The Blue Flint ethanol plant's roughly 200,000 tpy of carbon emissions are the result of its corn fermentation process which uses enzymes to break down the starch into glucose. Yeast then converts the glucose to ethanol, and C02 is released in the process.
(Source: Blue Flint Ethanol, Bismark Tribune, 14 Oct., 2020) Contact: Blue Flint Ethanol, Midwest AgEnergy, Jeff Zuger, CEO, (701) 442-7500, www.midwestagenergy.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Blue Flint Ethanol, COs, CCS,
According to the release, Novozymes is the technology leader in fiber conversion, enabling new revenue for biofuels producers from low-carbon credits such as in California and EPA's cellulosic RIN credits. Through Fiberex, Novozymes is collaborating with the biofuel industry to further expand the boundaries of corn-based ethanol -- literally breaking down some of the barriers between what is considered conventional biofuels and advanced biofuels.
Novozymes' Fiberex enzymes are specifically designed to break down this complex matrix -- resulting in more corn oil and converting the fiber into simple sugars that are easily converted into ethanol.
As part of the platform announcement, Novozymes is also launching the first Fiberex products: Fiberex R1, a technology specifically designed to provide maximum ethanol in separate fiber-to-ethanol processes, and Fiberex F1, a cellulase enzyme designed to provide fiber conversion for in-process technologies. Additional solutions, to launch in 2021, are in proof-of-concept trials now, according to the release. (Source: Novozymes, Website PR, 16 Sept., 2020) Contact: Novozymes, Brian Brazeau, VP Bioenergy, 646-671-3897 , www.novozymes.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Novozymes , Corn Ethanol, Ethanol,
Enzymes can act as a catalyst to produce biodiesel while generating less waste and requiring lower temperatures than traditional base catalysts. Enzymes are presently too expensive to compete with base catalysts because enzymes require tedious purification procedures and subsequent immobilization to be easily recycled and reused, according to the CUHK research report.
According to Dr. Bradley Heater, the lead author of the paper, "The real elegance of this technology is that the bacteria cells do all the hard work of producing the catalyst -- all we have to do is separate the crystals from the cell debris. Currently, we can use this method to produce an enzyme that converts waste cooking oil to biodiesel, but we should be able to trap other enzymes to perform different chemistry as well."
(Source: Chinese University of Hong Kong, BioSpectrum Asia, 25 June, 2020)
Contact: Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr. Bradley Heater, Report Author, Prof. Michael Chan, +852 3943 1487, michaelchan88@cuhk.edu.hk,
www.cuhk.edu.hk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biodiesel, Enzymes,
The DTU Bioengineering scientists contend that Denmark can become a market leader if there is a high production of the particular enzymes.
According to the researchers,
200 tonnes of the enzyme can capture one million tpd of CO2.
A new technology needs to be developed to produce enzymes on a large scale, the DTU release notes.
(Source: DTU Bioengineering , CPH Post, 6 June, 2020) Contact: DTU Bioengineering, (+45) 4525 2600 , info@bio.dtu.dk, www.bioengineering.dtu.dk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Methanol, Carbon Capture, CO2,
CTS 2.0 can convert virtually any plant material -- grasses, wood, paper, farm waste, yard waste, forestry products, fruit casings, nut shells, and the cellulosic portion of municipal solid waste -- into sugars and subsequently into biofuels, and bioplastics, without the use of enzymes or liquid acids. CTS stands for Cellulose to Sugar. The cellulose is converted into sugar and lignin. The sugar is further converted into bio-ethanol and other biofuels; the lignin may be further converted into bioplastics. The company notes that biofuel originating from the CTS process will receive the generous D3 cellulosic Renewable Fuel Credits (RINs) which are currently $1.40/gallon of ethanol. (Source: Alliance Bioenergy, PR, 9 April, 2020) Contact: Alliance Bioenergy Plus, Inc., Ben Slager, CEO,
Ben.slager@alliancebioe.com; www.Alliancebioe.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Cellulosic, Biomass, Alliance BioEnergy, Biomass, Biofuel,
Since 2018, Novozymes has released four yeast solutions as part of its Innova platform. Yeast and its development are a strategic growth area where Novozymes will continue working with innovation partners in the industry. Its Innova yeast products are the result of a dedicated development partnership with Microbiogen to bring new yeast technology to the market.
Australian-based Microbiogen is an industrial biotechnology company specializing in the development of improved, industrial yeast strains, according to the company website. (Source: Novozymes, PR, GreenCar Congress, 11 Feb. 2020) Contact: Novozymes, Brian Brazeau, VP Bioenergy Commercial, Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO, Michael Burns, Biorefining Business Development North America,(919) 496-6926, www.novozymes.com;
Microbiogen, Geoff Bell, CEO, (02) 9418 3182 geoff.bell@microbiogen.com,
www.microbiogen.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Microbiogen, Novozymes , Yeast, Ethanol,
Fortiva is added into liquefaction the same as traditional alpha amylase technologies, but once introduced, it solubilizes more difficult starch than all other amylases on the market
Novozyme's Innova Force targets ethanol plants seeking flexibility to achieve operational targets without sacrificing performance. It allows producers to achieve throughput and yield targets without losing ethanol yield to common stressors, such as high temperature and organic acids. Force gives producers the flexibility to push for yield without compromise, and to choose the format that best fits their operation, dry or cream.
Usimat will also deploy ICM's Selective Milling Technology (SMT) and Base Tricanter System (BTS) to improve ethanol and corn oil recovery yields while reducing enzymes and chemical usage. In total, the ICM technologies packages will increase ethanol, corn oil, and DDG yields, and provide operational efficiencies.
(Source: ICM, Bioenergy, 18 Jan., 2019) Contact: Usimat, Marcos Altenburger, CEO, www.novacana.com/usinas_brasil/fabrica/usina-usimat; ICM Inc., David VanderGriend, CEO, (316) 796-0900, www.icminc.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News ICM, ICM Ethanol, DDGs,
Attis has successfully converted the pulp extracted from its patented biomass processing into high yields of sugar using Novozymes' proprietary enzyme cocktails.
Initially, Attis and Novozymes will focus on optimizing the value of the biotechnology utilized in the Attis process. (Source: Attis Industries, Chemical Engineering, Jan., 2019) Contact: Attis Ind., Jeff Cosman, CEO, 678-580-5661, www.attisind.com; Novozymes, Peder Holk Nielsen, President and CEO, Tina Sejersgard Fano, VP Bioenergy, +45 44 46 00 00, www.novozymes.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Attis Industries, Novozymes, Biofuel,
In the study, the glucosidase enzyme that helps break down the complex carbohydrates present in biomass was modified the chemical structure of the enzyme to let it withstand heat of up to 137 degree C so that it can be used in ionic liquids instead of the usual water. The scientists found that the combined effect of heat resistance and solubility in ionic liquids increased the glucose output 30-fold. If the technique is taken up on a large scale, fuel-related carbon emissions could fall by 80-100 per cent.
According to researcher Dr. Alex Brogan, "We've made bioprocessing faster, which will require less equipment and will reduce carbon footprint. One major advantage of this will be increased biofuel production -- potentially helping biofuels become more widespread as a result. Furthermore, this alteration can be applied to a wide variety of enzymes, for various applications such as making fuels from waste and recycling plastics, thereby making bioprocessing more efficient." (Source: Imperial College London, Coherent Times, 24 Nov., 2018)Contact: Imperial College London, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Alex Brogan, +44 (0) 20 7594 9028, www.alexbrogan.co.uk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Imperial College London, Biofuel,
The research is intended to create a way to protect and enhance enzymes in the process to turn organic material into fuel. Ceballos will use a protein derived from microorganisms that live in acidic geothermal pools and springs to enhance the conversion process.
(Source: University of Arkansas, 30 Aug., 2018)
Contact: University of Arkansas, Prof. Ruben Michael Ceballos, 479-575-5643,
ceballos@uark.edu, https://ceballoslab.uark.edu; National Science Foundation, www.nsf.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Science Foundation, University of Arkansas, Biofuel,
Novozymes also noted that organic sales growth for the bioenergy segment is expected to be driven mainly by new product launches and innovation. (Source: Novozymes, AgraNet, Various Media, 14 Aug., 2018) Contact: Novozymes, Tina Sejersgard Fano, VP Bioenergy,
+45 44 46 00 00, www.novozymes.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Novozymes , Enzymes, Bioenergy, Biofuel,
Syngenta's patented Enogen corn has enzymes genetically engineered into the kernels. Ethanol plants normally purchase enzymes to help turn corn starch into sugar as part of the fermenting process. Enogen is classified as an "identity preserved crop" and must either go to the ethanol plants that contract for it or be used as livestock feed. The product is presently being used or tested in over 30 ethanol plants nationwide, including Tharaldson Energy at Casselton, N.D., and Midwest AgEnergy Group plants at Spiritwood, N.D., and Underwood, N.D.
Syngenta International, which was acquired by China's state-run enterprise ChemChina in 2017, operates research and development facilities in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and in Beijing.
(Source: Syngenta, New Age Business, United News of Bangladesh, 8 Aug., 2018) Contact: Syngenta, Eric Fyrwald, CEO, +41 61 323 11 11, www.syngenta.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Syngenta, Biouel Feedstock, Enogen,
The new process utilizes an artificial pathway and highly active enzymes to create cells which have excellent isoprene-synthesizing capability. The new technology is used to make cells which have the capability to generate isoprene from a biomass (sugar) that serves as the starting material. The in-vivo generated isoprene is then polymerized to achieve synthesis of polyisoprene rubber. The research project effectively leveraged the cell design and plant science technologies of the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) to develop this new technology.
The technology can be used for butadiene-based synthetic rubber and other diene rubbers, according to a Yokohama release. (Source: Yokohama Rubber Co., Tires & Parts, Aug., 2018) Contact: Yokohama Rubber , www.y-yokohama.com/global
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass, Sugar Biomass,
Cellulase enzymes assist in hydrolyzing the corn kernel fiber which, broken down, releases more sugars to be fermented into ethanol.
Ethanol from corn kernel fiber may qualify for D3 RINS under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which encourages producers to utilize non-starch components of grains and other waste products in the production of biofuels.
Initial product prototypes have proven successful in both laboratory and ethanol plant scale testing, and more evaluations are planned, the companies say.
(Source: ADM, DuPont, World-Grain, 21 June, 2018)
Contact: DuPont Industrial Biosciences, Troy Wilson, www.biosciences.dupont.com; ADM, Juan Luciano, Pres., CEO, (312) 634-8100, Collin Benson, VP Bioactives, Jackie Anderson, ADM Media, (217) 424-5413, media@adm.com, www.adm.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Archer Daniels Midland , DuPont Industrial Biosciences, Cellulosic, Enzyne,
In the wild, Ctx is nature's best cellulosic degrader, and since it is anaerobic, the technology has the potential of lowering enzymes costs via onsite CelZyme production, using part of the biomass as its feedstock.
WDL has developed a core competency for the isolation, selection, cultivation and engineering of Clostridia, a long known but less understood class of bacteria, with promising applications in biochemicals and fuels.
Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered AdvanceBio provides renewable chemical and fuel process technology development and design services globally to first generation producers as well as companies developing second-generation, cellulosic ethanol processes.
(Source: White Dog Lab, PR, Business Wire, June, 2018) Contact: White Dog Lab., Bryan Tracy, (302) 220-4763,
btracy@whitedoglabs.com, www.WhiteDogLabs.com; White Dog Labs Israel, Alon Karpol, akarpol@whitedoglabs.com;
AdvanceBio, Dale Monceaux, monceaux@advancebio.com,
www.AdvanceBio.com; BIRD Foundation, Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director, +972 3 698 8300, (650) 752-6485, www.birdf.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News White Dog Labs, BIRD Energy, ,
In the collaboration, BASF's enzyme portfolio will be used for applications in liquefaction and fermentation to improve fermentation performance. LBDS will use its TransFerm yeast product line which it claims provides increased ethanol yields and reduces the need for glucoamylase addition.
The BASF company portfolio is organized into five segments -- chemicals, performance products, functional materials & solutions, agricultural solutions and oil & gas.
LBDS supplies fermentation ingredients and 'value creating services' to the global fuel ethanol and distilled beverage industries. (Source: BASF, LBDS, PR, Biofuels Int'l, 12 June, 2018) Contact: Lallemand, Jim Steele, CEO, Angus Ballard, Pres., (815) 721-6165, www.lallemandbds.com; BASF Enzymes, Dirk Daems, Drector of Operations, (858)451-8500, https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/VRNM:US-basf-enzymes-llc, www.basf.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News BASF, Enzymes, Lallemand Biofuels, Ethanol,
The new XCELIS platform also will feature an online partner community for the industry, GRAIN CHANGERS. This online community and innovative product offerings represent a new age for DuPont's XCELIS biorefinery team. By improving performance, efficiency and fuel ethanol yields, XCELIS helps ethanol producers reach their goals with new products, tools and technologies.
"These three products are -- quite simply -- game-changers for the fuel ethanol market. Our team has done it once again -- listened to customer needs, engineered cutting-edge enzyme and yeast technologies and worked hand-in-hand with ethanol producers to bring products to market that provide the best possible yields and new options for efficiency," the release says. (Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences,
PR, June, 2018) Contact: DuPont Industrial Biosciences , Judy Underwood, Global Marketing Leader Grain Processing, Wendy Rosen ,
(650) 284-6429, www.dow-dupont.com, http://biosciences.dupont.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News DuPont Industrial Biosciences , Ethanol, Biofuel, Enzymes,
Novozymes said ethanol fuel is one of the major opportunities the company sees in China, which plans to push nationwide use of bioethanol-gasoline blends by 2020 to cut emissions and fossil fuel consumption.
With a 48-pct market share in industrial enzymes, Novozymes provides biological solutions for producers of ethanol, bread, detergent and textiles in 130 countries. (Source: Xinhua, Novozymes, 27 May, 2018)
Contact: Novozymes, Sara Dai, Asia Pacific Regional Pres., +45 44 46 00 00, www.novozymes.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Novozymes, Enzymes, Ethanol,
Enogen is classified as an "identity preserved crop" and must either go to the ethanol plants that contract for it or be used as livestock feed.
The product is presently being used or tested in over 30 ethanol plants nationwide, including Tharaldson Energy at Casselton, N.D., and Midwest AgEnergy Group plants at Spiritwood, N.D., and Underwood, N.D.
(Source: INFORUM, AgWeek, 20 May, 2018) Contact: Syngenta, Jack Bernens, Enogen Technology Leader, (202) 737-6520, www.syngenta.com; Enogen, (877) 436-0436, www.enogen.net;
Tharaldson Energy, www.tharaldsonethanol.com; MidwestAgEnergy Group, www.midwestagenergygroup.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Tharaldson Energy, Syngenta, Enogen, Corn, Ethanol Corn Ethanol, AgEnergy Group ,
The plant processes as much as 10 tpd of agricultural waste in a single day using a pre-treatment phase that converted the waste into a form that was more digestible by microbial enzymes which can be reused for over 50 cycles.
(Source: DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences, The Hindu, 1 April, 2018)Contact: DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences, Prof. Arvind Lali, +91 22 2414 5616, www.dbt-ceb.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel, Ethanol, AgWaste-toEthanol,
A major focus of research at JBEI, and in the broader community of biofuel researchers, is the production of industrially and commercially relevant fuels and chemicals from renewable resources, such as lignocellulosic biomass, rather than from petroleum. The enzyme discovered in this study will enable the first-time microbial production of bio-based toluene, and in fact, the first microbial production of any aromatic hydrocarbon biofuel.
The enzyme discovery resulted from the intensive study of two very different microbial communities that produced toluene. One community contained microbes from lake sediment, and the other from sewage sludge. Since microbes in the environment are a reservoir of enzymes that catalyze an extraordinarily diverse set of chemical reactions, it's not unusual for scientists working in biotechnology to source enzymes from nature.
The toluene-synthesizing enzyme discovered in this study, phenylacetate decarboxylase, belongs to a family of enzymes known as glycyl radical enzymes (GREs). The radical nature of GREs allows them to catalyze chemically challenging reactions, such as anaerobic decarboxylation of phenylacetate to generate toluene.
In fact, metagenome analyses revealed that these microbial communities each contained more than 300,000 genes - the equivalent of more than 50 bacterial genomes. Another challenge was that the anaerobic microbial communities and many of their enzymes were sensitive to oxygen, forcing the scientists to manipulate cultures and enzymes under strictly anaerobic conditions.
The discovery process combined protein purification techniques used by biochemists for decades, such as fast protein liquid chromatography, with modern metagenomic, metaproteomic, and associated bioinformatic analyses, some of which were carried out in collaboration with the Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility. An important component of the discovery process was to validate the researchers' predictions of the toluene biosynthesis enzyme with experiments using highly controlled assays involving purified proteins.
The researchers believe that their study results have implications for fundamental and applied science. From a biochemical perspective, the study expands the known catalytic range of GREs, and from a biotechnological perspective, it will enable first-time biochemical synthesis of an aromatic fuel hydrocarbon from renewable resources.
(Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 26 Mar., 2018) Contact: DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, www.jbei.org; LBNL, Harry Beller, Snr. Scientist, JBEI scientific lead, (510) 486-7321, HRBeller@lbl.gov,
www.lbl.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News JBEI, LBNL, Enzyme, Biofuel ,
Novozymes claims that during fermentation, Innova Drive produces a higher-performing glucoamylase enzyme. Apparently, this enzyme is twice as effective as glucoamylases produced by other yeast products when it comes to converting sugar into ethanol.
(Source: Noovozymes, Feb., 2018) ,
Contact: Novozymes, Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO, Michael Burns, Biorefining Business Development North America, Peter Halling, VP Biofuel, (919) 496-6926, www.novozymes.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Novozymes, Yeast, Enzymes, Biofuel,
Alkol Biotech adapts plant varieties to grow in colder and drier climates, offering better resistance to pests and diseases, along with higher productivity. The first crop it is developing is EUnergyCane, a sugarcane variety.
BRD is a commercialization partner in Bioforever (BIO-based products from FORestry via Economically Viable European Routes), a consortium of 14 companies in Europe that aims to build a biorefinery to produce products normally sourced from oil. The consortium includes Avantium, Borregaard, Royal DSM, Green Biologics and MetGen. The consortium is addressing several pre-treatment technologies for the production of intermediates, such as cellulose, C5 and C6 sugars, lignin and humins. The consortium aims to create conversion routes from the intermediates to a variety of building blocks and end products, such as carbon binders, butanol, resin acid, enzymes and furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), and to demonstrate lignocellulosic value chains at pre-industrial scale for some final products.(Source: BRD, PR, Alkol Biotech, Jan., 2018) Contact: Bio Refinery Development BV, Anton Robek, CEO, +31 62 00 16964, amfrobek@brdbv.com, www.brdbv.com; Alkol BioTech Ltd., +44 20 3475 8387, www.alkolbiotech.co.uk; Bioforever, www.bioforever.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Bio Refinery Development, Biomass, Alkol BioTech, Bioforever, Biomass,