29 March 202328 March 2023 Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials President Joe Biden's administration is setting a goal of replacing 90 percent of fossil-fuel based plastics with bio-based alternatives over the next two decades
24 March 202321 March 2023 Greening the beauty industry Professor Christian Euler from the University of Waterloo together with his business partner Vikram Pandit is transforming CO2 into bio-made and eco-friendly products
22 March 202317 March 2023 Reducing the footprint with bio-based dyes Pili aims to replace petroleum-based indigo with a bio-based indigo to reduce dependence on petroleum and cut CO2 emissions associated with production by more than 50%
20 March 202315 March 2023 Bluepha Officially Launches 2 Grades Natural PHA Materials to Realize a Phabulous Blend with Nature Plastic pollution has received increasing attention worldwide - but we believe that Bluepha™ PHA has the potential to make a difference in the future as a new group of natural materials
17 March 202314 March 2023 BluCon Biotech welcomes strategic investment by major chemical group LG Chem LG Chem, a leading chemical company, have entered into an investment agreement
16 March 202315 March 2023 Green gold: Torrefied biomass to replace coal and oil In February, the Estonian-based startup New Standard Oil successfully commissioned their first industrial-scale prototype for drying and torrefaction of biogenic feedstock operating with superheated steam at atmospheric pressure
15 March 202319 May 2023 BluCon Biotech welcomes strategic investment by major chemical group LG Chem LG Chem, a leading chemical company, have entered into an investment agreement
10 March 20238 March 2023 PILI, a French biotech and green chemistry company, raises $15.8M to accelerate its industrial scale-up and the decarbonization of the color industry Bpifrance led this round through the fund Ecotechnologies 2, with participation from Famille C Participations and existing investors, such as Elaia Partners
7 March 20232 March 2023 Researchers sniff out opportunity for more ethical and eco-friendly perfume Finding sustainable alternatives for ingredients and materials that go into commonly used products – such as perfume and fragrance
Recycling Rare Earths with biomass Previously uninvestigated strains of cyanobacteria can adsorb metals
1 March 202324 February 2023 Avantium and Origin Materials to accelerate the mass production of FDCA and PEF for advanced chemicals and plastics Strategic partnership will produce FDCA from Origin’s carbon-negative platform for producing chemical intermediates from sustainable wood residues and Avantium’s YXY® Technology
28 February 202328 February 2023 The Tech4Biowaste database: Getting biowaste conversion technologies out of the dark The Tech4Biowaste database will be showcased online by its developers on 30 March 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
27 February 202322 February 2023 Evonik partners with AMSilk to manufacture sustainable silk proteins The silk can be used in a broad range of applications including high-quality fashion, smart materials in automotives, and medical devices
24 February 202321 February 2023 PHA – Let the feasting begin The PHAtiCuS project unites the skills of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY, UnaveraChemLab, and Fritzmeier Environmental Technology
20 February 202315 February 2023 Degradation of Plastic Waste using newly Developed Biocatalysts Researchers of the University of Greifswald and from Covestro developed two corresponding methods
17 February 202314 February 2023 Structural proteins for the development of sustainable materials: BRAIN Biotech and AMSilk cooperate to develop high-performance bio-based protein fibers New developments like those currently being developed by BRAIN Biotech and AMSilk could revolutionize the performance materials market
15 February 202310 February 2023 Bioweg and Ginkgo Bioworks Announce Partnership to Develop Cost Effective and Efficacious Bio-Based Materials to Reduce the Use of Microplastic Pollutants The two companies seek to develop green and clean alternatives to synthetic polymers
13 February 20238 February 2023 Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Delivers the First Two Hybrid Dragon Silk Silkworm Strains for Commercial Production New lines are the first of several planned silkworm strains in the hybridization program, which are explicitly designed to increase robustness and cocoon size
7 February 20232 February 2023 Making a materials leap – using biologically inspired protein building blocks to rival plastics Novel protein-based materials of the future using synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology, surpass most of their man-made counterparts
2 February 202330 January 2023 University of Coimbra joins project to create a European Network for Circular Bioeconomy With an estimated duration of three years and a budget of three million euros, funded by the European Union (EU), BioRural involves about two dozen partners from 14 different countries
30 January 202325 January 2023 Nutrients from CO2: Arkeon Increases its Capitalization to €10+ Million in Additional Fundraiser ICL partners with the startup developing protein from CO2
27 January 202324 January 2023 Do Plants Clean the Air? The Future of Air Purifying Plants Recent studies have proven that houseplants offer health benefits like improving concentration and productivity, reducing stress levels, and boosting your mood
23 January 202320 January 2023 From the road to the plate: lettuce takes up toxic additives from tyre wear Chemicals from tyre wear could get into our vegetables via sewage sludge and waste water
13 January 202310 January 2023 RGU’s daffodil research breakthrough could unlock new heart disease treatment Daffodil’s bulbs, which produce a high-value alkaloid called galanthamine, are already used in the UK to treat Alzheimer’s disease but the results from this project could unlock the benefits of using all parts of the plant
12 January 20239 January 2023 Cow Gut Bacteria Hosts Solution for Recycling Crop Waste to Bioethanol: IIT Guwahati IIT Guwahati researchers report an efficient multifunctional enzyme from a bacterium found in the gut of cows that can break down woody biomass for conversion to bioethanol fuel
10 January 20236 February 2023 Submit Your Innovative Product now: The Innovation Award “Renewable Material of the Year 2023 For the third time, a comprehensive award will be presented for the best renewable materials – which can be produced either from biomass, directly via CO₂ utilisation, or recycling
Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), December 2022 Let’s take a look at what happened in December 2022 at RCI
USDA Invests $9.5M to Develop New Bioproducts from Agricultural Commodities The program’s exploration into bioproducts accelerates USDA’s efforts to develop circular bioeconomies, where agricultural resources are harvested, consumed, and regenerated in a sustainable manner
9 January 202329 December 2022 Carbon-negative synthetic biology: challenges and emerging trends of cyanobacterial technology Excessive CO2 emissions are one of the most widely discussed challenges in the 21st century. Carbon-negative production of value-added chemicals by cyanobacterial cell factories has been considered a top priority for solving such problems
6 January 20233 January 2023 A poison helps to understand H2-producing biocatalysts The toxic cyanide molecule attacks H2-generating enzymes, but at the same time provides new insights into catalysis
The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to Ginkgo Bioworks Together with their partners and their growing ecosystem, the company design custom organisms that bring new products to life for countless applications
Building CO2-neutral, defossilised supply chains for chemicals Scientists from the Institute of Biotechnology of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and from the Roche Group propose how to reduce the environmental footprint of the pharma industry
Tandem chemocatalysis and biological funneling to valorize lignin Lignocellulose-derived monomers can be converted to a single product, polyhydroxyalkanoates, by Pseudomonas putida
5 January 202327 December 2022 It’s the holiday season for US renewable chemicals While the renewable chemicals industry continues to play second fiddle to biofuels when it comes to US government funding (it’s true!), the Biden Administration’s actions towards boosting the bioeconomy are setting off a flurry of activities on how renewable chemicals companies can dip in to these bioeconomy-related funding initiatives
4 January 202327 December 2022 Tuning chitosan’s chemical structure for enhanced biological functions In vivo production of chitosan polymers with fully defined structures in a cell factory has been recently highlighted as a ‘gamechanger’ for emerging biomaterials
3 January 202322 December 2022 SilicoLife secures Series A investment of up to €9.8 million Portuguese biotech company SilicoLife secures Series A investment of up to €9.8 million to accelerate the biological production of ingredients
19 December 202213 December 2022 Sustainable algal biorefineries Capitalizing on many benefits of GABA
7 December 20222 December 2022 Covestro turns to biotechnology for sustainable plastics Use of microorganisms and enzymes in production
30 November 202229 November 2022 Small but powerful – microorganisms contribute to greater sustainability at BASF BASF drives transformation towards more sustainability with innovative solutions for raw materials, processes and products
Klein, aber wirkungsvoll – Mikroorganismen sorgen bei BASF für mehr Nachhaltigkeit BASF treibt Wandel zu mehr Nachhaltigkeit mit innovativen Lösungen bei Rohstoffen, Prozessen und Produkten voran
28 November 202223 November 2022 Biden Administration Moves to Boost the Bioeconomy A new Executive Order in the U.S. aims to ease the path to market for products that use synthetic biology or genome editing. Emily Marden explains the thinking behind the announcement and its efforts to streamline the current U.S. framework for biotech
21 November 202216 November 2022 Increased funding to mitigate rising costs of bioeconomy innovation Scottish bioeconomy: Researchers are now invited to apply for the latest round of feasibility funding, with the deadline for proposals on 9th February
14 November 202210 November 2022 Stora Enso’s pilot plant for a breakthrough bioplastic is well underway. What will happen next? The launch of a new bioplastics pilot plant in the Flanders region in Belgium will enable a new bioplastics production technology, ready for implementation at industrial scale
9 November 20224 November 2022 New heart disease treatment could stem from daffodils Initial findings suggest alkaloids from daffodils could prevent cardiovascular disorders
2 November 202231 October 2022 An interview with Kelly Smith, VP R&D DMC Biotech “The crises, while tragic, created an opportunity to rethink security of supply in terms of where things are manufactured, and DMC is positioned to lead the change.” Kelly Smith, VP R&D at DMC Biotech talks with Il Bioeconomista
31 October 202226 October 2022 Putting microbes to work and turning carbon from plastic waste into biodegradable material Kari Koivuranta and Jukka Niskanen share how the VTT iBEX innovation programme is developing the process of breaking down plastic waste with microbes
26 October 202221 October 2022 Improved itaconic acid production by using synthetic biology New metabolic pathway produces itaconic acid and enables the development of a microbial cell factory capable of producing itaconic acid in E. coli using low-cost raw materials
18 October 202212 October 2022 Sappi and Frankfurter Brett collaborate to expand use of Sappi Symbio The benefits of Sappi Symbio include a natural look, a soft touch, high rigidity and strength together with a lower environmental footprint
14 October 202210 October 2022 Biden’s $2 Billion Bioeconomy Plan Puts Biomanufacturing At Heart Of Federal Policy How the plan marks a sea change in US green policymaking