In South Dakota, POET worked with College of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering students at South Dakota State University to solve a major challenge that has impeded the use of some of its corn stover in its cellulosic ethanol production facility. Turning netwrap and twine intermingled with corn stalks, tree branches and chunks of debris into […]
In Japan, photosynthesis requires a mechanism to produce large amounts of chemical energy without losing the oxidative power needed to break down water. A Japanese research team led by the Kobe University has clarified part of this mechanism, marking another step towards the potential development of artificial photosynthesis. The findings were published on February 27 […]
In Japan, researchers from Tokyo Tech University have found that starch derived from algae after oil extraction can be converted into alkyl lactate and alkyl levulinate used to produce pharmaceuticals, additives, and polyesters. Addition of Sn(OTf)2 boosted alkyl levulinate yields while SnBr4 was used to produce alkyl lactate. The researchers also found methyl levulinate and […]
In the UK, a team have researchers are the first to use the new FeliX computer model, which includes social and economic factors along with environmental ones, to determine that the world must achieve zero carbon emissions well before 2040 to ensure that global temperatures don’t rise by more than 1.5C before the end of […]
In Germany, the nova institute released an analysis of the European Commission’s proposal for the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), providing a potential outline of the Union’s renewable energy framework for the timeframe 2021 to 2030. According to nova: The new proposal sets the overall target of a renewables share in the EU’s […]
In Saudi Arabia, researchers from around the world have collaborated on a study looking at how to successfully dry sorghum bagasse for large-scale storage that ensures high yields and quality of feedstock for biofuel production. The research specifically looked at pressure drop as a function of airflow velocity to develop large-scale drying systems for biomass […]
In India, researchers at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology have identified a gene in the P. funiculosum fungus that produces GH7 cellobiohydrolases (CBH1) to break down cellulose, similar to its cousin Trichoderma reesei commonly used in enzymatic hydrolysis for cellulosic ethanol production. The discovery is expected to help further develop processes that reduce […]
In the Netherlands, researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have invented a new catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO). This soon-to-be patented invention enables the sustainable utilisation of CO2, a potent greenhouse gas linked to climate change. If successful on a larger scale, this invention could provide a […]
In Wisconsin, a team of chemical and biological engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has found a way to produce from biomass a valuable compound used in plastic production that they estimate could lower the cost of ethanol produced from plant material by more than two dollars per gallon. The development is the latest in […]
In Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have reported in Nature a new high resolution approach to visioning the impact of biomass pre-treatment technology. By combining spectroscopy and emerging microscopy techniques, the team measured the nanoscale mechanical and chemical effects of pretreatments used to improve the breakdown of lignin, a woody component in plants. Data […]
