In the Netherlands, Boskalis and GoodFuels Marine announced the successful performance of live tests on a sustainable wood-based drop-in biofuel called UPM BioVerno. The fuel supplied by Finnish UPM Biofuels is the first ever biofuel derived from wood residue used in a marine fleet. Boskalis vessel “EDAX”, a 1696 deadweight tonne (DWT) cutter suction dredger, has […]
Enzymatically interesterfied conventional soybean oil (EIE), with a little tweaking, could be an effective replacement for partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) in donuts, according to a recent report in the American Oil Chemists Society’s Inform Magazine. A donut deep-frying study carried out by Qualisoy and Stratas Foods LLC compared donuts prepared with a typical PHO soybean […]
In Maine, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will invest $3.3 million to advance wood to jet fuel technology at the Technology Research Center (TRC) of the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute at the University of Maine. The technology is based on FBRI’s patented thermal deoxygenation (TDO) process, which was shown to yield jet fuel test samples […]
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 […]
