Category: Top Stories

Vertibirds are GO: DOE OKs Vertimass drop-in biofuels technology, clears path to demo scale

August 22, 2017 | Jim Lane

In California, Vertimass gained its intermediate technology validation with the US DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office, which verified performance against negotiated milestones, provided progress on scale-up, and reviewed Vertimass’ estimated cost for their transformative catalytic technology. BETO verification effectively opens the door for Vertimass to move to demonstration scale of its technology for converting ethanol into gasoline, diesel, […]

Advances in carbon fiber and graphene tech: The higher purpose in higher value carbon products

August 21, 2017 | Jim Lane

Today we’d like to highlight advances in the production and use of higher-value forms of carbon as examples of a society slowly moving away from a hunter-gatherer culture in energy and materials and towards a pastoral and agricultural approach. Specifically we’ll look at clean, cost-efficient approaches of producing carbon fiber from biomass — including applications […]

Major study says “Cut cellulosic ethanol out”, RFA says “No Way Jose”

August 20, 2017 | admin

In Iowa, a new tractable multi-market model study finds that the RFS has substantially benefited the U.S. economy by lowering gasoline, crude oil prices, and crude oil imports, while increasing prices and benefits for corn and soy farmers and reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But in their ‘what if there was no RFS?’ scenarios and […]

Transformation time for Brazilian energy, agriculture

August 17, 2017 | Jim Lane

There he goes again. Bruce Rastetter, that is. It wasn’t enough to be one of the transformers of the US ethanol industry with the development of Hawkeye Renewables and its 450 million gallons of capacity. When Thomas H. Lee Partners bought 80% of the company in 2006 for a reported $312 million (some sources put […]

MetGen, Sweetwater unlocking lignin – the roughest, toughest, ornieri’st material that ever bushwhack’d a pioneer in the Valley of Death

August 16, 2017 | Jim Lane

MetGen, Sweetwater Energy say “there’s gold in them thar side-streams” For all of your questions about the advanced bioeconomy there’s just the one answer and that is “lignin”. Why don’t we see more biobased chemical plants built these days? Lignin. Why do people shy away from hardwoods as a raw material even though it’s sustainable, […]

The Valley of Fog: As Sundrop moves on from Louisiana, what’s up and what’s wrong with Loan Guarantee programs?

August 15, 2017 | Jim Lane

In Louisiana, reports surfaced in Alexandria’s TownTalk online paper that Sundrop Fuels has struck an agreement to sell the 1200-acre site where it once planned to build its $450 million, 50 million gallon capacity first commercial plant to produce green gasoline from woody biomass. The company selected the site, the former location of the Cowboy […]

Earnings season: An advanced bioecononomy’s health and wellness check-up

August 14, 2017 | Jim Lane

In today’s Digest, let’s look at trends driving the industry’s results at scale — and while money is not the measure of all progress, it is the ultimate yardstick and especially for companies that have reached industrial scale. So, let’s look at Q2 earnings statements now just coming out from four of the sector’s signature […]

Genomatica goes big with Bio-BG

August 12, 2017 | admin

The secret is out about new 1,3 butylene glycol In California, Genomatica continues to innovate in big ways with its latest Bio-BG butylene glycol using their new GENO BG process, which makes a naturally sourced 1,3 butylene glycol. This isn’t a pie in the sky innovation either as production already started in 85,000 liter fermentation […]

Make Energy Great Again, via BIOmass: The DOE’s MEGA-BIO project expands

August 10, 2017 | Jim Lane

This week, the U.S. Department of Energy revealed that it will award a fourth project—up to $1.8 million—under the MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels Funding Opportunity. That is, they call it MEGA-BIO, like a vitamin. We call it Make Energy Great Again, via BIOmass. The Side by Side theory In it’s essence, it’s the Side-by-Side Theory. Long […]

The Bioeconomy Investor and the decline in information channels, company awareness and fundamental research

August 9, 2017 | Jim Lane

Investing in the BioEconomy is a complicated endeavor, but can offer significant opportunities for the informed investor. The industry drivers are numerous and presents a puzzle that demands quality information flow, insight and analytics to succeed. Three storylines this week offer us evidence of a growing information gap, with fewer channels for insight and information to […]

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