Category: Research

PNNL researchers develop technology to boost use of ethanol as octane booster

PNNL researchers develop technology to boost use of ethanol as octane booster

May 27, 2020 |

In Washington state, technology developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery system. Designed to work with a car’s existing fuel, the onboard separation technology is the first to use chemistry—not […]

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Researchers partially replace fossil phenol with bio-based lignin in resins

Researchers partially replace fossil phenol with bio-based lignin in resins

May 26, 2020 |

In Ohio, in the framework of Bio4Products, scientists at Hexion, a global leader for phenolic specialty resins, have succeeded in partially replacing fossil phenol with bio-based lignin in resins. Two applications seem very promising: insulating foams and molding compounds. Tests of the mechanical properties should ensure that the bio molding compound has the same performance […]

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University of Bayreuth discover enzyme for use as biocatalyst

University of Bayreuth discover enzyme for use as biocatalyst

May 25, 2020 |

In Germany, researchers at the University of Bayreuth have now discovered an enzyme that offers great advantages as a biocatalyst. It is eminently suited for the production of natural product-derived drugs that promise a broad spectrum of medical application. Conventional synthesis processes for these substances are very laborious. In the journal ACS Catalysis, researchers from […]

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PNNL invention partitions ethanol from gasoline to enable octane on demand; could lower emissions

PNNL invention partitions ethanol from gasoline to enable octane on demand; could lower emissions

May 24, 2020 |

In Washington, an onboard separation technology developed by U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers is the first to use chemistry—not a physical membrane—to separate ethanol-blended gasoline into high- and low-octane fuel components and could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery […]

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DTU researchers look at how isoprenoids in plants can be mitigated

DTU researchers look at how isoprenoids in plants can be mitigated

May 21, 2020 |

In Denmark, you cannot see them with the naked eye, but most plants emit volatile gases – isoprenoids – into the atmosphere when they breathe and grow. Some plants emit close to nothing; others emit kilograms annually. Isoprenoids contribute immensely to the amounts of hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere, where they can be converted into […]

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CABBI researchers develop quick way to evaluate microbes for renewable fuels

CABBI researchers develop quick way to evaluate microbes for renewable fuels

May 20, 2020 |

In Illinois, scientists engineering valuable microbes for renewable fuels and bioproducts have developed a fast, efficient way to identify the most promising varieties. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a novel mass spectrometry-based screening technique to rapidly profile medium-chain fatty acids produced in yeast — part of a larger group of free […]

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Lufthansa teams with Swiss researchers to boost SAF production from sunlight

Lufthansa teams with Swiss researchers to boost SAF production from sunlight

May 19, 2020 |

In Germany, representatives of the Lufthansa Group and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) with its spin-offs Clime-works and Synhelion have signed a joint Letter of Intent for a possible cooperation. This should help to accelerate the market launch of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). The researchers and engineers at ETH Zurich have developed […]

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Germany researchers develop method to help bridge tech gap for ethanol fuel cells

Germany researchers develop method to help bridge tech gap for ethanol fuel cells

May 18, 2020 |

In Germany, researchers at Dresden University recently crafted a novel freeze-thaw method capable of acquiring multi-scale structured noble metal aerogels as superior photoelectrocatalysts for electro-oxidation of ethanol, promoting their application for fuel cells. Their work has now been published as a cover story in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, titled “Freeze-Thaw-Promoted Fabrication of Clean and Hierarchically-Structured […]

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New machine learning tool speeds up identification of most promising fuels

New machine learning tool speeds up identification of most promising fuels

May 17, 2020 |

In Colorado, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a new machine-learning tool that has significantly speeded up calculating the thermodynamics of chemical reactions and is able to provide predictions that are used in development of detailed reaction mechanisms for combustion of biofuels. Developed as part of the Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels […]

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Clemson University make progress on developing heat-tolerant soybeans

Clemson University make progress on developing heat-tolerant soybeans

May 14, 2020 |

In South Carolina, soybean is one of the top cash crops grown in South Carolina and some Clemson University researchers have helped discover an “important milestone” in developing heat-tolerant soybeans. A paper about their study, Comparative Lipidomic Analysis Reveals Heat Stress Responses of Two Soybean Genotypes Differing in Temperature Sensitivity, appears in the April 4 […]

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