In Washington state, a new, approximately $6-million collaborative project is using a unique climate-simulating laboratory system as part of a new streamlined process to quickly pare down heaps of algae species into just a few that hold the most promise for renewable fuels. Discovering which algae species is best suited to make biofuel is no […]
In Germany, the peer-reviewed scientific journal Energy Technology has just published a Special Issue on Pyrolysis for Energy Technologies. The issue was guest edited by George Huber (University of Wisconsin) and Robert Brown (Iowa State University). The entire issue is free to access for all of 2017 and has contributions from many of the leaders in […]
In the UK, a new eco-friendly process developed by Aberystwyth University biology graduate Joe Freemantle could provide a solution to managing specific types of waste including disposable diapers presents significant environmental challenges. Joe has devised a process to turn disposable diapers, incontinence pads and sanitary products into valuable products including pure cellulose fiber and bio-fuel. […]
In Florida, the University of Central Florida landed two grants worth more than $1.25 million, which will help the Department of Energy accelerate the introduction of affordable, scalable and sustainable high-performance alternative fuels for use in high-efficiency, low-emission vehicle engines. UCF and seven other teams won a total of eight grants. UCF’s project will not […]
In Illinois, today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When supplies run out, biorefineries shut down for the other five months. However, according to recent research, dual-purpose biofuel crops could produce both ethanol and biodiesel for nine months of the year–increasing profits by […]
In Michigan, when growing algae in outdoor ponds as a next-generation biofuel, a naturally diverse mix of species will help reduce the chance of crop failure, according to a federally funded study by University of Michigan researchers. Algae-derived biocrude oil is being studied as a potential renewable-energy alternative to fossil fuels. U-M ecologist Bradley Cardinale […]
In Missouri, Monsanto has reached a new global licensing agreement with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for the use of the novel CRISPR-Cpf1 genome-editing technology in agriculture. The CRISPR-Cpf1 system represents an exciting advance in genome-editing technology, because it has potential to be a simpler and more precise tool for making targeted improvements […]
In Tennessee, some semi-arid plants use a specific type of photosynthesis known as crassulacean acid metabolism, or CAM, to conserve water and flourish in semi-arid climates. Now scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered the metabolic and genetic underpinnings that allow plants, such as the agave plant, to do so. […]
In Hawaii, two potential biofuel crops in Hawaii–sugarcane and napiergrass–may sequester more carbon in soil than is lost to the atmosphere, according to a study published January 4, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Meghan Pawlowski from University of Hawaii Manoa, U.S., and colleagues. Sugarcane and napiergrass are promising biofuel crops because, like […]
In Mexico, a researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa has been awarded the silver prize from the PRODETES 2016 competition that comes along with a $500,000 grant to continue his research into biodiesel from trees such as jatropha and moringa. The competition is funded by the Energy Ministry, the World Bank and other partners […]
