Wassup, EU? The Top 10 Trends in Europe’s Advanced Bioeconomy

#7 Research highlights

Photosynthesis in reverse was in the news when researchers at the University of Copenhagen discovered a natural process they describe as reverse photosynthesis. In the process, the energy in solar rays breaks down, rather than builds plant material, as is the case with photosynthesis. The sunlight is collected by chlorophyll, the same molecule as used in photosynthesis. Combined with a specific enzyme the energy of sunlight now breaks down plant biomass, with possible uses as chemicals, biofuels or other products.

Meanwhile, three UK companies divvied up grants from a £25 million fund to help develop greener fuel technology and boost local industry. The awardees were:

Household waste. Advanced Plasma Power, in Swindon, will receive £11 million to help develop biofuels from ordinary household waste

Industrial waste. Celtic Renewables, based in Edinburgh, has been awarded £11 million to fund a new plant to make biofuels from Scotch whisky by-products, with plans to open a further 3 commercial plants across Scotland in the future

Forestry waste. Nova Pangaea Technologies Ltd, based in Tees Valley, will receive £3 million to help make biofuels from forestry waste.

Last month, we reported that ETB Catalytic Technologies received $0.6 million from ZAVKOM and Skolkovo Fund as a series A investment to build a pilot plant for the production of 1,3-butadiene from ethanol, The investors received 22% of ETB CaT LLC. Butadiene is a feedstock for production of synthetic rubber. 75% world production of butadiene is used for the production of tires, followed by plastic products with 12% share. The global demand for butadiene in 2014 reached 10.95M tons and $15.24B in revenue.

And in February we reported on a new drop-in biofuels process has emerged which is cost competitive with $30 oil, according to the inventors. The process breaks even with crude oil, on an 10-year amortized basis for capex, at roughly $20.30 per barrel of crude oil (assuming refining costs of $8.66 per barrel). The drop-in gasoline blendstock, for a 100,000 ton per year plant (roughly 36.7 million gallons), is expected to cost $0.69 per gallon based on the latest estimates for corn stover — less, in the case of sugarcane bagasse.