Methanol and DME – intermediates of great interest – can they make it as finished fuels? Robert Rapier gives us the hard data and the bottom line. By: Robert Rapier, Energy Trends Insider In the past few issues of Energy Trends Insider, I looked at some of the companies and the technologies involved in producing […]
New downloadable reports from Environmental Entrepreneurs and PriceWaterhouseCoopers detail strong advances in advanced biofuels, chemicals, wood, plastic and rubber sectors. In California, Environmental Entrepreneurs has just released its annual survey of advanced biofuels, the Advanced Biofuels Market Report for 2012, and is projecting that, for the US and Canada, advanced biofuels production (qualifying for RFS2 […]
In California, the Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) today announced the execution of the long-term Development Agreement enabling the 10-15 year major biofuel/bioenergy project between CERT, BioJet, and Tartoosh Environmental. The project, tagged “Thunderbird”, is a multi-feedstock, multi-technology set of projects anticipated to build out in excess of $3 billion. This initiative is seen […]
Biogas is on the comeback – just as the Toto launches a poop-powered motorbike and draws new attention to the question of what to do with all that sludge. Pike Research biofuels guru and noted Digesterati Mackinnon Lawrence marches us (gingerly) across the wastescape. Last month, Japanese toilet company Toto Ltd., debuted a first-of-kind poop-powered, three-wheeled […]
Launches subsidiary, Joule Fuels, led by oil and energy experts to advance global deployment of industry’s first direct solar-to-fuels platform. In Massachusetts, Joule announced the commissioning of its first SunSprings demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico, where the company will prove its scalable platform for solar fuel production – the first of its kind – […]
Is “all of the above” going to be “enough of the above”? Is the world heading for a politically untenable period of energy scarcity? As we observe 9/11, let’s look at seawater-based technologies and platforms that could provide alternatives to a looming Big Shortfall. Back in early 2010, SynGest CEO Jack Oswald pointed out that […]
In Massachusetts, Agrivida announced that it has raised $15 million as part of a Series C financing to advance the development and commercialization of its proprietary technologies. Bright Capital Partners led the round. Other Series C investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, DAG Ventures, Prairie Gold, Presidio, Gentry Venture Partners, Northgate Capital, Alexandria Real […]
Closely-watched green gasoline producer collapses as Waste Management declines next financing round. What does it mean for companies like Fulcrum Bioenergy, Enerkem, Agilyx, Agnion, Renmatix, Genomatica, and InEnTec? The Digest looks at the inside story. In Texas, Terrabon filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection; the company’s operations will cease and a trustee will be tasked […]
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, […]
