Category: Top Stories

Fly the [Lindo maravilhoso!] skies: GOL completes first biofuels commercial flight in Brazil

Fly the [Lindo maravilhoso!] skies: GOL completes first biofuels commercial flight in Brazil

October 23, 2013 |

In Brazil, GOL became the first airline to make a commercial flight with a renewable jet fuel in Brazil. The GOL flight was between São Paulo and Brasilia, using renewable jet fuel. provided by Honeywell’s UOP. The company said that it aims to fly up to 200 routes using advanced biofuels during the 2014 World […]

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FHR to expand use of Edeniq’s Cellunator technology

FHR to expand use of Edeniq’s Cellunator technology

October 23, 2013 |

In California, Edeniq announced that Flint Hills Resources Renewables has confirmed that the Cellunators have achieved the desired increase in ethanol production at its Fairbank, Iowa facility and the company will install Cellunators at two additional locations. Flint Hills has been an investor in Edeniq since April 2012 and a customer since July 2011. Edeniq’s […]

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Industrial biobased ventures raise $364M in Q3 2013; 5-Minute Guide to the bioinvesting landscape

Industrial biobased ventures raise $364M in Q3 2013; 5-Minute Guide to the bioinvesting landscape

October 22, 2013 |

Biobased investing continues surging, both direct and via strategics. The Digest has the data and the scoop in our 5-Minute Guide. In Florida, Biofuels Digest reports that 9 biobased ventures raised $363.8 million in new capital in 2013, compared to $435 million in Q2, and $434 million in Q4 2012 and Q1 2013. Overall, the […]

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Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla up the ante in cellulosic biofuels pioneer KiOR

Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla up the ante in cellulosic biofuels pioneer KiOR

October 21, 2013 |

In Texas, KiOR announced the execution of $100 million in committed equity related financing in two separate private placement transactions to support the Company’s recently announced expansion of production capacity in Columbus, Mississippi, called  the Columbus II Project. Once completed with the planned technology enhancements for both Columbus facilities, the Columbus II Project is expected to achieve overall positive cash flow from operations […]

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Space, the Biobased Frontier: Hot biotechnologies for the Big Beyond

Space, the Biobased Frontier: Hot biotechnologies for the Big Beyond

October 21, 2013 |

Next-gen biofuels technologies may be key to making the International Space Station cost effective — not to mention, other destinations in the NASA agenda. Which may explain why a high-tech algae outfit, Evodos, is advertising on a Star Trek wallpaper site. Whether your attention is drawn to hot algae techs like Evodos, or elsewhere in […]

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Hand Up vs. Hand Out: New government programs target biofuels for support in US, Canada

Hand Up vs. Hand Out: New government programs target biofuels for support in US, Canada

October 20, 2013 |

When is a government program a hand-up, when is it a hand-out? What kinds of support in financing, knowledge-sharing and R&D do fledgling biobased technologies need. 4 new or improved programs in United States and Canada attempt to fill the gaps between good ideas and good commercial businesses. One of the all-time best Reaganisms was: […]

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The Hottest Slides from 2013 ABLC-Next, Part II: bioenergy’s biggest movers do their shaking

The Hottest Slides from 2013 ABLC-Next, Part II: bioenergy’s biggest movers do their shaking

October 17, 2013 |

In California, ABLC-Next has concluded for this year — and the convergence of advanced biofuels leaders in R&D, commercialization, policy and finance will reconvene in Washington DC on April 21-23 of next year. This week, we’ll be providing highlights from this years presentations. Today, part II of our look at the hottest slides from ABLC-Next. […]

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No Matter the Question, the Answer is Four: four-carbon molecules and the big opportunity for biotech

No Matter the Question, the Answer is Four: four-carbon molecules and the big opportunity for biotech

October 16, 2013 |

Solo, duet, trio, or chamber orchestra? Bah! The hottest music in all of the bioeconomy are the quartets. That is, the four-carbon molecules that have the best combination of market size and favorable economic conditions. An announcement by LanzaTech and SK Innovations on butadiene confirms the trend. In the final movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet […]

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EPA proposes slashed market for America’s cleanest fuel as observers ask “why?”

EPA proposes slashed market for America’s cleanest fuel as observers ask “why?”

October 15, 2013 |

For industry observers, there is much that is mystifying in the EPA’s draft 2014 production targets for the US 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard. But nothing more mystifying than the biomass-based diesel numbers. The Digest reports back from Mandate-Land with answers for your questions. If there’s any fuel that reduces emissions — both of the CO2 […]

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Highlights from 2013 ABLC-Next; hot slides, hot perspectives, Part I

Highlights from 2013 ABLC-Next; hot slides, hot perspectives, Part I

October 14, 2013 |

As ABLC-Next concludes, here is the first installment in a review of the hottest slides, stories, intrigue and perspective from the Big Conversation amongst the bioeconomy’s elite. In California, ABLC-Next has concluded for this year — and the convergence of advanced biofuels leaders in R&D, commercialization, policy and finance will reconvene in Washington DC on […]

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