If you have been reading newspapers and online sites over the past four years, you may have formed the impression that the use of corn for ethanol production has triggered food riots in Mexico, caused untold suffering for US meat producers, and in general caused global mayhem by turning food into fuel. And you may […]
Why is China accelerating on industrial biotechnology, just as US pols preach unilateral disarmament on government efforts to foster commercialization? Does the sun rise in the east as it sets in the West? Yes, Digesterati, 2012 is supposed to bring, according to someone’s reading of a Mayan calendar, the end of the world some time […]
Emerald Biofuels announces new 85 million gallon, drop-in renewable diesel project in Louisiana. Why is renewable diesel scaling up so effortlessly? Today, the Digest’s round-up on new capacity, R&D, testing, distribution and new feedstocks for renewable diesel. In Louisiana, Emerald Biofuels announced that it will build an 85 million gallon renewable-diesel refineries at a Dow […]
Yesterday, following the Solazyme earnings call, highly differentiated viewpoints were released by key analysts covering the stock. The view from Raymond James Raymond James’ Pavel Molchanov wrote, “The adjusted earnings per share of $(0.21) topped our $(0.29) estimate and the Street’s $(0.30). Revenue of $13.6 million, while down sequentially, topped our estimate by 5%. What […]
Good biofuels technologies face crushing challenges in their timelines – why not intensively study and compress the process of industrial commercialization? “Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it […]
Is evidence mounting that advanced biofuels companies need to tout their defensive schemes as much as their offense? Markets jitters suggest so. Kevin Quon wrote recently in Seeking Alpha, “the most essential attribute to the fuels market is the ability to scale the technology to the desired level needed.” Well put. In biofuels terms, that’s […]
Heliae raises $15M from Salim Group – R&D center in 2012, aiming for commercial production in 2014; food, feed, fertilizer now, fuels later. In Arizona, Heliae announced a capital raise of $15 million in funding from international conglomerate Salim Group’s agribusiness company, PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Agri Investments. This marks […]
The hammer drops in Emeryville. Company president Portela, CTO Renninger, general counsel Tompkins out; new CFO, reshuffle and promotions within. After an 90% stock plunge, Amyris responds. We look at the drama of who’s in and who’s out – but also beyond – to execution and profitable production. In California, Amyris announced a major management […]
At BIO’s World Congress, there are the presentations on stage, and the off-stage trade in rumors. Miscanthus dead? Iogen dead? Canada on the march? RFS amendophobia? We sort out the fact from the fiction. The World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology is underway in Orlando, with just about every company in attendance, 900 people in all, […]
Shell and Iogen cancel their long-contemplated Canadian cellulosic ethanol project, and announce 150 layoffs. “Uh… had a slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?” In Canada, Shell and Iogen announced that they will not pursue the jointly owned 23 million […]
