ICIS 2012 Innovation Awards

ICIS is now eliciting entries for this year's Innovation Awards.

Now in its ninth year, the ICIS Innovation Awards receive high-profile press coverage in ICIS Chemical Business and beyond. This year, were are pleased to announce sponsorship support from Dow Corning, Bayer MaterialScience, Shell Chemicals, U.S. Chemicals and CRA.

There are five categories to consider:
· Best Product (or process) Innovation
· Best Business Innovation
· Best Innovation by an SME
· Best Innovation for Sustainability
· Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit.

You can submit your entries and find more information at the ICIS Innovation Awards website: www.icis.com/awards.

By the way, the Best Innovation for Sustainability was introduced just last year. Entries in this category should illustrate innovative ways of making sustainability a key part of a company’s overall business approach and strategy.

All winners will feature in a special 16-page supplement to ICIS Chemical Business in October. You can see last year’s publication here:

Deadline is July 2, 2012. Good luck!

Pactiv compostable food tray

I am currently eating my lunch when I noticed the logo of my food's packaging and it said EarthChoice by Pactiv.

Given my curiosity, I immediately googled it, and lo and behold, the container (which I really like by the way), is made from NatureWorks' Ingeo bioplastic.

Pactiv launched its EarthChoice line in May 2010. More information on this link.

Big green chemical news

I set aside some of the news that came my way via email from Gevo, Segetis, Genomatica, LS9 and Solazyme.

Last week, Gevo announced that it has started the world's first commercial-scale corn-based isobutanol production at its 22m gal/year ethanol facility in Luverne, Minnesota, which was retrofitted to produce 18m gal/year of isobutanol. Gevo's CEO Patrick Gruber said [in an interview] that they expect the facility to even produce more than the target 18m gpy capacity.

Gevo's goal is to produce biobased isobutanol at a run rate of 1m gpy by year-end 2012 and at full capacity by year-end 2013. Gevo will start shipping the product to Sasol - where the two companies have a 3-year supply contract -- via railcars. Gruber said Gevo is maintaining 2012 target price for its bio-isobutanol at $3.50-4/gal.

More on my interview with Gevo at this link for ICIS news subscribers.

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Weekly News Roundup

I hope US readers had a great 3-day weekend. I sure did enjoy mine =). Unfortunately, given that ICIS' production is based in the UK and next week is the Queens Jubilee where my colleagues will have 2 days off, we are now scrunched to file earlier this week so you might not hear too much from the blog until Friday.

I am also starting to work on my ICB article about bio-based polyamides so this should be interesting.

Here are last week's news roundup. By the way, I had a great conversation with LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren and Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber last week. I filed my stories on ICIS news but I'm trying to see if the blog can steal and post them here. Stay tune.

INVISTA's energy-efficient nylon
Nylon polymer producer INVISTA has developed an energy-efficient process for the production of adiponitrile (ADN), a key raw material for nylon 6,6. The company said it also virtually eliminates benzene from the production process. Other benefits of the new ADN technology includes improved product yields, lower CO2 emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity. INVISTA plans to deploy the technology and now has the option of installing it at its existing facilities in Orange and Victoria, Texas, in addition to a plant INVISTA is constructing in China.

DSM invests in innovations lab
DSM has invested EUR100m in three new R&D facilities in Delft and Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands, over the next two years focusing on biotechnological and bioprocessing research in Delft and high performance materials in Sittard-Geleen. DSM is also a partner with CSM/Purac and the Delft University of Technology in the recently opened Bioprocess Pilot Facility (BPF) on the DSM site in Delft. The BPF is an open facility in which other companies, universities, institutes, etc. can conduct their upscaling research for bio-processes.

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Uhde expands into PBS processing

Some of the blog's readers might be already familiar with biodegradable polymer polybutylene succinate (PBS) if they have been following developments within the biobased succinic acid and 1,4 butanediol (BDO). PBS available in the market is currently manufactured using petrochemical-based succinic acid and BDO.

European engineering company Uhde Inventa-Fischer announced last week that it is now offering to build facilities that can produce at least 40,000 tonnes/year of renewable-based PBS (can be completely or partially bio-based) using Uhde's patented energy-efficient process reactors under the trademark ESPREE and DISCAGE.

Uhde's ThyssenKrupp business has also developed a bio-based succinic acid processing technology in collaboration with US-based producer Myriant. The companies confirmed that it is currently building a pilot plant in Leuna, Germany, for producing succinic acid from glucose. The pilot plant is expected to start in the third quarter of 2012.

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Brazil's first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant

Cellulosic biomass technology developer GraalBio is planning to help build Brazil's biorefinery industry with a R$300m ($146m) investment of a new 22m gallons/year cellulosic ethanol plant to be constructed in Alagoas using sugarcane bagasse and straw for initial feedstock.

GraalBio is also developing a new type of cost-competitive biomass called Energy Cane, a cross hybrid of sugarcane varieties with selected types of grasses producing low sugar content but high fiber. An experimental site in Alagoas is expected to produce 100,000 Energy Cane seedlings by the end of the year. The company is hoping to achieve productivity target of 100 tons of dry mass/hectare.

GraalBio said the cellulosic ethanol facility will be Brazil's first.

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Braskem's next bioplastic move

The green blog was a bit concern for a while on the status of Braskem's green poplypropylene (PP) project when news of management shake-up within Braskem reached ICIS news desk a couple of weeks ago.

However, I saw this article from BusinessGreen.com dated May 8 talking about Braskem pushing through its $100m sugarcane ethanol-based PP plan with a new 30,000 tonne/year facility in Rio Grande do Sul near Porto Alegre, southern Brazil.

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Weekly News Roundup

Here is my (semi)weekly news roundup which has been stewing for a while in my draft box. School is over for now and I'm glad to announce that I am moving on to the next semester. Hopefully, this summer will be more productive for the blog.

FMC launches environmental unit
FMC Corp. has launched FMC Environmental Solutions, a new division that integrates the company's portfolio of products that prevent or remediate contamination of air, soil and water. The division has three business units: Air Pollution Control focusing on the use hydrogen peroxide, trona and sodium bicarbonate; Soil and Groundwater Remediation business focusing on fast-acting chemistries for remediation of normal and halogenated organics and metals; and Water Treatment.

Blue Marble Biomaterials gets certified
Blue Marble Biomaterials' natural flavor and fragrance facility in Missoula, Montana, is now fully kosher certified and food-grade compliant. The company has been working with SAFC since 2010 to achieve food grade documentation and quality control features. Blue Marble Biomaterials currently produces natural ester, thioester and extract products via fermentation process.

Eastman, Rubbermaid team up
Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) and Eastman have collaborated on bisphenol A (BPA)-free foodservice plastic products using Eastman's Tritan copolyester. The products were previously made from polycarbonate. RCP’s new BPA-free products under categories Ingredient Management, Food pans/boxes/square containers, PROSERVE line of products, and ProSave line of products are available through foodservice and broadline distributors.

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Opinion: Thoughts on Facebook and the Genius of Markets

By Sam Nejame, Promotum

Just an aside on comparative valuation. Isn't it a little strange, that a company which monetizes the social habits of teenage girls (Hello Facebook!), is more valuable than the future of food, materials and energy?

Without exaggeration almost everything we touch, wear, eat, drive etc. depends on chemicals and fuels. Yet, right now the market capitalization of the entire publicly traded sector for renewable fuels and chemicals is ~$2.5B (not including corporate subsidiaries, ethanol, sugar, etc.).

Facebook of course priced last week ~$100B (and falling). That's not quite in the league of ExxonMobil, but it's close to British Petroleum, and right there with the combined value of Dow Chemical ($39B), DuPont ($48B) and Archer Daniels Midland ($22B).

Does this make any sense? If Facebook disappeared tomorrow the world would go on. If petroleum disappeared tomorrow would there even be an economy?

Finals week

The green blogger is out of service this week. Good luck to me!

Siemens develop ABS plastic alternative

Researchers at technology company Siemens have developed an alternative material to polystyrene-based acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastic made from renewable-based polymers and carbon dioxide.

The new material -- a result of a three-year project funded by the German Research Ministry and in collaboration with BASF, Munich Techical University and the University of Hamburg scientists -- is a mixture of polyhdroxybutyrate (PHB) bioplastic and carbon dioxide-based polypropylene carbonate (PPC) (containing 43% by weight CO2) supplied by BASF.

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Dutch CSM focuses on biobased chems

Finals week is looming ahead and before I get bogged down with studying, let me post some of these recent news that came my way this week.

First is from Dutch food ingredients company CSM, the parent company of lactic acid producer Purac. CSM announced yesterday that it is leaving its global bakery products business and focusing instead on bio-based ingredients serving end-markets in food, chemicals and polymers.

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Metabolix update

As mentioned in the previous post, Metabolix management seems to be handling the company well after the Telles joint venture break-up with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) early this year.

Before its first quarter 2012 earnings was announced on April 26 , the company has been putting out several press releases below:

• Metabolix Awarded Two U.S. Patents for Technology to Produce Biobased Polymers and Industrial Chemicals
• Metabolix and Ball Horticultural and Floral Plant Growers Launch New Mirel-based SoilWrap Biodegradable Plant Container
• Metabolix Opens First European Office

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Live Blog: BASF Sustainability Conference

Management reshuffle at green chems

I noticed the blog has been receiving a lot of notices on personnel changes within the renewable chemicals sector this year and the most recent one is Amyris' top management team announced yesterday.

According to Amyris, three of its management team - the president of global operations Mario Portela,  VP general counsel and corporate secretary Tamara Tompkins, and CTO Neil Renninger -- will be departing from the company, although Renninger will remain as member of the board of directors.

Biofuel Digest's Jim Lane has a very interesting article today about the Amyris announcement.Will the management reshuffling calm investors' fears (after Amyris' stock plunge 90% this year since its IPO) or is Amyris' problems really rooted on the company's inability to execute technology fast enough? In the article, a Wall Street analyst noted that bankruptcy could even be a realistic scenario.

2012 could certainly become a very challenging year for green chems.  Amyris will announce its first quarter results on May 8, and we will see how their investors will respond to this latest company news.

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Weekly News Roundup

There have been a lot of news in the past two weeks that the blog wasn't able to cover, and news are still pouring in as my colleague Clay Boswell covers this week's BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology conference in Orlando, Florida.

The first big news for this week is Shell and Iogen's announcement that they are cutting off their cellulosic ethanol project plans in Manitoba, Canada. Talk about another confidence let-down for cellulosic biofuel at a time when the US advanced biofuel industry is trying to persuade the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to revise the volume requirements for cellulosic ethanol under the 2012 Renewable Fuel Standard.

I will post more about the current going-on within the biofuel sector (as soon as I sort out my email inbox where unopened  mails are steadily growing).

For now, here are this week's news roundup:

ADM, KOST develops bio-glycol
KOST USA and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has successfully developed its BioChill® line of heat transfer fluids using ADM's biobased propylene glycol. BioChill® Heat Transfer Fluids are specifically designed for use in Gas Pipeline Heaters, Gas Processing, Natural Gas Storage, Line and Bath Heaters, HVAC Systems, Pharmaceutical & Food Processing Plants, Solar and Radiant Heating Systems, Process Heating & Cooling, Ice Rinks, Playing Field Subsurface Heating, Thermal Energy Storage.

Dyadic expands Abengoa license deal
Enzyme producer Dyadic has expanded its exclusive licensing deal with biofuel company Abengoa for $5.5m. The license deal originally provided Abengoa with the right to use Dyadic’s C1 platform technology to develop, manufacture and sell enzymes for use in second generation biorefining processes to convert biomass into sugars. The amended license expands the territories to worldwide rights and provides Abengoa with the ability to produce, use and sell C1 enzymes in first as well as second generation biofuels and other bio-based processes.

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ICIS Surfactants: Day 1

Live Blog: ICIS World Surfactants 2012

Sugar fatty alcohols on the way

My article on sugar fatty alcohols has been published this week on ICIS Chemical Business and will be distributed at the ICIS World Surfactants Conference tomorrow and Thursday in New Jersey.

There's still time for those who have not yet registered! We are expecting more than 180 attendees this year and the Thursday agenda will also focus on renewable-based surfactant alternatives with presenters from Procter & Gamble Chemicals, Seventh Generation, Solazyme, LS9, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Codexis, Amyris and P2 Science.

I will be there covering the event as well. I am not sure if I can tweet this time via @ICISgreenblog but I will let you know by tomorrow.

For those who can't avail of the ICB magazine (subscription is really cheap you know...), here are some of the articles on renewable-based surfactants and oleochemicals that you can read for free (for now...).

Sugar fatty alcohols near commercialization

Natural surfactant raw materials on a slippery slope?

Performance overshadows sustainability in oleochemicals

Castor oil to the auto rescue?

The global automotive industry is abuzz with the tightened supply of polyamide 12 (also called nylon 12) which are used in cable ties, wire insulation, flexible hosing, nozzles, damping cogwheels, flexible cover caps, sheet gaskets, sealing rings, and in other fuel line applications/auto-related parts.

PA-12 is also used in plastic parts to make solar panels and cable coverings used in offshore oil and gas production.

Based on several googled websites, PA-12 reportedly have excellent properties such as high degree of dimensional stability under humidity or freezing environment; high resistance to chemicals such as hydraulic fluids, oil, fuels, grease, salt water, solvents; strong resistance to cracking under stress; high-resistance to abrasion; and has high fatigue resistance.

PA-12 also dampens noise and vibration, according to various sources. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with cars but from what I've seen on several news about this PA-12, this is an important chemical for the automobile industry as car makers and several players along the automotive supply chain held an emergency meeting yesterday in Detroit, Michigan, to discuss the critical issue on PA-12 shortage.

According to this article from Plastics News, there are very few suppliers worldwide of  PA-12, namely Evonik, Arkema, Ube Industries and EMS-Grivory. Global PA-12 production was estimated at around 100m lbs/year. Evonik is the only producer here vertically integrated in a key PA-12 feedstock called cyclododecatriene (CDT), which is manufactured by cyclotrimerization of butadiene.

CDT is used to make laurolactam, which in turn is used as a monomer in PA-12.

Unfortunately, a fire broke out at the end of March at Evonik's CDT facility in Marl, Germany, (two employees were killed) and CDT production (capacity is not disclosed) is expected to remain out-of-order for at least three months. This in turn, will affect PA-12 production for those who are dependent on CDT material.

Now here comes the castor part (sorry it took a while to get to this point...).

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