewable Energy Team Up for Joint Project Sales Collaboration
(Greenbelt Resources/Globe Newswire) The dairy processing industry may have just gotten a boost to its bottom line from a collaboration between two small but accomplished innovators in cleantech. Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO) (Greenbelt), the developer of an award winning sustainable ECOsystem model
July 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Streamlining the Biofuel Production Process
(European Commission) The production of biofuels like ethanol from non-food biomass is a lucrative prospect for the agricultural sector. However, due to the complexity and expense of the large-scale industrial process currently needed to produce such biofuels, they remain out of
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Making Every Carbon Count: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Praj had a humble beginning as a supplier of ethanol plants, and today is a global company with a bouquet of sustainable solutions for bioenergy, high purity water, critical process equipment, breweries and industrial wastewater treatment. Dr.
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
How Low Can You Go with Carbon?: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis is an international renewable fuels and biochemicals company using patented industrial biotechnology for the construction and operation of advanced biorefineries. They own and operate a 60+ million gallon ethanol plant in California, a 50 million gallon
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Importance of Sterile Design in Aseptic Fermentation – How to Keep from Getting Burned
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Biofuels Digest) If you’ve spent any time in commercial fermentation facilities, then you already know it’s a hot bed of contaminants and has steam coming out all over the place. This is because heat (in the form
June 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Efficiently Producing Fatty Acids and Biofuels from Glucose
(The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)/Phys.Org) Researchers have presented a new strategy for efficiently producing fatty acids and biofuels that can transform glucose and oleaginous microorganisms into microbial diesel fuel, with one-step direct fermentative production. The newly developed strain,
June 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Modified Enzyme Can Increase Second-Generation Ethanol Production
by Elton Alisson (FAPESP/Phys.Org) A group of researchers at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), working in partnership with colleagues at the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil, have discovered that Trichoderma harzianum, a fungus found in the
June 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Miscanthus BBQ Fuel, Microalgae, New Bioreactor for Fermentation, Cacao Bean Waste to Beer, Soy Shoes, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of June 7th
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As we turn the corner from spring to summer, the pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of June 7th In today’s Digest, miscanthus BBQ
June 07, 2019 Read Full Article
Project LIBERTY: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to POET
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) POET has been turning one big idea after another into biofuel and renewable alternative product solutions for thirty years. They have grown from a single, humble refinery in Scotland, South Dakota, to one of the world’s
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Inside the Alliance between REG, ExxonMobil and Clariant that Is Revolutionising Cellulosic Biofuels.
by Luke Upton (BioMarket Insights) ... So we are happy to report a major update to an alliance between three major companies focused on advancing cellulosic biofuels, and speak exclusively to one of its key figures, Fernando Sanchez-Riera, Vice President Research
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Indian Perspective on Bioenergy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to IndianOil Corp.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IndianOil has a 33,000-plus work-force, extensive refining, distribution & marketing infrastructure and advanced R&D facilities. In the country’s pursuit of alternative sources of energy, IndianOil is focusing on CNG (compressed natural gas), Autogas (LPG), ethanol blended
May 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Biomethane Business Is Booming – From Waste to Watts and Wonder Chemicals
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... First, let’s make sure we aren’t confusing biogas with biomethane. Biogas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide but that doesn’t mean it’s biomethane. You see, biogas is produced from organic matter breaking down in the absence
May 14, 2019 Read Full Article
The Case for a Credit
by Steffen Mueller and Sam Rushing (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The role of ethanol-based carbon dioxide is often underappreciated, both as an important source for the nation’s carbon dioxide market and for its carbon-reduction impact. Fermentation CO2 is captured, cleaned and condensed
May 10, 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
(A)lgae + (B)iomass = (C)onstructive: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Sandia National Labs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sandia National Laboratories shares a famous acronym with Saturday Night Live but the work they have done is key to the future of the bioeconomy, having delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most
April 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Putting CO₂ Emissions to Work: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Opus 12
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Opus 12 has developed a device that recycles CO₂ into cost-competitive chemicals and fuels. Their technology bolts onto any source of CO₂ emissions, and with only water and electricity as inputs, transforms that CO₂ into some
April 19, 2019 Read Full Article
CENER is Developing Technology for Future Urban Biorefineries, to Move towards a Circular Bioeconomy
(Bio-based News) CENER is involved in 4 specific initiatives, in order to develop the most adequate management and valorization routes of different urban biowastes -- The Biomass Department of CENER (National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain) is convinced of the need to
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
ICGEB’s Novel Yeast Strain Increases Ethanol Production
by R. Prasad (The Hindu) The strain produces ethanol by fermenting rice and wheat straw -- Compared with currently available strains, a robust yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae NGY10) that can produce up to 15.5% more ethanol when glucose or lignocellulose biomass — rice
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
From Bioenergy to Bioproducts: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to JBEI
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joint BioEnergy Institute is a U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center dedicated to developing advanced biofuels—liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. Inside
April 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Surrey Catalyst IP Set to Ignite Innovation in Modern Bio-Refineries
(University of Surrey) The University of Surrey has developed a new, cost-effective type of catalyst that it hopes will ignite innovation in bio-derived added value chemicals and bring about the next generation of bio-refineries. As the world is looking to combat the
March 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Disruptive Technologies: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Praj Industries
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Praj Industries is an end-to-end solutions provider in the ethanol arena from concept to commissioning and feedstock handling to effluent treatment. They have technology and engineering solutions for biofuels, biochemicals and water. Dr. Pramod Kumbhar, Chief Technology
March 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Brazil’s GranBio Acquires USA’s American Process
by Helena Taveres Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... The acquisition of American Process Inc’s technologies, intellectual property portfolio and physical assets strengthens GranBio’s market position in the deployment of highly competitive industrial processes for conversion of biomass to renewable fuels, chemicals, and
March 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Biomanufacturing as a Service: Culture Biosciences Lands Series A for Its Bioreactors Accessed via the Cloud
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, a new company has launched called Culture Biosciences and today we’d like to take you inside it. It’s a story about making the bioeconomy radically more efficient at the point of developing and deploying product, by
March 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Novel Potent Antimicrobial from Thermophilic Bacterium
(University of Groningen/EurekAlert!) University of Groningen microbiologists and their colleagues from Lithuania have discovered a new glycocin, a small antimicrobial peptide with a sugar group attached, which is produced by a thermophilic bacterium and is stable at relatively high temperatures. They
March 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Butagaz and Global Bioenergies Announce Their First Delivery of Bio Isobutene, a Bio-Sourced Gas, to the Heracles Winery
(Global Bioenergies) On 12 March 2019, the Heracles winery, France's first ecological smart winery was able to take advantage of the first ever delivery containing bio-isobutene, a highly innovative bio-sourced gas. -- With a continuing drive to contribute to France's objectives in
March 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Lallemand and Toyota Motor Corporation Sign Production and Licensing Agreement for New Cellulosic Yeast Strains
(Lallemand) Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) a business unit of Lallemand Inc. is pleased to announce that is has signed an agreement on February 26, 2019, with Toyota Motor Corporation to produce and market a new portfolio of yeast strains
March 06, 2019 Read Full Article
BioSNG Bulletin: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Biomass to Synthetic Natural Gas (BioSNG)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mark Robertson, from Small Planet Engineering and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating overview of renewable natural gas via biomass gasification and methanation, biogas upgrading to RNG, BioSNG developments, challenges, opportunities and more. Lee
March 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Commercialization: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Cellulosic Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Douglas B. Rivers, PhD,from Sunflwr Consulting and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating overview and more READ MORE
February 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Research Uncovers Potential Sustainable Refining Method for Lignin
(Phys.Org/Texas A&M University) Lignin, used as a renewable resource to produce high-value products, has presented both production and economical challenges for biorefinery operations. However, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist suggests the use of an extraction method, plus other refining processes
February 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Jet Fuel from Woody Biomass
by Marina Bowie (Biobased Maine) According to the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (1990-2016), the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to U.S anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, at 28%. Of the 28%, aircraft transportation contributes 9% of
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
‘The Right Effect’: Yeast Can Be Genetically Modified through Multiple Techniques
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Yeast can be genetically modified through multiple techniques, all offering advancements for the ethanol industry. -- Genetically modified (GM) yeasts have found their place in the ethanol industry with more than half of producers routinely using
February 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Flax Fiber Skis, Biobased Turf for 2020 Olympics, Gevo’s Isoprene, Veja Vegan Leather, Castor Oil Jacket Membrane and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of February 8th
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 8th. In today’s Digest, flax fiber skis, biobased turf for 2020 Olympics, Gevo’s isoprene, Veja
February 08, 2019 Read Full Article
GLOBAL BIOENERGIES: First Production of Isobutene from Wheat Straw at Demo Scale
(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) New phase for the H2020 Optisochem project after 18 months of activity; Sugars from wheat straw produced at Clariant's Sunliquid® pre-commercial plant have been shipped to Global Bioenergies' Leuna demo plant; Successful test runs for production of straw-based isobutene, batches delivered
February 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Almond Joy: CEC Poised to Award $10 Million to Advance Aemetis, West Coast Nut Waste-to-Fuels Commercial Projects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Energy Commission has issued a Notice of Proposed Award (NOPA) for a $5 million grant to the Aemetis Riverbank cellulosic ethanol biorefinery, and $5 million for West Coast Waste Co., to assist
February 05, 2019 Read Full Article
No Carbon Left Behind: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTechhas over 20 years experience sourcing and supplying over 5 million tons of wood fiber and organic feedstock in markets across North America. They offer biomass feedstock supply and analytics to understand and minimize supply chain
February 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Gevo Announces Breakthrough Development of Renewable Isoprene, a Key Chemical Building Block for Producing Rubber and Rubber Products
(GEVO/Globe Newswire) Potentially price competitive with petroleum-based isoprene, made with 100% renewable carbon -- Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer, announced today that it has developed a proprietary, breakthrough catalytic process that transforms low-cost commercially available, or
January 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Reaping the Benefits of Agricultural Waste
(University of New Castle) Australia’s $63 billion* agriculture sector stands to benefit from a revolutionary fuel technology that will convert multiple agricultural waste streams into valuable biofuel and green chemical products for the first time. In partnership with the University of
January 25, 2019 Read Full Article
The Bio Wilburys: ExxonMobil, REG Add Clariant to Monumental Effort for Cellulosic-to-Biodiesel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For some time, as the advanced bioeconomy has continued its pivot to deployment-scale diesel and jet fuels, there has been quite a bit of scrutiny and skepticism over the sourcing of enough sustainable feedstock to supply
January 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Designed Materials Innovation: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Checkerspot
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Checkerspot designs high performance materials such as microbes to express new molecular building blocks that they then apply chemistry to create materials that are built into parts and products they prototype. Charles Dimmler, Checkerspot’s CEO gave this
December 27, 2018 Read Full Article
“REWOFUEL”: Residual Soft Wood Conversion to Drop-in Biofuels
(Netzwerk Biotreibstoffe) The aim of the EU-funded project REWOFUEL is to demonstrate the performance, reliability, environmental and socio-economic sustainability of the value chain for the transformation of residual wood to Bio-Isobutene (bio-IBN) by fermentation and its further conversion into biofuels. The
December 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Investors Turn Kenya’s Troublesome Invasive Water Hyacinth into Cheap Fuel
by Benson Rioba (Inter Press Service) Water hyacinth is a weed and if not controlled on Lake Victoria, experts are concerned that the lake’s water levels might drop by 60 percent. -- Currently 30 square kilometres of Lake Victoria, which stretches to
December 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Researchers Advance Biomass Transformation Process
(Chinese Academy of Sciences/Phys.Org) ... Thus, it is important to develop a highly efficient water-resistant catalyst to directly and selectively convert crude aqueous oxygenate mixtures to value-added chemicals; water-immiscible ones (easy separation after reaction) are especially of great importance. However, the efficiency
December 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Renmatix, Gevo Ink Deal to Develop Cellulosic Hydrocarbons for Jet Fuel, Gasoline Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We have word bubbling up simultaneously from Pennsylvania and Colorado that Gevo and Renmatix inked a joint development agreement to evaluate the commercial feasibility of creating renewable jet fuel by integrating Renmatix’s Plantrose Process with Gevo’s
December 07, 2018 Read Full Article
NCERC Pumped up with 15 Years of Success
by Karen Binder (AgriNews) While most talk these days about ethanol swirls around fuel credits and marketing needs, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center has quietly celebrated its 15th anniversary. And what a 15-year run it’s been. “The difference is that as policies, technologies
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Commercializing 2nd-Gen Biofuels: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Axens
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Following the acquisition of Heurtey Petrochem and the integration of 50% of Eurecat, Axens Group now provides a complete range of solutions including: technologies, equipment, furnaces, modular units, catalysts, adsorbents and services for the conversion of
December 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Turning Grams into Tonnes: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant aims to enable the transition to a sustainable bio-based economy through development, scale-up and custom manufacturing of bio-based product and processes. Hendrik Waegeman, Head of Business Development at BBEU gave this illuminating overview of the
December 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Scientists Seawater Fuel Discovery Cuts Demands on Freshwater Use
(University of Huddersfield) The use of seawater in the production of bioethanol significantly reduces of water footprint in the bioethanol production industry. Bioethanol is a climate-friendly alternative to petrol and its adoption has been encouraged by many governments. In the fight against
November 23, 2018 Read Full Article
BioFuture: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to BioFuture Platform and the Advanced Biofuels Outlook
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Biofuture Platform aims to be an action-oriented, country-led, multi-stakeholder mechanism for policy dialogue and collaboration among leading countries, organizations, academia and the private sector conscious of the need to accelerate development and scale up deployment
November 07, 2018 Read Full Article
R1,1 Billion Gas to Fuel Green Energy Plant for Middelburg
(Middleburg Observer) A gas to fuel green energy plants to the value of R1,1 billion will be built in Middelburg next year, anchoring the town as South Africa’s flagship commercial ethanol production region. ... A pilot fermentation unit was shipped to South Africa,