In Kansas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has just awarded $5.08 million to a team of researchers, led by Kansas State University Distinguished Professor in Grain Science and Industry, Xiuzhi “Susan” Sun, to study camelina’s potential. Her research focuses on how plant- and grain-based materials such as oils, proteins and fibers can be used to […]
In Portugal, researchers at Algarve University have teamed with the local carob industry to explore the use of carob waste as a feedstock for biofuel. The project explores fermentation technology for the production of second-generation bio ethanol using the residue of carob pulp, which is high in sugar content.
In Illinois, miscanthus and other biofuels crops actually reduce the escape of nitrogen into the environment, according to a study performed at the University of Illinois. The study compared miscanthus, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species against a traditional corn and soybean rotation, and discovered that certain perennial crops quickly reduce nitrate in the soil. The […]
In California, the California Energy Commission today approved $3,270,066 for projects that will keep the state on track to a clean transportation future. The approved awards were made through the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. The program, which is essential to fulfilling the state’s pioneering climate-change […]
In Finland, the mainly EU-funded DISCO project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed powerful enzymes, which accelerate plant biomass conversion into sugars and further into products such as bioethanol. The project’s results include lignin-tolerant enzymes and enzyme cocktails for processing spruce, straw, corn cob and wheat bran. The commercialisation of these […]
In Texas, the DOE has awarded Texas A&M a $2.3 million grant to study how to convert lignin into biofuel in a project that will combine mathematical and engineering design with microbial engineering. Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of British Columbia and Washington State University are also involved in the project.
In the UK, researchers from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences in Aberystwyth University working on the biofuel crop Miscanthus sacchariflorus, commonly known as Asian Elephant Grass, have shown that delaying flowering in the plant can result in a 50% growth increase. The discovery could have important implications for biofuel production, leading to […]
In Norway, a study warns that biofuels actually worsen a type of air pollution caused by poplar, willow, and eucalyptus trees that all emit high levels of isoprene as they grow. This chemical forms toxic ozone when mixed with other pollutants in sunlight, and could due the cause of 1400 deaths in Europe by 2020. […]
In Tennessee, the Shelton Group issued its biobased and sustainability predictions for 2013. On its list: Corporate Social Responsibility shifts into high gear; Sustainable packaging grows; Water issues pushed further into the light; Increased green legislation, and Improved definitions of sustainability. “There are a lot of buzzwords such as “carbon footprint” and “sustainability,” said CEO […]
In New York, the University at Buffalo’s Technology Incubator operated by the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach welcomed several new tenants including Helios-NRG, a technology development and consulting firm currently developing a step-change algae technology for biofuels and water remediation. Incubator tenants receive support from the university including mentoring, professional networking, seminars […]
