In Texas, Texas A&M University researchers have uncovered an efficient way to use leftover sludge to make biodegradable plastics. In the September issue of the journal American Chemical Society (ACS) Omega, the researchers report that the bacterium Zobellella denitrificans ZD1, found in mangroves, can consume sludge and wastewater to produce polyhydroxybutyrate, a type of biopolymer that can be used […]
In Belgium, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of the existing aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources and efficient co-generation in Estonia. The measure will help Estonia reach its renewable energy targets and will contribute to the new European objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, […]
In Luxembourg, ECBF Management GmbH announced a second closing of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF). Reaching EUR175 million, ECBF has more than doubled its fund-size within two months after starting its operations. ECBF is the first venture fund exclusively focusing on the bioeconomy and circular bioeconomy in Europe. With a targeted fund-size of EUR250 […]
In Nebraska, Green Plains Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Green Plains Hereford LLC, has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Hereford Ethanol Partners, L.P. to sell its 100 million gallon ethanol plant located in Hereford, Texas for $39 million, plus working capital, and an earnout provision of up to $75 million related to certain […]
In France, Sumitomo Chemical and Axens signed a license agreement of ethanol-to-ethylene technology Atol® for Sumitomo Chemical’s waste-to-polyolefins project in Japan. In the project, to promote circular economy, Axens’ Atol® technology will transform ethanol produced from waste into polymer-grade ethylene that will be polymerized in Sumitomo Chemical’s assets into polyolefin, a key product in the […]
In Belgium, Borealis and Bionerga have commissioned Biostoom, a new waste-to-energy plant constructed and operated by Bionerga in Beringen, Belgium. The long-term agreement between Borealis and Bionerga, a Belgium-based specialist in recovering energy from waste, has enabled Borealis to move closer to its goal of sourcing 50% of its total electricity consumption from renewable sources […]
In Austria, OMV is currently investing nearly EUR200 million in the Schwechat Refinery so it will be able to substitute large quantities of fossil diesel with biodiesel in an innovative co-processing approach. With this process, the hydrogenated vegetable oil should lead to an annual reduction in OMV’s carbon footprint of up to 360,000 metric tons […]
In the UK, Quadrise Fuels a new sustainable fuel product “bioMSAR®” that utilizes its proprietary MSAR technology to combine renewable glycerol with water and refinery residues to produce an oil-in-water emulsified synthetic heavy fuel oil (HFO). The primary benefits of bioMSAR® over HFO are lower emissions, including 20-30% less carbon dioxide (CO2), lower NOx and […]
In New York state, Cornell University bioengineers have found a way to efficiently absorb and store large-scale, low-cost renewable energy from the sun – while sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide to use later as a biofuel. The key: Let bioengineered microbes do all the work. Researchers have assembled theoretical solutions and models that calculate efficiency in […]
In Washington, Reuters reports the Environmental Protection Agency aims to release its draft proposal for 2021 RVO by December 31 with the final rule approved by June 2021. Brownfield Ag News reports that an EPA official said those dates published on the agency’s agenda website were not carved in stone and it would be difficult […]
