In Missouri, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have received a $3.9 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop bacteria that manufacture renewable biofuels — energy sources made from plants or microbes. The researchers, representing a collaboration of investigators at the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering & Applied […]
In Colorado, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have gained new insights into how glycosylation—the natural attachment of sugars to proteins—affects a key cellulase enzyme. This work could be used to improve enzyme performance to better break down biomass and convert waste plant matter to renewable fuels and products. Namely, […]
In Pennsylvania, WESA-FM reports that industrial hemp acres could increase by 100-fold to 5,000 acres next year from just 50 acres this year as research at Penn State looks to continues to scale up, looking at uses included biofuels and cooking oil. Research has so far shown promising results when farmers plant it after harvesting […]
In California, a new study co-authored by Propel and consulting firm ICF shows that consumers will make low carbon purchasing decisions if given the opportunity to do so and that low carbon liquid fuels must play a more significant role to meet California’s 2020 and 2030 carbon reduction goals. The research also shows the current […]
In India, Outlook India is reporting that researchers from Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division together with colleagues from the National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms Center, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune have developed a method to produce 2,3- butanediol (BDO), 1,3- Propanediol (PDO) – along with acetoin and ethanol from glycerol using bacterial strains. By integrating […]
In the UK, chemists at the University of Bristol have made the first steps towards making sustainable petrol using beer as a key ingredient. Scientists from the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry have been working for several years to develop technology that will convert widely-available ethanol into butanol. This has already been demonstrated in […]
In New York state, American Associates—Ben Gurion University of the Negev scientists have found a new use for turkey leftovers. It’s not about the meat — it’s about the poop. The researchers believe turkey and other poultry waste hold promise as a renewable fuel for heat and electricity. The scientists believe treated poultry waste could replace […]
In Japan, Kanazawa University researchers developed a novel carboxylate-type liquid zwitterion as a solvent of biomass, which could dissolve cellulose with very low toxicity to microorganisms. Use of this novel solvent enables significant reduction of energy cost for ethanol production from non-food biomass. They succeeded in reducing the toxicity to microorganisms by developing a novel […]
In North Carolina, Duke University researcher, Sarah Loftus, found that what kind of algae used the water last matters when growing algae for biofuels. She found that the type of algae previously grown in the reused water made a difference in algae cultivation. Algae secrete molecules into the water as they grow and the build-up […]
In Minnesota, after 10 years of research, the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute delivered solid results this fall. As in solid biofuels. By the ton. Starting at the bench scale in 2003 and fiddling with mixture after mixture, NRRI is now able to produce solid biofuels that perform at comparable energy values to […]
