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?  Washington University in St. Louis, “WashU Engineer to Design Catalyst for Wasted Plant Material”    ?  U.S. Air Force, “Langley 1 of 4 Bases to Test Bio-Based Grease”    ?  Times of India, “Fuel from Water Hyacinth? IIT-Kharagpur Shows the Way”    ?  Economic Times, “US Biofuels Lobbying Group Courts Its Rival Oil Companies to Combat Electric Car Threat”...

On February 9, 2017, Avantium announced a partnership with AkzoNobel (a member of the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®)), Chemport Europe, RWE Generation, and Staatsbosbeheer to develop a reference plant at the Chemie Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands.  The plant will use a new technology, referred to as the Zambezi process, for the cost-effective production of high-purity glucose from non-food biomass, including forestry residue, pulp, and agricultural...

?     Montana State University, “MSU Scientist Wins $1.2 Million Federal Grant to Improve Camelina Seed Qualities"    ?   Reuters, “U.S. Biofuels Credits Drop as EPA Delay Uncertainty Grips Market”   ?     European Environmental Bureau, “Joint Position Paper — Bioplastics in a Circular Economy:  The Need to Focus on Waste Reduction and Prevention to Avoid False Solutions”   ?   Biofuels Digest,...

On January 13, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), which aims to aid in providing a more complete definition and quantification of energy employment across the economy.  The report presents direct employment data for jobs associated with traditional energy companies, with the production of renewable energy, and with energy efficiency, and an analysis of a supplemental survey sent to 30,000 energy sector employers. ...

On January 13, 2017, the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), announced the intent to issue a request for applications (RFA) titled “Fiscal Year 17 Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI).”  Projects funded through BRDI must address one of the foll owing topic areas:   ?   Feedstocks development :  Research, development, and demonstration...

?   Tetra Pak, “Tetra Pak Gets Closer to Fully Renewable Packaging Goal with New Aseptic Carton”    ?   Danimer Scientific, “MHG Debuts New Corporate Identity”    ?   Leaf Resources, “Leaf Resources And Novozymes Launch Biomass-to-Sugars Collaboration”    ?   Amyris, “Amyris Partners with Queensland to Create the Leading Industrial Biotechnology Hub in Southeast Asia”    ?   Suez,...

On November 3, 2016, the European Commission announced that 144 new green and low-carbon projects from 23 Member States will be funded by a €222.7 million investment from the European Union (EU) budget, which will be combined with €175.9 from additional investments.  The funding comes from the LIFE programme, the EU’s funding body for the environment and climate action, with the goal of progressing Europe towards a more sustainable future.   The selected projects align...

? University of Minnesota News and Events, "Researchers Invent ‘Perfect’ Soap Molecule" ? Beverage Daily, "Cargill Pairs with Start-Up to Make Spirulina from Malt Waste" ? Braskem, "Polarbröd Changes to Bio-Based Packaging" ? City of South Portland, "South Portland Pilots Locally Made Biodiesel in Vehicle Fleet" ? DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, "DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products Celebrates 10 Years of Bio-Based...

On October 26, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee via notice in the Federal Register.  This meeting will work to develop advice and guidance promoting the research and development (R&D) of biobased fuels and products.  The agenda for the meeting includes an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) biomass R&D activities, an update on DOE biomass R&D activities, and...

On October 25, 2016, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), presented “Under-appreciated Regulatory Barriers to Commercialization of Algae and Algal Products” at the Algae Biomass Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Engler’s presentation was part of the Legal, IP and Regulatory Issues — Challenges and Opportunities track of the summit, and explored how algae processing and use is regulated by the Federal Food, Drug, and...

The Algae Biomass Summit is the largest algae conference in the world.  This is where leading producers of algae products go to network with industry suppliers and technology providers, where project developers converse with utility executives, and where researchers and technology developers rub elbows with venture capitalists.  Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is a proud sponsor.  B&C Senior...

On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule.  This proposed rule includes suggestions to improve the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and related pro-renewable fuel regulations.  Updated regulations included in the proposed rule include allowing biofuel producers to process feedstock and then convert the material into fuels at different facilities, and an expansion to the availability of...

On September 5, 2016, a group of non-profits, including Oxfam International, Fern, and Greenpeace, published a report outlining policy measures that should be taken by the European Commission (EC) to ensure that bioenergy is as low-carbon and resource efficient as possible. The report, "A New EU Sustainable Bioenergy Policy Report," was published after EC stated a willingness to listen to new proposals to improve sustainable bioenergy policies. EC is planning on proposing an updated...

On July 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announced $15 million in funding for three projects that will work to improve algal biomass yields to reduce production costs of algae-based biofuels and bioproducts. The projects include Global Algae Innovations (San Diego, California), Algenol Biotech LLC (Ft. Myers, Florida), and MicroBio Engineering, Inc. (San Luis Obispo, California). These projects will coordinate algae strain improvements through harvesting, dewatering, and downstream...

? Nature, "Policy: Five Cornerstones Of A Global Bioeconomy" ? AgWired, "A Sustainable Future Is #Biobased" ? edie, "Asia Pulp & Paper Backs Community-Led Indonesian Biofuels Project" ? Aboitiz Power, "AboitizPower To Expand RE Portfolio With Biomass" ? CBC News, "Canfor Eyes Prince George For Major Biofuel Facility" ? Sioux City Journal, "Siouxland Ethanol Approves $8M Expansion To Further Boost Production"...

On May 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) had resumed incentives for farmers and foresters producing biomass for renewable energy and biobased products. BCAP has $3 million in available funding for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The program was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, and supports growers who produce energy biomass crops, or deliver forest and agriculture residues to a USDA-approved...

On May 25, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. The purpose of the meeting is to develop advice and guidance that promote research and development (R&D), leading to the production of biobased fuels and biobased products. The tentative agenda covers: An update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biomass R&D activities;   An update...

On May 16, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that up to $10 million in funding is being given to six projects that are creating innovative solutions to advance bioenergy development. The work will support the Bioenergy Technologies Office's (BETO) goal of developing non-food biomass competitive biofuels with reduced technical investment risks. The selected projects are: Arizona State University, a project engineering cyanobacteria to produce ethyl laurate;   Arizona...

In May of 2016, the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) awarded the University of Illinois and the University of Florida $300,000 to continue researching ultra-productive biofuel crops. The research project is called Plants Engineered To Replace Oil in Sugarcane and Sweet Sorghum (PETROSS), and this is the third round of funding that it will receive from ARPA-E. PETROSS is engineering sugarcane and sorghum to produce 20 percent oil, compared to the 0.05...

On May 11, 2016, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) provided more information about the project that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is funding with $1.3 million as part of the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). UCR received $1.3 million in funding to create biofuels and chemicals from waste plant materials. Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and Chemical and Environmental...