The Biomass Research and Development Initiative Technical Advisory Committee appointed Kevin Kephart as the new co-chair. He will assist the committee in the research, development and production standards of biomass-derived fuels and materials.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stripped down of the Farm Bill on July 11. Members of Congress voted 216-208 to approve the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, or H.R. 2642.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., recently introduced legislation that aims to allow renewable chemical producers access to production tax credits. The bill, S. 1267, was introduced June 27 and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Carbo Analytics, a developer of sugar analysis systems, has announced that it has been awarded a $150,000 U.S. DOE grant under the Small Business Innovation Research program for the development of a biofuels sugar analysis system.
A new report takes a close look at the potential for ethylene production from ethanol. Ethylene is the most produced organic chemical in the world, used in the production of multiple polymers and chemicals.
Promising biofuels research at C5.6 Technologies, a Wisconsin biotech company, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is getting a boost from a $224,292 National Science Foundation grant. The research focuses on isoprene production.
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes have achieved a milestone in their joint development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials by successfully demonstrating the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in pilot scale.
The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, announced this week that the preliminary agenda for the 7th Annual Algae Biomass Summit, being held Sept. 30 through Oct. 3rd in Orlando, Fla., has been finalized.
The University of Liverpool has been awarded funding to develop the next generation of renewable chemicals from biomass to use in the manufacture of materials, plastics, solvents and pharmaceuticals.
By rerouting the metabolic pathway that makes fatty acids in E. coli bacteria, researchers have devised a new way to produce a gasoline-like biofuel. The same lines can also produce precursors of pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, herbicides and more.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Daniel Johansson, an official with the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, have pledged to continue working together on research, technology and public policy related to the field of bioenergy.
Lanxess AG and Genomatica Inc. have announced that Lanxess has run a production campaign of biobased polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) using 20 metric tons of biobased 1,4-butanediol (BDO) made with Genomatica's commercially-proven process.
On June 25, President Obama laid out his three-part plan to address climate change during a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "As a president, as a father, and as an American, I am here to say we need to act," he said.
President Obama is expected to speak about his plan to fight climate change during a speech at Georgetown University on June 25. Those in the biomass industry are hopefully the plan will recognize the benefits of biobased fuels, power and thermal.
MIT chemical engineers have devised a cheaper way to synthesize a key biofuel component, which could make its industrial production much more cost-effective. The compound, known as gamma-valerolactone (GVL), is attractive because of its versatility.
A representative of Pella, Iowa-based Vermeer Corp. advocated for a more open, transparent trade relations with Brazil during a recent U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing.
Calysta Energy and NatureWorks have entered into an exclusive, multi-year collaboration to research and develop a practical, world-scale production process for fermenting methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), into lactic acid.
Scientists are investigating the unique properties of crystalline cellulose nanofibers to develop novel chemical pretreatments and designer enzymes for biofuel production from cellulosic, or non-food, plant derived biomass.
Australian Resources and Energy Minister Gary Gray recently unveiled the first algae-based crude oil produced by Muradel Pty Ltd. The algae oil was produced on the pilot-scale by Muradel as part of a $10.7 million project.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted down its version of the Farm Bill, the "Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act," by a vote of 195 to 234. The bill did not include mandatory funding for Energy Title programs.
Codexis Inc.and Chemtex have announced the successful scale-up in the production of CodeXol detergent alcohols using cellulosic sugars. The scale-up was achieved at Chemtex's 1,500 liter (396 gallon) demonstration facility in Tortona, Italy.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison are studying how fungus and bacteria work together to process biomass within fungus gardens of insects. The enzymes found in these fungus gardens may be useful for biofuel production.
Gevo Inc. has announced that it has resumed commercial production of isobutanol at its Luverne, Minn., plant in single train mode, successfully utilizing its proprietary Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT).
Myriant Corp.has announced the successful start-up at its flagship bio-succinic acid plant located in Lake Providence, La. The facility has produced on-spec commercial product and the company anticipates that customer shipments will commence soon.
The U.S. EPA has announced more than $2 million in funding to 25 small businesses under its Small Business Innovation Research program. Among those awarded were companies developing new and improved methods to utilize biomass for energy and products.
BioAmber Inc. and IMCD Group have announced that IMCD is now distributing BioAmber's biobased succinic acid (Bio-SATM) in the Benelux, France, Iberia, Germany, Poland, South East Europe, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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