In Malaysia, after 10 years of research and collaboration with experts from Japan, researchers at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak have begun producing biofuel from palm ‘sago’ (stem pith) waste. The plant will be opened to the public as an exhibition this month. The project will be expanded next year as pilot trials begin for biodiesel production […]
In California, scientists with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have made a key discovery that would possibly allow for capturing atmospheric nitrogen for fertilizer. The discovery used an intense beam of X-rays from the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource to identify a hidden atom at the heart of the enzyme called nitrogenase, which plays a critical […]
In California, scientists with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have made a key discovery that would possibly allow for capturing atmospheric nitrogen for fertilizer. The discovery used an intense beam of X-rays from the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource to identify a hidden atom at the heart of the enzyme called nitrogenase, which plays a critical […]
In Minnesota. Nuseed, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, announced the acquisition of Seeds 2000 Inc, based in Breckenridge, Minnesota, USA. Seeds 2000 is a seed research, production, sales and marketing company focused primarily on the development of elite oil and confection sunflower hybrids that benefit both the farmer and end-use food customer. Nuseed is […]
In California, researchers with the Joint BioEnergy Institute have engineered the first strains of Escherichia coli bacteria that can digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. What’s more, the microbes are able to do this without any help from enzyme additives. The E. coli were further engineered with three […]
In Illinois, a study conducted by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at Center Ethanol Co.’s 54 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Sauget showed that enzymes could help extract water from distillers grains, saving natural gas, electricity and water used in the ethanol process. The research used Genencor enzymes those similar products from other […]
In Brazil, the Brazilian Government’s Science and Technology Ministry’s FINEP agency has granted FuturaGene $1.2 million for it advanced plantation forestry for bioenergy research that is aimed at boosting yield in woody species, principally eucalyptus, through genetic modification. The company’s parent Suzano Papel e Celulose will provide another $2.3 million for the project.
In Brazil, Novozymes has built additional R&D laboratories and customer solutions facilities at an existing site near Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, increasing its Brazilian workforce by 10 percent. The new Novozymes R&D laboratory will focus on bioenergy with additional research into household care, agriculture and baking industries. The company hopes to advance the commercialization of advanced […]
In Nebraska, a study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences indicates that the Renewable Fuels Standard may never spark a commercial cellulosic ethanol industry. Regarding the study, Wallace E. Tyner says that “it would take a build rate two to three times corn ethanol to reach the cellulosic ethanol RFS target. It is simply […]
In the UK, a team of international experts, has described the detailed structure of cellulose fibres in wood. Decade old research outlined the structure of crystalline cellulose. The new research focused on disordered cellulose. University of Nottingham biophysicist, Dr Anwesha Fernandes states, “Our experiments with spruce wood cellulose showed that although the cellulose fibres were […]
