There he goes again. Bruce Rastetter, that is. It wasn’t enough to be one of the transformers of the US ethanol industry with the development of Hawkeye Renewables and its 450 million gallons of capacity. When Thomas H. Lee Partners bought 80% of the company in 2006 for a reported $312 million (some sources put […]
MetGen, Sweetwater Energy say “there’s gold in them thar side-streams” For all of your questions about the advanced bioeconomy there’s just the one answer and that is “lignin”. Why don’t we see more biobased chemical plants built these days? Lignin. Why do people shy away from hardwoods as a raw material even though it’s sustainable, […]
In Louisiana, reports surfaced in Alexandria’s TownTalk online paper that Sundrop Fuels has struck an agreement to sell the 1200-acre site where it once planned to build its $450 million, 50 million gallon capacity first commercial plant to produce green gasoline from woody biomass. The company selected the site, the former location of the Cowboy […]
In today’s Digest, let’s look at trends driving the industry’s results at scale — and while money is not the measure of all progress, it is the ultimate yardstick and especially for companies that have reached industrial scale. So, let’s look at Q2 earnings statements now just coming out from four of the sector’s signature […]
The secret is out about new 1,3 butylene glycol In California, Genomatica continues to innovate in big ways with its latest Bio-BG butylene glycol using their new GENO BG process, which makes a naturally sourced 1,3 butylene glycol. This isn’t a pie in the sky innovation either as production already started in 85,000 liter fermentation […]
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy revealed that it will award a fourth project—up to $1.8 million—under the MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels Funding Opportunity. That is, they call it MEGA-BIO, like a vitamin. We call it Make Energy Great Again, via BIOmass. The Side by Side theory In it’s essence, it’s the Side-by-Side Theory. Long […]
Investing in the BioEconomy is a complicated endeavor, but can offer significant opportunities for the informed investor. The industry drivers are numerous and presents a puzzle that demands quality information flow, insight and analytics to succeed. Three storylines this week offer us evidence of a growing information gap, with fewer channels for insight and information to […]
The value of cellulosic fuels has reached $4.06 per gallon in the California market. That’s real-world, today, including the energy and the low-carbon attributes, and not based on speculation. The value has risen 15.1 percent in the past 56 days. The soaring fuel values are prompting several companies to substantively expand or re-evaluate plans for cellulosic […]
The Tesla Model 3 is on the way and the world is celebrating a shift towards Zero Tailpipe Emissions — but of course, with the Tesla, you’re driving the grid and the grid is still dirty. A more powerful goal is a shift towards Zero Lifecycle Emission — that is, no net carbon at all. […]
In Colorado, researchers are fighting nasty, deadly, stubborn bacteria with chitosan, a material derived from shellfish shells like lobsters, crabs, and shrimps. The new material helps prevent superbug bacteria biofilms from forming in about 85 percent of their lab testing. Chitosan is also being used as an ingredient in biopolymers that form bioplastics and biodegradable […]
