In Illinois, scientists working at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility are looking to nature’s catalysts, enzymes, for inspiration in their quest to find a more effective means of converting biomass into renewable fuel. The research is aimed at inedible plant materials that contain cellulose (such as wood chips and switchgrass), which can be broken down into […]
In Mexico, researchers at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México have built a pilot plant to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil collected from restaurants. The biodiesel will be used in Mexico City’s public transport system. Included in the project is also the country’s first laboratory capable of testing the quality of not only the […]
In Canada, Genome Prairie has mapped the genome of camelina sativa that will help researchers further enhance and develop the crop to improve biofuel and co-product production. Key research areas include improved drought and pest resistance as well as increased yields.
In Spain, the University of Sevilla and University of Cordoba have patented bacterium capable of producing biodiesel more efficiently and cleaner than currently done with higher yields. The researchers investigated microorganisms found in ham curing and fish canning factories to determine which enzymes had the best capacity to process fats into biodiesel.
In Tennessee, researchers at the University of Tennessee have developed thin-film sensors with such high sensitivity toward biodiesel contamination in jet fuel that they can trace biodiesel contaminant in diesel at as low as 0.5 ppm in under half an hour. Current ASTM regulations have the contamination level set at 5ppm while there is pressure […]
In Illinois, for the past four years, Argonne chemist Chris Marshall and his colleagues at the Argonne-led Institute for Atom-Efficient Chemical Transformations (IACT) have been searching for ways to improve the efficiency and selectivity of catalysts – precisely tailored chemicals that help to carry out a vast array of reactions. One of the most notable […]
In Michigan, researchers at the University of Michigan discovered that fungus and E. coli bacteria have joined forces to turn tough, waste plant material into isobutanol, a biofuel that matches gasoline’s properties better than ethanol. While much previous research has focused on trying to create a “superbug” that could tackle the whole job of processing […]
In the UK, an enzyme named caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE) may hold the key to reducing lignin in stem material for biofuel conversion. The study, a collaboration between Dundee University, the James Hutton Institute, VIB research institute, Ghent University, and the University of Wisconsin, resulted in a 36% drop in the amount of lignin per […]
In the Netherlands, CatchBio—a collaboration of 21 partners, including Dutch universities, research institutes and industries operating in the field of catalysis research—have released a video showing the chemocatalysis research they are developing to turn waste into biofuels. They claim they have developed a cheap and effective way to use catalysts for waste-to-biofuel production.
In Botswana, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has donated $233,200 in equipment for a five-year research study looking to produced jatropha-based biodiesel in the country. The donation include a portable Photosynthesis and Fluorescence System, a Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis machine (DGGE), and Weather Station. The country is experimenting with jatropha despite the fact that its […]
