In the UK, University of Leeds researchers have joined forces with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to conduct research into the plants and fungi that could be used as a source of energy as well as assessing the species with the potential to be scaled-up with innovative technologies. This research forms part of a joint […]
In Germany, peatlands with their huge diversity of peat moss species store about 30 percent of the earth’s soil carbon. This means they store roughly twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined. However, peat harvesting and climate change are threatening these long-term carbon stores because there is not enough founder material for […]
In Idaho, new research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office from the Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium suggests that understanding the true complexity of biomass variability involves factors that impact biomass quality from harvest through conversion. They looked at corn stover, ash content, storage, and […]
In Germany, a new type of plastic made of reclaimed waste readily degrades in less than a year. The substance that will soon serve to manufacture and break down mainly disposable products in an ecofriendly way goes by the name of polyhydroxybutyrate. This innovative material can be produced on an industrial scale in a new […]
In Montana, a research team led by faculty in Montana State University’s College of Agriculture received $5.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy designed to explore camelina, an oilseed with the potential to be an alternative biofuel and multi-use crop. The MSU team will work with collaborators nationwide in administering total funding of $11 […]
In China, researchers have discovered that a fungal virus (also called a mycovirus) can convert deadly fungal pathogens into beneficial fungus in rapeseed plants. Once transformed, the fungus boosts the plant’s immune system, making the plant healthier and more resistant to diseases. These findings, published on September 29 in the journal Molecular Plant, indicate that […]
In Illinois, Illinois State University researchers in the School of Biological Sciences are genetically modifying pennycress as part of a multistate, multi-institutional effort funded by a five-year, $10 million USDA grant and a $13 million Department of Energy grant. The researchers are attempting to transform the plant into a commercially grown cover crop that would […]
In Colorado, through a novel chemistry using nontoxic resources like linseed oil, waste grease, or even algae, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a groundbreaking method for producing renewable polyurethane without toxic precursors. It is a breakthrough with the potential to green the market for products ranging from footwear, to automobiles, to mattresses, […]
In Georgia, a new low-temperature, multi-phase process for upgrading lignin bio-oil to hydrocarbons could help expand use of the lignin, which is now largely a waste product left over from the production of cellulose and bioethanol from trees and other woody plants. Using a dual catalyst system of superacid and platinum particles, researchers at the […]
In the UK, the global spread of vast forest plantations and agricultural monocultures are turning once diverse landscapes into areas of land supporting single plant species, with profound implications for our terrestrial water cycle, according to new research. A new paper published in Nature Geoscience, and written by a global collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers studying […]
