Category: Top Stories

Aemetis Licenses Edeniq’s Cellulosic Ethanol Technology

March 24, 2016 | Jim Lane

In California, Edeniq and Aemetis have entered into a License Agreement under which Aemetis will deploy Edeniq’s Pathway technology at its 60 million gallon per year ethanol production facility located in Keyes, California. Edeniq’s Pathway Technology integrates Edeniq’s Cellunator equipment with cellulase enzymes to convert corn kernel fiber to cellulosic ethanol. The Pathway Technology utilizes existing fermentation and distillation equipment […]

Aemetis nabs exclusive California rights to LanzaTech’s advanced ethanol tech

March 24, 2016 | Jim Lane

In California, news arrived that Aemetis has acquired 12 years of exclusive rights in California (based upon achieving certain milestones) to LanzaTech’s technology for the conversion of agricultural waste, forest waste, dairy waste and construction and demolition waste to ethanol in California. The LanzaTech gas-to-ethanol technology enables Aemetis to convert these local California biomass wastes […]

Is it the perfect energy solution? Where solar, carbon capture and bio collide

March 22, 2016 | Jim Lane

One of these days your personal transportation system might look like this. A solar or wind energy facility generates renewable electricity, which is converted into a solar fuel using electrofuel technology that converts CO2 and water to a fuel using electricity (rather than photosynthesis) to power the operation. That fuel is then used in a […]

AVA-CO2’s move to replace formaldehyde shows the endurin’ allure in furans

March 21, 2016 | Jim Lane

There are 17,576 possible 3-letter acronyms in the Roman alphabet and sometimes it feels as it the chemical industry and the military have used them all up. Three letter acronyms are so prevalent they have spawned their own acronym, TLA. Once, the Navy’s Director for Operational Energy, Chris Tindal, opened up a session at which […]

50 Hot Companies, 50 Quick Takes: The Digest’s Snapshot Guide

March 20, 2016 | Jim Lane

This past week, we conducted a popular webinar on the Hot 50 as part of the March Madness 2016 series. Many participants asked for the underlying slides, for download and offline review. So, here they are. Meanwhile, the complete recorded version including comments on companies and the no-holds-barred, interactive Q&A with readers is here.

No pain, no gain: A Tale of Three Companies, Pacific Ethanol, BioAmber and TerraVia at a crossroads

March 17, 2016 | Jim Lane

In California and Canada this week, BioAmber, Pacific Ethanol and the former Solazyme reported their Q4 and year-end results, providing between them a fascinating look at the evolution in the fuels, renewable chemicals, specialty products and nutrition that make up the advanced bioeconomy. In advanced nutrition The most spectacular news of the week belonged to […]

Based on the mother of all plants: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to TerraVia

March 17, 2016 | Jim Lane

The goal: Transforming Solazyme into a food, nutrition, and specialty ingredient innovation platform harnessing the power of algae: The mother of all plants and earth’s original superfood. The new company identity? TerraVia. Let’s take a look at how the new TerraVia or the transitioning Solazyme presents itself.

Up, Up & Away: The Top 10 Magic Moments in Aviation Biofuels in 2016

March 16, 2016 | Jim Lane

We reported this week that Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia formed a partnership to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel. The trans-Tasman alliance partners are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to the market to explore the opportunity to procure locally produced aviation biofuel. A few years ago, that would have been the […]

The renewable plastic bottle goes commercial: BASF and Avantium to establish JV for biobased plastics, chemicals

March 15, 2016 | Jim Lane

In the Netherlands, BASF and Avantium have signed a letter of intent and entered into exclusive negotiations to establish a joint venture for the production and marketing of furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), as well as marketing of polyethylenefuranoate (PEF), based on this new chemical building block. FDCA is produced from renewable resources. The JV will use […]

R20 and WRI, a Roadmap to Zero Waste and Sustainable Investing

March 14, 2016 | Jim Lane

By James L. Stewart, Special to The Digest A major worldwide effort is underway through the non-profit organization R20 Regions of Climate Action to assist sub-national states and jurisdictions in developing projects that promote clean energy and combat climate change. Currently, R20 has more than $1 billion of low-carbon, economic development projects in process in 20 countries. […]

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