All Knowledge & Insights By Date

Reuters, “Indonesia To File Case Against U.S. Anti-Subsidy Duty on Biodiesel” Renewable Fuels Association, “New RFA Report Confirms Record Ethanol Exports of 1.37 Billion Gallons in 2017” TeselaGen, “Lanzatech And Teselagen Sign Deal to Use Artificial Intelligence to Further the Sustainable Bioeconomy”

The Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2018 (ABLC) will be held February 28 - March 2, 2018, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.  ABLC is the gathering point for top leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy -- bringing together the entire spectrum of advanced fuels, chemicals, and materials chief executive officers (CEO) and senior executives, business developers, research and development (R&D) leaders, strategic partners, financiers, equity analysts, policymakers, and industry...

By Kathleen M. Roberts Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced the development of a method to create a supertough renewable plastic with improved manufacturability.  The method involved the addition of a small amount of silanes to polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic commonly used in packaging, textiles, biomedical implants, and 3D printing.  The new bioplastic demonstrated improved tensile strain and tensile toughness, without a loss in tensile strength and...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson has been appointed Vice Chairman of the Agriculture Law Committee (ALC) at the International Bar Association (IBA). Ms. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C and President of Acta, will serve a two-year term. The IBA is the world’s leading organization of international legal practitioners, bar associations, and law societies, promoting an exchange of information among...

Neste, “Neste Ranked The 2nd Most Sustainable Company In The World” Chemical & Engineering News, “Genomatica, Aquafil Partner For Biobased Nylon” University of Nebraska, “Husker Researchers Explore Economic Potential For Sweet Sorghum Ethanol In Western Nebraska” Stanford, “Newly Discovered Cellulose Could Have Applications From Energy To Medicine”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On January 23, 2018, DOE announced that researchers at PNNL have developed a catalyst capable of converting ethanol directly into butadiene.  Butadiene is the building block for nearly every major synthetic plastic or rubber in the U.S, including tires, fuel hoses, and children’s toys.  The project, which is sponsored by BETO, aimed to generate butadiene from renewable sources by developing a new catalyst that can convert ethanol into...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the availability of presentations from its Advanced Development and Optimization (ADO) Workshop.  As previously reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG­®) blog post DOE Advanced Development And Optimization Workshop, the workshop took place at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on December 12-13, 2017. ...

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, “EERE Success Story --Archer Daniels Midland Partners with PNNL to Become a Leading Producer of Biobased Propylene Glycol” Reuters, “Chemical Industry in Bid to Harness Germany's Green Power Overload” Nasdaq, “U.S. Refiner PES Says Bankruptcy Plan Hinges on Biofuel Costs” University of Wisconsin, “Bio-Renewable Process Could Help ‘Green’ Plastic” Stanford, “Stanford-Led Team Discovers New...

Euractiv, “Socialists, EPP and ALDE Propose to Cap Biofuels Shares At 2017 Level, End Palm Oil” Alabama Cooperative Extension System, “Alabama Producers Growing Carinata for Biofuel” Arizona State University, “ASU Developing Biodegradable Plastics Made from Bacteria” Rothamsted Research, “Less Chewing the Cud, More Greening the Fuel”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. The Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2018 (ABLC) will be held February 28 - March 2, 2018, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.  ABLC is the gathering point for top leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy -- bringing together the entire spectrum of advanced fuels, chemicals, and materials chief executive officers (CEO) and senior executives, business developers, research and development (R&D) leaders, strategic partners, financiers, equity...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On January 10, 2018, AkzoNobel, a member of the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®), announced the challenges for its latest Imagine Chemistry program.  AkzoNobel initiated the Imagine Chemistry program in 2017 to startup and scale-up firms and researchers for an opportunity to solve real industry challenges and create sustainable business opportunities in chemistry.  Challenge winners receive joint development agreements with...

DOE, “Researchers Find Bioenergy Crops Provide Critical Ecosystem Services” Anellotech, “Anellotech Announces Commencement of Key R&D Program at TCat-8®” Co.Design, “The Creators Of This Algae Plastic Want To Start A Maker Revolution” Financial Express, “Eco-Friendly Method Turns Raw Biomass Into High Value Chemicals”

By Kathleen M. Roberts On January 2, 2018, Clariant, a specialty chemicals company, announced the development of a new biobased polymer for cosmetic creams and lotions.  The new ingredient is a rheology modifier that influences formulation viscosity and achieves specific sensorial and texturizing properties for creams and lotions, but does not change the properties of an application.  The polymer contains more than 50 percent renewable carbon derived from sugar-based...

Environment and Climate Change Canada, “Minister McKenna Releases Framework To Make Canada’s Fuels Cleaner” Goodshipping Program, “DHL And The Goodshipping Program Reduce Ocean Freight’s Carbon Footprint” Co. Design, “The Creators Of This Algae Plastic Want To Start A Maker Revolution” Advanced Science News, “UV Responsive Bio-based Polymer from Broccoli Seed Oil” Popular Science, “Greek Yogurt Creates A Ton Of Wheyst—But...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the release of a request for applications (RFA) for Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects.  The SBIR program is comprised of three phases. During Phase I, applicants determine the scientific or technical feasibility of their proposed ideas. Phase II requires a more comprehensive application, outlining the...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) much anticipated and highly acclaimed annual Forecast, “Predictions and Outlook for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2018,” is now available.  In the Forecast, the lawyers, scientists, and chemical regulatory specialists at B&C and its affiliated consulting firm, The Acta Group (Acta®), offer comprehensive and highly useful observations on the fast-changing and nuanced area of domestic and...

Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2018. The document distills key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and regulation, and provides a sneak preview of what our legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals believe we are likely to see in the New Year. Our unique business platform and global team of highly skilled professionals are perfectly suited...

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “NREL Develops Novel Method to Produce Renewable Acrylonitrile” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “NREL Research Finds a Sweet Spot for Engineering Better Cellulose-Degrading Enzymes” Reuters, “Exclusive:  Senator Cruz Wants to Cap Renewable Fuel Credits at 10 Cents” University of Bristol, “Bacteria Breakthrough Marks New Era in Cellular Design and Biofuel Production”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On December 12, 2017, Neste, a member of BRAG, announced that its additional production capacity for renewable diesel, renewable aviation fuel, and raw materials for various biochemical uses will be located in Singapore.  Following the decision, Neste will develop the technical design for the new product line, with the goal of securing a final investment decision by the end of 2018 and starting production by 2022.  The project will expand the capacity of...

By Kathleen M. Roberts On December 11, 2017, the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) announced its intent to issue a Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) aimed at accelerating innovation and adoption of new practices and technologies to determine the root cause of biomass handling failures and designing solutions.  FCIC is a collaborative network of eight DOE national laboratories dedicated to understanding and addressing technical risks in developing and scaling up biomass...