Category: Top Stories

Tomorrow arriving today: 5 technology platforms to watch for the 2020s that are materially advancing now, despite COVID-19

Tomorrow arriving today: 5 technology platforms to watch for the 2020s that are materially advancing now, despite COVID-19

August 10, 2020 |

I know, we all wish that 2020 could be a do-over, and that come January 1st the clocks would just re-set to 1/1/2020 and we could do 2020 all over again. It’s been that messy and miserable the world over. Nevertheless, progress in the advanced bioeconomy was strong as was evident at ABLC 2020. And, […]

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…Amyris turns to face the strange with sugarcane-derived squalene vaccine adjuvant

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…Amyris turns to face the strange with sugarcane-derived squalene vaccine adjuvant

August 9, 2020 |

COVID-19 has changed the way we do things…like drink more alcohol, wash our hands more, wear a mask, limit our gatherings and trips, but positive things have come about too. More time to connect with friends and family via online tools, a new respect for healthcare, agriculture and other essential workers, breathing cleaner air, and […]

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CO2 Usage in an Old Application, With a New Twist in an Ever-Growing Spiked Beverage Market

CO2 Usage in an Old Application, With a New Twist in an Ever-Growing Spiked Beverage Market

August 6, 2020 |

By Sam A. Rushing, President – Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd. Special to The Digest BACKGROUND New markets are opening, and competition is heating up over carbonating more than the traditional Coca – Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper – Snapple, and many private labels of purely soft drinks. The rise, and rapid growth of hard seltzers is impressive. […]

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Squid self-repairing design inspires U.S. military, microflora-based vegan ice cream, dairy-waste to hand sanitizer, banana fiber PPE, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of August 6th

Squid self-repairing design inspires U.S. military, microflora-based vegan ice cream, dairy-waste to hand sanitizer, banana fiber PPE, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of August 6th

August 5, 2020 |

While taking a dip in the ocean, take a good look at that squid in a different light…researchers at the US Army Research Institute are developing a renewable, self-healing material inspired by squid teeth in the hopes it can be used to design self-repairing robots and uniforms. Then enjoy some surfside “Brave Robot” vegan ice […]

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Owning the Landscape: The Importance of Intellectual Property Rights in Engineered Biofuels

Owning the Landscape: The Importance of Intellectual Property Rights in Engineered Biofuels

August 4, 2020 |

By David Fournier, Chair for Patent Prosecution and Portfolio Counseling, Perkins Coie LLP Special to The Digest Biocarbons are experiencing significant investment and growth as a drop-in replacement for fossil fuels in energy and metals production.  As companies move from found fossil fuels to engineered biofuels, intellectual property rights will invariably have a significant impact […]

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A Whopping $97M from U.S. Department of Energy for Bioenergy Research and Development

A Whopping $97M from U.S. Department of Energy for Bioenergy Research and Development

August 3, 2020 |

In Washington, D.C. comes news from the U.S. Department of Energy that they gave more than $97 million in funding for 33 projects that will support high-impact technology research and development to accelerate the bioeconomy. These projects will improve the performance and lower the cost and risk of technologies that can be used to produce […]

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Inside GranBio, NextChem’s new partnership to “blow out” cellulosic ethanol global roll-out

Inside GranBio, NextChem’s new partnership to “blow out” cellulosic ethanol global roll-out

August 3, 2020 |

News arrives from Sao Paulo and Rome that GranBio and NextChem have inked a strategic alliance and will co-license GranBio’s patented technology for the production of second-generation ethanol. NextChem is a subsidiary of Italian engineering giant Maire Tecnimont dedicated to the energy transition. The news follows the announcement last week that GranBio has retained Citigroup […]

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Competitive Edge: Ways2H, Inc.

Competitive Edge: Ways2H, Inc.

July 30, 2020 |

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? We started Ways2H to improve the global environment by eliminating waste while producing carbon-negative renewable hydrogen. There’s an urgent need […]

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Antiviral jeans that protect you from COVID-19, corn waste and wine waste based sneakers, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of July 30th

Antiviral jeans that protect you from COVID-19, corn waste and wine waste based sneakers, and more: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the week of July 30th

July 29, 2020 |

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, innovative companies are finding ways to make a difference in tackling the beast, like antiviral jeans that protect you from COVID-19 using a 72% biobased “Viroblock” which kills 99.9% of COVID-19 within 30 minutes—much quicker than the two days the virus can linger on fabrics at room temperature. Or […]

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Hail and Farewell to the ‘Ethanol Answer Man’

Hail and Farewell to the ‘Ethanol Answer Man’

July 28, 2020 |

Today, let us mark the passing of Larry Johnson, following a stroke. Johnson was 76. He was formerly the president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and a director of the National Corn Growers Association, , he was “the Ethanol Answer Man” to many, a friend to all, a long-time Minnesota farmer whose embrace of […]

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