Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Joint BioEnergy Institute have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene, a hydrocarbon produced by trees that could potentially replace high-energy fuels, such as JP-10, in missiles and other aerospace applications. With improvements in process efficiency, the biofuel could supplement limited supplies of petroleum-based JP-10, and might […]
In New York state, researchers at New York University have created the first ever yeast chromosome using synthetic biology. The new yeast cell, that was created by replacing original chromosomes with synthetic ones, was observed to reproduce. More than 50,000 changes were made to the DNA and researchers can now more easily manipulate the yeast […]
In the UAE, researchers from UAE University have filed a US patent application on a new process they have developed to turn lamb fat into biofuel while preserving the lamb meat for consumption. They claim the lamb meat can then be marketed as “low fat”. The new processes begins by feeding lamb meat, though potentially […]
In Spain, the EU-funded LIFE-SEED CAPITAL project has determined that using rapeseed cake as animal feed reduces both methane and carbon dioxide emissions by between 6% and 13% each. Including the animal cake also improves digestion in ruminants by increasing the amount of organic matter digested by up to 10% while reducing fermentation in the […]
In Portugal, researchers at the University of Porto are using catalysts to pre-treat and target impurities in biodiesel feedstocks that are then removed by absorption into resins or by passing through ceramic membranes in order to significantly reduce the amount of water used in traditional biodiesel production.
In Texas, the National Algae Association is calling for a Manhattan Project for Algae – “total and complete collaboration with the commitment to producing advanced biofuels.” “The challenge is to get Washington to re-think its strategy.” according to NAA Executive Director Barry Cohen. “They’re working with a 45 year old Congressional Mandate, and refuse to […]
In Indiana, genetically modifying a key protein complex in plants could lead to improved crops for the production of cellulosic biofuels, a Purdue University study says. Clint Chapple, distinguished professor of biochemistry, and fellow researchers generated a mutant Arabidopsis plant whose cell walls can be converted easily into fermentable sugars but does not display the stunted […]
In Missouri, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri has released its baseline briefing book for agriculture and biofuels in the US. The reports shows the likelihood of $4 corn and $10 soybeans with fewer corn acres planted and more soybeans planted. It also anticipates the RFS to remain in […]
In Massachusetts, a team of MIT researchers wants to make plants even more useful by augmenting them with nanomaterials that could enhance their energy production and give them completely new functions, such as monitoring environmental pollutants. In a new Nature Materials paper, the researchers report boosting plants’ ability to capture light energy by 30 percent […]
In Virginia, Pellet Fuels Institute Executive Director Jennifer Hedrick explained the Northeast’s high pellet fuel demand recently with weather considerations. Average temperatures have been the coldest in four years, requiring many residential pellet appliance owners to use a greater volume of pellets, reducing supplies. “Americans are increasingly turning to pellet appliances to heat their homes. […]
