In California, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco used a technique called ribosome profiling have found a hidden, new layer of genetic information, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells — including the speed with which proteins are made. The team found that the speed change is caused by information […]
In Illinois, researchers from Argonne National Laboratory have identified a better way to analyze GHG emissions in algae using GREET, a tool for the life-cycle analysis of energy use and emissions in transportation systems. The baseline scenario produced 55 400 g CO2 equivalent per million BTU of biodiesel compared to 101 000 g for low-sulfur petroleum diesel. The […]
In Vietnam, researchers from FIRI, the Food Industries Research Institute, are going to prowl Vietnamese rainforests looking for pests that may have enzymes hiding in their intestinal flora that could be used as catalysts for cellulosic ethanol production.
In California, researchers led by Jay Keasling at the Joint Bioenergy Institute have developed a new technique called a dynamic sensor-regulator system (DSRS) – that can detect metabolic changes in microbes during the production of fatty acid-based fuels or chemicals and control the expression of genes affecting that production. The result in one demonstration was a […]
In Iowa, Cenusa Bioenergy has received a five-year, $25 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to grow native perennial grasses such as big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass on marginal lands as feedstock for bio-oil via. The project is based on a holistic approach that will lead to the development […]
In Washington, the White House announced up to $35 million over three years to support research and development in advanced biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. The projects funded through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) – a joint program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Energy Department – will help […]
In Delaware, researchers at the University of Delaware are studying a tiny micro-algae as a potential feedstock for biofuel. The Heterosigma akashiwo can potentially neutralize nitric oxide often found smokestack emissions, feeding on the carbon dioxide and then can later be processed into biofuel. Typically, nitric oxide kills algae, but not this one, while its […]
From Denmark, Danielle Spiegel Feld of the Copenhagen University Faculty of Law writes: “I’d like to announce the launch of a new biofuels research initiative here in Copenhagen: the Copenhagen Biofuels Research Network. Established in January of 2012, COBREN provides a forum for biofuels researchers to share their findings, insights and perspectives on this complex […]
In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association has released an “E15 Retailer Handbook,” designed to provide fuel retailers with regulatory and technical guidance in order to legally store and sell E15 ethanol blends. The Handbook provides sample checklists and questions that all potential E15 retailers should contemplate before moving forward with offerings of E15. The 44-page […]
In California, JBEI researchers have engineered an E.Coli bacteria to generate significant quantities of methyl ketone compounds from glucose. In subsequent tests, these methyl ketones yielded high cetane numbers (a diesel fuel rating comparable to the octane number for gasoline) making them strong candidates for the production of advanced biofuels. Harry Beller, a JBEI microbiologist […]
