The Climate Policy, Renewable Energy, & Sustainability Blog
By Aaron Barker
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) reported that the U.S. solar market grew 67% in value in 2010. We have also noticed that the amazing growth in the solar industry is reflected in U.S. patent activity. Because the solar industry covers a wide range of technologies, we looked at a simple example…
Having first reported to our readers in February that LexisNexis had nominated the Stoel Rives Renewable + Law Blog for its Top 50 Environmental Law & Climate Change Blogs for 2011 award, we are pleased to announce we made the list of winners! In publishing its Top 50 list, LexisNexis declared that our Renewable + …
On December 7, 2010 the United States Patent Office published several new biofuels-related patents, including one to Amyris Biotechnologies relating to a jet fuel or diesel fuel including a bioengineered isoprenoid component.
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On December 2, 2010, the United States Patent Office published two Novozymes applications relating to bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass and an Iogen application relating to bioethanol production from lignocellulosic. On the same date, the World Intellectual Property Organization published a Solazyme application relating to biodiesel, renewable diesel and jet fuel production.
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The US and PCT patent organizations published the following patents and applications during the first weeks of September 2010:
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The US and PCT patent organizations published the following patents and applications during the week of August 30, 2010:
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By our colleague Edna Vassilovski:
The US and PCT patent organizations published the following patents and applications during the week of August 15, 2010:
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From our colleague Edna Vassilovski:
On July 29, 2010, the following U.S. patent applications were published relating to biofuels:
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100191022 (Undisclosed assignee) relates to the use of Arundo donax feedstock in a gasification process to produce ethanol. According to the application, ethanol is produced substantially without by-products except for an…
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski:
The following U.S. patent applications published this week relating to biofuels.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184161 (The Regents of the University of California) discloses a thermophilic endo-beta-1,4 xylanase derived from Acidothermus cellulolyticus useful in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184151 (Iogen) discloses a process in…
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski:
July 15, 2010: WIPO published over a dozen patent applications relating to biofuels. DuPont, Novozymes, BP Biofuels UK, Xyleco and Borregaard Industries each had one or more PCT applications publish as follows:
1. DuPont.
Seven PCT applications published relating to pretreatment of biomass for second generation biofuels. The majority of the applications are directed to organic solvent pretreatment processes in which lignin is extracted and enzymatic saccharification is enhanced.
WO2010080464 discloses pretreating biomass in the presence of an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of ammonia and optionally an additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin without loss of hemicellulose.
WO2010080462 discloses pretreating biomass in the presence of organic solvent under alkaline conditions in the presence of elemental sulfur and optionally one or more alkylamine and/or one or more additional nucleophiles to fragment and extract lignin.
WO2010080461 discloses pretreating biomass using an organic solvent under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more sulfide (hydrosulfide) salt and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin.
WO2010080460 discloses pretreating biomass using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more organo-mercaptan such as thioglycolate and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin.
WO2010080434 discloses pretreating biomass using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more alkylamine and optionally one or more additional nucleophiles to fragment and extract lignin. According to the specifications of each of the above applications, the disclosed processes surprisingly result in significantly improved lignin fragmentation and extraction and high carbohydrate retention.
WO2010080436 discloses pretreating biomass through simultaneous oxidative degradation and selective extraction of lignin using a solvent solution comprising water in combination with at least one Mn(III) salt.
WO2010080489 discloses pretreating biomass under conditions of high solids and low ammonia concentration and contacting the biomass with a gas comprising about 0.1 to about 20 percent by volume ozone.Continue Reading THIS WEEK IN BIOFUELS, A (PCT) PATENT PERSPECTIVE
