Major Stories
Plant robot, wheat bran and food waste coffins, lyocell car seats, 3D biobased dwelling, milk protein films, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of May 23rd
The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of May 23rd In today’s Digest, plant robot, wheat bran and food waste coffins, lyocell car seats, 3D biobased dwelling, milk protein films — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online. […]
Food, water, energy: an eternal golden braid of value and sustainability
Jonathan Trent, late of the OMEGA algae projects, has authored a column on the topic of “putting existing technologies into ecosystems, to increase food productivity and profitability, while conserving water and energy and decreasing environmental impact.” He calls this UpCycle Systems, or UCS to those who adore three-letter acronyms, referring back to the concept of […]
Braathens Regional Airlines, Air BP, ATR and Neste collaborate to achieve the ‘Perfect Flight’
In Sweden, a “perfect flight” took off. What exactly is a “perfect flight”? For some of you, it might mean wingsuit flying done by daring humans but for Neste, it’s when “Every element of the flight management process has been optimised to keep carbon emissions to a minimum.” So what made this regional flight from […]
The Competitive Edge: Episome Biotechnologies
Episome Biotechnologies Q: What was the reason for founding your organization – what was the open niche you saw that could be addressed with a new product or service? What was the problem, or gap, or opportunity? Paper industry is a booming industry. Everybody thinks that online newspapers and e-books will decrease paper consumption. While […]
Mushroom burial suits, fish gut bioplastic, algae foam bags, power generated from human sweat, castor oil polyamides, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of May15th
The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of May 15th. In today’s Digest, mushroom burial suits, fish gut bioplastic, algae foam bags, power generated from human sweat, castor oil polyamides — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online. […]
8-Slide Guides
Project LIBERTY: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to POET
POET has been turning one big idea after another into biofuel and renewable alternative product solutions for thirty years. They have grown from a single, humble refinery in Scotland, South Dakota, to one of the world’s largest producers of ethanol and other biorefined products. Dave Bushong, Senior Vice President of Research at POET, gave this […]
Hemp is Hot! The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Industrial Hemp
Holland & Knight, a law firm based in Washington, D.C. and in the know of the fast changing federal regulations and rules, spoke at the Digest’s webinar this week about the road ahead for industrial hemp. Is it a smooth road ahead for hemp? Check out the slide guide to find out. Michael Werner and […]
Mobilizing for a Bioeconomy: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to SEforALL and below50
Sustainable Energy for All was created to drive the energy transition, particularly in developing countries. below50 is a global campaign that brings together companies and organizations who commit to growing the global market for the world’s most sustainable fuels. They connect the entire value-chain for sustainable fuels that produce at least 50% less CO2 emissions […]
Algae and Synthetic Ecology: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to New Mexico Consortium
New Mexico Consortium is non-profit corporation formed by 3 NM universities to facilitate research collaborations for universities, industry & Los Alamos Laboratory. They are looking to algae as a solution where cell factories could produce energy in a carbon neutral way with a primary focus on developing best producers (sourcing, strain selection, genetic modification). Alina […]
MicroNiche Engineering: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Microvi
Microvi has a vision of safe water, sustainable chemicals and a clean environment for all. How they do this is through their exclusive MicroNiche Engineering platform which combines material science and microbiology to provide novel, fit-for-process biocatalyst composites (MNE biocatalysts). Ameen Razavi, Director of Innovation Research, Microvi, gave this illuminating overview of their MicroNiche Engineering […]
The Latest World News
United Airlines agrees to purchase up to 10 million gallons of aviation biofuel from World Energy
In Illinois, United Airlines further strengthened its emerging reputation as the world’s most environmentally conscious airline by renewing its contract with Boston-based World Energy, agreeing to purchase up to 10 million gallons of cost-competitive, commercial-scale, sustainable aviation biofuel over the next two years. The biofuel, which United currently uses to help sustainably power every flight […]
House Biofuels Caucus member send letter to EPA supporting year-round EPA
In Washington, 20 members of the House Biofuels Caucus, led by Co-Chairs Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), and Roger Marshall (R-KS), who sent a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler in support of the year-round sales of E15. The lawmakers called on EPA to finish lifting outdated […]
Federated Co-operatives Limited to acquire Belle Plaine ethanol plant
In Canada, Terra Grain Fuels (TGF) and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) announced they have reached a mutual agreement in which FCL will acquire TGF’s 150 million liter-per-year ethanol plant near Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan. This move positions local co-ops across Western Canada to be able to continue to provide transportation fuels to their members to meet […]
Senators introduce bill to allow use of biomass from federal land restoration areas for biofuels
In Washington, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced bipartisan legislation to allow the use of biomass from certain federal lands needing ecological restoration in the making of renewable fuels to promote healthier forests, more carbon sequestration, cleaner transportation fuels and strong protections for old growth forests. Current law does not allow the […]
Wabash Valley Resources closes investment to install CCS project at Indiana ethanol plant
In Indiana, Wabash Valley Resources (WVR), an affiliate of Phibro LLC, announces the closing of an investment from OGCI Climate Investments (OGCI CI) to develop a 1.5-1.75 million tons per annum, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project, located outside of West Terre Haute, Indiana. The project will capture and sequester close to 100% of the plant’s […]
R&D News
EU-funded project aims to improve biofuels for commercial vehicles
In Belgium, the European-funded COLHD (Commercial vehicles using Optimised Liquid biofuels and HVO Drivetrains) project was launched to develop an alternative fuels engine that’s more efficient than the standard diesel alternative. COLHD covers technology, infrastructure and removal of additional barriers. It focuses on the development of three powertrain technologies that use biogas (liquefied biomethane or […]
Cornell researchers develop engineered electroactive microbes to better produce biofuels
In New York state, researchers from Cornell University say engineered electroactive microbes borrowing an electron from solar or wind electricity and using the energy to break apart carbon dioxide molecules from the air can then take the carbon atoms to make biofuels, such as isobutanol or propanol. These synthetic or non-biological electrically engineered elements could […]
Wisconsin students look to lake to create algae collection system
In Wisconsin, undergraduate researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Stout looked into creating a prototype of an algae collection system. Using a pump, the system would take in water from Lake Menomin. The water would go through an electro-coagulator that would create bubbles to push the algae to the top of a collection box. The algae […]
Argonne releases updated version of water analysis tool for bioenergy developers
In Illinois, U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory recently released an updated version of an online computer model meant to help bioenergy developers preserve critical resources. The model, called Water Analysis Tool for Energy Resources or WATER, has users from more than 35 U.S. states and can be found here: https://water.es.anl.gov/. It provides an in-depth analysis of water consumption used in the […]
Using dairy wastewater as algae feedstock for biodiesel production
In India, in their attempts to find a low cost and eco-friendly process for production of biodiesel from biowaste, researchers at Shoolini University’s School of Biotechnology are working on biodiesel derived from a microalgae species, Chlorella pyrenoidosa utilizing dairy wastewater as natural feedstock for the algae. Shoolini University, Dean of Research & Development, Dr. Sourabh […]
Policy & Policymakers
Senator Duckworth seeks independent investigation into EPA’s hardship waiver process
In Washington, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to launch an independent investigation into whether top EPA officials violated the law by inappropriately exempting a number of oil refineries from having to use legally required levels of biofuel. A recent report from Reuters exposed […]
Thirteen trade groups ask Congress to extend biodiesel tax incentive
In Washington, thirteen trade groups representing farmers, rural lenders, crop and biobased oil producers, and biodiesel producers wrote leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate, asking them to take action on bipartisan legislation to extend the biodiesel tax incentive. “America’s farmers and rural communities are facing a mounting economic threat. With your leadership, Congress […]
EU publishes ILUC risk additions to RED in official journal following scrutiny period
In Belgium, in the absence of objections by European Parliament and Council on the proposed text within the given two-month scrutiny period, the European Commission has published in the Official Journal the Delegated Act on the determination of high indirect land-use change-risk feedstock and the certification of low indirect land-use change-risk biofuels. The Delegated Regulation […]
Argentina trying to push US to end anti-dumping tariffs faster
In Argentina, Reuters reports that the government is pushing the US to hurry up its process reviewing whether or not Argentine biodiesel negatively impacts the US’s domestic biodiesel industry so biodiesel exports can resume as quickly as possible. Before tariffs were imposed, biodiesel accounted for about a quarter of the US’s imports from Argentina. The […]
Grassley, Wyden announce taskforces to find solutions to temporary tax policy
In Washington, D.C., U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon announced the formation of several bipartisan taskforces to examine temporary tax provisions that expired, or will expire, between December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2019 – a total of 42 provisions – including biofuel related ones […]
Other Recent Articles
ACE brings white paper on corn ethanol to key Senators
In Washington, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings highlights the scientific and economic opportunities U.S. farmers and biofuel producers hold to support climate change mitigation and get the rural economy back on track in a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) as the Senate […]
Zimbabwe’s first MSW-to-energy plant receives $150 million investment
In Zimbabwe, Pragma Leaf Consulting Zimbabwe will invest $150 million in the country’s first MSW-to-energy plant that has been on the docks since 2014 but is now quickly moving through the front-end engineering design phase as well as land acquisition and licensing. The technology provider has been identified by wasn’t mentioned by local press. Construction […]
UPS makes record commitment for RNG with 170 million gallon deal through 2026
In Georgia, UPS announced an agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to purchase 170 million-gallon equivalents of renewable natural gas (RNG) through 2026. This is the largest commitment for use of RNG to date by any company in the United States, with a range of 22.5 – 25 million-gallon equivalents per year. RNG is a […]
Bio-based peroxide start-up secures $32 million in Series B funding
In Texas, Solugen Inc., an emerging specialty chemicals manufacturer and world’s first and only producer of bio-based peroxide solutions, announced the closing of $32 million in Series B funding led by Founders Fund with key participation from other venture capital investors such as Y Combinator, Refactor Capital, Fifty Years and KdT Ventures. The capital raise […]
Appeals court shoots down ABA’s temporary injunction request against EPA
In Washington, the Washington Examiner reports that the US Court of Appeals in DC has ruled against the request by the Advanced Biofuels Association to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from ruling on applications for hardship waivers with a temporary injunction, but the court’s one-page ruling didn’t include why it denied the request for the […]
Japan’s Green Science Alliance produces biodegradable plastic from waste paper
In Japan, Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd. has developed 100% bio-based biodegradable plastic with recycled paper, paper waste, newspaper scrap, etc. The company has also developed starch based biodegradable plastic with 100% bio-based materials but this time, Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd has succeeded in using recycled material. On top of that, Green Science Alliance already […]
