In Norway, growing perennial grasses on abandoned cropland has the potential to counteract some of the negative impacts of climate change by switching to more biofuels, according to a Norwegian University of Science and Technology research group. Researchers consider increased use of biofuels to be an important part of the solution to achieve reduced CO2 […]
In Minnesota, in what promises to be a catalyst for significant growth in bioindustrial manufacturing and an economic opportunity for Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has unanimously approved agreements for the University’s Twin Cities campus to serve as the primary site of the Bioindustrial Manufacturing And Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), a new, federally […]
In Washington, D.C., a programmable algae cultivator—designed and patented by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with funding support by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office—is speeding up research to improve algae growth and productivity in outdoor algae farms. The indoor cultivator lets researchers mimic the growth conditions in the warm, dry climate of […]
In the UAE, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai has joined forces with Saudi-based engineering group, Jubail Pearl, to establish a long-term partnership that aims to generate sustainable sources of fuel to help diversify the region’s energy supply for a post-oil era. The collaboration was sealed with the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding […]
In the UK, a new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation shows blending palm biodiesel in diesel fuel increases NOx emissions, and these effects are especially pronounced with LSD and common rail injection systems. The trend is statistically significant and suggests an increase in NOx emissions of 12%, 17%, and 41% for B30 […]
In Florida, researchers at the University of Central Florida used the Advanced Light Source, a powerful particle accelerator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to identify 46 molecules that are present in the flames of biofuel diisobutylene (DIB), a natural byproduct of sugar, during ignition. This is the first time that DIB has been studied […]
In Ohio, scientists at Ohio State University have figured out a cheaper, more efficient way to conduct a chemical reaction at the heart of many biological processes, which may lead to better ways to create biofuels from plants. At the heart of their discovery: A less expensive and simpler method to create the “helper molecules” […]
In Germany, Ruhr-Universität Bochum researchers are looking at how hydrogen-producing enzymes, or hydrogenases, could be a source of regenerative energy. A hydrogenase from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , which has so far hardly been researched, has now been characterized more precisely by the RUB photobiotechnology working group. Enzyme twin with biotechnological potential Green algae […]
In Illinois, a study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) found that energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) behaves more like miscanthus in the way it efficiently captures light and uses water to produce abundant biomass. It has higher nitrogen emissions like maize, but researchers believe […]
In the UK, the Independent newspaper reports Ultra Light Rail Partners has been awarded an £60,000 grant to further develop the BioUltra train, a biomethane powered train that will potentially replace trams and regional trains, focusing on smaller towns and cities. A prototype was released in July and now a 120-passenger train is under development, […]
