In Canada, a researcher from the University of British Columbia has invented the NEXE pod, a coffee pod which composts completely in as little as 35 days in industrial compost. The pods are made from two specially engineered components: an outer fiber jacket and a bioplastic inner capsule designed to break down into carbon dioxide, […]
In Germany, a research team from the Technical University of Munich, the RUB, the Center national de la recherche scientifique Marseille and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Mülheim an der Ruhr succeeded in incorporating the sensitive enzymes into a protective polymer in such a way that they can also be used […]
In Colorado, a report released this month highlights the most significant breakthroughs of the last year in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative, with details on findings that could translate into significant greenhouse gas (GHG) and tailpipe emissions reductions. Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and […]
In the Midwest, researchers project that biofuel production will continue to expand around the world. To understand the effects of this trend, scientists must accurately represent biofuel crops in land surface models. Using observations from biofuel plants in the Midwestern United States, researchers simulated two biofuel perennial plants, Miscanthus and switchgrass. The simulations indicate these […]
In Colorado, a global effort to reduce sulfur and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships has researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other Department of Energy facilities investigating the potential use of marine biofuels. The NREL-directed research provides a starting point for establishing the feasibility of ships using biofuels. Fueling costs already […]
In Singapore, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and international energy giant Shell will jointly develop novel processes to use carbon dioxide, a byproduct of industrial processes, to produce fuels and chemicals for the energy industry. Supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF), this S$4.6 million research program was formalized by all […]
In Washington, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington State University and Tsinghua University, discovered a mechanism behind the decline in performance of an advanced copper-based catalyst. Spectroscopy revealed a deactivating force in catalysts used to reduce diesel emissions. Heavy-duty diesel trucks on the road today are equipped with aftertreatment systems that include selective catalytic […]
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is expanding its roster of subject matter experts to review research funding applications. BETO’s Scale-Up and Conversion Funding Opportunity Announcement (More on that here) is currently accepting applications in the areas of: – Bioenergy technology scale-up – Clean cellulosic sugar production – Bioprocess separations […]
In Germany, a German-Chinese research team has found a new synthetic route to produce biofuel from biomass. The chemists converted the substance 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) produced from biomass into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), which could be suitable as a biofuel. Compared to previous methods, they achieved a higher yield and selectivity under milder reaction conditions. The work was […]
In Japan, acetone, a volatile solvent used for everything from removing nail polish and cleaning textiles to manufacturing plastics, could get a sustainability boost from a new strain of bacteria engineered by a research team based in Japan. Researchers from Hiroshima University published the details of the heat-loving, acetone-producing bacteria called Moorella thermoacetica on April […]
