Major Stories
Production of Hydrogen at Industrial Scale – State of the Art and Future Prospects
By Qi Chen, Lee Enterprises Consulting Special to The Digest In the quest for a sustainable energy future, hydrogen has been recognized as a key, offering versatile applications across industries. It has become a vital vehicle of decarbonization. As we delve into the intricate landscape of industrial-scale hydrogen production, this paper aims to unravel its […]
The 2024 Holmberg Address: Transcript of remarks by 2024 Laureate Thomas J. Vilsack, US Secretary of Agriculture
You know, there’s always a bit of melancholy associated with receiving a lifetime achievement award sort of suggests that you might be at the end of the road. But I don’t feel that way. And I’m honored to be back speaking to you today. This is I think, my fourth opportunity to speak to this […]
USDA releases new Bioeconomy Report and Implementation Plan
At ABLC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a plan that will boost biomass supply chain resiliency for domestic biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing environmental sustainability and market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. The report — Building a Resilient Biomass Supply: A Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America is one of the […]
Project Risk Ratings released as first deliverable from the 40 Bold Actions to Accelerate the Bioecoinomy
At ABLC, a partnership of the Digest, Boundless Impact and Ecostrat released Project Risk Ratings the first deliverable from the 40 Bold Actions to Accelerate the Bioeconomy, as drafted by the Bold Goals Action Group in 2024. The Action Group, in seeking ways and means to accelerate bioeconomy project development, found that financiers and strategic […]
Vilsack accepts Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy
At ABLC, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, accepted the William C. Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy and in his Holmberg Address said that “There’s a competition going on here. There can only be one winner, and that’s us. We need to be the premier leader of this new clean […]
8-Slide Guides
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the Global impacts of enhancing domestic ecosystem carbon sinks
30-50% of the CO2 removals needed for a net zero U.S. economy could come via domestic terrestrial carbon sink enhancements. What’s needed? A project supported by DOE aims to specifyU.S. cropland carbon sink strategies and quantify potential impacts on global agriculture production,land use, and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Patrick Lamers of NREL presented these […]
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to the State of the Advanced Bioeconomy
In this presentation, we explored the state of the industry — including the renewable diesel, DME, SAF, hydrogen, renewable chemicals, materials, advanced biorefinery, efuels and carbon capture sectors. We looked at processes, feedstocks, products, finance, p[rices and risk. The Digest’s Jim Lane presented these slides at ABLC 2024.
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Preprocessing
A team of researchers is working to develop science-based design and operation principles informed by TEA/LCA that result in predictable, reliable, and scalable performance of preprocessing unit operations. The comminution and fractionation manuals that industry needs will contain design principles for various working envelopes of CMAs and critical process parameters (CPPs) for corn stover, forest […]
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Variability
Industry needs to understand key sources of biomass variability (e.g., growth conditions, harvest conditions, storage degradation) to identify and quantify CMA distributions that propagate across unit operations to inform cost-effective management of variability. A team of researchers is working to identify and quantify the initial distribution of feedstock critical material attributes (CMAs) and inform strategies […]
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Feedstock Material Handling
A primary challenge in the design of a biorefinery is the storage, transport, and reactor feeding of the biomass feedstocks. Material handling/feeding is prone to process upsets such as jamming and clogging, resulting in increased downtime and ultimately higher costs. Commercial-scale conversion of biomass in biorefineries remains limited. A team of researchers aim to develop […]
The Latest World News
EverWind Fuels signs MOU with Eastward Energy for Nova Scotia green hydrogen
In Canada, EverWind Fuels signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nova Scotia-based energy distribution company Eastward Energy, marking a significant initial step towards making green hydrogen available in Nova Scotia.The partnership between EverWind and Eastward Energy signifies a mutual commitment to sustainable energy solutions that reduce carbon emissions and promote environmental stewardship in Nova Scotia.The […]
Australian Constructors Association calls for government support for low carbon fuels
In Australia, Australian Constructors Association (ACA) released a pivotal report underscoring the crucial role of decarbonizing the construction industry in achieving Australia’s net zero ambition. ACA’s report reveals domestic renewable diesel industry would have a range of additional benefits beyond construction decarbonization, including lower air pollutants and better air quality, energy security, local employment and […]
India launches E100
In India, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs, launched ‘ETHANOL 100, a revolutionary automotive fuel at IndianOil Retail Outlet M/s. Irwin Road Service Station,here today. Starting from today, customers can avail ETHANOL 100 at select 183 retail outlets across five states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar […]
World Energy invited to submit Part II application for $2B DOE loan guarantee
In Massachusetts, World Energy has been invited by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to submit the Part II Application for an approximately $2 billion loan guarantee through the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program. The Title 17 program, offered through the DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) and established by the Energy Policy Act of […]
CapturePoint sells tax credits related to CCS at its Kansas facility
In Texas, CapturePoint has closed on a private Section 45Q direct transfer tax credit transaction for carbon dioxide (CO2) captured at the company’s Arkalon facility near Liberal, Kansas and utilized for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO2-EOR) operations in the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. The CapturePoint Arkalon CO2 capture facility has the capacity to […]
R&D News
Drax joins University of Sheffield’s newly-launched Energy Innovation Centre
In the UK, Drax has become the latest founder member of the University of Sheffield’s newly-launched Energy Innovation Centre. The new partnership will drive forward research into next generation carbon capture technology, including innovations in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS. Drax joins Boeing as the second founder member of the Energy Innovation […]
Chinese researchers develop catalist to activate ethanol into butadiene
In China, butadiene, one of the most important light olefins in the petrochemical industry with a global production capacity of 18 million metric tons per year, is currently produced through the extractive distillation of C4 fractions from naphtha steam cracking processes or dehydrogenation of C4 hydrocarbons, both of which involve extensive energy consumption and significant […]
University of Sheffield leads initiative to boost switch to a bio-based economy
In the UK, University of Sheffield academics, together with the Bio-Based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) and Green Rose Chemistry, have been awarded funding to scope out a UK-wide science and regulatory network to help speed up the switch to a bio-based economy. The initiative will bring together industrialists, academics, policy makers, government officials, retailers, […]
BOTTLE consortium team with North Face on sustainable PHAs
In Colorado, when worn, washed, and dried, clothing sheds—dispersing tiny fibers throughout homes, soils, and waterways that can take centuries to degrade. These fibers, often made of polyester and often too small to see, are a major—if invisible—source of microplastic pollution. By some estimates, fibers from polyester clothing account for nearly half of all microplastics […]
TU Delft researchers purify isopropanol and acetone from fermenting waste gases
In the Netherlands, in a major stride towards sustainable industrial fermentation, a team of researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands, has unveiled pioneering advancements in the purification of isopropanol and acetone from the fermentation of waste gases. The study, published in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, introduces novel […]
Policy & Policymakers
US Reps. LaHood and Feenstra send letters to Biden, Tai and Vilsack wanting stronger biofuel import policies
In Washington, U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) led two letters to the Biden Administration urging greater action in developing new markets for biofuels exports and calling on U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to continue working towards the full repeal of Brazil’s 18% tariff on American […]
EWABA welcomes expansion of Annex IX of the EU Renewable Energy Directive
In Belgium, EWABA, representing 55+ stakeholders from the EU waste-based and advanced biodiesel supply chain, welcomed the long-awaited inclusion of additional feedstocks in Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). This feedstock expansion will generally broaden the availability of waste-based and advanced biofuels for all transport modes and alleviate part of the pressure on […]
Philippine Government in talks with Airbus for carbon removal initiative
In the Philippines, Philippine News Agency reported that negotiations between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Airbus are underway for a potential collaboration on carbon removal initiative. “President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has obtained a commitment from giant aerospace company Airbus to work with the Department of Transportation on the use of modern technologies for biofuels […]
More than 60 EU NGOs raise concerns about reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis
In Belgium, a joint statement with the European Environmental Board and more than 60 non-governmental organizations raises serious concerns over the growing reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis. It stresses that, although the term ‘bio’ is often associated with health and nature, the ‘bioeconomy’ is actually having a devastating […]
Full analysis of EU biomethane specs and standards released
In Belgium, a full analysis on the specifications of different standards related to biomethane was carried out in the framework of the GreenMeUp project. The report will be made available shortly. The study also explores the guarantees of origin and standards related to digestates as an end-use product of biomethane. The creation of gas quality […]
Other Recent Articles
SoCalGas teams with Electrochaea and Livermore Lab to develop a single-stage electro-bioreactor
In California, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) announced its collaboration with Electrochaea and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on an innovative research project that aims to develop a single-stage electro-bioreactor to transform excess renewable electricity and biogas into carbon-neutral synthetic biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas (RNG). This approach could mark a significant advancement […]
CARBIOS and Landbell sign MOU for post-consumer PET biorecycling
In France, CARBIOS and Landbell Group signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding for the sourcing, preparation and recycling of post-consumer PET waste using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology at its first commercial plant in Longlaville from 2026. The partnership will leverage Landbell Group’s expertise and network in the sourcing of PET packaging and textile waste which will […]
Pope using wheelchair featuring wood from Notre Dame
In Vatican City, Pope Francis is solving his mobility issues with a religiously tricked-out wooden wheelchair. Designed by Paul de Livron, the Apollo Wooden Wheelchair is helping the Bishop of Rome adjust to persistent knee pain in places where his popemobile presumably can’t go. The wheelchair uses pieces of wood sourced from Notre-Dame Cathedral and […]
Meatly makes cultivated cat food, sees good growth paw-tential in pet food
In London, cultivated meat company Meatly has produced the world’s first can of cultivated cat food. Made in collaboration with Omni, a novel protein pet food company also located in the UK, the development is a significant step in Meatly’s B2B plans. Once granted regulatory approval, Meatly expects pet food made from cultivated meat to […]
Lush cosmetics swaps polluting packaging peanuts for edible puffs
In the United Kingdom, a cosmetics retailer credited with popularizing colorful “bath bombs” and unique soaps is using 100% edible packing peanuts instead of Styrofoam for its e-commerce business. Made from vegetable starch, an employee at Lush tells HelloGiggles the packing peanut alternative has a texture similar to cheese puffs and tastes like Pirate’s Booty […]
Bezos Earth Fund invests $60 million in Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein
In Miami, Bezos Earth Fund has committed an initial $60 million to establish the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. The centers, which are part of the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion commitment for transforming food, will target major technological barriers to reducing cost, increasing quality, and boosting nutritional benefit of alternative proteins by advancing science […]