Major Stories
Mayor Bloomberg’s take on agriculture
“I could teach anybody even people in this room to be a farmer, even you,” says former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, currently running for US President. The remarks from 2016 surfaced this week, and can be viewed here. So, let’s take the Bloomberg course in agriculture, how does it work? “You dig a […]
1st commercial-scale production of 5-HMF, 1st hydrogen-based residential area, largest fuel cell system ever on major ship, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of February 20th
It’s fun to be 1st and this week is full of them…from the first hydrogen-based residential area in the Netherlands to the world’s first commercial-scale production plant of 5-HMF via AVA Biochem and Michelin Group’s new Joint Development Agreement. Times, they are a’changin’ and the news continues with the development of the largest fuel cell […]
What impact do Low Carbon Fuel Standards have on fuel prices?
There are horse whisperers and there are fuel price whisperers. The latter, they beguile us with their charts and tables and reports and white papers and studies, generally aimed at making fuel prices seem awfully complex, when they’re actually not too tough to figure. These days some fuel price whisperers I know have taken aim […]
Delta commits $1B to become world’s 1st carbon neutral airline
In Georgia arrives news that starting March 1st, Delta is making a $1 billion commitment over the next 10 years to mitigate all emissions from its global business going forward. Their goal? To invest the money in driving innovation, advancing clean air travel technologies, accelerating the reduction of carbon emissions and waste, and establishing new […]
The Competitive Edge: Sustainable Technologies srl
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? Sustainable Technologies is active in the niche of R&D on fermentative processes. The company has developed a rational method for […]
8-Slide Guides
Algae, Lactic Acid, PLA: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Corbion’s Food and Biochemicals
2019 was a good year for Corbion, with an organic net sales increase of 2.8% and food markets growing, but surprisingly biochemicals declined. Find out why, what the main drivers are behind their growth, what their future expectations are, the latest data on their business segments, innovation platforms, updates on the Total Corbion PLA JV, […]
Plant Proteins – Redefining Meat with Science: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Beyond Meat and Meat Alternatives
Subway recently launched the Beyond Meatball Marinara sub in Canada, Dunkin’ Donuts with Beyond Sausage, Del Taco with Beyond Taco and Beyond Burrito, and Beyond Burger, the world’s first plant-based burger that looks, cooks, and satisfies like beef, without GMOs, soy, or gluten, can be found almost anywhere now. Overall the company hopes that “By […]
Engineered Bacteria for Acetone and Drop-in Fuels from Syngas: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech’s Acetone Platform
Sean Simpson and Michael Köpke from LanzaTech and researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on developing and scaling up a novel technology platform for direct conversion of biomass syngas to acetone, which can be converted into a range of fuels and commodities via existing downstream technologies. Can it be done? Can there be […]
Global Ag Commodities – from Crops to Food: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Multi-Slide Guide to ADM’s Oilseeds, Carbs, Nutrition
Archer Daniels Midland manages 10% of global ag commodity volumes, is the largest corn processor in the world and have been around for a while but what are they up to now? Check out this illuminating presentation with an in depth look at their business segments from origination of crops to processing oilseeds for meal, […]
Sustainable Fabrics from Liquid Waste: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Nanollose’s Rayon from Liquid Waste
Rayon was valued as a $16.3 billion market in 2019 and growing at over 10%, so what Nanollose is doing is super smaht as Bostonians would say. Nanollose is taking liquid organic waste from the beer, wine and food industries as feedstock to go through fermentation, purification and conversion into microbial cellulose that is spun […]
The Latest World News
World’s first carbon positive gin uses nitrogen-fixing peas as feedstock
In the UK, the world’s first carbon positive gin has been created by a distillery in Angus, Scotland, with help from a PhD student at Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute. Arbikie Distillery in Angus said the production of its Nàdar Gin, meaning nature in Gaelic, removes more carbon dioxide than it creates (a […]
ASTM approves new SAF production pathway called Catalytic Hydrothermolysis Jet
In New Mexico, Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) are working toward a more sustainable future by developing novel solutions to meet the global need for sustainable aviation fuels. The team is proud to announce that ASTM International has approved the new production pathway for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) called “Catalytic […]
Study shows Minnesota’s ethanol industry added $2.31B to state’s 2019 GDP
In Minnesota, despite challenging conditions in 2019, Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.31 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to a new study by ABF Economics. In 2019, the industry produced 1.31 billion gallons of ethanol, 3.6 million tons of dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) and 327 million pounds of […]
Alco Energy Rotterdam seeks to be Europe’s most sustainable biorefinery
In the Netherlands, Europe’s largest biorefinery is located in the heart of the Port of Rotterdam. Alco Energy Rotterdam – a relaunch of Abengoa – converts corn into bioethanol fuel in a production process that generates zero waste. The CO₂ released during the process is transported to greenhouses in Westland and the remaining corn pulp […]
Ukraine may lose EU biofuel market due to poor or lack of GHG LCAs on crops
In the Ukraine, APK Inform reports that the executive director of the Ukrainian Grain Association has warned the country may soon lose its corn and rapeseed exports to Europe, which are used as biofuel feedstock primarily, due to the lack of greenhouse gas emissions reporting by producers. European biofuels regulations require reporting the whole GHG […]
R&D News
KU Leuven map out how wood could replace petroleum in chemical industry
In Belgium, an interdisciplinary team of bioscience engineers and economists from KU Leuven has mapped out how wood could replace petroleum in the chemical industry. They not only looked at the technological requirements, but also whether that scenario would be financially viable. A shift from petroleum to wood would lead to a reduction in CO2 […]
Oklahoma State University wins $3.1 million grant to study GHG emissions of sorghum
In Oklahoma, a recent $3.1 million grant awarded to Oklahoma State University to study greenhouse gas emissions is expected to help sorghum farmers save money and improve the industry’s sustainable field management practices. The three-state research project approved under the SMARTFARM program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is headed […]
University of York secures nearly $1.3M for bioeconomy research
In the UK, a project using waste from pea processing to clean water is one of seven projects which have just received funding from the THYME project to boost the region’s bioeconomy. These projects join 13 THYME projects already funded in 2019, bringing the total research funded by the project to almost £1 million (nearly […]
Study says don’t blame U.S. biofuels for Indonesia and Malaysia deforestation
In Indiana, a Purdue University study shows that only a scant fraction, less than 1%, of the deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia can be pinned on U.S. biofuel production and policy and that the expansion of palm oil production in those countries is not driven by biofuel production in the U.S. Farzad Taheripour, a research […]
Australian researchers score grant for forestry waste bioenergy research
In Australia, pine plantations from Gympie to Bundaberg will be at the center of research to turn logging offcuts and treetops into bioenergy and other bio-based products. The joint project between University of the Sunshine Coast’s Forest Industries Research Centre and Queensland’s largest forest plantation owner, HQPlantations, has received a A$50,000 research grant from the […]
Policy & Policymakers
Push to tie up India-US trade deal including DDGS access ahead of Trump visit
In India, Bloomberg reports that ahead of US President Trump’s official state visit to New Delhi next week, the two countries are trying to tie up a long-delayed trade agreement that looks to include lowering of duties on Indian imports of some agricultural products, among them dried distillers grains and solubles. The two sides tried […]
China pulls back tariffs on US-origin ethanol imports from March 2
In China, Platts reports that as part of its efforts to ease trade tensions with the US, it is pulling back tariffs on close to 700 products, including denatured ethanol, which is meant to significantly help the US ethanol industry who has been suffering due to high tariffs that made exports to that key market […]
FedDev Ontario contributes $11.3M to Bioindustrial Innovation Canada
In Canada, Minister Mélanie Joly announced 600 new jobs for Bioindustrial Innovation Canada. FedDev Ontario’s C$15 million (about $11.3 million) financial contribution will promote new sustainable innovations and bring business support network to Eastern Ontario. Through this project, 150 businesses and organizations will be assisted and 700 jobs will be created and maintained in southern Ontario. […]
Biofuel waivers being discussed with White House before EPA makes decision
In Washington, D.C., Reuters reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking to the White House for guidance on the biofuel waiver program’s future after a court ruling cast doubt over its legitimacy. The EPA aims to announce a decision by early next month, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. […]
Federal ministers call on Punjab to move stalled HPCL ethanol plant forward
In India, the Tribune newspaper reports that following its exposé on the proposed $84 million HPCL ethanol plant in Punjab that has been stalled for three years, the national food processing industries minister has called upon the petroleum and natural gas minister to push the Punjab government to expedite approval of the land HPCL requires […]
Other Recent Articles
Ethanol crush margins turns positive for second time in 2020
In Texas, Platts reports that crush margins for ethanol have flipped into positive territory for the second time this year at 0.06/gal, up 2.75 cents in about a week, thanks to ethanol prices rising faster than corn futures despite Energy Information Administration data showing that production only fell 48,000 barrels per day on average during […]
PBF Energy looking at possibility with shell to repurpose Martinez Refinery into renewable diesel production
In California, PBF Energy Inc. announced that its subsidiary completed the acquisition of Martinez refinery, and related logistics assets, from Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US. With the acquisition, PBF’s increased its total throughput capacity to more than one million barrels per day and becomes the most complex independent refiner with a consolidated […]
Global Partners looking to switch to renewable diesel transport from ethanol at Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery
In Oregon, local press reports that Global Partners is considering switching the revamp of the Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery in Clatskanie to transporting renewable diesel instead of ethanol as previously planned. The company told Port of Columbia County commissioners last week that the change would result in shorter trains than if it were transporting ethanol, but […]
UNDP working with Mexican partners to trial Sargassum-based biogas production to fight toxic invasion
In Mexico, in an effort to fight off the invasion of toxic red seaweed Sargassum from the mangroves that are home to lobster and other fish populations in the protected Banco Chinchorro, UNDP Mexico and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP, in Spanish) are setting up a pilot biodigester retrofitted to use Sargassum […]
Biofuel industry veterans announced biodiesel tax credit bridge loans opportunity
In Missouri, Rock House Advisors and PB Renewables run by biofuel industry veterans announced they have secured financing in order to offer biodiesel tax credit bridge loans, underwritten by an $5.5 billion financial institution, that will allow producers to access required financing while waiting for 2018 and 2019 biodiesel tax credit refunds from the IRS. […]
Itaipu hydroelectric plant sees benefit from promoting biogas to improve water quality
In Brazil, the Inter Press Service reports that the Itaipu hydroelectric plant shared by both Brazil and Paraguay is promoting biogas production as a way to protect the quality of the water that passes through the dam and in turn will ensure it achieves its 184 years of expected lifespan. The region is a major […]
