(Recycling Portal) A Russian investment fund, Republic of Tatarstan and Wermuth Asset Management plan, is to set up a 200 million euro clean technology fund that aims to help the heavy oil producing region to manage industrial waste and boost
Financing
Back TO HOMEAviation Calls For Government Backing To Boost Biofuels
by Graham Warwick (Aviation Week) The U.S. aviation industry is pressing Congress to extend funding for goverment programs providing support to start up commercial-scale production of renewable biofuels. ...Work on the 2012 Farm Bill is getting under way, and witnesses at
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Company Buys, Plans to Reopen NextDiesel Plant
by John Mulcahy (Daily Telegram/LenConnect) A New York-based company has bought the closed NextDiesel plant in Adrian and plans to reopen it to produce biodiesel fuel. ...EnerVation Advisors is preparing to clean the plant’s tanks and make other preparation for reopening,
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
China to Finance Biofuel Projects in Malaysia; but see: Lestari: No Intention to Solicit Funds from the Public
by Liz Lee (The Star) Lestari, Arter Group to build 616 plants Lestari Pasifik Bhd, in an unprecedented joint venture with Russian company Arter Group, is expecting to receive project financing from the Chinese government to build bio-refinery plants in Malaysia and
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Is New Zealand’s New Government Killing Biofuels?
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Months are passing but New Zealand ’s new government still won’t say whether or not it will incentivise biofuels production and new plant construction. Latest in this shoot-your-own-economy-in-the foot saga is Ecodiesel’s multi-million dollar
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
SynTerra Energy Eyes Ohio for New Biorefinery
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) After nearly five years of research and development, the work of Pacific Renewable Fuels and Chemicals, and Red Lion Bio-Energy, has turned into a new biorefining company: SynTerra Energy Inc. SynTerra Energy combines pyrolysis and
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo, Amyris, KiOR – as the Khosla Kids Mature, Scale, Differentiate, Who’s on Top?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On the road from Pilot to Player, three Khosla companies have gone far and fast – but now, the differentiating points become clearer. Who’s better now? They share Khosla Ventures in their DNA, and are next-gen
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Financing as Innovative as Clean Energy Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Financing of clean energy got you down? The Green Bank clears a key Senate hurdle, and Bank of America chairman Chad Holliday helps explain why that’s important Last month, amidst the brouhaha of the US debt
August 03, 2011 Read Full Article
The Loaves and the Fishes: Drop-In Renewable Biofuels, from Unlikely Sources
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...A conversation with Terrabon COO Simon Upfill-Brown ...BD: Fuels or chemicals, for the first project? SU-B: We are still very much focused on fuel, we feel that fuel is the way to go for the first plant
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Nigerian, Chinese Firms to Float N27.4b Biofuel Projects across West Africa
by Sulaimon Salau (The Guardian Nigeria) Renewable energy projects in West African sub-region are set for a new shift, as a Nigerian energy firm, Global Biofuels (in alliance with some Chinese and African firms) has unveiled plans to float
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Hankinson Ethanol Plant Installing Demo-Scale Anaerobic Digester
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Hankinson Renewable Energy LLC, a 120 MMgy ethanol plant in Hankinson, N.D., is in the process of starting up an anaerobic digester to produce 54 MMBtu of biogas a year, according to David Rein,
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Trash-to-Fuel Company Enerkem Raises Another $30M
by Matthew Lynley (Green Beat) Enerkem, a company that specializes in converting unusable waste into ethanol and other chemicals, announced today that it has raised $30 million in an extension of its most recent funding round. Enerkem converts household garbage and leftover
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Analysis: Cellulosic Ethanol Industry Struggles to Take Off
by Tom Doggett (Reuters) ...Despite years of research, testing and some hype, the next-generation ethanol industry is far from the commercial success envisioned by President George W. Bush in 2006, when he pledged so-called cellulosic biofuels would be "practical and
July 28, 2011 Read Full Article
SEC Wins Judgment against Rivera
by Kevin Cooper (Natchez Democrat) A federal judge ruled Thursday that would-be biofuels wizard John Rivera’s claims were not worth the hill of beans he claimed could be magically turned into fuel. U.S. District Judge David Bramlette handed down a summary
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Competition Open for Local Ecopreneurs
(Kirriemuir Herald) FORFAR and Kirriemuir ecopreneurs with innovative ideas for tackling climate change are invited to apply for awards of up to £40,000 each as the Shell Springboard programme opens for its seventh year. Since 2005, the Shell Springboard programme has
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Vegetable Oil Fuels Biodiesel Production Company in Florida Keys
by Cammy Clark (The Miami Herald/Sun Sentinel) Vegetable oil once used at Florida Keys restaurants and backyard fish fries is being processed into green fuel for trucks, tiki torches and a 53-foot sailboat that offers eco tours to the coral
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Is China for You? Part II: The Resources and Investor Perspective
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The drivers for biofuels and cleantech as a whole? According to the 2010 China Statistical Yearbook, from 2005 to 2009 the gross domestic product of China grew at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5%
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
The A.I.M. Interview: Martin Sabarsky, Cellana's CEO
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) Martin Sabarsky was promoted to President and CEO of Kona, Hawaii-based Cellana in April of 2011. He now has the challenging and, if all goes well, rewarding job of escorting Cellana into
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Is China for You? The Opportunities, the Risks, the Way
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...A combination of industrial biotech know-how, an array of biomass feedstocks (particularly lignocellulose), a strong and growing domestic market, and ready access to scale-up debt for scale-up through China’s steadier project finance system – well,
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
PTTAR Shelves Jet Biofuel Project
by Nalin Viboonchart (The Nation) PTT Aromatics and Refining (PTTAR) has put on hold its US$150-million (Bt4.5 billion) jet-biofuel project, given the exorbitant production cost and the likelihood that the price of the fuel would deter potential buyers. Prajya Phinyawat, chief operating
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
The Sugar Rush: Dow, Mitsui Revive Major Renewables Project in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Brazil, Dow Chemical has teamed with Mitsui in a JV that will produce ethanol and bioplastics from sugarcane, which the companies are saying will be the world’s largest biopolymers investment. The project will produce DOWLEXT
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Soy Chemicals: A Global Strategic Business Report - New Market Report Published
(PR-Inside.com) The global soy chemicals market is forecast to reach over $13 billion by the year 2017, spurred by the anticipated high demand from bio-diesels market and growing adoption of alternative renewable sources of energy. In particular, the soy-derived chemicals
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
REG Files for $100M IPO: The Complete Digest Analysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...A successful IPO would cap a remarkable comeback for biodiesel from the depths of “The Troubles” in 2008-09. It’s a second time through for REG: the company filed for a $150 million IPO in 2007,
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
United Arab Emirates Seeks $100b Investment
by Shehab A. Makahleh (Zawya) The UAE government wants to attract $100 billion (Dh367 billion) worth of investment in alternative and sustainable energy projects by 2020. Feras Dahlan, CEO of Dar Al Tawasol and First Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee
July 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Lignol Energy Says U.S. Gov't Will Phase out Funding for Ethanol Pilot Project
(Canadian Business) Lignol Energy Corp. says its demonstration project to show the commercial potential of producing ethanol from plant cellulose no longer qualifies for up to US$30 million of funding from a U.S. government biofuels program. The Vancouver-based company said Friday
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Fuel - Crude Thoughts
(IATA) Challenges in the jet fuel supply chain are intensifying, making investment in biofuels essential ...(T)he airline industry fuel bill rose more than 11% to $139 billion in 2010, equivalent to 26% of operating expenses. ...How airlines manage fuel is therefore
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels 2.0
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The rise of themochemical biofuels, the power of markets, and the anarchic essence of energy development ...The “failure” of cellulosic ethanol is a failure of the policy framework, I said. It was suicidal to pass legislation that
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
$70M Approved for Ethanol Plant
by Bob Moser (The Advertiser) Lacassine Syrup Mill will be joined by nation's first sugar-to-ethanol facility Bonds worth $70 million to help build the nation's first sugar-to-ethanol plant in Lacassine passed a first step of approval Monday by the Louisiana Public
July 14, 2011 Read Full Article
12 Synthetic Biology Biofuel & Biochemical Companies to Watch
by Chris de Morsella (Green Economy Post) A detailed review of 12 U.S. based synthetic biology, biofuel & biochemical companies that are developing third and fourth generation biofuels, bioindustrial & household chemical, and food additive products; using synthetic biology to produce engineered microorganisms
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
German Biofuel Firm Choren Declares Insolvency
(Reuters) German second generation biofuels company Choren Industries GmbH has declared insolvency, a company spokesperson said on Friday. Choren is building Germany's first biofuels plant producing using second generations of biomass raw materials. ...The plant is being built in Freiberg in south
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Startup Sundrop Fuels Lands $175M Investment, Mostly from Chesapeake
(Denver Business Journal) Colorado biofuel startup Sundrop Fuels Inc. on Monday announced it will get $175 million in new investment, with the lion’s share coming from natural gas company Chesapeake Energy Corp. ...Chesapeake said it plans to fund the investment by
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
The Reality We Are Living in Now: Biofuels and the New DC, Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In a swirling stew of change regarding US federal incentives, tariffs, tax credits and loan guarantees, the most consistent mechanism driving the expansion of renewable transport fuel has been the US Renewable Fuel Standard. Though
July 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Uncertainty about Ethanol Clouds Cellulosic Plant Plans
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) ...The EPA said the biorefineries expected to be online by this year had not materialized, which didn't come as news to Jim Sturdevant, manager of Poet's proposed "Project Liberty" cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg. Poet,
July 06, 2011 Read Full Article
European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEE–F)
(European Commission) On 1st July 2011, the Commission launched a new European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEE-F) as part of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR). It will allocate around EUR 146 million from the EEPR (3.7% of the total EEPR envelope) towards
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
The Rising Tigers of the China Bioenergy Trade
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... That the freighters out of China contain low-cost manufactured goods would surprise no one. The trick of the trade, from the ship owners’ point of view, has always been to develop a profitable cargo
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
GI Joe, Funding Man from Head to Toe: The DoD and Drop-In Biofuels at Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the Defense Department looks at its options to directly jump-start drop-in biofuels production at scale, we look at the Defense Production Act – the rationale, the process, the funding, and energy’s role In Washington, a
July 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Led By DoD, Federal Government Hoping To Fund Biorefineries
by Yuliya Chernova (Wall Street Journal) The Department of Defense, an emerging market force in biofuels, is working on a new program to finance non-petroleum fuel production, in collaboration with the departments of energy and agriculture, according to people familiar
July 01, 2011 Read Full Article
The Jobless Recovery, Biofuels, Eency-Weency Balance Sheets, and You
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, President Obama launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership – ho-hum, you say, and I think I hear you yawning. ...“Invent here, make elsewhere” is a failed industrial policy, according to a PCAST report, “Ensuring Leadership
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
The Island of Misfit Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Over at Blue Marble, think spent waste grains from the alcoholic beverage distillation process, and spent coffee grounds. Generally, these are materials that pile up in landfills. By contrast, at Blue Marble’s first commercial facility, using
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
It Takes Two to Tango
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How and why could three announcements from Gevo, Toray, Redfield and the EPA point the way forward for US ethanol, advanced biofuels, and renewable chemicals? ...The key is looking at the EPA ruling. How do you
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Investors Sweet on Second-Gen Biofuel IPOs But a Few Caveats Remain
by Ivan Castano (Renewable Energy World) Second-generation biofuel IPOs are all the rage this year with recent deals pricing well above initial expectations and a growing number of companies expected to tap the capital markets in coming months. But
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Addax Bioenergy Signs Loan Agreement for €258 Million Renewable Energy Project in Sierra Leone
(Business Wire) Addax Bioenergy S.A. (“Addax Bioenergy”), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based energy group, The Addax and Oryx Group Limited (AOG), announced today the signing of a loan agreement with seven European and African development institutions for an integrated renewable
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
European Advanced Biofuels Flight Path Initiative
(European Commission) The European Commission's services, in close coordination with Airbus, leading European airlines (Lufthansa, Air France/KLM, & British Airways) and key European biofuel producers (Choren Industries, Neste Oil, Biomass Technology Group and UOP), have launched an exciting new industry
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes 15.2 Billion Gallon Biofuel Mandate for 2012; 50 Percent Jump in Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...EPA proposes to mandate the blending of 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuel into the US fuel supply, and increased the proposed mandate for advanced biofuels by 48 percent, to 2 billion gallons. ...The proposed 2012
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
China New Energy's Big Plans for Biofuel
(CheckBioTEch) A CHINESE green energy specialist is joining Aim in a move valuing the business at £21million. ...It is looking to invest in undervalued biofuel operators and is also keen to take stakes in new green energy companies. ...The company builds plants
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are Creating a Big Buzz in Military
by Renee Schoof (McClatchy Newspapers/Seattle Times) Maj. Aaron Jelinek of the Air Force Thunderbirds flies his F-16 upside down, rolls it, thunders past his teammates in breathtaking close charges and joins five other fighter jets in precision formation. And for the
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
New Research Facility Recovers Value from Waste, Lowers Emissions
(City of Edmonton, Enerkem, Alberta Innovates) Plug-and-play pilot plant and lab to convert waste to biofuels and value-added chemicals Edmonton is now home to one of the world’s most sophisticated waste-to-biofuels research facilities, thanks to a partnership between Alberta Innovates – Energy and
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Speech from Sue Ellerbusch, President, BP Biofuels North America, Louisiana Energy Conference, June 23, 2011
(BP America) ...BP began investing in biofuels in Louisiana in 2008 through what was then a joint venture with Verenium Corporation. Last year, we bought Verenium out and now have a 100% BP-owned facility in the state. It is a
June 24, 2011 Read Full Article
In Search of A Biofuel El Dorado: The Quest for Brazil’s Energy Independence Future
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) In 1568, a Spanish Conquistador by the name of Pedro Maraver de Silva led his men on a mission to capture Incas who had escaped with their gold. Journeying north of Peru, they encountered
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
It's a Go for MSW-to-Ethanol Plant Near Chicago
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A long-proposed municipal solid waste (MSW)-to-ethanol project in Lake County, Ind., has locked in the financing needed to construct the facility and is expected to undergo construction in July. Powers Energy of America Inc.
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo Enters into Joint Venture with Redfield Energy to Retrofit Plant for Isobutanol
(Gevo) Brings Company Closer to Achieving 2015 Production Goal of 350 MGPY of Isobutanol Gevo, Inc., a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Gevo Development, LLC, has entered into a joint venture transaction ("JV") with Redfield
June 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil Exports Ethanol, Struggles to Meet Its Ethanol Demand
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ...(T)he industry has once again begun exporting fuel to the U.S. over the past few months. According to brokers quoted in a recent Soyatech article, the ethanol industry has exported 1.9 million barrels to the U.S. as a
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Finds Biodiesel is Bright Spot In Job Creation
(National Biodiesel Board) America’s Advanced Biofuel Supporting Thousands of New Jobs While Generating Billions in Household Income, Tax Revenues The U.S. biodiesel industry will grow to support more than 74,000 jobs throughout the economy by 2015 while creating some $4 billion in
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
2011 Threatens to Repeat 2008-’09 in Ethanol Economics
by Rob Carringer (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Many investors have jumped into the renewable energy space with the hopes of making money from breakthrough technology. While these investments can be an admirable example of the American Dream, it is wise to
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Petrobras Reaffirms Commitment to Biofuels at Biennial Event
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) As Brazil recovers from a difficult start to the year in the ethanol sector, Petrobras, the country’s integrated energy firm, seized the opportunity to highlight its activities in the industry during an Ethanol Summit
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Shows How Australia and New Zealand Can Establish Their Own Sustainable Aviation Biofuels Industry
(GreenAirOnline) A study to determine the feasibility of the Australian and New Zealand aviation sector using sustainable biofuels to meet industry carbon reduction targets concludes that a bio-derived jet fuel industry could decrease aviation emissions by 17 per cent and
June 10, 2011 Read Full Article
AMG Bioenergy Raises $1.47M for Chinese Jatropha Project
by Thomas Saidak (Biofuels Digest) ...AMG plans to use a portion of the proceeds to pay China Zhejiang Biodiesel as a part of a previously announced agreement to purchase a 133 hectare jatropha plantation and a 201
June 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Petrobras Investing US$400 Million in Biofuels Research 2010-2014
(Green Car Congress) Petrobras has earmarked some US$400 million for biofuels development research projects in the 2010-2014 Business Plan, according to Petrobras Biocombustível’s head of Technology Management, João Norberto Noschang Neto. Neto was speaking as a member of the panel on
June 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil to Invest $22B in Ethanol Expansion, as GM CEO Says Ethanol Has Not Much Future in US
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ethanol: Market growth management challenges in Brazil; market development challenges in US ...Brazilian state-owned development bank BNDES announced that it will make $18-22 billion in loans to the sugarcane and ethanol sector. The move was made
June 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Bloomberg Report Says Biochemical Pathway Attractive to Investors
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Private financial support for technology acceleration continues to be important, and certain technologies are becoming clear favorites for investors, according to a recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of financial investments made in biofuels
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Khosla Slams Big Oil, Virent Debuts Alternative to Plastic Bottles at the 2011 Ethanol Summit in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, 2,000 industry executives gathered at UNICA’s biennial Ethanol Summit in Sao Paulo. Among the highlights, a charged keynote in which celebrated venture capitalist Vinod Khosla accused oil companies of having a double-standard on risk-taking
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil Seeks to Boost Stagnant Ethanol Industry
by Inae Riveras and Brian Winter (Reuters) Brazil's government unveiled new financing and other incentives for sugar cane ethanol production on Monday, vowing to work closely with the private sector to boost production in an industry that has struggled recently
June 06, 2011 Read Full Article
10 Top Strategic Investors in Biofuels & Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What makes a top strategic investor? Who are the players at the top of their investment game in biofuels now? First of all, by definition, strategic investors are generally non-financial corporate entities for whom the investment
June 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Myriant’s $125M IPO: The Complete Digest Analysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In Massachusetts, Myriant filed for a $125 million IPO, becoming the 8th company in industrial biotechnology to file in the past 18 months. ...From the S-1: “We are an industrial biotechnology company focused on becoming a
June 03, 2011 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Rejects Biofuel Criticism
(National Farmers Union) Biofuels can help to create a strong and sustainable agricultural sector in Europe, NFU policy director Martin Haworth stressed this week. Speaking at an international food security conference in Brussels this week Mr Haworth criticised campaign groups for painting
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels About to Take Off - Just Not Yet
by John Daly (OiPrice.com) ...So why, no U.S. production? The answers are both complex and simple. First, new biofuels are up against the well established ethanol lobby. Secondly, given renewables’ battle against the ethanol Goliath, there are yet exist no subsidies, crop insurance
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Valero and Waste Management Team Up Again, Investing in the Capacity Scale-Up of a Celebrated Waste-to-Biofuel Technology.
In Canada, Enerkem Inc has closed a $60 million financing round that includes Valero Energy Corp. who joins existing investors Waste Management, Rho Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures and Cycle Capital, who have each invested in the new equity round. ...“With Valero joining
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Plan Needs Nudge from Congress
by Robert F. Dorr (Air Force Times) ...Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has been the driving force behind the service’s conservation movement, both because it saves the environment and it saves money. And for that he deserves a salute. Schwartz couldn’t
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, Day 3: What Would You Say You Do Here?
by Will Dalen Rice (Earth Science Erratics) ...The final day of the conference was all about being “feedstock agnostic” in terms of what you give to your genetically engineered, “proprietary organisms.” This was the really cool day where they all
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Ceres Files $100M IPO – The Complete Digest Analysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In California, energy crop breeder Ceres has filed for a $100 million IPO on Nasdaq, with Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital as underwriters. ...From the S-1: “We are an agricultural biotechnology company selling seeds to produce renewable
May 25, 2011 Read Full Article
As Jet Fuel Prices Soar, a Green Option Nears the Runway
by Marianne Lavelle (National Geographic News) ...The standards-setting body ASTM International is set to vote this summer on certification of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel. Tests both in the laboratory and in the air (led by a most prodigious jet
May 24, 2011 Read Full Article
World Economic Forum Report Identifies Biofuels as the 'Game Changer' to Achieve Aviation Emissions Targets
(GreenAirOnline) An aviation sustainability report from the World Economic Forum finds that achieving the industry’s target of halving its carbon emissions by 2050 will be a significant challenge given an 85 per cent CO2 emissions reduction gap. This is despite
May 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Scheub Says $600 Million Committed to Ethanol Production
by Bill Dolan (Northwest Indiana Times) Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Merrillville, announced Thursday that an out-of-state investment firm is committing $600 million to the construction of trash-to-ethanol production. "The groundbreaking will be sometime after Memorial Day. The festivities will be
May 20, 2011 Read Full Article
The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, Day 2: We Need the Money
by Will Dalen Rice (Earth Science Erratics) ... The ALBC was more of a business conference than it was a technology conference. Many technologies have been able to prove viability in the laboratory. Step two, proving it can work at
May 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Development Showcase: Champagne-Ardennes, France
by Jim Lane and Ben Lazarus (Biofuels Digest) ...To be an ideal location for bioenergy projects, a site must have an advantaged combination of feedstock, infrastructure for production and distribution. Access to local markets is a plus, incentives help, and
May 20, 2011 Read Full Article
DGs Could End up in Plastics if Biocomposite Facility Is Built
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Distillers grains as a component in plastics? You bet, if two Nebraska companies achieve their goals. It will start by building a manufacturing facility, Laurel BioComposite LLC, in Laurel, Neb. Major investors include Kearney Area
May 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil: Attitude before Altitude, Part 3
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In part 3, we look at 12 companies and compare and contrast the Brazilian and US paths to advanced biofuels. Does Brazil have a “must emulate” model? ...What we found is a stable, straightforward system of
May 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Finds 11-Year Gap Between Announced Wood Biofuel Production and Commercial Viability of In-Development Technologies; Cellulosic Ethanol Won't Materially Contribute to EPA Renewable Fuel Targets by 2022
(PR NewsWire/Forisk) A new study evaluates the viability of the wood-based transportation fuel sector in the United States. Wood biofuel projects attract strong private and public investment, and advance federal energy policy objectives. Published by Forisk Consulting and the Schiamberg Group,
May 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Project to Turn Nearly Any Organic Waste into Biofuels
by Melissa O'Neil Perdue (Washington State University) An innovative idea for making advanced biofuels such as jet fuel, diesel and gasoline from regional resources is moving forward with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). “This process will demonstrate the
May 17, 2011 Read Full Article
KiOR Breaks Ground, and Draws Customers, for Columbus Biofuels Plant
by Garthia Elena Burnett (Commercial Dispatch) FedEx is the latest company to sign an offtake agreement with Kior, a biofuels plant slated to begin production in Columbus in 2012. FedEx plans to use oil produced from biomass, mainly wood chips,
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Ag Secretary Touts Agrivida
by Donna Goodison (Boston Herald) Greater Boston doesn’t usually rate as a Hub of agriculture but yesterday U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Medford to praise start-up Agrivida Inc. as an example of how renewable energy research could help
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Matrix Genetics Pursues the Algae Fuel Dream in the Lab, Not With Big Steel Tanks, Giant Ponds
by Luke Timmerman (Xconomy Seattle) ...McCormick, one of the featured speakers at next week’s Xconomy event on alternative fuels, has led this quiet effort for the past three years inside Seattle-based Targeted Growth. While Targeted Growth grabbed headlines with hybrid camelina
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Company Studies Tobacco for Biofuels
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) A start-up company, Tyton BioSciences, is looking for a new outlet for tobacco – biodiesel and ethanol. The company is developing genetically modified tobacco that will, according to their website, “produce both ethanol and biodiesel at yields
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel 2011: The Real Opportunity
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An interview with James Garton, president of Mission Biofuels USA subsidiary. We look at the jatropha 1.0 catastrophe, actual biodiesel capacity in the US, palm biodiesel, the RFS, and more. ...The company broke into the US
May 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Second-Generation Biofuels Gain Traction But Growth Challenges Remain
by Ivan Castano (Renewable Energy World) Some 5 billion gallons of second-generation biofuels could hit the market in five years, a new research report by consultancy Frost & Sullivan revealed last month. However, analysts say the fledgling sector remains challenged by
May 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Colombia Pursues Sweet Dream of Becoming a Sugar-Cane Ethanol Powerhouse
by Nathanial Gronewold (Greenwire/New York Times) ...Though 85 percent of Colombia's cane crop is harvested this old-fashioned way, industry leaders say they have no intention of mechanizing the harvest, for fear of mass unemployment in a rural area where people
May 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Verdezyne Closes New Financing Round: BP, DSM, OVP Venture Partners and Monitor Ventures Participate in Round
(Verdezyne/BusinessWire) Verdezyne, Inc., an industrial biotechnology company developing cost-effective processes for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals, today announced it has closed a new funding round. New investors in this round include BP Alternative Energy Ventures and DSM Venturing B.V.,
May 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Khosla Biofuel IPO Draws Doubters
by Antonio Regalado (Technology Review) As yet another biofuels company prepares for a stock offering, some wonder if the company is worthy of going public at all. ...Technology Review asked Khosla whether pre-revenue biofuels companies should be going public. Khosla sent
May 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Sen. Bingaman Eyes Committee Vote on Clean-Energy Agency
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is planning a committee vote before Memorial Day on legislation that would create a federal “Clean Energy Deployment Administration” to jump-start the commercialization of green
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Next-Generation Biofuels Panel Discussion
(Milken Institute Global Conference) With oil prices spiking and concern over climate change growing, biofuels hold tremendous appeal. But they must overcome considerable hurdles. Further process and technology refinements are needed to ensure that biofuels make a significant dent in
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Aurora Algae’s Demonstration Opens for Business in Algstralia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Aurora Algae opened its demonstration facility in Karratha, Western Australia, where the Company’s algae-based biomass is being harvested for products in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, aquaculture and renewable energy markets. ...The company has also secured
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Cobalt Raises $20M in Series D Round; Parsons & Whittemore Joins
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The additional capital will enable Cobalt to build out its new 470,000 gallon per year demonstration plant in Alpena, Michigan, which will be the world’s first cellulosic biorefinery for the production of the industrial chemical
May 03, 2011 Read Full Article
So You Want to Be a Biofuels Investing Rock Star?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Biofuels investing is not for the faint of heart – even high-flyers like Gevo, up more than 33 percent since its debut earlier this year, have been volatile – and a number of small-cap advanced
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference: the Analyst View
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Piper Jaffray’s Mike Cox and Mike Ritzenthaler, and Raymond James’ Pavel Molchanov, publish notes on the progress of advanced biofuels following their meetings and presentations at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference. Cox/Ritzenthaler: Does the Path to
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Lignol Develops Engineering Design Package for Commercial Biorefiner
(Lignol) Lignol Energy Corporation, a leading technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sector today announced it has completed an engineering design package for a commercial-scale biorefinery that would produce up to 80 million litres of cellulosic ethanol
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Global Food Crisis, Biofuels and Land Grabs in Ghana
by Bright Owusu (Ghana mma) The time has never been riper for the people of Ghana to speak out about the terrible negligence of consecutive governments who have allowed horrendous land grabs by foreign nationals for the production of questionable
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
The Impact of Ethanol and Ethanol Subsidies on Corn Prices: Revisiting History
by Bruce A. Babcock, Jacinto F. Fabiosa (Iowa State University) The rapid rise in corn prices that began in the fall of 2006 coincided with exponential growth in U.S. corn ethanol production. At about the same time, new ethanol consumption
April 28, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Revises Plan to Boost Biofuel Investment
by Ben Lefebvre (Dow Jones Newswires/Denver Post) The U.S. Department of Agriculture is embarking on a revised biorefinery-finance program that it hopes will boost the amount of cellulosic-bio fuel production in the country. The USDA seeks to make the advanced-biofuels industry
April 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Sovereign Focuses on Delivering Ethanol's Message
by Jean Caspers-Simmet (AgriNews.com) Dave Sovereign tries to help people see the benefits ethanol brings to the economy. ...It frustrates Sovereign when people bash ethanol. "After 9/11 the president and Congress asked all Americans to do what they could to eliminate our dependence
April 18, 2011 Read Full Article
The Biofuels Technology Square Dance
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...How’s an investor to parse out all these technologies. For many, it’s a case of “you’re making what, from what, using what?” ...Here at the Digest, we think of it as a kind of old fashioned
April 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Critics ‘Shortchanging’ U.S. Farmers, Vilsack Says
by Alan Bjerga (Bloomberg) Ethanol critics are engaged in a “false debate” over biofuels and should be asking how U.S. farmers can meet energy needs, rather than whether they should, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “We’re trapped in a debate that
April 15, 2011 Read Full Article
BIOeCON Raises 1 Million Euro’s for a Biomass Based Fuel Cell
(BIOeCON) BIOeCON a leading pioneer in the field of non-edible biomass conversion, has raised an additional 1 million Euro’s from existing shareholders, including a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Economic affairs, to design and build a prototype of a
April 15, 2011 Read Full Article
D1 Oils: Siemens Biodiesel Ferry Trial Fuels 40 pct Share-Price Rally
by Jamie Ashcroft (Proactive Investors) Shares in D1 Oils shot up over 40 percent today as it revealed an exciting crude Jatropha oil (CJO) trial with German engineering firm Siemens (ETR:SIE). In the trial Siemens will use D1’s CJO biodiesel
April 13, 2011 Read Full Article
KiOR Files $100M IPO – The Complete Digest Analysis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Khosla-backed pyrolysis venture heads for the public markets. Is the IPO window still open? Will this one fly? Should it? The Digest looks at the technology, the team, the progress, the economics, the proof, and
April 13, 2011 Read Full Article
BARD and ABS to Develop Algae Facility in Georgia
(Algae Industry Magazine) ARD Holding Inc. and Algae Bioenergy Solutions LLC (ABS) have announced a Joint Venture to develop an algae production facility in Augusta, Georgia. Projections are for the site to accommodate a ten million gallon—expandable to 100 million
April 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Biotech Deinove Eyes U.S., Brazil Ethanol
(Reuters) French green biotech firm Deinove, which hopes to use a 4 billion year old bacterium to develop the fuel of the future, is eyeing new projects in the United States and Brazil, its chief executive told Reuters. The company is in
April 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Aviation May Be Biofuels’ Killer App
by Mark Ingebretsen (Investor Place) ...While the military may see biofuels as a way of guaranteeing supply in times of crises, commercial aviation likely sees them as a way to control costs. As National Defense Business and Technology, noted recently, “Fuel is
April 12, 2011 Read Full Article
SAIL Capital Creates Louisiana Sustainability Fund
(CityBizListAtlanta) Today, SAIL Capital Partners, LLC of Irvine, CA and SAILSustainable Partners of Louisiana, LLC (SSP), announced the creation of The Louisiana Sustainability Fund (LSF), a new private capital fund dedicated to building a sustainable economic future in Louisiana by investing in
April 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo: The Owner’s Manual
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Gevo GIFT system – three innovations in one First, its magic bug that indeed, produces isobutanol at a far higher rate, yield and concentration than traditional yeasts. Second, an extraction system that gets the
April 11, 2011 Read Full Article
The Class of 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Will these biofuels projects make the expected steps towards commercialization? There was a strong response to yesterday’s Top Story about technologies that were approaching make-or-break milestones in 2012. But what about 2011, asked some? What
April 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Come On Seven: Investors Weigh Options, as 7 Companies Near Key Biofuels Milestones
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As seven projects aim for important milestones, investors face big decisions on whether advanced biofuels companies, even after the run-up in share prices, are still undervalued. ...(I)s it time to get in, hold, or lock in
April 08, 2011 Read Full Article
LanzaTech, LCY Partner for Chems, Biofuels Plant Construction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Zealand, LanzaTech is partnering with China’s LCY Chemical Corporation to identify key bio-based chemicals to produce for global fuels and chemicals markets. Mr Lee says LCY plans to investigate alternative bio-C2 to C5
April 07, 2011 Read Full Article
The Band Wagon: Investors, First Gen Biofuels, Oil Companies Join the Advanced Biofuels Parade
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Coming out of graduate school at MIT in the late 1990s,” Biofuel Energy CEO Scott Pearce recalls, “everyone was flooding into technology companies, dot coms, and I went back into the boring energy space. I
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Top 11 Algae Biofuel and Biochemical Trends From 2011-2020
by Will Thurmond (Renewable Energy World/Emerging Markets Online) The following article is an excerpt from a technology, investment, and market study titled Algae 2020, Vol 2 (2011 update) from market research firm Emerging Markets Online. The excerpt provides a summary
March 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Builders Erect Cellulosic Ethanol Plant at Port of Morrow
by Dean Brickley (East Oregonian) Zea-Chem’s cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is more than one-third finished. Builders erected three 40,000-gallon fermentation tanks this week and continued bolting together the steel structure for the two-story operations building. Excavation began last fall, and contractors poured
March 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazil’s BNDES Bank Offers $1 Billion to Ethanol R&D
(Forbes) Brazil’s behemoth development bank, BNDES, offered $1 billion to the Brazilian Innovation Agency to fund research and development into second generation ethanol, the bank said late Tuesday. The money goes to support companies working on turning sugarcane biomass and sugarcane
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Playing “Clue” at World Biofuels Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...At World Biofuels Markets 2011 in Rotterdam, the overwhelmingly remarkable impression is the ramp-up in the quality and quantity of strategic investment and off-take partners. Closely followed by the rise of renewable chemicals, and the
March 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Amyris Lands More Production, Distribution Agreements
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(T)he company (Amyris) entered into a manufacturing agreement with Paraíso Bioenergia S.A., a renewable energy company producing sugar, ethanol and electricity headquartered in São Paulo State, Brazil. Under the agreement, Amyris will construct fermentation and
March 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Betting on Green
(The Economist) Vinod Khosla thinks most venture capitalists are being too cautious with their green investments. But is his own approach too risky? “ENVIRONMENTALISTS are fiddling while Rome burns,” says Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture-capital firm.
March 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels at the Crossroads
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Good news: Advances in processing technology In the past year, we’ve seen costs coming down across the line. Last spring, new cellulosic ethanol enzyme collections appeared from the likes of Novozymes and Genencor, with the
March 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Google Ventures Backs CoolPlanetBiofuels
(peHUB) CoolPlanetBiofuels Gets Series B Funding from Google Ventures Imagine a world where fuel doesn’t have to be pumped, dug out or extracted from the ground, and can be locally sourced. CoolPlanetBiofuels, located in Camarillo, Calif., is developing an innovative solution
March 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Action Required Now if Alternative Aviation Fuels Are to Help Meet Emissions Targets, Concludes Major European Study
(GreenAirOnline) The transfer from fossil fuels to biofuels is a must if the air transport industry is to survive beyond the middle of century, was the stark message from Dirk van Vreckem of the European Commission’s mobility and transport directorate
March 16, 2011 Read Full Article
USDA Seeks Applications for Renewable Energy Funding, Loan Guarantees
(US Department of Agriculture) Funds Will Help Win the Future by Spurring Investment to Increase the Production and Use of Renewable Energy Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Solazyme Files $100M IPO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(C)an the company make oil fast enough to meet the demand and capture all the opportunities? ...“Our proprietary technology transforms a range of low-cost plant-based sugars into high-value oils. Our renewable products can replace or
March 15, 2011 Read Full Article
National Security Interests Require Tax Incentives for Biofuels and Advanced Biofuels
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) With the oil industry, a 150-year old mature enterprise, still receiving at least 2.5 times the subsidies of the renewable fuel industry ($72 billion 2002-2008, Environmental Law Institute 2009 study), it is disingenuous
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
“Aviation Industry Needs to and Can Be First to Transition to Alternative Fuels”: Avalon 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, CAAFI executive director Rich Altman and Dr. Susan Pond of the US Studies Center at the University of Sydney, ... provided an overview of the Alternative Aviation Fuels Forum at the Australian International
March 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Is Switching to Butanol
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) High oil prices are generally bad news for American companies, but one, Gevo of Englewood, Colo., says that $100-a-barrel oil is opening up a niche. The company bought a factory in Luverne, Minn., that makes ethanol
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Evaluating a Biomass Refinery
by Rowley Tedlock (Kleinfelder) and Richard Holder (Jason Associates/Renewable Energy World) Detailed environmental evaluations consider alternatives and the effect of developing a cellulosic ethanol plant with a power generation component. The Abengoa Bioenergy Biorefinery of Kansas (ABBK) in Hugoton, Kansas,
March 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Novogy Gets $750K, Targets Waste Paper Biofuel
by Galen Moore (Boston Business Journal) Stealthy cleantech startup Novogy Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. has raised $750,000 more from venture backers General Catalyst Partners, according to a regulatory filing posted yesterday - and made comments suggesting the company is working on cellulosic biofuels,
March 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Algstralia: the Land of Gold from Green
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Solazyme teaming up with Qantas for a renewable jet fuel project. A Dunaliella salina plant at Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia, co-developed by Murdoch University. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), which has
March 02, 2011 Read Full Article
The Brew Barons: Masters of Advanced Fermentation, Driving the Redefinition of Biofuels: Pt 1
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Is there enough energy, food, fiber and feed for all? Advances in industrial fermentation – a/k/a an incredulous “you’re making what? from what? using what? – will be the key to answering that question. The stars of this drama
March 01, 2011 Read Full Article
First of Kind, Financing Advanced Bioenergy Pt 3: Dealing with Deal Breakers
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) ...In Part 3 titled “Quantifying Risk Using Robust Financial Models”, insights are presented as to the how financial modeling can be used in quantifying risk and identifying “Deal Breakers”. In the sub-section titled “The Anatomy
February 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Due Diligence: How to Evaluate a Renewable Energy Technology
by Robert Rapier (R Squared/Consumer Energy Report) ...When I am asked to comment on a press release, I try to be cautious with my opinions until I have peeled the onion a bit. There are technologies with real potential, and
February 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Report Criticises the UK over Its Refusal to Earmark EU ETS Carbon Revenues for Financing Green Projects
(GreenAirOnline) According to a report by carbon offsetting company Carbon Retirement, the United Kingdom has earned more than one billion euros ($1.35bn) from the auction of EU Allowances since its first auction in Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading
February 25, 2011 Read Full Article
DuPont Exec: Company to Become Renewables 'Powerhouse' by 2015
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) DuPont Applied BioSciences President Craig Binetti told attendees of a recent clean technology conference that DuPont expects the biofuels industry worldwide to grow by $25 billion in the next five years and it plans
February 25, 2011 Read Full Article
First of Kind: Financing Advanced Biorefineries, Part II
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) In Part I of this three part article titled“On Identifying Risks”, discussions were included that focused upon the high risk nature of advanced bio-refinery projects, why financing is hard to obtain what can be done to improve
February 25, 2011 Read Full Article
“First of Kind” – the Financing of Advanced Bio-Refineries, Part I
by Tim Sklar (Biofuels Digest) ...The purpose of this three-part article is to provide project sponsors and developers of advanced bio-refinery projects with information and guidance in order to improve their prospects for obtaining project financing. It is believed that
February 24, 2011 Read Full Article
One Dozen Algal Biofuels Companies, Three Strategies, Will Reach Commercial Scale
by Will Thurmond (Emerging Markets Online/Biofuels Digest) ...Digest columnist Will Thurmond released Algae 2020, Vol. 2 highlighting why some algae companies will be winners and some will be losers bringing their product from pilot to commercial scale from 2011-2020. ...The study
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
ROI, Not IOU: Why Federal Investments in Energy Technologies Will Grow Our Economy
by Mary Rosenthal (Algal Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) ...(T)argeted investments in clean energy technologies like advanced biofuels, including those derived from algae, will grow our country’s economy, foster the creation of new industries, create tens of thousands of jobs in the
February 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Frustration, under the Optimism and Hoopla of the National Biodiesel Conference
by Peter Brown (Biofuels Digest) ...Walking the floor at the NBB last week, speaking with exhibitors, buyers and sellers, and the broad Biodiesel community in general, one topic was raised time and again: the parlous state of project financing. While the
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
UK's Carbon Trust Funding Cut by 40%
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Cuts to the government's low-carbon agency will cancel grants to biofuel projects and cause dozens of redundancies The government's leading low-carbon agency has had its funding cut by 40%, causing the cancellation of grants to a major
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
The Money Identity, the Bond Supremacy, the Washington Ultimatum: Biofuels and Loan Guarantees
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Essentially, despite rising banking sector profits and good results from stress tests, the bank financing market has not returned for biofuels – the financing source for whom the USDA loan guarantee was developed in the
February 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit: Conference Report
by Bill Brandon (Advanced Biofuels USA) On February 10 & 11, about 120 participants gathered in chilly Chicago for the first Municipal Solid Waste to Biofuels Summit presented by the British firm, Eye for Energy. The conference drew participants from
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Venture Valuation Tool
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Digest released an alpha version (that is to say, released for testing and comment) of its Biofuels Venture Valuation tool. Using the tool, biofuels venture developers can, by inputting a few keystrokes, calculate a value
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Vinod Khosla on Biofuel Feedstocks
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Imagination is in shortest supply when it comes to agronomic econometrics that extrapolate the past instead of inventing a new future. Part II: Feedstock. Feedstock cost, environmental impact and even its politics are critical variables. With each
February 06, 2011 Read Full Article
BioJet Receives $1.2 Billion Funding Facility
(BioJet International Ltd.) BioJet International Ltd. announced that it has received a US $1.2 Billion funding facility from Cayman based Equity Partners Fund SPC. The funding structure is a 3 year facility, further terms of the funding were not disclosed. BioJet
February 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Resistance is Futile: Codexis and the Chase for Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Codexis yesterday announced a stunning 29% increase in revenue, ...What’s driving the numbers in Redwood City? ”We achieved our technical milestones with Shell, we made our first shipments of two important enzymes to Merck and
February 04, 2011 Read Full Article
“Stay Midwest, Young Biofuels Entrepreneur”: a Counterpoint
by Todd Taylor with Christina Connelly, Ralph Groschen, Mark Lindquist, Gregg Mast, Tim Welle and Doug Cameron (Biofuels Digest/Minnesota) ...Venture capitalists in California support and encourage these and many other companies and deserve ample credit for the Cambrian-like explosion of new
January 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Shell Exits Algae as It Commences “Year of Choices”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Last week [after previously exiting their investment in Choren, a Fischer-Tropsch technology based in Germany] Shell announced that it will will exit its shareholding in Cellana, a joint venture between Shell and HR Biopetroleum. Today,
January 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Go West, Young Biofuels Entrepreneur
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...California remains the heartland of technological innovation and there is no place on earth where ideas go farther, faster, and find more support from academia, the science establishment, and venture capitalists. (Let us not mix