Breakthroughs in making consistent syngas from negative-cost municipal solid waste spells “big prospects” for Enerkem in biobased fuels and chemicals. “A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” Ralph Waldo Emerson In oil we have the crack spread, corn ethanol and soy-based biodiesel we have the crush spread; with municipal solid […]
The new trend in biofuels is not a biofuel at all – it’s an (usually unpronounceable) intermediate that can be refined into an array of fuels, chemicals, flavors, fragrances, and construction or packaging materials. Ptera-buta-thalic-what? We can hardly pronounce them, but we sure need to know about them. Amyris, KiOR, Renmatix, Virdia, Blue Sugars, Proterro, […]
Codexis, Shell redefine relationship; Codexis gains global rights; will lay off 133 staff; adopts anti-takeover measures; what does it mean for Shell, Raizen, Iogen, Codexis and Dyadic? What does it say about strategic investors in advanced biofuels? In California, Codexis announced that Shell has granted Codexis a royalty-bearing, non-exclusive license to develop, manufacture, use and […]
Despite low levels of publicity, North Dakota and Montana are making great strides in bioeconomy development – with a combination of strong R&D, feedstock abundance and some hot processing technologies. The Dakotas used to be best-known, in billboard lore, for the 300-or so highways signs promoting Wall Drug that stretch several hundred miles in either […]
As the US and Canada take a day off, we look at the hottest advanced technologies developing in Asia. Today, the US and Canada are celebrating Labor Day, but hard work goes on throughout Asia. Advanced biorefineries have a special place in that region’s growth plans, owing to a shortage of fossil fuels, and abundance […]
As we head into the Labor Day holiday and we look back on a big summer for biofuels development, there has been the Summer of Algae II underway for the past couple of weeks. There’s been the drought, and the policy fight over the Renewable Fuel Standard. But in many respects, its been a summer […]
By Robert Rapier Distillates are petroleum products that includes diesel, jet fuel, and fuel oil. Renewable distillates may be categorized as substitutes or drop-in replacements. The most common distillate substitute is biodiesel, and drop-in replacements can be produced via hydrotreating or gasification plus Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology. Biodiesel is produced by reacting fats like vegetable oil […]
44 biofuels thought-leaders, rock stars, and tellers of cautionary tales — in one place, at one time — to reflect on the present and chart a course for the future. This October 29th, the Biofuels Digest community will be gathering again in San Francisco for Advanced Biofuels Markets. Complete event information is here. Our dream is […]
South Dakota has become one of the fastest-growing states in the US, at the same time as it has achieved energy independence through development of its biofuels fleet. Coincidence, or correlation? We look at the data, and the trends powering South Dakota’s biofuels industry. If you happen to be a devotee of spreadsheets released by […]
What is a Green Crude Farm, how does it displace petroleum via algae, and how does it operate? Today, the Digest goes in-depth with the world’s most unique farming system, cultivating a direct petroleum substitute as a crop. In New Mexico, Sapphire Energy announced that the first phase of its Green Crude Farm, the world’s […]
