Category: Research

DOE researchers using new methods to identify genes in biofuel and biomaterial feedstocks

DOE researchers using new methods to identify genes in biofuel and biomaterial feedstocks

August 14, 2018 |

In Washington, to improve biofuel production, scientists must understand the fundamental interactions that lead to the expression of key traits in plants and microbes. To understand these interactions, Department of Energy scientists are using different layers of information (about the relationships between genes, and between genes and phenotypes) combined with new computational approaches to integrate […]

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University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers tweak yeast genes to better tolerate pretreatment

University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers tweak yeast genes to better tolerate pretreatment

August 13, 2018 |

In Wisconsin, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and several Department of Energy laboratories have identified two changes to a single gene that can make the yeast tolerate the pretreatment chemicals. They published their findings recently in the journal Genetics. The researchers used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to alter a strain of an ionic liquid-susceptible […]

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Yeast can be protected from damage in biofuel production

Yeast can be protected from damage in biofuel production

August 11, 2018 |

In Wisconsin, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and several Department of Energy laboratories identified two changes to a single gene that can make yeast tolerate pretreatment chemicals during biofuel production. The toxicity involved in pretreatment chemicals is enough to make the yeast as much as 70 percent less efficient at turning sugar into biofuel, […]

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Lebanese researchers team with UNDP on pilot biodiesel plant

Lebanese researchers team with UNDP on pilot biodiesel plant

August 9, 2018 |

In Lebanon, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) and IPT Energy Center (IPTEC), with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Lebanon, signed an MOU to install a pilot plant for the production of biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil. The main objective of this project is to encourage and promote sustainable biodiesel […]

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Brazilian researchers find key to sugarcane yield in ScGAI gene

Brazilian researchers find key to sugarcane yield in ScGAI gene

August 8, 2018 |

In Brazil, despite international breeding efforts, advanced agronomy and effective management of pests and diseases, sugarcane yields have been static for decades owing to constraints on culm development. The culm’s sugar storage capacity is physically limited, restricting the volume of sucrose and biomass that can be obtained from the crop for sugar and second-generation (2G) […]

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EU project FASTCARD moves forward advanced biofuels research via two pathways

EU project FASTCARD moves forward advanced biofuels research via two pathways

August 7, 2018 |

In Norway, EU-funded FASTCARD project used two different routes to meet European commitments to the production of advanced biofuels. The first involved the ‘liquefaction’ of biomass and is the closest to competing economically with fossil fuels, while the second employed gasification of biomass, which can be economically challenging over the short-term. Research enabled the short- […]

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New Mexico natural history museum launches online game to grow algae for biodiesel

New Mexico natural history museum launches online game to grow algae for biodiesel

August 6, 2018 |

In New Mexico, the state’s Museum of Natural History and Science has launched an online exhibition called Bio-AI that allows users to grow an algae crop—or fail and lose the crop—using an online game “Growing Green Goop” as a way to increase awareness about algae R&D in the state. As the game’s intro says, “There […]

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Fatbergs to fuel thanks to new process

Fatbergs to fuel thanks to new process

August 5, 2018 |

In the United Kingdom, University of British Columbia scientists discovered a way to turn the UK’s fatbergs, congealed fat and waste, into methane fuel that when burned releases water and low amounts of carbon dioxide compared to fossil fuels. The new process helps break down fats, oils and grease into liquids that bacteria can more […]

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Massachusetts awards $160,000 grant to technical school for biofuel training

Massachusetts awards $160,000 grant to technical school for biofuel training

August 2, 2018 |

In Massachusetts, Greater Lawrence Technical School received a $160,000 grant from the Baker-Polito Administration to implement a clean energy program as part of their STEAM curriculum. GLTS is one of just three schools statewide to receive the allocation from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, which will be used to prepare students to pursue higher education majors and careers in […]

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DOE launches Lab Partnering Service

DOE launches Lab Partnering Service

August 1, 2018 |

In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) officially launched the Lab Partnering Service (LPS), an on-line, single access point platform for investors, innovators, and institutions to identify, locate, and obtain information from DOE’s 17 national laboratories. This tool will provide industry with a more efficient way to harness technical expertise and intellectual property housed […]

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