Category: Research

Cepsa, Ciecem, universities aim for algal biodiesel

Cepsa, Ciecem, universities aim for algal biodiesel

January 24, 2012 |

In Spain, Cepsa is researching the viability of producing biodiesel from microalgae in Huelva with the cooperation of Centro Internacional de Estudios y Convenciones Ecológicas y Medioambientales (Ciecem), the University of Huelva and the University of Cadiz. The project, begun in 2010, has already moved beyond lab scale and is now being implemented in indoor […]

Read More

JOil says science can triple jatropha yields

JOil says science can triple jatropha yields

January 23, 2012 |

In Singapore, JOil says cutting edge science and biotechnology processes that could increase the present productivity of Jatropha from the less than 1 ton of oil/hectare to 3 tons/hectare using breeding, tissue culture and genetic engineering processes.

Read More

ORNL, Coast Guard partner to determine maximum blend level for biobutamol

ORNL, Coast Guard partner to determine maximum blend level for biobutamol

January 20, 2012 |

In Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Coast Guard have embarked on a three year project to determine the highest acceptable levels of biobutanol in gasoline engines, and biodiesel in their diesel plants.  The U.S.C.G. has chosen to use biobutanol instead of ethanol in their small gasoline engines.  The project will also […]

Read More

U of Illinois launches new biomass growth simulator

U of Illinois launches new biomass growth simulator

January 19, 2012 |

In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a computer model to run simulations on how to grow biofuel crops and convert them into fuel, optimizing operations to bring down costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions or achieve other goals. The model took into account regional attributes such as weather, crop yield, farm size […]

Read More

UC Davis, U of Tokyo land $12M algae R&D project

UC Davis, U of Tokyo land $12M algae R&D project

January 18, 2012 |

In California, UC Davis has teamed with the University of Tokyo in Japan in a project jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Japan Science and Technology Agency to develop bioenergy. All four projects, with a total of $12 million in grants, are based on metabolomics, an approach that uses high-tech analysis […]

Read More

Microwaves, orange peels, and biofuels

Microwaves, orange peels, and biofuels

January 17, 2012 |

In the UK, a researcher from the University of York has teamed with The Carbon Trust and the University of Sao Paulo to develop biofuel from wasted orange peels in Brazil using microwave technology. The lab-scale version of OPEC (Orange Peel Exploitation Company) can process 30kg of citrus peels per hour. Project proponents say that […]

Read More

US biodiesel production surges toward record

US biodiesel production surges toward record

January 16, 2012 |

In Washington, the EPA says November sales of biodiesel reached a whopping 108 million gallons, bringing the year-to-date total to a record 908 million gallons, up from the previous record of 690 million gallons in 2008. The National Biodiesel Board says that this year’s volume represents about 95% of the biomass diesel requirements under the […]

Read More

Taurus Energy, Lund, Chalmers win $1.2M grant for next-gen biofuels R&D

Taurus Energy, Lund, Chalmers win $1.2M grant for next-gen biofuels R&D

January 13, 2012 |

In Sweden, the Swedish DOE (Energimyndigheten) has awarded $1.2 million in support of a shared 2nd generation ethanol research project to Taurus Energy AB in cooperation with the Department of Chemical Engineering at Lund University and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. The purpose of the project is to further develop the process technology for […]

Read More

Taurus Energy, Lund, Chalmers win $1.2M grant for next-gen biofuels R&D

Taurus Energy, Lund, Chalmers win $1.2M grant for next-gen biofuels R&D

January 13, 2012 |

In Sweden, the Swedish DOE (Energimyndigheten) has awarded $1.2 million in support of a shared 2nd generation ethanol research project to Taurus Energy AB in cooperation with the Department of Chemical Engineering at Lund University and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. The purpose of the project is to further develop the process technology for […]

Read More

New catalyst for algal biodiesel produces higher-grade fuels

New catalyst for algal biodiesel produces higher-grade fuels

January 12, 2012 |

In Germany, researchers at the Technical University of Munich have developed a new way to produce biodiesel from microalgae using a novel catalyst based on nickel on a porous support made of zeolite HBeta that produces saturated hydrocarbons suitable for use as high-grade fuels in vehicles. That’s opposed to many algae-based biodiesels that has too […]

Read More

}