In the UK, scientists are warning the UK kelp biofuel industry to beware of viruses. Whilst known to infect certain types of seaweed, a new study published in the ISME Journal is the first to describe viruses in kelps, which are important both ecologically and commercially. Researchers from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and University […]
In India, researchers at the Bhavnagar-based Central Salt and Marine Research Institute (CSMRI) have developed a method to produce functionalized carbon material from sugar production and distillery waste that can be used to make electrodes, sensors and supercapacitors. After the carbon is removed from the waste wash, it can then be further treated through a combination […]
In California, Sandia National Laboratories is testing whether one of California’s largest and most polluted lakes can transform into one of its most productive and profitable. Southern California’s 350-square-mile Salton Sea has well-documented problems related to elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff. Algae thrives on these elements — a fact that causes […]
In Iowa, DuPont Pioneer and Evogene Ltd announced that they have entered into a multiyear collaboration. The scope of the agreement includes the research and development of microbiome-based seed treatments in corn. The goal of the collaboration is to provide farmers with innovative bio-stimulant seed treatment products that protect and maximize corn yield by leveraging […]
In Idaho, researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory are taking alfalfa contaminated with inorganic bromide and figuring out what farmers can do with the otherwise useless bales, like biomass fuel. The alfalfa was contaminated from methyl bromide, a highly toxic pesticide after a potato pest issue led to its spraying on fields, but that meant […]
In Iowa, the phrase “a double-edged sword” describes something that is beneficial in some ways but problematic in others. One example is removing maize stover (the husks, stems and leaves of corn plants) from fields. Maize stover is used to make cellulosic ethanol, a renewable biofuel. And renewable biofuels are beneficial to the environment. However, […]
In Tennessee, using a novel, reusable carbon material derived from old rubber tires, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory-led research team has developed a simple method to convert used cooking oil into biofuel. The team’s approach combines modified, recovered carbon with sulfuric acids, which is then mixed with free fatty acids in household vegetable oil to […]
In Hawaii, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers are leading an effort to produce biodiesel using a type of green algae known as Auxenochlorella protothecoides (formerly Chlorella protothecoides) tied with the pulp of discarded papayas, namely, those deemed too blemished, malformed, or damaged to be sold for market. The system devised by researchers calls for growing […]
In Russia, scientists have used high-resolution mass spectrometry to determine the composition of a biofuel obtained from the microalgae Spirulina platensis. The researchers studied two biofuel fractions obtained using a special algal mass treatment method. The researchers also proved that biofuel has little to do with oil in terms of its composition. However, it is […]
In Illinois, the TERRA-MEPP robot collects useful information for plant breeders, such as emergence, height, biomass and canopy temperature. It has been tested by several companies, but will now be available to seed companies by the end of this year. Created by University of Illinois scientists, this robot treks along soil and crop rows to […]
