In Virginia, last month a rocket thundered off a NASA launch pad, destined for the International Space Station. Nestled among the 7,400 lbs. of supplies was a handful of seeds designed to open new windows into our knowledge of how plants grow in space – information that could lead to growing fresh food in space […]
In North Dakota, thanks to a $83,810 grant from the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Midwest AgEnergy Group are looking at opportunities to use local barley as feedstock for ethanol but also for protein concentrate as fish feed to supply the growing aquaculture industry, making it the first ethanol producer in the state to potential diversify […]
In Tennessee, a scalable processing technique developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory uses plant-based materials for 3D printing and offers a promising additional revenue stream for biorefineries. Scientists created a new material with excellent printability and performance by tapping into lignin—a key component of plant cell walls that provides sturdiness. The method combines lignin, rubber, […]
In Massachusetts, Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a company developing new technologies to create step-change improvements in crop yield to enhance global food security, published research describing the development of its Camelina platform as a model crop for novel yield trait discovery. The research paper titled “Camelina sativa, an oilseed at the nexus between model system and […]
In Washington state, efforts to create an environmentally friendly catalyst that will lower the cost and increase the efficiency in producing bio-based jet fuels has netted Washington State University researchers a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Researchers aim to develop a catalyst from forestry and agricultural […]
In South Africa, Reuters reports that local social enterprise Fetola, WWF, and SkyNRG have teamed up to use $1.4 million in funding from the European Union’s SWITCH Africa Green Program to develop aviation fuel from waste biomass. Called the Waste to Wing program, it aims to find other alternative feedstocks for producing jet fuel in […]
In the UK, Imperial College scientists have enhanced the process of using biology to make products such as fuels, plastics, medicines, and cosmetics, breaking down plant-based biomass 30 times faster than currently possible. This could lead to cheaper and more environmentally friendly biofuel production and more efficient plastic recycling. Researchers modified the glucosidase enzyme, which […]
In China, a research team led from University of Science and Technology of China and the University of Toronto has uncovered a catalysis strategy producing intermediates during CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction, which sheds new lights on upgrading CO2 to engine fuels. When it comes to designing catalysts for CO2 conversion, many researches on the C-C […]
In Tennessee, two Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers specializing in neutron and chemical science are among 84 recipients of Department of Energy’s Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards. The program supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by […]
In Michigan, a diverse mix of species improves the stability and fuel-oil yield of algal biofuel systems, as well as their resistance to invasion by outsiders, according to the findings of a federally funded outdoor study by University of Michigan researchers. U-M scientists grew various combinations of freshwater algal species in 80 artificial ponds at […]
