Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Shenandoah, Iowa, April 15 for the official grand opening of BioProcess Algae LLC's commercial-scale algae bioreactor project, located at Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc.'s 65 MMgy ethanol plant.
KiOR Inc. is initiating plans for an initial public offering. On April 11, the company announced it filed a registration statement with the SEC for a proposed IPO of Class A common stock. The volume of shares and per-unit price were not disclosed.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's groundbreaking algae program hit a snag in the “90s, but has since been revived
Researchers at UNL have developed a process to convert chicken feathers into biobased plastic. The team, led by UNL professor of biological systems engineering Yiqi Yang, used a chemical modification process to make bioplastic from feathers.
A team of researchers at Kansas State University is studying the environmental and economic sustainability of algae biodiesel production. Results of the environmental portion of the evaluation have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
EPA does not give creativity points for RIN separation outside the identified legal parameters.
A consistent commitment by Congress that avoids the ups and downs of public opinion will be crucial to the success of transforming America's energy policy to cleaner and renewable sources. That's what McAdams, ABFA president, told Congress today.
The World Economic Forum has issued a report titled, "The Green Investing 2011: Reducing the Cost of Financing," in conjunction with Bloomberg Clean Energy Finance. In 2010, U.S. cleantech R&D investment hit $35 billion, up from $28.6 billion in '09.
A significant step was taken towards commercialization of cellulosic ethanol April 12 when Novozymes partner Mossi & Ghisolfi Group conducted the groundbreaking ceremony for a 13 MMgy production facility in Crescentino in northwest Italy.
The Dow Chemical Co. and OPX Biotechnologies Inc. announced today that the two companies are collaborating to develop an industrial-scale process for the production of biobased acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks; specifically, fermentable sugars.
Utah State University is home to a new bioenergy center. The University's Board of Trustees recently approved the USU Extension Center for Agronomic and Woody Biofuels to support crops and their conversion into biofuels in Utah and nationwide.
Interjet and Airbus conducted the first jatropha-based biofuel test flight in Mexico recently. The Airbus 320 jet successfully flew from Mexico City's International Airport to Angel Albino Corzo of Tuxtla Gutierrez airport in Chiapas.
April 08, 2011
To say there is a shortage of algae-based research studies would be like saying there is a shortage of cereal brands in the aisle of our favorite grocery store. Maybe it's time to stop waiting for more.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have made impressive strides in their work to optimize sweet sorghum for use as a bioenergy feedstock. At least two hybrid strains of the crop developed by the team will enter the market next year.
Elevance Renewable Sciences has signed a formal collaborative agreement with Wayne, N.J.-based International Specialty Products to evaluate and introduce to the market renewable waxes and derivatives as biocide carriers for wood/plastic composites.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan unveiled the first 60 products by 11 companies that will bear the new USDA BioPreferred product label for certified biobased products. She made the announcement during a recent biobased product meeting.
Waste plastic derived from petroleum is clearly not biomass, but finding uses for this material that would oftentimes be landfilled serves many of the same purposes as refining biomass.
Waste Management Inc. recently announced its investment, an undisclosed amount, in Agilyx Corp., a company commercializing technology to convert waste plastic into crude oil. Other investors include Total Energy Ventures and Reference Capital.
Researchers in Brazil are developing a process to extract nanocellulose fibers from biomass and use those fibers to reinforce plastics. The fibers are also known as nanocrystals or cellulose whiskers, the crystalline domains of cellulosic sources.
Job creation along with technology and feedstock parity were key messages the Algal Biomass Organization aimed to drive home to members of Congress during its two-day fly-in visit on Capitol Hill this week. ABO hosted a press call afterwards.
April 05, 2011
Welcome to the Algalsphere, a blog covering all things algae. Don't worry though, this algae-based discussion isn't relying on a clever name or big claims to get attention.
Atlanta is the new home for an Australian-based algae developer's photobioreactor manufacturing facility. The 18,000 square foot plant will fabricate Algae.Tec's algae production system that is based on readily available technology.
West Virginia University may now be the unofficial leader in liquid coal and biomass research, but not without a little help from China. In early April a team of WVU researchers will begin a project testing an FT fuel made of coal and biomass.
Neste Oil is serious about expanding the range of feedstocks used to produce its renewable diesel product, NexBTL. The company has received a loan totaling roughly $70 million for research and development from the Nordic Investment Bank.
Solix Biofuels Inc. has secured $16 million from inside investors as part of a Series B finance round. It also changed its name to Solix BioSystems to better reflect its role as an algae production systems provider, said Joanna Money, vice president.
PetroAlgae has formed a partnership to upgrade the Melbourne, Fla.-based company's algae oil technology, and the upgrade comes from a known, traditional method: catalysis. The partnership is with Haldor Topsoe's U.S. subsidiary based in Houston.
The U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.K. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have collaborated to issue more than $10.3 million of jointly-awarded funding to four transatlantic research teams to enhance photosynthesis.
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