In Washington, two separate studies released this week by Iowa State University and Purdue University, directly refute the suggestion from livestock and poultry groups that waiving the US Renewable Fuel Standard would dramatically reduce corn prices and increase availability. The Purdue University analysis showed that the flexibility built into the RFS—namely the ability of refiners […]
In Michigan, researchers at Michigan State University of developed a bioelectrochemical process using microbial electrolysis cells, or MEC’s, to produce ethanol from corn stover that boosts recoverable energy by 2000%, an amazing feat when existing technology can only extract about 3.5%-4.5% of the energy.
In Iowa, researchers at Iowa State University are conducting feeding trials with pigs and chickens using a dried high protein food-grade fungi derived from stillage produced during the ethanol production process. The fungi production process also cleans some of the water used in ethanol production so that even more water can be recycled and put […]
In Michigan, a researcher at Michigan State University says one of the key challenges to developing energy crop production on unused land near highways airports is the risk that farming in those areas might attract flocking birds or large-bodied fowl, which could pose a major safety risk. The key then becomes finding ways to strike […]
In Iowa, the DOE’s Ames Laboratory has used spectrometry to map the lipids in cottonseed, a process which may hold the key to understanding biosynthesis and alternative energy production. The process, which allows scientists to understand the structural framework for molecules within cottonseed plant material, will create a new method for viewing plant molecules. Said […]
A two-part series in which Digest contributor Tim Sklar looks at where the wood pellet and torrified wood markets are headed. By Tim Sklar Many experts familiar with the WP industry he expect demand for wood pellets in Europe to increase from 10 million metric tons per year today to 5 times that by 2020. […]
In New York, Chemical Compounds, a quarterly analysis of M&A activity in the global chemicals industry by PwC, is reporting that 32 deals took place during the second quarter of 2012, compared to 22 deals in the first quarter of 2012. However, the deal value during the second quarter of 2012 decreased to $11.8 billion […]
In Washington, a new study from the International Food Policy Research Institute says drought in the Midwest is causing undue pressure on food prices that will negatively affect the poor in the developing world. IFPRI is calling for cuts in biofuel mandates in both the US and the EU.
In Iran, researchers at the University of Kurdistan have developed a glassy carbon electrode able to detect minute levels of ethanol in different environments, made possible by modifying the electrode with a nanocomposite comprised of multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
In New York state, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a new enzyme that effectively “masks” the synthetic precursors of lignin, a plant cell wall component that makes plant biomass particularly difficult to break down. When it was expressed in plants, this enzyme substantially reduced lignin content in […]
