“Low cost feedstock” is a common expression in the emerging bioeconomy. Years ago, restaurants paid to ship out the waste cooking oils and greases. Today those restaurants sell these wastes and greases to the markets. So, what are low profit feedstocks? Is a waste material that is sold really “waste”, especially in light of the…
What does a renewable natural gas expert or consultant do? Renewable natural gas (RNG) also called biomethane is produced from biogas derived from renewable resources or biomass materials. The biogas is cleaned, scrubbed, and treated to remove carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other impurities to make it suitable as a natural gas replacement that can…
Disposing of tires has historically been very challenging due to the worldwide volume, rubber’s robust durability, and the ecological implications of tires in landfills. In years past, billions of tires historically filled landfills, yet as of 2015, less than 75 million tires remain in U.S. stockpiles. The European Union has done an outstanding job of…
The term “biofuels” refers to a fuel produced through a mainstream biological process like agriculture (as opposed to fuels which are produced through a geological process like coal or petroleum). Biofuels are normally derived directly from plants, or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes. Biodiesel and ethanol are two examples of biofuels. Biofuels are…
Can we identify the key reasons that many bioenergy projects fail to get funding? Yes. Is there a “magic bullet” that guarantees funding of a bioenergy project? No, but a review of the common characteristics of those that fail to receive funding is not difficult, and once understood, provides a pathway to the best chance…
During the period of time from about 2000 to 2013, most of the activity in the bioeconomy was focused on commodity products, especially fuels. The main products were ethanol and butanol, and the root technology was conversion of starches and cellulose to sugars, followed by fermentation. As petroleum became less expensive once again, fuels have…
The term “biotechnology” means to use a biological processes for an industrial purpose. In the emerging bioeconomy, the term refers to technologies used to produce biofuels and biochemicals. There are many types of bio technologies, including medical (such as vaccines and antibiotics), agricultural (such as pest resistant crops and plant and animal breeding). One of…
The agricultural, renewable energy, and bio economy (ethanol, biodiesel, biomass, agribusiness, solar, wind, etc.) industries have had a lot of crossover and growth in the US over the past decade. Large renewable energy and biochemical consulting firms certainly have experts in biofuels and renewable fuels, and the more common areas like biomaterials, biomass and biomass…