Major Stories
Catch & Kill: the Velocys, Oxy, Cemvita, Carbon Engineering, BHP, Ginkgo chase to catch waste, kill emissions, armed with new organisms to liberate value
In Mississippi, Velocys’ Bayou Fuels project has signed with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to capture carbon dioxide from Velocys’ planned Bayou Fuels biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, and securely store it underground in a geologic formation. OLCV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental, will take, transport and store CO2 captured from the Bayou Fuels facility, […]
Faux snow, faux fur, wool surfboards, green hydrogen, Hawaiian algae, Next-gen Mirai: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 10th
This week there’s faux snow, there’s faux fur, wool-based surfboards and seaweed pods filled with a burst of Glenlivet whisky. Not to mention some biogas based fuels cells, an algae-based solar startup, news on the next-gen Toyota Mirai, and a skincare line that harnesses the protective power of Hawai’ian algae faster than you can say […]
The 10 Most Overlooked Stories in the Bioeconomy
Shhh! This is such Top Secret stuff that every announcement was, we surmise, buried in the hardest-to-find hole, on the loneliest street, of the most out-of-the-way town on Planet Neptune. Just shows what you might find down a rabbit hole. Share this at your peril, it rocks the status quo of pushing electric cars, electric […]
Evolved by Nature aims to make supermaterial producers out of silkworms, and Chanel’s a backer
Chanel has been on the move of late going deeper into sustainability, of course reminding one of how Coco Chanel used to say “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Just last December we reported that the French luxury house decided to back Sulapac’s development, thus becoming its first investor coming from […]
Ya Happy Now? Trump Administration reveals grand bargain on biofuels volumes, E15, small refinery waivers
In Washington, details of a grand bargain over US biofuels blending have been released by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The 4-Point Agreement The Administration announced that the following actions will be undertaken by EPA and USDA. 1. RFS Integrity. In a forthcoming supplemental notice building off the recently proposed 2020 Renewable Volume Standards and […]
8-Slide Guides
Anaerobic digesters, Aussie style: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas in Australia
An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of municipal of solid waste and industrial organic wastes. The main interests […]
Anaerobic digesters, Sweden style: The Digest’s 209 Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas in Sweden
An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of municipal of solid waste and industrial organic wastes. The main interests […]
Anaerobic digesters, Netherlands style: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas in the Netherlands
An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of municipal of solid waste and industrial organic wastes. The main interests […]
Anaerobic digesters, Canada style: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Biogas in Canada
An organization well worth knowing in the world of biogas, or renewable methane, is the indefatigable group organized as IEA Bioenergy Task 37, an international working group which covers the anaerobic digestion of biomass feedstocks including agricultural residues, energy crops, organic-rich waste waters, the organic fraction of municipal of solid waste and industrial organic wastes. The main interests […]
The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Positions & perception of stakeholders towards bioenergy
It matters of course, what people think about bioenergy, not just the makers and political folk or offtakers, but the broader groups as well in what is called elsewhere ‘civil society’, amongst pressure groups, and ordinary customers at the pump or retail store. The measurement of attitudes is a difficult one, and here’s some science […]
The Latest World News
Salmon trial validates nutritional, sustainable potential of SylPro wood-to-food ingredient
In France, a scientific study evaluating SylPro, aj alternative protein ingredient for juvenile Atlantic salmon feed made by Arbiom, found that SylPro can be used to replace fish meal or plant-based proteins in feed for juvenile Atlantic salmon, a crucial developmental stage, and deliver equivalent nutritional performance as conventional protein sources up to 20 percent inclusion […]
Fluctuations in feedstock prices hardly move consumer prices
In Germany, Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH) reports that consumer prices for rapeseed oil virtually remained at the same level of EUR 0.99 per litre on German average over the past five years. By contrast, movements of wholesale prices for rapeseed oil ex oil mill were much more pronounced – but had little impact on consumer prices. […]
New comprehensive report on European biofuel policy published
In Germany, UFOP has published a a comprehensive overview about the state of the art on national and European biofuel policy. The main topics are the implementation and consequences of the Renewable Energies Directive (2018/2001/EC) and in particular the national framework conditions resulting from the Climate Protection Act. The Federal Cabinet will decide today on […]
French court OKs ban on palm oil biofuels
In France, a French court upheld a law requiring that palm oil be excluded as a qualifying feedstock for biofuels, promoting immediate, negative reaction from Total. Total said that it may revisit its decision to convert its La Mede refinery from petroleum to renewable diesel. Reuters reports that the “The legislation will remove palm oil […]
Avantium joins the Paper Bottle Project for the fully plant-based and recyclable Paper Bottle
In the Netherlands, the Paper Bottle Company (Paboco) – a joint venture between paper packaging material developer BillerudKorsnäs and bottle manufacturing specialist ALPLA revealed that Avantium has joined the Paper Bottle Project. Avantium will be one of the technology providers for the fully plant-based and recyclable Paper Bottle. A thin layer of Avantium’s PEF (polyethylene […]
R&D News
Wood for skin: nanocellulose sensor developed for human skin health
In Switzerland, a team of Empa researchers, together with scientists from Canada, have produced a novel flexible sensor that lies on the skin surface and is biocompatible because it is made of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose is an inexpensive, renewable raw material, which can be obtained in form of crystals and fibers, for example from wood. Its […]
Berkeley researchers produce diesel fuel precursors from crop residues, municipal solid waste
In California, researchers at Berkeley Lab have created six blends that combined MSW items (non-recyclable paper and grass clippings) with biomass (corn stover and switchgrass). Using an ionic liquid-based process, they converted these blends into methyl ketones, which are chemical compounds that can be used as diesel fuel precursors. This is the first report on […]
Berkeley Lab creates six blends with MSW and biomass
In California, in a new study published in the journal ChemSusChem, researchers at Berkeley Lab created six blends that combined MSW items (non-recyclable paper and grass clippings) with biomass (corn stover and switchgrass). Using an ionic liquid-based process, they converted these blends into methyl ketones, which are chemical compounds that can be used as diesel […]
Morgan State University nabs nearly $500,000 NSF grant to study nanoparticles in cyanobacterium
In Maryland, Morgan State University’s School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences has announced its receipt of a $499,999 grant award from the National Science Foundation). The Excellence in Research (EiR) grant will be used to advance interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology, chemistry and engineering with a focus on studying the role of nanoparticles in cyanobacterium […]
Australian government to invest A$35 million in synthetic biology research center
In Australia, the government is investing in the development of an Australian biomanufacturing sector that will use biological systems to produce commercial products, creating jobs and business opportunities. Minister for Education Dan Tehan announced the government was providing A$35 million to establish a research center that combines engineering with molecular biology to design and construct […]
Policy & Policymakers
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem urge President Trump to take new biofuela actions
In Minnesota, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem urged President Trump to use his “… executive authority to restore and grow the nation’s agriculture and biofuels industries…” by taking the following administrative actions now: • Direct EPA to enforce the Clean Air Act and reduce the aromatics in gasoline, opening new market […]
Kilpatrick Townsend takes lead as “Big Law Fights Climate Change”
In New York, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School is collaborating with several law firms, including Kilpatrick Townsend, to publish Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States, a legal playbook that will provide pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. This resource will offer recommendations — […]
Governors’ Biofuels Coalition lays out suggestions for Trump to improve biofuels policy
In Washington, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to President Trump thanking him for working with agricultural leaders and biofuels producers to help mitigate the damage done by the small refinery waivers but also recommended additional steps the Administration could take to grow the nation’s biofuels industry. Governor Walz and Governor Noem […]
EPA administrator says ethanol deal around 15 billion gallons, not 16 billion
In Washington, Successful Farming reports that less than 48 hours after Reuters reported President Trump saying the new ethanol deal will get ethanol demand to close to 16 billion liters, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said that in fact it would “net out” at about 15 billion gallons after small refinery hardship waivers […]
Norway looking at potential biodiesel and biogas mandates for marine transportation
In Norway, Maritime Executive reports that as part of the government’s action plan for green shipping that aims to reduce carbon emissions from shipping by 30% by 2030, the national environmental agency together with the maritime authority will look at the possibility of a blending mandate for biodiesel and biogas in shipping. The country is […]
Other Recent Articles
Graanul lays cornerstone for Estonian wood-to-precursors project using Sweetwater technology
In Estonia, Graanul Biotech laid the cornerstone for wood processing flagship plant. The purpose of the flagship plant, which will be constructed on the territory of Graanul Invest in Estonia is development and production of biomaterials from low-quality wood residues. In result of temperature, pressure and mechanical force, the innovative technology of the plant splits […]
Tesla Model 3 vs Honda Accord LX: what’s the more cost-effective ride?
This sensational headline may have caught your attention this year, Tesla Model 3 Cheaper Than Honda Accord — 15 Cost Comparisons, as it appeared here on Clean Technica, one of our favorite sites. Here’s the money slide, if you will, concluding that a Tesla Model 3 was marginally, but definitely, ahead of the Honda Accord […]
UK releases MFN tariff rules for ethanol in case of no-deal Brexit
In the UK, the government has released the tariffs schedule for ethanol in the case of a no-deal Brexit in line with Most Favored Nation rules: EUR19.2 per hectoliter of ethanol with 80% or higher of alcohol by volume for use as fuel, EUR10.2 per hectoliter of denatured ethyl alcohol and other spirits of any […]
Scania Australia expanding its biofuel network to support biofuel buses and trucks
In Australia, Scania Australia has signed another memorandum of understanding with a biodiesel supplier as part of its wider effort to increase biofuel supplies for its customers who have buses and trucks running on biofuels. The latest agreement is with Renewable Fuel Solution but MOUs also exist with Just Biodiesel, Ecotech Biodiesel, Wilmar Bioethanol Australia, […]
USDA lowers corn use for ethanol estimate by 50 million bushels in October WASDE
In Washington, AgWired reports that the USDA estimates in its October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates that corn used for ethanol will fall by 50 million bushels based on information provided by the Energy Information Administration in September. It says that corn availability will continue to tighten due to low opening stocks and smaller […]
Brazilian hydrous ethanol sales flat in September at 1.93 billion liters
In Brazil, Renewables Now reports that ethanol sales during September were flat for hydrous at 1.93 billion liters while anhydrous sales were 735.14 million liters. Of the total sold during the month, only 199.62 million liters were exported while the remaining 2.66 billion liters were for domestic consumption. Through October 1, ethanol production reached 17.54 […]
