Investments
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First bio-BDO commercial plant opens
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The world’s first sugar-based 1,4 butanediol plant has finally opened as Mater-Biotech, a 100% company owned by Italian bioplastic producer, Novamont, started its 30 ktpa bio-BDO plant in Bottrighe di Adria (Rovigo, Italy), which uses Genomatica’s process technology. The initial capacity of the plant was targeted at 18 ktpa, but this was expanded to 30…
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JetBlue to use renewable jet fuel
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JetBlue recently announced a ten-year purchase agreement with bioenergy company, SG Preston, for the purchase of renewable jet fuel produced from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). For those who are unfamiliar with this type of fuel, it is mostly based on hydrotreated fats and oils comparable to Neste’s renewable fuel product. According to the…
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Renmatix bags $14m from Bill Gates, Total
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Renmatix announced its recipient of a $14 million investment led by Bill Gates and Total, which will reportedly help drive towards the first wave of Renmatix licensees building Plantrose-enabled biorefineries in diverse global markets such as Canada, India, Malaysia, the US, etc. The Plantrose process uses supercritical water to reduce costs in conversion of biomass…
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Toyobo, Avantium on PEF partnership
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I am still trying to catch up on blogging before I get very busy again next week for my September Biomaterials newsletter deadline at Tecnon OrbiChem. I am also almost finished with my glycerine presentation for the incoming ICIS Pan American Oleochemicals conference next month. By the way, if anybody is attending EPCA in Budapest…
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Unilever buys Seventh Generation
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The blog remembered reporting the acquisition of Toms Of Maine by Colgate-Palmolive back in 2006. I am guessing that the appeal for big consumer products companies of expanding into natural-based consumer products is back again as Unilever announced yesterday its acquisition of Seventh Generation, a well-known promoter of plant-based ingredients and packaging for its use on…
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LanzaTech produces jet fuel via low carbon ethanol
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The blog does not usually reports as much on biofuels but it has been awhile since we last posted about activities from LanzaTech. The company recently announced that it has produced the world’s first jet fuel (around 1,500 gallons) based on LanzaTech’s CO-to-ethanol fermentation process. The jet fuel reportedly passed all initial performance tests with…
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New BIO Report: Renewable Chemical Commercialization
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Industry trade organization, BIO, has released a new report featuring snapshots of the renewable chemical industry, with profiles of companies that are commercializing new bio-based chemicals/materials including production capacity. The report is intended to illustrate the potential of this industry, which according to McKinsey & Co. in the report, is estimated to make up 11%…