Eni is talking with investment fund SK Capital over the sale of Versalis

Veralis' plant in Priolo, Sicily
Versalis’ plant in Priolo, Sicily

The Italian green chemistry will speak American. Eni confirms that it is in search for a partner for Versalis, its synthetic rubber and chemicals company. In a meeting at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (Mise), between Mise, Eni, Versalis and representatives from the National Confederation of Industry and Trade Unions regarding the prospects for Eni’s petrochemical business, the Italian oil and gas company said it intended to retain a “significant stake” of Versalis in the partnership to “ensure its objectives are successfully met”.

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“The shift to a European bioeconomy is now irreversible”. An exclusive interview with John Bell

John Bell at Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin (25 November 2015)
John Bell at Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin (25 November 2015)

“The shift to a European bioeconomy is now irreversible and this transition will now accelerate after the COP21”. John Bell, Director of Bioeconomy Directorate of the European Commission, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this long exclusive interview, the man who is leading the implementation of the European bioeconomy addresses different topics related to this new industrial revolution based on renewable biological resources.

“The sustainability of the bio-based solutions – Bell says – will have to be constantly demonstrated, communicated and debated with stakeholders if we want to convince policy-makers and embed the bioeconomy across Europe. This can happen at different levels. The European Commission is devoting resources to better study the overall biomass available in Europe and its uses, and to assess the efficiency of the bio-based solutions through life-cycle analysis.”

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Evonik expands its green venture capital activities into Asia

Marco Reus. Evonik is popular as main sponsor of German Football team Borussia Dortmund
Marco Reus. Evonik is popular as main sponsor of German Football team Borussia Dortmund

Evonik expands its green venture capital activities into Asia. The German company announced last Thursday an investment in the Chinese venture capital fund GRC SinoGreen Fund III (GRC III). The parties agreed to not disclose the amount of the investment. As a result, the company is now represented in the most important venture capital regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. GRC invests in private, green technology companies with unique strengths and substantial growth potential in Greater China. Target sectors include energy and resource efficiency, cleaner transportation, sustainability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

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Anellotech and Suntory make 100% bio-based PET bottles a reality

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Suntory's products

Anellotech, a U.S. sustainable technology company focused on producing cost-competitive renewable chemicals from non-food biomass, announced that the company has entered into the next phase of its strategic partnership with Suntory Holdings Limited, one of the world’s leading consumer beverage companies. Suntory’s diverse market-leading beverage brands include Orangina, Schweppes, Ribena, Lucozade and BRAND’S, as well as major alcohol brands, Yamazaki, Hibiki, Jim Beam, Courvoisier, and Château Lagrange.

The partnership, which began in 2012 under a collaboration agreement that has provided more than $15 million in funding to date, is focused on advancing the development and commercialization of cost-competitive 100 percent bio-based plastics for use in beverage bottles as part of Suntory’s commitment to sustainable business practices. Suntory, headquartered in Japan, currently uses 30 percent plant-derived materials for their Mineral Water Suntory Tennensui brands and is pursuing the development of a 100 percent bio-bottle through this partnership.

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Global Bioenergies and LanzaTech strenghthen cooperation to build the world bioeconomy

Jennifer Holmgren, Ceo of Lanzatech
Jennifer Holmgren, Ceo of Lanzatech

Global Bioenergies and LanzaTech announce the signature of a new collaboration agreement to broaden the feedstock flexibility of Global Bioenergies’ Isobutene process and the product-portfolio of LanzaTech’s carbon capture technology.

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Charmant USA launches awear, a new bio-based sustainable eyewear brand

The new awear bio-based glasses. Photo: courtesy of Swear
The new awear bio-based glasses. Photo: courtesy of awear

Now we have bio-based glasses. Charmant USA has announced the launch of a new bio-based sustainable eyewear brand. The brand is awear: it is specialized in bio-made sustainable optical glasses and sunglasses.

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Virent bio-jet provides more than 50% reduction in particulate matter emissions

wpid-virent_main_entrance-1-2.jpg.jpegVirent was chosen to participate in the initial Rolls-Royce Laboratory Test program, and was then selected by Rolls-Royce to proceed to the more advanced Rig Testing portion of the program. Virent’s SAK fuel blend met all test requirements and the report concluded that the fuel “…offers the potential to be [a] drop-in fuel and hence achieve approval for use for the aviation industry”.

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USDA announces: “More than 2,400 products are certified to use the BioPreferred label”

Tom Vilsack, US Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack, US Agriculture Secretary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a list of its 2015 top achievements. According to the department, these achievements demonstrate efforts to help farmers and ranchers build the American bioeconomy.

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It’s a real boom for Il Bioeconomista in 2015. Thank you and happy new year!

happy-new-year-2016-photosDear Readers,

thank you very much, heartily. 2015 ended with excellent results for Il Bioeconomista: over 46% more visits to our blog. It is a real boom, which shows how the bioeconomy is increasingly a phenomenon that attracts the attention of global public opinion and gratifies us as journalists, observers of a reality that we have always defined as the industrial revolution of the Third Millennium.

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In Italy the world’s first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastics from glycerol

Marco Astorri
Marco Astorri

Bio-on and SECI Spa, part of Gruppo Industriale Maccaferri holding, signed an agreement to build the world’s first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastic from biodiesel production co-products, namely glycerol. The two companies will work together to build a production site with a 5 thousand tons/year output, expandable to 10 thousand tons/year.

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