B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

The Bioenergy Technologies Office within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), "Landscape Design for Sustainable Bioenergy Systems." DOE is looking for interdisciplinary projects that integrate landscape design approaches with cellulosic feedstock production within existing agricultural and forestry systems. Projects must maintain, or preferably enhance, environmental and socio-economic sustainability. The FOA includes funding up to...

On October 21, 2014, the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) submitted two petitions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting that biodiesel fuel manufacturers be granted the same Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) exemptions that petroleum-based diesel manufacturers already receive. The Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report covered the petitions in an October 22, 2014, feature story that stated "[t]he Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group...

On October 6, 2014, DuPont and Proctor & Gamble announced their joint plan to replace currently used corn-based ethanol with cellulosic ethanol in North American Tide® laundry detergent. According to DuPont's press release on the announcement, the cellulosic ethanol used in the detergent will come from DuPont's new biorefinery being constructed in Nevada, Iowa. A copy of the press release, with more information on the announcement, is available online.

Target and Wal-Mart hosted the first ever Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Summit on September 4, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. Target has seen sales of natural and organic products in the beauty and personal care category grow 17 percent over the last year, indicating a clear demand from consumers for more sustainable products. Over 80 participants gathered in Chicago, including representatives from EPA, manufacturers, non-profit organizations, and packaging companies, for a...

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (DMEA) has launched the first edition of a Biobased Packaging catalogue that was compiled by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research. The catalogue came about as a result of companies becoming interested in the development and application of bioplastics, especially in the wake of products like the well-known "plant bottle" from Coca Cola. The Biobased Packaging catalogue, published in Dutch, presents a review of the options for using...

USDA has amended the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances maintained by the National Organic Program (NOC) to allow biodegradable biobased mulch film to be used in organic production with restrictive annotations. To be used in organic production, the mulch must be produced in accordance with NOC's rules for organic production. This rule becomes effective on October 30, 2014. More information about the amendment is available online.

On October 3, 2014, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA reached an agreement with Silicon Valley Bank to provide a $91 million Biorefinery Assistance Program loan guarantee to Cool Planet for a biofuel plant in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The money will help finance construction of the Cool Planet advanced biofuel plant. The USDA press release is available online. More information is available here and here.  

On October 2, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that its Office of the Inspector General (IG) plans to review the reported results from the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program. Its objective reportedly is to ensure that all reported "Green Chemistry" program contributions from EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) to EPA's performance measures are adequately supported and transparent. The IG will contact the...

Researchers from the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products at the University of York worked with colleagues in France to discover variant straw plants whose cell walls are more easily broken down to make biofuels. Straw is an ideal plant to be used as biomass as it does not have food uses and contains a high number of polysaccharides that can be fermented into ethanol. Previously, straw has not been commercially viable as a biofuel feedstock as the cost of breaking down the straw to produce...

Winery waste is composed of the skins, pulp, stalks, and seeds that are left over after grapes have been pressed. This waste cannot be used for animal feed or composted, so it typically ends up as toxic landfill. Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology have been investigating how to break down the grape waste and Ph.D. student Avinash Karpe has discovered four fungi, that when combined with a heat activated pre-treatment, successfully broke down grape waste biomass. This process...

On September 24, 2014, Southwest Airlines (Southwest) signed an agreement with Red Rocks Biofuels LLC (RRB) to purchase renewable jet fuel to use in their Bay Area Operations. The agreement "covers the purchase of approximately three million gallons [of low carbon renewable jet fuel] per year." The biofuel produced by RRB is produced using woody biomass feedstock and the first delivery to Southwest is expected to occur in 2016. More information is available online.

BRAG member Micromidas, along with the Michigan Molecular Institute and Michigan Sugar Company, is working on a $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from DOE with the goal of developing a process to convert sugar beet waste into useful chemicals. After sugar has been extracted from sugar beets, the remaining residue still contains a significant amount of sugars that can be converted into biobased PET. The development of biobased packaging materials, such as those championed...

BETO is hosting a workshop on November 5, 2014, in Arlington, Virginia, to address challenges in converting waste food products to energy. The workshop will gather experts in the field to identify technical barriers to the commercial development of liquid transportation fuels from waste feedstocks, which will ultimately help develop a roadmap that highlights the key pathways and metrics to reaching commercialization. Registration is free, but space is limited. More information is available...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $25 million in funding to reduce the cost of algal biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. On behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy posted a notice of a funding opportunity, entitled "Targeted Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts" (TABB). The TABB Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) looks for pathways to overcome the key barriers to...

On September 29, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an initial notice announcing the timeframes to submit applications for participation in the Advanced Biofuels Payment Program. Applications for participation in fiscal year 2015 will be accepted between October 1, 2014, and October 31, 2014. The Federal Register notice is available online.

On September 19, 2014, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) introduced the Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2014 (H.R. 5559), which was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. The bill would extend clean energy tax incentives, including those benefiting the biofuel and bioenergy industries. Among the tax credits being extended are the second generation biofuel producer credit, the $1.00 per gallon tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel, and the...

On September 19, 2014, Minnoco announced an expansion program which will allow Minnoco retailers to offer biofuels that perform better at lower costs. This includes the ability to offer E15, E30, E85, diesel fuel, and gasoline typically available for purchase. More information about the announcement can be found online.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has announced the creation of the BIO Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology to be presented to an outstanding woman in the industrial biotechnology sector who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the biobased economy and biotechnology innovation. The inaugural award will be presented at this year's BIO Pacific Rim (PacRim) Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy, to be held December 7-9,...

On September 18, 2014, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Chair Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) issued a statement containing links to Senator Boxer's counterproposal to and critique of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform draft bill being developed by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). The statement is available online. Senator Boxer expressed strong concern over the proposed safety standard, timelines for U.S. Environmental Protection...

On September 15, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2996, the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act. The Act "earmarks up to $300 million in federal funding -- $30 million annually for 10 years" from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account, and would be available to regional centers to develop new products and train workforces. Fields mentioned in the bill as eligible for the money include...