Author Archive: Jim Lane

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Biofuels Digest Index gains to 75.11 as ethanol equities recover

Biofuels Digest Index gains to 75.11 as ethanol equities recover

May 28, 2014 |

The Biofuels Digest Index, an index of publicly traded biofuels stocks, gained 0.75 percent to 75.11 as ethanol equities recovered.  For the day, The Andersons (ANDE) surged 9.81 percent to $50.94, while Biofuel Energy (BIOF) jumped 6.23 percent to $5.63. Among other equities, Valero (VLO) was up 3.63 percent to $55.69. Overall, advances led declines […]

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How to Make Friends and Win EPA Approvals: tips for biobased chemicals

How to Make Friends and Win EPA Approvals: tips for biobased chemicals

May 28, 2014 |

By Kathleen Roberts, Executive Director, Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group In last week’s Special Report on Scale-up in Industrial Biotechnology, the Digest noted that a consistent lesson shared by leading biotech heavyweights at the BIO World Congress scale-up session is to “avoid an afterthought approach to regulatory compliance.” As luck and good scheduling would […]

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Unconscious Green: how people who really change the world get the job done

Unconscious Green: how people who really change the world get the job done

May 28, 2014 |

Feeling ready to go to the next level, but trapped where you are by a lack of support? How do some companies find customers, finance, market conditions, stakeholders — when others don’t? What are the instruments of change, how are they tapped? To find out more, we start our story with a look at how Starbucks rocked the commodity-priced, […]

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Biofuels Digest Index in slight gain to 74.55 as advanced biofuels lead

Biofuels Digest Index in slight gain to 74.55 as advanced biofuels lead

May 27, 2014 |

The Biofuels Digest Index, an index of publicly traded biofuels stocks, edged up 0.20 percent to 74.55 as advanced biofuels gained.  For the day, Algae.Tec (AEB.AX) dropped 14.43 percent to $0.08, while Biox (BX.T) plunged 15.94 percent to $0.58. Among other equities, Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) surged 5.59 percent to $13.22 . Overall, advances and declines […]

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Defusing the cellulosic bomb inside the Renewable Fuel Standard

Defusing the cellulosic bomb inside the Renewable Fuel Standard

May 27, 2014 |

Thought the 2014 volume debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard was tough enough? What about the ticking bomb inside the RFS — that could completely flat-line the value of cellulosic RINs and make it near impossible to build cellulosic biofuels capacity for the US market, ever? Good news, though. This UXB, though deadly, may be […]

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Empyro breaks ground on biomass pyrolysis oil production plant in The Netherlands

Empyro breaks ground on biomass pyrolysis oil production plant in The Netherlands

May 27, 2014 |

In The Netherlands, Theo Rietkerk (Representative Economy, Energy and Innovation of the Province of Overijssel) has placed a foundation pillar to mark the start of construction of the Empyro pyrolysis oil production plant, located at the AkzoNobel site in Hengelo (The Netherlands). Construction will be complete by the end of 2014, and the project developers […]

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Italy mulling prospects for 79 million gallons of advanced biofuels capacity

Italy mulling prospects for 79 million gallons of advanced biofuels capacity

May 27, 2014 |

In Italy, the Ministry of Economic Development announced its intention to investigate the construction of  three advanced biofuel plants in Southern Italy, using non-food feedstocks. Biochemtex, the engineering arm of Mossi & Ghisolfi — parent along with Texas Pacific Group and Novozymes in Beta Renewables, is slated to build the facilities, which would be located in […]

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Patriot Renewable Fuels hires Leifmark to plan first stage of major US cellulosic ethanol project

Patriot Renewable Fuels hires Leifmark to plan first stage of major US cellulosic ethanol project

May 27, 2014 |

Inbicon technology planned as centerpiece of low-carbon, high-profit platform: “Patriot will lead the way.” In Illinois, Patriot Renewable Fuels announced that Leifmark has been hired to create a custom Project Definition, the first stage of a plan for co-locating an Inbicon Biomass Refinery on the site of Patriot’s 110 MMgy grain-ethanol plant in Annawan, Illinois. At […]

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When Refiners Cry Wolf, Who Will Be Fooled?

When Refiners Cry Wolf, Who Will Be Fooled?

May 26, 2014 |

EPA’s proposed rule went too far in correcting a problem largely of the refiners’ own making. It’s in the nation’s interest to put the final RFS rule back on course. By Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President; Head, Industrial & Environmental section Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Last year, it appears that the Philadelphia area oil refiners had […]

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Fortunately, unfortunately: pathways and barriers to algae biofuels at scale

Fortunately, unfortunately: pathways and barriers to algae biofuels at scale

May 25, 2014 |

Think algae biofuels are real and near? Or, think it’s a promotional scheme for attracting finance for nutraceuticals and academic bridges-to-nowhere? The barriers might be more, or less, daunting than you think. Let’s look at the recent data. Fortunately, there’s been much progress on the most important metric in growing algae — the rate of […]

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