In Tennessee, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing new and valuable uses for lignin, a byproduct of biorefineries and the pulp and paper industry. These new product streams can take advantage of the natural properties of lignin in biomass to create materials with unique performance advantages. ORNL’s lignin-based inventions include: Renewable composites for […]
In Austria, the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Systems Working Group at TU Graz’s Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology – one of the leading international groups in the field of hydrogen research – has therefore been looking for ways to make hydrogen production more attractive. As part of the HyStORM (Hydrogen Storage via Oxidation […]
In Russia, researchers from St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” have developed a model of biofuel cell for electricity generation using cyanobacteria. The developers created and tested a model of a biofuel cell for the photogeneration of electricity based on cyanobacteria. Researchers focused on the design and optimization of nanostructured anodes on which life cells were […]
In California, a new set of projects by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) could make agriculture both more sustainable and more profitable. The three projects, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), leverage Berkeley Lab’s strengths in artificial intelligence, sensors, and ecological biology. They aim to quantify and reduce the carbon […]
In the Netherlands, University of Leiden researchers have found minute movements in the laccase enzyme, a very efficient catalyst, which makes it interesting for use in biofuel cells. The laccase enzyme is able to efficiently create water from oxygen without creating hydrogen peroxide, an unstable compound that would damage biofuel cells. Because proteins tend to […]
In Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers experimented with a common method in the pulp and paper industry used for bleaching to see how well this method could deconstruct biomass. The method known as “ozonolysis” was applied to corn stover in the lab. Results showed that using ozonolysis helped to breakdown the biomass with a […]
In Georgia, modern sustainability practices often encourage resource and energy efficiencies across separate sectors, such as food production or biofuels, but this siloed approach could actually lead to ongoing environmental decay, according to a recent commentary by researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering. Using new technology to improve efficiency, in particular, may […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
