In the UK, researchers at the University of Greenwich have published a study that takes a critical view to opportunities for macroalgae production for biofuels in the British Isles, in particular for the MacroBioCrude processing pipeline for the sustainable manufacture of liquid hydrocarbon fuels from seaweed in the UK. The production of biofuel from seaweed […]
In Massachusetts, researchers at MIT will next month undertake a season-long experiment by using three drones—one from the air and two by land—to monitor sorghum production every two weeks in an attempt to pinpoint the exact moment of the plant’s peak as a biofuel feedstock. The hope is that using drones and their on-board sensors […]
In India, the country has inaugurated its first second generation biofuel production facility that processes 10 metric tons of cellulosic feedstock per day using domestically-developed technology. Developed by DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) Mumbai, supported by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and the Biotechnology Industry […]
In Colorado, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the way a new process using light to reduce dinitrogen in ammonia could inspire the development of more sustainable processes for ammonia production. According to the study, photochemical (photon) energy can serve as a substitute for the adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)-dependent electron transfer mechanism […]
In Mexico, researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in collaboration with the University of Newcastle have determined the country is idea for growing microalgae as biodiesel feedstock. Chlorella, scenedesmus and Desmodesmus are native to Texcoco Lake and can be grown in just one day and processed into biodiesel in three hours. Researchers are […]
In Washington, using a microwave and catalyst-coated beads, scientists have devised a new way to convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel that could make it more affordable. They report how they did it in ACS’ journal Energy & Fuels. Biodiesel has many advantages over traditional fuels. It is renewable, biodegradable and emits less carbon dioxide. […]
In California, a team led by researchers from University of California, Berkeley and including researchers from the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, have described cassava’s genetic diversity in an April 18, 2016 advanced online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology. As cassava roots contain 20-40% starch that costs […]
In Minnesota, polyurethanes in products from cushy sofas to stretchy spandex have made sitting, sleeping and walking more comfortable. But once they have served their purpose, most of the non-degradable materials pile up in landfills. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Macro Letters a potential way to reduce future waste: a chemically recyclable foam […]
In California, Calysta has announced that its FeedKind protein nearly eliminates the need for water and agricultural land for production of fish feed for the aquaculture industry, according to a study from the Carbon Trust. The report provides a detailed analysis of FeedKind protein taking into account a variety of environmental sustainability criteria, and concludes […]
In Tennessee, a pair of doctoral candidates in the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, which is run jointly by UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a process to turn that lignin into a product that would aid both the earth and the people who work it, quite literally turning one […]
