In Illinois, two researchers from the University of Illinois have developed a greener method to pre-treat miscanthus using butadiene sulfone in the presence of water. The butadiene sulfone can be recovered at potentially high yields and can be re-used after pretreatment. Existing commercial availability of production and recovery of butadiene sulfone means the technological breakthrough […]
In Illinois, the Bioprocessing Research Laboratory has been granted $20 million to start construction from the state’s Capital Development Board. Groundbreaking on the planned BRL facility is expected fall of 2013, with completion expected in 18 months. It is meant to help bridge the gap between laboratory work and commercial application.
In Norway, a SINTEF project led by senior scientist Øyvind Skreiberg is transforming the chopped-off branches and tops of felled spruce trees into a fine powder that is then pressed into high-energy pellets. This contains about 70% of the original mass, while keeping 90% of its energy. On its way through the highly insulated steel […]
In Washington state, a new analysis shows that the nation’s land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country’s yearly needs. The findings come from an in-depth look at the water resources […]
In Switzerland, AB Enzymes has selected Genedata Selector as its bioinformatics platform for strain genome data manament on all its production-relevant organisms. Genedata will provide AB Enzymes, one of the world’s oldest and best-known enzyme manufacturers, with a hosted solution of Genedata Selector accompanied by bioinformatics consulting services. “We looked for a bioinformatics solution that […]
In Germany, Technische Universitaet Muenchen scientists have mapped the reaction path of 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, also known as Furaneol. Because it is not just our sense of taste that determines what a foodstuff “tastes” like, but also our sense of smell – and strawberries provide a good example of this. The characteristic aroma of a fresh strawberry […]
In California, scientists at the University of California, Davis have engineered a strain of photosynthetic cyanobacteria to grow without the need for light. The cyanobacterium strain Synechococcus elongatus strain PCC 7942 has been well characterized as a model photoautotroph. Previous work by Atsumi’s lab has engineered this organism to recycle carbon dioxide into a variety […]
In Washington, the American Cleaning Institute® (ACI) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) awarded the 2013 Glycerine Innovation Award to Dr. B.L.A. Prabhavathi Devi from the Centre for Lipid Research at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India. The ACI/NBB Glycerine Innovation Award recognizes outstanding achievement for research into new applications for glycerine, with particular […]
In Canada, a three-year project will use algae to recycle industrial carbon dioxide emissions from an oil sands facility into commercial products like biofuels. The Algal Carbon Conversion Pilot Project, a partnership among the National Research Council of Canada, Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Pond Biofuels, will result in the construction of a unique, $19 […]
In California, biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit if carried out between 65 and 70 degrees, as researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute have improved the thermal stability of trichoderma reesei EGI around that temperature. Using their technique, they engineered an enzyme variant with greater activity and stability, a process called “B-factor guided mutagenesis.” […]
