Author Archive: Jim Lane

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The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of May 10th, 2018

The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of May 10th, 2018

May 10, 2018 |

The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking these on a weekly basis to keep pace with the changes. Here are the top innovations for the week […]

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Tech-agnostic, integrated, diversified biorefineries: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to SG Preston

Tech-agnostic, integrated, diversified biorefineries: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to SG Preston

May 8, 2018 |

SG Preston is a Philadelphia-based bioenergy company, which has unveiled its Multi-Facility Program that will include the development and construction of a series of commercial volume, advanced biofuels manufacturing plants, initially in the U.S. Midwest and Canada. Here’s an overview of the company and its technologies and plans. Not to mention, a partnership with Jet Blue for […]

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Trump OKs year round E15 ethanol, nixes RIN caps, in dramatic White House meeting

Trump OKs year round E15 ethanol, nixes RIN caps, in dramatic White House meeting

May 8, 2018 |

In Washington, President Trump has agreed to allow for the sale E15 year-round. The news was shared by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, emerging from a White House meeting with President Trump to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard also attended by Sens. Joni Ernst, Ted Cruz and Pat Toomey, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and USDA […]

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Capital Light Scale-Up : Utopia or Perfect Storm? 

Capital Light Scale-Up : Utopia or Perfect Storm? 

May 7, 2018 |

By Mark Warner, PE, Founder, Warner Advisors LLC Special to the Digest Capital light scale-up utilizes existing fermentation facilities, in lieu of purpose-built demonstration facilities, to bring advanced technologies to market faster and with less capital burn.  It is a great plan if it can be executed, but risk comes in the form of limited options, […]

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Accelerating Ag Innovation: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the USDA Agricultural Research Service

Accelerating Ag Innovation: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the USDA Agricultural Research Service

May 7, 2018 |

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority and provide information access and dissemination to: Ensure high-quality, safe food, and other agricultural products; Assess the nutritional needs of Americans; Sustain a competitive agricultural economy; […]

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Debate over the RFS is playing out on the political stage: The public discussion rarely considers American consumers.

Debate over the RFS is playing out on the political stage: The public discussion rarely considers American consumers.

May 6, 2018 |

By Donnell Rehagen. CEO, National Biodiesel Board The biofuels industry found itself in an unusual position for much of the past 12 months. Typically confined to debates in the trade press, biofuels-related headlines are now splashed across the mainstream media. It’s new for most observers to see a host of Washington, D.C., political analysts race […]

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Estonian forest magic: Sweetwater, Graanul to build first commercial biorefinery for cellulosic sugars, lignin

Estonian forest magic: Sweetwater, Graanul to build first commercial biorefinery for cellulosic sugars, lignin

May 4, 2018 |

Sweet news arrives from New York and Estonia. Sweetwater Energy and Europe’s largest wood pellet producer, the Tallinn, Estonia-based AS Graanul Invest, said that they will build a commercial-scale integrated biorefinery that will produce clean cellulosic sugars and highly pure lignin from 50,000 tons of local hardwood each year. In addition, the plant will allow […]

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Succinctly succinic: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Reverdia and bio-succinic acid

Succinctly succinic: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Reverdia and bio-succinic acid

May 3, 2018 |

Reverdia is a joint venture between Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, and Roquette Frères, the global starch and starch-derivatives company. Reverdia is dedicated to be the global leader in the market for sustainable succinic acid, focusing on market development by establishing partnerships with direct and indirect customers, building on customer […]

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DOE to invest $78M in Bioenergy Research Funding Opportunities

DOE to invest $78M in Bioenergy Research Funding Opportunities

May 3, 2018 |

In Washington,  U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced four funding opportunities totaling up to $78 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. “The Department of Energy is focused on some of the most exciting research opportunities as well as the biggest […]

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Duckweed Redux: are duckweed’s ducks finally in a row for protein, fuels and more?

Duckweed Redux: are duckweed’s ducks finally in a row for protein, fuels and more?

May 2, 2018 |

In California, Greenbelt Resources Corporation and Duckweed DAYS commenced their inaugural Duckweed Project to commercialize the duckweed model developed by the Andrew J. Young Foundation. Tests conducted during a pilot program indicated that protein extracted from duckweed was one of the most nutritious vegetable organic protein with essential amino acids, and the bio-refining process was efficient, sustainable […]

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