Yes, it’s the Bio-Incredibles, synth biologists with recombinant powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Bio-Incredibles: who can change the course of mighty genomes, bend DNA in their bare hands. Hidden in Emeryville, California, mild-mannered high-tech center for a great metropolis, they fight a never-ending battle for science, progress, and a Series A investment round. In today’s Digest: […]
In California, Solazyme announced that its joint venture with Bunge Global Innovation LLC has successfully produced its first commercially saleable products on full-scale production lines, including the 625,000L fermentation tanks, at the Solazyme Bunge Renewable Oils plant in Brazil. Both oil and encapsulated lubricant, Encapso, products have been manufactured; production is continuing and is expected to […]
By Kathleen Roberts, Executive Director, Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group In last week’s Special Report on Scale-up in Industrial Biotechnology, the Digest noted that a consistent lesson shared by leading biotech heavyweights at the BIO World Congress scale-up session is to “avoid an afterthought approach to regulatory compliance.” As luck and good scheduling would […]
Feeling ready to go to the next level, but trapped where you are by a lack of support? How do some companies find customers, finance, market conditions, stakeholders — when others don’t? What are the instruments of change, how are they tapped? To find out more, we start our story with a look at how Starbucks rocked the commodity-priced, […]
Thought the 2014 volume debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard was tough enough? What about the ticking bomb inside the RFS — that could completely flat-line the value of cellulosic RINs and make it near impossible to build cellulosic biofuels capacity for the US market, ever? Good news, though. This UXB, though deadly, may be […]
In The Netherlands, Theo Rietkerk (Representative Economy, Energy and Innovation of the Province of Overijssel) has placed a foundation pillar to mark the start of construction of the Empyro pyrolysis oil production plant, located at the AkzoNobel site in Hengelo (The Netherlands). Construction will be complete by the end of 2014, and the project developers […]
In Italy, the Ministry of Economic Development announced its intention to investigate the construction of three advanced biofuel plants in Southern Italy, using non-food feedstocks. Biochemtex, the engineering arm of Mossi & Ghisolfi — parent along with Texas Pacific Group and Novozymes in Beta Renewables, is slated to build the facilities, which would be located in […]
Inbicon technology planned as centerpiece of low-carbon, high-profit platform: “Patriot will lead the way.” In Illinois, Patriot Renewable Fuels announced that Leifmark has been hired to create a custom Project Definition, the first stage of a plan for co-locating an Inbicon Biomass Refinery on the site of Patriot’s 110 MMgy grain-ethanol plant in Annawan, Illinois. At […]
EPA’s proposed rule went too far in correcting a problem largely of the refiners’ own making. It’s in the nation’s interest to put the final RFS rule back on course. By Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President; Head, Industrial & Environmental section Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Last year, it appears that the Philadelphia area oil refiners had […]
Think algae biofuels are real and near? Or, think it’s a promotional scheme for attracting finance for nutraceuticals and academic bridges-to-nowhere? The barriers might be more, or less, daunting than you think. Let’s look at the recent data. Fortunately, there’s been much progress on the most important metric in growing algae — the rate of […]
