Category: Research

Hawaiian governor awards $1.6 million for zero-waste biofuel research

Hawaiian governor awards $1.6 million for zero-waste biofuel research

August 4, 2014 |

In Hawaii, Gov. Neil Abercrombie presented a $1.6 million check on behalf of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s (HDOA) Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) to the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center’s (DKI-PBARC) zero-waste biofuel and high-protein feed program on Hawaii Island. DKI-PBARC, and Florida-based BioTork LLC, have invested more than $1 million […]

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JBEI develops new tool to genetically engineer energy crops

JBEI develops new tool to genetically engineer energy crops

July 31, 2014 |

In California, a powerful new tool that can help advance the genetic engineering of “fuel” crops for clean, green and renewable bioenergy, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a multi-institutional partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The JBEI researchers have developed an […]

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University of Illinois researchers look at low-fat DDGS for pig feed

University of Illinois researchers look at low-fat DDGS for pig feed

July 30, 2014 |

In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois are evaluating DDGS following oil removal for use in swine diets. “Dietary fat concentration has been shown to be a factor in the digestibility of nutrients,” said Hans Stein, a professor of animal sciences at U of I. “Because DDGS supplies a significant amount of protein in […]

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OSU researchers say camelina could be good crop during dry years

OSU researchers say camelina could be good crop during dry years

July 29, 2014 |

In Oregon, researchers at Oregon State University are finding that growers could earn about $300 per acre from camelina even during very dry years. So far this year the trial plots near Ontario have only received about 6 inches of rain. Willamette Biomass Processors currently buys camelina from Montana so would be happy to have […]

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Study shows better yield potential for miscanthus in Iowa

Study shows better yield potential for miscanthus in Iowa

July 28, 2014 |

In Iowa, miscanthus would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. The research indicates that miscanthus, a towering grass native to Asia, could have a major role to play in the future of Iowa agriculture, both as a source of biomass for energy and […]

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Danforth to examine gene adaptation of grasses to drought, create genome map

Danforth to examine gene adaptation of grasses to drought, create genome map

July 28, 2014 |

In Missouri, a Danforth Plant Science Center project has been awarded $1.5 million from the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture to understand physiologic responses of bioenergy grasses to environmental changes. The research team will use a model grass, Brachypodium distachyon, to analyze the gene regulatory networks underlying drought stress responses. Specifically, they will […]

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Purdue researchers look at spinach as biofuel feedstock

Purdue researchers look at spinach as biofuel feedstock

July 24, 2014 |

In Indiana, Purdue University physicists are part of an international group using spinach to study the proteins involved in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the sun’s energy into carbohydrates used to power cellular processes.

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Institute of Food Research looks at rapeseed straw as biofuel feedstock

Institute of Food Research looks at rapeseed straw as biofuel feedstock

July 23, 2014 |

In the UK, researchers at the Institute of Food Research are looking at how to turn straw from oilseed rape into biofuel. Preliminary findings are pointing at ways the process could be made more efficient, as well as how the straw itself could be improved. Straw from crops such as wheat, barley, oats and oilseed […]

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Union of Concerned Scientists says US could provide second gen feedstocks

Union of Concerned Scientists says US could provide second gen feedstocks

July 22, 2014 |

In Washington, U.S. agriculture could provide up to 155 million tons of crop residues and 60 million tons of manure to produce clean fuels and electricity in 2030 that would help cut the nation’s oil use and phase out the use of coal, according to a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). […]

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University of Twente develops simple catalyst for biomass-based oil

University of Twente develops simple catalyst for biomass-based oil

July 21, 2014 |

In the Netherlands, oil produced from biomass — such as wood chips or plant residues — seldom has the same quality and energy content as ‘classical’ crude oil. A new, simple catalyst, developed at the University of Twente, improves the quality of this oil before it is even transported to the refinery. This technology was […]

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