Economy

Finnish new gasification method turns forest residues to biofuel with less than a euro per litre

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VTT Technical Research Center's headquarter in Tampere
VTT Technical Research Center’s headquarter in Tampere

VTT Technical Research Center of Finland – the biggest multitechnological applied research organisation in Northern Europe, that provides high-end technology solutions and innovation services – has assessed the techno-economics of the production of renewable liquid transportation fuels from forest residues. The case studies focused on the production of four biofuels using a method based on pressurised fluidised-bed gasification. The fuels studied were methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), Fischer-Tropsch liquids and synthetic gasoline.

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European Environment Agency: Bioenergy production must use resources more efficiently

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Living Facade of EEA in Copenhagen
Living Facade of EEA in Copenhagen

The European Environment Agency has published the Report “EU bioenergy from a resource efficiency perspective”. The report primarily looks at the potential for energy from agricultural land, although it includes forest and waste biomass in the overall analysis (Bioenergy refers to energy uses of any kind of biomass, whether for heating, power generation or transport).

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Editorial: Together for the Bioeconomy Revolution

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Rassegna Stampa EsteraDear Readers,

thank you. You are more and more every day to read Il Bioeconomista, from all over the world. And that flatters us and encourages us to move forward with our project for an online journal that has in the bioeconomy its inspiring principle. You are a signal that the world is in turmoil, that the search for a world free from fossil fuels, a post-petroleum world, is increasingly an utopia that has decided to roll up its sleeves to become reality every day. The path is still long, but the road is mapped out and we can’t go back.

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European Commission appoints the members of the Bioeconomy Panel

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Berlaymont, European Commission's Headquarter in Brussels
Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

The European Commission has selected and appointed the 30 members of the Bioeconomy Panel, a new platform for informed discussions on the Bioeconomy.

These experts represent a wide variety of interests – scientific community and researchers, primary producers, industry, policy-makers, and civil society – and they are nominated for an initial mandate of 2 years.

Their role is to closely assist the Commission in the implementation of the Bioeconomy Strategy in Europe.

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Waiting for Expo 2015, young start-ups in the bioeconomy grow in Milan

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From left to right: Carenzo, Galliano, Tajani and the 5 leaders of the winning teams
From left to right: Carenzo, Galliano, Tajani and the 5 leaders of the winning teams

Parco Tecnologico Padano, a science and technology park based in North of Italy (Lodi, Milan area) and the Municipality of Milano are running a competition for selecting entrepreneurial projects in the bioeconomy sector coming out from international scouting.

Last Wednesday, the five winners were announced by the Secretary for Innovation and Research of the Municipality of Milano, Mrs. Cristina Tajani.

How to use coffee waste for cosmetics, an innovative way of producing fibers from oranges, microalgae for nutrition, seeds conservation and a platform for prevention of fruit plants diseases are the areas covered by the 5 winners of the competition.
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Airbus, Air France, Safran and Total together to create a French biofuel industry

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Total's headquarter in Paris
Total’s headquarter in Paris

At the Paris Air Show 2013, Airbus, Air France, Safran – a leading international high-technology group with three core businesses: aerospace, defence and security – and oil giant Total organized the “Joining our Energies – Biofuel Initiative France” flight to illustrate the French industry’s technical capacity to integrate aeronautical biofuels. The four players underline the need to improve research into the development of sustainable biofuels with a view to creating a French biofuel industry.

Today, the air transport sector generates around 2% of global man-made CO² emissions. Manufacturers are fully mobilized to reduce the impact of air transport by all possible means. As the aviation industry has no alternative to liquid fuels of fossil origin, the use of biofuels is essential for drastically reducing CO² emissions.

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EU Stakeholders of the Bioeconomy meet in EFIB to prepare the Biorevolution

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Square Cube in Brussels
Square Cube in Brussels

Leading companies and policy makers are collaborating to fuel the growth of the bioeconomy in Europe. The partnership of Biobased and Renewable Industries for Development and Growth in Europe (BRIDGE) is industries vision for building stronger more sustainable value chains, based on renewable raw materials, across Europe. It is the result extensive dialogue between a broad range of sectors, SMEs, Research Institutes and policy makers and, if adopted, will form part of the EU’s new Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020. Continue reading →

A start-up company in Milan restores monuments and care bees with microorganisms

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leonardo milano 2
Statue of Leonardo da Vinci in Piazza della Scala, Milan

The term start-up has burst on the political agenda of the Italian government. First with the Minister Corrado Passera, who in the period past at the Ministry for Economic Development was able to approve the decree Development 2.0, now with Premier Enrico Letta, who in the start-ups sees a fundamental tool to solve the tragedy of youth unemployment and who recently promised to “remove barriers and bureaucracy” to set up a business.

In the various sectors of the bioeconomy, there are many start-ups founded in Italy in recent years. One of these is Micro4you, a spin-off of the University of Milan, specialized in the production of micro-organisms for a variety of uses: from the restoration of historical monuments to animal health. In this interview, its CEO, Annalisa Balloi, tells how is a young innovative company and what are the real problems that it faces. Since “for those who – like us – focuses its attention on niche products, the administrative procedures are too complex and expensive”.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Bye Bye Europe. British Petroleum Invests in Advanced Biofuels in America

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BP's Refinery
BP’s Refinery

Oil major BP is directing investment in advanced biofuels to the United States and South America due to uncertainty about the European Union’s future regulatory environment.

“At the moment we are not contemplating investing in second-generation cellulosic (ethanol) in Europe simply for the reason that there is not enough certainty on what the market conditions will be like,” Phil New, head of BP Biofuels, said in an interview with Reuters UK.

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Novamont has unveiled the first product made from 4th generation Mater-Bi®

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Novamont's Headquarter in Novara (Italy)
Novamont’s Headquarter in Novara (Italy)

Novamont, the Italian leading company in the development and production of materials and biochemicals, with a turnover of 135 million euros in 2012, has unveiled the first product made from 4th generation Mater-Bi®, the family of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics designed to go beyond the product itself and become an opportunity to develop circular bioeconomies. It also aims to stimulate reindustrialisation through the development of integrated Biorefineries. It’s what was announced by the company in a statement.

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