B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

On September 18, 2014, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA), along with 16 other Members of Congress, introduced H.R. 5559, the Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2014. A copy of Representative Blumenauer's statement on the bill is available online. H.R. 5559 is the House counterpart to S. 2260, the Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act. The package of tax extenders was approved by the Senate Finance Committee in April and stalled...

On September 19, 2014, Secretary Vilsack was joined by Deputy Secretary of Energy, Dan Poneman, and Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, to announce contract awards to three separate companies to produce over one million gallons per year of advanced drop-in jet biofuels to be used by the U.S. Department of Defense and the private transportation sector. The three companies receiving the $210 million in contract awards are Emerald Biofuels, Fulcrum Bioenergy, and Red Rock Biofuels. The announcement...

On September 18, 2014, Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA is investing $68 million in 540 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide. This is the most recent in a series of USDA actions designed to help strengthen the country's energy sector. The funding is available through the USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP was created by the 2008 Farm Bill and was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. For more information, go online.

Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at a biofuel industry conference and addressed concerns raised over the likelihood that the final 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule would include renewable volume obligations (RVO) for total renewable fuel at levels below those included for 2014 under the statute. Generally, total renewable RVOs are comprised of corn-starch ethanol. Secretary Vilsack projected a positive spin on this likelihood, reportedly telling...

The National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies hosted the first public meeting for the Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects on September 15-17, 2014. This public meeting was the first of a series of events that are part of NRC's ongoing study to determine the benefits and risks of genetically engineered crops. A webinar related to this study has been scheduled for October 1, 2014, and more information is available online. A transcript...

With the draft initial Priority Product Work Plan now released, it is important for manufacturers, importers, and retailers of consumer products in the categories listed by DTSC in the Work Plan to understand and address any issues. The upcoming Safer Consumer Products Summit, of which BRAG is a proud sponsor, will bring together DTSC staff, brand owners, chemical companies, and industry associations to discuss these developments in sessions including: * "Strategies and Tactics in Response...

On September 12, 2014, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released its much anticipated draft Initial Priority Product Work Plan under SCPR. The Regulations require that DTSC, by October 2014, develop an Initial Priority Product Work Plan that describes product categories it will use to evaluate and identify product-chemical combinations to be added to the Priority Products. The Work Plan is available online and more detailed memoranda from BRAG affiliate Bergeson &...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and EPA State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) website has been redesigned. The website provides information on successful efforts to advance energy efficiency across the U.S. It includes initiatives in support of energy efficiency policies and program options at the state and local levels. You can access the SEE Action website here.

The Green Chemistry Clearinghouse Conference held on September 16, 2014, in San Francisco included several interesting panels discussing topics including California Safer Consumer Products Regulations' (SCPR) recently released Work Plan, the future of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform, and the increasing push by retailers to require information from the supply chain. Jim Jones, EPA's Assistant Administrator at the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), spoke...

Inside EPA reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will take at least 12 more months before a proposed ruling for the 2015 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) can be released. This pushes "issuance of a final version toward the end of the 2015 compliance year," while also violating the statutory mandate that EPA has to "issue the annual RFS targets before the compliance year begins." EPA did not meet that schedule in 2014 either, as the RFS is yet to be released...

One of the highlights of the year for the biobased and green chemistry community is the annual Green Chemistry and Engineering (GC&E) Conference hosted by the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute (GCI). It is the longest running green chemistry conference in the U.S. and always attracts a prestigious line-up of scientists, advocates, business leaders, academics, and students who come together, compare findings, and discuss the science of the future. A rich treasure...

A custom designed circulating fluidized bed (CFB) has been created so that engineers at Southwest Research Institute can convert crude oil and biofeedstocks into refined fuel samples for clients more efficiently than previously possible. The CFB is able to produce half a liter per hour of samples, and is able to test both fast pyrolysis processes as well as fluidized catalytic cracking refinery unit operations. This is in part due to the 15 foot tall, 150 square foot CFB being much larger than...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has guaranteed a $105 million loan through Bank of America, N.A. to help Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels build a plant in McCarran, Nevada that would convert municipal waste into renewable jet fuel. The total project cost is expected to be $266 million and the plant is predicted to produce 11 million gallons of fuel per year. This loan was guaranteed as part of the Biorefinery Assistance Program that is included in the Farm Bill. The biorefineries are expected...

Glowing reviews for the recent Sustainable Futures workshop co-sponsored by the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and George Washington University (GWU) continue to roll in. Attendees at the event included Dr. Anthony Hotton and Omoru E. Emmanuel, of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Dr. Hotton stated regarding the Sustainable Futures workshop "[t]he training has...

* OilPrice.com, "Rethink Biofuel Sources, Not Biofuel Subsidies". *  NavalTechnology.com, "US and Chilean Navies Commit to Further Biofuel Research". *  The Airplanes Channel, "Boeing Backs Biofuel Derived from Tobacco". *  Your Renewable News.com, "Complete Independence from Energy Generated from Fossil Fuels Is Possible". *  The Energy Collective, "What's the Goal and Point of National Biofuel Regulation?". *  ACS...

Chemistry World reports that ionic liquids could potentially be made more cheaply by recycling by-products from biofuel production processes. These ionic liquids derived from biofuel waste could then actually be turned to extracting sugars from biomass to be made into fuels. See online.

The Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI) at the University of Delaware announced a research project with the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) that will address the production of plastics with properties useful in fabric, food, and beverage packaging and car parts. Researchers hope to further the 2012 CCEI advances that led to a high yield (>90 percent) p-xylene process from renewable biomass. See online.

The Biobased and Renewable Products Advoacy Group (BRAG®) and BRAG affiliate B&C are sponsors and participants in several key events for the biobased community this fall: *  The Prop 65 Clearinghouse Green Chemistry Conference on September 16, 2014, at the Merchants Exchange Building in San Francisco, California. *  The 5th Safer Consumer Products Summit, October 22-24, 2014, San Francisco, California *  The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference -- ABLC NEXT 2014,...

Venerate Bioinsecticide, a new broad-spectrum insecticide produced by Marrone Bio Innovations, has been approved for use in California in both conventional and organic systems. The bioinsecticide is non-toxic to beneficial animals of concern, and is also exempt from maximum pesticide residue level tolerances. This allows users of the bioinsecticide more confidence in the marketability of their crops. For more information, see online.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released the third annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report. The report provides forecasts for global biofuel and renewable energy growth. Within the report, the authors predict that the expansion of renewable energy will slow over the next five years unless policy certainty is diminished. For more information, see online.