Major Stories
Q&A on Cellulosic Ethanol with Clariant
DigestConnect hosted a wildly popular webinar in late April with Clariant’s Head of Business Line, Biofuels & Derivatives at Clariant but there were so many fantastic audience questions we didn’t to, that we decided to follow up and put together The Digest’s Q&A with Clariant on the latest and greatest about cellulosic ethanol. In today’s […]
3 Things that Need to Happen for Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Take Off
By Lloyd Ritter, Esq., Director, Green Capitol LLC Special to The Digest A timely new report came out recently on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), “Ready for Takeoff: Aviation Biofuels Past, Present, and Future,” written by the Atlantic Council (herein AC). The key takeaways are three-fold. First, aviation emissions are one of the most recognizable sources […]
Higher COVID-19 fatality rates among urban minorities come down to air pollution
A startling reality has surfaced from the coronavirus health crisis: Pollution has been significantly reduced in recent weeks during the shutdown. Whether in New Delhi, Kansas City, New York, or Beijing, less driving has resulted in cleaner air. Vistas that previously were only foggy images have burst through as crystal clear pictures of what clean […]
Nest egg + Renewables help protect Neste in 2020 – Even with COVID-19 uncertainty, Neste hits renewables production record
Especially during difficult times, it’s important to have a nest egg and companies that had cash and smart plans in place are definitely having an easier time with the latest challenges. Last week in Finland, Neste reported their Q1 financials and Neste President and CEO Peter Vanacker answered questions about the company’s first quarter 2020 […]
8-Slide Guides
Q1 Revenue of $2.4M, Uses Cash, Suspends 2020 Predictions: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Calyxt’s Q1 and COVID-19 Impact
Suspended. Reminiscint of the ‘bad kid’ at school who was always getting in trouble, we are hearing the word ‘suspended’ over and over again in 2020. Calyxt isn’t any different. In their Q1 2020 investor call, they shared the latest financials and ‘suspended’ 2020 predictions. Check out this slide guide including commentary from their CEO, Jim Blome, […]
Hydrogen is Hot in Australia! ARENA’s Funding for Hydrogen Continues: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Hydrogen Deployment
Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or ARENA, has invested $1.48 billion in 513 projects since 2012, and of those approximately $50 million are across 28 hydrogen projects. A pathway to a renewable hydrogen industry has many benefits but there are still several key issues like barriers to large scale deployment, demand drivers that are still evolving, and […]
Strong Q1 but 2020 Outlook Suspended: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Novozymes’s Latest Results, Equity Story
COVID-19 has put the world on hold and Novozymes is no different in terms of suspending their 2020 outlook. Why? Because none of us have a crystal ball and how can you predict the future now, especially concerning U.S. ethanol demand and stockpiling effects? Novozymes is an agile organization, however, and was able to meet demand despite […]
BD Zones and BDO Zones: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Weaponizing Biomass for a Bio-fueled Recovery
If you missed last week’s DigestConnect webinar, you can catch up on what exactly a Bioeconomy Development (BD) Zone is vs. a Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone and why you should care about both. Think about a certified investment-ready industrial site program but to drive bioeconomy development – a BD Zone – and what it can mean […]
Wearing Sustainability and Innovation on Your Sleeve: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Emerging Materials for Apparel
With some places starting to open up again, maybe you are looking at shopping for clothes – thanks to some quarantine weight gain or weight lost – so let’s talk about some new threads today. What are the latest innovations with apparel materials? We’ve read about mushroom shirts and algae dresses, but here’s a quick summary from […]
The Latest World News
Neste and Covestro team on sustainable raw materials for plastics
In Finland, Neste and Covestro are starting a strategic cooperation in Europe to promote the use of sustainable raw materials in plastics production. Covestro will be supplied with material from renewable sources to replace a significant portion of the fossil raw materials used to date in the manufacture of polycarbonates. This type of a high-performance […]
Brazil rethinking possibility of jump to B13
In Brazil, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) changed its tone regarding the possibility of working towards anticipating an increase in the mandatory mixture of biodiesel in common diesel. During a conference call between representatives of the productive sector, parliamentarians and Minister Bento Albuquerque, held Tuesday afternoon, it was agreed that the topic would […]
Danish coalition to develop world’s largest electrolyser and sustainable fuel production facilities
In Denmark, Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS and Ørsted have formed the first partnership of its kind to develop an industrial-scale production facility to produce sustainable fuels for road, maritime and air transport in the Copenhagen area. The partnership brings together the demand and supply side of sustainable fuels with […]
Iran to use imported Brazilian aflatoxin infected corn for hand sanitizer production
In Iran, Press TV reports Brazilian corn that arrived last year but has been stuck in port due to aflatoxin contamination will instead be used as ethanol feedstock. Customs authorities will release the shipment that has been at Imam Khomeini Port since it was unloaded. The government originally planned to destroy the shipment despite complaints […]
Shire council still negotiating with Ethtec to provide matching funds for ARENA grant
In Australia, the Newcastle Herald newspaper reports that Muswellbrook Shire Council agreed to continue negotiating with Ethtec a potential A$10.4 million grant that would go towards a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has awarded Ethtec an A$11.9 million grant for the project that is dependent on matching funds. Originally a Chinese […]
R&D News
PNNL researchers develop technology to boost use of ethanol as octane booster
In Washington state, technology developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery system. Designed to work with a car’s existing fuel, the onboard separation technology is the first to use chemistry—not […]
Researchers partially replace fossil phenol with bio-based lignin in resins
In Ohio, in the framework of Bio4Products, scientists at Hexion, a global leader for phenolic specialty resins, have succeeded in partially replacing fossil phenol with bio-based lignin in resins. Two applications seem very promising: insulating foams and molding compounds. Tests of the mechanical properties should ensure that the bio molding compound has the same performance […]
University of Bayreuth discover enzyme for use as biocatalyst
In Germany, researchers at the University of Bayreuth have now discovered an enzyme that offers great advantages as a biocatalyst. It is eminently suited for the production of natural product-derived drugs that promise a broad spectrum of medical application. Conventional synthesis processes for these substances are very laborious. In the journal ACS Catalysis, researchers from […]
PNNL invention partitions ethanol from gasoline to enable octane on demand; could lower emissions
In Washington, an onboard separation technology developed by U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers is the first to use chemistry—not a physical membrane—to separate ethanol-blended gasoline into high- and low-octane fuel components and could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery […]
DTU researchers look at how isoprenoids in plants can be mitigated
In Denmark, you cannot see them with the naked eye, but most plants emit volatile gases – isoprenoids – into the atmosphere when they breathe and grow. Some plants emit close to nothing; others emit kilograms annually. Isoprenoids contribute immensely to the amounts of hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere, where they can be converted into […]
Policy & Policymakers
Sens. Grassley and Ernst urge FDA to allow ethanol manufacturers to produce hand sanitizer
In Washington, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting clarification on its temporary policy for the manufacture of alcohol-based hand sanitizer products during the COVID-19 pandemic. The FDA released temporary guidance on March 27, 2020 regarding ethanol used for hand sanitizer production during […]
RFA tells EPA to deny “gap filling” petitions
In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny new petitions submitted by refiners for past-year waivers from their renewable volume obligations. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper argued that granting such waivers would be unlawful, inconsistent with the statute, and contrary […]
Brazilian ministry rejects B13 request from industry
In Brazil, Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) responded negatively to the proposal that had been circulated by entities representing the biodiesel sector to boost blending to 13% to reduce the impacts of Covid-19 along the entire supply chain. The request had been submitted to the MME at the end of last month. According to […]
Group Condemns EPA’s Criticism of Harvard Study on Gasoline Emissions and Covid-19 Transmission
In Washington, D.C., 10 energy and agriculture organizations including Renewable Fuels Association, the National Farmers Union, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, and others called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to condemn statements by its own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee that dismissed the findings of a recent study by Harvard University linking air pollution […]
Senate committee passes Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2020
In Washington, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed S. 3734, a bipartisan bill designed to strengthen the national bioeconomy. S. 3734, the Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2020, would: Establish an Initiative through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to advance research and development, advance biomanufacturing, develop the future bioeconomy […]
Other Recent Articles
Chinese DDGS imports plummet in April to just 84 tons
In China, Platts reports that April imports of DDGS collapsed to almost nothing, just 84 metric tons, compared to the already modest 3,637 tons imported in March. The 98% drop from month-to-month was comparable to the 97% drop against April 2019 imports which were 3,033 tons. The value of the imports was just $63,210, one-tenth […]
BBI JU awards €106M in funds to 22 new projects
In Belgium, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has signed grant agreements with the projects selected for funding under the 2019 Call for proposals. The 22 new projects will receive financial support worth €106 million and bring the total of BBI JU grants to 123. A total of 218 beneficiaries from 27 EU Member […]
DuraMais gasoline and biodiesel to be launched in Brazil
In California, Biofriendly Corporation and Dislub Equador Group announced the launch of DuraMais® brand gasoline and biodiesel, which utilizes Biofriendly’s Green Plus® energy transition fuel technology. “The emergence of DuraMais Gasoline in more than 400 Dislub Equador Group gas stations is an expression of the company’s ever-changing way, always for the better, said Director of […]
Egypt undertakes feasibility study for $110M molasses-based ethanol plant
In Egypt, Egypt Today reports the Ministry of Petroleum, Mining, and Mineral Resources has undertaken a feasibility study for a proposed $110 million ethanol plant. The facility would use molasses as feedstock and discussions are currently underway with sugar producers to create MOUs for feedstock supply. Egypt is one of the few countries in the […]
New Zealand awards grant funds to study hand sanitizer production from grape marc
In New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has awarded funding to Bragato Research Institute for a pilot study that explores transforming grape marc – the skins and seeds remaining after pressing – into hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer from the study will be donated to Marlborough health workers and first responders. […]
Canadian researchers develop bio-based N95 face masks
In Canada, the shortage of medical grade masks worldwide has hobbled health care professionals responding to the novel coronavirus — highlighting the need for improving supply lines and manufacturing more masks locally. Researchers in the BioProducts Institute at the University of British Columbia have stepped up to the challenge, designing what could be the very […]
