21 June 202421 June 2024 Claros Technologies, Inc. Raises $22 Million to Accelerate PFAS Destruction and Analytical Technologies Company to continue scaling the research, development and market penetration of its bio-based UV-photochemical PFAS destruction technologies
2 November 202330 October 2023 Firms plan pilot plants for biobased acrylic acid They all hope to succeed despite false starts to commercialize the process, but there are only few successful - Companies still have more work to do before they can compete with the petrochemical production
28 February 202323 February 2023 From Lab to Market: Bio-Based Products Are Gaining Momentum Propelled by government investment and shareholder demand, manufacturers are pushing to get bio-based products into the marketplace. These new materials — made from plants, fungi, and microbes — aim to replace those that contain toxins and are difficult to recycle or reuse
23 February 202317 February 2023 New catalysts could make acrylics from corn cheaper than fossil equivalent Catalyst exhibits substantially higher performance when benchmarked against other classes of leading catalysts
19 September 202214 September 2022 How to make recyclable plastics out of CO2 to slow climate change Chemists are manipulating the greenhouse gas to make clothing, mattresses, shoes and more
29 June 202222 June 2022 Chemical recycling: Towards a circular economy For most polymers the only possible approach is to break down the polymer chain through pyrolysis, which releases either monomers, such as ethylene, or light hydrocarbons like naphtha, to remake the polymers
11 May 20226 May 2022 Switching to sustainable surfactants As the cosmetic and personal care industry races to drop petroleum-based ingredients, chemical companies are rolling out a dizzying array of biobased surfactants. Choosing from among them isn’t easy
22 June 202118 June 2021 Alte Textilien aus Pilzen entdeckt Schon vor mehr als 100 Jahren fertigten die Ureinwohner Amerikas Textilien aus Pilzen. Wie sich jetzt zeigt, verblüffen die Stoffe durch robuste Eigenschaften
27 May 202116 June 2021 Danimer Scientific Receives Innovation Research Grant to Support Biodegradable Plastic Solutions Project to be conducted with University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative to investigate pennycress oil in production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a biodegradable plastic alternative
2 March 202125 February 2021 New method converts methane in natural gas to methanol at room temperature New discovery could potentially provide a cleaner energy source for many of our everyday activities
11 November 20209 September 2021 U.S. Department of Energy Announces $27 Million in Plastics Recycling Research and Development All new projects will help improve existing recycling processes that break plastics into chemical building blocks, which can then be used to make new products
29 August 201926 August 2019 University of Minnesota receives $20M grant for sustainable plastics research Researchers used microbial engineering to develop an inexpensive, sustainable pathway for commercially viable flexible foams usable in everyday items
11 July 20198 July 2019 University of Minnesota researchers get grant to develop better corn-based plastic The Minnesota Corn Growers Association hopes to create new markets, along with greener plastic alternatives
11 October 201810 October 2018 Pioneering biologists create a new crop through genome editing From wild plant to crop: CRISPR-Cas9 revolutionizes breeding / New tomato contains more valuable antioxidants
Biologen schaffen erstmals neue Kulturpflanze durch Genom-Editierung Von der Wild- zur Nutzpflanze: CRISPR-Cas9 revolutioniert die Züchtung / Neue Tomate enthält mehr wertvolle Antioxidantien
18 December 201714 December 2017 Monomer Recovery from Biobased Polyurethane Innovative technique uses renewable and degradable MVL, to create a bio-based PMVL polyol
20 November 201716 November 2017 Antifouling Agent from Biosynthesized Acrylate Monomers Zwitterionic Acrylate Monomers from Biosynthetic Pathway
11 October 201711 October 2017 Top 10 wood waste projects – Not letting waste go to waste All around the world scientist's projects are taking the leftovers and turning them into something valuable
30 June 201728 June 2017 University of Minnesota: Biorenewable Alternative to Polyacrylates By using bio-renewable materials, this method offers potential sustainable alternatives
31 May 201729 May 2017 Ultra-High Yield Para-Xylene from Biomass-Derived 2,5-Dimethylfuran Using ethylene with DMF (from fructose) may provide a more economical method of para-xylene production
15 May 201728 April 2017 Discovery could transform industries Researchers invent process to make sustainable rubber, plastics
21 April 201718 April 2017 Bio-based Elastomers from Recoverable Methyl Valerolactone Phase of Development - Proof of concept; demonstrated on laboratory scale
13 April 201728 May 2018 Biomass-derived Butadiene from Tetrahydrofuran New catalyst is highly efficient at converting furans to dienes and achieves conversion of THF to butadiene with selectivity approaching 98% High Yield
12 April 20176 April 2017 University of Minnesota Researchers Develop Safer, More Effective Molecule OFS molecule is showing great promise in cleaning applications and has the potential to be used in paints, personal care products and more
16 March 201716 March 2017 Efficient Process to Make Biodegradable Polyesters and Green Solvents from Itaconic Acid New, aqueous based process is more efficient in terms of high yield and selectivity
27 February 201724 February 2017 How could renewable car tyres be made from grass clippings in your back garden? University of Minnesota Scientists invented a renewable car tyre produced from natural resources
17 February 201716 February 2017 Researchers invent process to produce renewable car tires from trees, grass The car tires produced from biomass that includes trees and grasses would be identical to existing car tires with the same chemical makeup, color, shape, and performance
8 February 20176 February 2017 U of M’s CFANS and CSE to partner on bio-based industry projects Teams within the U’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering to bringing expertise in pulp and paper, food and bio-based industry
27 January 201725 January 2017 Isosorbide-based Methacrylate Monomer for High Tg Polymers New derivative can be polymerized and incorporated into block polymers
14 December 201612 December 2016 UMass Amherst Chemical Engineers Lead Team that Boosts Valuable Chemical p-xylene Production from Biomass Researchers developed new method that generates a 97 percent yield and uses biomass feedstocks
4 November 20162 November 2016 Nanobionic spinach plants can detect explosives After sensing dangerous chemicals, the carbon-nanotube-enhanced plants send an alert
25 August 201624 May 2018 The plastics revolution: how chemists are pushing polymers to new limits Polymers have infiltrated almost every aspect of modern life. Now researchers are working on next-generation forms
3 May 201628 April 2016 How the GE Mushroom Could Change the Debate Around GMOs CRISPR allows scientists to cut and paste gene sequences more easily than ever
21 April 201619 April 2016 Recyclable, sugar-derived foam — a renewable alternative to traditional polyurethanes? Minnesota researchers develop recyclable foam by using a new sugar-derived material
21 March 201618 March 2016 Producing spandex from agricultural byproducts? Welcome to the circular bio-economy Farm waste products such as maize leaves are being repurposed in novel and circular ways, and the European Union is among the many groups now taking note
24 February 201615 February 2016 Synthetic biopathway turns ag waste into ‘green’ products Process could enable biomanufacturing of 1 billion pounds of spandex each year
16 September 201514 September 2015 Making the Most from Carbon in Plants Meeting the challenge of creating sustainable bioproducts from lignin
14 August 20159 September 2021 Why not just reduce our use? Meet the companies trying to break our plastic addiction
29 June 201515 October 2015 Bio-based biodegradable polyurethane foam wins BASF award New technology based around a sugar based mevalonate (MVL) monomer and its polyesterol (PMVL) made by solvent-free polymerization
12 March 201512 March 2015 From tea bags to Miatas, bioplastics are on the rise Businesses of all sizes are looking beyond "traditional," petroleum-based plastics to alternatives derived from plants, or even synthesized by microorganisms
12 February 201511 February 2015 A ray of sunshine for bioenergy New study shows value of combining solar thermal energy with biomass gasification to produce natural gas substitute
18 August 201415 August 2014 University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Polymers receives $20 million National Science Foundation grant to pioneer next generation of plastics
17 June 201417 June 2014 CSU study details practices that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from corn production Researchers analyzed what would happen if all farms in the survey adopted the best of some recommended practices
6 March 2013 Startup using U of M technology to manufacture key industrial chemicals from renewable sources Ascenix BioTechnologies initially to use innovative bio-based process for yielding methylmethacrylate
25 February 2013 Growing the Biobased Economy Strategies must address the needs of new customers and the challenges of building a sustainable supply chain
29 January 2013 Scientists Trick Iron-Eating Bacteria into Breathing Electrons Instead Cultivation of an Obligate Fe(II)-Oxidizing Lithoautotrophic Bacterium Using Electrodes
4 December 2012 Order of importance: Study finds prioritizing rather than canvassing entire plant genome may lead to improved crops
29 August 2012 Study offers new hope for increasing global food production, reducing environmental impact of agriculture Just-released Nature paper shows more strategic use of nutrients and water on a global scale could boost production 45 to 70 percent for most crops
20 May 2011 Do Biofuels Reduce Greenhouse Gases? A new study fuels the debate over the impact of growing crops for fuel.