Biocatalysis is the use of enzymes as catalysts, and unfortunately, the word invokes a general sense that the principles of chemistry and thermodynamics are somehow different because a biological entity is being used. Enzymes are simply catalysts that are high molecular weight polyamides that do not usually contain a precious metal atom. The use of an…
Hiring an expert witness in the bioeconomy can be a bit tricky. In August 2017, I published an article that focused on important things that attorneys involved in biofuels or biochemical litigation should look for when choosing an expert witness.[1] This article explores the subject of expert witnesses in a bit more depth, including where…
Large renewable energy and biochemical consulting firms like Lee Enterprises Consulting have biomass power specialists willing to serve as expert witnesses in related claims, litigation, arbitration, and mediations, or to help attorneys evaluate their biomass power cases. Although expert witness work is only a small part of what they do, most of these experts are…
Bio litigation support experts encompass a wide variety of specialties including renewable fuels, renewable chemicals, feedstocks, biotechnologies, bioproducts, sustainability, synthetic biology, emerging technologies, waste management, aviation fuels, advanced biofuels, biochar, biogas, syngas, and renewable natural gas (RNG). These bio litigation support experts should be well versed in feedstocks and in technologies like anaerobic digestion, carbon…
Gas-to-liquid (GTL) technology is the process of converting natural gas to synthetic hydrocarbon liquids, or syngas, as an intermediate step toward production of valuable liquid fuels such as diesel or methanol. The processes make use of what might be wasted, and liquid gas is more easily, safely and less expensively transported than methane or natural…
Co-processing biomass with fossil carbon feeds and/or wastes? The adoption of renewable chemicals and fuels is a necessity for the future. However, our current fossil carbon-based economy has created a highly efficient infrastructure for processing and distributing fuels. The vision of those desiring to reduce fossil carbon was to slowly transition by leveraging this infrastructure. …
Are MSW biofuels feasible? Can we use MSW as a feedstock for biofuels production? The answer is a resounding “yes”. Municipal solid waste (MSW) includes lots of different items like paper, food, yard trimmings, plastics, metals, rubber, leather, and textiles, wood, and glass. According to the EPA, we can recycle many of these, keeping them from…
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is the waste that human activities generate and originates from our community, our households, and our commercial and institutional buildings. Municipal solid wastes are generated in huge qualities, some 2 billion tons per year globally, with about one-third coming from high-income countries in Europe and North America. The World Bank forecasts…