In California, two of the five petroleum refineries in the Bay Area have submitted permit applications to modify the facility operation to process alternative feedstocks with the intention of producing “renewable” products. These facilities use the term “renewable” to mean they will be producing fuel and other products by processing non-petroleum feedstocks. Petroleum refineries are […]
In China, scientists recently reported a de novo route for artificial starch synthesis from carbon dioxide (CO2) for the first time. Relevant results were published in Science on Sept. 24. The new route makes it possible to shift the mode of starch production from traditional agricultural planting to industrial manufacturing, and opens up a new […]
In Washington, Congresswomen Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Cindy Axne (D-IA-03), Angie Craig (D-MN-02) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led a bicameral group of Congressional members spanning seven states in a letter urging the Administration to increase biofuels usage and reject any reduction in biofuel blending requirements. After recent reports that the Administration may be considering lowering […]
In Texas, Ara Partners announced the closing of Ara Fund II with approximately $1.1 billion in capital commitments. The Fund was significantly oversubscribed, exceeding its $650 million initial target and increasing its hard cap. The Fund received commitments from a diverse set of returning and new institutional investors in North America, Europe and Asia, including […]
In Colorado, Gevo, Inc. has received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for a process that encompasses upgrading ethanol and bio-based alcohols into drop-in, bio-based diesel and jet-fuel products. The USPTO has awarded Gevo U.S. Patent No. 11,078,433 titled “Conversion of Mixtures of C 2 -C 8 Olefins to Jet […]
In Sweden, jointly owned by Setra and Preem, Pyrocell was formed in 2018 based on the business concept of producing bio-oil from sawdust. Production at the groundbreaking plant – Sweden’s first pyrolysis oil plant for biofuels – is now underway. Pyrocell’s plant is located at Setra Kastet sawmill in Gävle on Sweden’s Baltic coast. It […]
In New York state, Buffalo Business First reports Western News York Energy plans to invest $33 million in a major expansion project, allowing the company to distill 15 million gallons of high purity ethanol annually so it can enter the sanitizer market. The company sources most of its corn from within the state and as […]
In Romania, after four years of construction, Romania Insider reports that Clariant plans to complete its EUR140 million cellulosic ethanol facility this year, not only completing construction but also commissioning start up. Around 80,000 metric tons of straw will be collected during this current harvest season from 20 different partners to supply the facility’s startup. […]
In Nebraska, the Associated Press reports that the Sierra Club and Bold Nebraska, an NGO leading the charge against the XL Keystone pipeline, have come out against the proposed carbon dioxide pipelines by Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures. They claim the risk is too high of leakages, that regulation for this new kind […]
In California, Lehigh University Energy Research Center (ERC) has been awarded a new $3.5 million project by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of advanced technology for rapid detection and analysis of MSW streams. This project will be part of a $34 million effort from the Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) of the […]
