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 biology 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 biotechnology 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 ■ Monsanto 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. ■ Syngenta 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