Major Stories
Can We Replace All Crude Oil Within 20 Years with Cellulosic Liquid Hydrocarbons?
By Charles Forsberg ([email protected]) and Bruce Dale ([email protected]) Special to The Digest In the United States, crude oil products provide 48% of the total energy to the final customer: residential, commercial, industrial and transportation. Replacement of crude oil products (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, chemical feed stocks, etc.) made from non-fossil-fuel carbon sources, principally products made […]
When Wrinkles Annoy but Polyester’s a no-no, try HICCUPS
We love polyester, the magic molecule, the bane of wrinkled or torn shirts, friend of moisture resistance. We just can’t stand the way it’s made. In some ways, right up there with hot dogs. Why throw out the molecule? Why not make the carbon we love from the carbon we disdain — like carbon dioxide […]
Australia on the Brink: will “electrify everything” doom the Lucky Country?
Australia will be exposed to environmental, economic and energy security risks if governments fail to foster a domestic renewable fuels sector, says a new report by Deloitte and commissioned by Bioenergy Australia. The report is titled Transitioning Australia’s Liquid Fuel Sector: The Role of Renewable Fuels – which addresses decarbonization of Australia’s economy: Especially, it […]
Will it be the Summer of SAF, or of circular feedstocks, or circular chemicals?
Depending on your newsfeed keywords, you might be confused about the trends for the bioeconomy summer. If you’ve popped “SAF” into your news mix, the flow of announcements has been so heavy, you may be wondering if SAF is running for President. Yet, if you’ve been monitoring the circuit of industry events, you might think […]
Tipping the Scale on CO2 Levels: Fast-Tracking Bioeconomy Decarbonization
By Mauricio Villegas, Manager of Business Development, Koch Modular Process Systems Special to The Digest Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels continue to increase globally, but the degree of growth is starting to tapper off. In 2021 the IEA reported that CO2 levels increased by 6% from the prior year, partly due to the significant decline during the […]
8-Slide Guides
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to advanced biofuels and the Electrification gap
With action on climate change necessary for the future of our planet and the global economy, U.S. policy makers are encouraging a transition to an electrified transportation fleet. However, millions of personal vehicles are unlikely to be electrified for decades, and aviation, long-distance trucking and marine shipping are difficult to electrify, leaving an “electrification gap.” […]
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Ammonia’s role as a pathway to low-carbon fuels
In this outlook, the pathways to low-carbon ammonia, it’s applications in fuels and chemicals, including as a hydrogen carrier, and the production outlook ahead. Nexant’s Edurard Lindner presented these slides at ABLC 2023.
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide Axens technologies
Axens offers today the largest portfolio to do so; providing efficient, reliable and flexible technologies to convert biomass into high quality and low-carbon alternative products for the transportation sector as well as the chemical industry.. Axens Americas CTO Olivier Le Coz presented these slides at ABLC 2023.
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Takachar
Takachar is on a mission to fight climate change by transforming massive amounts of waste biomass into marketable products around the world. Takachar has developed and patented the design of small-scale, low-cost, portable equipment to convert waste biomass into solid fuel, fertilizer, and other specialty chemicals. Compared to the process of sending waste biomass to […]
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to Aiga Partners
Aiga is a minority-owned business focused on investments in North American-based companies developing sustainable infrastructure assets. The team includes experienced developers, asset managers, energy infrastructure investors, project financiers, and structured investment experts. Our principals have extensive track records in the renewables sectors and over 45+ years of combined experience with fundraising, M&A, development, operations, investments, […]
The Latest World News
bp selects Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to produce SAF at five global sites
In North Carolina, Honeywell announced that bp selected Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to help support the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at five bp facilities across the globe. Honeywell UOP Ecofining technology will be installed at the following bp sites: Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, Washington; Rotterdam II refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Lingen refinery in […]
TotalEnergies teams with Tree Energy Solutions to scale up e-NG in the US
In France, TotalEnergies is joining forces with Tree Energy Solutions (TES) to study and develop a large-scale production unit in the United States for e-natural gas (e-NG), a synthetic gas produced from renewable hydrogen and CO(2). The project, which is expected to produce 100,000 to 200,000 metric tons of e-NG per year, will be equally […]
Blue Biofuels signs MOU with World Energy to buy ethanol and SAF
In Florida, Blue Biofuels has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with World Energy Sustainable Products, LLC (World Energy) that World Energy will purchase the finished products produced by Blue Biofuels and all their applicable environmental and tax attributes, including ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel. Blue Biofuels will register the various finished products with the relevant […]
Canada to invest up to $63.3M in Braya Renewable Fuels
In Canada, the Government of Canada is helping businesses and workers across the country seize the economic opportunities associated with the global drive for clean growth. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Labour, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, […]
CleanJoule announces $50M investment round
In Utah, CleanJoule announced a $50 million investment round led by the principals of Indigo Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm. The round also included participation by GenZero, a decarbonization-focused investment platform company of Temasek based in Singapore, Cleanhill Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm focused on decarbonization and three airlines – U.S.-based Frontier Airlines, […]
R&D News
German researchers confirm that bacteria are powered by electricity
In Germany, in microbial electrosynthesis, microorganisms use CO2 and electricity to produce alcohol, for example. How this process works biologically, however, has only been speculated about, until now. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) have now been able to confirm experimentally for the first time that the bacteria […]
German researchers complete biomass scenarios for 2030 and 2050
In Germany, what is the optimal role of limited biomass in the national energy transition and what are the priority target markets for bioenergy sources? These questions were addressed by a team of researchers from the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in the successfully completed research project […]
Aberystwyth University’s scores $12.1M grant for resilient crops research
In the UK, Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) has received a funding boost of £9.8 million for its work on resilient crops. IBERS, which is based in Gogerddan near Aberystwyth, conducts research designed to address global challenges such as food security, bioenergy and sustainability, and the impacts of climate change. […]
Aston University biofuel experts advise on how Ukraine can build back greener
In the UK, Aston University reported that two Aston University scientists have provided expert advice on how the UK research can support Ukraine’s reconstruction. As Ukraine is one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters it also generates large amounts of agricultural waste which could be used to produce biofuels and valuable chemicals. This could […]
German researchers develop process to produce formic acid from CO2
In Germany, new synthetic metabolic pathways for CO2 fixation could not only help to reduce the CO2 content of the atmosphere, but also replace conventional chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals and active ingredients with carbon-neutral, biological processes. A new study demonstrates a process that can turn CO2 into a valuable material for the (bio)chemical industry […]
Policy & Policymakers
E-15 bill headed to Nebraska governor’s desk for signing
In Nebraska, the Omaha World-Herald reports that the state’s senate has unanimously approved an E-15 retail sales bill that will allow gas stations to offer the higher blended fuel, which will now head to the governor’s desk for signature. Some lawmakers were concerned about government overreach and were against the bill in earlier stages, but […]
Qantas Group calls on Australian government to support SAF
In Australia, to help kickstart local production of SAF, the Qantas Group is calling for the Australian Government to introduce a SAF blending mandate as part of a broader framework of industry policies, similar to those already announced in other jurisdictions. The UK, Europe and Japan have set or proposed mandates of between 5 and […]
US International Trade Commission extends duties on Argentine and Indonesian biodiesel
In Washington, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that revocation of the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time. As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the existing orders on imports of this […]
Nigerian Government to provide funds to boost methanol fuel technology
In Nigeria, Leadership reported that the Nigerian government has assured that it has taken significant steps towards providing funds to advance the development of methanol fuel technology for the economic development of the country. Nigeria’s minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Adeleke Mamora, noted that the move will unlock a path for national progress and […]
Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri governors call on EPA to boost biodiesel RVO volumes
In Washington, Governor Kim Reynolds led a letter joined by Gov. Pillen of Nebraska and Gov. Parson of Missouri urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase volumes of biodiesels in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2023, 2024, and 2025. The letter reads: “U.S. fuel prices remain stubbornly high and diesel fuel stocks remain […]
Other Recent Articles
Vertex Energy successfully completes startup of Mobile renewable diesel conversion
In Texas, Vertex Energy announced the successful completion of the startup procedures for its renewable diesel conversion project at its Mobile, Alabama, refining facility. Additionally, the Company announced that it has entered into a new working capital facility with existing liquidity provider, Macquarie Group’s Commodities and Global Markets business, to supply the necessary liquidity for […]
NetZero inaugurates its first biochar factory in Brazil
In Brazil, NetZero inaugurated its first biochar factory in Brazil. Located in the State of Minas Gerais, this plant was built in just 6 months and is the first of its kind in Latin America. Its annual production capacity of over 4,500 metric tons of biochar will allow to remove the equivalent of more than […]
LATAM Cargo, Kuehne+Nagel and Elite Flower invest in SAF
In Turkey, LATAM Cargo, Kuehne+Nagel and Elite Flower said they have purchased more than 25,000 liters of sustainable aviation fuel. The amount purchased would reduce the equivalent of the total emissions generated by a cargo flight on the Bogotá-Miami route, which transported a large shipment of flowers. The sustainable aviation fuel purchased was produced from […]
CleanJoule announces $50 million investment by international consortium to accelerate SAF production
In Utah, CleanJoule, a U.S.-based startup focused on the production of SAF, announced a $50 million investment round led by the principals of Indigo Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm. The round also included participation by GenZero, Cleanhill Partner, U.S.-based airline Frontier Airlines, Europe-based Wizz Air and Mexico-based Volaris. Funds raised from the round will […]
Japan to require 10% SAF supply from 2030
In Japan, Nippon.com reported that Japan’s industry ministry said it plans to require oil wholesalers to make sustainable aviation fuel account for 10% of their aviation fuel supply from 2030. The move by the Japanese government is aimed at promoting the use of SAF, which emits less carbon dioxide than conventional fuels, to accelerate decarbonization […]
Boom Supersonic and Dimensional Energy ink SAF offtake deal
In Colorado, Boom Supersonic announced it has signed a sustainable aviation fuel offtake agreement with Dimensional Energy. Under the agreement with Dimensional Energy, Boom will purchase up to 5 million gallons of SAF on an annual basis over the duration of the Overture flight test program. Overture is the supersonic airliner from Boom that expects […]
