BASF, Renmatix and Cheap Industrial Sugars

Hopefully even wood can be a viable
source of industrial sugar
Source: Jiri Hodan / www.publicdomainpictures.net

With the participation of BASF in Renmatix through a $30 million investment, we are keeping our hopes high that somebody, Renmatix in this case, will come up with ways to produce cheap and viable biofuels from wood chips and corn stovers. The biofuels industry, particularly in the US, is in need of innovative companies that can produce ethanol from sources that will not compete against food.

Although current known processes of extracting industrial sugar from cellulosic materials have been expensive, Renmatix claims that they have made breakthroughs in reducing the cost. Now, backed up by BASF, we are hoping that this is true and that Renmatix will soon be able to commercialize their process.

Renmatix is the proprietary of the Plantrose process, a two phase method of extracting sugar from cellulosic materials using supercritical water. For more information, you may visit http://renmatix.com.

A Bleak Look Into Our Climate's Future

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Schemes seem to be futile
Source: Petr Kratochvil / www.publicdomainpictures.net

Browsing the IEA website regarding the projections of coal use and carbon dioxide emissions, will give you an update of the worsening climate conditions that will soon follow. The projections through 2035 states that coal use as well as carbon dioxide emissions will continue to increase. What is alarming about these projections is that they were probably made while taking into consideration many factors such as international policies and advances in technology.

The recently held UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol along with their claimed future legally binding agreements lack the teeth to enforce the terms that will be agreed upon. India and China are still contending that their economic development should not be hampered by greenhouse gas reduction schemes unless other developed countries also abide by them. The United States, on the other hand, refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and lately, Canada withdrew from it.

What all of this will boil down to is that unless we can develop a clean alternative drop-in fuel that is cheaper than coal and oil, we may well be on our way past the 2°C ceiling on global warming. At present, fossil fuels are still the primary fuel for electricity production and transportation around the world. Finding a suitable substitute for it seems to be bleak. Anyone got an idea? You’re most welcome.

Alternative Fuels: If We Cannot Compete With Price, Go For Value

Gas Prices Continue to Increase
Source: Peter Griffin / www.publicdomainpictures.net

As advances in technology, particularly in fracking, make it easier for us to extract oil and natural gas, alongside discoveries of more and more oil and coal deposits, the lure to lavishly use fossil fuels is ever more present. Had it not been for the high prices of fuels at the pump, the issues regarding climate change might have been set aside long ago.

Carbon emissions harm the environment and will bring about catastrophic weather conditions. Unless new technologies are developed to combat these harmful effects the need to improve and develop alternative energy sources is huge. With lesser incentives for alternative energy usage and development being pushed, the sector must work harder to be more competent with fossil fuels.

If we could not yet find a cheaper alternative to fossil fuels, we should at least try to develop a more valuable replacement.

Tempe, Arizona – Silicon Valley Bank

In Tempe, Arizona – Silicon Valley Bank, a financial holding company that provides assistance to entrepreneurs particularly in the innovation sector, is opening a new IT and operations facility. An addition to their lending office that has been in operation in the area since 1997, the company expects to hire more than 200 employees in the next 2 years.

For more information, you may visit www.svb.com.

Promoting Alternative Energy Use By Directly Affecting People

Power Meters
Source: public-domain-image.com

The use of alternative energy to be successful will require people from the root level to also use it. Campaigns about climate change and the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions is not doing much to convince everybody to use alternative energy. To better foster a transition, the benefits of using alternative energy have to be more direct.