Microbial reality TV, anyone? 21 Videos from the leaders in advanced biofuels

October 24, 2013 |

REG-youtube-FrankenYou know, we probably haven’t featured enough videos via the Digest, over the years.

Some of them are pretty good. Some, well, they’re in earnest, but suffer from the “here’s another industrial video” problem. But, for some reason they are not generally popular with the public.

Elsewhere in today’s Digest, we highlighted a new series of videos from Algenol exploring the implications and opportunities in that technology. Here are 20 others to fill out a collection of videos on the leading companies in the advanced biofuels game.

The challenge of video in making science watchable

For example, there’s a perfectly good 8-minute video on Ceres — “Growing Tomorrow’s Fuels Today“. It’s thoughtful, and resonant, and it’s generated 55 page views in the two years it’s been distributed on YouTube (which I think has an aggregate audience of 1 billion users).

By contrast, a crude and weird 14-minute amateur video titled “NASA SAYS PLANET CERES HAS ALIEN LIFE ON IT AND IT’S COMING TO MERGE WITH EARTH FEBRUARY OF 2015” generated 55,594 page views since the beginning of this summer.

So, um, you get the picture. Aliens trump biofuels.

20 advanced biofuels companies and their video efforts

So, aside from the world of Ceres — here’s a shout out for 20 Biobased Videos You Probably Missed. Here’s a link to Algenol’s set — and below, 20 more.

1. REG. The biodiesel production czars. You’d think that celebrities could make videos work. But here’s a great overview on REG that features a bit with former Saturday Night Live writer and (now) US Senator from Minnesota Al Franken – picked up only 22 page views.

2. Solazyme. The #1 Hottest company in Bioenergy. Solazyme has a fairly active presence in You Tube. Start here, but there are a bunch worth seeing.

3. Novozymesthe enzyme market-share leader — has its own YouTube upload channel, Novozymes TV. Here’s a good one from the collection — the link will take you to where you can find more.

4. KiORdrop-in cellulosic biofuels — . KiOR’s a newer entry in terms of social media, but been catching up fast. There are a bunch of option on their You Tube channel. Try this one for a good flavoring.

5. Amyris — fuels and chemicals, directly from sugars has numerous options, why not start here?

6. Gevo — the isobutanol kings of Colorado, have a couple, here’s a tour of GIFT separation with Pat Gruber, and no ribbons or bows in sight.

7. Codexis – enzymes par excellence — has a pretty sumptuous production number, here.

8. Here’s a great one from Sapphire Energy, they of the production of drop-in fuels from at the Green Crude (algae) farm.

9. Virent. Drop-in fuels from sugar, and (with Gevo and Avantium) working with Coca-Cola to produce a 100% fully renewable plastic bottle. This is one produced by a local broadcaster – but well worth a view, fine of its kind.

10. LanzaTechturning waste steel mill off-gases into useful fuels and chemicals — they have several online, you might start here.

11. Here’s a great one from Joule – ‘fuel from thin air’ creators of fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water, not unlike Algenol though an entirely different microorganism is getting it done.

12. Beta Renewables — it’s the world’s largest cellulosic biofuels plant, at the moment — check it out here.

13. There’s a great overview of UK-based INEOS Bio, here. They, who are turning Vero Beach into the Saudi Arabia of Florida.

14. There are several from Canada’s Enerkem, where waste is a feedstock not a problem, and this is one to get going with.

15. Coolplanet . And now for something completely different.

16. Sweetwater Energylow-cost renewable sugars, anyone?

17. Downstream pioneer Propel Fuels is here. Now here’s a company redefining the customer experience, not just the customer product.

18. Elevanceit’s olefin metathesis, which is hard to say 3 times real fast but resulted in a Nobel prize a few years back.

19. Renmatix a wholly different approach to the challenge of low-cost sugars.

20. DSM – this year’s “rocket up the Hot 50” leader shows off its stuff here.

Category: Top Stories

Thank you for visting the Digest.