In the UK and France, manufacturing biofuels from food crop by-products such as straw could be made quicker and cheaper thanks to the work of scientists in the UK and France. Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered variant straw plants whose cell walls are more easily broken down […]
In Washington state, using a chemical biology approach, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) identified more than 300 proteins in a bacterium adept at converting carbon dioxide into other molecules of interest to energy researchers. These proteins are involved in generating macromolecule synthesis and carbon flux through central metabolic pathways and may also be […]
In California, analyst Pavel Molchanov reported on a number of trends identified at the Biobased Chemicals Commercialization and Partnering Conference earlier this month. Highlights from the analysis include the enormity of the opportunity in the renewable chemicals industry ($500+ billion globally, depending on the estimate) especially for producers of both fuels and chemicals. Snippets from […]
In Missouri, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri says larger corn and soybean crops translate into lower projected 2014/15 prices for many grains and oilseeds. Corn prices drop to $3.50 per bushel, soybeans to $9.92 per bushel and wheat to $5.91. In all three cases, these projected prices […]
In Wyoming, researchers at the University of Wyoming are exploring the use of platinum on nickel and platinum on cobalt as catalysts to speed up biofuel production from lactose at low temperatures. Research has shown that the metal combinations are effective catalysts to convert lactose to liquid fuel. In fact, the combinations are essentially creating […]
In Brazil, the country’s first rocket powered by ethanol and oxygen was tested earlier this month at the Alcântara Launch Center in Maranhão. Led by the Institute of Aeronautics and Space, the launch lasted 3 minutes and 34 seconds, collecting data for the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte’s space-based GPS system as well […]
In California, S&W Seed Company reports that it expects to file patent applications in October or November of 2014 for its stevia varieties. The company is compiling data from its most recent field trials, during summer and fall of 2014. Its R&D effort, headed by Dr. Clinton Shock, has successfully crossed certain lines that have produced improved taste profiles and plant mass that the company […]
In Canada, Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) will receive CAD$7 million from the federal government to support its BioProducts Agriculture Science Cluster. Bioindustrial Innovation Canada is Canada’s leading catalyst for the development and commercialization of innovative bioindustrial technologies and sustainable chemistry from agriculture and forestry biomass. BIC is funded through the federal CECR program and the […]
In Minnesota, U.S. Water has introduced an ethanol filter designed to remove sulfate from final ethanol products, as well as to address color, turbidity, acidity, pHe, chloride and iron. Unlike other filters on the market, US Water’s product eliminates both existent and potential sulfate, reducing sulfate at the manufacturing site as well as the ability […]
In California, new 3D imaging performed at the University of California, Berkeley has allowed scientists an even closer look at cell walls than before, which will help to develop breakdown techniques for fuel creation. One of the scientists working on the project explained: “We have developed and compared novel sample preparation and molecular 3D imaging […]
