In Tennessee, the identification of key proteins in a group of heat-loving bacteria by researchers at the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center could help light a fire under next-generation biofuel production. Scientists have long been on the hunt for cost-effective ways to break down complex plant material such as switchgrass in order to access sugars […]
In Michigan, six research teams from the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have won a share of $1.16 million in funding for renewable energy and biomedical technology projects in the third year of a joint program that teams up investigators from both schools. The main biofuels-related project is: Engineering the right fuel […]
In Massachusetts, a group of 70 researchers led by David S. Hibbett of Clark University, in Worcester, Mass. and Igor V. Grigoriev of the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute comparing the genomes of 31 fungi to determine how white rot fungi breaks down lignin and could be a major breakthrough in cellulosic ethanol technology.
In the Netherlands, Dyadic International announced today that its research and development center in the Netherlands is a member of the Bio-Mimetic Project, a new multidisciplinary research consortium that has been awarded a EUR 3.5 million grant from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities. The European consortium is commencing […]
In Wisconsin, UW-Madison assistant professor Brian Pfleger received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, from the National Science Foundation, that will assist in his research on metabolic pathways in bacteria that can be used for drop-in advanced biofuels. Specifically, his research focuses on microbes convert levulinic acid into free fatty acids that can be […]
In Washington, the US Energy Information Administration released its Annual Energy Outlook for 2012. Among changes in this year’s Outlook, an updated Reference case was included as part of this complete report, to incorporate modeling changes and reflect new legislation or regulation that was not available when the Early Release Overview version of the Reference […]
In Thailand, ASEAN is urging the nation to team up with Malaysia and Indonesia on biofuels to reduce its oil import bill. “We should get more serious about joint development of biofuels, as in the future the oil price will definitely increase,” Khunying Thongtip Ratnarat, former executive director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand and […]
In India, the Sugarcane Breeding Institute based in Coimbatore has begun research intro transgenic sugarcane though it expects it will take several years before it is able to release a BT sugarcane variety for commercial use. SBI has been working on energy canes with two varieties already released. More on the story.
In the UK, researchers at the University of London, Queen Mary, are investigating the biological electrical “switches” in cyanobacteria whose manipulation could lead to better biofuels production from solar power. More on the story.
In India, the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) at Chennai, a unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has successfully developed a biorefinery to produce biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen and biomethane from tannery solid waste. Tanneries across the country have been a major cause of environmental pollution and ground water contamination. Ground water […]
