In the UK, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science has determined commercial seaweed farming could become a major industry along the country’s coastline thanks to growing demand for algae for biofuel production as well as in nutraceuticals and along the bioeconomy supply chain. Lack of regulation for seaweed farming and a dearth of […]
In Louisiana, a researcher from the University of New Orleans has been awarded $141,453 by the Louisiana Board of Regents Industrial Ties Research Subprogram to software and theoretical underpinning needed to help convert algae into biofuel such as advanced algorithms for analyzing and optimizing gene regulatory network-based biofuel production modeling in algae. The grant will […]
In the Netherlands, SHE Blends BV has been awarded a US patent for high level hydrous ethanol fuel blends between 60% and 95% with an eye on the E85 market. The company already commercializes 15% hydrous ethanol blends at the pump in the Netherlands and has expanded to several other countries as well. Sister company […]
In Illinois, Illinois State Associate Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook is collaborating on a $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop genetic resources that can be used to rapidly domesticate field pennycress as a new winter annual oilseed cover crop. Illinois State University’s portion of the grant is $367,021, […]
In Australia, enzymes, described as the ‘engine rooms’ of the natural world, can now work up to 16 times faster thanks to ‘paradigm shifting’ technology developed between Flinders and University of California Irvine. The latest breakthrough adds to a suite of clean technology being developed by Flinders University with its novel Vortex Fluidic Device, which enables […]
In Massachusetts, soil fungi secrete a wide range of enzymes that play an important role in biofuel production and bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils and water. A recent study reveals different fungal species secrete a rich set of enzymes that share similar functions, despite species-specific differences in the amino acid sequences of these enzymes. The study […]
In Virginia, Northern Great Plains of North and South Dakota, which support over 40 percent of United States commercial honey bee colonies, are quickly becoming less conducive to commercial beekeeping as a result of land-use changes, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study published Monday. The USGS scientists found that landscape features favored by beekeepers […]
In California, the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium at San José State University released a study on the generation of various pollutants during low-temperature combustion (LTC) of several types of biodiesel in comparison to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD).The researchers found that biodiesel may have the advantage of reducing the size and number of soot particles emitted. […]
In Michigan, new study from University of Michigan researchers challenges the widely held assumption that biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are inherently carbon neutral. Contrary to popular belief, the heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas emitted when biofuels are burned is not fully balanced by the CO2 uptake that occurs as the plants grow, according to […]
In Brazil, researchers at Parana Technological University have developed a prototype vehicle that can run more than 300km on a single liter of ethanol. The prototype vehicle can only carry a single passenger weighing less than 45kg, however. The fuel efficiency partly comes from not going very fast, so the team says it needs to […]
