In California, UCLA MAE Ph.D. student Wei Yu raised $1.6 million series A venture capital for Lyxia Corporation, a biofuel startup based on research from UCLA MAE Professor Chih-Ming Ho’s Micro System Laboratories. Preceeding this, in July 2012, Lyxia Corporation was founded by Wei, and acquired exclusive rights to use new UCLA technology that increases […]
In Minnesota, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered that DDGS don’t have the antibiotic content originally assumed because they are either deactivated or reduced to extremely low levels during the production process. Presence of antibiotics in DDGS has been a major concern by livestock producers who use the ethanol byproduct as animal feed.
Carbon capture: much talked-about, less seen. Could biocatalysts and biofuels provide the kicker needed to make this class of technologies feasible? New news and data from Akermin suggests that bio may be just the ticket. In Missouri this week, Akermin, a biocatalyst company developing technology to improve the removal of carbon dioxide from industrial gas […]
In China, researchers from Tianjin University Research and Development Center for Petrochemical Technology found that one particular device has the potential to make a highly pure ethylene product from ethanol with high efficiency and low cost. The device, called a fluidized bed reactor, works by suspending the chemicals needed to make ethylene inside the walls […]
Today, we look at the 10 Hottest Waste to fuels companies, their prospects and their projects. So you’ve heard the bad news: climate change is here. The economy is too weak to do anything about it, they say. Natural gas is transformationally cheap, but try filling your car with it. Meanwhile, temperatures are rising, storms […]
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.
