In California, a group of University of California, Irvine scientists from UCI’s School of Biological Sciences and Department of Earth System Science won $2.7 million in federal funding to dig deeper into how soil microbes respond to drought. Their work is part of the national Genomic Science Program, a U.S. Department of Energy initiative examining […]
In Nebraska, researchers from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln recently earned a $2.7 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a rapid, efficient method for characterizing the functions of genes in sorghum. The Nebraska scientists are leading a team of institutions from across the Corn Belt – including Iowa State […]
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts. The plant research—12 projects totaling $29 million over three years—focuses on expanding knowledge of gene function in plants to be grown for bioenergy and bioproducts. The aim is […]
In the UK, researchers from the University of Coventry have been looking at the impact of biodiesel fuel on ethanol/diesel (ED) fuel blends. The soybean methyl ester was used as a representative composition of typical biodiesel fuels. The heating and evaporation of ethanol–biodiesel–diesel (EBD) blends were investigated using the Discrete–Component (DC) model. The Cetane Number […]
In Delaware, led by the University of Delaware, researchers have made a new discovery that could further advance carbon capture and utilization and extend its promise to new industries. In the journal Nature Chemistry, Jiao and collaborators from the California Institute of Technology, Nanjing University (China), and Soochow University (China) describe how they formed carbon-nitrogen […]
In Denmark, researchers at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) at the Technical University of Denmark shed light on how bacteria and baker’s yeast generate and use their energy to grow and how it is possible to evoke a shift in the metabolism from fermentation to respiration of E. coli and baker’s […]
In the UK, a new study, co-authored by scientists from the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, has calculated the EROI for fossil fuels over a 16 year period and found that at the finished fuel stage, the ratios are much closer to those of renewable energy sources – roughly 6:1, and potentially […]
In France, a team of researchers affiliated with French several institutions has found a way to improve the conversion of CO2 into fuels by mimicking the behavior of the diving bell spider. In their paper published in the journal Nature Materials, the group describes using captured air bubbles to improve the conversion efficiency of carbon […]
In the UK, the molecular machinery used by ‘superbugs’ to resist chemicals designed to kill them could also help produce precursors for a new generation of nylon and other polymers, according to new research. Scientists from the University of Leeds have collaborated with Australian researchers to identify ancient protein pumps that make infectious bacteria tough […]
In Michigan, researchers at Michigan State University has created a synthetic nano-sized factory, based on natural ones found in bacteria. This research could someday lead to new medical, industrial or bioenergy applications. Natural nanofactories are found in bacteria all over the planet. Some make nutrients. Others sequester toxic materials that would otherwise make the bacteria […]
