Dire US media headlines abound: “Drought!” What’s real, what’s hype, and what are the impacts? More importantly, what alternatives does science give us now, and in the future, with more drought-tolerant energy and food crops? The Reuters report could not have been more stark this week from a field in Illinois. “We’re in a critical […]
Rainy summer day got you down? How about some breakthroughs with bacterial microbes you might find in the house or yard? 6 Monster Microbial Breakthroughs for Biofuels You probably heard the old saying about home maintenance. If it doesn’t move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and it shouldn’t, use duct tape. Well, […]
Today, in the United States the bands and bunting will be on display, because it is Independence Day. But is freedom really sustainable, without energy independence too? It would be a sweeter thing, political independence, if it were accompanied by more energy independence. For examples, choices at the pump that didn’t involve wealth transfers to […]
Domestic, diversified military fuels or affordable fuels? “False choice!” says Obama. Want to know all about the Administration’s ambitious, multi-agency program for cost-competitive military biofuels, but haven’t the time to plow through the mountain of documents? The Digest’s 10-Minute Guide gives you the news you can use. It’s finally here. The Obama Administration has laid […]
Wondering where biofuels are going in a world of low-cost natural gas and titanic battles over renewable fuel standards? We look at the latest on gas-biomass hybrids, and even further down the line at 5 pathways that may emerge as winners. In April, we took a look at falling natural gas prices and the bio-based […]
After a nine-fold production increase in the 2000s, global annual investment in biofuels declined 20% between 2010 and 2011, and capacity expansion has slowed. What’s the mid-term growth outlook? By Mackinnon Lawrence In the world of finance, a market gray zone is a hazy realm of disillusioned bulls and restless bears. The market neither gains […]
The United States Navy may be laboring under a congressional ban on biofuel purchases that cost more than bargain basement fossil fuels, but no one said the Navy can’t burn the biofuel it’s already got. And that’s important because if you look at history, Congress generally loosens its military purse strings only when it fears […]
As bio-based companies race across the Valley of Death, in the dash for scale, who’s getting financing now, and how? The path to financing success in bio-based project development used to be a little less complicated. Raise seed money from friends and family. Series A and B with your friendly local VC, to prove the […]
Time for more Fortune Cookies – aphorisms and entertainments that came to mind, here in Digestville, as we reported on the fast-growing biofuels industry. Early last year, we published a collection of 100 “Fortune Cookies”. It is the zeitgeist of the times, we suppose, that short and peppy sayings that can meet the 140-character Twitter […]
Part 2: As the biobased revolution moves into the commercialization stage, new products and enabling technologies continue to surface that offer tantalyzing opportunities. In yesterday’s Part I, we looked at 6 innovation-stage companies worth keeping a close eye on – some practically brand-spanking new – others have been flying under the radar for several years. […]
