Category: Top Stories

Why does biology take so long to make commercial products? A Job for BOB

Why does biology take so long to make commercial products? A Job for BOB

May 25, 2016 |

The profusion of government-based Three-Letter Acronyms got so out of hand at one stage that the Navy’s Director of Operational Energy Chris Tindal began a meeting not long ago with a slide that said, simply, EYA. Explain Your Acronym. But there’s one TLA that was so friendly and promising that it forms the exception to the […]

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Sub-$2/gallon biobased hydrocarbon fuels head for diesel-hungry India

Sub-$2/gallon biobased hydrocarbon fuels head for diesel-hungry India

May 24, 2016 |

India’s SunLight Fuels licenses IH2 Technology for hydrocarbon transportation fuels from agricultural waste In India, Sunlight Fuels has signed a Front End Loading license agreement for IH2 Technology with CRI Catalyst, a division of Shell. Project details The Sunlight Fuels agreement is the first IH2 FEL-2 license granted in India for a commercial scale plant. […]

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The Crash of ’18

The Crash of ’18

May 23, 2016 |

Economists are saying that the US is experiencing the “most-unloved bull market in history”. You might wonder why, if shares are rising, GDP is rising, unemployment is falling and inflation is steady, why is everyone so nervous? Let’s start here: If your story matches the average American investment experience, roughly half of your worth is […]

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EPA Is Trying to Get Out of Its Own Way on the RFS

EPA Is Trying to Get Out of Its Own Way on the RFS

May 22, 2016 |

By Brent Erickson, Executive Vice-President, Biotechnology Innovation Organization Special to The Digest In setting the 2014-2016 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited “practical and legal constraints” on the oil industry’s ability to meet the volumes established by Congress. The agency’s methodology in that rule – which it has now proposed […]

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Good news, kemosabe: Reverdia and Wageningen UR launch development of new Bio-PBS compounds

Good news, kemosabe: Reverdia and Wageningen UR launch development of new Bio-PBS compounds

May 19, 2016 |

In the Netherlands, Reverdia and Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research have launched a joint development programme on bio-based PBS (polybutylene succinate) compounds for injection moulding. The new bio-PBS compounds will be durable and based on Reverdia’s Biosuccinium. PBS? It’s found in everything from boxes, bags, tableware, even mulching films. We want it to be […]

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EPA proposes 18.8 billion gallons for US biofuels for 2017

EPA proposes 18.8 billion gallons for US biofuels for 2017

May 19, 2016 |

In Washington, the EPA released its draft Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2017. The agency proposed a total renewable fuel volumes of 18.8 billion gallons: The volumes The highlights Total renewable fuel volumes would grow by nearly 700 million gallons between 2016 and 2017. Advanced renewable fuel — which requires 50 percent lifecycle […]

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KiOR: the inside true story of a company gone wrong, Part 2

KiOR: the inside true story of a company gone wrong, Part 2

May 18, 2016 |

Note. This is Part 2 of our series on the inside true story of KiOR. In part 1 of our series, here, we explored: the formation of BIOeCON and KiOR, the problem of too much oxygen and coke, the entry of Khosla Ventures, and the loss of a CEO. Also, “a recipe for technical failure”, disastrous pilot […]

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KiOR: The inside true story of a company gone wrong

KiOR: The inside true story of a company gone wrong

May 17, 2016 |

Not long ago, KiOR quietly re-named itself Inaeris Technologies and launched a modest website which discussed the technology and management in little detail, but focused to an extraordinary extent on a declaration of values. Empowerment, honesty, fairness, “lessons learned from our collective experience” and so on. Warm, kindly Hallmark Card sentiments, universally popular, admired and […]

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Baseball, the Trade Deadline, and the Industrial Bioeconomy

Baseball, the Trade Deadline, and the Industrial Bioeconomy

May 16, 2016 |

Every July in American baseball a quiet shake-up occurs around what’s known as the trade deadline.  Right at the trade deadline, players rosters come under the microscope. Are we getting enough home runs from the right fielder? Could we find a cheaper options for first base? At that time, some teams are in the hunt […]

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Wassup, EU? The Top 10 Trends in Europe’s Advanced Bioeconomy

Wassup, EU? The Top 10 Trends in Europe’s Advanced Bioeconomy

May 15, 2016 |

In the EU, the European bioeconomy is generating 18.3 million jobs and driving €2.1 trillion in annual revenue in the E28, says nova-insitut, in a report for the Bio-based Industries Consortium. If we had any doubt about the EU’s commitment to moving forward, we saw that the Danish Minister for Business & Growth and the Minister […]

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