You may know cyanobacteria by some more common forms like Spirulina, but researchers at Michigan State University are combining these handy microorganisms with natural bacteria to make a 100% biologically derived and biodegradable bioplastic. Making bioplastics from bacteria isn’t anything new, but what is new is MSU scientists’ new production method which allows them to […]
In California, a Bay Area company has patented a group of three single-celled, algae-like organisms that, when grown together, can produce high quantities of sugar just right for making biofuels. Sandia National Laboratories is helping HelioBioSys Inc. learn whether farming them on a large scale would be successful. HelioBioSys founders say they chose to grow […]
In Washington state, a recent study by researchers from the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and Washington University investigated effects of altering large cellular complexes called phycobilisomes, which cyanobacteria use to efficiently capture light energy for photosynthesis, to guide development of optimal strategies for biofuel production. The findings revealed changes to phycobilisome structure indirectly affect critical, […]
In Michigan, Michigan State University scientists have engineered “molecular Velcro” into cyanobacteria, boosting this microalgae’s biofuel viability as well as its potential for other research. The findings, featured in the current issue of ACS Synthetic Biology, show how MSU researchers have designed a surface display system to attach cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to […]
In Arizona, two Arizona State University biofuel projects are among six nationwide receiving $10 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore innovative solutions in bioenergy. ASU’s research projects approach the question from two different angles: • Algae: This project will develop mixotrophic algae that can consume both CO2 and cellulosic sugars and significantly improve […]
In Michigan, researchers at Michigan State University have built a molecular Swiss Army knife that streamlines the molecular machinery of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, making biofuels and other green chemical production from these organisms more viable. The team has done in a year what has taken millions of years to evolve. In the […]
In Colorado, here’s the future of ethylene production as Dr. Jianping Yu sees it. “We envision some farms in the field that cover many acres. We will have cyanobacteria harvesting sunlight and C02 and then produce ethylene or ethylene derivatives,” said Yu, a research scientist in the Photobiology Group at the Energy Department’s National Renewable […]
In Washington state, rapidly growing bacteria that live in the ocean and can manufacture their own food hold promise as host organisms for producing chemicals, biofuels and medicine. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and The Pennsylvania State Univ. are closely studying one of these photosynthetic species of fast-growing cyanobacteria using advanced tools developed […]
In Maryland, a researcher from Morgan State University received a $100,000 Maryland Innovation Initiative grant to begin development of a method to produce biofuel from cyanobacteria in naturally available salt water. Dr. Sitther will lead a team of bioengineers in developing a salt tolerant strain, which when scaled-up, will offer a sustainable, efficient, environmentally conscious, […]
In Ireland, the University of Limerick is leading an EU-funded project called DEMA (‘Direct Ethanol from MicroAlgae’) aiming to produce biofuels from cyanobacteria for just 53 cents per liter. The project will use metabolic engineering so that the algae secrete ethanol directly, and then will filter it through a membrane. The project was launched last […]
