In Indiana, a team led by Purdue University has built on success in removing the lignin barrier to solve other cellular obstacles. Their findings, reported in the journals Plant Biotechnology Journal and Biotechnology for Biofuels, offer opportunities to significantly increase renewable biofuel production from crop waste products and biofeedstocks that could be grown on marginal […]
In the UK, researchers from The University of Manchester are using synthetic biology to explore a more efficient way to produce the next generation of bio-based jet fuels – partly made from a type of bacteria that grows in seawater. Scientists have discovered that the bacteria species called Halomonas, which grows in seawater, provides a […]
In Indiana, researchers at Purdue University have received $2.3 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office for their work to create computer models to simplify the design and construction of biorefineries to help them better perform reliably, sustainably, safely and economically. The team has created predictive analytical models that rigorously represent […]
In Texas, a catalytic reactor developed by Rice University researchers uses carbon dioxide as its feedstock and, in its latest prototype, produces highly purified and high concentrations of formic acid. Formic acid produced by traditional carbon dioxide devices needs costly and energy-intensive purification steps, Wang said. The direct production of pure formic acid solutions will […]
In the UK, researchers from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and supported by the Office of Naval Research Global (ONR), will reengineer Halomonas, a bacteria species, which grows in seawater, provides a viable “microbial chassis” to create different types of high value chemical compounds which could be renewable alternatives to crude oil. Dr. Benjamin Harvey […]
In South Carolina, a Clemson University researcher has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop genetically improved and more robust turfgrass and switchgrass. These perennial plants represent a multibillion-dollar segment of the U.S. agricultural economy. A key challenge to engineering better turf and switchgrass […]
In Pennsylvania, an international, multidisciplinary team led by University of Pennsylvania mineralogists used highly sensitive microscopy to study phytoliths, small deposits of minerals containing silicon or calcium present in certain plants. These chemical elements are absorbed from the soil along with other nutrients. The phytoliths lend plants strength and structure and are common in some […]
In Washington state, plastic composite made partly from waste coffee grounds is a tough but environmentally friendly material for 3D printing, according to new Washington State University research. The work could lead to new applications for 3D printing as well as make better use of waste materials. Reporting in the journal, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, the […]
In the UK, a University of Sheffield academic is part of a research team which has been awarded over EUR7 million to continue pioneering research into photosynthesis by the European Research Council (ERC). Photosynthesis is a fundamental process on Earth, harnessing the energy of sunlight to generate the oxygen we breathe and the food we […]
In Switzerland, a team of Empa researchers, together with scientists from Canada, have produced a novel flexible sensor that lies on the skin surface and is biocompatible because it is made of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose is an inexpensive, renewable raw material, which can be obtained in form of crystals and fibers, for example from wood. Its […]
