In Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory scientists and partner Nzyme2HC are actively exploring if astronauts can use NREL’s patented ethylene-emitting cyanobacteria in closed systems to manufacture building materials on Mars. Leveraging technology previously supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, NREL scientists are pivoting the technology to the potential for Mars exploration. […]
In Georgia, carinata, also known as Ethiopian mustard, is an oilseed crop that can be grown across the southern U.S. during winter months. The oil obtained from crushed carinata seeds can be refined to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This could reduce up to 68 percent of carbon emissions compared to a unit of conventional […]
In Iowa, single-celled fungus yeast is essential to humans, a linchpin in the production of bread, beer, wine, and biofuels, among many applications. Now, biologists at the University of Iowa have found that a new type of genetic variation in yeast can improve ethanol production. In a recent study, the biologists report from experiments that yeast […]
In Italy, researchers from Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) has created the first ever prototype of a soft, biodegradable and soluble velcro inspired by the micro-hook structure of leaves on the “catchweed” plant (Galium aparine), for use in devices for the monitoring and safeguarding of the environment and in precision farming. The […]
In Sweden, researchers at Stockholm University have developed a resource-efficient method to produce new lignin-based materials that can be thermally reprocessed and used to substitute thermosetting resins and adhesives. Researchers at Stockholm University have developed a resource-efficient method to produce a material that behaves like thermosets but can be thermally reprocessed. The team used lignin […]
In Colorado, the Bioenergy Technologies Office has awarded an additional $350,000 in funding to scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop a pilot scale system for turning biomass into sustainable aviation fuel and is based on the NREL team’s latest research on using its fully integrated process to produce a fuel precursor, in […]
In California, carbon dioxide (CO2), a product of burning fossil fuels and the most prevalent greenhouse gas, has the potential to be sustainably converted back into useful fuels. A promising route for turning CO2 emissions into a fuel feedstock is a process known as electrochemical reduction. But to be commercially viable, the process needs to […]
In Alabama, Auburn University has been awarded $1.6 million in research grants from the state of Alabama through the Alabama Research Development and Enhancement Fund. The grants, administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, are earmarked for research and development of four different sustainability projects housed in the Samuel Ginn College of […]
In Brazil, researchers affiliated with the Phycology Laboratory at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in the state of São Paulo have discovered a new species of green microalga in a reservoir located in the northwest of the state. As a result of the discovery, microalgae of the genus Nephrocytium have been moved to an order […]
In Oregon, alternative-energy research at Oregon State University is charting a path toward the mass adoption of clean cars powered by direct-ethanol fuel cells. Researchers have developed a catalyst that solves three key problems long associated with DEFC, as the cells are known: low efficiency, the cost of catalytic materials and the toxicity of chemical […]
