In California, researchers from the University of California at Davis say that the GHG emissions from cutting down forests can vary depending on how the trees were used in the past and where they were grown. Emissions can vary significantly if the forest was used to produce wood for construction or if it was produced […]
In New Jersey, a student is creating a biobutanol out of bamboo at Princeton University. While the process is far from being commercially viable, Amanda Rees was able to treat bamboo sawdust acid with enzymes to produce a small amount of fuel. Rees has hopes for the project, as bamboo’s resilience and status as inedible […]
In Maine, the Farm Press is reporting that three pathways for wood-based aviation biofuels are being pursued at the University of Maine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute. The focus is drop-in biofuels, and there is a video available of the researchers work.
In Washington, in an attempt to piece together the switchgrass genome, the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in an international partnership with includes the DOE BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) and the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has sequenced plant genomes of related candidate bioenergy crops such as sorghum and the model grass Brachypodium but may […]
In the UK, researchers at the University of Leeds have developed an electrode capable of controlling the biochemical reactions needed for biofuel cells to produce large amounts of electricity and are now applying the same technique to a catalytic membrane. The hope is that the membrane may be capable of converting proteins into electricity by […]
In California, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Iowa State University discovered a family of plant proteins that play a role in the production of seed oils, substances important for animal and human nutrition, biorenewable chemicals and biofuels. Scoring a rare scientific hat trick, the researchers identified three related proteins in thale […]
In California, Nature published a paper that evaluated recent advances in biocatalysis and their impacts on commercial development of biofuels. The paper, coauthored by Dr Gjalt Huisman of Codexis Pharmaceuticals, stresses the importance of directed evolution in the third wave in biocatalysis, which is a foundation of Codexis’ technology platform. The paper specifically highlights rapid […]
The Abundance Prize and Best Video Green Loop: Marina City Global Algae Retrofitting, Chicago by Influx_Studio, Mario Caceres and Christian Canonico. This is an algae based strategy for a new sustainable model in urban areas, revisioning one of the most iconic buildings in the Loop of Chicago: Marina City Towers. This environmental vision is committed […]
Algae Landscape Design First Prize Process Zero: Retrofit Resolution. GSA Federal Building, Los Angeles, CA, by Hok/Vanderweil, Sean Quinn. The goal is to design a zero environmental footprint and energy self-sufficiency using Living Building Challenge 2.0 guidelines. Photovoltaic and solar thermal panels cover the roof, tracing the sun through the day. Thin film PV shading […]
Algae Landscape Design First Prize Urban Algae Culture in Gangxiacun, Shenzhen China, by Kady, Wong Hoi Kei & Kate, Lau Hoi Ying & Perry Li. The Urban River from Waste to Source is a proposed masterplan for an urban village of 20,000 people within the larger Shenzhen city of 14 million people. The proposal re-articulates […]
