InEnTec, Lakeside Energy Ink $150 Million Deal to Support Waste Conversion
InEnTec and Lakside Energy say they have formed a partnership to construct commercial-scale Plasma Enhanced Melter (PEM) gasification facilities that convert waste and chemical residuals into...

Window of Opportunity is Closing for Carbon Capture
The window of opportunity for the cost effective introduction of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is closing, according to Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage: A Key Carbon Abatement Option, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA; Paris). CCS technology “must be proven in the next...

DOE Awards Novozymes $12.3 Million for Bioethanol R&D
  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Novozymes $12.3 million to fund an R&D project to increase the efficiency of enzymes for converting waste biomass to bioethanol. The project, named the Development of a Commercial-Ready Enzyme Application System for Ethanol (Decrease), aims to double...

STUDY: Carbon Capture Can be Economically Viable by 2030
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)-featuring experimental technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from power and manufacturing plants underground-could be economically viable in Europe by 2030, according to the findings of a report published this week by consulting firm McKinsey. The...

Shell Forms Six Biofuel Research Agreements
Shell has signed new biofuel research agreements with six academic institutions in Brazil, China, U.K. and U.S. The company says the projects will complement its existing partnerships with five firms aimed at advancing commercial application of new biofuel technologies. Financial terms of the agreements were...

Novel Electrolyte Opens Door to Cool Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells
Researchers led by Jacobo Santamaria of the applied physics department at the Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid) say they have developed an electrolyte for solid-oxide fuel cell that operates at ambient temperature, hundreds of degrees below that of conventional solid-oxide fuel cells.   The...

Electronic Chemicals: Voltaix Secures Funding from Intel for Capacity Expansions
Voltaix (Branchburg, NJ), a producer of specialty chemicals for the electronics sector, says it has received $12.5 million in financing from Intel’s venture capital arm Intel Capital. Voltaix says it will use the funds to accelerate it plans for expanding manufacturing capacity for products used in...

Wacker State Aid for Solar Plant Endorsed by EU
The European Commission has endorsed a German state government aid package worth €47 million ($75 million) awarded for the construction of a solar wafer manufacturing plant being built by Wacker subsidiary Wacker Schott Solar (Jena, Germany) at Thüringen, Germany. The...

Solvay Turns to Sustainable Energy
Solvay has disclosed plans to source energy for its Tavaux, France manufacturing facilities from a biomass thermal power plant. The proposed power plant would be built and operated by energy company Dalkia. The plant, which has just received approval from regulatory authorities in France, is scheduled for...

Inventure Plans CO2-to-Biofuels in Israel
Technology company Inventure Chemicals (Seattle, WA) says it has formed a joint venture with Seambiotic (Tel Aviv) for the construction of a 108,000-gal/year biofuel facility at Israeli Electric Corp.'s (Haifa, Israel) Ashkelon, Israel site. Construction is expected to begin this...