In Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), in conjunction with the Institute Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon (ART), and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), updated its 2007 biofuels report in a new study entitled, Harmonisation and extension of the bioenergy inventories and assessment. The study found that biofuels can be sustainable and may […]
In Indiana, Purdue has received a $5.2m grant from the Department of Energy to develop a plant which produces phenyl ethanol instead of lignin, making it possible to convert the plant directly into combustible biofuel. Heading the research team is Clint Chapple, a biochemistry professor at the University. The project aims to be completed within […]
In Colorado, Six student scientists were presented with the first Young Algae Researcher Awards, in Denver, for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering. The awards are presented at the world’s largest gathering of algae industry and academic leaders to recognize outstanding research projects by early-career scientists that are finding new ways to use […]
In the UK, a $13.76 million (£8.6million) project funded by the US Department of Energy, and managed by the Institute of Integrative Biology, is exploring drought-tolerant desert plant photosynthetic mechanisms for integration into poplar trees. The desert plant crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a highly water-use efficient form of photosynthesis found in agaves, cacti and […]
In California, a collaboration between Biodico, Inc. and LamdaGen Corporation has been announced to integrate LamdaGen’s nano-based Meta-Catalytic Surface (MCS) technology into Biodico’s R&D programs for biomass-based diesel, combined heat and power, and biochemicals. Other LamdaGen technologies will also be incorporated into Biodico’s ongoing R&D programs under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with […]
In North Dakota, North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Northern Research Extension Center near Minot will soon harvest and analyze energy beets, which have been proven to produce double the ethanol per acre than corn. NDSU research has shown yields from 28 tons per acre on dryland acres to 41 tons per acre on irrigated acres. […]
In Washington, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has developed a near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy system capable of testing oilseeds, and thereby determining how to adjust settings in oilseed crushing equipment. The adjustments allow processors to fine-tune for batches with longer grinding processes, required for seeds with low oil content, thereby reducing inefficiencies in biodiesel processing […]
In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association’s Geoff Cooper issued a stringing analysis of an anti-RFS paper issued by EPRINC, first noting that the non-profit is “staffed by former oil company employees, and directed by a board of trustees that is a veritable who’s-who of Big Oil executives—including AFPM’s president and top lobbyist. EPRINC was formerly […]
In France, DEINOVE announced that its R&D team and its partners in the DEINOL program isolated and optimized a strain of Deinococcus bacteria able to generate ethanol from wheat-based biomass. With production of an alcohol content of more than 3%, DEINOL exceeded its goal for this proof of concept milestone.
In Georgia, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service is looking at 117 different genotypes of sweet sorghum that could prove to be a key feedstock for biofuels in the southern US. Drought tolerance and low nitrogen fertilizer requirements are among key traits in the crop that may make it suitable for the region.
