Category: Research

University of Hawaii at Hilo researchers studying sugarcane-based aviation biofuel

April 20, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

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, […]

University of Augsburg researchers looking at green building materials from ag and wood waste

April 19, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

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 […]

New paper shows high potential of biogas production from industrial wastewater

April 18, 2021 | admin

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 […]

UK researchers find miscanthus can grow well on poorer farm land

April 15, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

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 […]

Berkeley Lab and Sandia researchers streamline woody biomass to liquid biofuel process

April 14, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

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 […]

Queensland University of Technology researchers receive grant for renewable biosilica fillers from rice husks

April 13, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

In Australia, researchers at the Queensland University of Technology will receive A$366,516 to research the production of renewable biosilica fillers from rice husks for application in rubber composites. “This project aims to address a significant problem in polymer composite synthesis by using rice husk to produce high performance bioderived hybrid silica fillers,” said Associate Professor […]

North Carolina State University aim to turn paper sludge into biofuel

April 12, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

In North Carolina, researchers from North Carolina State University, in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, are seeking to turn a waste product of pulp and paper mills known as “paper sludge” into a high-performance biofuel. The three-year grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and provides the researchers […]

MAGIC project looks at bioenergy crops potential on unproductive arable land

April 11, 2021 | admin

In Germany, a European project with the participation of the University of Hohenheim called “Marginal lands for Growing Industrial Crops”, MAGIC for short, aims at developing the enormous potential of around 65 million hectares of agricultural land in Europe that are hardly or not at all usable for conventional agriculture and see how bioenergy industrial […]

French researchers decrypt functioning of FAP enzyme

April 8, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

In France, functioning of the enzyme FAP, useful for producing biofuels and for green chemistry, has been decrypted. This result mobilized an international team of scientists, including many French researchers from the CEA, CNRS, Inserm, École Polytechnique, the universities of Grenoble Alpes, Paris-Saclay and Aix Marseille, as well as the European Synchrotron (ESRF) and synchrotron […]

University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers receive $3M grant to study corn’s environmental credentials

April 7, 2021 | Meghan Sapp

In Nebraska, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers affiliated with the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute have received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions connected with corn production fields in the Midwest. The high-tech effort is included in the first phase of the […]

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