According to estimation from DuPont the biofuel industry worldwide will grow from a $50 billion opportunity today to a $75 billion opportunity by 2015. Besides the already well known biodiesel and bioethanol a further promising biofuel is on the rise. Biobutanol! While being currently used as an industrial solvent and mostly produced via petrochemical processing, [...]
Biofuels in the Airline Industry
Just a few years ago, it seemed to be absurd to replace kerosene based aviation fuels with biofuels derived from renewable resources. The cost of producing alternative fuels that meet the high requirements in this industry was the economically restricting factor. What happened? The 2008 spike in oil prices boosted new interest. Today, biofuels offer [...]
PLA Recycling Infrastructure
Polylactic acid (PLA) is only biodegradable in industrial settings. Recovery of bioplastics like PLA in recycling facilities is not easy due to low volumes and often optical similarity with traditional polymers. California based BioCor LLC created an optical sorting machine able to detect and sort PLA from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or HDPE (high density polyethylene) [...]
Cars Made From Renewable Materials
The 2011 Ford Explorer will be produced with a big amount of recycled and renewable materials. This SUV increases Ford’s use of bio foam and recycled fabric in interior car parts, as well as recycled steel in select exterior parts. Ford Motor Company says that these and other eco-improvements help to make 2011 Ford Explorer [...]
BioSuccinic Acid: Rising Bioplastic and Feedstock for Green Chemicals
Since the global demand for green chemicals increases, succinic acid revealed its large potential for a variety of applications. This dicarboxylic acid can be converted to a huge amount of different green chemicals of industrial value. The market for succinic acid is estimated at €2.5 billion (and rising), with uses in products such as antifreeze [...]
Biofuel Investments of Major Oil Companies Part 3
This is the final piece of the 3 part article about biofuel investments of major oil companies. To read the first part, follow this link. To read the second part, follow this link. Shell Royal Dutch Shell claims to be the world’s biggest distributor of biofuels, distributing 9 billion liters in 2009 – mainly ethanol [...]
Biofuel Investments of Major Oil Companies Part 2
Are major oil companies already preparing for the post-fossil-fuel-age? Within recent years, big oil corporations are increasingly involved into research and development of different petroleum alternatives and now, they seem to focus on commercial viable biofuels. The petroleum industry is aware of rising crude oil prices, a rising demand of energy and an increasing environmental pollution. To contribute to these circumstances, a variety of joint ventures with smaller biofuel or biotechnology firms have started to exploit the potential of renewable fuels.
Biofuel Investments of Big Oil Companies Part 1
Is Big Oil going green? Have you ever thought about the involvement of major oil companies in R&D or distribution of biofuels? Yeah… just like me! But I was disabused of the notion that most oil companies are predators who exploit earth’s resources, pollute the environment, rake in money and if they do something that [...]
Green Business Blog Carnival #28
Welcome the 28th Green Business Blog Carnival! Dealing with modern day’s challenges requires new and innovative solutions from research and – of course – business. This Blog Carnival is a great opportunity to share the most interesting green business ideas, stories and news provided by various writers to ensure great diversity. The Green Business Blog [...]
From Glycerol to Green Chemicals Part 2
Read the first part of this article As promised a few days ago I hereby publish the second part of the article: From Glycerine to Green Chemicals. If you haven’t read the first part, it’s highly recommended to do so. Propylene Glycol Archer Daniels Midland (US), one of the largest agricultural processors in the world, [...]
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