The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications for funding to help support the development of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products. Funding is being provided through the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program, formerly known as the Biorefinery Assistance Program. The program provides loan guarantees of up to $250 million to develop, construct and …
DOE Invests in Algae
The U.S. Department of Energy has made it’s latest investment in the development of algae as a feedstock to produce advanced biofuels and bioproducts. The focus of the money is for companies who are working to overcome the barrier of high production costs through improvements in algal biomass yields. The DOE says the three companies who received funding will develop …
DOE Releases 2016 Billion Ton Report
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) along with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have released its 2016 Billon-Ton Report. The study found that within 25 years, the U.S. could produce enough biomass to support a bioeconomy including renewable aquatic and terrestrial biomass resources. The report also found that by 2040, the country could sustainably produce at least one billion tons …
#Biobased Petro Alternative from #Soybeans
As companies continue to focus on sustainability and the development of more “natural” products, they are looking to biobased chemicals and products as the platform for more Earth-friendly wares. One example is BioSynthetics Technologies who was featured during the 2016 Biobased Stakeholders Dialogue that recently took place at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The company is a USDA transfer partner …
DOE Calls for Bioeconomy Vision Input
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is calling for input to achieve its Bioeconomy vision set forth in its “Growing the Billion-ton Bioeconomy” report. The DOE is seeking ideas from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies and other stakeholders that would enable the country to meet the goals of the report. In particular, they are looking for input about specific …
DuPont Develops Momomers From Biorefining Process
DuPont is adding value yet again to the biorefining process. The company is working with ADM on a collaboration to convert fructose to momomers to polymers that can be used in consumer products. Last week attendees at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC16) learned about this emerging technology from Michael Saltzberg who is the business director for DuPont Industrial …
Biocognito Assists #Biobased Companies Enter Market
Biobased was a hot topic at this year’s Corn Utilization Technology Conference (#CUTC16) and one person on hand who knows a lot about the emerging technologies in this space is Nathan Danielson, who works for Biocognito. The company is a small consulting firm that counsels businesses working to bring new technologies to the biomaterials space. He said that many of …
Corn Wet Milling Process Can Produce Bioproducts Galore
An interesting panel discussion took place this week at the 10th annual Corn Utilization Technology Conference (#CUTC16) about new and emerging technologies produced from the wet milling process of corn. For example, Kevin Coffman, part of the market development in ag environmental strategy group at Monsanto, discussed corn in the pipeline. The corn can be sold to an ethanol plant to …
Nebraska Ramps Up Bio-based Partnerships
Nebraska is ramping up its bio-based partnerships. According to a recent Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), bioscience companies employ more than 16,000 people in the state with the industry growing at a faster pace than the national average. For instance, several global and national companies are already located in Nebraska, including: NatureWorks (corn-based plastics), Novozymes (enzyme technology), Purac (lactic …
#USDA to Award $21M for Bioeconomy R&D
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made $21 million available to support the development of regional systems in sustainable bioenergy and biobased products. The funds will also be awarded to train the next generation of bio-scientists. The monies are offered through the AFRI Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts challenge area designed to provide renewable energy, chemical, and product options, among …