In Louisiana, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Tulane University, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Early Career Award. The $507,000 award will allow the researcher and his team of graduate students to continue their work on a type of bacteria with potentially important applications in biofuels, carbon capture and […]
In Japan, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and colleagues investigated the conditions under which the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii produces more of the storage molecule triacylglycerol (TAG), found in microscopic algae. In an attempt to find conditions under which C. reinhardtii both produces more TAG and grows well, the team of researchers gave […]
In Lithuania, after 2.5 years of research, a new method reduces DNA testing costs by 90%. Scientists from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre (VU LSC) and the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (CPST) have jointly-developed an alternative approach, called the Fixed DNA Molecule Array method which makes DNA testing more cost-effective and simpler, […]
In North Carolina, sixteen high school science and career and technical education (CTE) teachers attended a four-day hands-on professional development workshop at NC State in July. The workshop was part of the USDA-funded Sustainable Bioproducts and Bioenergy Program (SBBP), a collaboration between NC State’s College of Natural Resources and College of Education. The high school […]
In Finland, a doctoral student used optical coherence tomography, an imaging technology commonly used in medical imaging of eye, to research the flow properties of aqueous microcellulose suspensions. The measurement methods developed in the doctoral thesis can also be utilized in developing the material properties of microfibrillated celluloses, e.g in textile innovations. Microfibrillated cellulose is […]
In Switzerland, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed the first fully functional biofuel cell whose biocatalysts (enzymes that play a critical role in power generation) directly self-assemble onto the electrodes. In about 5 minutes, enzyme-nanoparticle hybrids added to a biofuel cell solution selectively bind to either the anode or the cathode, and in doing so […]
In Arizona, with a $1.78 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health seek to determine the extent to which using alternative fuel mixtures can reduce exposure to hazardous components of diesel engine exhaust in underground mines to […]
In California, researchers at University of California combine supercomputing with nano-imaging to reveal how to efficiently break down plant biomass and transform it into transportation fuels. In a leap forward that could be a game changer for understanding how plant biomass can be more efficiently broken down, the UC researchers joined forces with teams at […]
In California, the United States could produce enough energy each year by harnessing waste — from landfill refuse to cow manure — to power the states of Oregon and Washington, all while cutting the equivalent of 37 million cars’ worth of carbon. That’s according to research published in Nature Energy from UCLA. Researchers examined this variability […]
In China, researchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocesses Technology (QIBEBT) in China have made headway toward more sustainable and economic fuel production by developing a biochemical approach to allow more control over the conversion of natural gas into potable liquid fuel. Methane and propane, another component of natural gas, are organic molecules […]
