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On March 19, 2015, the White House published an Executive Order signed by President Obama that would further a preference for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred products. Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade sets new greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for federal agencies to reach by 2025 and increases renewable energy use and building efficiency, while reducing fleet emissions in the federal government. The new targets would reduce total GHG emissions by 26...

? Dragonair, "Dragonair Biofuel Flight Highlights Cathay Pacific Group Commitment to Long-Term Sustainable Development" ? Business Wire, "Ergon Biofuels Enters into Comprehensive Service Arrangement with Gavilon" ? Business Wire, "Pittsburgh Expands Use Of Optimus Technologies' Biofuel Conversion Systems" ? Media Release, "Byogy Partners with Brazil's Agricultural Research Center EMBRAPA to Import Select Agave to Brazil to Validate High Crop Sugar and Fiber Yields to Produce Aviation Biofuels...

On March 13, 2015, the National Academies issued Industrialization Of Biology: A Roadmap To Accelerate The Advanced Manufacturing Of Chemicals, a 143-page report prepared in response to a request from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to "develop a roadmap of necessary advances in basic science and engineering capabilities, including knowledge, tools and skills" to accelerate the advanced manufacturing of chemicals using biological systems. Thirteen...

On March 10, 2015, Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and David Vitter (R-LA) introduced the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a bipartisan bill that would reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The bill has 15 co-sponsors -- seven Democrats and eight Republicans. The bill builds on the proposed Chemical Safety Improvement Act offered by Senator Vitter and the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in 2013. According to the overview provided on Senator Udall's webpage,...

? Ethanol Producer Magazine, "E15's Big Dance" ? Confederation Of European Paper Industries, "Newly-Formed Bioeconomy Alliance Calls for EU Action" ? Market Wired, "BIOX Announces First Quarter Results" ? PR Web, "ALECO® Introduces BioClear™ Vinyl Stripping, the First and Only Vinyl Stripping Product Made in the USA from Renewable Plant Sources" ? Press Release Rocket, "Increasing Demand for Healthier, Greener & Cleaner Products Drives the Global Renewable Chemicals Market, According to a...

REGISTER FOR ABLC 2015 The Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2015 (ABLC 2015), to be held March 11-13, 2015, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., is the gathering point for top leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy -- bringing together the entire spectrum of advanced fuels, chemicals, and materials CEOs and senior executives, business development, R&D leaders, strategic partners, financiers, equity analysts, policymakers, and industry suppliers. Kathleen M. Roberts, Executive...

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is now accepting nominations for the George Washington Carver Award and the Rosalind Franklin Award, both recognizing leadership in the field of industrial biotechnology. Nominations are being accepted through February 26, 2015, and the recipients will be presented with the awards at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology from July 19-22, 2015, in Montreal. The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) is proud to once again...

On February 17, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal Register a Notice of Open Meeting for the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (the Committee). The Committee plans to meet on March 5, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and March 6, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. The agenda includes updates on the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and DOE...

? Domestic Fuel, "New President for Poet-DSM Joint Venture" ? Packaging Europe, "The Future of Corrosion Protection with Nature's Best" ? Biobased Industries Consortium, "Newly-formed Bioeconomy Alliance Calls for EU Action" ? eLife Sciences, "Expanding Xylose Metabolism in Yeast for Plant Cell Wall Conversion to Biofuels" ? ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, "A New Class of Bio-Based Paper Dry Strength Agents: Synthesis and Characterization of Soy-Based Polymers" ? Business Standard,...

REGISTER FOR ABLC 2015 by Friday, February 13, 2015, for discounted rates. The Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2015 (ABLC 2015), to be held March 11-13, 2015, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., is the gathering point for top leaders in the Advanced Bioeconomy -- bringing together the entire spectrum of advanced fuels, chemicals, and materials CEOs and senior executives, business development, R&D leaders, strategic partners, financiers, equity analysts,...

? HeraldOnline.com, "Scarcity of Non-Renewable Resources Will Open-up Huge Opportunities for the Global Bio-Ketones Market by 2019: TechNavio" ? Biomacromolecules, "A Bio-Based Alternative to the Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A with Controlled Materials Properties" ? Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, "Researchers Produce Two Biofuels from a Single Algae" ? CNN Money, "Gevo Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock and Warrants" ? Oceanus Magazine, "Jet Fuel from Algae?" ? Newswise,...

On January 27, 2015, BASF left the research and development (R&D) collaboration with Novozymes and Cargill that it had joined in 2012. Novozymes and Cargill have worked to develop a process to produce biobased 3-hydroxypropionic (3-HP) and acrylic acid from renewable materials since 2008. In BASF's absence, the two remaining companies are looking for a third partner for the project. The R&D project has already produced 3-HP in pilot scale and converted 3-HP to glacial acrylic acid and...

The 6th Annual Next Generation Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Summit took place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Summit was co-located with the InformEx Fine and Specialty Chemical Conference, which provided expanded programming and exposure to a larger audience. Senior executives from Verdezyne, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Lanzatech, Succinity, Novasep, Corbion Purac and more joined with researchers, financiers, and feedstock providers to discuss current developments and challenges...

By Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. In 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute® (ACS GCI) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), continuing the partnership centered on the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. The award cycle returned to its original schedule with the 2015 ceremony set to coincide with the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, as it had until 2013. This year the conference will be held on...

On January 16, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a petition from the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) to add "biodiesel" as a chemical category for partial reporting exemption at 40 C.F.R. Section 711.6(b)(2)(iv) under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule and will be proceeding with a direct final rule to be published later in January. The approved biodiesel category on the partial reporting exemption list will include the following...

Click here for a PDF version of the memorandum. 2015 will be a very interesting year. There are two overarching considerations that will make the year more difficult to predict than merely assuming most of this year's issues will simply be extensions of past issues, with a few new initiatives sprinkled in. First, the new Republican majority in the Senate will change the dynamic between the Executive and Legislative branches. Second, the Obama Administration will begin its lame duck status as it...

? Geneco, "UK's first ever bus to run on human and food waste launched" ? PR Web, "UPC, Myriant and Sojitz Jointly Develop Bio-succinic Acid Based Plasticizers" ? VTT Technical Institute of Finland, "VTT developing an environmentally friendly alternative for polystyrene" ? The Advertiser, "BP to close biofuel plant in Jennings" ? Packaging Digest, "Will there be a run on bio-based packaging materials soon?" ? Power Engineering, "Rivertop Renewables Begins Construction of Commercial Plant" ? NPR,...

Nominations for the 2015 Presidential Green Chemistry Awards are now being accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Nominations for the awards are due December 31, 2014, and the final awardees are expected to be announced in July 2015. The Awards cover six categories: academic; small business; greener synthetic pathways; greener reaction conditions; designing greener chemicals; and climate change. EPA allows companies to re-submit past nomination packets as long as the...

Many of the top policymakers, leaders, and stakeholders in the bioeconomy gathered in San Francisco this week for ABLCNext. The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group's (BRAG®) Executive Director Kathleen Roberts participated in the opening panel of the conference, "US Elections, What Happened, What Now," where she and other trade group leaders discussed likely impacts on the bioeconomy with the swing toward Republicans in federal and state races. Regarding the outlook...

DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) recently announced three new subtopics related to bioenergy under its SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs: * Design and Fabrication of Solids Handling for Biomass Conversion Systems -- Grant applications are sought for designs, prototype equipment, and procedures that enable continuous biomass solids handling at a cost ten percent lower than currently available. * Low-Cost Coatings for Advanced Thermal...