In Israel, Kaiima Agro-biotech Ltd., an agro-biotch startup, seeks to raise up to US $50M in an equity financing round to further develop their products which increase crop productivity without genetically modifying the DNA of the selected crop. Kaiima’s products take advantage of “polyploidy,” a condition which causes species to have extra sets of chromosomes. […]
In the UK, researchers from the Biorefinery Centre, Institute of Food Research, have investigated approaches for fed-batch “saccharification and semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation” (SSSF) of shredded copier paper. The aim of the research has been to successfully achieve ethanol concentrations at levels comparable to those produced during first generation approaches whilst using minimal quantities of […]
Cash from Trash: The Heroes from Vero are making renewable fuel in commercial quantities from ag waste and MSW in South Florida. The Digest speaks with INEOS Bio CEO Peter WIlliams and COO Mark Niederschulte about the world’s first facility to convert waste to fuel and electricity. In Florida, INEOS Bio announced that its Indian […]
In Michigan, a team of University of Michigan researchers has been awarded a $2 million federal grant to identify and test naturally diverse groups of green algae that can be grown together to create a high-yield, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective system to produce next-generation biofuels. National Science Foundation funding for the project begins Sept. 1 […]
In South Dakota, South Dakota State University Extension says it expects DDGS and MDGS prices to go down during August, based on five-year averages. Prices could drop in the state by about 3%, reaching the seasonal low near the beginning of September. That would translate to $214/ton for DDGS and $115/ton.
In California, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified individual microbial species whose enzymes were the most active in deconstructing the switchgrass biomass. Thermophilic microbes are believed to be a rich source of cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction that are active at elevated temperatures and […]
In Kansas, an article published in Phycologia has challenged the notion that more research is needed before commercial-scale algae biofuel technology can be implemented by examining the strain botryococcus braunii. The strain was initially selected for large-scale biofuel production because of its extraordinary ability to synthesize large amounts of hydrocarbon oils. Although further study is […]
In Kentucky, gribbles can break down biomass into sugars in the harshest of environments, and are the subject of testing conducted by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL. Limnoria quadripunctata, a species of wood borer, thrive in salt-rich, high-solids environments. The enzyme could make the conversion process quicker and cheaper if […]
In New York state, collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology’s Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences and Sweetwater Energy Inc. will give students experience with the Rochester-based company that has a sweet and sustainable niche. Sweetwater Energy provides its industry partners with a concentrated plant-sugar mixture for production of biofuels, biochemicals and bioplastics. The growing […]
In Illinois, Littleford Day, Inc. provided the NCERC at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with its Littleford DVT-130 polyphase system via a 90-day, no-cost lease. The Center leveraged the value of the no-cost lease as matching funds for research grants from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity. As a result, the […]
