business
BRIEFS Butalco secures funding Virent named to Red Herring North America 100 Virent Energy Systems Inc. was one of only six cleantech/energy companies chosen to receive the Red Herring North America 100 award for 2008. Winners were chosen by the editors of Red Herring on the basis of technology innovation, quality of management, breadth of partners and customers, and depth of financial backing. The Madison, Wis.-based company specializes in producing fuel from biomass-derived feedstocks by using its own patented aqueous-phase reforming process, called Bioforming. The company is in the second year of a five-year collaborative effort with Shell to produce biogasoline from plant sugars using that process. BIO
AltraBiofuels creates cellulosic ethanol company California-based ethanol producer AltraBiofuels Inc. has created a research and development venture called Edeniq, which will focus on cellulosic technology development and licensing. Larry Gross, former chief executive officer of AltraBiofuels, will lead the new company. Kenneth DeCubellis, AltraBiofuels’ vice president of business development and commercial operations, will take over as CEO of the parent company. AltraBiofuels operates two 100 MMgy corn-based ethanol plants in Ohio and Indiana. BIO
Praj begins commercialization phase of cellulosic ethanol process Praj Industries Ltd. has begun the commercialization of its cellulosic ethanol process, according to Chairman Pramod Chaudhari, who announced the milestone at the dedication of the company’s new integrated biotech research and development center in Pune, India. Covering five acres, the center is located near the company’s headquarters. It includes 12 laboratories, seven clean-room facilities, a biodiesel pilot plant and a cellulose-to-ethanol plant. Praj’s cellulosic ethanol process involves a novel pretreatment followed by fermentation with a specific microorganism. BIO 12 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 7|2008
In April, Butalco GmbH, a privately funded Swiss company, secured its first round of external funding from German-based Volkswind GmbH, which will strengthen the company’s research centered on the development of genetically modified yeast used to manufacture lignocellulosic ethanol and butanol. This technology will allow producers to manufacture biofuels using traditionally unsuitable plant waste material that won’t compete with food production. Butalco has filed patent applications and aims to license the technology to biofuel producers. BIO
Branded: Ceres to market biomass crops under Blade label Energy crop company Ceres Inc. will market agricultural seeds and traits in the United States under the trade name Blade Energy Crops. The first products under the Blade name, available for the spring 2009 planting season, will include switchgrass cultivars for biofuels and high-biomass types of sorghum. The firm will maintain the Ceres name as its corporate identity, and in its collaborations with biorefineries and biofuel technology providers. BIO
Renegy announces first-quarter earnings Tempe, Ariz.-based Renegy Holdings Inc. posted total revenues of $347,000 for its first quarter of 2008, compared with total revenues of $496,000 during the same quarter last year. The costs of its fuel aggregation and wood products operations increased $639,000 in the past year. That was “primarily due to increases in the cost of shavings materials sold, impairment charges related to sawmill equipment and the level of expenses capitalized in inventory, partially offset by decreases in wood chips purchased, outsourced labor and fuel,” the company said. BIO
American Electric release first-quarter sales results American Electric Technologies Inc., a supplier of customdesigned power distribution and control solutions, announced $17 million in net sales for the first quarter of 2008. This was a $4.7 million increase, compared with the $12.3 million reported during the first quarter of 2007. The increase included $1.9 million in sales from the American Access Technologies division acquired in May 2007. Net income for the first quarter of 2008 was $200,000. BIO