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The Rise And Fall Of The Company That Was Going To Have Us All Using Biofuels

Fast Company - September Issue -- The climb up the steel steps is dizzying--like ascending the tower of a European church, except the steps lead to a platform bolted to the side of a gleaming new chemical plant. Here in Brazil, under a brilliant blue sky, Eduardo Loosli, the plant manager, pauses to explain a vision of the future. "I used to manage a Molson Coors beer manufacturing plant, and it's not all that different," he says, leaning on a railing and surveying the scene around us. Directly below is a cityscape of huge stainless-steel tanks. Out beyond the tanks, and stretching far into the distance, are dense greenfields of sugarcane.

Yeast turns grain into beer, Loosli says. Here, in this new plant, genetically engineered yeast created by the plant's owners--the California biotech company known as Amyris--turns sug

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Submitted Aug 11, 2012 By: NHLiveFree

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Martinman Champion Author Mississippi Posts:14,739 Points:2,093,830 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Aug 15, 2012 4:32:12 PM Ignore Martinman Report Abuse Agreed. You've got to wonder how Amyris would have faired, had Corporate America not got its greedy fingers into it and mucked-it-up... ... and wonder where we might have been, had the efforts of 30 years ago not been allowed to die as a result of politically-motivated budget cuts.
atdinut Champion Author California Posts:1,608 Points:353,985 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Aug 12, 2012 11:41:26 AM Ignore atdinut Report Abuse Too bad, could have benefited a lot of people!
PDQBlues Champion Author San Diego Posts:7,069 Points:1,447,350 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 9:19:18 PM Ignore PDQBlues Report Abuse That's the nature of start-up companies. Many fall, and just a few make it as a thriving business.
Martinman Champion Author Mississippi Posts:14,739 Points:2,093,830 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 8:59:33 PM Ignore Martinman Report Abuse Don't you just love comments like this... ----- AKmailman from alaska posted... "oh great, add sugar to ethanol that will gum up the works" ----- NEWS FLASH ! ! ! ... ethanol is made from sugar. Corn-based ethanol is made the high-fructose corn syrup, that is derived from the starch stored in the corn kernal (corn is ~72% starch by weight).
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:8,945 Points:752,210 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 7:09:24 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse Meanwhile, the US is faring well in the 2012 Summer Olympics!
truvoice1 Champion Author San Diego Posts:1,278 Points:473,365 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 6:25:38 PM Ignore truvoice1 Report Abuse I agree with car253, the alternative fuel industry is one that is difficult, if not impossible to make a profit over a long term basis. Unfortunately, government will waste our tax dollars by throwing all sorts of money at companies like this in a failing effort to 'feel good' about saving the planet's resources.
car253 Champion Author Ohio Posts:6,293 Points:1,468,620 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 11:34:10 AM Ignore car253 Report Abuse Just another example of how far away alternative fuels are.
ClarkSC Champion Author South Carolina Posts:3,078 Points:1,011,405 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 6:30:49 AM Ignore ClarkSC Report Abuse Obama's company.
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,204 Points:2,371,370 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 5:49:16 AM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse blame it on brazil, typical..................
KhelbenArunson Champion Author Michigan Posts:4,441 Points:717,640 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 12:40:44 AM Ignore KhelbenArunson Report Abuse biofuels will catch on and hopefully big oil will not.
OWENALOTT Champion Author Appleton Posts:2,182 Points:500,095 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 11, 2012 12:31:18 AM Ignore OWENALOTT Report Abuse NO!
AKmailman Champion Author Alaska Posts:5,633 Points:1,557,565 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:34:41 PM Ignore AKmailman Report Abuse oh great, add sugar to ethanol that will gum up the works
boatfloyd Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:1,718 Points:387,975 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:29:48 PM Ignore boatfloyd Report Abuse That Coors beer use to be good.
SteelPenny Champion Author Dallas Posts:30,958 Points:2,606,740 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:29:36 PM Ignore SteelPenny Report Abuse We is screwed (again)
gaswatchON Veteran Author Ontario Posts:463 Points:118,405 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:29:02 PM Ignore gaswatchON Report Abuse Eduardo Loosli, the plant manager. "I used to manage a Molson Coors beer manufacturing plant, That's why they they hired him - he doesn't know anything
bra0712 Champion Author Arizona Posts:3,660 Points:768,345 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:25:36 PM Ignore bra0712 Report Abuse Wow
TBONE3 Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:8,746 Points:1,976,650 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:25:17 PM Ignore TBONE3 Report Abuse VERY interesting article! Hope it works out well. Look forward to a follow-up piece.
Blue_Cruzer Champion Author Lexington Posts:7,515 Points:1,668,610 Joined:Mar 2007	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:23:49 PM Ignore Blue_Cruzer Report Abuse Sounds like another bust.
joel27nc Champion Author Raleigh Posts:10,532 Points:1,857,395 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:21:37 PM Ignore joel27nc Report Abuse wow
N5EXY Champion Author Austin Posts:5,492 Points:1,509,930 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:21:35 PM Ignore N5EXY Report Abuse Good grief.
TIGERPAW46 Champion Author Florida Posts:7,126 Points:1,355,680 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:21:34 PM Ignore TIGERPAW46 Report Abuse Crops for fuel is counter productive. It Waste land for food, raises the price of land for farming & living. It destroys forest which detoxify the atmosphere thereby increasing air pollution among other problems.
frostyWV Champion Author West Virginia Posts:2,339 Points:519,235 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:21:31 PM Ignore frostyWV Report Abuse ok
KnoxGasPriceSpy Champion Author Knoxville Posts:140,856 Points:919,820 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:20:04 PM Ignore KnoxGasPriceSpy Report Abuse big-time
gmcgas Champion Author Atlanta Posts:5,953 Points:1,714,170 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:19:48 PM Ignore gmcgas Report Abuse hummmmmmmmmmm
SUPERSTEVIEO Champion Author Quebec Posts:3,523 Points:787,115 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:19:41 PM Ignore SUPERSTEVIEO Report Abuse but why sugar cane...seems theer sare other feed stocks that have been similarily developed...
crreed1 Champion Author West Virginia Posts:1,985 Points:2,526,335 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:18:03 PM Ignore crreed1 Report Abuse BS
Beau2140 Champion Author New York Posts:8,296 Points:1,657,160 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:17:07 PM Ignore Beau2140 Report Abuse Turning food into fuel.
JPGASMAN Champion Author Ohio Posts:1,519 Points:342,080 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:17:04 PM Ignore JPGASMAN Report Abuse ok
bugc Champion Author Boston Posts:15,049 Points:3,004,140 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:16:00 PM Ignore bugc Report Abuse interesting
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,723 Points:1,661,790 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:14:32 PM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse What a shame.
heartbroken2010 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,344 Points:897,535 Joined:Aug 2010	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:13:55 PM Ignore heartbroken2010 Report Abuse ok.
Kawibiker Champion Author Illinois Posts:1,170 Points:204,475 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:12:32 PM Ignore Kawibiker Report Abuse ok
souly Champion Author Montreal Posts:1,760 Points:431,395 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:10:46 PM Ignore souly Report Abuse thanks for the post
ManOfLeisureII Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:1,874 Points:454,150 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:10:20 PM Ignore ManOfLeisureII Report Abuse And away go troubles down the drain......
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,092 Points:1,622,370 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:09:49 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse Perhaps the addition of a former BP executive was the real kiss of death for this R&D firm that was setup to lead the biofuels surge when its scientists had already completed a major breakthrough in medicine!
jetskijerry Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,896 Points:772,270 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:09:33 PM Ignore jetskijerry Report Abuse rooks
RichWLIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,094 Points:638,865 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Aug 10, 2012 11:09:18 PM Ignore RichWLIN Report Abuse of course