Flour and oat “robots” could help replenish forests
In Italy, researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia have developed a “biohybrid” robot from flour and oat fruit that can be filled with seeds...
Verbio breaks ground on biobased specialties plant
In Germany, Verbio has broken ground on a biobased specialty chemicals plant at Bitterfeld.
The €80-100 million (USD$87.2-109 million) site will use Novel Prize-winning ethenolysis...
NatureWorks secures loan for Thailand PLA site
In Thailand, leading polylactic acid producer NatureWorks has obtained a $350-million loan to finance its fully integrated PLA plant at the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex....
Allozymes raises $15 million to scale enzyme solutions
In Singapore, enzyme engineering firm Allozymes has secured $15 million in Series A funding. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate its...
Harvard spinoff Circe Bioscience unveils gas fermentation platform
In Boston, Circe Bioscience has licensed a gas fermentation technology from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute that can produce molecules identical to sugars, fats, biodegradable...
Bioplastic ballistics: Beyond Plastic and Eco Shot develop sustainable shotgun wads
In Colorado, Beyond Plastic and Eco Shot have developed a biobased material to replace petroleum-based polyethylene and polypropylene in shotgun wads.
Wads are a critical...
Apple taps Sweden’s RISE for cellulose foam
In Sweden, Apple has partnered with RISE research institute to develop a biobased foam with applications in packaging, insulation, and lightweight composites.
According to RISE,...
Dairen Chemical joins biobased spandex pact
In Taiwan, Dairen Chemical Corporation has joined The LYCRA Company and Qore in developing biobased LYCRA Fiber, commonly known as spandex.
The three companies have...
SK Group breaks ground on biobased PBAT, PBS, and THF plant in Vietnam
In Vietnam, SK Group’s chemical division has broken ground on a VND11.8-trillion ($90.3-million) facility to produce biobased polybutylene adipate terephthalate, polybutylene succinate, and tetrahydrofuran.
The...
BCC forecasts strong growth for biobased leathers
In Massachusetts, BCC Research has released a report forecasting a “remarkable growth surge” for biobased leather.
The study looked at both fully and partly biobased...