Major Stories
Beyond the Cow: ICYMI, BYND IPO PDQ, and Perfect Day AKA Muufri JDA w/ ADM, FYI
It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States but we are feasting alternatively on acronyms here in Digestville. I.E., e.g., ICYMI, BYND IPO PDQ, and FYI Perfect Day AKA Muufri JDA w/ ADM. As they said at Bletchley Park, let’s get out the Enigma machine and decode. In New York and California this week, the nutrition […]
‘Breakthrough’ harvesting solution, growing market, potential beyond biodiesel – all good signs for castor oil’s future
A ‘breakthrough’ mechanical harvesting solution for castor bean plants was developed by Evogene and agricultural equipment manufacturer, Fantini s.r.l., resulting in the removal of a major bottleneck in the conversion of castor beans into a fully modernized commercial crop. With field trial yield losses decreasing significantly (we are talkin’ up to 50% decrease) as a […]
40 Mistakes That Will Kill a Proposal
By C.J. Evans, Member, Lee Enterprises Consulting Special to The Digest It is not enough to just have a game-changing idea, concept, or innovation. Nor is it enough to just add a top-notch team, detailed workplan, and sufficient inhouse and outside expertise to move through each of the nine TRL levels. You need to be […]
3D printed Bio-eyes, biobased surfactants, duckweed’s comeback, cow poop fabric, starch algae opp, Disney goes bio, alt tuna: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of November 14th
The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of November 7th. In today’s Digest, 3D printed Bio-eyes, biobased surfactants, duckweed’s comeback, cow poop fabric, starch algae opp, Disney goes bio, alt tuna — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest […]
#Gasolinegate
In Washington, researchers for a report published by the Urban Air Initiative contend that “technical data that shows the nation has been exposed to decades of flawed test fuels and flawed driving tests, which in turn means flawed emissions results and mileage claims”. The complete Beyond a Reasonable Doubt series from UAI is available here. Further, EPA […]
8-Slide Guides
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Antares and innovations in harvest, pre-processing of herbaceous biomass
ANTARES has been assisting clients identify and use biomass resources since the company was founded and our experience ranges from conducting feedstock supply assessments to serving as owner’s representative in the conceptualization, development and operation of energy plants. A few examples of capabilities include: • Feedstock logistics and supply/demand analyses for lender’s due diligence and […]
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Anuvia Plant Materials
Today, commonly used fertilizers contain little to no organic material. Simply put, using plant- or organic-based materials to feed crops just takes too long to convert into a usable form (up to two years). Much of the nitrogen and phosphates in traditional fertilizer aren’t even consumed by the plants. In some instances, almost 70% of […]
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Anaergia
Anaergia is the world leader in solving waste problems by recovering energy, water, and fertilizer from virtually any waste stream. While Anaergia was built on the foundations of highly capable and experienced acquisitions, focused investments on innovation and execution capabilities allow us to deliver facilities that divert waste, reduce life cycle costs, create new revenue […]
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Aemetis
Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower carbon, higher value advanced biofuels and chemicals using lower cost, non-food energy sources and feedstocks. Of special interest is the Aemetis cellulosic refinery using agricultural […]
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Anellotech
Founded in 2008, Anellotech has developed a clean technology platform for inexpensively producing bio-based chemicals from renewable non-food biomass. These drop-in, green versions of widely used petrochemicals; benzene, toluene and xylenes, are used to make plastics for consumer goods such as beverage bottles and packaging, clothing, carpeting, automotive parts, home and construction materials, electronic products, […]
The Latest World News
DuPont to repay $10.5M in state incentives to Iowa
In Iowa, economic development leaders for the state approved a settlement that requires DuPont to repay $10.5 million in state incentives that it received back in 2011 for its ethanol plant that they closed last year. The settlement is waiving $3.7 million of the incentives. Last week, the Digest reported that VERBIO North America was […]
Latest models say almost all of Australia needed for bioenergy crops
In Germany, models foresee a 10 to 30-fold rise in agricultural land devoted to bioenergy according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Climate Change that was referred to by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Most IPCC scenarios foresee a major increase in land area for cultivating bioenergy crops […]
EPA approves renewable fuel pathway for Andersons ethanol facility
In Indiana, Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a pathway for the generation of renewable fuel Renewable Identification Numbers under the renewable fuel standard program for the production of non-grandfathered ethanol. The ethanol is produced through a dry mill process at Andersons’s production facility located in Logansport, Indiana […]
Evogene Reports Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results
In Israel, Evogene Ltd.’s financial results for the third quarter ending September 30, 2018 were positive with approximately $58.2 million in cash, short-term bank deposits and marketable securities, representing a net cash usage of approximately $13.5 million for the first nine months of 2018 and approximately $4.0 for the third quarter of 2018. Gross profit […]
Good soybean supply – rapeseed slightly scarcer
In Germany, UFOP reports that the stock-to-use ratios for soybean and sunflower seed have improved due to larger crops globally; rapeseed has gone down slightly. The stock-to-use ratio for rapeseed and sunflower seed has been in decline for years now. The picture is somewhat different for soybeans. Bumper crops are causing supply and stocks to […]
R&D News
Purple bacteria turns sewage into hydrogen energy
In Spain, researchers at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos found a new method using purple bacteria and electrical currents that reduces carbon emissions from wastewater treatment plants. Purple bacteria are photosynthetic and use infrared light as their energy source, giving them various colors like purple, brown and red. The bacteria can perform metabolic reactions and are […]
New Zealand’s University of Victoria says bioeconomy key to achieving clean energy goals
In New Zealand, the University of Victoria says building a biorefinery—probably at Marsden Point—geared towards aviation fuel, as well as bioethanol and biodiesel for blending with conventional fuels will aid the transition away from the country’s current heavy transport and aviation vehicle fleet, as well as feeding current and future hybrid electric vehicles. An aspect […]
European researchers find way to make hydrogenase fuel cells viable
In Germany, fuel cells that work with the enzyme hydrogenase are, in principle, just as efficient as those that contain the expensive precious metal platinum as a catalyst. However, the enzymes need an aqueous environment, which makes it difficult for the starting material for the reaction – hydrogen – to reach the enzyme-loaded electrode. Researchers […]
Arizona State University researchers get $4.5 million from DOE for bioenergy projects
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced 36 projects that together have been awarded $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development. Two ASU research teams are among the grantees, with the grants to ASU totaling about $4.5 million. The two teams are headed by Wim Vermaas, Foundation Professor in the School […]
Protected: ABLC Global 2018: The Complete Presentations
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Policy & Policymakers
Argentina responds to EBB’s claim of distorted prices and tariffs
In Argentina, the Cámara Argentina de Biocombustibles, CARBIO, is fighting back in response to the European Biodiesel Commission which claims Argentina is distorting the export prices of its biodiesel by imposing a higher export tariffs on soybeans and soybean oil than on biodiesel. CARBIO president Luis Zubizarreta told Clarin, “The European Commission is aware that […]
“Producers United” takes EPA to task over hardship waivers in US Appellate Court
In Washington, Reuters reports that an unidentified group of biofuel producers referred to just as “Producers United” has asked a federal judge to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from continuing to issue hardship waivers to smaller oil refineries. The complaint filed in US Appellate Court alleges that the EPA’s decision to retroactively grant waivers to […]
France pledges to stop “importing deforestation” by 2030
In France, France24 reports that the government has announced a plan to end imports of agricultural products it says leads to deforestation by 2030 including palm oil, soy and beef. The move follows the European Parliament’s approval of the updated Renewable Energy Directive that seeks to eliminate use of palm oil in biofuels by 2030, […]
Senator Grassley believes current EPA won’t issue as many hardship waivers
In Washington, Reuters reports that Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley doesn’t believe the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to issue hardship waivers to small refiners at the pace previously seen under the prior administrator. He said that he feels the current administrator believes his predecessor was too “liberal” in the issuance of waivers. The current administrator […]
Ethanol industry hit hard by Trump’s Chinese trade war
In Washington, Reuters reports that the ethanol industry is suffering heavily from the Trump Administration’s trade war with China as demonstrated by a number of quarterly filings by ethanol companies last week. Without China to buy 200 million gallons of ethanol, trade that has dried up due to the ongoing trade war, the US market […]
Other Recent Articles
Ethanol production at highest average in 8 weeks
In Washington, D.C., ethanol production averaged 1.067 million barrels per day (b/d)—or 44.81 million gallons daily, down 2,000 b/d from the week before, according to government data released and analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association. However, the four-week average for ethanol production increased to 1.055 million b/d—the highest average in 8 weeks—for an annualized rate […]
Green Plains sheds three plants, shutters another and offloads storage and rail assets
In Nebraska, Green Plains Inc. announced that it completed the previously announced sale of its three ethanol plants to Valero Renewable Fuels Company LLC for $319 million in cash, including net working capital and other adjustments. The transaction includes ethanol plants located in Bluffton, Ind., Lakota, Iowa, and Riga, Mich. which represented approximately 20% of […]
Ethanol prices ease away from 13-year lows as plants shutter production
In Illinois, Platts reports that expectations that production will ease on the back of low prices had an immediate impact on Argo ethanol prices, lifting them from 13-year lows to $1.2405/gal on Wednesday from $1.2175/gal on Tuesday. There is little fundamental support to be found in the market with the seasonal low demand period approaching […]
Indian sugar industry seeking license waiver to ramp up ethanol production quicker
In India, the Financial Express newspaper reports that the domestic sugar industry is pleading with the central government to have regulations established by the National Green Tribunal requiring certain licenses for ethanol producers be eased in order to facilitate to a quick ramp up in production. The national government is pushing for sugar mills to […]
Indonesian biodiesel industry calling for B30
In Indonesia, while the government has paved the way for an increase in biodiesel blending to 20% in order to combat oversupply of palm oil as well as reduce imports of fossil fuels, the Jakarta Post reports that biodiesel producers are calling on the government to boost the blending rate even further to 30%. Under […]
UK company wins grant to develop aviation biofuel from waste
In the UK, Renovare Fuels has been awarded support by Innovate UK for aviation fuel testing through the Sustainable Aviation for Clean Growth program. The company has developed a technology that converts waste into a biofuel that could replace traditional fossil fuels. Fuel standards outlined by the British Ministry of Defense state that turbine-engine airplanes […]
