In California, a team of researchers from UC Santa Barbara has proposed a novel strategy for reducing large amounts of nutrients—specifically nitrogen and phosphorous—after they have already been released into the environment. In a study appearing in the journal Marine Policy, the authors contend that seaweed’s incredible ability to draw nutrients from the water could […]
In California, although many organisms capture and respond to sunlight, enzymes – proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions – are rarely driven by light. Scientists have identified only three types of natural photoenzymes so far. The newest one, discovered in 2017, is fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP). Derived from microscopic algae, it uses blue light to catalyze […]
In Germany, University of Hohenheim and the Fraunhofer WKI researchers succeeded in extracting the basic chemical hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from old baked goods that can no longer be marketed as food as a way to use HMF as a starting material for biobased plastics. With HMF, a starting material is available that can, for example, replace […]
In Singapore, ADM opened its Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop next-level, on-trend and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the Asia-Pacific region. The ADM Biopolis research hub in Singapore features a wide range of capabilities, including a food and flavor analytic lab; a beverage and dairy applications […]
In Virginia, Virginia Tech scientists report a new way to extract the protein and fiber from brewer’s spent grain and use it to create new types of protein sources, biofuels and more. Craft brewing has become more popular than ever in the U.S. This increased demand has led to an increase in production, generating a […]
In Hawaii, a groundbreaking study investigating the growth of selected varieties of sugarcane to convert into high-performance jet fuel is underway at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM). Utilizing advanced technologies in agronomics and bioeconomy, the researchers are ultimately looking to improve the island’s environmental sustainability, […]
In Germany, over the past four and a half years, an EU project involving the University of Augsburg has explored the potential of environmentally friendly building materials, insulation foams or fuels from agricultural and forestry waste. The results also show how much a holistic view is needed when using them in order to avoid undesirable […]
In Belgium, a new paper by the European Biogas Association mapped the opportunities of producing biogas from industrial wastewaters and quantified the biogas production potential of different EU industry sectors. The results show that biogas has a high potential to mitigate methane emissions from wastewater whilst at the same time providing a huge potential source […]
In the UK, new study shows miscanthus can be grown in lower agricultural grade conditions – such as marginal land – due to their remarkable resilience and photosynthetic capacity at low temperatures. With very little known about its productivity in flooded and moisture-saturated soil conditions, researchers at the Earlham Institute in Norwich wanted to understand […]
In California, teams from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Sandia National Laboratories have collaborated to develop a streamlined and efficient process for converting woody plant matter like forest overgrowth and agricultural waste – material that is currently burned either intentionally or unintentionally – into liquid biofuel. Their research was published recently in the […]
