Biorefinery
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VIDEO: Sierra BioFuels Plant Construction in Nevada
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Abengoa just released this video of the ongoing construction of Fulcrum Bioenergy’s Sierra Biofuels Plant outside of Reno, Nevada. As I like to post videos once in a while and yesterday was Earth Day, this just reminded me of the progress of several technologies now being commercialized such as using municipal waste as feedstock for…
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EU’s OPTISOCHEM bio-isobutene project forges ahead
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Although it is hard to keep track of the several EU government-funded bio-based chemicals projects these days, I do wonder how many of these projects were able to reach beyond the pilot and demo stages and achieved commercialization milestones? Anyway, France-based Global Bioenergies is among some of the public European start-up bio-based chemical companies that I…
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US Federal Agencies Release Framework for Advancing the Bioeconomy
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The federal Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board recently launched a multi-agency strategy to accelerate innovative technologies that harness the nation’s biomass resources for affordable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. The Bioeconomy Initiative: Implementation Framework was developed by the B&RD Board – an interagency collaborative which is co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the…
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The changing landscape of bio-based succinic acid
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The bio-succinic acid market has significantly gone through a tumultuous change just in the past five years alone, from being the young, rising star of the bio-based chemical building blocks industry into a young adult looking for its rightful career path within the global chemicals space. Among the four initial companies that jump-start this market:…
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Neste expands renewables capacity in Singapore
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This news from Neste is well-timed as I just released my special report on global renewable diesel production (or what in the EU sometimes call hydrotreated vegetable oil or HVO production) in my December Biomaterials report published by Tecnon OrbiChem. Neste Corporation announced today its decision to invests around EUR 1.5 billion to expand Neste’s…
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Phillips 66, REG to build Renewable Diesel Plant
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Production of renewable diesel (processed via hydrocracking of fats and oils) continues to expand here in the USA as well as in Europe where large traditional oil and energy companies such as Neste, Valero, Total, Eni and now Phillips 66 are now becoming or have become major players. For those who are subscribers of Tecnon…
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VERBIO acquires DuPont’s cellulosic ethanol plant
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Good news for the cellulosic ethanol industry in the USA. VERBIO North America Corporation, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, a 51% subsidiary of VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, has signed a contract yesterday with DuPont to purchase its cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa, USA. The purchase includes about 100,000 tons of baled corn stalks,…
