In Texas, waste material from the paper and pulp industry soon could be made into anything from tennis rackets to cars. “We have overcome one of the industry’s most challenging issues by discovering how to make good quality carbon fiber from waste,” said Dr. Joshua Yuan, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist and associate professor of […]
In Illinois, in a new article in Nature Communications University of Illinois researchers describe how their successful integration of several cutting-edge technologies—creation of standardized genetic components, implementation of customizable genome editing tools, and large-scale automation of molecular biology laboratory tasks—will enhance our ability to work with yeast. The results of their new method demonstrate its potential to […]
In Puerto Rico, researchers from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras say in a new study that most palm oil plantations under development in Latin America are on former pasturelands. The study looked at NASA satellite images for 10 Latina American countries. The region’s palm oil acreage under production has doubled since 2001. […]
In the UK, researchers at Lancaster University led by Dr Vesna Najdanovic-Visak have developed a one-step system for making biodiesel from spent coffee grounds. The team found they are able to combine the processes by using just methanol and a catalyst – removing the need for hexane altogether and saving on chemical waste. In addition, […]
In Colorado, Gevo was selected to collaborate with researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of DOE’s Small Business Vouchers program. Specifically, Argonne National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) received funding to work with Gevo to develop a predictive octane blending model for isobutanol and gasoline blendstocks for oxygenated […]
In Tennessee, “electrical” bacteria are the key ingredient in a new process developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that recycles wastewater from biofuel production to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be used to convert bio-oil into higher grade liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel. The team’s lab-scale demonstration can […]
In Belgium, bacteria need mutations or changes in their DNA code to survive under difficult circumstances. When necessary, they can even mutate at different speeds. This is shown in a recent study by the Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics at KU Leuven. The findings open up various new avenues for research, ranging from more efficient […]
In California, a recent discovery by Sandia National Laboratories researchers may unlock the potential of biofuel waste — and ultimately make biofuels competitive with petroleum. Fuel made from plants is much more expensive than petroleum, but one way to decrease the cost would be to sell products made from lignin, the plant waste left over […]
In California, scientists at the University of California San Diego and Sapphire Energy have successfully completed the first outdoor field trial sanctioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for genetically engineered algae. In a series of experiments funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the researchers tested a genetically engineered strain of algae in outdoor […]
In Hong Kong, researchers from Hong Kong University and Kyoto University have determined that by inhibiting tricin production in the rice plant, energy production can increase by 37%. Researchers think the genetic engineering will eventually take over for the costly chemical process of producing glucose for ethanol production from cellulosic material such as rice straw. […]
