In Louisiana, new research on the U.S.’s most economically important agricultural plant — corn — has revealed a different internal structure of the plant than previously thought, which can help optimize how corn is converted into ethanol. Researchers at Louisiana State University are the first to investigate an intact corn plant stalk at the atomic […]
In Germany, an international research team has elucidated the structure and mode of action of the photosynthetic complex I. The membrane protein complex plays an important role in the electron transport processes in photosynthesis. “The results close one of the last major knowledge gaps in the understanding of the photosynthetic electron transport pathways,” said the […]
In Pennsylvania, in discovering a mutant gene that “turns on” another gene responsible for the red pigments sometimes seen in corn, researchers solved an almost six-decades-old mystery with a finding that may have implications for plant breeding in the future. The culmination of more than 20 years of work, the effort started when, in 1997, […]
In India, researchers from the National Chemical Laboratory have developed a new zeolite catalyst that can speed up the production of furfural from agricultural waste biomass without having to pass through traditional intermediate steps that are time consuming and costly. Ethyl levulinate which is produced from furfural is a key product of biorefineries, so finding […]
In Wisconsin, researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, recently published a paper in the journal mSystems in which they analyzed the makeup and metabolic activity of a mixed microbial community within a bioreactor. By doing so, they’re edging closer toward engineering such a community to optimally generate particular products—an outcome that would boost […]
In Michigan, yeasts are complex organisms that may become the workhorses of biofuel production. To move yeasts into this larger role, scientists need to understand the genetic machinery that leads to the production of complex molecules like the iron-binding molecule pulcherrimin in budding yeasts. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists revealed a four-gene cluster associated […]
In Tennessee, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are studying approaches to cleaner energy conversion of biomass. Using neutron scattering at ORNL, they are investigating how biomasses degrade as they are exposed to extreme temperatures. Insights from their experiments could also point to possible applications for the byproducts of bioenergy production. “A […]
In Denmark, a new EU-funded project, SinFonia, will come up with a more sustainable alternative to the current production of fluorinated products by engineering the robust bacterium Pseudomonas putida as a cell factory to make fluorinated polymers. The project aims at producing fluorinated compounds in bacteria with metabolic engineering, circumventing the chemical reactions. Using the […]
In Colorado, Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have identified an approach to improve the efficiency and reduce costs of biofuel production that moves beyond conventional strategies. A culmination of years of catalyst development research, “Driving towards cost-competitive biofuels through catalytic fast pyrolysis […]
In Japan, researchers at the at the Green Science Alliance found a solution for breaking down cellulose into glucose in an efficient way. Using this technology, they will produce bioethanol at an industrial level. They will also attempt to create a wood-alcohol-based drink. This will be the first instance of wood alcohol production at an […]
