A completely interesting example of what is known as the Straw Man fallacy appeared in coverage of a study that appears in this month’s Nature Sustainability, on electric vehicle emissions. The lead author of the study, University of Nijmegen’s Dr Florian Knobloch told the BBC: “The idea that electric vehicles could increase emissions is a […]
“2019 was in many ways a pivotal year for Avantium,” writes their CEO, Tom van Aken. We couldn’t agree more, and this 2019 Annual Report recently released by the company delves into the what, why, when, where and more. From the end of their PEF joint venture with BASF, to the acquisition of 100% ownership […]
Move over, Impossible Whopper. Zymergen has made an impossible material, and something almost as rare in the biobased world, you can actually order it the day you first hear about it. Yep, Zymergen’s running the best play that you’d ever find in the Steve Jobs playbook, the “it’s insanely great, and call now to order” […]
In Belgium, FO Licht estimates that biodiesel consumption in the EU-27 could fall by 2 million metric tons in 2020 as drivers stay home due to coronavirus travel restrictions. As European countries sought to comply with the Renewable Energy Directive’s 10% renewable energy content mandate by 2020, biodiesel consumption was estimated to rise to 14.3 […]
In the Netherlands, HoSt is once again turn-key supplying a Microferm Green Gas installation within the ‘Jumpstart’ initiative of dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina. This time at a dairy farm in the Frisian Boornbergum. In this manure digester, only proprietary manure is digested to produce 40 Nm3 (cubic meter) of biomethane per hour. Thanks to the Microferm, […]
In the UK, ICIS reports that COVID-19 has significantly tightened the availability of glycerin and as a result prices have tripled to EUR670-900/metric ton, basis free delivered northwest Europe. With expectation that biodiesel production is going to continue to slow through Q2 due to the virus and the resulting drop in non-GMO glycerin supplies, the […]
In Illinois, Reuters reports that corn futures slid to 3.5-year lows on Monday to $3.29-1/4 a bushel as ethanol plants shutter due to negative margins in the face of crashing demand brought about by COVID-19 response measures. Low oil prices are adding further pressure to ethanol demand with a further $3 per barrel shed from […]
In the UK, the Northern Echo newspaper reports that Teeside-based Biofuels Corporation is negotiating more than GBP100 million in debt with Barclays that could end up eroding shareholding as well as delisting from the Alternative Investment Market, a move that saw its overall value shed by £8 million has investors pushed down the price’s AIM-listed […]
In Brazil, Platts reports that the country’s largest ethanol companies have kicked into crisis management mode, creating teams charged specifically with developing strategies to ensure the companies don’t collapse as a result of the current COVID-19 crisis and its economic aftermath. With Raizen already having called force majeure and concerns that Petrobras had as well, […]
In California, one strategy to make biofuels more competitive is to make plants do some of the work themselves. Scientists can engineer plants to produce valuable chemical compounds, or bioproducts, as they grow. Then the bioproducts can be extracted from the plant and the remaining plant material can be converted into fuel. When produced in […]
