Major Stories
Lanxess to acquire Chemtura for $2.69B
In Germany, Lanxess will acquire the US-based speciality chemical maker Chemtura, one of the major global providers of high-quality flame retardant and lubricant additives, for $2.69B, a 18.9% premium to the stock’s current share price. The transaction will be financed by LANXESS mainly through senior and hybrid bonds, as well as from existing liquidity. The […]
Tick-tick-tick…This Plastic Will Self-Destruct
They called it Mission Impossible. Create a means to biodegrade any plastic out there that needs to decompose in the environment after use. Find little microbes that can break the material into something that ordinary microbes found widely in the environment can use. After all, soil microbes would love to eat plastic if they could. […]
Breakthrough in biodiesel: Duonix Beatrice reaches commercial-scale, with signature advances in cost-reduction, feedstock flexibility
The most important technological advance in biodiesel in recent years has reached commercial-scale in Eastern Nebraska, with the startup of the Duonix Beatrice biodiesel plant, which is and the first commercial-scale application of Benefuel’s innovative ENSEL technology. ENSEL technology is capable of converting a range of lower cost feedstocks such as recycled cooking oil and […]
Answers to your questions about Renewables and the Advanced Bioeconomy
Recently, we held a popular webinar on Renewables and the Advanced Bioeconomy with NEXANT principal Ron Cascone, for which you can see the slides here. During the webinar, we received a number of excellent questions, some of which we did not have time to get to — all of which are worth looking at. Ron Cascone […]
Bayer-Monsanto Hook Up: Good News or Bad Tidings for the Advanced Bioeconomy?
Late last week, the extended courtship between Bayer and Monsanto, which saw the dowry offer raised four times by Bayer, resulted in a $127.50 per share all-cash offer for Monsanto, which Monsanto’s board accepted. A whopping $66 billion in all — one of the largest all-cash acquisitions, ever. Reactions to the deal fall into three […]
8-Slide Guides
Value-Add(itive): The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to the Lanxess-Chemtura merger
In Germany, we reported today that Lanxess will acquire the US-based speciality chemical maker Chemtura, one of the major global providers of high-quality flame retardant and lubricant additives, for $2.69B, a 18.9% premium to the stock’s current share price. What does it mean for Lanxess and for Chemtura? The companies offered this illuminative presentation deck on […]
Advanced enzymes for lignocellulosic conversion: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to MetGen
“Shaping the future of bioenergy and renewable chemicals,” that’s the lofty technological goal which MetGen has set for itself. The company has made a name for itself via participation as a preferred enzyme developer in EU Horizon 2020 projects — overall, it features customized industrial enzymatic solutions for the energy, renewable chemicals and pulp paper […]
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Shell, Sinopec
This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Shell and Sinopec and their direct investments, partnerships and alliances with companies both heralded and unknown.
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Novozymes
This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Novozymes and Procter & Gamble and their direct investments, partnerships and alliances with companies both heralded and unknown.
Hook-Up of the Year: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Bayer & Monsanto
Late last week, the extended courtship between Bayer and Monsanto, which saw the dowry offer raised four times by Bayer, resulted in a $127.50 all-cash offer for Monsanto, which Monsanto’s board accepted. A whopping $66 billion in all — one of the largest all-cash acquisitions, ever. Bayer and Monsanto put together this deck on the […]
The Latest World News
China slaps preliminary anti-dumping import duties on American DDGS
In China, the Ministry of Commerce has ordered preliminary import duties of 33.8% on US-origin DDGS following claims that the product is being dumped on the Chinese market. The US Grains Council has been actively working with the Chinese government since it announced an investigation into potential dumping earlier this year, so it’s no surprise […]
BPCL to invest $75 million in 2G ethanol plant in Kochi
In India, a $75 million second-generation ethanol plant using MSW and agricultural waste as feedstock has been announced for Kochi, where it will be located at the BPCL-Kochi Refinery. The technology provider for the facility was not mentioned during the announcement Friday but Praj has indicated recently that it will be developing several second-generation ethanol […]
Brazilian August hydrous ethanol demand highest since December
In Brazil, demand for hydrous ethanol demand has begun to recover after reaching a record high price late last year that drove consumers away from the fuel. In August, hydrous ethanol consumption reached 1.35 billion liters, up 3% from July and the highest since December. Annual consumption through August is down 14% at 9.89 billion […]
GreenWood Resources licenses ORNL tech to produce ethanol from poplars more easily
In Tennessee, GreenWood Resources has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology based on the discovery of a gene in poplar (Populus trichocarpa) that makes it easier to convert poplar trees into biofuels. GreenWood, a global timberland investment and asset management company based in Oregon, plans to commercialize the technology to select and breed better […]
Malaysia’s KNM to seek $80 million in bonds for Thai ethanol expansion
In Malaysia, KNM Group is looking to issue $80 million worth of bonds in Thai baht guaranteed by the Asian Development Bank’s Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility to build a 200 million liter per day ethanol plant, expanding a current facility owned by Impress Ethanol Co. that KNM purchased 72% of in May. The company […]
R&D News
University of Tennessee and ORNL using supercomputers to better produce biofuels
In Tennessee, A UT-ORNL is using supercomputing to figure out ways to ease the path of turning vegetation into biofuel. A huge barrier in converting plant polymers to biofuel lies in removing other biomass polymers that subvert this chemical process. To overcome this hurdle, large-scale computational simulations are picking apart lignin, one of those inhibiting polymers, and […]
Popeye was right: there’s super energy in that spinach
Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology came up with what could pose as one of the most interesting discoveries from plants. The researchers came up with a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell that can produce hydrogen, oxygen and more importantly electricity from water using sunlight with the basis of the entire cell being a simple membrane […]
Breakthrough in salt-tolerant plant development
Plant development research has seen some tremendous contribution from researchers with discoveries that always enhance plant growth and development. It is in this same vein that researchers from University of Adelaide (from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology in collaboration with the School of Medicine) made a breakthrough in findings into salt […]
European ethanol’s greenhouse gas savings increase 8.5% in 2015: new report
In the EU, ethanol’s direct greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) savings compared to fossil fuel have increased from 59% in 2014 to 64% in 2015, an increase of 8.5% against the 2014 figure, according to new industry statistics published by the European renewable ethanol association ePURE. The European renewable ethanol industry – Annual statistics report 2016*, […]
New noncatalytic process converts CO2 into fuels like ethanol
In a new process for the economical conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels such as ethanol has been developed. The proprietary noncatalytic process combines CO2 with a carbonaceous feedstock and water in the form of steam at temperatures between 1,600 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and low pressure, near atmospheric, in a gasifier to produce a […]
Policy & Policymakers
NBB teams with more than 50 industry groups to extend biodiesel tax credit
In Washington, the National Biodiesel Board along with more than 50 industry groups have sent a letter to lawmakers in order to get them to vote in favor of extending the biodiesel tax credit that expires at the end of the year. If it expires, it would be the fifth time in eight years the […]
ePure worried what an EU-Canada trade agreement would mean for ethanol
In Belgium, ePure says the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), which is to be discussed by the EU’s Trade Ministers during the informal Council meeting in Bratislava on 23 September, is a major threat to the EU ethanol industry. It could result in 1.2 billion liters of additional duty free imports from Canada to […]
Growth Energy pushing E15 in light of oil pipeline spills
In Washington, a September 9 leak in the Colonial pipeline, which supplies gasoline to many states in the southeast and east coast has resulted not only in gasoline shortages, but also price spikes at the pump. As workers act to fix the leak and remediate the environmental consequences of a 336,000-gallon gasoline spill, Emily Skor, […]
ACE launches two week ad campaign pushing for RVP update
In Washington, The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) kicked-off a two week ad campaign Monday in Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E), a Washington DC-based media outlet with five daily online publications and a daily video webcast for energy and environmental policy leaders. Charlie Good, an ASE-certified mechanic and c-store owner, is featured in digital advertisements […]
General Court of the European Union overturns biodiesel antidumping duties
In Luxembourg, the General Court of the European Union has overturned the European Commission’s antidumping duties against Argentine and Indonesian biodiesel imposed in 2013 in a far reaching trade ruling that experts believe will even impact trade relations with China, who the EU believes to be dumping manufactured products such as steel. The Argentina Chamber […]
5-Minute Guides
Rho Renewables: The Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide
Rho Renewables, Inc. is using both classical yeast genetic engineering and modern molecular biology tools to develop powerful fermentation systems for the high-yield production of monocyclic aromatic compounds that have significant market potential. Rho’s lead compounds are high value specialty chemicals, biofuels, and flavors and fragrances including Meta-cresol, Rhoctane, Vanillin and Orsellinic acid and derivatives […]
Glucan Biorenewables: The Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide
Glucan Biorenewables is producing furan derivatives from biomass. The furfural platform will be used to launch other value-added co-products: 5-hydroxyl-methyl furfural (HMF) and downstream derivatives The company’s TriVersa Process meets the need for a renewable, environmentally friendly process to deconstruct aggregated agricultural residues created from existing 1st generation industries, into high-end chemicals and advanced materials. […]
Red Rock Biofuels: The Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide
Red Rock takes waste biomass from forests and sawmills, and using a proprietary process, transforms it into domestically produced jet, diesel and naphtha fuels. The company’s process begins with the gasification of woody biomass to produce syngas, which is then cleaned and sent to a Fischer-Tropsch unit where it is converted to a high grade, […]
Corbion: The Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide
Corbion has over 80 years of experience in fermentation and downstream processing, is the global market leader in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives and lactides, and a leading company in functional blends containing enzymes, emulsifiers, minerals and vitamins. The company delivers high performance biobased products made from renewable resources and applied in global markets such […]
Pacific Ag: Biofuels Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide
Founded in 1998 in the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Ag is the largest, most experienced agricultural biomass supply company in the US. Today, Pacific Ag provides biomass supply chain solutions from six locations across the nation and works with more growers, owns and operates more equipment, has more personnel, and harvests more biomass tons per year […]
Other Recent Articles
Critics urge New York City to vote down B5 proposal for heating oil
In New York state, the Clean Air Task Force says that boosting New York City’s use of biodiesel in heating oil to 5% from the current 2% will encourage increased palm oil use and therefore higher GHG emissions while Habitmap says the increased demand will lead to more glyphosate use as a result of more […]
Iowa State’s joint research project with Chevron developing solvent liquefaction
In Iowa, the latest pilot plant at Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm is a joint project with Chevron U.S.A. University engineers are using the pilot plant to develop and demonstrate an advanced biorenewables technology called solvent liquefaction. The technology converts biomass such as quarter-inch wood chips into a bio-oil that can be processed into fuels […]
Why High Uptime for Your Laboratory Instruments is Critical to Your Bioethanol Plant’s Profitability
By Mark Janeczko, Energy and Chemicals Marketing Manager, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Inc. Special to The Digest The Future of Renewable Fuels Whatever your thoughts regarding the future of the world’s energy supply, it is clear biofuel production and its clean implications are here to stay. On the federal level, The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program was […]
Digest Bioeconomy Index slips 0.18 percent to 55.95 despite an advanced bio reboun
The Digest Bioeconomy Index, an index of publicly traded advanced bioeconomy stocks, slipped 0.18 percent to 55.95 despite an advanced bio rebound. For the day, Renewable Energy Group (REGI) slid 3.63 percent to $7.97, while Biox (BX.T) rose 3.57 percent to $0.58. Among other equities, Aemetis (AMTX) gained 3.37 percent to $1.31. Overall, declines led […]
New Bio Plastics and Resins
By Lorenz Bauer, PhD., Lee Consulting Enterprises Special to The Digest Sales of biopolymers and resins are predicted to grow to over $5 billion by 2021. Biomass derived materials have been used neat and as components in composites and blends for the last decade. Products made with high contents of cellulose, starch, proteins, chitosan are common. […]
ASSOBARI becomes first Brazilian sugarcane group to earn RSB sustainability certification
In Switzerland, ASSOBARI (Associação dos Fornecedores de Cana da Região de Bariri) became the first organization of sugar cane producers in Brazil to earn the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification. The RSB certification is for the production of sugarcane by 62 farmers and approximately 1,860 hectares of sugar cane plantations. “RSB certification is the recognition that farmers […]
