by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Technology Development to convert biomass sugars to high value chemicals like THF, Furfural Acohol Funding
sugars
Back TO HOME4 Minutes with…Rob Yenne, President, Peloton Technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Peloton Technologies, LLC specializes in technologies for the production of bio-based fermentable sugars, advanced transportation
December 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Large Scale Microbial Production of Advanced Biofuels: How Big Can We Go?
by Gregory T. Benz (Benz Technology International, Inc./Biofuels Digest) Conventional biofuels, whether from starch, sugar or lignocellulosic materials, tend to
December 08, 2014 Read Full Article
Energy is Energy: Segregation of Renewable and Fossil Fuels Impedes Energy Security Goals
by Antoine Schellinger (South Texas Law Review/SSRN) Seven years after the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,
December 05, 2014 Read Full Article
Sweet Smell of Success: JBEI Researchers Boost Methyl Ketone Production in E. coli
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Two years ago, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute
December 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Edeniq Heads down Success-at-Scale Avenue, in China
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Virtuosos of Visalia land a major contract with China giant Global Bio-chem — a 50KT
December 03, 2014 Read Full Article
Evolva Acquires Allylix in $59M All-Share Transaction: What’s the Impact for Industrial Biotech?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But in the meantime, it appears to be an open-and-shut case that “new sugars”
November 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Cornstalks Aren't Just for Scarecrows Anymore
by Reanna Trudell and Daniel Adams (US Department of Energy) ... Our scientists have identified corn stover, which includes the corn plant’s
November 20, 2014 Read Full Article
The Inside Story of Renewable Energy Group, as CEO Dan Oh Visits with The Digest
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In many ways, REG is the entire industrial biotech business in a nutshell. They’re
November 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Transforming Toxic Waste into Green Energy
by Christian Durand (Concordia University) Emerging graduate research at Concordia seeks to turn pulp mills into dynamic biorefineries How can a struggling
November 03, 2014 Read Full Article
The Strange World of Super-Strong, Super-Light Nanocellulose
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Flexible electric circuits and solar panels? Advanced biofuels? New concretes and steel-like materials? New medical
October 30, 2014 Read Full Article
ZeaChem, Leaf Resources Sign Collaboration Agreement for Leaf Glycell
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Colorado, ZeaChem has signed a Collaboration Agreement with Leaf Resources. The agreement covers ZeaChem’s evaluation
October 20, 2014 Read Full Article
SynBioBeta Issues Report on Biofeedstock Company Proterro
(SynBioBeta/BusinessWire) Proterro, the only biofeedstock company that makes sucrose instead of extracting it from crops or deconstructing cellulosic materials, is
October 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Chempolis and NRL Teams up for Cellulosic Ethanol Production from Bamboo in Assam
(Chempolis) Chempolis Ltd, a Finland based biorefining technology corporation signed yesterday Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL,
September 15, 2014 Read Full Article
4 Minutes With…Mike Knauf, CEO, Rivertop Renewables
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... A couple of years ago, the combination of a great lifestyle and a highly promising
September 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Not Just Koala Chow: Genetic Secrets of Eucalyptus Tree Revealed
by Will Dunham (Reuters) Eucalyptus leaves are the main food supply for Australia's koalas, but there is a lot more to
August 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Making Money from Lignin: Roadmap Shows How to Improve Lignocellulosic Biofuel Biorefining
by Brett Israel (Georgia Institute of Technology) When making cellulosic ethanol from plants, one problem is what to do with
May 27, 2014 Read Full Article
Patriot Renewable Fuels Hires Leifmark to Plan First Stage of Major US Cellulosic Ethanol Project
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Inbicon technology planned as centerpiece of low-carbon, high-profit platform: “Patriot will lead the way.” In Illinois,
May 27, 2014 Read Full Article
Fermentable Cellulosic Sugars for Capex of 6.5 Cents per Gallon? Freakishly Low-Cost Venture Still at Early-Stage.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It’s a capex figure so low that it sounds like a decimal point is missing.
May 19, 2014 Read Full Article
DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office Announces Request for Information on Biofuel Pathways
(US Department of Energy) The Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced a request for information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on the
May 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Biofuels Digest Posts "Hot Slides" from Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On ABLC's opening morning, we have some of the top slides -an inside look from
April 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Hydro Dynamics Cavitation Reactor Installed at Pilot Plant
(Hydro Dynamics/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Hydro Dynamics Inc. of Rome, Ga., has announced that a ShockWave Power Reactor has been purchased and
March 25, 2014 Read Full Article
CRIBE, GreenField Partner to Test Demonstration Technology
(Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy is
March 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Governor Cuomo Announces Funding for Eastman Business Park Bioscience Manufacturing Center in Rochester
(Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the State will commit $3 million
March 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Proterro Wins Key Notice of Allowance for its Photobioreactor from USPTO
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Photobioreactor is a key innovation in Proterro’s patented sugar-making process now deployed at the company’s
February 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Sweetwater Energy Gets $2.5M Award from NY State
(Democrat & Chronicle) Sweetwater Energy Inc. has won a $2.5 million award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to
December 23, 2013 Read Full Article
UK Firm to Add 200 Jobs at Eastman Business Park
by Tom Tobin (Democrat & Chronicle) Naturally Scientific Technologies Ltd., a business described as an anchor in the Eastman Business Park's
November 20, 2013 Read Full Article
A Piece of Research Shows that Genetically Modified Tobacco Plants Are Viable as Raw Material for Producing Biofuels
(Basque Research) In her PhD thesis Ruth Sanz-Barrio, an agricultural engineer of the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and researcher at
October 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Highlights from 2013 ABLC-Next; Hot Slides, Hot Perspectives, Parts I, II, III, IV and V
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As ABLC-Next concludes, here is the first installment in a review of the hottest slides, stories,
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Solazyme, LanzaTech, KiOR, Sapphire Energy and Gevo Take Top Slots in The 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2013-14
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “This year, the voters went global in picking four companies out of the top 10
October 11, 2013 Read Full Article
The One-Stop, Get It Hot, Biobased Candy Men: Midori and Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Midori reports they have broken through on a 100-year quest for low-cost cellulosic sugars. And
September 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Rochester Institute of Technology Students Learn About Sweetwater’s Plant-Sugar Mixture for Production of Biofuels
(AZOCleanTech) A collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology’s Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences and Sweetwater Energy Inc. will
July 26, 2013 Read Full Article
12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects – Where Do They Stand?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced biofuels – mirage or reality? In January we wrote: “When these 12 projects open
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
54.40 or Fight: the Cost of Biofuels, Emissions, Energy Security and Economic Development
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The financing of biofuels is founded, to put it as simply as possible, upon the
July 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Momentum: 12 Biobased Ventures Raise $435M in Q2 2013; 32 Projects Being Built off the Balance Sheet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Despite negative press from Bloomberg, biobased investing is surging, both direct and via strategics. The
July 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbo Analytics Awarded Department Of Energy Grant For Measuring Fermentable Sugar Content In Biofuel Raw Materials
(Carbo Analytics) Carbo Analytics, developers of sugar analysis systems, today announced that it has been awarded a Department of Energy (DoE)
July 10, 2013 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Technology— Pulp and Paper Style
by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) American Process applies forestry products know-how to cellulosic conversion. Though a relative newcomer to the
July 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Increased Enzyme Binding to Substrate Is Not Necessary for More Efficient Cellulose Hydrolysis
by Dahai Gao, Shishir P. S. Chundawat, Anurag Sethi, Venkatesh Balana, S. Gnanakaran, and Bruce E. Dale (Proceedings of the National
June 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Out of the Shell: Oil Giant’s Big Biofuels Ambitions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In an exclusive Digest interview, Shell’s VP for Alternative Energy, Matthew Tipper, reveals the company’s
May 14, 2013 Read Full Article
International Energy Agency Publishes Global Update of Advanced, Cellulosic Projects
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 39 group recently published a report that outlines
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
SEKAB Welcomes SP’s Engagement in the Biorefinery Demo Plant
(SEKAB) SEKAB E-Technology welcomes SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden’s (SP) engagement in the Biorefinery Demo Plant in Örnsköldsvik, previously
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Official Inauguration of Borregaard’s Biorefinery Demonstration Plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Norway, Norwegian Finance Minister Sigbjørn Johnsen officially inaugurated the Borregaard biorefinery demonstration plant in
May 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Cobalt, Mercurius, BioProcess Algae, Frontline Land $17.7M in Military Biofuels Grants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pilot-scale biorefineries for drop-in military diesel, jet fuel the focus of the DOE’s latest grant
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Versalis Invests $20M in Genomatica, Launches JV for Bio-based Butadiene
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Italy, Versalis and Genomatica announced the establishment of a technology joint venture for bio-based butadiene
April 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Making Do with More: Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Engineer Plant Cell Walls to Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) When blessed with a resource in overwhelming abundance it’s generally a good idea
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Better Biofuels
by James Hataway (UGA Research) ... Li Tan was examining some of the sugars, proteins and polymers that make up plant cell
March 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Biorefinery 2015 – The Shape of Advanced Biofuels to Come – Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today in part II, we look at a new set of technologies coming along that
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Davy Process Technology Ltd and SEKAB E-Technology Form Strategic Partnership
(SEKAB/Davy Process Technology) Davy Process Technology Limited (Davy), a Johnson Matthey company, andSEKAB, a leading player in the field of
March 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Good, But How Good?
by Thomas W. Kerlin (ISA Interchange) ...Plants convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar via photosynthesis using energy from the
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Investing in Biofuels and Biobased Intermediates
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) ...What exactly are they? As the name suggests, they are products made from renewable sources
January 11, 2013 Read Full Article
Delta BioRenewables Company Hits Milestone
(Associated Press/Jackson Sun) A Tennessee producer of sustainable feedstock has hit an important milestone by delivering its product to
January 01, 2013 Read Full Article
12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects for 2013
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A long war of opinion has been waged for years between advanced biofuels’ detractors and
January 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Making Sugars, Not Extracting Them: Proterro’s Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But very few are working in solid phase – where essentially instead of working
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Why Affordable Renewable Sugars are a Monster Prize
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Today, we could use a good five-cent renewable sugar, suitable for microorganisms that, from sucrose,
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
A Sugar Fix: Proterro, Biofuels and Affordable, Renewable Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why is making affordable renewable sugars potentially big business? Which intrepid investors have targeted biofuels’
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugars, Ho! EdeniQ to Build demo Plant in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biobased Digest) California’s cellulosic gearhead gurus head from the San Joaquin Valley to Sao Paulo, in search
December 11, 2012 Read Full Article
Garbage Bug May Help Lower the Cost of Biofuel
(University of Illinois/EurekAlert!) One reason that biofuels are expensive to make is that the organisms used to ferment the biomass
December 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Wood Completely Broken Down into Its Component Parts
(Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes) Crude oil is getting scarce. This is why researchers are seeking to substitute petroleum-based products
October 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Development Company Infinite Enzymes Wins Research Grant
by Michael Sheffield (Memphis Business Journal) Infinite Enzymes LLC has received a $450,000 Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant
September 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Super-cali-thali-terpa-butyl-peta What? The Hockey-Stickin’, Flash-Mobbin’ Growth in Biobased Intermediates
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The new trend in biofuels is not a biofuel at all – it’s an (usually
September 06, 2012 Read Full Article
The Top 10 Advanced Biofuels and Biorefining Companies in Asia
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...While the economic growth in China has been drawing virtually all the headlines in recent
September 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Waste Management and Renmatix Announce Agreement to Explore Conversion of Urban Waste to Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugar
(Renmatix) Companies embark on program to explore viability of MSW as inputs for PlantroseTM process Waste Management, Inc. , the leading provider
August 24, 2012 Read Full Article
EdeniQ, NREL, Aemetis, Kent Bioenergy among Winners of California Clean Energy Grants
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, the California Energy Commission approved funding of $23,110,015 for projects that will advance
June 14, 2012 Read Full Article
ThermoEnergy's Sugar Recovery System Meets Key Environmental Demands
(PRNewswire) -- At a time when regulatory agencies are increasing pressure for the disposal of wastewater containing soluble sugars, ThermoEnergy Corporation's
May 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Sugar Rush: The Race Is on to Commercialize Low-Cost, High-Quality Sugars from Nonfood Sources
by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) The biorefining industry is hungry for a low-cost, high-quality and readily available supply of sugar
May 02, 2012 Read Full Article
The Promise of Biotechnology Is Here Today, and Dyadic Is Determined to Make a Difference
(CFOCEO Magazine) ...Interview conducted by: Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor, CEOCFO Magazine, Published - April 20, 2012 ...C1 is a very unique
April 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Codexis Introduces CodeXyme™ Cellulase Enzyme Product Line for Biobased Chemicals
(Codexis) Codexis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDXS) today introduced the CodeXyme™ Cellulase enzyme product line to convert biomass to sugar, enabling cost effective
December 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Taking the Fuel Out of Biofuels
by Ben Lefebvre (Wall Street Journal) Unable to compete with petroleum products, biofuel companies have found replacement products to sell
December 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Comet Biorefining Inc. Announces Fabrication of Cellulosic Sugar Toll Facility
(TradingCharts.com) Comet Biorefining Inc., a leader in low cost cellulosic sugar technology, today announced that it has begun fabrication of a
November 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Advancing Next-gen Biofuels by Turning Up the Heat on Biomass Pretreatment Processes
by Marie Louise Ballon (U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute/Renewable Energy World) ...Published online October 2 in Nature Biotechnology,
October 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Iowa State Researchers Produce Cheap Sugars for Sustainable Biofuel Production
(Iowa State University) Iowa State University's Robert C. Brown keeps a small vial of brown, sweet-smelling liquid on his
October 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Renmatix Reveals Supercritical Hydrolysis as Lowest-Cost Pathway to Cellulosic Sugar
(PR Newswire/Renmatix) Kleiner Perkins' John Doerr, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, and Amyris CEO John Melo laud company's novel use of
September 27, 2011 Read Full Article
The Sugar Rush: 3 Companies Gold-Dig for Low-Cost Biorefining Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What this country really needs is a good, five-cent sugar. Got one? Riches await. One of
September 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Catching the Sugar Wave
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Not content to let Brazil hog all the glory, three development-stage companies eye sugar-based
August 23, 2011 Read Full Article
A Quick Way to Grade Grasses for Ethanol Yields
by Don Comis (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have developed an inexpensive
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest
(Climate Solutions) Alaska Airlines, The Boeing Company, Port of Seattle, Port of Portland, Spokane International Airport, and Washington State University
May 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Cadillac Sugars, Chevrolet Prices
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A new generation of technologists aim high in value, low in cost, as the race
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Transformers: 8 Technologies To Rock the Bio World
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Game changer, breakthrough, revolution, quantum leap. A lot of technologies arrive on the Digest’s doorstep
April 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Startup Proterro Engineers Bacteria For Higher Ethanol Producing Sugar Yield
by Mihai Sandru (UK.IBTimes Green Economy) Princeton-based startup Proterro has announced the development of a technology that can produce
April 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Brazilalot: Heard on the Floor at World Biofuels Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The hottest companies in bioenergy all know it – the name of the game is
March 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Startup Launches Chemical Side Business
by Nathalie Weinstein (Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon) Research into sugar-based biofuels requires sugar not sold at a grocery store. Corvallis start-up Trillium
February 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Shell, Codexis to Roll Out Cellulose Technology for Biofuel
by Eduard Gismatullin (Bloomberg) Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil company, and Codexis Inc. will roll out technology this year to make
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Vinod Khosla on Biofuel Feedstocks
by Vinod Khosla (GreenTechMedia) Imagination is in shortest supply when it comes to agronomic econometrics that extrapolate the past instead
February 06, 2011 Read Full Article
India’s Alcohol Wars: Once an Afterthought, Ethanol Now Has too Many Suitors
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...The reality, however, is that Indian ethanol plants increasingly are co-located with distilleries, using
February 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Resistance is Futile: Codexis and the Chase for Low-Cost Cellulosic Sugars
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Codexis yesterday announced a stunning 29% increase in revenue, ...What’s driving the numbers in Redwood
February 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Advancing Next-Generation Biofuels
by Blake Simmons (Vice-President, Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute) Simmons provides an overview of Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBI) and their
January 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Secretary Chu Announces up to $30 Million for Research to Advance the Next Generation of Biofuels
(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced the Department is now accepting applications for up to
December 15, 2010 Read Full Article
Bioengineers Develop Bacterial Strain That Could Increase Ethanol Production
(Wiley Press Room/Renewable Energy World) A team of Bioengineers in the United States have modified a strain of bacteria to
December 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Call for Cuts to Trade Barriers for Ethanol and Sugar Trade
(ABC Rural) ...At a meeting in London, the Global Sugar Alliance has called on governments to eliminate subsidies and trade
December 08, 2010 Read Full Article
Proterro Produces Low-Cost Fermentable Sugars
By Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Venture-capital backed Proterro has developed a technology using a microorganism grown in a
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
Summary of Cellulosic Biofuels Summit Day 2: Taking Biofuels to the Next Level
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Technologies proven at the bench scale and biofuel feedstocks developed or identified are worthless
November 21, 2010 Read Full Article
Bunge Invests in Solazyme: Ties between Brazilian Sugarcane, US Advanced Biofuels Deepen
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“The simplicity is astounding. Here’s the big idea. Take an existing, stranded ethanol factory or
August 26, 2010 Read Full Article
The Blue Phoenix: BlueFire Ethanol Repositions as BlueFire Renewables
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Digest took the opportunity to visit with BlueFire’s CEO Arnold Klann, who has been
August 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Centre May Permit Ethanol Production
by Faizan Ahmad (Times of India) The Centre is contemplating giving permission to Bihar to for production of ethanol in
August 10, 2010 Read Full Article
Hydrocarbon Fuels: Sugar to Diesel via Microbial Fermentation
by Kirk Apt (Chief Research Scientist, Martek) Martek extracts sugars from cost-effective sources like lignocellulosic biomass or sugar cane. They employ
July 07, 2010 Read Full Article
Novozymes and Nedalco to Improve Biofuel Production
(Novozymes) Novozymes, the world leader in biofuel enzymes, and Royal Nedalco, a leading yeast developer and ethanol producer, collaborate to develop
May 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Southern Research Institute Signs an Agreement with HCL CleanTech to Help Develop a New Biofuel Production Process in Durham, North Carolina
HCL CleanTech, a US-Israeli biofuels technology development company, has selected Southern Research Institute in North Carolina as the hosting site
April 06, 2010 Read Full Article
Enzymatic Deconstruction of Xylan for Biofuel Production
by Dylan Dodd and Isaac K. O. Cann (Global Change Biology Bioenergy) The combustion of fossil-derived fuels has a significant impact on
February 27, 2009 Read Full Article
An Apple a Day Keeps the Gas Pump Away
by Jeremy Elton (Treehugger) A team of scientists led by James Dumesic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has discovered a
June 30, 2007 Read Full Article
Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass Volume 1: Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas
(US Department of Energy) This report identifies twelve building block chemicals that can be produced from sugars via biological or