IBN-One, a subsidiary of Global Bioenergies and Cristal Union, yesterday announced it has awarded the first engineering contract for its bio-isobutene plant to Technip and IPSB. Following a consultation process by IBN-One in spring 2016, the initial engineering work contract has been awarded to a consortium that includes Technip, a global leader in engineering for the energy, petrochemical and chemical industries, and IPSB, an engineering firm specialising in sugar and biotechnologies. This first front-end engineering design (FEED) phase will run for 12 months and precedes the detailed engineering studies for the plant’s construction.
Amyris, the U.S. industrial bioscience company, has won a three-year multi-million dollar contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to further the manufacturing of cellulose-derived farnesene for biofuels. The company led by John Melo, in cooperation with Renmatix and Total New Energies USA, will work to develop a manufacturing-ready process utilizing wood as the cellulosic feedstock to produce farnesene, a hydrocarbon building block used to manufacture a variety of products ranging from cosmetics to detergents, as well as base oils, lubricants, diesel and jet fuel.
California goes green. Neste Renewable Diesel, the biodiesel developed by the Finnish company Neste, is now being used by the County of Sacramento. In moving to this renewable diesel, the County Sacramento joins California’s cleanest and greenest fleets that include the City of San Francisco, City of Oakland, City of Walnut Creek, City of Carlsbad, Google, and UPS.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 