Category: Research

Wisconsin students look to lake to create algae collection system

Wisconsin students look to lake to create algae collection system

May 21, 2019 |

In Wisconsin, undergraduate researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Stout looked into creating a prototype of an algae collection system. Using a pump, the system would take in water from Lake Menomin. The water would go through an electro-coagulator that would create bubbles to push the algae to the top of a collection box. The algae […]

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Argonne releases updated version of water analysis tool for bioenergy developers

Argonne releases updated version of water analysis tool for bioenergy developers

May 20, 2019 |

In Illinois, U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory recently released an updated version of an online computer model meant to help bioenergy developers preserve critical resources. The model, called Water Analysis Tool for Energy Resources or WATER, has users from more than 35 U.S. states and can be found here: https://water.es.anl.gov/. It provides an in-depth analysis of water consumption used in the […]

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Using dairy wastewater as algae feedstock for biodiesel production

Using dairy wastewater as algae feedstock for biodiesel production

May 19, 2019 |

In India, in their attempts to find a low cost and eco-friendly process for production of biodiesel from biowaste, researchers at Shoolini University’s School of Biotechnology are working on biodiesel derived from a microalgae species, Chlorella pyrenoidosa utilizing dairy wastewater as natural feedstock for the algae. Shoolini University, Dean of Research & Development, Dr. Sourabh […]

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Open-source RNA analysis platform used on plan cells to help engineer more efficient feedstocks

Open-source RNA analysis platform used on plan cells to help engineer more efficient feedstocks

May 16, 2019 |

In California, open-source RNA analysis platform has been successfully used on plant cells for the first time – a breakthrough that could herald a new era of fundamental research and bolster efforts to engineer more efficient food and biofuel crop plants. The technology, called Drop-seq, is a method for measuring the RNA present in individual […]

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Irish biorefinery using grass to produce animal feed, fertilizer and energy

Irish biorefinery using grass to produce animal feed, fertilizer and energy

May 15, 2019 |

In Ireland, along the windy west coast of Ireland a biorefinery on wheels is turning grass into a series of different green products that could give farmers a more diversified source of income. In Ireland, where agriculture accounts for over a third of its emissions, the biorefinery is being trialed as a solution to improve […]

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International research team develops more efficient way to convert CO2 into solid carbon

International research team develops more efficient way to convert CO2 into solid carbon

May 14, 2019 |

In Australia, Chemical Engineering Magazine reports that an international team of researchers led by RMIT University in Melbourne has developed a way to efficiently transform CO2 into solid carbon, making it easier to store and to remove from the atmosphere rather than in liquid or gaseous states. Using a liquid metal electrocatalyst, researchers were able […]

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Michigan State University researchers study eucalyptus for insights into oil production

Michigan State University researchers study eucalyptus for insights into oil production

May 13, 2019 |

In Michigan, close genetic analysis of 480 blue mallee eucalyptus plants provides clues to modify cultivars for greater yield, whether for essential oils or jet fuel. In particular, Michigan State University researchers are studying terpenes, organic compounds found in the plant’s leaves. Terpenes enable certain species that produce them (mostly plants, but also some insects) […]

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Industry-ready process makes plastics chemical from plant sugars

Industry-ready process makes plastics chemical from plant sugars

May 12, 2019 |

In Wisconsin, researchers at UW–Madison and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center developed an inexpensive, industry-compatible process to produce high yields of the versatile chemical HMF – 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which is used to make many bio-based chemicals, plastics and fuels. The team’s research shows that the process is simple and compatible with the existing infrastructure in […]

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Idaho National Laboratory researcher finds new way to produce cyanobacteria

Idaho National Laboratory researcher finds new way to produce cyanobacteria

May 9, 2019 |

In Idaho, a researcher at Idaho National Laboratory has developed a way to grow blue-green algae – known as cyanobacteria – for bioenergy. The process could also help clean up water from wastewater treatment plants. Blue-green algae blooms can clog waterways around the world, from estuaries in Florida to the Mississippi River Basin to lakes […]

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Loughborough University wins grant to develop sustainable transport fuels

Loughborough University wins grant to develop sustainable transport fuels

May 8, 2019 |

In the UK, Loughborough University has been awarded GBP200,000 for two projects which aim to make the transport sector more environmentally friendly. Researchers successfully bid for the grant which will come from the Department for Transport and Supergen Bioenergy Hub – a group of experts focused on developing sustainable bioenergy systems that support the UK’s […]

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