September News Roundup

Ok, so maybe this should be August-September news roundup but I will again try to do this at the end of every month if I can. No more weekly news roundup though. My brain can’t do it.

By the way, anybody going to the World Bio Markets USA in San Francisco on Oct. 29-30? I will be presenting at the conference and would love to chat during breaks. For those who can’t come, I will be tweeting some of the presentations, just follow #wbmusa13.

Amyris applies for sustainability certification
Amyris has applied for RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) Certification, a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuels and biomaterials production. RSB’s planned sustainability certification will cover Amyris’s renewable farnesene produced from Brazilian sugarcane feedstock at Amyris’s plant in Brotas, Sao Paulo state.

Evogene files for IPO
Israel-based plant genomics company Evogene has filed a registration statement the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed public offering of its ordinary shares in the US to be listed under the symbol EVGN on the NewYork Stock Exchange. The size of the offering has not yet been finalized.

DSM, Ravago on recycled PA partnership
Royal DSM has expanded its partnership with the Ravago Group to combine DSM’s expertise in polyamide 6 with Ravago’s recycling know-how in order to develop a portfolio of glass reinforced recycled PA6 compounds. The materials will be offered by DSM directly under its Akulon brand, and distributed by Ravago Group member Resinex. DSM is supplying grades with 30% and 35% glass fiber reinforcement.

Cargill, Evolva in pilot-scale glycosides
Cargill and Evolva Holding are moving into pilot-scale production of fermentation-based steviol glycosides ahead of schedule this year as opposed to their original plan in 2014. Steviol glycosides are the compounds responsible for the sweet taste of stevia plant leaves.

ADM picks Lehmann & Voss for bio-dispersants
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will begin distributing its range of bio-based dispersant products in the EU with the appointment of Hamburg-based chemical distribution company Lehmann & Voss & Co. The bio-dispersants will be available to paints, inks, coatings and pigment paste manufacturers in Germany, France, the UK and Italy.

…and donates to Iowa Biorenewables complex
ADM has donated $355,000 to Iowa State University to support a Biorenewables Comples that features cutting-edge facilities offering students hands-on opportunities to learn about biorenewable resources and bio-economic development.

CO2 Solutions’ carbon capture milestone
CO2 Solutions has met and exceeded the first two technical performance milestones for its Alberta Oil Sands project. The company demonstrated its carbon capture technology is at least one-third less expensive than existing carbon capture technology in terms of energy consumption, and can withstand the rigors of industrial application. The project will now proceed to the large-bench scale (0.5 tonne/day CO2 capture) testing phase for the remainder of 2013 where the same performance metrics will be validated under flue gas conditions.

Tom’s of Maine’s bio-based toothbrush
Tom’s of Maine has launched this year its new “Naturally Clean” toothbrush with a handle made from castor oil-based material. The toothbrush is said to be BPA-free #7 plastic and can be recycled through Tom’s of Maine TerraCycle collection program. The toothbrush is available at the company’s website as well as select retailers for a suggested retail price of $3.99.

Cereplast advances algae bioplastic R&D
Cereplast is advancing its research and development stage for its algae bioplastic resins by using an algae biomass selection process in which food-based materials are not fed to the algae for growth. The material is also expected to lower costs in algae bioplastics development by deploying post-industrial processes enabling the re-use of materials. Algaeplast, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cereplast, has four demonstration grades of algae in polypropylene with an algae biomass content from 15-51%. A newly commercialized grade includes algae in a thermoplastic elastomer.

Solegear gets Canada support for bioplastic R&D
Solegear Bioplastics has entered into a significant Contribution Agreement with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to develop bioplastic technologies that leverage industrial waste sources to address durability requirements and mitigate toxic flame retardants in current engineered polymers.

TNO builds mobile algae biorefinery
TNO, under the program “GAIA: Getting Algae Ingredients Applied” by TNO, Sabic, van Wijhe Verf and de Wit Oils, will be building a mobile algae bio-refinery for use in a large number of spots where algae can be cultivated. The refining of algae into purified raw materials will allow these to be used as food ingredients and chemicals. The start-up phase is expected to be completed after the first quarter of 2014 and this will be followed by installation at various locations for algae cultivation.

Port of Rotterdam in bio-based projects
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is collaborating with E.ON, Evides Industriewater, Stedin and Vopak to create an “Plug & Play area” on Maasvlakte 2 that will offer services such as power supply, tank storage and waste, process and drinking water, to businesses which want to set up in the Bio-based Cluster being planned in the area. The 80-hectare land has been reserved for innovative chemical industry based on renewable raw materials.