Category: Top Stories

Hot Spots: The Top 10 Bioeconomy Places to Watch in Canada

Hot Spots: The Top 10 Bioeconomy Places to Watch in Canada

August 28, 2017 |

When it comes to project action, Go North, young man. Canada’s hot and the technology’s cool. The colder weather might be just around the corner for Canada, but when it comes to the advanced bioeconomy, think Hot Spots. The country is replete with ’em. From projects to process for new fuels, chemicals, materials and wealth creation […]

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TerViva’s pongamia tree farms popping up to meet Hawaii’s biofuel needs

TerViva’s pongamia tree farms popping up to meet Hawaii’s biofuel needs

August 26, 2017 |

In Hawaii, pongamia trees are being farmed for the first time in experimental plots in Oahu to help meet Hawaii’s biofuel needs, specifically for biodiesel and jet fuel. TerViva is heading up the plantings and is talking with Pacific Biodiesel to possibly use their processing plant, though TerViva could make biodiesel with their current equipment. […]

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Nominations open for 40 Hottest Emerging Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy

Nominations open for 40 Hottest Emerging Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy

August 24, 2017 |

Who will be #1? who will get your vote?  In Florida, The Digest announced the official opening of nominations for the 40 Hottest Early-Stage Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy. Nominate companies here. Eligibility Any companies engaged in the advanced bioeconomy as a producer, supplier, investor or partner companies are eligible who were founded on or […]

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Brazil slaps US with ethanol quota, 20 percent tariff

Brazil slaps US with ethanol quota, 20 percent tariff

August 23, 2017 |

In Brazil, the Brazilian Chamber of Foreign Trade has approved a recommendation to impose a 20 percent tariff on U.S. ethanol imports after a 600 million liter tariff rate quota, according to postings from the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Blairo Maggi. Local media are reporting this TRQ would be in place for […]

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US slaps Argentine, Indonesian biodiesel producers with huge anti-dumping penalties

US slaps Argentine, Indonesian biodiesel producers with huge anti-dumping penalties

August 23, 2017 |

In Washington, the US Commerce Department issued a preliminary countervailing duty determination from the Commerce Department regarding subsidized biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia. The Commerce Department found that Argentina and Indonesia provide subsidies to their biodiesel producers in violation of international trade rules. In addition, Commerce found “critical circumstances” to address the post-petition surge […]

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Vertibirds are GO: DOE OKs Vertimass drop-in biofuels technology, clears path to demo scale 

Vertibirds are GO: DOE OKs Vertimass drop-in biofuels technology, clears path to demo scale 

August 22, 2017 |

In California, Vertimass gained its intermediate technology validation with the US DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office, which verified performance against negotiated milestones, provided progress on scale-up, and reviewed Vertimass’ estimated cost for their transformative catalytic technology. BETO verification effectively opens the door for Vertimass to move to demonstration scale of its technology for converting ethanol into gasoline, diesel, […]

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Advances in carbon fiber and graphene tech: The higher purpose in higher value carbon products

Advances in carbon fiber and graphene tech: The higher purpose in higher value carbon products

August 21, 2017 |

Today we’d like to highlight advances in the production and use of higher-value forms of carbon as examples of a society slowly moving away from a hunter-gatherer culture in energy and materials and towards a pastoral and agricultural approach. Specifically we’ll look at clean, cost-efficient approaches of producing carbon fiber from biomass — including applications […]

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Major study says “Cut cellulosic ethanol out”, RFA says “No Way Jose”

Major study says “Cut cellulosic ethanol out”, RFA says “No Way Jose”

August 20, 2017 |

In Iowa, a new tractable multi-market model study finds that the RFS has substantially benefited the U.S. economy by lowering gasoline, crude oil prices, and crude oil imports, while increasing prices and benefits for corn and soy farmers and reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But in their ‘what if there was no RFS?’ scenarios and […]

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Transformation time for Brazilian energy, agriculture

Transformation time for Brazilian energy, agriculture

August 17, 2017 |

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 […]

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MetGen, Sweetwater unlocking lignin – the roughest, toughest, ornieri’st material that ever bushwhack’d a pioneer in the Valley of Death

MetGen, Sweetwater unlocking lignin – the roughest, toughest, ornieri’st material that ever bushwhack’d a pioneer in the Valley of Death

August 16, 2017 |

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, […]

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