In the United Kingdom, an article in F1000 Biology Reports argues that recent advances in knowledge mean that plant-derived biofuels could meet about 30% of the global demand for liquid transportation fuels, without having an impact on food production. In their article, Somerville and Youngs argue that advances in the technology used to produce and […]
In Illinois, researchers at Western Illinois University are exploring the virtues of pennycress as a bioenergy feedstock and are already working with 62 varieties from far flung places such as Tibet and Germany. The crop could fit well in rotations by planting it right after corn is harvested with harvest coming the following May, just […]
In France, researchers at Institut National de la Recherche are leading the $212 million collaborative platform ‘GreenStars’ that brings together 45 public research, SMEs, multinationals, local authorities, and competitiveness clusters to promote R&D in micro-algae in hopes of transforming Europe into a micro-algae hub within the next 10 years.
In Massachusetts, a team of chemical engineers led by Paul J. Dauenhauer of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a new, high-yield method of producing p-xylene, the key ingredient used to make plastic bottles from biomass. The process is inexpensive and currently creates the chemical with an efficient yield of 75-percent, using most of […]
In Switzerland, Genedata will debut its new Genedata Selector, which provides a platform for comprehensive genomic analysis (including genotype and phenotype relationships), enabling research across the entire R&D workflow in industrial biotech and specifically biofuels industries. The platform integrates genome data from microbial, fungi, and algae organisms and provides data analysis tools that enable researchers and […]
In Germany, botanists with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a technique to more precisely and reliably install or modify genetic information in the plant genome. The new method is based on the natural repair mechanism of plants. “Using an appropriate enzyme, i.e. molecular scissors, we first make a cut at the right point […]
In Florida, the University of Florida has been chosen to participate in the $125 million Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, or JCERDC, with India. Other US universities who will participate are University of Missouri, Virginia Tech, Montclair State University, Texas A&M University, Show Me Energy Cooperative, and Green Technologies. Of the $21 million […]
In New Zealand, researchers at Otango University are exploring the use of miscanthus as a possible biofuel feedstock locally where 7,000 plants will be sited to test frost resistance and growth patterns. As the plant doesn’t seed, it shouldn’t pose the threat of becoming a pest, which could open up opportunities to use miscanthus to […]
In India, the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology has set up a biofuel center that will serve as a national facility for exclusive research and development activities in the larger area of bioenergy, including a pilot plant for biomass-based ethanol production using agricultural and forestry residues as feedstock.
In Florida, a team from the University of Florida has been selected for a $125 million project with the DOE and India. The research focuses on renewable resources, including deriving biofuels from inedible plant material including sorghum, sweet sorghum, pearl millet, bamboo, and switchgrass, but will also investigate their capacity to utilize waste streams. The […]
