Exxon, having stayed on the sideline for much of the AE debate, recently purchased XTO Energy for $41B, putting their capital on the side of natural gas, and shale gas in particular, as the energy of the future.  

Read the entire article. 

 

 

 

The Strategic Biomass Solutions (SBS) program at Mississippi Technology Alliance announces a second round award of $46,549 to Dr. Sandra Eksioglu at the IE Dept. at MSU.  This funding will help Dr. Eksioglu develop a mathematical model that can be used to design and manage the supply chain for the next generation of biorefineries which produce cellulosic ethanol.  Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced typically from non-food materials such as wood wastes, crop residues, and municipal trash.  This model looks at the availability, collection, inventory, transportation, and process costs of lingocellulosic biomass on the front end, as well as the cost transporting ethanol, location of blending facilities and demand for cellulosic ethanol.  The computer model can provide financial break-even analysis for producing cellulosic ethanol.  The goal of this current project is to help managers of cellulosic ethanol producers make better supply chain and management decisions.  "Supporting such applied research, we are helping the fledgling cellulosic ethanol industry move towards building plants which can be built and operated profitably, " said Sumesh Arora, Director of SBS.  For more information, call him at 601.960.3659 or email Sumesh.  

 

 

 

Pittsburgh has been laying the groundwork for a high tech green jobs renaissance ever since its mighty steel mills shut their doors 30 years ago.  Now the payoff is coming.  Flabeg, the global specialty glass manufacturer, has just opened a solar mirror factory by Pittsburgh International Airport that will bring an estimated 200 jobs to the region, and perhaps as many as 300. 

 

Next Generation Bio-Based Chemicals Summit to be Held in San Diego in Feb. 2010 

SBS is proud to serve as a supporting organization for the upcoming Next Generation Bio-Based Chemicals Summit, which will be held in San Diego on Feb. 8-10, 2010.  This event will bring together all the communities needed for this nascent industry to mature.  Leaders from global oil and chemical majors, strategic and venture investors, biotech start-ups, feedstock suppliers/sources, tool vendors, and project developers, pulp and paper mills, utilities and manufacturers with CO2 or organic waste streams will discuss the conditions required for these cross-sectoral relationships to prosper, and how have the relationship-building efforts worked in the past, the road blocks and the successes.  The accompanying Technology Sumposium:  Innovative Platforms for Biomass-to-Chemicals Conversion will provide an invaluable snapshot of state-of-the-art conversion strategies, methods and challenges.  Approaches spanning synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, cellular platforms, fermentation, bio-catalysts, thermochemical conversion, and post-fermentation will be covered.  The symposium will bring attendees up to date on the most innovative approaches as they enter the Summit to look at the boad economic, financial, logistic and corporate issues involved in growing a bio-based chemicals industry.  This unique 3-day event will allow participants to comprehensively assess the structure, size and growth potential of the new value chain and its parts.  It will provide th eideal backdrop for participants to meet strategic partners face-to-face and pave the way for future deals.  Contact Sumesh Arora at 601.960.3659 or sarora@mta.ms for additional detail and discounted registration.