B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

A research team from the University of Wisconsin at Madison reportedly has developed a promising process using a renewable chemical for biofuels production. Under the process, the researchers used biobased gamma valerolactone (GVL) to break down plants and produce sugars for the production of biofuels. The use of the biobased material could make the process more sustainable and affordable. The findings are published in the January 17, 2014, issue of the journal Science....

On January 22, 2014, there were reports of two explosions at the JNS Biodiesel LCC biodiesel plant in northern Mississippi. No one was injured. The plant is designed to use poultry fat as the feedstock to produce eight million gallons of biodiesel each year. The news comes as the biodiesel industry is advocating its potential production beyond EPA's proposed 2014 and 2015 requirements....

It is reported that Research and Development non-profit Battelle, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has a pilot project in which an 18-wheel tractor trailer would be used to convert biomass onsite using a catalytic pyrolysis into oil that could be used to produce renewable chemicals or biofuels. This model could be used throughout the country to help facilitate the conversion of myriad types of biomass into oils for renewable chemicals and biofuels production in a cost...

On January 22, 2014, the largest U.S. biodiesel producer, the Renewable Energy Group, Inc.® (REG), headquartered in Ames, Iowa, announced that it has acquired renewable chemical producer LS9, Inc. for over $61 million. LS9 will be renamed REG Life Sciences LLC and will produce renewable chemicals and products. A copy of REG's press release is available online....

On January 23, 2014, EPA issued letters to the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) partially answering their October 2013 petitions for consideration of the final rulemaking, "Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards; Final Rule," published in the Federal Register on August 15, 2013. In its letters, EPA explains that it is granting the petitions by AFPM and API for reconsideration of the 2013...

On January 16, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has indicted two individuals in biodiesel fraud schemes worth more than $37 million. A copy of DOJ's press release is available online. James Jariv and Nathan Stoliar have been charged with 57 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements made under the Clean Air Act, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. In one scheme, the two allegedly generated...

On January 9, 2014, 7,500 gallons of a coal processing chemical, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, stored in an above-ground tank owned by Freedom Industries leaked into the Elk River just upstream from the local water utility's intake pipe serving Charleston, West Virginia. Regulators banned residents' use of the water for five days. Since the release, concerns have been expressed about the adequacy of information regarding the chemical's safety and health risks, an issue that has been...

In an article appearing in the January/February 2014 issue of The Environmental Forum, a publication of the Environmental Law Institute, the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group's (BRAG™) Lynn L. Bergeson and Kathleen M. Roberts discuss the latest developments in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) approach under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to biobased chemicals, and offer strategies on how biobased chemical manufacturers can best navigate current...

On December 23, 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it was ending its funding of BlueFire Renewable's cellulosic production facility project in Fulton, Mississippi. DOE took this action because the company reportedly failed to meet deadlines related to financing the project. This news comes as the cellulosic industry continues to be under attack for failing to live up to expectations under the federal RFS....

On December 31, 2013, Ironridge Global Partners, LLC, an institutional investor based in Los Angeles, California, announced that it has launched a green initiative designed to fund sustainable businesses, including emerging growth companies focused on environmental sustainability and environmentally-friendly products and services. As part of the initiative, Ironridge has provided over $6 million to Cereplast, Inc., a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable...