The car maker Audi and the biotech start-up Global Bioenergies recently announced a milestone test for a renewable gasoline blend (termed e-benzin) containing over 34%of two isobutene-derived compounds produced by Global Bioenergies.
Breakthrough in the production of biobased toluene from bacterial enzyme [Registered]
Researchers at the US Department of Energy Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a new enzyme that will enable the microbial production of a biobased alternative to petroleum-based toluene, a widely used octane booster in gasoline that has a global market of 29 million tonnes per year.
Lego launching playsets made from cane-based polyethylene [Registered]
The Danish family-owned toy company Lego, famous for its plastic bricks, recently announced that they have started making the botanical elements—such as leaves, bushes, and trees—in its kits from polyethylene sourced from sugarcane.
USA – New US$75 mln plant in Florida converts cane bagasse into take-out containers [Full subscriber]
Tellus Products’s new state-of-the-art facility in Belle Glade constructed last year was inaugurated on 27th March in the presence of Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, according to local press reports.
Sugar-based amines offer a cost-competitive alternative to fabric softeners made from petrochemicals [Full subscriber]
Scientists at the University of Louvain (KU Leuven) have developed a fabric softener from sugar according to the statement released by the university.
Stora Enso’s launches a lignin product – an effective substitute to oil-based phenolic materials [Registered]
Stora Enso is the world’ s largest producer of lignin. The company recently announced the launch of Lineo™ which can replace oil-based phenolic materials which are used in resins for plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), paper lamination and insulation material with renewable solutions.
Y. lipolytica engineered to produce high yields of triacetic acid lactone [Registered]
Chemical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a biobased process to produce the platform chemical called triacetic acid lactone (TAL) that can be used to produce innovative new drugs and sustainable plastics at an industrial scale.
Canada – Advanced Chemical Technologies to invest US$120 mln in a methanol plant [Registered]
Advanced Chemical Technologies (AChT) recently announced that it plans to will build a CA$150million (US$120 mln) demonstration plant by 2020 at the Bluewater Energy Park in Chemical Valley which will produce green methanol from industrial carbon monoxide emissions and natural gas.
ADM partners with PNNL to produce biobased propylene glycol [Registered]
Every year, more than 7 million barrels of oil are used in the production of propylene glycol (PG), an ingredient found in many common household items, including anti-freeze, plastics, cosmetics, and food additives. Until recently, the only economically viable source of feedstock for producing PG was petroleum. The agri-business giant Archer Daniels Midland has partnered with US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to produce biobased PG.
Carbios develops conversion technology to recycle plastics [Registered]
The French biotech start-up Carbios has developed enzymes which break down long plastic chains into monomers – without the need for high temperatures and energy – which can then be separated, purified, and re-used to produce new plastic.
Monthly Snapshot
Market overview Market fundamentals continue to bear down on prices. The situation is unlikely to change in the near future. In its latest quarterly report, International Sugar Organization (ISO) refined the 2017/18 global surplus at 5.51 million tonnes. It expects global […]
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