In Illinois, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Peoria, Illinois, have developed a way to make a better jet biofuel from soybean oil. Fatty acids from soybean oil can be turned into an array of industrial products normally made from petroleum, including fuel, ink and paints. One appeal of plant-based products is that […]
In Italy, Eni and the BF Group partner to develop sustainable agricultural products for biofuel production. Through an equal joint venture (50% Eni, 50% BF), projects will be developed to research and experiment with agricultural seeds from oil plants to be used as feedstock at Eni’s bio-refineries. Furthermore, the agreement between the companies provides for […]
In Colorado, a new study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is out now that shows all vehicles in the study countries are highly likely to be compatible with E10. Motorcycles and scooters similarly analyzed in India and Indonesia have full compatibility with E10, and many are also compatible […]
In Germany, a research association between science and companies, Volkswagen is working on the car materials of the future: Innovations based on cellulose and mushrooms (biological polymers) could soon replace leather and help protect the climate. Stepping into the “Open Hybrid LabFactory” (OHLF) on the outskirts of Wolfsburg for the first time is a bit […]
In Washington, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers have devised a way to engineer yeast to produce itaconic acid—a valuable commodity chemical—using data integration and supercomputing power as a guide, helping advance economically attractive replacements for fossil fuels. Itaconic acid has enormous potential as a renewable chemical building block. It could substitute for some fossil-fuel-derived products. […]
In Japan, sorghum, an underrated ancient grain, is slowly becoming well known as a superfood due to its nutrient-dense and gluten-free nature. Sorghum syrup is widely used as a healthy alternative to molasses in the food industry, and this cereal is also used to make gluten-free flour. In addition, sorghum commonly serves as high-quality animal […]
In China, a new electrocatalyst called a-CuTi@Cu converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid fuels. As reported by a team of Chinese researchers in the journal Angewandte Chemie, active copper centered on an amorphous copper/titanium alloy produces ethanol, acetone, and n-butanol with high efficiency. A team from Foshan University (Foshan, Guangdong), the University of Science and […]
In Japan, a peptide sensor to detect water-soluble polymers in wastewater, a major contributor to pollution on par with microplastics, has been developed by scientists from Tokyo Institute of Technology. The new technique takes advantage of the bonding that occurs between peptides and different polymers to train a machine learning algorithm that can identify a […]
In California, two new publicly-available web-based software tools aim to help researchers and companies quickly test different scenarios and explore viable bio-based fuels and products without ever stepping foot in the lab. The tools were developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office. The first […]
In South Dakota, POET, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines held a groundbreaking ceremony for the POET Bioproducts Institute at the Research Park at SDSU. The institute will serve as an innovation center for the development of low-value agricultural and forestry materials into high-value bioproducts such as specialty animal feeds and bioplastics that […]
