In Mexico, researchers from the Autonomous University of Baja California have developed biosensors they say will help improve the efficiency of biodiesel production. The nanostructured sensors can quickly determine the catalytic activity of lipases, a technology that can be applied to other uses of the enzyme such as detergents. The researchers said that the sensors […]
In New York, scientists at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Akron are searching for more affordable catalysts that provide the same efficiency in hydrogen fuel cells as pure platinum. “Like a battery, hydrogen fuel cells convert stored chemical energy into electricity. The difference is that you’re using a replenishable fuel so, […]
In Turkey, a European Patent application was made for biofuel cell developed by a joint study in the scientific cooperation of Üsküdar University, Sabancı University and Yıldız Technical University academicians that uses human stem cells. Designed from the neural cell lines used as a model in scientific studies, the biofuel cell produced high electrical energy […]
In Tennessee, a team from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has made several fundamental discoveries related to the challenges associated with breaking down biomass using supercomputers. In a recent paper published in Nature Reviews Chemistry, ORNL researchers summarize key concepts derived from a decade of molecular-level simulations of biomass […]
In Arkansas, a University of Arkansas biologist working on research that could decrease the need for agricultural fertilizers and boost the production of biofuels recently received grants totaling more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. He is studying how methanogens, organisms similar to bacteria, are able to […]
In the UK, the University of Exeter has been awarded GBP1 million to create a new center to tackle the use of plastic and plastic waste. The Exeter Multidisciplinary Plastics Research Hub (ExeMPLaR) is one of eight prestigious new research projects across the UK to have been announced by the Science Minister, Chris Skidmore. The […]
In Tennessee, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a recipe for a renewable 3D printing feedstock that could spur a profitable new use for an intractable biorefinery byproduct: lignin. The discovery expands ORNL’s achievements in lowering the cost of bioproducts by creating novel uses for lignin—the material left over […]
In Washington, as part of this week’s funding opportunity (FOA) announcement from the Energy Department’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Office for approximately $37 million, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) expects to fund more than 100 new projects, totaling approximately $20 million. Nine EERE technology […]
In Illinois, University of Illinois researchers report they can convert wet biowaste, such as swine manure and food scraps, into a fuel that can be blended with diesel and that shares diesel’s combustion efficiency and emissions profile. The researchers report the findings in the journal Nature Sustainability. Hydrothermal liquification is a potential solution to this […]
In India, researchers at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune have developed a new version of zeolite catalyst to produce furfural as well as ethyl levulinate from waste biomass sources much quicker. The country is a major producer of agricultural waste such as rice husk and wheat straw, so the new process could help to […]
