In Missouri, the National Corn Growers Associaitonhas added a video and an interactive educational module to its online learning tools concerning water quality management. The video, titled “Driving Change,” showcases NCGA members describing the practices they are implementing to enhance water quality on their farms and in their area. The 30-minute NCGA Water Issues Learning […]
In Washington, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and BIOCOM today thanked Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) for introducing legislation that would make renewable chemicals eligible for support in the USDA Biorefinery Assistance Program. Mr. Peters offered the legislation as an amendment to be considered during House floor debate on the Farm Bill, expected this week. “Numerous innovative […]
In Washington, the National Biodiesel Board announced that it has hired Lindsay Fitzgerald to fill a new position overseeing regulatory affairs in Washington, D.C. Fitzgerald comes to NBB from the EPA, where she served as a specialist in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality working on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
As Gevo recommences the switchover to bio-based isobutanol at its first commercial plant, we look in-depth at 2012’s contamination issues — and the prospects and path forward. In Colorado, Gevo announced that it has resumed commercial production of isobutanol at its Luverne, Minn. plant in single train mode, successfully utilizing its proprietary Gevo Integrated Fermentation […]
In Illinois, zuChem, a producer of unique carbohydrates for human health and nutrition, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark office has recently issued two patents – US 8,367,346 entitled “Methods for Production of Xylitol in Microorganisms”, and US 8,338,147 entitled “Process for producing D-Mannitol”. These two patents expand zuChem’s technology portfolio for […]
In Georgia, a group of researchers led by the University of Georgia’s Mike Adams have found another thermophilic bacterium with amazing properties — this time, finding a bacterium that can, without pretreatment, break down biomass, including lignin, and release sugars for biofuels and chemicals production. The group writes in Energy & Environmental Science, “the majority […]
The Biofuels Digest Index, an index of publicly traded biofuels stocks, dropped 1.23 percent to 72.39 as advanced biofuels tumbled. For the day, Ceres (CERE) retreated 12.50 percent to $3.29 , while Codexis (CDXS) retreated 2.21 percent to $2.66 after a big gain Friday. Among other equities, Amyris (AMRS) fell 6.09 percent to $2.62. Overall, […]
In Massachusetts, as tipped in the Digest yesterday, Myriant announced the successful start-up at its flagship bio-succinic acid plant located in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Myriant has produced on-spec commercial product at the plant and the Company anticipates that customer shipments will commence soon. Myriant’s bio-succinic acid plant is the first of its kind and scale […]
In the UK, the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013 – the 62nd annual report – revealing the largest single-year increase in US oil production ever recorded, and the first drop in biofuels production since 2000. The US recorded the world’s highest growth in production of both oil and natural gas in 2012, on the […]
At the World Bank, economists took on the problem of food price increases, noting “From 1997–2004 to 2005–12 nominal prices of energy, fertilizers, and precious metals tripled, metal prices went up by more than 150 percent, and most food prices doubled. Such price increases, especially in food commodities, not only fueled a debate on their […]
