Author Archive: Jim Lane

rss feed

My Eco Energy develops franchisee fueling station models to retail biodiesel in India

My Eco Energy develops franchisee fueling station models to retail biodiesel in India

May 18, 2017 |

In India, My Eco Energy has developed franchisee fueling station models to market its Indizel, palm oil-based biodiesel imported from Singapore using crude palm oil from Malaysian and Indonesian origins. The fueling stations are adapted to whether they are bolt on for existing stations or are new stations, and depending on location if they are […]

Read More

Ethanol and biodiesel: dropping below the production cost of fossil fuels?

Ethanol and biodiesel: dropping below the production cost of fossil fuels?

May 18, 2017 |

For a number of years, this (now old and outdated, but) very useful chart has been in circulation in energy circles, mapping the supply of energy to the world by looking not at prices, but at production costs. For one thing, it goes a long way to explaining why the price of oil can tumble so […]

Read More

5 conferences, 12 events, 1 place, 1 time: ABLC Next 2017 line-up announced

5 conferences, 12 events, 1 place, 1 time: ABLC Next 2017 line-up announced

May 17, 2017 |

In Florida, The Digest announced that the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference on Next-Gen Technologies (ABLC Next) will be held October 16-18, 2017 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, and outlined the agenda, themes and announced a first wave of event speakers. Here’s a special private column by Digest editor Jim Lane on “being seen, […]

Read More

One place, one time, real leaders, real opportunity: looking at ABLC Next 2017

One place, one time, real leaders, real opportunity: looking at ABLC Next 2017

May 17, 2017 |

These days, stakeholders are increasing the pressure on organizations and leaders to bring in investors quickly, leverage partner resources, conserve cash, limit hiring and travel. go capital light, generate cash and convert contacts into customers. It’s a time to “be seen” yet “go lean”. Yet, there are more molecules under development than ever, and all around the globe. In […]

Read More

1 septillion reasons Dad’s CRISPR-Cas9 may already be Toast

1 septillion reasons Dad’s CRISPR-Cas9 may already be Toast

May 16, 2017 |

In the rapid-fire tech and political world of 2017, a day feels like a month, a year is like a generation, and sometimes it feels like 90% of the population hasn’t heard of a technology wave before it is swamped by the next tsunami, and that may well be the case with the first wave of CRISPR-Cas technology. It […]

Read More

Helping Trump Help Bioenergy

Helping Trump Help Bioenergy

May 15, 2017 |

By Douglas L. Faulkner, “The Cleantech Conservative” Special to The Digest Mr. Trump won the Presidency by promising to get government out of the way of rejuvenating American manufacturing, energy production and agriculture. He is now repaying those constituencies by asking them to do just that – – help him help them. But, after eight […]

Read More

BIO World Congress agenda shows industrial biotech diversifying, differentiating, disrupting, disintermediating

BIO World Congress agenda shows industrial biotech diversifying, differentiating, disrupting, disintermediating

May 15, 2017 |

This July, industrial biotech returns to its largest and grandest stage at the BIO World Congress, which convenes in Montreal on July 23rd through the 26th, and the plenary program offers convincing proof that the industry is diversifying fast into chemicals, nutrition, packaging, personal care, Every day, it is touching the consumer more and more […]

Read More

Interra and the pursuit of soil magic via affordable biochar

Interra and the pursuit of soil magic via affordable biochar

May 14, 2017 |

Around this time of the year, driving southeast out of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley towards the Mexican border is an exercise in slow pyrolysis — the temperature soars from time to time into the low 120s and breathing in the gaseous fire they use for breathing air, you start to feel the oxygen […]

Read More

Governor Branstad signs Iowa biofuel funding, closing out challenging session for biodiesel

Governor Branstad signs Iowa biofuel funding, closing out challenging session for biodiesel

May 14, 2017 |

In Iowa, Governor Terry Branstad has signed the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund bill (HF 643), which provides $3 million to fund the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program. In 2016, Iowa’s biodiesel plants produced a record 305 million gallons of biodiesel, according to the National Biodiesel Board. A study by ABF Economics shows biodiesel activity generated about 3,800 […]

Read More

New low-cost, one-step path to coffee biodiesel uncovered by UK research team

New low-cost, one-step path to coffee biodiesel uncovered by UK research team

May 14, 2017 |

In the UK, researchers at Lancaster University led by Dr Vesna Najdanovic-Visak have developed a one-step system for making biodiesel from spent coffee grounds.  The team found they are able to combine the processes by using just methanol and a catalyst – removing the need for hexane altogether and saving on chemical waste. In addition, […]

Read More