Teru Talk - 2011 Newsletter V-I-32

It is all too easy to only see the completed Whats-it, and judge the status of Whats-it development by how many completed models are on the showroom floor. True, when we think of Biofuels, especially "Drop-In Biofuels", we really want to know about the companies that have it all figured out, the firms that can bring big buckets to fill our trains, planes and automobiles. But our industry is the whole of the workshop, not just what comes off the end of the assembly line. Now is the time for "industry aggregation", for Mergers and Acquisitions … for the kinds of strategic partnerships that get those who make the straw bales together with the enzyme guys, get those two together with the companies making the AD units and wind up with the gas clean-up and compression teams. We have a whole swirl of companies doggedly working on the left end, whilst others work on the right end. When they meet in the middle, we start to see some Serious Production.

Our Advanced Biofuels Industry must be viewed as the complement of all the companies, the sum of the parts that compose the Value Chain. We need the companies that specialize in front-end Feedstock, whether that comes from forests or trash piles, fish wastes or oil seeds. We need the pre-treatment companies with their chippers and grinders, acid baths, super-critical water and explosive pressure-drops, and don't forget the Enzymes. Then we need the Conversion specialists, whether thermal, microbial, or kinetic, those that can un-bake the molecular cake. Next we get to companies who can take raw product crumbs, slurries and gases, and refine and reform that stuff to make clean, to-specification, ready-to-use Drop-In Biofuel.

Some companies already Do It All, bless 'em, and we recognize those too-rare few as our turn-key Advanced Biofuels companies. That's OK, but the greater crowd stands waiting, each needing to meet their own dance partners. Everywhere we look now, small specialists are getting together. Joint Ventures are the order of the day, the Investment Community is taking notice, and our industry has started to get all the separate parts configured into the real deal. So size up the prospective partners, walk up and say, "Howdy, ya wanna dance?"

Hey Rube!

Here's a simple plea from your Media Wonk: find some high school wizard who can help update your website. Think about what you are doing that is New, and put out a press release every other month or so. Let the Good People Out There know you exist, or they won't know where to send their money.

The Week's News

The National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) will receive about $1.1 million over four years to provide gene sequencing and analysis to optimize for characteristics amenable to production of advanced biofuels. 10/01/2011

PowerVerde's 50kW Renewable Waste Heat System Licensed in Europe Arizona based PowerVerde Inc has entered into a definitive agreement with the Netherlands renewable energy investment company Newton Investments BV, dba Newton Greenpower to distribute and manufacture the "Liberator," PowerVerde's 50 kilowatt (kW) renewable electricity generating waste heat recovery system. 10/01/2011

Biomass and Biofuels Companies Also Benefit from USDA Grant to Universities The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) awarded more than $136 million to five University-led teams to support five years of research. Each team included advanced biofuels, biochemicals, bioenergy and biomass feedstock management companies that will directly benefit from the funding, and information on some of those teams has become available. 09/30/2011

50 Million Tonnes of US Food Waste Annually Impact Climate Change Life cycle assessment (LCA) firm CleanMetrics has released an analysis of US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA/ERS) 2009 food availability data, emphasizing the percentage, tonnage, and greenhouse gas emissions by category of food waste in the United States. 09/30/2011

CalRecycle Schedules Workshop on Anaerobic Digestion Regulatory Issues The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will host an informal workshop on October 18, 2011 to explore twelve key issues surrounding Title 14 and Title 27 draft regulatory revisions pertaining to anaerobic digestion (AD). 09/30/2011

UK's NNFCC Reports Bioliquid Fuel Is Viable Alternative to Petro Heating Oil The National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials (NNFCC) has released a report finding that the benefits of using bio-sourced liquid fuels for heating is an environmentally and economically viable alternative to using petroleum-sourced heating oils. 09/29/2011

USDA $136MM Supports University-Led Next-Gen Biofuels Research Projects US Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced five grants from the agency's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to next-generation biofuels research and development projects to public/private partners, providing more than $136 million in support over a five year period. 09/29/2011

Plastic/Aluminum Laminate Recovery Process Works for "Unrecyclables" United Kingdom (UK) based Enval has announced that its process for recycling plastic/aluminum laminates has been judged environmentally and economically viable according to an assessment report just released by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). 09/28/2011

LanzaTech JV Will Build Chinese Demo Plant to Convert Steel Mill Emissions China’s steel milling pioneer Shougang Group has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with New Zealand's LanzaTech to construct a demonstration plant at one of its mills with the intent to quickly scale the JV demonstration plant to a fully commercial facility. 09/28/2011

Amyris and Michelin Collaborate on Renewable Isoprene Development California-based renewable fuel and chemical company Amyris has entered into a collaborative agreement with French-based Michelin to develop the company's No Compromise® renewable isoprene, the foundation chemical for production of synthetic and natural rubbers such as used in tires, adhesives, coatings and sealants. 09/28/2011

ACEEE Releases National CHP Market Assessment - Cites Barriers, Uneven Growth The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) finds uneven growth in the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) market across the states as detailed in its report, "Challenges Facing Combined Heat and Power Today: A State-by-State Assessment." 09/28/2011

COLBIOCEL Will Use Chemtex PROESA Process at Cellulosic Ethanol Facility Colombiana de Biocombustibles Celulosicos (COLBICEL) will use Chemtex's proprietary PROESAproduction platform to convert sugar cane bagasse into 85,000 metric tons per year of cellulosic ethanol at a facility in Chitaraque, Columbia. 09/27/2011

WSU Researcher Awarded $300K for Advanced Biofuels from Cellulosic Biomass Assistant Professor Bin Yang of Washington State University's Department of Biological Sciences will receive a $300,000 grant to expand on his research into co-production of ethanol and jet fuel from cellulosic biomass. 09/27/2011

Biogas Council Holds Sep 29th Webinar on Upcoming 1603 Tax Credit Deadline The American Biogas Council (ABC) is presenting a webinar on "Meeting the 1603 Deadline: Strategies, Safe Harbor and More," Thursday, September 29, 2011 from 12:00 pm -1:30 pm ET to explore the Department of Energy’s Investment Tax Credit Grant ("ITC"; Section 1603) Program. 09/26/2011

The Pew Charitable Trusts have released a study of the US Department of Defense's (DoD) "Operational Energy Strategy" toward alternative energy, entitled "From Barracks to Battlefield: Clean Energy innovation and America's Armed Forces". 09/26/2011

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