Major Stories

Carbon Dioxide and the Green Gases Agenda

Carbon Dioxide and the Green Gases Agenda

March 17, 2024 |

By Sam A. Rushing, President, Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd. Special to The Digest Carbon dioxide is generally thought of by those who are not in the gases industries as either a greenhouse gas; and/or for use in beverage carbonation, and perhaps fire abatement. To those in the gases industries, carbon dioxide is known for much more; […]

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The 50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2024

The 50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2024

March 14, 2024 |

Praj Industries took the #1 spot in the 2024 “50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy” rankings, published today in The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily.  Virent (#2), Gevo (#3), LanzaJet (#4), BioVeritas (#5), LanzaTech (#6), Marquis (#7), Fluid Quip Technologies (#8), Viridis (#9) and AFYREN (#10) rounded out the top 10. The […]

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Bold Goals Action Group release 40 Bold Actions to Accelerate the Bioeconomy

Bold Goals Action Group release 40 Bold Actions to Accelerate the Bioeconomy

March 13, 2024 |

In Washington, the Bold Goals Action Group released the final text of the 40 Bold Actions to Accelerate at ABLC 2024. The release capped a year-long, multi-national effort by bioeconomy stakeholders to define specific actions that must be accomplished by industry, financiers and government in order to reach ambitious Net Zero defossilization goals set by […]

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Vanguard Renewables 10 years on

Vanguard Renewables 10 years on

March 11, 2024 |

“In a very short timeframe over several months back in 2012 for a series of completely disassociated reasons – I had a whole bunch of folks coming to me and talking about anaerobic digestion.” So begins John Hanselman in telling the 10-year evolution of Vanguard Renewables, which has become an anaerobic digestion industry leader and […]

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Location, Location, Location – A Vital Component to Making SAF Accessible

Location, Location, Location – A Vital Component to Making SAF Accessible

March 9, 2024 |

By Dave Rubenstein, President and CEO of California Ethanol + Power Special to The Digest Some 20+ years ago, as California announced plans to reduce transportation emissions through carbon reduction mandates and diversification of its energy portfolio, an inspired group of Imperial Valley farmers came up with an idea. Amid the 2008 recession, they saw […]

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8-Slide Guides

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Preprocessing

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Preprocessing

March 17, 2024 |

A team of researchers is working to develop science-based design and operation principles informed by TEA/LCA that result in predictable, reliable, and scalable performance of preprocessing unit operations. The comminution and fractionation manuals that industry needs will contain design principles for various working envelopes of CMAs and critical process parameters (CPPs) for corn stover, forest […]

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The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Variability

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Variability

March 14, 2024 |

Industry needs to understand key sources of biomass variability (e.g., growth conditions, harvest conditions, storage degradation) to identify and quantify CMA distributions that propagate across unit operations to inform cost-effective management of variability. A team of researchers is working to identify and quantify the initial distribution of feedstock critical material attributes (CMAs) and inform strategies […]

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The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Material Handling

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Material Handling

March 13, 2024 |

A primary challenge in the design of a biorefinery is the storage, transport, and reactor feeding of the biomass feedstocks. Material handling/feeding is prone to process upsets such as jamming and clogging, resulting in increased downtime and ultimately higher costs. Commercial-scale conversion of biomass in biorefineries remains limited. A team of researchers aim to develop […]

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The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Trois-Rivieres BDO Zone

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Trois-Rivieres BDO Zone

March 12, 2024 |

In this presentation, we explored the new BDO Zone at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec— the feedstocks, the infrastructure, the workforce, how risks are mitigated.  David Berthelot of Trois-Rivieres presented these slides on The BDO Zone, a program on Digest TV

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The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Sarnia Lambton BDO Zone

The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Sarnia Lambton BDO Zone

March 11, 2024 |

In this presentation, we explored the new BDO Zone at Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario — the feedstocks, the infrastructure, the workforce, how risks are mitigated.  Sarnia-Lambton’s Shauna Carr presented these slides on The BDO Zone, a program on Digest TV

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The Latest World News

Protected: ABLC 2024 Presentations

Protected: ABLC 2024 Presentations

March 18, 2024 |

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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Report forecasts annual growth of 17% for bio-based polymers at a global level

Report forecasts annual growth of 17% for bio-based polymers at a global level

March 17, 2024 |

In Germany, nova Institut forecasted an annual growth of 17 % for bio-based polymers between 2023 and 2028.  The study showed that the demand from Asia and the USA in particular is driving growth, while Europe is lagging behind. In 2023, the total production volume of bio‑based polymers was 4.4 million tons, which is 1 […]

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Egypt’s Nasr Petroleum, GTS partner for green hydrogen feasibility study

Egypt’s Nasr Petroleum, GTS partner for green hydrogen feasibility study

March 17, 2024 |

In India, Solar Quarter reported that Nasr Petroleum Company and Global Technical Services (GTS) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conduct a feasibility study on the production of green hydrogen in Egypt. Under the terms of the MoU, green hydrogen will be manufactured at Nasr Petroleum’s facilities in Suez. The agreement involves […]

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Towngas and Shenergy sign agreement to promote Shanghai, Hong Kong green methanol and hydrogen

Towngas and Shenergy sign agreement to promote Shanghai, Hong Kong green methanol and hydrogen

March 17, 2024 |

In China, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Shenergy Group signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement to jointly promote the development of green energy businesses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and both domestic and international markets.  This includes enhancing the production capacity of green methanol and exploring markets for green energy, such […]

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ClonBio plans $500 million investment in an US biofrefinery plant

ClonBio plans $500 million investment in an US biofrefinery plant

March 17, 2024 |

In Ireland, Irish Independent reported that Irish-owned biofuel and renewables group ClonBio has announced plans to invest $500 million in a Wisconsin biorefinery plant.  According to the report, this move will create 1,000 local jobs. The report noted that ClonBio biorefineries use natural processes to refine grain for use in a number of different applications, […]

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R&D News

University of Sheffield leads initiative to boost switch to a bio-based economy

University of Sheffield leads initiative to boost switch to a bio-based economy

March 17, 2024 |

In the UK, University of Sheffield academics, together with the Bio-Based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) and Green Rose Chemistry, have been awarded funding to scope out a UK-wide science and regulatory network to help speed up the switch to a bio-based economy. The initiative  will bring together industrialists, academics, policy makers, government officials, retailers, […]

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BOTTLE consortium team with North Face on sustainable PHAs

BOTTLE consortium team with North Face on sustainable PHAs

March 13, 2024 |

In Colorado, when worn, washed, and dried, clothing sheds—dispersing tiny fibers throughout homes, soils, and waterways that can take centuries to degrade. These fibers, often made of polyester and often too small to see, are a major—if invisible—source of microplastic pollution. By some estimates, fibers from polyester clothing account for nearly half of all microplastics […]

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TU Delft researchers purify isopropanol and acetone from fermenting waste gases

TU Delft researchers purify isopropanol and acetone from fermenting waste gases

March 12, 2024 |

In the Netherlands, in a major stride towards sustainable industrial fermentation, a team of researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands, has unveiled pioneering advancements in the purification of isopropanol and acetone from the fermentation of waste gases. The study, published in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, introduces novel […]

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German research consortium demo containerized green methanol production

German research consortium demo containerized green methanol production

March 11, 2024 |

In Germany, E4MeWi research association is currently demonstrating how effectively green methanol can be produced in the future in a container plant at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park. Methanol is regarded as a key technology for defossilizing shipping and aviation and also for freeing the chemical industry from its dependence on crude oil. The project compares […]

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PennState researcher works to lower cost of hydrogen production

PennState researcher works to lower cost of hydrogen production

March 9, 2024 |

In Pennsylvania, PennState reported that Penn State doctoral candidate in chemical engineering Arash Emdadi and his lab colleagues are working to improve the hydrogen production method to make it more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Emdadi is working toward commercializing a new electrolyzer invented by Professor Bruce Logan’s civil and environmental engineering lab. The electrolyzer uses […]

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Policy & Policymakers

Philippine Government in talks with Airbus for carbon removal initiative

Philippine Government in talks with Airbus for carbon removal initiative

March 17, 2024 |

In the Philippines, Philippine News Agency reported that negotiations between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Airbus are underway for a potential collaboration on carbon removal initiative. “President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has obtained a commitment from giant aerospace company Airbus to work with the Department of Transportation on the use of modern technologies for biofuels […]

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More than 60 EU NGOs raise concerns about reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis

More than 60 EU NGOs raise concerns about reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis

March 14, 2024 |

In Belgium, a joint statement with the European Environmental Board and more than 60 non-governmental organizations raises serious concerns over the growing reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis. It stresses that, although the term ‘bio’ is often associated with health and nature, the ‘bioeconomy’ is actually having a devastating […]

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Full analysis of EU biomethane specs and standards released

Full analysis of EU biomethane specs and standards released

March 13, 2024 |

In Belgium, a full analysis on the specifications of different standards related to biomethane was carried out in the framework of the GreenMeUp project. The report will be made available shortly. The study also explores the guarantees of origin and standards related to digestates as an end-use product of biomethane. The creation of gas quality […]

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Sustainable Aviation launches manifesto to promote SAF in the UK

Sustainable Aviation launches manifesto to promote SAF in the UK

March 12, 2024 |

In the UK, Sustainable Aviation (SA) launched a new manifesto outlining the aviation industry’s commitment to achieving net zero aviation and minimizing the impact of aviation noise, while maximizing the economic benefits that aviation delivers across the nations and regions of the UK. The economic prize for the UK of leading aviation’s transition to a […]

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India supporting increased corn production and sourcing for ethanol feedstock

India supporting increased corn production and sourcing for ethanol feedstock

March 11, 2024 |

In India, the Hindustan Times newspaper reports that the government plans to procure more corn for ethanol production to decrease the country’s 25% ethanol blending mandate’s reliance on sugarcane. Sugarcane production has fallen significantly this year, forcing the government to limit its use for ethanol feedstock and in turn boosting demand for alternative feedstocks, mostly […]

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Other Recent Articles

Waste-to-energy plant for Auckland’s rubbish moves closer

Waste-to-energy plant for Auckland’s rubbish moves closer

March 17, 2024 |

In New Zealand, The Northern Advocate reported that a proposed Kaipara-based waste-to-energy incinerator to burn Auckland’s rubbish and produce electricity is moving closer. “We’re at an exciting point where all the parts are coming together,” Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson said. If it goes ahead, the proposed waste-to-energy plant would potentially be the country’s biggest, the […]

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Acciona acquires Kwinana waste-to-energy facility

Acciona acquires Kwinana waste-to-energy facility

March 17, 2024 |

In Australia, Acciona announced that it has acquired 100% ownership of the Kwinana Waste-to-Energy project in an agreement reached with Macquarie Capital and Dutch Infrastructure Fund. The firm noted that the facility is on track to be operational in the last quarter of 2024 when it will divert up to 460,000 tons of waste per […]

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Sasol and Topsoe launch joing SAF venture 

Sasol and Topsoe launch joing SAF venture 

March 17, 2024 |

In The Netherlands, Sasol and Topsoe announced the successful launch of their joint venture, Zaffra.  With its headquarters based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Zaffra will focus on the development and delivery of SAF. The partners noted that Zaffra combines the extensive experience of Sasol in asset development, plant construction, and operating and technology expertise and […]

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DOJ investigating ADM’s ethanol trading operations

DOJ investigating ADM’s ethanol trading operations

March 14, 2024 |

In Illinois, Reuters reports the Department of Justice is investigating the ethanol trading operations at Archer Daniels Midland while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York similarly looking at the company to see if it inappropriately accounted for hedges. ADM has been fighting off lawsuits alleging that it manipulated ethanol prices. […]

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Poland’s E10 policy shifts ethanol flows eastward from ARA

Poland’s E10 policy shifts ethanol flows eastward from ARA

March 14, 2024 |

In Poland, Platts reports that the country’s new E10 policy that kicked off Jan. 1 has helped push T2 ethanol prices to a 13-year high of $744/cu m, forcing Eastern European ethanol supplies that traditionally would have gone to the key ARA port region in the Netherlands have instead been diverted to Poland. In turn, […]

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IRENA launches study on bioenergy potential in six Caribbean SIDS

IRENA launches study on bioenergy potential in six Caribbean SIDS

March 14, 2024 |

In the UAE, IRENA has launched a study on sustainable bioenergy in the Caribbean provides a holistic view of the bioenergy potential in six small island developing states in the Caribbean region – Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. The report assesses the potential for using various feedstocks, such as […]

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