"U.S. companies' bids were simply disregarded, " says Charles Barnes, Japan representative of APA-the Engineered Wood Association, a U.S. trade group.

FORBES: The winner: Tsutsumi

Mold in homes hasn't been tracked historically, but certain building practices like making homes more airtight, installing air-conditioning units and using materials like drywall and oriented strand board, an engineered wood product have made homes more conducive to mold growth than they were in the past, says Jeffrey May, principal scientist at May Indoor Air Investigations based in Tyngsborough, Mass.

WSJ: The $500,000 Housecleaning

Rather than grow and harvest biomass, such as wood chips or algae, and then process that into fuel, Joule has engineered microorganisms to secrete fuel and chemicals, including ethanol and diesel.

FORBES: Audi Places Its Biofuel Bets On Joule