A team of researchers from North Dakota State University in Fargo has developed a family of biobased resins from sugar beets and oils with the potential to replace common, harmful petrochemical components such as formaldehyde and bisphenol-A.
Algae Biosciences Inc., located above the Coconino Aquifer in Holbrook, Ariz., has big plans for its biobased business. With $5 million the company will expand a commercial facility to produce omega-3 fatty acid oils by the end of this year.
Russell Howard has a background in biotechnology as a chemist, a lab manager and a company creator. As a co-founder of the biorefining firm Codexis, Howard told Biorefining Magazine that he has been "humbled" when it comes to the chemicals business.
A new study by Lux Research Inc. has found that although investment in alternative fuels remained flat last year, a four-year low at $930 million for startups, funding for feedstock-agnostic and end-product flexible technologies was more common.
According to Jim Imbler, president and CEO of ZeaChem, one of the primary goals of his company's new strategic alliance with Chrysler will be to help the company promote positive consumer perception about the concept of cellulosic ethanol.
While a majority of the biorefining community are in favor of the recent $510 million federal gov't commitment to build drop-in biofuel plants, not all of them are.
Avjet Biotech Inc. has released an overview of its biorefining process. The company's patented RWR System uses a thermal catalytic process to refine triglycerides into biobased aviation fuels. The process targets smaller plants in the 10 MMgy range.
The work will help the entire algae research community understand how this strain will react to the practice of gene manipulation, allowing the researchers to predict what the strain will do given certain light conditions and nutrient allowance.
Obama announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels.
The biorefining industry and its trade associations react to the announcement that the U.S. Navy, DOE and USDA will fund up to $510 million over the next three years to support the construction or retrofitting of drop-in biofuel facilities.
Forest Concepts LLC developed two baling systems scientifically engineered for woody and tall grass biomass. The balers were designed to solve the problem of using agricultural balers for biomass purposes.
The DOE's updated billion-ton study details potential for biomass production nationwide and examines the ability to produce enough biomass without impacting production of other farm and forest products to make 85 billion gallons of biofuel a year.
The EIA has released its short-term energy outlook for the U.S., stating that the recent findings and assumptions expressed in the outlook "do not fully reflect recent economic and financial developments that point towards a weaker economic outlook."
One year after starting a research effort to compare six different drop-in biofuels technology pathways for near-term promise and deployment probability, the NABC announced two of the six pathways have been chosen for further funding and research.
Solazyme has officially signed a framework agreement to form a joint-venture with Bunge Global Innovation to design and build a facility to produce renewable oils in time for the 2013 sugarcane harvest. Both will contribute to financing the project.
Sen. Tom Udall announced that he and Sen. Mike Crapo will introduce bipartisan legislation to help level the playing field for advanced biofuels, such as those derived from algae, by reforming the RFS2 to make it more technology neutral.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a waste-to-energy bioprocessing facility under construction in Florida on Aug. 11 to announce that the USDA and U.S. DOE have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into biofuel and bioenergy crops.
Butamax Advanced Biofuels has expanded its intellectual property with the award of a new patent addressing foundational methods in making biobutanol. The company is also continuing to pursue legal action against Gevo in a second lawsuit.
After six years, an update to the much-referenced Billion-Ton Study is here.
California-based algae oil extraction technology developer OriginOil Inc. has developed a real-time control network to supervise continuous algae harvesting operations at large-scale algae production sites. The network is codenamed "Green Stick."
The Senate Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee recently listened to alternative aviation fuels experts on the state of biobased jet fuel. It was mentioned that biojet is being held back by feedstock constraints among other things.
Biorefining Magazine speaks with Mark Riedy, partner for Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC, about how the credit downgrade might affect biorefining projects, particularly those that are receiving bond financing under the 9003 program.
A follow-up report to the Billion-Ton Study has found consistency with the original in terms of magnitude of resource potential under the same assumptions. But the follow up finds differences in specific feedstock availability.
The Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative questionnaire was first released in December 2009 by NREL. The current version aims to "collect and share quantitative data on renewable energy financing terms and to assess barriers" that exist.
The Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands recently published a thesis on pyrolysis research written by ERC researcher Paul de Wild. The paper, titled "Biomass Pyrolysis for Chemicals," compares a variety of pyrolysis techniques.
Viral Genetics Inc. hosted recently hosted a conference call to update investors and other interested parties on the progress the company has made. This included information on its VG Energy subsidiary, which is working in the algae biofuels sector.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute recently published a report, titled "Biobased Products: Focus on Bioplastics, Minnesota's Opportunity & Challenge," that outlines the potential role of biobased products in the Minnesota economy.
The EurObserv'ER has published its annual Biofuels Barometer, which measures progress made by the industry in the past year. Results show an increase in biofuel use in the E.U. over the past 12 months.
Submit an article today for the fall issue of Algae Technology & Business.
Purac, a subsidiary of global bakery ingredients supplier CSM, and chemical company BASF are leaning toward taking their two-year joint development agreement further with the possible formation of a joint venture to produce biobased succinic acid.
Advertisement
@ Copyright 2026 - BBI International - All rights reserved.