The 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2010-11

By Jim Lane, Biofuels Digest
Biofuels Digest

Each year the Biofuels Digest ranks to 50 hottest companies working in the biofuel space; here are this year's results.

Florida, USA -- In Florida, renewable fuels and chemicals developer Amyris took the #1 spot in the 2010-11 "50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy" rankings, published today in Biofuels Digest, the online daily bioenergy news service.

Solazyme (#2), POET (#3), LS9 (#4), Gevo (#5), DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (#6), Novozymes (#7), Coskata (#8), Codexis (#9) and Sapphire Energy (#10) round out the top 10.

The rankings, which recognize innovation and achievement in bioenergy development, are based 50 percent on votes from a 75-member panel of international selectors, and 50 percent on votes from subscribers of Biofuels Digest and Renewable Chemicals Digest.

Ranked #11 through #20 are Virent, Mascoma, Ceres, Cobalt Technologies, Honeywell’s UOP, Enerkem, BP Biofuels, Genencor, Petrobars and Abengoa Bioenergy.

Notes on the votes

Among the Hot 50, 37 were US-based companies and 13 were from other countries. 15 are active in cellulosic ethanol development (down from 19 last year), five are developing algae-based energy solutions (down from seven last year), and 16 are producing “drop-in” renewable biofuels such as biobutanol, renewable diesel, green gasoline and renewable jet fuel (up from 15 last year). 13 are developing capabilities to produce renewable chemicals.

Strategic investors such as Waste Management, Chevron, and Monsanto appeared in the rankings for the first time, while Shell advanced this year and BP Biofuels reached the top 20. DuPont was an investor in two tiop-50 companies, DDCE and Butamax.

Overall, more than 1,000 companies were eligible in the rankings and 301 companies received votes. Amyris Biotechnologies ranked #1 in the international Selector poll, while Solazyme ranked #1 in the subscriber poll.

New companies in the list this year include:

Cargill (#36), Butamax (#38), Cosan (#40), Waste Management (#42), Dynamic Fuels (#44), KiOR (#47), Chevron (#48), and Monsanto (#49).

Major positive movers this year were: LS9 (up four places to #4), Gevo (up 8, to #5), Codexis (up 26, to #9), Virent (up 10, to #11), Cobalt Technologies (up 16, to #14), Enerkem (up 9, to #16), Genencor (up 8, to #18), Joule Unlimited (up 10, to #22), Rentech (up 13, to #25), Neste (up 11, to #29), Lanzatech (up 10, to #31), Origin Oil (up 9, to #33), Cargill (unranked, to #36), SG Biofuels (up 12, to #37), and Terrabon (up 8, to #39).

“The industry has spoken, and it appears that a successful IPO has put Amyris over the top after ranking #3 last year,” said Jim Lane, editor and publisher of Biofuels Digest. “Biobutanol companies were up sharply this year, and there was a strong trend towards microbial fermentation using e.coli, yeast and algae as a platform – accounting for four of the top 5 this year. But the message from the Hot 50 this year is diversity – the range of feedstocks, fuels and processing technologies is really striking. ”

The 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy for 2009-10 are:

Last year’s rank (2009-10)

1. Amyris (3)

2. Solazyme (1)

3. POET (2)

4. LS9 (8)

5. Gevo (13)

6. DuPont Danisco (7)

7. Novozymes (11)

8. Coskata (6)

9. Codexis (35)

10. Sapphire Energy (5)

11. Virent (21)

12. Mascoma (10)

13. Ceres (28)

14. Cobalt Technologies (30)

15. Honeywell’s UOP (12)

16. Enerkem (25)

17. BP Biofuels (4)

18. Genencor (26)

19. Petrobras (18)

20. Abengoa Energy (15)

21. Qteros (22)

22. Joule Unlimited (32)

23. Shell (27)

24. Bluefire Renewables (19)

25. Rentech (38)

26. Algenol (24)

27. ZeaChem (20)

28. PetroAlgae (16)

29. Neste (29)

30. Synthetic Genomics (17)

31. LanzaTech (41)

32. Iogen (23)

33. OriginOil (42)

34. RangeFuels (14)

35. ExxonMobil (29)

36. Cargill (NR)

37. SG Biofuels (49)

38. Butamax (38)

39. Terrabon (47)

40. Cosan (NR)

41. Verenium (9)

42. Waste Management (42)

43. IneosBio (36)

44. Dynamic Fuels (NR)

45. Fulcrum Bioenergy (48)

46. KL Energy (34)

47. KiOR (NR)

48. Chevron (NR)

49. Monsanto (NR)

50. Inbicon (NR)

The award winners will officially be recognized at a reception at the Digest’s Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, in Washington DC, April 19-21, 2011.

Can Engineered Bugs Help Generate Biofuels?

By Christine Zeindler, Concordia University

The organism Lactococcus lactis, the workhorse bacterium that helps turn milk into cheese, may also be valuable in the understanding of how microbes turn the organic compound cellulose into biofuels.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- New research from Concordia, published in the journal Microbial Cell Factories, suggests the bacterium Lactococcus lactis can be engineered to transform plant material into biofuels or other chemicals.

Concordia biology professor Vincent Martin and his PhD student Andrew Wieczorek demonstrated how structural or scaffolding proteins on the surface of the bacteria can be engineered in Lactococcus lactis towards the breakdown of plant material.

They showed how these scaffold proteins were successful in providing a stable surface outside the cell for chemical activity, e.g. the transformation of plant material into biofuels.

“This is the first study to show how the scaffolding proteins can be secreted and localized to the cell surface ofLactococcus,” says Martin, who is also Canada Research Chair in Microbial Genomics and Engineering.

“Exporting these proteins and localizing them to the outside of the cell is a huge milestone. This can enhance the efficiency of any bioprocesses or the breakdown of organic materials.”

What’s promising about this research, stresses Martin, is how the scaffolding proteins of Lactococcus lactisappear to bond with multiple compounds. “Our next step will be to engineer larger more complex scaffolds that can encourage other bio-processes that can eventually enhance the yield of fuels in a manner that is commercially viable.”

This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies. The entire report is available here.

Source: www.renewableenergyworld.com

Algae Companies Trying To Speak the Same Language

By RenewableEnergyWorld.com Editors
www.renewableenergyworld.com

ABO publishes first descriptive language guidelines for the algae industry. The document is intended to remove confusion and increase cohesion among experts.

Minneapolis, MN, USA When a new highly technical industry emerges, experts and investors need to understand exactly what it is and how to evaluate its achievements before they can determine its potential. As we saw with the emergence of the smart grid concept, it took years to fully define what was meant by the term and how it would improve our electricity delivery system. As anyone in communications can attest, using the correct language is key to delivering your message effectively.

In an attempt to develop a standard language for the algae industry, the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today released its "Algal Industry Minimum Descriptive Language" document. ABO said that this is the first attempt at establishing a "common language" for the algae industry.

The document, which is intended to help facilitate life cycle analysis, unify research and spur the deployment of algae demonstration facilities, is currently available for viewing and public comment here on the ABO website.

"The absence of common descriptive language has led to a lack of harmony among technologists, researchers, life cycle analysis specialists and entrepreneurs as they evaluate and promote algae technologies," said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of ABO. "This confusion has made it hard for others to truly capture, analyze and quantify algae technologies relative to one another. With a common language, such as the one we and many volunteer stakeholders have proposed, we hope to bring more clarity to the industry."

More than 20 industry experts and organizations reviewed and commented on the document – written by ABO's Technical Standards Committee -- including individuals from industry associations, national labs, companies and research institutions.

ABO's efforts at standardizing language for the algae industry have arrived as the result of the industry’s growth. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of algae-to-biofuel start ups more than tripled, said the ABO. Analysts predict that the algae industry will grow by nearly 50 percent annually over the coming decade.

CEC Spending Almost 10 Million on Renewable Energy Research

By RenewableEnergyWorld.com Editors

Building retrofits and biofuels big winners.

Sacramento, CA, USA -- Always ahead of the game, California is known for its progressive renewable portfolio standards and robust solar growth. The California Energy Commission (CEC) continued that commitment to renewables this week with the awarding of nearly US $10 million towards research and development activities on various renewable energy technologies.

A big portion of the funding, nearly $2 million, will go to the University of California, Davis to develop and demonstrate whole building retrofit solutions for existing multi-tenant light commercial buildings, such as strip malls, small office parks and mixed-use developments. Research on retrofitting existing commercial buildings - many of which have outdated technologies - is needed and represents a promising opportunity in reaching the state's greenhouse gas and energy efficiency targets, the commission said.

The Commission also approved a $400,000 grant to Utility Savings and Refund, LLC of Irvine for a project to demonstrate the benefits of using energy storage systems in conjunction with an on-site fuel cell power generation. Another $2.5 million for the project is coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $1.2 million from the California PUC. The demonstration site is the Dublin San Ramon Services District's Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Pleasanton. Integrating specific rechargeable flow battery (i.e vanadium redox) energy storage systems with fuel cells is an approach that can benefit a number of energy-intensive industries and institutions including colleges, universities, and military bases, according to the commission.

Federspiel Controls of El Cerrito will receive $250,000 to help demonstrate and field test energy efficient cooling control technologies at data centers.

In a separate announcement, the CEC said that it is awarding six grants worth almost $6 million for renewable transportation initiatives including advancing the manufacture of biofuels and the use of electric vehicles.

In biofuel production:

• $1,499,179 is going to Mendota Bioenergy LLC to test the feasibility of converting sugar beets and such agricultural waste as almond orchard prunings into several kinds of transportation fuel, green electricity and other green products.
• $1,315,800 to Clean World Partners, a Sacramento-based company managing anaerobic digestion systems that diverts organic waste from landfills and converts it into clean transportation fuel and reusable by-products.
• $1,229,966 to G4 Insights, Inc. to test the feasibility of creating pipeline-quality natural gas from forest waste.

For electric vehicles components, 1,197,064 is going to Wrightspeed, Inc. a Silicon Valley company that plans to manufacture digital drive systems and retrofit kits for commercial trucks. With a digital drive system installed, class 3 to class 6 medium- to heavy-duty trucks could use plug-in electric power for the first 40 miles of operation.

And in biodiesel production:

• $886,815 is going to to Santa Barbara-based Biodiesel Industries to build and test a system that enhances the operation of existing biodiesel plants. The new technology uses the waste materials and co-products of conventional biodiesel production to create nutrients and carbon dioxide for algaculture, and to generate enough renewable heat and power to run the biodiesel unit.
• Finally, $250,000 is going to Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo to conduct a pilot-scale demonstration of a technology that produces oil-rich algae while simultaneously treating wastewater.

Many of the projects will leverage additional private funding. More details about the projects that received funding can be found at this link.

Ethiopia Sets its Sights on Biodiesel

Could this poverty-stricken country become the world's largest biodiesel producer?

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -- Policy-makers in Ethiopia, challenged by fluctuating oil prices and poverty, are seeking solutions that will improve the living conditions of its people and boost its fragile economy. One such solution, Ethiopian leaders hope, is renewable energy.

Statistics from the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MoME) indicate that the country spends about Ethiopian Birr 10 billion (US$800 million) annually to import petroleum products for domestic consumption. The figure, according to the MoME represents more than 90 percent of Ethiopia’s earnings from foreign trade each year. Were the country to tap some of its renewable energy potential, the energy independence it would achieve as a result, would be a boon to the economy.

Because of its location, Ethiopia is perhaps one of the most-suitable nations in Africa for tapping renewable sources of energy not only for its own economy, but also for export into regional economies such as Kenya, which is always looking at enhancing its energy capacity.

Biodiesel Production

While Ethiopia boasts of numerous green energy possibilities such as geothermal, solar and wind power generation, it is the biodiesel sub-sector that has taken off over the last few years and continues to witness increased attention both from the government and development partners from abroad.

Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Africa but it is also one of the driest, a factor that renders most of its land unsuitable for agricultural production. This has led the Ethiopian government to shift its focus to biodiesel crops that flourish under the harsh climatic conditions of Ethiopia.

The shift from expensive fossil fuels to cost-effective biofuels has received a stamp of approval from the Ethiopian government. It recently approved a 16-page renewable energy strategic document that was prepared under a collaborative partnership between the MoME, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD).

According to an expert from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED), as the country has grown over the last few years, it has had to devote more and more of its already limited resources towards the purchase of petroleum products and now sees a clear need for cheaper energy that it hopes to get through renewables.

The most popular biodiesel plants in Ethiopia include castor seeds and jatropha curcas. Numerous companies from India, Europe, Israel and the United States have formed joint partnerships with local companies to help grow the plants for biodiesel extraction.

One of these companies that has already started operations is Global Energy Ethiopia (GEE), which has pumped in more than Ethiopian Birr 200 million (US$ 20 million) in a castor and jatropha seed farming and processing program that will allow GEE to process more than 40,000 tonnes of crude oil when fully operational. GEE started production in 2007 after it leased more than 30,000 hectares of land in Wolaita Soddo in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR).

The World’s Largest Biodiesel Producer?

In addition to GEE, Eco Energy is an Ethiopian company that has entered into a partnership with the Indian-based Jatropha World. The partnership allows for the exchange of technical expertise that will allow Eco Energy to develop a 25,000 hectare jatropha farm for biodiesel production.

According to Robel Debebe, the Chief Executive Officer of Eco Energy, the firm is set to pump in more than Ethiopian Birr 250 million (US$25 million) towards the biodiesel venture that will see the company produce jatropha crude oil for the local market and for export, especially to European nations.

According to MoME, biodiesel offers Ethiopia one of the best alternatives to expensive fossil fuels and accords the progressively expanding Ethiopian economy cheap energy sources. The growing interest in the sector is evident, as the Ethiopian Investment Agency (EIA) has over the last two years registered more than 60 companies interested in venturing into the biodiesel production sub-sector.

According to EIA, there are more than 25 million hectares of land available in Ethiopia suitable for biodiesel crop farming. If fully developed, this would make Ethiopia the largest biodiesel producer in the world, with an annual output of more than 20 million litres of crude oil processed from biodiesel crops.

Source: www.renewableenergyworld.com

Lufthansa to start using biofuel on local flights

BERLIN

(Bloomberg)--Germany's biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says it will launch the world's first passenger flight using biofuel next year.

The company said Monday that an Airbus A321 aircraft on daily flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt will be powered with a biofuel blend made from 50 percent vegetable oil.

The flights will begin in April 2011 and continue for six months as part of a government-backed study on the long-term impact of biofuels on aircraft performance.

Lufthansa Plans First Biofuels Test on Regular Flights

(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-biggest airline, plans to be the first carrier to test biofuels on regular passenger flights as the industry seeks ways to lower carbon-dioxide emissions and save on fuel purchases.

Kerosene derived from plant oils will make up 50 percent of the fuel mix for one engine on an Airbus SAS A321 airliner flying on the Hamburg-Frankfurt route, Joachim Buse, head of Lufthansa’s aviation-biofuel program, said today in Berlin. The test will begin in April and last for six months if approved by regulators, he said.

Biofuel made by Finland’s only petroleum refiner Neste Oil Oyj will power the flights after the companies signed an accord, Neste said today in a separate statement today. British Airways Plc and Continental Airlines Inc. are among the carriers trying to curb emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

“The race to put the right biofuel in commercial flights is ‘taking off,’” said Harry Boyle, a biofuels industry analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London.

British Airways and Continental have been making test flights powered by biofuels made from plants such as jatropha and carmelina. Cologne, Germany-based Lufthansa plans to use the fuels in its entire fleet by 2020 though it won’t exceed a mix of 5 percent to 10 percent because of short supply, Buse said.

“We now have a fuel that combines reliable and powerful propulsion and which, unlike fossil fuels, has a positive CO2 balance,” Buse said. “It doesn’t look like we’ll have an alternative to combustion in jet engines for the next 40 to 50 years.”

Fuel Expenses

Boeing Co., the world’s second-biggest maker of commercial aircraft, forecasts that airlines will derive 1 percent of their fuel from plants by 2015. Jet-fuel prices in northwest Europe have gained 20 percent since Aug. 24, Bloomberg data show. Lufthansa said Oct. 28 that it expects expenses for fuel after hedging contracts to jump 15 percent in 2011 from a projected 5.2 billion euros ($6.8 billion) this year.

The bio-synthetic kerosene produced by Espoo-based Neste is lighter and contains as much as 4 percent more energy than regular kerosene, Buse said. The test program will cost 6.6 million euros, of which Lufthansa will pay 4.1 million euros, he said.

Neste started production of the low-carbon diesel at its 550 million-euro Singapore plant in November. The factory, the world’s largest clean diesel plant, can make 800,000 metric tons of the substance per year, according to Neste.

The European Union will include the aviation industry in its EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012. This will cap the industry’s annual emissions, requiring the airlines to eliminate 212 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2012 and 208 million tons from 2013 to 2020, according to New Energy Finance.

--With assistance in London from Sally Bakewell. Editors: Tom Lavell, Randall Hackley

To contact the reporter on this story: Cornelius Rahn in Berlin via crahn2@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong in Berlin at kwong11@bloomberg.net.