In California, researchers from UC Berkeley reviewed a collection of recent literature that mapped bioenergy potential on marginal lands at varying scales, and found that there is no common working definition of marginal land across all of these works. Specifically, they found considerable differences in mapped results that are driven by dissimilarities in definitions, model […]
In Pennsylvania, scientists at Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences have found that glycerol from biodiesel production can act as a potential alternative to the hazardous antifungal agents currently being used to combat one of the most damaging cacao diseases, Phytophthora pod rot (also known as Black Pod), responsible for an estimated 20 […]
Scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are using the National Science Foundation-supported Stampede supercomputer to improve biofuel production by determining how certain enzymes break down cellulose (plant cell walls). In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in January 2014, they describe a newly-discovered, naturally-occurring enzyme modeled with […]
In Texas, Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong has spent a decade amassing evidence that palladium-gold nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for cleaning polluted water, but even he was surprised at how well the particles converted biodiesel waste into valuable chemicals. Through dozens of studies, Wong’s team focused on using the tiny metallic specks to break […]
In Canada, Resolute and Mercer are collaborating on developing commercial applications for cellulose filaments. The two members of the Forest Products Association of Canada will be using the filaments to enhance the performance characteristics of a wide variety of products. Cellulose filaments optimize the strength, stability, flexibility and longevity of a variety of materials including […]
In Montana, Montana State University is the lead institution on a new $10 million, four-year project to form a research center focused on innovative energy research. The Biological Electron Transfer and Catalysis (BETCy) Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) will be based at MSU. Participants from seven institutions will form an integrated team to conduct basic […]
In Brazil, the demand for alternative energy sources has led to an increase in biofuel crops. A new “News and Views” paper in Nature Climate Change, co-authored by Woods Hole Research Center scientists Marcia Macedo and Eric Davidson, reviews new research conducted by Brazilian colleagues demonstrating the high carbon costs of converting intact Brazilian savanna […]
In India, the Sugarcane Breeding Institute has developed varieties of energy cane, including a high fiber and low sugar variety that can be used by existing sugarcane mills suitable for first generation ethanol and co-generation power, and an even higher fiber, high biomass variety suitable for cellulosic ethanol and co-gen.
In South Carolina, Clemson University has received a $78,000 grant from South Carolina Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education to teach farmers about incorporating renewable energy and other sustainability techniques into their farm management. Implementation of oil seed crop and biodiesel production along with passive solar energy and waste-to-energy will be included in the extension program. […]
In Michigan, researchers at the University of Michigan found an interesting application for bioplastic: saving a young child’s life with a 3D printed bioplastic trachea. At the age of six months, Kaiba Gionfriddo was diagnosed with a condition that caused his windpipe to collapse. Led by Dr. Scott Hollister, a team from the University of […]
