business
BRIEFS DuPont Danisco names president DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC has named Joseph Skurla as its new president. Skurla will help lead the company in commercializing cellulosic ethanol using nonfood feedstocks. He has 30 years of experience in the oil refining and chemical sectors, most recently leading the development of DuPont Clean Technologies. DuPont Danisco is a joint business venture between DuPont and Genencor, a Division of Danisco A/S. BIO
BlueFire gains technology rights BlueFire Ethanol Fuels Inc. has signed an agreement with Amalgamated Research Inc. for the exclusive right to its simulated moving-bed (SMB) chromatographic separation technology, wherein feed valve locations are occasionally switched in the same direction as the liquid flow to simulate resin movement. The SMB technology will aid BlueFire Ethanol’s acid hydrolysis process, which converts cellulose to ethanol, by recovering 99 percent of the entrained sugars in the acid/sugar stream. BIO
SunEthanol collaborates with MBI SunEthanol Inc. has formed a partnership with MBI International to scale up a fermentation method that utilizes SunEthanol’s trademarked Q-Microbe to produce ethanol from nonfood agricultural feedstocks. Bobby Bringi, president and chief executive of MBI, said his company will minimize risk by demonstrating the technology’s commercial viability on a pilot scale. SunEthanol was recently awarded its fourth U.S. DOE grant this year. The $750,000 award will fund steps toward commercialization. BIO
Mascoma expands leadership team Jim Schumacher has been promoted to senior vice president for corporate development at Mascoma Corp. He will work on new production facility projects, capital raising and strategic partnerships with leading companies across the cellulosic product value chain. After joining Mascoma in June 2007, he led the establishment of a strategic partnership with General Motors Corp. Richard Forrest has joined Mascoma as vice president and corporate counsel. He has experience in representing emerging growth companies, most recently serving as lecturer at Harvard Law School to teach a course on legal issues relevant to venturebacked technology companies. BIO
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Canadian biofuels fund solicits applications Sustainable Development Technology Canada is seeking applicants for its NextGen Biofuels Fund, established to support groundbreaking cellulosic ethanol and next-generation biodiesel demonstration facilities. Applications are being accepted year-round. Qualified applicants must be located in Canada and have previously demonstrated their technology at a demonstration-scale, first-of-its-kind facility that uses feedstocks representative of Canadian biomass. The $500 million fund will finance up to 40 percent of recipients’ project costs. Applications and more information can be found at www.sdtc. ca. BIO
Neste Oil’s renewable diesel earns healthy margins Finland-based Neste Oil Corp. saw healthy margins in its renewable fuels division, reporting second-quarter 2008 profits of €13 million ($20 million). That compares with a €5 million ($7.8 million) loss over the same period a year ago when its first NExBTL renewable diesel unit began production. Neste’s renewable fuels division reported an 8 percent rolling 12-month return on net assets at the end of June. The six-month comparable operating profit in renewable fuels was €15 million ($23.5 million). BIO 10|2008 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 19