Category: Top Stories

Biofuels’ 10 scariest challenges: Part 2 of 2

Biofuels’ 10 scariest challenges: Part 2 of 2

August 21, 2013 |

Upstream, downstream, processing, policy, finance – opportunities and challenges abound in the bioeconomy – but which challenges are the most intractable and daunting of them all? In today’s part 1, #5 through #1. They go via various aliases — naysayers, pessimists, The Party of No, doom-and-gloom’ers, realists, skeptics, and so on. For almost every aspect […]

Read More

Biofuels’ 10 scariest challenges: Part 1 of 2

Biofuels’ 10 scariest challenges: Part 1 of 2

August 20, 2013 |

Upstream, downstream, processing, policy, finance – opportunities and challenges abound in the bioeconomy – but which challenges are the most intractable and daunting of them all? In today’s part 1, #10 through #6. Part 2, #5 through #1, is here. They use various aliases — naysayers, pessimists, The Party of No, doom-and-gloom’ers, realists, skeptics, and […]

Read More

Joule’s Changing of the Guard: Sims exits as CEO

Joule’s Changing of the Guard: Sims exits as CEO

August 19, 2013 |

In Massachusetts, Joule announced that CEO Bill Sims will step out of his management role but will remain a member of the company’s board. Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and Chairman, is assuming the role of interim-CEO while Paul Snaith, who joined the company in 2012, will be promoted to President and COO of Joule. “Bill joined […]

Read More

The Haze: Clearing Southeast Asia’s smoky skies with biofuels technology

The Haze: Clearing Southeast Asia’s smoky skies with biofuels technology

August 19, 2013 |

A technology developed for Europe finds it is in demand again, as technologists address the growing mountains of palm waste and its special opportunities and challenges. Too often, the first time most people heard something EnegraTech, they mistook it for ViagraTech — and were inclined to form the wrong impression of its claims to vastly […]

Read More

Is 2014 the Year of E85?

Is 2014 the Year of E85?

August 15, 2013 |

As a Perfect Storm of price problems ends, will E85 finally find its market and help end a divisive debate over ethanol distribution? 2014 is the year of E85, if there ever was one. Or will be one. Why? There’s more pressure on the Renewable Fuel Standard than ever — most of it focused on […]

Read More

Quantum dots: a new nanohighway to renewable fuels

Quantum dots: a new nanohighway to renewable fuels

August 14, 2013 |

Using just CO2, sunlight and water – and some math right off Einsteins’ blackboard — researchers come up with a potential game-changing technology for making renewable fuels. In yesterday’s Digest, we wrote that the hunt is on for technologies that use “carbon dioxide and non-potable water — since they are available in such tantalizing abundance. […]

Read More

Algae to fuel developers: LanzaTech is supersizing our fries

Algae to fuel developers: LanzaTech is supersizing our fries

August 14, 2013 |

At the leading edge of lipid technology, scientists turn to the french fry of biofuels, acetates, to grow more renewable oils faster, cheaper. Unsurprisingly, we find LanzaTech’s cohort of carbonpreneurs in Malaysia and especially India right in the thick of it. Today’s hottest news comes from LanzaTech, and India’s Centre for Advanced Bio-Energy, which have […]

Read More

Markets and Molecules: Amyris in 2013 and beyond

Markets and Molecules: Amyris in 2013 and beyond

August 12, 2013 |

Record renewable products sales, but slow ramp up, for farnesene: how does the future shape up for Amyris? In California, Amyris last week announced $10.8M in Q2 2013 revenue, compared to $19.3M in Q2 2012 (before the company transitioned out of the ethanol business). $4.2M was related to renewable product sales and $6.7M in collaboration […]

Read More

GranBio and Rhodia ink pact for biobased n-butanol, in Brazil, from bagasse

GranBio and Rhodia ink pact for biobased n-butanol, in Brazil, from bagasse

August 12, 2013 |

In Brazil, GranBio and Rhodia have signed an agreement to create a partnership to produce bio n-butanol. Bio n-butanol is made from sugar cane straw and bagasse, the same raw material that is used to manufacture second-generation ethanol and which is abundant in Brazil. Under the partnership, the companies plan to build the world’s first […]

Read More

KiOR mulls “Columbus II” facility to accelerate path to profits, as 2013 production forecast is cut

KiOR mulls “Columbus II” facility to accelerate path to profits, as 2013 production forecast is cut

August 12, 2013 |

One of biofuels’ hottest companies aims to accelerate path to break-even; is a shortfall in gallons produced in Q2 meaningful? In Texas, KiOR reported a Q2 loss of $38.5M, compared to a Q1 loss of $31.3M. on revenues of $239K, up from $71K in Q1. Net loss for the second quarter of 2012 totaled $23.0 […]

Read More