- Email: [email protected]
Butamax files additional lawsuits against Gevo
FOCUS joint development agreement with a major Canadian oil sands company. Auterra specialises in catalyst and process technology development for the upgrading of heavy and sour crude oil and oil distillates. The strategic investment will advance the development of Auterra’s proprietary FlexDS desulfurisation and upgrading process. As part of the strategic investment, the two organisations will work together in the areas of process development, engineering design, and scaled unit operations. Auterra is developing the FlexDS process which is expected to enable producers and refiners to improve the quality of their oil and oil products by removing pollutants and increasing API gravity. Marketwire, 23 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.marketwire.com)
BASF, Cargill, and Novozymes target commercial bio-based acrylic acid process BASF, Cargill, and Novozymes have signed an agreement to develop technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials. Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil. The three companies will develop biobased technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks. Novozymes and Cargill have collaborated on renewable acrylic acid technology since 2008. Both companies have worked to develop microorganisms that can efficiently convert renewable feedstock into 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which is one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. BASF has now joined the collaboration to develop the process for conversion of 3-HP into acrylic acid. The global market for acrylic acid is around 4.5 M tonne/y with a value of $11 bn at the end of 2011. The market has been growing at a rate of 4%/y Original Source: Cargill Inc, PO Box 9300, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9300, US, tel: +1 800 227 4455, website: http://www.cargill.com/ (17 Aug 2012) © Cargill Incorporated 2012. Original Source: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website: http://www.basf.com (17 Aug 2012) © BASF 2012. Original Source: NP Investor, 17 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.npinvestor.dk/) (in Danish) © NPinvestor A/S 2012
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BP Biofuels, Texas AgriLife Research to jointly develop cellulosic feedstock for bio-fuels Under a three year agreement, BP Biofuels and Texas AgriLife Research have agreed to work towards developing cellulosic feedstock for the production of advanced bio-fuels. The partnership will focus on plant breeding and production agronomics for developing new varieties of pearlmillet napiergrass, kinggrass, energy cane, and miscane that are suitable for cellulosic bio-fuel feedstock production. Original Source: CTBR Clean Technology Business Review, 16 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.cleantechnology-business-review.com/) © CTBR 2012
Butamax files additional lawsuits against Gevo Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax), the biobutanol technology leader, has provided an update on the litigation activity between Butamax and Gevo related to biobutanol patents. Recently, Butamax filed suit in the US District Court of Delaware for a determination that Butamax does not infringe any valid claim of the Gevo patent 8,232,089. The ‘089 patent relates to the use of specific DHAD enzymes in the isobutanol production pathway. In addition, Butamax filed a new lawsuit against Gevo for infringement of Butamax patent 8,222,017 which protects a subset of improved KARI enzymes in the isobutanol production pathway. PR Newswire, 7 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Gevo doesn’t infringe Butamax’s ‘017 patent Gevo Inc, a leading renewable chemicals and next-generation biofuels company, has said that the latest lawsuit filed by Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax) alleging infringement by Gevo of Butamax’s US patent number 8,222,017 (‘017 patent), like the last one filed by Butamax against Gevo, will be shown to have no merit. Gevo said it is also challenging the validity of Butamax’s ‘017 Patent. Gevo previously developed and patented a modified E coli KARI enzyme, and
since then, the company’s technology has advanced well beyond this. Gevo’s industry-leading process now utilises an enzyme that is not derived from, or in any way related, to the E coli KARI enzyme described in the newly issued patent. Therefore, Gevo has filed a ‘Request for Interference’ with the US Patent and Trademark Office to demonstrate that the technology is, in fact, a Gevo invention. PR Newswire, 8 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Chemtex receives USDA commitment to build an advanced biofuels plant in USA The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $99 M partnership with Chemtex to support construction of a new advanced biofuels plant in the US. The plant is expected to be located in Sampson County, NC, and produce 20 M gal/y from energy crops. Construction is targeted to begin in late 2012. Slated to open in 2014, the plant will employ approximately 65 people and indirectly generate 250 more jobs in the community, not including construction jobs. The feedstock will be grown on low productivity/marginal land that is in part being utilized as “spray fields” for the hog farming industry. Chemtex will use Beta Renewables’ PROESA technology to produce cost-competitive ethanol using energy grasses and agricultural waste as its feedstock. PROESA is the same technology as will be used at the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel ethanol plant in Crescentino, Italy, expected to start operations in the fall of 2012, and also in a series of plants to be built by GraalBio in Brazil. Original Source: Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark, tel: +45 4446 0000, fax: +45 4446 9999, e-mail: [email protected], website: http://www.novozymes.com (22 Aug 2012) © Novozymes 2012
Dyadic demonstrates industry-leading biofuels enzyme performance On 16 Jul 2012, Dyadic International Inc unveiled its latest biofuels enzyme advancement, AlternaFuel CMAX3. This next generation product enables the production of cellulosic biofuels
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BASF, Cargill, and Novozymes target commercial bio-based acrylic acid process BASF, Cargill, and Novozymes have signed an agreement to develop technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials. Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil. The three companies will develop biobased technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks. Novozymes and Cargill have collaborated on renewable acrylic acid technology since 2008. Both companies have worked to develop microorganisms that can efficiently convert renewable feedstock into 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which is one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. BASF has now joined the collaboration to develop the process for conversion of 3-HP into acrylic acid. The global market for acrylic acid is around 4.5 M tonne/y with a value of $11 bn at the end of 2011. The market has been growing at a rate of 4%/y Original Source: Cargill Inc, PO Box 9300, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9300, US, tel: +1 800 227 4455, website: http://www.cargill.com/ (17 Aug 2012) © Cargill Incorporated 2012. Original Source: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website: http://www.basf.com (17 Aug 2012) © BASF 2012. Original Source: NP Investor, 17 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.npinvestor.dk/) (in Danish) © NPinvestor A/S 2012
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BP Biofuels, Texas AgriLife Research to jointly develop cellulosic feedstock for bio-fuels Under a three year agreement, BP Biofuels and Texas AgriLife Research have agreed to work towards developing cellulosic feedstock for the production of advanced bio-fuels. The partnership will focus on plant breeding and production agronomics for developing new varieties of pearlmillet napiergrass, kinggrass, energy cane, and miscane that are suitable for cellulosic bio-fuel feedstock production. Original Source: CTBR Clean Technology Business Review, 16 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.cleantechnology-business-review.com/) © CTBR 2012
Butamax files additional lawsuits against Gevo Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax), the biobutanol technology leader, has provided an update on the litigation activity between Butamax and Gevo related to biobutanol patents. Recently, Butamax filed suit in the US District Court of Delaware for a determination that Butamax does not infringe any valid claim of the Gevo patent 8,232,089. The ‘089 patent relates to the use of specific DHAD enzymes in the isobutanol production pathway. In addition, Butamax filed a new lawsuit against Gevo for infringement of Butamax patent 8,222,017 which protects a subset of improved KARI enzymes in the isobutanol production pathway. PR Newswire, 7 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Gevo doesn’t infringe Butamax’s ‘017 patent Gevo Inc, a leading renewable chemicals and next-generation biofuels company, has said that the latest lawsuit filed by Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax) alleging infringement by Gevo of Butamax’s US patent number 8,222,017 (‘017 patent), like the last one filed by Butamax against Gevo, will be shown to have no merit. Gevo said it is also challenging the validity of Butamax’s ‘017 Patent. Gevo previously developed and patented a modified E coli KARI enzyme, and
since then, the company’s technology has advanced well beyond this. Gevo’s industry-leading process now utilises an enzyme that is not derived from, or in any way related, to the E coli KARI enzyme described in the newly issued patent. Therefore, Gevo has filed a ‘Request for Interference’ with the US Patent and Trademark Office to demonstrate that the technology is, in fact, a Gevo invention. PR Newswire, 8 Aug 2012, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Chemtex receives USDA commitment to build an advanced biofuels plant in USA The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $99 M partnership with Chemtex to support construction of a new advanced biofuels plant in the US. The plant is expected to be located in Sampson County, NC, and produce 20 M gal/y from energy crops. Construction is targeted to begin in late 2012. Slated to open in 2014, the plant will employ approximately 65 people and indirectly generate 250 more jobs in the community, not including construction jobs. The feedstock will be grown on low productivity/marginal land that is in part being utilized as “spray fields” for the hog farming industry. Chemtex will use Beta Renewables’ PROESA technology to produce cost-competitive ethanol using energy grasses and agricultural waste as its feedstock. PROESA is the same technology as will be used at the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel ethanol plant in Crescentino, Italy, expected to start operations in the fall of 2012, and also in a series of plants to be built by GraalBio in Brazil. Original Source: Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark, tel: +45 4446 0000, fax: +45 4446 9999, e-mail: [email protected], website: http://www.novozymes.com (22 Aug 2012) © Novozymes 2012
Dyadic demonstrates industry-leading biofuels enzyme performance On 16 Jul 2012, Dyadic International Inc unveiled its latest biofuels enzyme advancement, AlternaFuel CMAX3. This next generation product enables the production of cellulosic biofuels
3