by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Huge stock rallies in first-gen and next-gen biofuels last week — and tension over Ukraine with the potential for oil price spikes. Is this a turning point in the war over energy diversification? ... As Douglas
Investing
Back TO HOMECEO Todd Becker Has Faith in the Future of Ethanol Producer Green Plains
by John Lppert and Mario Parker (The Washington Post/Bloomberg) ... Political challenges are piling up, too. Big Oil lists minimum ethanol requirements as its top policy concern for 2014 and wants to eliminate them. Government officials are already backtracking. A week
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Amyris: Out of the Doghouse, But Can the Stock Rally Continue?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In April, International Flavors & Fragrances and Amyris announced a collaboration to develop and commercialize a specific set of renewable fragrance ingredients. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, IFF and Amyris will jointly develop
February 28, 2014 Read Full Article
Square Pump, Round Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Flash-forward to today: the American Petroleum Institute rallies the Panzers to repel the landing of renewable fuels — bringing alternative choices for consumers at affordable prices, via a counter-assault on the Renewable Fuel Standard. And some
February 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Long-Term Growth in Today’s 53.2 BGY Biofuel Market Will Be Led by Novel Fuels and Novel Feedstocks
by Andrew Soare (Lux Research, Inc.) The 53.2 billion gallon biofuel industry has enjoyed capacity growth of 19.6% annually since 2005, but growth will slow to just 3.2% annually through 2017. Ethanol represents 65.9% of global biofuel capacity in 2013
February 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Open Letter to 60 Minutes and CBS
(Khosla Ventures) To: 60 Minutes and CBS Attn: Lesley Stahl, Jeff Fager, David Rhodes, Leslie Moonves On January 5, 2014, CBS’ 60 Minutes aired a segment titled, “The Cleantech Crash” that grossly misrepresented the state of the sustainable energy industry. At
February 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Green Banks, Green Bonds, Green Principles: 3 New Paths for Renewable Project Financing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Developers: is affordable project finance tough to find? Lenders: want to support green projects, but find that traditional deal structures defeat your best intentions? Help is on the way, via green bond principles and green
February 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Bring Out Your Dead! As Renewable Equities Soar, Integrated Oilcos Sputter
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s going on – aren’t biofuels supposed to be dead, and fracking changing everything forever in oil & gas? Yet, tough times for growth at the public oil companies, while bellwether renewable fuel equities are
February 07, 2014 Read Full Article
The Digest's Bioeconomy Achievement Awards for 2013-14
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Beta Renewables, Abengoa, Enerkem, Proterro among the winners for Project of the Year — as residues and waste are keys to the big wins. For Fuel of the Year, Renewable Chemical of the Year, Product
January 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Special Asia Biofuels Report: The Top 10 Stories of the Year, and More
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Asia looks at petroleum reserves and exploration and concludes: our future is in biomass. As we wrote in 2012: “There’s only one complete region for biofuels where abundant feedstock, lack of oil & gas production, rising energy
December 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Being Prepped to Open
by Leah Small (Progress-Index) A plan by Vireol Bio-Industries PLC to open the ethanol plant instead of shipping it overseas was unofficially announced at a meeting of city industrialists, sparsely attended by the public. Larry Wilson, plant manager, made the
December 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Senate Hearing Addresses 2014 RFS Proposal
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works held a hearing Dec. 11 on the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to set 2014 volume requirements under the renewable fuel standard (RFS). The hearing, titled
December 12, 2013 Read Full Article
EU Biofuels Investment Development: Impact of an Uncertain Policy Environment
(Agra CEAS Consulting) This Special Study shows that meaningful investments in biofuels in the EU ceased well prior to 2012. The data thus show that the Renewable Energy Directive itself was empirically not a stimulus for biofuels investments, which is how it is
December 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Nightmare Scenario: Renewable Fuels’ Defenders Pull out the Stops to Persuade EPA to Continue the War on Imported Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, the EPA has scheduled a day of testimony on its proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel volume targets — and a proposed 40 percent slash in the advanced biofuels category to 2.2 billion (ethanol equivalent) gallons,
December 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Whatever Happened to Aviation Biofuels? New Report from Australia Rates the Prospects.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Qantas, Shell, AISAF, SkyNRG, Solena and others collaborate on on an illuminating supply chain analysis of sustainable aviation fuels. Which one is technically ready, but feedstock-starved? Which one has affordable feedstock but the technology
December 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Petrobras, Embrapa Developing Sugarcane Ethanol Production Tech
(The Daily Fusion) Petrobras, a Brazilian multinational energy corporation, and Embrapa, a state-owned company affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, are developing a new technology for sugarcane ethanol production. The project will generate knowledge for the expansion of sugar
December 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Manufacturer to Create 65 Jobs in Sampson County, N.C.
(Thrive in North Carolina/North Carolina Governor's Office) Biochemtex will be locating its new cellulosic biofuels production operations in North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that Biochemtex will be locating its new cellulosic biofuels
December 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Firm to Build $500 Million Dam
(New Zimbabwe/The Source) THE country’s sole ethanol producer Green Fuel on Wednesday said it plans to start construction of the $300 million Kondo Dam in 2015 after completing financial due diligence. Green Fuel general manager Graeme Smith told The Source that
December 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Brazil Sugar-Mill Shutdowns Seen Enduring After Fuel Subsidy Cut
by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Sugar and ethanol mills in Brazil probably will keep shutting even after the government raised prices for gasoline, because it won’t be enough to lift demand for the competing biofuel. About 20 mills are likely to shut in the next two
December 03, 2013 Read Full Article
The Password Is….Bagasse: Raizen, Iogen Get Going on Cellulosic Ethanol at Industrial Scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In Brazil, Raizen has started construction on a 10 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant using Iogen Energy technology. The $100 million project, located adjacent to Raízen’s Costa Pinto sugar cane mill in Piracicaba,
December 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Company Hopes to Tap into Sugar Cane, Sorghum for Fuel-Grade Ethanol
by James Palen (The Daily Transcript/San Diego Source) ... Brawley-based California Ethanol + Power is bringing the matter closer to home. The company has yet to build its first facility, but by possibly the first quarter of 2014, it looks to break ground on
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Why Have Expectations for Sweet Sorghum Soured?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Ceres points towards minimal plantings of its sweet sorghum hybrids in its key market of Brazil for next year, investors ask two questions. Will sweet sorghum realize its vast potential, and when? Just when many
November 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil Reaps $23 Billion Windfall - In One Day
(Americans United for Change) What a difference a day makes for Big Oil. The oil industry scored a big victory on Friday, November 15 as the U.S. EPA released a draft rule that – if allowed to stand – rolls
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Finland Corporate Cleantech Venture Day: Panel Discussions, Pitches and Speed Dating
by Aino Siirala* (Advanced Biofuels USA) It is natural that a cleantech company requires capital and time to reach markets. A speaker at the 20th November 2013 Corporate Cleantech Venture Day in Lahti, Finland, compared cleantech start ups to IT
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
The Hunt for Biofuels Looks Beyond Ethanol
by Mara Lemos Stein (The Wall Street Journal) A push is on to get more energy from nonedible plants ...Amid growing pressure to make less ethanol from edible crops, some have pinned their hopes on nonfood plant materials. Such fuels are
November 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Financing Bioenergy, and Making Better Investment Decisions – via Renewable Proved Reserves
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In November 2011, the Digest ran a story on a remarkable proposition — advanced by Richard Hamilton, CEO of Ceres — that biofuels companies – on the “level playing field” theory advanced by opponents of
November 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Illinois Ethanol Plant to Build Co-Located Biodiesel Plant
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Adkins Energy LLC, a 48 MMgy ethanol plant located in Lena, Ill., is poised to begin construction on a 2 MMgy co-located biodiesel plant, which will utilize the distillers corn oil separated at the
November 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Ceres Announces Fiscal Year 2013 Financial Results
(Ceres) - Plantings have commenced for the 2013-14 growing season in Brazil. - Number of mills evaluating Ceres' sorghum hybrids has increased over previous season. - Lower expenses forecast for fiscal year 2014. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today announced financial results for
November 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Unlocking the Universe of Biobased (and Not So Biobased) Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In Massachusetts, applied mathematicians Markos Katsoulakis and Luc Rey-Bellet of the University of Massachusetts Amherst will share a three-year, $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, with others, to develop new methods to improve mathematical
November 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Obama Messes with the RFS
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the EPA released its 2014 proposed standards and volumes for renewable fuels. The volumes, as widely expected, include substantial reductions from the statutory standards in the original Energy Independence & Security Act. The announced proposed volumes
November 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels, True North, Natural Gas, and Primus Green Energy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Primus Green Energy recently completed a landmark technology demonstration — and heads off to scale with a catalytic technology for making $2.00 gasoline. But, in shifting to natural gas as a feedstock for the first
November 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Peyton Pace: As a Soap Opera Bubbles over KiOR’s Speed-to-Profits, Revenues and Production Triple
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Slow pace, low yields have depressed KiOR’s share prices, but tripled production and revenue has recently delighted the markets. What’s up with the cellulosic biofuels leader? Good news, bad news? ... You have one of the first
November 13, 2013 Read Full Article
The Four Horsemen of the Financials: Gevo, Solazyme, Amyris Report for Q3
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In years gone by, it was not too hard to write up a summary of Gevo, Solazyme and Amyris — all aimed at fuels, all in the development stage, all used synthetic biology in closed
November 07, 2013 Read Full Article
10 Time Machines for Making Biofuels and Chemicals
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The new technologies that come along have to provide pressure, temperature and feedstock at their own cost. So it’s the cost of those three elements, competing against the cost of locating, drilling and pumping. In
November 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Being Solid and Liquid: The Screwy, Upside-Down World of Renewable Fuels Financing
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
October 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Black 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
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
Space, the Biobased Frontier: Hot Biotechnologies for the Big Beyond
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Next-gen biofuels technologies may be key to making the International Space Station cost effective — not to mention, other destinations in the NASA agenda. Which may explain why a high-tech algae outfit, Evodos, is advertising
October 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol - Global Production, Major Trends, Regulations, and Key Country Analysis to 2020
(GlobalBioBusiness.com) “Cellulosic Ethanol - Global Production, Major Trends, Regulations, and Key Country Analysis to 2020” is the latest report from industry analysis specialist GlobalData, offering comprehensive information on the global cellulosic ethanol market. The report provides a clear understanding and
October 21, 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
US Economy at Risk without Sufficient Investment in Biofuels: Researcher
by Tim Worledge and Jeff Barber (Platts) The US is at risk of economic slowdown and energy shortages unless it makes sufficient investments in biofuels, Bruce Dale, a professor of chemical engineering and a biofuel specialist at Michigan State University, said Thursday. In
October 03, 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
Biofuels Market in China 2012-2016: Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Research Report Available by ResearchMoz
(PRWeb/Researchmoz) Researchmoz presents this most up-to-date research on Biofuels Market in China 2012-2016. The report focuses primarily on quantitative market metrics in order to characterize the growth and evolution of the Biofuels Market in China. Biofuels market in China to grow
October 02, 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
Energy as Easy as Waffles
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Long-term, there are numerous opportunities for developing the right kind of renewable feedstocks based on careful development of agricultural markets and gaining grower adoption. But anyone who has been through the wringer in trying to
September 26, 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
The Pope Runs on Biofuels. Why Can't You?
by Maxx Chatsko (The Motley Fool) The Vatican splashed down in the news feeds of green enthusiasts everywhere last week when it announced that Pope Francis will trade in his Ford Focus for a 1984 Renault 4. The vehicle was
September 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Show Me the Gallons: KiOR’s Progress towards Steady-State Operations
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Landmark cellulosic drop-in biofuels producer releases update on early-stage production: is the increasing gallonage enough to silence the critics? ... In July and August, the Columbus facility produced 172,398 gallons of fuel, bringing the 2013 production
September 23, 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
Food Price Fears Push EU Lawmakers to Put a Lid on Biofuels Growth
(EurActiv) The European Parliament has voted to limit the use of fuels made from food crops because of fears that biofuels can push up grain prices or damage the climate, further undermining the once booming industry. Lawmakers voting in Strasbourg on
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
Targeting Ethanol Mandates Seen Hurting Cellulosic Growth
by Alan Bjerga & Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Efforts to roll back rules that nurtured the corn-based ethanol industry threaten to stunt other promising biofuels, according to a developer working on one of the nation’s first commercial plants that won’t use
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
What Happened to Biofuels?
(The Economist) Energy technology: Making large amounts of fuel from organic matter has proved to be more difficult and costly than expected ...As well as being available to countries without tar sands, shale fields or gushers, biofuels can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions
September 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Flagship VentureLabs Launches Midori Renewables
(Flagship Ventures/PR NewsWire) New Venture is Commercializing a Novel Catalytic Process to Convert Non-Food Biomass Into Sugar Flagship VentureLabs announced today that Midori Renewables is globally deploying their Breaking the Biomass Barrier™ technology, a novel catalyst that melts non-food biomass into
September 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Call Waiting, Biofuels, Genetics and You
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The company (Kaiima) started up in 2006, and by 2009, the results were starting to show in castor beans. Castor oil is a good source for a variety of applications, including biofuels — but castor
September 04, 2013 Read Full Article
The Renewable Fuel Marketers’ Guide to Planet Houston
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Which raises the question: at what prices will bioenergy projects provide the kind of returns that would make a hard-bitten citizen of Planet Houston say a kind word or two about “choice at the fuel
September 03, 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
Gevo Opens Biorefinery for Fully Renewable Paraxylene
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) What does the Gevo complex in Texas mean for jet fuel, for renewable clear plastic bottles…and for the Gevo investor? In Texas, Gevo held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its demonstration-scale paraxylene plant in Silsbee.
August 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Passes 1 Billion Gallons in Capacity: E2 Study
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced biofuels capacity for 2013 is 1 billion gallons gasoline equivalent. Capacity for 2015 is between 1.4 and 1.6 billion gallons gasoline equivalent. 160 commercial scale facilities planned, under construction, or complete from 159 companies.
August 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Canadian Scientists Unravel Camelina Biofuel Genome
(UPI) Saskatchewan scientists have sequenced the camelina sativa genome. Saskatchewan scientists say they have sequenced the camelina sativa genome, an important step in the development of sustainable biofuels. The genome sequencing discovery was announced by scientists from Saskatchewan firm Genome Prairie, the
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
UK to Request Extradition of Biofuel Company’s Chairman
by Simon Lewis (Cambodia Daily) The U.K.’s fraud office plans to request the extradition of a British national currently detained in Cambodia, after it brought charges against four people for their part in a $36 million Ponzi scheme involving a
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Refiners, Ethanol, and You. Time to Worry?
by Maxxwell A.R. Chatsko (Motley Fool) To blend or not to blend? That is the question refiners will need to answer in 2014 as they cope with falling gasoline demand and strict ethanol blending mandates set by the EPA. The
August 27, 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
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
Cosan Shareholder May Build $150 Million Paraguay Ethanol Mill
by Lucia Kassai (Bloomberg) Roberto Rezende Barbosa, one of the largest shareholders in Cosan SA Industria & Comercio, is considering building a $150 million ethanol mill in Paraguay, where profits are higher than in Brazil. ... Rezende Barbosa may expand into neighboring
August 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Who Will Buy Syntroleum?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A month ago this week, Syntroleum (owner of a half interest in Dynamic Fuels, the renewable diesel technology) announced that it was “evaluating strategic alternatives” — and just a few days later revealed that it
August 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Pomerantz Law Firm Has Filed a Class Action Against Kior, Inc. and Certain Officers -- KIOR
(PR NewsWire/ Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross) Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP has filed a class action lawsuit against Kior, Inc. ("Kior" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: KIOR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District
August 20, 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
The DABTAPE Imperative, and KiOR’s Fall from Equity Market Grace
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) ...KiOR’s fallen into the penalty box this week — it’s stock falling from a high of nearly $5 just a week ago — now disappearing into the sub-$3 range as the company missed production
August 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Darling International Inc. to Acquire Terra Renewal Services, Inc.
(Darling International/PR NewsWire) Darling International Inc., ... announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the industrial residuals and used cooking oil collection operations of Terra Renewal Services, Inc. Terra Renewal is a leading provider of essential
August 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo Reports Q2 Results; Expanding Production; Cap Raise Looms
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) In Colorado, Gevo announced a net loss for Q2 2013 of $15.2 million compared to $16.2 million for the second quarter of 2012. Revenues were $1.9 million compared to $7.0 million in Q2 2012. The
August 07, 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
Growing First and Second Generation Renewable Fuels
by Anna Rath and Adam Monroe (The Hill Congress Blog) While there is a lot of back-and-forth in Washington about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), there is just one fundamental choice at the heart of the debate: do we want
July 29, 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
Africa: Securing Africa's Land for Shared Prosperity
by Makhtar Diop (AllAfrica) Few development challenges in Africa are as pressing and controversial as land ownership and its persistent gap between rich and poor communities. With a profound demographic shift in Africa from rural areas to the cities where half
July 22, 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
Biofuel Investment Could Reach $69B over 10 Years, Says Report
by Cathy Proctor (Denver Business Journal) Investment in a new wave of biofuel technologies is expected to total $69 billion over the next 10 years, and revenues from the new fuels are expected to hit $7.6 billion by 2023, according
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
DuPont Seeks Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Ventures
by Owen Fletcher (Dow Jones Business News) --DuPont seeks partners for joint ventures in production of cellulosic ethanol --Company is talking with potential partners in U.S., China, Brazil, Europe, Southeast Asia --DuPont is investing more than $200 million in cellulosic ethanol plant
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Tuning a Renewables Portfolio for your Risk Appetite
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) Interested in the renewables sector, but want to heavy-up on pure-plays, or keep your exposure light? Our four-quadrant matrix can help. In looking at investing in the biobased sector, a four-quadrant matrix — of the type
July 17, 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
Finding Business Success in a Changing Ethanol Industry
by Scott McDermott (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Ascendant Partners Inc.) ...Historically, ethanol processing margins were driven by supply and demand fundamentals in ethanol, energy and corn, plus feed and policy impacts. As more ethanol companies diversify, the economic incentives to expand or
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
Government of Canada Encourages Innovative Biofuel Production in Sarnia
(Digital Journal/FedDev Ontario) Woodland Biofuels Inc. is receiving a contribution to operate a plant that will produce low-cost biofuel from waste. Patricia Davidson, Member of Parliament for Sarnia-Lambton, announced the funding today on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister
June 27, 2013 Read Full Article
50 Billion Reasons to Support Ethanol
by Maxx Chastko (Motley Fool) ... It doesn't have to be so complicated. Controversy aside, there is one calculation that can bring everyone together to support ethanol. The calculation is so simple that you can do it on the back of
May 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Farm Waste May Demand Return of Biofuels
by Javier E. David (CNBC) Imagine a world where leftover corn, wheat and wood chips could power your car. That's the aim of cellulosic ethanol, a budding sector of the renewable fuel industry that finds itself struggling to reassert itself in a
May 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
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
Investors Interested in Fossil Fuel-Free Portfolios
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) According to a recent survey conducted by SRI, 65 percent of retail investors and 53 percent of institutional investors are currently expressing interest in fossil fuel-free portfolios in reaction to climate change. More than 2,000 SRI
May 24, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy and Economic Growth: Interview with Mark Thoma
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) ... Mark Thoma is a macroeconomist and time-series econometrician at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on how monetary policy affects the economy, and he has also worked on political business cycle models. Mark is
May 23, 2013 Read Full Article
KiOR Shipping Cellulosic Biofuels; Releases Q1 Results
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“Building on the first gallons of cellulosic diesel we shipped in March, we continue to make progress with operations at our Columbus facility,” said KiOR CEO Fred Cannon. “The on-stream percentage of our core technology
May 10, 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
Two Thumbs Up for Solazyme: AkzoNobel Deal, New Technology for Structured Oils
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The sector’s perennial hottest company strikes again — with “potentially disruptive” new technology to change the positioning and performance of triglyceride oils. In California, Solazyme and AkzoNobel announced an agreement targeting the development of advanced tailored
May 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Florida Sunshine Fueling the Growth of Algenol and Its Blue-Green Algae
by Carlin Rosengarten (Fueling Growth) Nearly 30 years ago, Paul Woods invented the Direct to Ethanol technology that his company, Algenol Biofuels, utilizes today to produce ethanol from blue-green algae at its state-of-the-art commercial development campus in Fort Myers, Fla. Algenol’s
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
FEATURE: Biojet Backers See US RINs Eligibility as Vital to Long-Term Viability
by Herman Wang and Matthew Kolhman (Platts) Aviation biofuel's newly minted ability to generate tradable US renewables credits, known as RINs, may be key to the industry's economics, according to market watchers. "The availability of RINs is a critical bridge to commercial
May 07, 2013 Read Full Article
US Dominating Cellulosic Ethanol Market
(EnergyDigital) In the ethanol fuel market, the US takes the lead. Pilot and demonstration plants to commence in late 2013. Ethanol is the most widely acclaimed alternative or additive for gasoline used for running vehicles, and the US ranked as number
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
Clean Technology Investors Shift Focus to Drilling
by Jonathan Fahey (Fuel Fix/Associated Press) A decade ago, large investors in so-called clean technology had a straightforward goal: finance companies that would help eliminate the world’s dependence on oil, natural gas and coal. But as profits from wind, solar, biofuels
May 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Gevolution
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The stock has not recovered much — but it’s remarkable the progress the company has made, all the same. Analysts are now expecting the company to bring its first production train up later this month
May 02, 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
State College Mayor Urges Fossil Fuel Divestment
(Associated Press/PhillyBurbs.com) The mayor of the central Pennsylvania borough of State College has endorsed a campaign that urges municipalities to divest from fossil fuel companies, the environmental group 350.org said in a release Thursday. Borough Mayor Elizabeth Goreham joined nine other
April 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Biodiesel’s Big Comeback and Bigger Prospects
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Darling of the mid-2000s, still beloved by its many fans — biodiesel is increasingly a key to delivering advanced biofuels volumes now — and even more so between now and 2022. Presentations by NBB CEO Joe
April 26, 2013 Read Full Article
The Battle Continues
by Robert Vierhout (ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Member states, however, are faced with the reality of an economic crisis and cannot think of any good reason to kill investments and opportunities for more investments in agriculture. Maybe the Commission has also given
April 24, 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
Growth in Asia, Climate Change Weigh on Biofuels – US Executive
by Tracy Dang (ICIS) Population growth in Asia, climate change and shifting geopolitics are all issues that will impact the future of the biotechnology and renewable fuels industry, an executive at a life sciences investment firm said on Monday. “It is important
April 23, 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
Agronomists and Admirals: Looking back at ABLC 2013
by Pavel Molchanov (Raymond James and Associates/Biofuels Digest) ...There is no question that there have been growing pains along the way, more than we would have hoped, but the industry continues along its trajectory towards scale. We expect 2013 to be a
April 22, 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
ABLC: Increasing Optimism in Biofuels Financing
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) ...“I think the overarching message of the panel was a sign of increasing optimism,” says Chris Groobey, a partner in the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, who spoke during a session on debt financing. He
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Florida Legislature Poised to Pull the Plug on Florida’s Bioenergy Sector
(Business Wire/Florida Biofuels and Bioenergy Association) $1 Billion in Investment At Risk On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Florida Legislature will consider HB4001, which repeals the Renewable Fuels Standard set in 2008. With a federal mandate for 10 percent ethanol in gasoline, this legislation will
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
What Investors Got Wrong in Advanced Biofuels
by Doug Williams (Venture Beat) ... Although I am not an expert in investing, there are a few things I think may need to happen to make the capital and technology risk work: Strategic investors may need to come into the fold
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
CME Plans to Introduce Ethanol RINs Contract by End of May
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) CME Group Inc. (CME), owner of the world’s largest futures exchange, plans to start a contract for ethanol Renewable Identification Numbers by the end of May amid concern that higher RINs costs will boost gasoline prices. The
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Given a New Lease on Life
by Andre Janse van Vuuren (City Press/Fin24) Dormant plans to establish a local biofuel sector – earmarked to create up to 50 000 jobs and save the country at least R8.9bn in foreign exchange payments – could be given a
April 09, 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
Is Small-Scale, Distributed Ethanol Production for You?
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) ...It’s an idea whose time has come, for sure. The opportunity for small-scale production of alcohol fuels in the 20,000 to 500,000 gallon range — using wastes routinely produced (and usually landfilled) by food processing
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
11 Reasons Why You Should Invest in the Biodiesel Industry
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine/MarketWire) Below is breakdown of the latest, sourced information as to why investment in biodiesel is a sound decision written by Ron Kotrba, Editor of Biodiesel Magazine. 1. Jump in on a growing market: The U.S. biodiesel industry
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
US Refiners May Boost Renewables Spending if RFS Targets Not Lowered: Moody's
by Beth Evans (Platts) Ratings agency Moody's expects US refiners to increase investments in renewables blending and infrastructure if federal renewables targets are not lowered. "In the absence of any EPA waivers to meeting the renewable fuel requirements, we expect refiners
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
Bloomberg New Energy Finance Report More Accurately Compares Renewable, Fossil Resources
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new report published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyzed wind and bioenergy resources in the U.S. and Brazil using a lifetime production method, allowing for more accurate comparisons to oil and gas reserves.
March 25, 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
SGB Confirms Genetic Diversity of Jatropha Is Comparable to Corn
(SG Biofuels/Biodiesel Magazine) ...Through the use of new genetic technologies, SGB’s scientists have revealed that the company’s germplasm collection can be divided into a number of distinct heterotic clades, or genetically related groupings of plants. In contrast to previous studies, these
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
KiOR Now Shipping World’s First Cellulosic Diesel from Its First Commercial Plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Texas, KiOR announced the initial shipments of cellulosic diesel from its first commercial-scale facility in Columbus, Mississippi. KiOR’s facility uses pine wood chips previously feeding a shut down paper mill at Columbus and produces gasoline
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
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