Category: Top Stories

The Race to Zero Emissions, er, Zero Carbon, er, Negative Carbon, er, Circular Economy, and the whole wacky thing

The Race to Zero Emissions, er, Zero Carbon, er, Negative Carbon, er, Circular Economy, and the whole wacky thing

October 27, 2019 |

These days, in the world of carbon policy, you call it the Climate Hoax if you don’t want to do anything, the Climate Crisis if you want to do something that no one could possibly afford. And if you would like to look to the Left you’re doing something, and to the Right as if […]

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The White House Summit on America’s bioeconomy: the inside story

The White House Summit on America’s bioeconomy: the inside story

October 27, 2019 |

In Washington,  the White House hosted the Summit on America’s Bioeconomy earlier this month, and the summary of the remarks is now available. The White House opined, “the Summit marked the first gathering at The White House of our Nation’s foremost bioeconomy experts, Federal officials, and industry leaders to discuss U.S. bioeconomy leadership, challenges, and […]

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USDA, DOE sign major MOU to promote rural energy, advance rural communities, domestic manufacturing.

USDA, DOE sign major MOU to promote rural energy, advance rural communities, domestic manufacturing.

October 24, 2019 |

In Washington, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Donald “DJ” LaVoy and U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes today announced a Memorandum of Understanding between the two departments to promote rural energy and the development of technologies that will support and advance rural and agricultural communities and domestic manufacturing. […]

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Artificial leaf, renewable fabric, hydrogen truck, edible tray, plant bags, mushroom textiles: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 24th

Artificial leaf, renewable fabric, hydrogen truck, edible tray, plant bags, mushroom textiles: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 24th

October 23, 2019 |

This week we lead with an artificial leaf, which kinda sorta goes with plant-based shopping bags — seems as if we’re going one way, then the other, as The Pretenders once sang. Also in the news this week are renewable fabric, a hydrogen-based truck as Renault and Hyundai made big announces in the fuel cell […]

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Green Shoots: After a sluggish decade, is the bioenergy tide turning?

Green Shoots: After a sluggish decade, is the bioenergy tide turning?

October 22, 2019 |

By Gerard J. Ostheimer, Ph.D. (Managing Director, below50)  and Douglas L. Faulkner (“the Clean Tech Conservative” & President, Leatherstocking LLC) Special to The Digest Is the tide starting to turn in favor once again of biofuels and biobased products?  It can certainly still seem that the opposite is true, after a sluggish decade for these […]

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Provivi raises a sizzling $85 million for the Loneliest Technology in the World

Provivi raises a sizzling $85 million for the Loneliest Technology in the World

October 21, 2019 |

In California, Provivi has completed a monster $85 million Series C financing. If you know the company, you wouldn’t be all that surprised, the buzz is strong, but if you’re not acquainted, welcome to this late October online meeting of the “WHO THE **** ARE THESE GUYS (and how the *** did they raise this […]

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Paper beer bottles, 3D printed boats, hydrogen-powered rescues; the new Mirai, plastics from potato, Hallowe’en biobased coffins, The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 18th

Paper beer bottles, 3D printed boats, hydrogen-powered rescues; the new Mirai, plastics from potato, Hallowe’en biobased coffins, The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of October 18th

October 17, 2019 |

This week there’s Hallowe’en around the corner and we’ll point to the very latest in biobased DIY coffins, but leading this week is the unexpected ways to make the ordinary stuff we know — like, the paper beer bottle, a 3d printed boat, and pallets made from coconut husks. And, some more exotic inventions, too […]

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Puget Sound unveils new regional Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Puget Sound unveils new regional Low Carbon Fuel Standard

October 16, 2019 |

From Washington state we have news that the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued its Low Carbon Fuel Standard rule for consideration.   This is the first economic region to attempt a Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and follows on from the failure of the Washington State Legislature to complete passage of all the elements in […]

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“EPA Reneges on Trump’s Biofuels Deal”: Shocker details emerge on US oil industry waivers

“EPA Reneges on Trump’s Biofuels Deal”: Shocker details emerge on US oil industry waivers

October 15, 2019 |

“EPA Reneges on Trump’s Biofuels Deal”, said the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association in reacting to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s new plans for fulfilling federal renewable fuel requirements. EPA released a proposed supplemental rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard today, and the bioeconomy is up in arms, and the outrage is centered in farm country, […]

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About those biobased amines we might one day dream up at Ptixar Amination 

About those biobased amines we might one day dream up at Ptixar Amination 

October 14, 2019 |

(Whoa Nelly! Just 24 hours after this story originally appeared, Nouryon dropped a new bombshell technology in this space, and you can read all about it here.) Amines have a bad guy reputation, in part because controversial compounds like cocaine, heroin, nicotine and mescaline are among the alkaloids that are, when you get down to […]

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