Category: Top Stories

Biodegradable cellulose COVID-19 antibody test, orange peel waste recovers precious metals, biobased fabrics and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of September 3rd

September 2, 2020 | admin

COVID-19 has changed the way we do many things and it’s hard not to notice the increased single-use disposable items, but one researcher in Mexico designed a biodegradable test for COVID-19 antibodies, made of cellulose that can biodegrade in the soil in less than 10 weeks, just like a banana peel. In China, researchers are […]

ESG Investing and the Bioeconomy – Part 2: Understanding ESG Investing Frameworks, Reporting, Stakeholders

September 1, 2020 | Jim Lane

By Cynthia Thyfault, Global Biofuture Solutions, Founder and CEO and Gerard J. Ostheimer, PhD., Co-Founder and CSO Special to The Digest INTRODUCTION ESG reporting seeks to create a standard way for a range of investors to understand a company’s (or a fund’s or an asset’s) financial and non-financial impacts, as well as the strategy, approach, […]

The Rocket’s Glare: Impossible Foods, Moderna, Phillips are three strands of a single, driving braid of opportunity

August 31, 2020 | Jim Lane

There’s great news in the advanced bioeconomy this month. Impossible Foods has secured $200 million in its latest funding round, led by new investor Coatue. Wonder Food The industry-leading food-tech startup has raised about $1.5 billion since its founding in 2011. Impossible Foods will use the funds in part to expand its research and development […]

Follow the Rainbow! The Digest Interview: Dr. Chaudhari at Praj Industries on 2020 and what the future holds

August 30, 2020 | admin

Praj’s strategy has been to broaden its horizons leveraging its innovative end to end technology solutions in Bioeconomy. Its vision is to make the world a better place by deploying these solutions for sustainability and conservation of the environment. But how will it do that? How has this crazy year of 2020 impacted their plans? […]

Omega-3 Fatty Acids & The Future of Natural Product Sustainability

August 27, 2020 | Jim Lane

By Sam Nejame, CEO of Promotum & Simão Soares, CEO of SilicoLife Special to The Digest Most people have a hard time dealing with climate change deniers. We say, they’re backward, there’s overwhelming evidence, they’re anti-science. Anthropomorphic green house gases accumulate in the atmosphere and if we don’t live more sustainably the earth’s temperature will […]

Competitive Edge: Scipio Biofuels

August 27, 2020 | Jim Lane

Q: What was the reason for founding your organization – what was the open niche you saw that could be addressed with a new product or service? What was the problem, or gap, or opportunity? Scipio Biofuels was founded to use the company’s innovative algaculture technology to do its part to alleviate the effects of […]

Flax fiber seats for race car, shrimp shell and coffee ground leather, Checkerspot raises $36M and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of August 27th

August 26, 2020 | admin

The race for biobased innovations is on! But first, take a seat like Formula One racing major McLaren is doing – on lightweight flax fiber composite seats which provide the requisite strength and low weight for a race car while creating 75% less carbon dioxide to make. While your at it, put on a cool […]

ESG Investing and the Bioeconomy: Part 1 – Impact and ESG Investing Through the Financier’s Eyes

August 25, 2020 | Jim Lane

By Cynthia Thyfault, Global Biofuture Solutions, Founder and CEO and Gerard J. Ostheimer, PhD., Co-Founder and CSO Special to The Digest Due to a wide range of global challenges including climate change, environmental sustainability, social inequality, and the need for ethical corporate governance, ESG investing and reporting has become the “new normal” for investment firms, […]

Till, Baby, Till – $13M DOE grant advances new high-value feedstock, pennycress

August 24, 2020 | Jim Lane

In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a five-year, $13 million grant to a nationwide research project to genetically strengthen Thlaspi arvense, commonly known as pennycress, for use in sustainable energy efforts. CoverCress is an unfunded co-participant in this work, and you can see CoverCress CEO Jerry Steiner’s overview of that technology here. […]

Captain Canola – Yield10 Biosciences one step closer to canola feedstock superhero

August 23, 2020 | admin

News just in from Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a Massachusetts-based agricultural bioscience company, that they have obtained a positive response from USDA-APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) for its CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in canola plant lines developed for increased oil content and now have plans for U.S. field tests in 2021. In today’s Digest, how does […]

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