Category: Top Stories

ARPA-E awards $30M in high-risk, high-reward moonshot program to transform energy crops

ARPA-E awards $30M in high-risk, high-reward moonshot program to transform energy crops

June 18, 2015 |

Six projects land major multi-year awards for Project TERRA, Tramsportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture In Washington, ARPA-E announced awards totaling $30 million for projects seeking to accelerate the development of sustainable energy crops for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. The projects are led by Clemson, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, […]

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Zymergen lands $44M in monster Series A venture round

Zymergen lands $44M in monster Series A venture round

June 17, 2015 |

What just happened? First of a new generation of bioeconomy wonders now counts Jerry Yang, Max Levchin, Eric Schmidt funds as investors’ and “several Fortune 100 companies” among its customers. Today, the Zymergen story, so far, can now be told. And we look at potential roadblocks down the road for this new class of companies coming […]

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Marine Manufacturers OK 16 percent biobutanol blends for recreational marine engines

Marine Manufacturers OK 16 percent biobutanol blends for recreational marine engines

June 17, 2015 |

In Washington, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced support of the use of fuels blended with up to 16 percent biobutanol in recreational marine engines. This decision follows five years of evaluation performed by NMMA with the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), under the direction and guidance of the U.S. Department of Energy […]

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Joule wins key patent for direct conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuels

Joule wins key patent for direct conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuels

June 16, 2015 |

The story of its process, timelines, pathways becomes more and more clear In Massachusetts, Joule, the pioneer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, announced the issuance of an additional patent on the direct, continuous production of hydrocarbon fuels – extending its ability to target the highest-value molecules of the petroleum distillation process and generate them […]

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Why we have a Joint BioEnergy Institute: the story of ionic liquids

Why we have a Joint BioEnergy Institute: the story of ionic liquids

June 15, 2015 |

The development of ionic liquids, and the potential for a transformative impact on the cost and sources of renewable fuels, demonstrates why DOE created a clutch of integrated bioenergy research centers. How’s the progress? Lookin’ good. Here’s more. It’s been the big, big problem in biomass deconstruction and cellulosic fuels — the finicky nature of […]

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Shatter the Blend Wall with High Performance Bio-gasoline

Shatter the Blend Wall with High Performance Bio-gasoline

June 14, 2015 |

By David Gogerty and Ronan Rocle, Global Bioenergies, special to The Digest In March, when the inaugural ‘AgSummit’ was held in Des Moines, it was more than just tires that were spinning their wheels in the mud of the spring thaws. The ethanol industry, after a period of government inaction and perceived blend wall issues, didn’t […]

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Our 7.4 year mission, to boldly go where no biotech has gone before: 3 Bioeconomy must-reads

Our 7.4 year mission, to boldly go where no biotech has gone before: 3 Bioeconomy must-reads

June 11, 2015 |

Reports from the EIA, IRENA and Lux Research give key pointers for current trends and a look at “how long does it take to stand up a technology?” This week, we’ve had three reports appear on the newswires that are a good idea to download, order or otherwise get a hold of and ponder. The […]

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Sustainable, available, reliable affordable bioeconomy feedstocks: The hottest slides from ABFC 2015

Sustainable, available, reliable affordable bioeconomy feedstocks: The hottest slides from ABFC 2015

June 11, 2015 |

In the advanced bioeconomy, the question for some time has been “how do you fund it?” or “how do you make it?”. But now, feedstock is becoming the key variable, it’s a case of “where do you find it?” “Feedstock is Key,” says Verdezyne CEO Bill Radany. Dr. Harry Baumes, Director of the USDA’s Office of […]

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The 35 Hottest Companies in Feedstock Development & Supply in the Advanced Bioeconomy

The 35 Hottest Companies in Feedstock Development & Supply in the Advanced Bioeconomy

June 10, 2015 |

Solazyme took the #1 spot in the 2015 “35 Hottest Companies in Feedstock Development & Supply” rankings, announced today by The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily, at the Advanced Bioeconomy Feedsrtocks Conference (ABFC 2015).  DuPont (#2), POET Biomass (#3), Renewable Energy Group (#4), Algenol (#5), NexSteppe (#6), Syngenta (#7), Genera Energy (#8), Waste […]

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BIO World Congress agenda shows industrial biotech spreading, evolving, scaling

BIO World Congress agenda shows industrial biotech spreading, evolving, scaling

June 10, 2015 |

This July, industrial biotech returns to its largest and grandest stage at the BIO World Congress, which convenes in Montreal from this July 19-22, and a look at the plenary session line-up offers a convenient glance at the evolution of the industry away from fuels and towards an integrated portfolio including fuels, chemicals and biomaterials […]

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