“It was related that the party of explorers, at the extremity of their strength, had the constant delusion that there was one more member than could actually be counted.” Notes for The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot Thirty-six hours into the crossing, they were no longer men in any ordinary sense. Their clothes hung in […]
Editor’s Note: For Paul “Wolf” Bryan (1958–2026), a PhD chemical engineer, Chevron executive, former head of the DOE Biomass Program Office, and founding member of the Due Diligence Wolfpack. Paul was known for his clarity, biting wit, and insistence on real economics—warning against technologies that “needed two miracles,” and reminding us that oil was never […]
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the “BioCircular Valley,” a major 5-year project funded by Schmidt Sciences and FFAR to address agricultural supply chain inefficiencies. Partnering with UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and the USDA, the initiative tackles a critical bottleneck: growers currently sell only a fraction of the biomass they produce. The most newsworthy focus of […]
The drone wobbles. Not metaphorically—actually wobbles. A small, over-caffeinated machine hovering somewhere between technical triumph and public embarrassment as it tries to hold a steady shot over the sunlit deck. “—and if we could just bring that in a little tighter—no, not into the lifeboat—pull back—God, Brian, pull back—” The travel host—linen shirt, wind-mussed hair, […]
The presentation from Iogen focuses on identifying the next wave of advanced biofuels, specifically searching for clues to the “next billion-gallon biofuel”. Drawing on lessons from the last quarter-century, the most newsworthy takeaway is the assertion that future success in the bioeconomy will rely more on market opportunity than on pure technological innovation. The presentation […]
In Florida, The Digest announced the official opening of nominations for the 50 Hottest Companies in the Bioeconomy for 2026. Voting Rules Voting and nominations are open to all registered Digest subscribers and ABLC delegates. Nominations Hot 50 nominations will begin Tuesday, April 7, 2026 and continue through Friday, May 1, 2026 at 5pm ET. […]
Ariel Green, a division of Ariel Re (Lloyd’s of London), introduced specialized insurance products designed to bridge the “First-of-a-Kind” (FOAK) gap for net-zero technology projects. The most newsworthy aspect is their deployment of Technology Performance Insurance, including “Startup Repair Cover” and “Long-term Output Cover”. These policies mitigate operational risks by covering OPEX and debt service […]
At the world’s tightest energy chokepoints — from the Strait of Hormuz to the policy corridors of Washington — the conversation has already shifted. The question is no longer “How green is it?” It’s “Will it hold?” In a recent TechTransfer discussion hosted by Digesterati Cameron Begley with the Digest’s Jim Lane as guest we explored […]
By Oliver Booth Special to the Digest On March 2, 2026, the global energy landscape was thrust into chaos when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, threatening to target any vessel attempting to transit. The closure followed US-Israeli military strikes on Iran that began on February 28. By […]
Tandem Repeat Inc. is pioneering scalable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly textile fibers using precision fermentation. The most newsworthy milestone is their asset-light operational scale-up, culminating in a 5,000 kg protein production capacity target for Q4 2026. They have secured over 1,000 tonnes of protein production via North American partnerships and over 100 tonnes of European-based spinning […]
