In Japan, the mechanism of plant defense mediated by the non-expressor of pathogenesis-related (NPR) genes in monocots (plants having a single embryonic leaf) is not well-documented. Now, scientists from Tokyo University of Science have discovered how the NPR family of genes regulate immune responses in the model monocot Brachypodium distachyon. These findings provide a blueprint […]
In Mexico, FreshPlaza reports researchers experimented with adding mango peel, roasted coffee residues, and cooked hibiscus calyces to starch-based bioplastic to test what impacts they would have on color, texture, morphology, water activity, and biodegradability. The mechanical of the performance was enhanced by the addition of the byproducts, doubling the strength of the plastic. Tests […]
In Massachusetts, Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. announced that 2021 field test results show that the trait C3020 tested in Camelina and C3007 tested in canola produce increases in seed oil content. Further field testing of these novel oil content traits is planned in spring 2022. C3020: Yield10 tested C3020 Camelina lines for the first time in […]
In Washington state, at WSU’s Composite Materials Engineering Center, researchers turn agricultural waste products, such as shells, fibers, and stubble, into resin-strengthened architectural and decorative panels. Funded by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research Program and inspired by a Northwest client seeking help making compressed fiber panels, the latest project explores […]
In Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory scientists and collaborators stake the boundaries of producing chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide, biomass, and renewable electricity with extensive data, broad analyses, and detailed models. “Essentially, we are talking about an intersection of electrification and utilization of low-carbon feedstocks like carbon dioxide and biomass,” said Joshua Schaidle, National […]
In Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University was recently issued a patent that could significantly increase biofuel and chemical yields while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. A professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering created a new co-fermentation method that turns sugars into alcohols, organic acids and ketones without the environmental impact. This co-fermentation process adds naturally occurring microorganisms […]
In India, Outlook India reports that researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have used a machine learning method called Recurrent Neural Networks to study how biomass behaves in a gasification reactor to become syngas. The study predicts the composition of the syngas based on the time the feedstock spends inside the reactor, a […]
In Tennessee, a team of scientists from LanzaTech, Northwestern University and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed carbon capture technology that harnesses emissions from industrial processes to produce acetone and isopropanol, known as IPA. These widely used chemicals serve as the basis of thousands of products, from fuels and solvents to […]
In Delaware, a team of University of Delaware researchers and collaborators from CanmetENERGY are looking for economically viable ways to upcycle biomass into new products. Take lignin, for example. Lignin is a component of plants and trees that provides strength and stiffness to help the flora stand up to what Mother Nature throws its way. […]
In Germany, researchers in the newly launched joint project “CO 2 -Syn” are looking for ways to capture and convert the greenhouse gas CO2 into starting materials, for example to produce basic chemicals such as olefins and higher alcohols, for the cement industry where carbon dioxide is an unavoidable by-product: It is produced when calcium […]
