Category: Top Stories

A juicer that turns peels into bioplastic cups, shellfish plastic, White Dog Labs’ feed supplement, eucalyptus fiber and wool sneakers, plant starch dog toys, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of September 19th

September 18, 2019 | Jim Lane

It seems that plastic is in the news daily between bag bans, straw bans and even Ray-Bans. But there are companies out there tackling the plastic problem with alternatives like the new “Feel the Peel” juicer that turns orange peels into bioplastic cups by drying, milling, and mixing the peels with polylactic acid and 3D […]

Will the RFS Deal Protect Innovation and Our Planet?

September 17, 2019 | Jim Lane

Stephanie Batchelor, Vice President, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) Special to The Digest As we speculate on the details and implications of the administration’s renewable fuels deal, the future of an entire green industry hangs in the balance. The debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has become muddied with rhetoric about special interests and government […]

Joules for Schools: Middlebury College leads trend towards renewable natural gas on the campus

September 16, 2019 | Jim Lane

In Vermont, representatives from Vanguard Renewables, Middlebury College, Vermont Gas, Goodrich Farm, and the State of Vermont were on hand the other day to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the largest anaerobic digester east of the Mississippi, with Middlebury will be the primary consumer of the RNG produced at the dairy farm. But the students […]

Red, blue or pink: Time to think about bioink- Is the pen mightier than the sword? If it’s the right kind of ink

September 15, 2019 | admin

Ink – it’s something we all use. Whether a pen to “ink a deal” or write a quick note, or ink for our printers, it’s something we rely on pretty much every day. Even tattoos use ink so it’s literally all around us and even on us. And nowadays the right ink can be even […]

Warding off armyworm, wiping without worry, banana fiber sanitary napkins, mango bioplastics, wearable fermentation-based protein jacket and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of September 13th

September 12, 2019 | Jim Lane

Not only is it Friday the 13th, it’s also a full moon tonight. But don’t worry, this week’s Top 10 innovations will scare all the boogies away, starting with Provivi’s new fall armyworm pheromone now produced at ton scale that will ward off those nasty armyworm pests that damage corn, rice, sorghum, cotton, sugarcane and […]

Klobuchar surges in Bioeconomy 2020 US Presidential Poll after oil refinery waiver pledge

September 11, 2019 | Jim Lane

US Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota surged into 3rd place in the second Digest Bioeconomy 2020 US Presidential Poll, more than doubling her bioeconomy sector support since declaring that she would halt oil refinery waivers in her first 100 days in office. 31 refineries received hardship waivers in recent weeks, excusing compliance with Renewable Fuel […]

Landfill, Skyfill and the opportunities, dangers within

September 11, 2019 | Jim Lane

Many have asked, why do we need mandates for renewable fuels, carbon prices, and all that. Isn’t that a government subsidy, a hand-out for politician-friendly technologies that can’t make it in the marketplace? Well, that depends, my friend, how you think about the community landfill. About landfills That gate fee at the landfill is not […]

New arrival in biobased baby care, but Amyris isn’t only one turning to skin care

September 7, 2019 | admin

In California, Amyris has a new baby in town. Babies are booming with about 250 babies born every minute on the planet, and clean and green baby care demand is booming along with it as parents and caregivers are more aware of toxic chemicals and questionable ingredients in cosmetics and skin care. Amyris knows this […]

The Competitive Edge: NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers

September 5, 2019 | Jim Lane

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? The Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) was founded to address the gap in fundamental research needed to establish a new […]

Biobased battery, starch-based gift cards, future fashion, plant-based flame retardants, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of September 5th

September 4, 2019 | Jim Lane

This week is a merry mix of biobased innovations around the world. From the creation of artificial reefs made from PLA in Israel and Spain’s starch-based gift cards to the U.S. where biobased battery materials are reality in Washington state and where flame retardants made from plants are being developed in Michigan, it’s pretty exciting […]

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