Major Stories
ANA and LanzaTech Sign Offtake Agreement for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
In the land of the rising sun, things are looking a whole lot brighter for All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, and for LanzaTech and their sustainable aviation fuel. ANA and LanzaTech signed an offtake agreement for sustainable aviation fuel – a big step in ANA’s efforts to minimize its environmental impact and meet […]
Demise of the Diva: The new organisms are workhorses not show ponies, but they do the most amazing tricks.
And so, the Fuel Ethanol Workshops have come and gone again with their dizzying array of technology updates from our friends in the world of enzymes and yeast. Reports from the floor indicate that the mood was surprisingly optimistic given the slew of small refinery waivers from EPA that have gut-punched the industry. In the […]
Stone-based toilet paper, greener goblets of liquor, algae footwear, biobased paint, fungus headphones, barley, rice, tapioca straws, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of June 13th
As June brings lots of celebrations and company announcements, the pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of June 13th – from things you never thought would exist like “RockRoll” toilet paper, to things you wish you had thought of like biobased vodka […]
All I Need is the Air That I Breathe: The search for better sources for octane and better uses for aromatics
In Washington, a new report concludes that emissions from petroleum-based gasoline “are one of the biggest health threats facing the American public”. The report links a wide range of respiratory and even neurological diseases to toxic carcinogenic compounds refiners used to increase octane in gasoline. A fact book — entitled “What’s in Our Gasoline Is […]
It’s a Yeast Feast, Enzyme Showtime: The Majors break through with new cost-busting solutions for ethanol production
Three big product announcements just in… DSM (e) breaks through on yield, efficiency with new yeast, enzyme offerings for corn fiber conversion. Novozymes launches breakthrough techs “Fortiva” and “Innova Force”. Dupont extends with corn oil extraction tech. In Indiana, DSM leads the news out of the Fuel Ethanol Workshops with their latest yeast and enzyme […]
8-Slide Guides
Amazing Algaculture: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to MicroBio Engineering
MicroBio Engineering works on facility designs, algae equipment, R&D, engineering consulting, techno-economic analyses, LCAs and wastewater treatment. Their focus on algaculture, specifically microalgae cultivation, is what the focus of this presentation is on. John Benemann, CEO and Tryg Lundquist, CTO, both of MicroBio Engineering, gave this illuminating overview of today’s microalgae production systems and the […]
4 Key Bioenergy Technologies: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to SoCalGas
The Southern California Gas Company is the primary provider of natural gas to the region of Southern California and has a vision to become the cleanest natural gas utility in North America. As California works to achieve its climate change goals, SoCalGas is working on low carbon energy resources and energy conversion technologies to help […]
Potential to decarbonize long distance transport: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Drop-in Biofuels
IEA Bioenergy Task 39, with the help of the National Renewable Energy Lab and University of British Columbia, has been working facilitating the commercialization of conventional and advanced liquid biofuels from biomass drop-in biofuels for quite some time. They are looking at various technologies for drop-in biofuel production and how they can decarbonize long distance […]
Biomanufacturing 2.0 Cell-Free: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Invizyne Technologies
Invizyne Technologies is making chemicals the cell-free way using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. By inputting sugar and using engineered microbes, they can result in useful compounds and commodity chemicals, biofuels, fuel additives, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. James Bowie from UCLA/Invizyne Technologies offered this illuminating presentation on the steps involved using synthetic biochemistry to create commodity […]
Commercializing Low Carbon Biofuels: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis
The Digest’s “Stocks Worth Tracking” Multi-Slide Guide Series highlights hot companies that are making strides in the bioeconomy. Today’s “Stock Worth Tracking” is Aemetis. Aemetis is implementing the first biomass-to-biofuels plant using the LanzaTech process. They also have a 12 mgy cellulosic ethanol plant project being developed in Riverbank, California that is of interest. Eric […]
The Latest World News
Copersucar sees E15 in the US boosting ethanol demand by 50%
In Brazil, Reuters reports that Copersucar believes US ethanol demand will increase by 50% once year-round E15 is fully implemented with significant import demand ramping up over the next two to three years. The company’s subsidiary EcoEnergy imports Brazilian ethanol in the US and exports US ethanol to Brazil when arbitrage opportunities allow, with a […]
Malaysian waste-based biodiesel company sees rising EU demand
In Malaysia, the Daily Times newspaper reports that Gamalux Oils expects biodiesel exports to jump 30% this year compared to 2018, with about 80% of its product going to the European Union thanks to the company’s sustainable waste oil-based fuels last year. The company has two factories with total installed capacity of 700 metric tons […]
KiwiRail and ferry to begin biodiesel trials despite lack of sufficient domestic supply to meet goals
In New Zealand, local press reports that KiwiRail as well as the Interislander Kaiarahi ferry are set to trial biodiesel blends despite concerns about sufficient local availability should the trials go well. The rail trial is set to last between six to 12 months and should kick off anytime now while the ferry trial should […]
Indonesia’s B30 trial kicks off with eyes on trains, ships and mining sector next
In Indonesia, Reuters reports that the much talked about B30 trial kicked off last week and will last four months with different models of passenger cars and trucks tested. The country wants to boost blending to 30% from the current 20%, creating an additional 2.8 billion liters of demand. Trains, ships and mining machinery are […]
Hawaiian company edging closer to growing seawood for food and biofuel
In Hawaii, local press reports that Kampachi Farms is seeking a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy and federal permission to farm four species of edible limu seaweed more than a mile off Kaiwi Point near Kailua on Hawaii Island with the intention of eventually getting to commercial scale and using the crop […]
R&D News
SkyNRG teams with University of Limerick to explore development of Irish aviation biofuel produciton
In Ireland, the Bernal Institute at University of Limerick signed a deal with SkyNRG to explore the development of sustainable aviation fuel manufacturing in Ireland. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Bernal and the Netherlands-based firm SkyNRG was signed in the presence of Dutch Minister of Trade, Sigrid Kaag, during the Dutch Royal Visit and […]
Scientists better understand how proteins move out of cells
In Missouri, Gavin King and a team of scientists at the University of Missouri used an atomic force microscope to study the movement of the E.coli proteins. Unlike previous studies where proteins were frozen, the atomic force microscope allowed researchers to observe the proteins moving in a fluid environment that closely resembles their natural environment. […]
Japanese researchers discover novel enzyme in soil fungus
In Japan, group of researchers led by the Tokyo University of Science has discovered a novel enzyme from a soil fungus. In their study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, they speculate that this enzyme plays important roles in the soil ecosystem, and then describe its structure and action. Once the usefulness of the […]
Chinese scientists develop one-pot cellulosic ethanol process
In China, scientists at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a chemocatalytic approach to convert cellulose into ethanol in a one-pot process by using a multifunctional Mo/Pt/WOx catalyst. This approach opens up an alternative avenue for biofuel production. The findings were published in Joule. Prof. Wang […]
Finnish researcher looks at cyanobacteria to clean up wastewater and production biodiesel
In Finland, a researcher from the University of Turku has determined how the use of cyanobacteria and other tiny blue-algae interact with wastewater that not only cleans the water but also produces feedstock for biodiesel production. Of the different kinds of wastewaters tested, municipal wastewater was found to create the most fats in the bacteria […]
Policy & Policymakers
Sweden needs to more than double biofuel consumption to achieve transportation goals
In Sweden, a report by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences says the country must more than double its use of biofuels by 2045 if it’s going to meet its goal of using 40TWh of biofuels for transport, compared to 17TWh used currently. Yet even so, the researcher leading the study told The Local […]
Senate bill focusing on small refiner exemptions from RFS introduced
In Washington, D.C., Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the RFS Integrity Act of 2019 on Friday. The bill sets a June 1 deadline for small refiners to submit petitions for exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), requires transparency in filing in place of the current confidential waiver process, requires the […]
Bipartisan group of Senators ask EPA to active renewable electricity within RFS
In Washington, a bipartisan group of nine Senators led by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency administrator this week urging action to activate the renewable electricity pathway in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The Senators’ letter follows a provision in the Interior-EPA Appropriations bill signed […]
Biofuel coalition applauds House committee chairman’s bill to extend biodiesel tax credits through 2020
In Washington, NATSO, the national association representing truckstops and travel plazas, along with the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA), American Trucking Associations (ATA), National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the New England Fuel Institute, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA), and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) issued the following statement in […]
MPs supporting UK ethanol release results of enquiry into E10
In the UK, the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Bioethanol has published its Interim Report, ending the first part of its Inquiry into Introducing E10 in the UK which launched in March. E10 is a blend of fuel containing ten percent bioethanol already sold in many other developed countries including Germany, Belgium, France, Finland […]
Other Recent Articles
Ringneck Energy fully commissioned following weather delays
In South Dakota, the Pierre Capital Press newspaper reports that Ringneck Energy in Onida has fully commissioned production after winter storms and rough spring weather got in the way of the facility’s completion. The company started receiving corn in March but production really kicked off on April 23, but it’s now running at nameplate capacity […]
Bioprocessing in Iowa: Reflecting on our journey
By Debi Durham, Director, Iowa Economic Development Authority Special to The Digest As we draw closer to the 2019 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on all the hard work and dedication that led to Iowa becoming the first non-coastal or Canadian host of […]
Largest volume in 44 weeks for ethanol production
In Washington, D.C. ethanol production expanded by 52,000 barrels per day (b/d), a 5.0% increase, at an average of 1.096 million b/d—equivalent to 46.03 million gallons daily and the largest volume in 44 weeks, according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association. The four-week average ethanol production rate moved 2.5% higher to 1.067 […]
German biodiesel exports rose substantially in Q1 2019
In Germany, UFOP reports that German biodiesel exports increased sharply in the first quarter of 2019, with exports to Great Britain seeing the biggest growth. In the first three months of 2019, German exports of biodiesel surged around 33 per cent to 581,248 tonnes year-on-year. Around 87 per cent of these exports were shipped to […]
Neste’s Zero Island project cuts emissions on Lidö by 78%
In Sweden, Neste and its partners set to turn the island of Lidö in the Swedish archipelago into a climate neutral Zero Island in just 12 months. As a result of the project, the island’s emissions were brought down by an impressive 78 percent from their previous levels and included solutions like using Neste MY […]
IRENA report shows cost of electricity from bioenergy down 14%
In the United Arab Emirates, a new International Renewable Energy Agency report said that the global weighted-average cost of electricity from concentrating solar power (CSP) declined by 26%, bioenergy by 14%, solar photovoltaics (PV) and onshore wind by 13%, hydropower by 12% and geothermal and offshore wind by 1%, respectively. The report, titled “Renewable Power […]
