In California, harnessing the University of California’s leadership in sustainability and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Associate Director Bruce Appelgate had a bright idea: What if Scripps Oceanography at UC San Diego began using 100 percent renewable diesel fuel, or biofuel, to power its research vessels? Renewable biofuel is […]
In France, Toulouse White Biotechnology, a pre-industrial demonstrator and accelerator in industrial biotechnology based on renewable carbon, doubled its physical size, with 1700 m2 of surface area now available to accommodate new facilities and laboratories and host the numerous projects. Three new wings, of 400m2 each, are home to TWB’s technical platforms, with advanced equipment […]
In Michigan, according to a new study from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Michigan State University, the use of nitrogen fertilizer on switchgrass crops can produce a sharp increase in emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas up to 300 times more harmful than carbon dioxide and a significant driver of global climate […]
In Japan, scientists from the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan removed the electric organ from a torpedo stingray and chemically stimulated the organ by injecting a solution of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine though a syringe. They were able to achieve more than a minute of continuous current, with a peak voltage of 91 mV and […]
In Washington state, while popular catalysts called zeolites could help turn paper manufacturing waste and other biomass into fuel, the catalyst crumbles after just two days in hot water. And that’s a problem because hot water is nearly ubiquitous in biofuel production. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a team discovered that fixing broken bonds deep […]
In Oklahoma, the popular method of breaking down lignin to convert biomass into valuable biofuels and chemicals is done by using fungi. However, researchers at Oklahoma State University are turning that process on its head. As part of OSU’s BioBased Products and Energy Center, the researchers are helping develop environmentally sound biological pretreatment platforms for cost-effective […]
In Washington, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) No Objection Letter for Cargill’s next-generation sweetener, EverSweet, qualifying it for use in food and beverages. EverSweet was introduced in October 2015 and is made with the same sweetness found in the stevia leaf, Reb M and Reb D. EverSweet provides […]
In New York state, Rochester Institute of Technology and Synergy Biogas are exploring the environmental benefits of microalgae to clean agricultural wastewater and make biofuels. Researchers are running a three-month pilot program at Synergy Biogas, a high-tech anaerobic digester located on Synergy Farms in Covington, N.Y, to grow microalgae on digested biomass. Microalgae will consume […]
In Australia, a weedy plant found on the roadside in northern Australia has stems ripe for biofuel production. Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University of Adelaide have discovered that a variety of sorghum growing wild in Australia, Arun, has the potential to yield over 10,000 litres of bioethanol […]
In South Korea, a brand new outdoor laboratory has been recently launched at UNIST and this is expected to convert human waste into renewable energy sources, and possible to a monetary value. The major research facilities of this pavillion include “Waterless Energy-producing Toilet System” and “Microbial Energy Production System”. The waterless toilet system, located on the […]
