In Colorado, ZeaChem has completed construction of cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The project was completed on budget and is expected to begin production of cellulosic ethanol by the end of 2012. ZeaChem’s core process produces acetic acid and ethyl acetate which are intermediate chemicals for applications including paints, lacquers and consumer goods. ■ Cereplast wins silver in MATERIALICA Design Technology 201220122012 In California, Cereplast’s Hybrid 651D has won the World News MATERIALICA Design Technology 2012 silver award for outstanding innovation in the “Material” category. The awards ceremony took place in 【【【America 】】】 Munich, Germany at the 15 th annual trade fair, ■ Intrexon to purchase 48% of AquaBounty MATERIALICA—Lightweight Design for New Technologies Mobility, on the evening of October 23. Cereplast In Virginia, Intrexon Corp., a synthetic Hybrid 651D was the sole bioplastic material to be company that utilizes its proprietary technologies to nominated for and to win the prestigious provide control over cellular function, announced MATERIALICA award. Hybrid 651D is starch that it has entered into a definitive purchase hybrid resin. agreement to acquire an approximately 48% ■ Meredian holds grand opening for Bainbridge interest in AquaBounty Technologies from existing bioplastic plant shareholders. ABT is a company In Georgia, Meredian Inc., a privately held focused on enhancing the productivity in biopolymer manufacturer hosted the grand opening aquaculture. of their plant in Bainbridge. Production of bioplastic ■ BAL and Xunshan to develop integrated seaweed is scheduled to get underway in the next two to biobiobio-bio ---refineryrefinery three weeks. The Albany Herald reports that In California, Bio Architecture Lab and Xunshan production rates should pass 300,000 tons/yr., Group have entered into an agreement to develop making this the largest PHA plant in the world. an integrated seaweed bio-refinery to produce a low ■ partnered with oil companies cost carbohydrate for the production of renewable For bio-based synthetic oil, Monsanto and Synthetic chemicals, fuels, animal feed and a variety of other Technologies agreed on the license for supplying the high value products using Xunshan’s seaweed and bio-based synthetic oil. The raw material soy bean Bal’s conversion technology. oil squeezed from Vistive Gold, being developed by ■ SG expands network of research sites for Monsanto, aims to produce synthetic oil for jatropha hybrid lubricating oil. In California, SG Biofuels announced it has ■ CocaCocaCoca-Coca ---ColaCola implemented biobio----PETPET bottle expanded its global network of hybrid trial and Coca-Cola has been actively promoting agronomic research sites to 15 with the addition of implementation of plant-derived bottle “Plant eight new JMax Knowledge Centers in Guatemala, Bottle.” The company has ambitious plan to adopt Brazil and India. SG states that they have in all the bottles by 2020. demonstrated superior performance with its ■ USDA to rere----startstart reporting on soy for biodiesel hybrids, with production at less than $99 per barrel In Washington, the USDA is going to begin in a range of growing conditions. analyzing the production of soy-based biodiesel ■ ZeaChem completes construction of ethanol beginning in November after having stopped for six plant in Boardman months due to budget cuts. This time it will use

GREEN CHEMICAL December /2012 data from the DOE. The analysis will be included in woody biomass, with near-term end markets serving part of its standard monthly crops cellulosic ethanol demand in Europe, by leveraging ■ Agrow recognizes Morrone BioBio’’’’ss Grandevo as Renmatix’s proprietary Plantrose technology “““Best“Best New PesticidePesticide”””” ■ DSM reaches agreement to acquire Cargill culture In California, Marrone Bio Innovations announced and enzyme business its groundbreaking Grandevo bioinsecticide has In the Netherlands, Royal DSM has reached been recognized by Agrow as “Best New agreement with Cargill to acquire Cargill’s cultures Biopesticide” for 2012. The prestigious Agrow and enzymes business in an all cash transaction for Awards honor corporate and individual excellence a total enterprise value of EUR 85 million. Subject to in the crop protection and production industry. customary conditions, the transaction is expected to ■ Biogenic Reagents completes construction of close in the next couple of months. biocarbon facility ■ SGPP reformulates products, replacing In Minnesota, Biogenic Reagents has completed pthalates with bioplastic construction and initiated commercial production at In France, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has its $30 million facility in Marquette, Michigan. The reformulated several products using renewable, company’s flagship production facility has the bio-based materials ranging from 30 to 50% of the capacity to process 300,000 tons per year of biomass total composition. In addition SGPP has eliminated into carbon products. Initial products include the use of phthalate. SGPP reports that studies activated carbon with applications for air and water demonstrate that the new products perform equally purification and control of mercury and other to the existing ones. emissions from power plants. ■ signs global marketing agreement with Novazyme for biofungicide In Switzerland, Syngenta announced the signing of an exclusive global marketing and distribution 【【【Europe 】】】 agreement to commercialize Taegro, fermented ■ Neste Oil now producing renewable naptha biological fungicide based on a naturally occurring suitable for bioplastic bacterium Bacillus subtilis. It offers growers In Finland, Neste Oil has added NExBTL renewable broad-spectrum disease control at very low naphtha suitable for producing bioplastics to its application rates in a variety of crops. corporate customer product range. The company ■ New biodegradable bioplastic shoes from 01M states their naphtha can be used as a feedstock for In Spain, 01M has released a new bioplastic, producing bioplastics, for example, and as a biodegradable show, sourced from vegetables. The biocomponent for gasoline. Neste Oil is one of the shoes are available in seven colors and five sizes. world’s first companies to supply bionaphtha on a The shoes will biodegrade in roughly six months and commercial scale. they can be tossed into a compost bin. ■ Vnesheconombank, Bright Capital and ■ Eptisa to supervise construction of Croatian Renmatix sign MOU waste management facility .In the Russian Federation, Vnesheconombank, venture In Croatia, Eptisa, a Spanish engineering company capital firm Bright Capital Management, and Renmatix will be supervising construction of a waste signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly management facility in Croatia. The project is worth consider mutually beneficial relationships, potential €1.5 million, and will involve the installation of a collaboration and investment in the biochemical and landfill, wastewater treatment facility, biological and biofuels industries. Under the MOU, the companies are mechanical treatment facilities, and bioreactor looking to work to pursue the development of a series of technologies. industrial plants that will produce cellulosic sugar from ■ Germany to make biofuels from straw

GREEM CHMICAL December/2012

In July, Swiss speciality chemicals company research over next 5 years Clariant inaugurated Germany’s largest pilot plant In the UK, the government plans to invest for the production of climate-friendly cellulosic USD$16m over the next five years to fund synthetic ethanol from agricultural waste, the Paper Index biology research. The project plans to build a center Times reports. The plant is expected to produce up to study early-stage processes in order to boost and to 1,000 tonnes of cellulosic ethanol from around coordinate investments in the field. 4,500 tonnes of wheat straw. ■ BASF strengthen the business development ■ Nova Institut using hemp to improve bioplastics inChina and ASEAN In Germany, Plastic News reports that the Nova “BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific,” R&D of Institut, along with BaFa, and other project BASF starts up its operation. The extended project of members are working on using hemp as a fiber for R&D center of Pudong base and transfer of Greater bioplastic improvement. Work was done to resolve China headquaters have completed. It aims to collect how best feed in the hemp, settling on “optimized 25% of global R&D staff to the Asia-Pacific region by pellets”. Michael Carus, of the Nova Institut, states 2020. In a highly efficient product section, the that a number of companies are testing the new dispersion production base has completed and starts pellets and evaluating them for use in commercial operation. In Whan, it obtained good results from applications. actual proof of the garbage bag. Moreover, food and ■ BP stops plan in State of Florida agricultural field, and mining-related industry in BP announced that it has discontinued the plan to ASEAN area have been launched the operation. set up factories in Florida of cellulosic bio-ethanol ■ R&D base in Singapore from sugar cane and sorghum. The company focuses Akzo Nobel has expanded its R&D capabilities in on the licensing of technology research and ASEAN. The company established R&D center for development of biofuels. architectural exterior wall paint, as its first part in ■ Joint veventure;nture; Clariant, Wilmer and Amine Singapore. The center acts as core part of development Clariant and Wilmer agreed to establish a joint towards global market. venture of amine business with equally owned ■ A new plant in Brazil investment. A combination of special amines and Evonik Industries has established a new plant in amine technologies possessed by Clariant, and Americana of San Paulo, producing personal care competitive raw material of the world’s leading palm and household and raw materials. The operation is oil; Wilmar, significantly strengthen our business scheduled to start in 2014. It produces viscosity foundation. The operations start in 2013. surfactants, conditioning agents, emulsifiers and ■ Praj will invest up to $30 million in demo sticker. Annual production capacity is 50,000 tons. cellulosic ethanol plant ■ Spanish project for almond shell based color In Germany, Praj announced at the FO Licht In Spain, a project for the development of conference in Munich that it will set up a 10 million biodegradable color concentrates that use litre demo commercial plant of its cellulosic ethanol environmentally friendly almond shell in traditional technology in India. The company expects the applications has started. The project will develop project cost to be in the region of $25 – 30 million. masterbatches or color concentrates based on Praj expects to break ground in early 2013. natural wastes such as almond shells on ■ Cargill mathballs German biodiesel plant on biodegradable polymers that can be used with low demand injection moulding in traditional industrial In Germany, Cargill has closed its Agravis Raiffeisen applications such as toys or auxiliary furniture, as JV 120,000 metric ton per year biodiesel plant in well as other industries. Wittenberge due to over-capacity. The companies are currently in discussions with potential buyers for the facility that was opened in 2000. 【【【AsiaAsiaAsia 】】】 ■ UK to invest USD $16M in

GREEN CHEMICAL December /2012

■ Phillioines will need 10 plants by 2024 Steel Corporation, the largest iron and steel company in The Phillipines will need around 10 coconut-based Taiwan. Both companies produce ethanol using the biodiesel plants to meet increased biodiesel blends by off-gas from plants China Steel Corporation holds. They 2024, Loreta Ayson, Energy Undersecretary said. consider to commercialization in the future. “Given the aggregate production capacity of existing ■ Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Ltd. planning the coco-biodiesel, the five percent blend will require one second oil refinery additional coco-biodiesel plant by 2019, and 10 plants Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Ltd. of PTT Group for the 10% blend until 2024. consider the construction of the second refinery outside ■ TheTheThe test flight will be carried by locally produced Bangkok. They assume a new refinery capacity of biofuels 180000 barrels per day by 2020. The feasibility study Boeing, Air China and PetroChina are planning a has been carried out until 2015, and will make a second biofuels test flight in the third quarter of 2012, decision. The company also will continue to invest expected to be far longer than the one-hour test flight actively for enhancement of alternative energy. conducted last October. The new test flight, which will ■ Bio ---X-X cell reports three more companies joining be partially powered by locally produced biofuel, is In Malaysia, Bio-Xcell anticipates that three as yet likely to involve a trans-Pacific trip, and will use a unnamed companies will be investing in the biofuel produced by PetroChina from locally-grown biotechnology park. Two are described as firms working jatropha. in healthcare biotechnology and the third is an ■ PPT expands its R&D investment, Thailand industrial biotechnology firm. The latter is expected to PPT in Thailand plans to invest 234 billion baht be announced next month, and the two healthcare (about 8 billion dollars) capital investment in the three firms should be announced next year. The three firms years from 2014. PPT rushes to commercialization, will join the four firms already involved at Bio-Xcell. such as the biofuels and next generation green fuel. In ■ Mission New Energy subsidiary served debtors addition, the company also plans to construct notice in MalaysiaMalaysia. University of Science and Technology in the industrial In Malaysia, Mission New Energy’s Mission Biofuels area in the southeast diastrict Maputatto. It aims to has been served with a closure request by a debtor for contribute promoting the development of chemical $16 million related to a 250,000 tons per year biodiesel technology and human resource development. plant that wasn’t built but was expected to come online ■ Palm oil production, LG company in Korea this year. LG company in South Korea started operation of ■ Shell Chemicals Enhancement cracker 40,000 tons of annual production in Kalimantan, Shell Chemicals made a formal decision of the Indonesia. The company will develop cosmetics and enhancement of cracker in Bukomu Island in cooking oil to expand market in China and India, which Singapore that was considered. Completion of is increasing the demand. Moreover, the company aims construction is expected by the end of 2014. It is to build a structure at further biodiesel business entry. expected to be enhanced 300,000 tons of ethylene scale ■ ThailsndThailsnd’’’’ss IRPC signs ethanol storage deal with buildup, propylene, butadiene, benzene as well. In Ubon Bio Ethanol Singapore, several petrochemical projects are plannded In Thailand, IRPC Public Co and Ubon Bio Ethanol in the next years, securing petrochemical feedstock is have signed a five-year ethanol storage deal at IRPC’s urgently needed. depot in Prapadaeng. The depot has storage capacity for 10,000 metric tons. ■ LCY Chemical, production of ethanol used 【【【South America 】】】 chemical off gas LCY Chemical in Taiwan expanding clean energy ■ Argentina orders tax hike on biodiesel exports projects. They established a joint venture with China to 32%

GREEM CHMICAL December/2012

In August, the Argentine government ordered a tax two running on B5 and two running on B20, have hike on biodiesel exports – from 20% to 32% - in a completed more than 100,000 kilometers in the past move said to make domestic fuel more affordable. year in both urban and rural conditions. Next week According to government economist Axel Kicillof, the engines will be torn apart and analyzed the measure is “better than ones that would increase soya export taxes”, which had been widely rumored. The export tax on soyabeans is currently 【【【Others 】】】 35%. ■ US drought leads to big boost in Brazilian ■ Ethiopian ARI ttoo work on pushing ethanol and corn exports based biofertilizer In Brazil, ethanol and corn exports are receiving a In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Agricultural Research major boost thanks to the drought that has Institute is reporting that a new soybean based devastated parts of the US’s Midwest farm belt. bio-fertilizer can increase crop yields between 24 October ethanol exports hit 492.2 million liters, up and 57%. In an article by 2Merkato.com, Director from the 452.7 million in September and 247 General of the Institute, Dr. Solomon Assefa states million liters in October a year ago. October corn that the bio-fertilizer will both decrease costs and exports hit a record of 3.66 million metric tons. increase productivity. Assefa further stated that the ■ Biofuel de Mexico donates biodiesel plant to Institute will be working with various stakeholders university to push the technology throughout Ethiopia. In Mexico, Biofuels de Mexico has donated a ■ AustraliaAustralia’’’’ss Microbiogen launches new cellulosic biodiesel plant to the engineering faculty at technology Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México that In Australia, Microbiogen has developed a new way will produce fuel to power the university’s transport to not only produce cellulosic ethanol from crop system Pumabús. The switch to biodiesel is waste such as corn stover and sugarcane bagasse, expected to lower the bus system’s GHG emissions but its yeast byproduct is also a high protein animal by 12%. feed that can replace products such as soy. ■ B20 continues in Mexican buses despite prices ■ Solid Energy buys agragribusinessibusiness division of higher than fossil Biodiesel New Zealand In Mexico, despite the fact that jatropha biodiesel is In New Zealand, Solid Energy has completed the more expensive than fossil diesel, local bus sale of the agribusiness division of Biodiesel New companies Tapachultecos and Conejobús in Chiapas Zealand Ltd. The purchaser, Pure Oil New Zealand are blending at 20%. Despite higher fuel prices, the Ltd, is owned by Southern Packers, Midlands Seed, government has not allowed the companies to and a manager and agronomist who previously off-set the higher costs from passenger fees. worked for Biodiesel New Zealand. ■ Edeniq teams on demo plant in Brazil In Brazil, Edeniq announced that it has begun engineering and construction of a bagasse to sugars demonstration-scale plant together with its partner, Usina Vale, a Brazilian sugar and ethanol producer. The demonstration plant will produce cellulosic sugars from sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous by-product of sugarcane juice extraction. ■ Petrobras completes B20 motor testing In Brazil, Petrobras has completed a series of tests looking at B20 blends in two different motors in an attempt to support moves to boost biodiesel blending to 20% from current 5%. The test vehicles,

GREEN CHEMICAL December /2012