by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“Cowcookies”, the lost Marx Brothers script Scene, an office on Wall Street. Enter a lender, Harold P. Cheesebreath — and his prospective borrower, Al Cohol. Cohol: (confidently) See here, it’s a no-brainer. Mandated fuel, pilot-proven technology, no food
Financing
Back TO HOMEBlack Swans, White Swans, Shell’s Shale, Waste Management and Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the world of venture capital, black swans are a big deal. For example, Khosla Ventures in describing “what we look for” refers to its continuing search for “black swan ideas with significant upside or a
October 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Wall Street Demands Answers From Fossil Fuel Producers on 'Unburnable' Carbon
by Elizabeth Douglass (InsideClimate News) Groundbreaking initiative is forcing an investor rethink: What's the value of fossil fuel stocks if companies must leave reserves in the ground A well-heeled coalition of investors is asking top fossil fuel companies to calculate the
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Got Algae?: The 2013 Algae Biomass Summit
by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) During four days, from September 31st to October 3rd, people from 34 countries were reunited at the Hilton Hotel in Orlando, Florida, for a wide-ranging discussion of the advances and challenges of
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Disrupting the Gas Station: Startup Melds Biofuels, VCs, Grants
by Lauren Hepler (Silicon Valley Business Journal) The green fad may be waning for Silicon Valley venture capitalists, but that isn't slowing growth for Redwood City biofuel startup Propel Fuels. The company, which increased sales more than fivefold in the last three years,
October 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Industrial Biobased Ventures Raise $364M in Q3 2013; 5-Minute Guide to the Bioinvesting Landscape
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biobased investing continues surging, both direct and via strategics. The Digest has the data and the scoop in our 5-Minute Guide. In Florida, Biofuels Digest reports that 9 biobased ventures raised $363.8 million in new capital
October 23, 2013 Read Full Article
USDA Announces Availability of Funding to Develop Advanced Biofuels Projects
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $181 million to develop commercial-scale biorefineries or retrofit existing facilities with appropriate technology to develop advanced biofuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying
October 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Jatropha Project in Guatemala Gets Additional Funding
(Biofuels International) SG Biofuels (SGB), an energy crop company has signed a mandate letter with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the debt financing of its 25,000 acre jatropha bioenergy project in Guatemala. The project cost is estimated at approximately
October 17, 2013 Read Full Article
No Matter the Question, the Answer is Four: Four-Carbon Molecules and the Big Opportunity for Biotech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the world of chemists, they are known as the C4s, and they are a target these days for just about anyone who can figure out a way to make them. Over on the petrochemical side,
October 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Lack of Soybean Crushing Facilities in Wisconsin Costly for Farmers
by Rick Barrett (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel) It's a bountiful harvest, but every year Wisconsin soybean growers pay a hefty price to have their crop processed at out-of-state facilities because there isn't a bean crushing plant available to them here. ... Timing
October 16, 2013 Read Full Article
BlueFire Renewables Adds New Revenue Source to Fulton Facility
(MarketWatch/BlueFire Renewables) BlueFire Renewables, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm, has integrated a synergistic wood pellet production plant to its facility in Fulton, Mississippi. The reconfigured design will be a 9 million gallon per year
October 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Butamax and Highwater Ethanol Break Ground on Biobutanol Retrofit Project Including Installation of Novel Corn Oil Separation Technology
(GlobeNewsWire) Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels LLC, the leading biobutanol technology company, and Highwater Ethanol LLC, a leading producer of first generation ethanol, have begun to retrofit Highwater's ethanol plant in Lamberton, Minnesota for the production of biobutanol. Butamax's cutting edge technology
October 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Turning Algae’s Golden Corner: Triton, Sapphire Energy, Heliae, Rincon, and Monsanto
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... It seems a long time ago now that, out of Dr. Steve Mayfield’s lab at Scripps and later at the University of California at San Diego, a series of discoveries made it possible, for the
October 03, 2013 Read Full Article
KiOR Gets $50 Million from Khosla to Double Production
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Texas, KiOR announced that it is pursuing plans to double production capacity at its Columbus, Mississippi, cellulosic fuels facility through construction of a second facility incorporating KiOR’s commercially proven technology. KiOR estimates that the project
September 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Enerkem and GreenField, Partners in VANERCO, Announce up to $39.8 Million in Repayable Contribution from the Canadian Government
(PR NewsWire/Yahoo!Finance/VANERCO) Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver today confirmed SDTC's financial contribution in VANERCO, the joint venture partnership formed by Enerkem (www.enerkem.com and GreenField www.gfsa.com) to build and operate a cellulosic ethanol facility integrated with GreenField's existing ethanol plant in Varennes, Quebec.
September 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Poet Venture Primed for Cellulosic Ethanol
by Brenda Wade Schmidt (Argus Leader) South Dakota-based Poet and its partner in producing ethanol from leaves, cobs and cornstalks plan to open their first cellulosic plant early next year. By summer, Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels should have any glitches worked out
September 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Concord Energy Announces Agreement to Establish Asia Pacific Joint Venture with Cool Planet Energy Systems
(BusinessWire/Cool Planet) Concord Energy today announced that it has signed an agreement with Cool Planet Energy Systems to establish a joint-venture in the Asia Pacific Region. The JV will develop commercial production facilities for the conversion of non-food biomass into
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Brazil’s Big Six in Advanced Biofuels & Chemicals: Who’s Doing What Now?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) After taking a leading role in the global first generation wave of ethanol production, here come the Brazilians — with some hot North American technologies in tow — to take on next-generation biofuels and chemicals.
September 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Marine Biofuel Plant Planned for Development in Denmark
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The Denmark-based Port of Frederikshavn, Canadian biofuel company Steeper Energy, and Denmark-based Aalborg University have announced a partnership to develop a biofuel plant in Denmark that will produce sulphur-free, drop-in marine fuel from wood feedstock. ... Roughly
September 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Ohio Firm Will Buy Little Falls Ethanol Plant: Green Biologics to Make Butanol with Facility
(St. Cloud Times) The Central Minnesota Ethanol Co-op on Wednesday made a deal to allow Green Biologics Inc. to acquire substantially all of its assets. CMEC was established in 1995 as an ethanol company based in Little Falls. Green Biologics, which specializes
September 12, 2013 Read Full Article
CA Ethanol and Power Project Approved by Board of Supervisors
by Krista Daly (Imperial Valley Press) The California Ethanol and Power Project is moving forward with its plan to generate clean fuel from sugar cane and sweet sorghum. Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved seven resolutions Tuesday dealing with water, zoning,
September 12, 2013 Read Full Article
The One-Stop, Get It Hot, Biobased Candy Men: Midori and Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Midori reports they have broken through on a 100-year quest for low-cost cellulosic sugars. And found a way to turn your cotton tees into sugars, too. About a year ago, a little-known company called Midori Renewables
September 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Report: 160 Commercial Advanced Biofuel Plants under Development
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) has released a new report that predicts projected growth in advanced biofuel production capacity will be sufficient to meet both the federal renewable fuels standard (RFS) and California’s low carbon fuel
September 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Seeking Delta: Biofuels, Algae, Natgas, CO2 and the Finding of True Value
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “What you really are in the business of,” Aemetis CEO Eric McAfee reflects, “is capturing the arbitrage between the commodity price of your most expensive feedstock — and the price of your finished molecule plus
September 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Improving Access to Capital Markets
by Joe Leo (Biodiesel Magazine/BrownWinick Law Firm) Let’s be honest, despite the fact that the biodiesel industry is experiencing arguably its most successful year, it is still difficult for biodiesel producers to raise capital in the current investing climate. This
August 29, 2013 Read Full Article
How to Sell Renewable Jet Fuel to Airlines
by Dr. Bruno Miller and John Heimlich (CAAFI/Biofuels Digest) ... CAAFI has unveiled its Guidance for Selling Alternative Fuels to Airlines to serve as a roadmap for potential producers and other supply-chain participants contemplating purchase agreements with airlines for non-petroleum-derived jet fuels. The report
August 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Turning Grass into Gas
by Bruce Barcott (OnEarth.org) Imagine a future in which airliners run on cornstalks and Navy ships ply the oceans on tanks of switchgrass. That day may at last be inching closer. The promise of cellulosic biofuels sounds like a fable out
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Marion Approves Deal for Garbage-to-Ethanol Facility
by Rick Smith (The Gazette) Solid waste recycling facility could divert waste from landfills in the region ... The Marion City Council Thursday unanimously approved a deal with waste-to-energy firm, Fiberight LLC, which gives the Maryland-based firm permission to build a
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Cool Planet to Invest $168M in Louisiana – Stealthy Biotechnology Heads for Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The complete Cool Planet story. What is it? Why transformational? What are the next steps? New venture will convert wood waste to gasoline. In Louisiana, Cool Planet Energy Systems CEO Howard Janzen, flanked by Louisiana Gov.
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Waste Gasification to Biofuel Project to Mine Landfill in Maryland
by Ben Messenger (Waste Management World) Washington County, Maryland is pursuing a project that will develop a refused derived fuel (RDF) facility to process municipal solid waste, followed by a waste gasification facility that will produce biofuels. Mining previously landfilled
August 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels’ 10 Scariest Challenges: Part 1 of 2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Upstream, downstream, processing, policy, finance – opportunities and challenges abound in the bioeconomy – but which challenges are the most intractable and daunting of them all? In today’s part 1, #10 through #6. They use various aliases
August 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Florida Biofuels Plant Temporarily Closed, May Not Reopen
by Mary Wozniak (News Press) The Florida Biofuels plant is temporarily closed, and it's possible the facility will not reopen, the company’s operation manager said today. The plant has already been closed for two weeks , Chris Speake, operations manager said. There is no
August 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Brazil Loans for Sugar-Cane Mills to Grow 46% to Boost Ethanol
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) Brazil’s state development bank expects to disburse 46 percent more in loans this year to sugar-cane mills as the nation seeks to boost ethanol production. The lender expects to loan 6 billion reais ($2.6 billion) this year,
August 07, 2013 Read Full Article
As Key Partner Departs, Future Dims for Michigan Cellulosic Biofuel Plant
by Andy McGlashen (Midwest Energy News) The exit of its majority owner and operator leaves the future uncertain for a long-delayed project that has attracted at least $120 million in public financing to turn wood from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into fuel
August 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Success of Florida Waste-to-Ethanol Plant Sparks New Hope for Shelved Lake County Project
by Carrie Napoleon (Post-Tribune/Chicago Sun Times) Breakthrough technology behind the Schneider trash-to-ethanol plant proposed by Powers Energy apparently has been proven. Whether that means construction of the plant in the small Lake County town will move forward remains to be seen. INEOS
August 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Digest’s 5-Minute Guide to Loan Guarantees: Who Got ‘Em, What’re They Doing?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In today’s Digest – visit our 5-Minute Guide to Loan Guarantees — INEOS Bio, Myriant, Sapphire Energy, Abengoa, Chemtex, Enerkem, Fiberight, Fulcrum, ZeaChem – Plus POET-DSM, Diamond Green Diesel, Coskata and Range Fuels Projects open for business INEOS Bio ... Myriant ... Sapphire
July 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Rip up the Mortgage: Sapphire Energy Pays off USDA Loan Guarantee in Full
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sapphire raises new round of equity, pays off USDA Loan Guarantee: “Sapphire Energy is very grateful to the USDA for supporting algae crude oil,” says CEO C.J. Warner. ... Reached by telephone, Sapphire’s VP for Corporate Affairs,
July 30, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Tier 3 Proposed Regulations A Common-Sense Change that Could Triple the Market Size for Biomass Ethanol and Other Advanced Biofuels
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) As part of the recently proposed Tier 3 motor vehicle fuel and emission regulations, www.epa.gov/otaq/tier3.htm, EPA included a very forward looking idea that could bring higher octane, higher ethanol gasoline to the marketplace. Advanced Biofuels
July 26, 2013 Read Full Article
The US Renewable Fuel Standard and Repeal, Reform: The Digest’s 5 Minute-Guide
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yesterday in DC, the House Energy & Commerce committee convened a major hearing on the US Renewable Fuel Standard — primarily on the short-term impacts of the ethanol blend wall and the impact on RIN
July 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Funding Axed, N.C. Biofuels Center to Close
by Chris Bagley (Triangle Business Journal) The N.C. Biofuels Center will shut down “within weeks,” a spokesman said Tuesday morning as lawmakers moved to vote on a state budget that cuts off its $2 million in annual state funding. The center, near
July 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Routes to the Summit: 3 Keys to First Commercial Advanced Biofuels, and Beyond
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It’s become an cliché of late that “financing is tough” and that “the US is slowing” while “China is speeding up” on advanced biofuels. It’s also become a cliché that “cellulosic biofuels are slow, the
July 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Mandate to be Debated for Two Days Before House Panel
by Amy Harder (National Journal) After a year battling over the airwaves and strategizing behind closed doors, the legions of lobbyists fighting over a federal biofuels mandate will finally get the chance to present their arguments to Congress during a
July 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Inventure International (Pte) Limited Closes $7.2 Million Financing Round
(Inventure/PR NewsWire) Inventure International (Pte) Limited, holding company of renewable process technology leader Inventure Renewables Inc., recently closed a $7.2 million round of financing that the company will use to establish a plant for the conversion of biomass into mixed industrial sugars,
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
How Biobased Energy, Consumer Goods Will Become the Biggest Vertical in Cleantech
by Richard Herbert (Biofuels Digest) Portfolios may be littered with the bones of first generation biofuels startups, but for strategic investors, the biofuels industry as a whole is far from cold in the grave. In fact, if you ask experts like
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects – Where Do They Stand?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced biofuels – mirage or reality? In January we wrote: “When these 12 projects open for business (or not) in 2013, you’ll know for sure.” So, what do we know? ... We identified 12 “Bellwether projects” in
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
54.40 or Fight: the Cost of Biofuels, Emissions, Energy Security and Economic Development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The financing of biofuels is founded, to put it as simply as possible, upon the economics of substitution. On the one hand, there’s the price of energy currently locked inside biomass; on the other hand,
July 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Momentum: 12 Biobased Ventures Raise $435M in Q2 2013; 32 Projects Being Built off the Balance Sheet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Despite negative press from Bloomberg, biobased investing is surging, both direct and via strategics. The Digest has the data and the scoop. After we profiled, last April, 17 biobased ventures who raised $434 million in new
July 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Breaking News: General Solicitation Ban Lifted on Investment Offerings
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) Renaissance in biobased capital raising expected; register your interest in raising capital or seeing deal flow. In Washington, SEC Commissioners have voted 4-1 to lift the ban on general solicitation, and to create a new 506( c)
July 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Flight Plan: 14 Practical Steps towards Commercial Aviation Biofuels Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For every 5% in global shift to aviation biofuels — create 72,000 jobs and avoid 3 million tons of carbon emissions. How to get from available field to affordable fuel in 14 steps In Illinois, the
July 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Commercial Aviation Biofuels: Translating Green Ambitions into Green Miles
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How to get from available field to affordable fuel in 14 steps. The MASBI report is out, and that’s good. ... Last week, the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative, led by United Airlines, Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP, the
July 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Power Plant's Waste to Become Fuel
(Yahoo!7Finance) Greenhouse gas emissions from one of Australia's largest coal fired power stations will be used to produce biofuels as its owner attempts to reduce its carbon bill. Biofuel company Algae.Tec has signed a deal to establish a carbon capture and biofuels
July 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Largest Green Diesel Plant Completed in US, Diamond Green Diesel: Can It Make Money?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A now-complete 142 million gallon green diesel monster project will easily deliver big on renewable energy targets and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. But it also offers a material path to profits for its parents, Valero Energy
July 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI) Findings and Recommendations 2013
(Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative) MASBI found that a coordinated effort by both private and public interests would be one of the most effective ways to move the Midwest biofuels industry forward and take a pivotal step toward diversifying the
June 30, 2013 Read Full Article
High Oil Prices Help Oil Production, But Not Biofuels
by Kevin Bullis (MIT Technology Review) An International Energy Agency report says investments in oil technology will lead to a worldwide supply boom. High oil prices were supposed to make biofuels and other oil alternatives more competitive. If only oil would
May 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels: Where We Should Be
by Fred Cannon (The Hill's Congress Blog/KiOR) More than one-third of the world’s total energy usage relies on liquid fuels – primarily from fossil fuels. In the first quarter of 2013 consumption outpaced production, and the consumption trajectory is only
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Come of Age
by Dan Seif (Mother Earth News/Rocky Mountain Institute) Advanced, non-food biofuels are gaining momentum in 2013 as several new plants have gathered the capital and momentum for large-scale production. ... Despite sparse media coverage, significant volumes of non-food biofuels have been produced
May 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Exxon Refocusing Algae Biofuels Program After $100 Million Spend
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg) Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), which has invested more than $100 million to develop algae-derived biofuels, is refocusing its research with Synthetic Genomics Inc. after almost four years of work failed to produce economically viable results. ...Exxon and
May 27, 2013 Read Full Article
BioAmber Completes IPO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Raises $80M at $10 per share; becomes first new industrial biotech company to complete IPO in more than a year. What went right and how? Is the IPO window re-opening? ... First and foremost, there’s the modesty
May 10, 2013 Read Full Article
API Lands Brazil Investment to Commercialize Cellulosic Process
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With a fresh investment from Brazil’s GranBio, American Process Inc. is poised to develop its first commercial-scale cellulosic biorefineries in both the U.S. and Brazil. API CEO Theodora Retsina, said the companies hope
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Crazy 8s: Algae’s 8 Crazy-Fast Cores of Innovation
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s behind the 8-ball, the algae optimists or pessimists? It all comes down to the pace of innovation in 8 cores. ... In a recent survey of its members, the Algae Biomass Organization found that more than 95
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Faces Wrecking Ball
by Katy Stech (The Wall Street Journal) Struggling Fuel-Making Facilities Are in Danger of Falling to Liquidators Before Market Recovers When the New Energy Corp. ethanol plant in South Bend, Ind., was idled by its bankruptcy filing last November, people nearby
May 03, 2013 Read Full Article
“Technology Incubation in Agriculture”: New White Paper from Kapyon Ventures
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Today, we excerpt from a white paper detailing Kapyon’s incubation model: “New ventures will be less capital intensive and innovation will be driven more by inventiveness rather than infrastructure.” ... [Today], the importance of biomass productivity is now not only
May 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Canergy Taps Beta Renewables for 25M Gallon Advanced Biofuels Project in California
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Energy cane for California’s Imperial Valley? Canergy lines up Beta, CHS, Certis as partners for greenfield low-carbon fuel project slated for 2016 opening. In California, Canergy announced that it has selected Chemtex and Beta Renewables for
May 01, 2013 Read Full Article
New R&D Strategies for a New Era
by Douglas L. Faulkner with contributions from Jacques Beaudry-Losique (Biofuels Digest) ...We believe it is time for bioenergy industry leaders to take the initiative and chalk up a new comprehensive game plan, reflecting the new reality of leaner federal funding. ... Our first
April 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Zero Mix Thirty: Heliae Debuts Volaris, for Algae at Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Heliae emerges from stealth with Volaris — its next-gen algae platform — “This technology will unlock the industry,” the company says. ...Volaris is the result of five years of targeted innovation, investment and commitment to delivering
April 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Cobalt, Mercurius, BioProcess Algae, Frontline Land $17.7M in Military Biofuels Grants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pilot-scale biorefineries for drop-in military diesel, jet fuel the focus of the DOE’s latest grant round. In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $17.7 million in grants to four pilot-scale biorefinery projects aimed
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Cobalt Signs Strategic Partner and Investor to Commercialize Bio-Based Butadiene Solution
(Cobalt/PRNewswire) Strategic Partnership Opens Pathway to $40 Billion Butadiene Market Cobalt Technologies, a leading developer of next generation bio-based chemicals, today announced a strategic relationship with two prominent Asian chemical companies for the development of a complete biomass-to-butadiene solution, to be
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Who Killed $2.18 Gasoline?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An explosive report from Bloomberg alleges that a pathway to $2.18 per gallon gasoline was developed at Chevron-Weyerhaeuser owned Catchlight Energy. Yet, the project was sidelined. Why? Was the project really saddled with a threshold
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Looking Back at ABLC 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Perhaps nothing was more on the minds of delegates as the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the impact of the Washington policy debate on investor confidence — and the impact of low-cost natural
April 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Oxygen for High Altitudes: 17 Biofuels Ventures Raise $434M in Equity
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Despite the sluggish economic recovery and questions over policy stability — biofuels ventures have been busy raising lots of capital. In the past 6 months, $434 million. Who got what, where, when and why? ...supplemental oxygen,
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
SG Biofuels Sees Deal in Southeast Asia or Africa in Six Months
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg) SG Biofuels Inc., the green fuel biotech company working with Airbus SAS, is seeking a partner in Southeast Asia or Africa and expects to complete a cooperation deal within 180 days to expand its business into new markets. ...The company
April 05, 2013 Read Full Article
The Carbon Fix? Think Carbon Suit. ZeaKal Raises $3.8M in Series A Financing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Crop yield and oil content increases of up to 50% and 34% seen from ZeaKal’s HME technology. Though in early days — what’s going on? ... A successful Series A is always a good indication that,
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Consortium Dumps Schneider Trash-to-Ethanol Deal
by Carrie Napoleon (Post-Tribune/Chicago Sun-Times) The deal to transfer ownership of the long-delayed trash-to-ethanol plant in Schneider has been scrapped. SMC LLC, the local construction consortium established to purchase the technology rights and contract for the proposed project, cited an
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Biorefinery 2015 – The Shape of Advanced Biofuels to Come – Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today in part II, we look at a new set of technologies coming along that are redefining our ideas about scale and cost. ... A barrier to long term deployment? The $11 per gallon average capital
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Biorefinery 2015 – Transformations in Biofuels Costs, Financing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first wave of cellulosic biofuels projects are now reaching completion. But what does the next wave look like – from technology to financing? We explore the trends in our two-part Biorefinery 2015 series. ... Long-term,
March 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Growth Opportunities
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A sit-down with Dave Elsenbast, vice president of supply chain management for Renewable Energy Group Inc. For more than 25 years, Dave Elsenbast has been a leader in agricultural business development, supply chain management, operations
March 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Next-Gen Biofuels Making Slow, Slow, Slow Progress in 2013
by Katie Feherenbacher (Gigaom) Companies that are still looking to produce biofuels from plant waste (and not corn) are making slow, but steady progress on milestones in 2013. On Monday, KiOR, which was largely funded by Khosla Ventures before it went
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Green Bonds Offer Cheaper Debt for First Advanced Biofuel Plants
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Alternative forms of financing such as so-called green bonds may spur companies to build their first advanced-biofuels plants, the head of environmental finance atCitigroup Inc. (C) said. Green bonds for carbon-reducing projects, issued by bodies such as
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
The City of FOG
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A bourgeoning solution to illegal dumping of fats, oils and greases in Atlanta’s sewers Mayor Kasim Reed has a vision for his city of Atlanta: green the sprawling metropolis and make it a healthier, more sustainable
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Raizen to Spend $102 Million on Brazil Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) Raizen Energia SA, a Brazilian joint venture of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Cosan SA Industria & Commercio (CSAN3), will invest 200 million reais ($102 million) in a plant that will produce ethanol from sugar-cane
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Partners Explore Next-Generation Biofuels
by Olga Rosca (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) Next-generation biofuels produced from waste and agricultural residues can help save energy and improve the sustainability of companies operating in the agribusiness sector. The EBRD region offers huge opportunities due to the
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
BP Biofuels: Time for “The Really Hard Yards” in Biofuels Commercialization
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At World Biofuels Markets, BP CEO Phil New delivered a keynote speech which attempted to turn the industry’s attention towards “the hard yards” of operational excellence, saying that “it is arguable that the time to talk
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor at World Biofuels Markets 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Neste Oil confirmed that they are using 65% virgin oils, primarily palm oil, and 35% waste residues, but that they are seeking to increase that percent of waste supplied, Neste’s P for Renewable Fuels, Kaisa
March 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Algae Energy to Invest 75M€ in Serbian Algae Farm
(Algae Industry Magazine) Greek biomass-from-algae producer Algae Energy is ready to invest 75 million euro ($98.4 million) over the next two and a half years in an algae farm in the southern Serbian town of Leskovac, Belgrade-based media has reported. ...The
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
The Outlook: Biofuel Expansion in China and the U.S.
By Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) In a recent webinar hosted by the American Council of Renewable Energy (ACORE), biofuel experts from Dupont, POET, Novozymes, and China’s Tsinghua University convened to discuss the next five years of biofuel development in
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Hot Sauce! 5 Lessons Louisiana Can Teach Us about Advanced Bayoufuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Louisiana — hot as cayenne pepper in biofuels capacity development, but some cautionary tales there in the sauce. When it comes to the first generation of ethanol and biodiesel-based biofuels, Louisiana didn’t figure much into the
March 07, 2013 Read Full Article
A National Biomass Lend-Lease Project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The military would like, affordable, domestically-produced, drop-in, renewable fuels. Drop-in fuel producers would like long-term, stable fuel sale and feedstock purchase contracts. Why not put those needs together? According to a Defense Department report, the
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Tax from 2015, as New Biofuels Incentive Is Unveiled
by Terence Creamer (Polity.org.za) The South African government has confirmed that a carbon tax will be phased in from January 1, 2015, as part of South Africa’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and encourage energy efficiency
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Unleashing the Power of the Bio-Economy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recommendations from the Milken Institute — and a group of industry heavyweights — to accelerate the bioeconomy revolution. In California this week, the Milken Institute released a good read on the future of the bioeconomy, based
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
When it Comes to Biofuels Driving the Economy, The Sky is the Limit
(BioTechNow) Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote a column talking about the unlimited opportunities for biofuels to grow the rural economy. He highlighted what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already done to support biofuels including loan guarantees and
March 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Hot Route! New Bioenergy Financing Pathway via Risk Transfer Guaranty Bonds
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the most interesting and compelling solutions to the problem of financing commercial-scale biofuels was unveiled this week at the Avalon Air Show by Westar CEO Cindy Thyfault. Dubbed the Risk Transfer Guaranty Bond –
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Flying the Aussie BioSkies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of biofuels there is no sector as active as military and aviation biofuels in terms of willing customers. At the Low Carbon Fuel Conference, held over two days in conjunction with
February 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Solyndra Critics Back U.S. Lab Seeking Biofuel From Germs
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg) People attending a Washington event this week may witness something almost unheard of in political circles: Republicans praising a clean-energy program supported by President Barack Obama. The Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy, originally funded through the 2009
February 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Australia at the Crossroads – Import or Export Aviation Biofuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As journalists, at the Digest our job is to ask the 7 Questions. Who, What, Where, When, How Much, How and Why. In aviation biofuels the task is made easier because we can say with
February 26, 2013 Read Full Article
How to Play Cheap Natural Gas
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) All you have to say is “natural gas” and a lot of people in the biobased world turn pale, tremble, and scamper into corners. The cause for anxiety? It seems to be a toxic combination from
February 13, 2013 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Standard Works
by Jeremy Martin and Jim Collins (Politico) The fuels of the future are here today, and we can thank Congress for enacting the Renewable Fuel Standard. This bedrock policy has brought us to the point where the first commercial facilities producing
February 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Sugar Company Expands to Biofuel and Electricity
by Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) State-owned sugar and tobacco plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) X is expanding into biofuel production and electricity this year in an effort to offset increasing sugar manufacturing costs. The firm needs additional income from other
February 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Blue Skies: 7 Steps to Making Money in Aviation Biofuels
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) ... With aviation demand at 60 billion gallons worldwide, and 50 percent biofuels blends now approved (for HEFA fuels) — there’s no reason to suppose that there’s not 30 billion gallons of fuel demand up for
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Analysis: Advanced Biofuel Companies Now In More Than Half Of U.S. States; Clean Fuel Standards Fueling Growth In Top States
(PR NewsWire/Yahoo! News) Top 5 States For Advanced Biofuel Companies: Calif., Ill., Colo., Texas and Iowa; New Web Site at www.FuelingGrowth.org Documents Impact of Growing Industry California is home to nearly 30 advanced biofuel companies, but dozens of other states from coast to
February 06, 2013 Read Full Article
A Path Not Yet Trod
by Douglas L. Faulkner (“The Cleantech Conservative”/BiofuelsDigest) ... That is, the cost of renewed tax breaks for the biofuels industry came at a great cost relative to the benefits gained. Being lumped in with Hollywood filmmakers, rum distillers, NASCAR track owners, Goldman
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Brave New Bio Wor(l)d
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Three dissident voices offer challenges to cherished orthodoxies. ...Though they offer tough love, they are written by friends of the movement. They don’t wish to cast you down to the devil, but to rescue you therefrom. I
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Can Fossil-Fuel Tax Benefits Boost the Renewable Energy Industry?
by Dan Haugen (Midwest Energy News) By organizing as a type of partnership instead of a corporation, companies that extract, process or transport “depletable” natural resources have been exempt from corporate income taxes. That word — “depletable” — specifically excludes renewable
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Jatropha Loves to Fly and It Shows
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It is becoming increasingly evident that, in the near-term, acute demand for aviation biofuel is going, one way or another, to result in heavy demand for jatropha and jatropha oil-based fuels. New deals for SGB in
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Swedish Paper Mill Algae Project Gets Funding
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Swedish governmental agency for innovation systems, Vinnova, has decided to invest four million Swedish kronor ($623,000 USD) over three years in a project that uses micro-algae to produce bio-oil from the waste products of pulp and
January 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Aviation’s Declan Ryan Invests in Irish Algae-Based Fuels Venture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Ireland, former Ryanair CEO Declan Ryan has joined investors in backing Aer Sustainable Energy Ltd, better known as Aer Bio. He was a director of Ryanair Holdings from August 1986 until 2004, holding several
January 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Agri Investment Forum June 26, 2013 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Agri Investment Forum is the only program of events in Canada dedicated to showcasing the highest potential emerging and growth stage agri-businesses. The Forum brings together active institutional and private investors with leading edge entrepreneurs and commercialization professionals. The
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
The Capex-Opex Fallacy, Electric Cars, and Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Earlier this week, a new study from researchers at UC Santa Barbara determined photovoltaics to be much more efficient than biomass at turning sunlight into energy to fuel a car. “Even the most land-use efficient biomass-based pathway,” the
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
2013 Could Be a Make or Break Year for Algae Fuel
by Katie Fehrenbacher (Gigaom) ... One of the companies that’s the farthest along is Solazyme, a South San Francisco-based company that went public in the spring of 2011. Solazyme was one of the first firms to focus on the alternative chemicals and
January 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Ben Franklin to Invest $354,876 In Regional Economic Development
(Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania) The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $354,876 in support of regional economic development. BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help lead northeastern Pennsylvania to a
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
The 8 Upsides of the New Ethanol
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) The technologies out there are five in number. They are all in commercial deployment now, though some are at the capacity-construction stage. Some of them vary the feedstock, some vary the products produced. What they
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
LS9: Hail and Farewell
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of biofuels’ most-celebrated technologies falters; the struggle to raise capital claims a high-profile victim. ...The company had been known for its awesomely promising technology, leisurely pace towards commercialization compared to synth-bio companies like Amyris, brutal
January 23, 2013 Read Full Article
The Oilcane Boom
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though building capacity globally, Solazyme’s operations in Brazil are getting traction fast – and raised $235M last week. How much oil could be produced in Brazil via sugar-munching microalgae? Today, the Digest looks at
January 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Trash-to-Ethanol Plant Awaits Progress on Florida Project
by Carrie Napoleon (Chicago SunTimes/Post-Tribune) Until the first commercial trash-to-ethanol plant in Vero Beach, Fla., is up and running, plans by a local construction consortium to take over a similar project here are in a holding pattern. Ed Cleveland, spokesman for
January 18, 2013 Read Full Article
New Markets Tax Credits Spur Investment
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) There is a little secret in the renewable energy sector that many don’t know about –New Markets Tax Credits. These tax credits provide incentives for private investors to help fund projects that create jobs and diversify
January 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Seaweed-Based Ethanol Technology Gets Boost in Vietnam
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bio-Refinery Begins Operations Turning Co-Cropping into Fuels, Chemicals Deep in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam a small bio-refinery is converting seaweed into protein, fuel-blendable alcohol, and a bacterial soil product. It is part of a
January 15, 2013 Read Full Article
4 Reasons Why Canada Is Becoming a Biofuels Hotspot
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Strong biofuels flight results, advances in algae, new commitments in venture capital and revived interest from the Canadian Navy. Biofuels are off to a fast start in 2013 in Canada. Canada’s been known for years
January 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Algae.Tec Gets Green Light for $12.15 million from Australian Government
(Algae.Tec/PR NewsWire) Algae.Tec today announced approval from the Australian Government for an AU$12.15 million cash refund on Australian and overseas development expenditure for the financial year 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2015. The terms of the payment allow for an
January 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Blue Sun Reinvests Biodiesel Tax Credit Revenue into Technology
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) ... Blue Sun Biodiesel CEO Leigh Freeman said his company will immediately invest payments from credits earned in 2012 to advance its next-generation biofuel technologies. ...Specifically, Blue Sun is investing in a new enzymatic processing technology at
January 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Investing in Biofuels and Biobased Intermediates
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) ...What exactly are they? As the name suggests, they are products made from renewable sources that are not sold directly into the end-user market but are, instead, sold to other manufacturers who refine, upgrade, blend,
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Up, Up and Away: Aviation Biofuels Players Start Building Capacity
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Now – it’s all about organizing sustainable, affordable feedstock and building capacity. And, airlines providing capital for the first commercial projects — to ensure that capacity building reaches levels in line with the industry’s self-imposed
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
The Cellulosic Biofuels Tipping Point
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As cellulosic biofuels reach commercial-scale, is the tipping point for wide deployment near – and will it be based on breakthroughs in capex, opex or yield? Actually, it may be feedstock costs, in the end. ...What
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Tax Credits Are a Valuable Tool in the Biofuels Policy Toolbox
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) It is not often I disagree or take issue withBiofuels Digest; however, the recent article and analysis on cellulosic tax credits left out some key points. There are a number of policy tools to help
January 07, 2013 Read Full Article
5 Biofuels Trends for 2013
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest/Pike Research) ...The Retreat of Oil Majors ... Trend: Oil Majors double down on “Golden Age of Gas” while narrowing investments across the advanced biofuel space. ... Mind the Gap ... Trend: Although installed biorefinery production capacity is expected
January 04, 2013 Read Full Article
The Force: The Cellulosic Biofuels Tax Credit Is Back, but Is It Really Needed?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Finding it hard to explain to taxpayers why the PTC is needed, for the jump to cellulosic biofuels lightspeed, or to ward off predatory fossil-fuel evildoers? ...So, although the “fiscal cliff” tax rate deal didn’t directly
January 03, 2013 Read Full Article
UK Green Investment Bank Opens for Business
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills recently declared the U.K. Green Investment Bank plc open for business. The entity is the world’s first investment bank dedicated solely to green investments. According to
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
The New Milo-naires: Corn, Milo and the Biofuels Market’s Invisible Hand
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) An obscure EPA ruling may change the economics of ethanol production, forever — who wins, who loses, what’s the investor’s bottom line? Just before Christmas, the EPA issued a final rule, determining that ethanol made from
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Amyris Hits the Comeback Trail
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...But Amyris is still there, and this week achieved what, for many, was the last-chance, must-hit milestone. The company’s purpose-built, 50 million liter industrial fermentation facility in Paraiso, Brazil has successfully begun production of Biofene,
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels 2013, The Year of Capital
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Technology, market, price, management, feedstock, and policy – these are always vital. But here in Digestville, we see capital as the overwhelming issue for 2013. Capital-raising activity is increasing sharply, and will increase more as projects move
January 02, 2013 Read Full Article
12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects for 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A long war of opinion has been waged for years between advanced biofuels’ detractors and supporters. Mirage or reality? Completion of 6 key projects 2012 decided much of the debate. When these 12 projects open
January 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Gov't to Offer NIS 400m in Loans for Alternative Fuels
by Yuval Azoulai (Globes) The Office of the Chief Scientist is planning a NIS 1.5 billion program to create a new alternative fuels industry. The Office of the Chief Scientist has a new program of loans for industrial and financial companies to
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Cane for Biomass Promising in South Carolina Testing
by Roy Robertson (Southeast Farm Press) • Steve Kresovich is part of a team of USC researchers looking for crops that can be adapted to less productive and often under-utilized South Carolina soils. • The end goal, Kresovich says, is to
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Reborn Qteros Rises Again with New Plan to Develop Technology to Make Ethanol
by Jim Kinney (The Republican/MassLive) Qteros and the “Q microbe” discovered byUMass researchers and valued for its ability to digest plant waste into ethanol fuel is making a comeback. ...But the money dried up early in 2012. In September, creditors auctioned Qteros'
December 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Energy Chief Backs Effort to Encourage Renewable Investments
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The Obama administration lent its support Wednesday to a congressional effort that would open a financing structure for renewable energy. Energy Secretary Steven Chu called on Congress to approve legislation that would let investors utilize
December 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Reaping a Mainland Fuel Harvest
by Eric Ng (South China Morning Post) Projects to convert agricultural waste into ethanol are at an early stage on the mainland, but could provide new sources of this clean energy Novozymes, the world's largest industrial enzyme maker, is in discussions
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Making Sugars, Not Extracting Them: Proterro’s Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But very few are working in solid phase – where essentially instead of working with a liquid vat, microbes are growing on a fabric or film — and the organisms are provided with a
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
A Sugar Fix: Proterro, Biofuels and Affordable, Renewable Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why is making affordable renewable sugars potentially big business? Which intrepid investors have targeted biofuels’ biggest bottleneck? News has been circulating that Proterro raised $3.5 million for a demonstration-scale of their renewable sugars technology, and secured
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
State Incentives for Alternative-Fuel Projects Linked to Success and Failure
by Jeff Ayres (Clarion Ledger) Mississippi alternative-energy development projects that have received more than $400 million in state backing through loans, grants and other incentives in recent years have seen widely varying degrees of success. KiOR, a Texas biofuels company, recently started
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Cleantech Conservative: 10 New Realities, Priorities for Biofuels in 2013
by Douglas Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) ...Throughout his campaign President Obama proclaimed himself an oil and gas supporter even while talking about federal “investments” in green energy. And, while much ink has already been spilled in this publication about this or
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Solazyme Crosses the Rubicon
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Next-gen renewable oils producer achieves first linear scale-up to 500,000 liter fermenters — clears path for large commercial production volumes. ...To date, no next-generation producer had successfully achieved linear scale-up in 500,000 liter (or larger) fermenters.
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
15 Burning Questions (and Answers) for Biofuels in 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Policy, finance, technology, feedstocks, markets, prices, opposition. Here’s what’s on your mind, as the critical 2013 deployment year for biofuels looms. So here are 15 burning questions as suggested by various Digesterati — divided for convenience
December 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Despite Setbacks, Investor Is Bullish on Clean Technology
by Randall Smith (The New York Times) ...Since then, Mr. Khosla, the founder of Khosla Ventures, has watched much of those paper gains evaporate. As the clean energy industry broadly has taken a hit, shares of the biofuel companies —
December 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Kenyan Biofuel Dream Proves Elusive for Alberta Firm
by Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Edmonton Journal) Bedford Biofuels’ plantation is stalled, and along with it the company’s promise to provide jobs and cash for community development ...Though this is an arid and unforgiving area, the land surrounding Garsen should have been green with
December 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Programme Launched in Scotland
(Biofuels International) A new Scottish biofuel programme officially launched this month after securing over a million pounds worth of investment. The programme is a partnership between five Scottish universities and research institutions, with the £1.6 million ($2.5 million) funding coming via
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Affordable Naval Biofuel: First Comes the Feedstock
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is the US government right in aiming to commercialize aviation biofuels production – or should it be aimed at ensuring affordable feedstock? Pain at the pump. $5 gasoline in California. $8 gasoline in the EU. We
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
US Company in Refinery Search
by Peter Hemphill (Grain & Hay WeeklyTimes) An American biofuels company is looking to build a refinery in Australia to produce ethanol from wheat straw and other residues. ...Investors in the biorefineries include Australia's Macquarie Bank and Japanese commodity trader Itochu Corporation. ZeaChem
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Sweet Potatoes-to-Ethanol Plant for Barbados
(Stabroek News) A plant to produce ethanol from sweet potatoes is in the pipeline, according to Dr Leroy McClean, chief executive officer of the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC). Without providing details, he said, “I have a Chinese company .
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Mighty Danes: BioGasol Raises $19.2M for Advanced Biofuels and Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... BioGasol ApS, the renewable energy company announced today that it has raised $19.2M — €5 million in new equity financing — and received a confirmation of €10 million grant allocation from The Energy Technology
November 28, 2012 Read Full Article
The Top 10 Financing Paths for Biofuels, 2012-13
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dozens of deals – what are the hottest paths to $$$? Who’s forming capital in bioenergy this year, and when, where, why and how? In the old days, the process seemed simple: seed round to fund
November 28, 2012 Read Full Article
The Solyndra Effect, or Why Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel Is a Tough Sell
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...What we keep running into is what Aemetis CEO Eric McAfee once described to me as the immutable “Natural Law of Alternative Commodity Markets”. ...NLACM states that “the value of any intermediate products produced in any
November 19, 2012 Read Full Article
$500 Million and No One to Dance with? Canada and Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Canada’s $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, five years after formation, gets close to making its first investments just as Canada’s leaders consider pulling the plug It was the most amazing sovereign commitment to biofuels of its
November 18, 2012 Read Full Article
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