The moral judgment ‘food should not be used as a fuel’ is untenable
In two columns on this site I went into the food/fuel problem. Oxfam reacted to my first piece. But they did not answer some pressing questions. Therefore, once more the … Read more
Do we need to produce biofuels? Yes, we do!
Recent food price increases have fuelled a new round in the food/fuel debate. They have had a major influence on EU policies, putting a halt to ambitious renewable fuel targets … Read more
Oxfam: better sooner than later
One thing that I have learned in my NGO experience is that it is better to work on investment than on trade. If I would manage to convince a producer … Read more
Oxfam food/fuel report: conclusions do not follow from evidence
Oxfam working paper 161, entitled ‘The hunger grains’ has had a profound influence on the EU decision to scrap its stricter biofuels mandate for year 2020. But this influence is … Read more
Plastic soup for dummies
‘By now, everyone knows about the phenomenon of Plastic Soup.’ So I am told ever more frequently nowadays. Yet, there are still a lot of people out there who have … Read more
Certification is of the essence in the biobased economy
Certification. That was the common denominator in many contributions to the discussion in my group at the ‘Social aspects of bio-based chemicals’ meeting in Amsterdam, Friday 2 November. And cooperation. … Read more
BioAmber: the success of open innovation and partnering
It is just a small company, BioAmber, and it is quite young as well. Yet, is has concluded a large number of cooperation agreements, and many chemical companies are interested. … Read more
The biobased society in the Dutch coalition agreement
Sorry, this article is only available in Dutch.
Danish Novozymes and Italian Beta Renewables join forces in cellulosic biofuel projects
In Denmark and Italy, Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes, and Beta Renewables, a global leader in cellulosic biofuels and part of Gruppo Mossi & Ghisolfi, announced an … Read more
Petrol from water and air, sense and nonsense
Recently, newspapers and TV abound with reports on scientists who produce fuels like petrol and diesel oil from carbon dioxide and water. Sometimes with sensational headings like in The Independent, … Read more
Biofuels without agro
They were awarded many prizes for their innovative technology. New Zealand’s LanzaTech owns an entire fleet of bacteria, fit to process industrial waste gases and waste products directly into biofuels … Read more
Against the plastic soup
‘Look, this is the picture which made me decide to do something about it,’ says Peter Smith, a photographer living in Amsterdam. ‘Which river do you think this is?’ ‘The … Read more
Innovative Dutch chemical industry in a Northwest-European cluster
Sorry, this article on Dutch innovation policy is only available in Dutch.
Staatsbosbeheer: wood is competitive
‘Wood is competitive for heating purposes, the alternative being natural gas (at the retail price for residential heating) or fuel oil,’ says Zwier van Olst. ‘District heating is an excellent … Read more
Long live Europe: seven trends which will carry us through the crisis
Europe appears to be in a bad state. Poverty and unemployment are on the rise, the rich and the poor grow apart, the financial system is out of control. In … Read more
Betaprocess: acceleration of fermentation by vacuum extrusion
DSD BV (Dutch Sustainable Development BV) has made available online information about its Betaprocess, in Dutch, English, German and French. Betaprocess operates on the basis of vacuum extrusion, which rips … Read more
Europe hesitates and lags behind
‘You always want to employ the perfect technology right away’, the Americans mirrored us, Europeans, at the occasion of last week’s EFIB final debate, in Düsseldorf. Where EFIB is the … Read more
The entire potato
‘We should again valorise the entire potato.’ In one sentence, AVEBE’s ambition in the biobased economy. In order to realize this goal, the corporation has many ideas for opportunities in … Read more
Green economy to overcome the crisis
Sorry, this news item on Dutch politics is only available in Dutch.
It does not work
Sorry, this column on Dutch innovation policy is only available in Dutch.
Long live Europe, trend 7: Europe was, is and will remain one of the most important producers of scientific knowledge in the world
There will be more local self-supply or even autarky in the new world, for instance in energy systems. But whereas in the past, autarky equalled shortage and even poverty, in … Read more
Shale gas is responsible for a gas price seven times as low in the US as in Europe
‘Even in 2011 we could not imagine the magnitude of the impact of shale gas on energy supply and chemical industry. Shale gas recovery, and fracking as a technology, have … Read more
Long live Europe, conclusion: think global, act local
Summing up, we arrive at our vision. New social patterns will be sustained by the development of new technologies, that will primarily promote local and regional economic growth. Sustainability is … Read more
Green economy, a liberal debate
It was a historic site, in café Landtmann in Vienna, where the European Liberal Forum had organized our debate on the green economy. Historic, not merely because the café exists … Read more
European Commission takes a closer look at the regions
The bioeconomy is regional in nature, and now Europe has discovered that, too. At a ‘hearing’ in Brussels it became apparent that the new wealth will be rural in nature, … Read more
Bioplastics from carbon dioxide, new and biodegradable
Carbon dioxide is the final product of the carbon cycle, either by biological processes or by incineration. It disappears into the atmosphere or is taken up in a new photosynthetic … Read more
The carbon dioxide economy, the next revolution in chemistry
Carbon dioxide is not a waste material but a feedstock. That was the idea behind the German nova-Institut’s conference, one of the first CO2-conferences to be held in Europe. And … Read more
China might master artificial photosynthesis and artificial meat within five years
‘Chinese concentrate in their research on four important areas: CO2-economy (of which artificial photosynthesis is a part), solar energy (PV), methanol, and artificial meat (proteins).’ According to Michael Carus, director, … Read more
Rein Willems, outgoing chairman of Dutch Topsector Chemistry
Sorry, this blog on Dutch innovation policy is only available in Dutch.
Jos Keurentjes (AkzoNobel): green base chemicals production to slow down because of shale gas
Will shale gas – soon to be in abundant supply – become a threat to the green chemical industry? Jos Keurentjes (AkzoNobel) judges it too early to make a verdict. … Read more
Long live Europe, trend 6: small-scale energy systems
Energy systems will revolutionise even more radically than industry. The price of solar cells has taken a dive. They are modular in makeup, i.e. they can be applied both on … Read more
Gunter Pauli and the ‘Blue Economy’
The interesting thing about festivals like Springtij at Terschelling is, that out of the blue you run into people with a completely new line of thinking. Someone like Gunter Pauli, … Read more
Industrial Biotech power players to give snapshot of global bioeconomy development at EFIB 2012
This October, EuropaBio’s European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Biobased Economy (EFIB) brings together a panel of multinational CEOs to discuss the evolution of a world leading EU bioeconomy. … Read more
A sustainability festival
Sorry, this blog on a sustainability festival on the Dutch island of Terschelling is only available in Dutch.
Lars Hansen (Novozymes): Europe should synchronize its policy and funding
The biobased industry is going to alleviate the CO2 problem and create rural employment and development. Says Lars Hansen, President Region Europe of Novozymes, one of the main European companies … Read more
Novozymes: sugar will become the new oil
Novozymes envisages new biorefineries which can process any biobased feedstock into any desired product in a sustainable way. They will be able to process straw, municipal waste, pig farm or … Read more
The European Commission’s alcohol problem
The European Commission may renounce its former renewable fuel directive, and plans to lower the required renewable fuel percentage from 10 to 5%. The ethanol industry is furious, and accuses … Read more
SeaGriculture
Seaweed for human consumption. In the Far East, it has been on the menu for ages. In our bioshops it is quite expensive nowadays – but in the Western world, … Read more
Long live Europe, trend 5: decentralisation of industry in a biobased society
The environmental movement of the seventies, precursor to the present movement for sustainability, was largely anti-technological. Technology seemed to be inherently large-scale; it produced nuclear power stations and polluting chemical … Read more
EuropaBio’s Most Innovative Biotech SME Award 2012
The Austrian healthcare Biotech SME ProtAffin AG and the French Global Bioenergies are the joint winners of the Most Innovative Biotech SME Award 2012. EuropaBio names three other outstanding runners … Read more
Shale gas in Europe
Item in the discussion series on shale gas on this site. The European Parliament Environmental Committee is of the opinion that member states should be prudent in drilling for shale … Read more
Sustainability and the bonobo
Upon hearing the word bonobo, many (in particular intellectual males) exclaim: sex!, and they beam all over. Yes, it is true: sex is important in the life of the bonobo, … Read more
No chemistry
Sorry, this column about a discussion in The Hague, 17 September, on biobased business opportunities, is only available in Dutch.
China plans to gain top 3 spot in biomedical materials industry
China’s 11th Five-Year Plan contains plans for development of the next generation of biomedical material applications, as the nation seeks to meet the growing demands of an aging population. Its … Read more
‘Cheap shale gas’ concept challenged
We barely published an article intended to open up a discussion on the effect of cheap shale gas on the biobased economy ( September 2012), when Amory Lovins and Jon … Read more
Bioplastics sustainable after all: Pittsburgh study inadequate
In a column on this site, dated 21 August, Lucas Reijnders is of the opinion that presently available bioplastics are more environmentally harmful than the most common fossil-based plastics. He … Read more
Political café on the green economy
Schuttelaar and Partners organise a political café in Nieuwspoort, The Hague, in the afternoon of 17 September. The theme is: ‘Biomass, boundlessly sustainable’. For details, we refer to the Dutch … Read more
Long live Europe, trend 4: sustainability as a common goal
Sustainability has been a topic for some time: for forty years (counting from the ‘Limits to Growth’ report), or even for fifty years (counting from Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’). During … Read more
The biobased economy challenged by shale gas, a discussion
Until quite recently, a few developments seemed to be clear, at least to the editors of this website. The economy would become more sustainable by finding alternatives for oil (over … Read more