In California, researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated that salt water is just as viable as fresh water for producing algae for biodiesel, opening up vast new opportunities for off-shore algae production and reducing competition for land.
In Denmark, Danish researchers jointly with the US and Thailand have identified how plants high in lignin and hemicelluloses – lignocellulosic biomass – contain high levels of pentose sugars that cannot easily ferment into fuels compared to plants with hexose sugars. Led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the researchers in this study decided to […]
In the UAE, researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology are researching the microbes found in camels’ stomachs to determine which produce the most methane and could therefore be the most beneficial for biogas production. Waste from the date production process is seen as a key feedstock for biogas production in the region.
In North Carolina, the North Carolina AT&T State University has launched a five-year project to research the development of advanced thermochemical biomass conversion technology. The research will particularly focus on the production of syngas from gasification and nanocatalysts for the conversion of syngas to bioethanol. The project is funded by a $5m grant from the […]
In Pennsylvania, a team of Penn State entomologists have demonstrated that biopesticides — naturally occurring microorganisms — might provide an answer to this pest problem. According to Nina Jenkins, senior research associate in entomology, preliminary bioassays on the effects of Beauveria bassiana — a natural fungus that causes disease in insects — on bedbug control […]
In Singapore, researchers from the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences have created a combination of acids that could make financially feasible the hydrolyzing of empty fruit bunches after the palm oil has been extracted.
In the UK, five Scottish universities will coordinate a $2.5 million fund coming from the European Regional Development Fund, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise that will promote innovation targeted at SMEs to exploit existing and future biofuels research commercially, as well as to conduct feasibility studies. More on the story.
In Washington, more than 200 scientists sent a letter last month to the EPA, DOE and USDA asking them not to promote the use of Giant Reed, Arundo donax, because of its invasiveness as a species. Several trials are taking place across the country to use the plant as a coal replacement or as feedstock […]
In California, research has induced that ethanol aquatic spills are potential more dangerous to aquatic life than traditional gasoline, as ethanol-based liquids mix actively with water, according to the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics. The research, presented last week in San Diego, has calculated the spread of ethanol into water based on a […]
In Delaware, as part of a five-year, $50,000 grant supporting state greenhouse gas reduction projects, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute has partnered with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to create an education and outreach pipeline, as well as training, for the next generation of scientists and Delawareans as part of a sustainable […]
