Brazilian development arm takes 15% stake in cellulosic ethanol venture, and sweetens with low-cost loan for the first commercial project. In Brazil, BNDESPAR, the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) venture group, announced a $294 million equity investment in GraalBio — aimed at the developing technology and projects in cellulosic ethanol and renewable […]
In Denmark, Novozymes appointed Peder Holk Nielsen as President and CEO, effective April 1, 2013, succedding Steen Riisgaard, who steps down in a planned succession after 12 years as CEO and 33 years with the company and Novo Industri/Novo Nordisk. Digest readers will be familiar with Nielsen, who has been serving most recently as Novozymes’ […]
Though building capacity globally, Solazyme’s operations in Brazil are getting traction fast – and raised $235M last week. How much oil could be produced in Brazil via sugar-munching microalgae? Today, the Digest looks at Solazyme’s progress and the bigger picture. In California, two monster announcements came out of Solazyme headquarters last week. One related to project finance […]
Impossible to cross? Or merely inconvenient to incumbents? In today’s Digest, we look at what the oil industry has termed the “ethanol blend wall” to find the stones with which it is constructed and the windows that might provide access to wonders on the other side. It was the last speech that John F. Kennedy […]
The long and sometimes perilous journey to financing Enerkem’s first commercial project appears to have reached the sunny shores of Completionland. We look at what it took. In Canada, Enerkem announced that it has closed a $37.5 million financing with Waste Management of Canada Corporation, a subsidiary of Waste Management, and EB Investments for Enerkem […]
Front Range becomes third ethanol plant in 3 weeks to head for cost reductions, RIN opportunities with advanced feedstocks, technology. Sweetwater Energy’s deal-flow-a-go-go. In New York, Sweetwater Energy announced a 15-year commercial agreement with Colorado-based Front Range Energy, to supply renewable sugars for up to 3.6 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year during the […]
In Washington, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement today regarding the announcement that he will continue his service in the Obama Administration. “President Obama and I share a deep appreciation for rural America and its unlimited potential in the years ahead to feed a growing world population, revolutionize America’s energy, further protect our […]
Strong biofuels flight results, advances in algae, new commitments in venture capital and revived interest from the Canadian Navy. Biofuels are off to a fast start in 2013 in Canada. Canada’s been known for years as the home of several important technology players – Iogen, for one; but more recently, Greenfield Ethanol has been aiming […]
Bio-Refinery Begins Operations Turning Co-Cropping into Fuels, Chemicals Deep in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam a small bio-refinery is converting seaweed into protein, fuel-blendable alcohol, and a bacterial soil product. It is part of a bio-economy demonstration that is also enhancing shrimp quality and yield by co-cropping naturally-occurring aquatic plants as a bio-chemical feedstock. […]
It’s showtime for drop-in fuels, oils in a wave of USDA co-investments — and a shift in philosophy to from “Make New” to “Make Do”. On Friday, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $25 million in R&D grants via the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and its Biomass Research and Development Initiative, established […]
