In Delaware, the University of Delaware has been awarded a three-year grant of $2.2 million from the Dept. of Energy for research that will focus on genomic technology to develop microorganisms that are more resistant to toxic chemicals and engineered to withstand the stress response that can inhibit cell growth and cause cell death.
In Switzerland, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has developed a “feedback loop” between a computer and a common yeast that could help the production of biofuel from microbes by controlling biological processes such as switching on and off of specific genes. More on the story.
In Israel, researchers at Tel Aviv University have begun growing Tamarix, a botanical genus that includes salt cedar trees and is indigenous to the old-world deserts, to produce feedstock for biofuels that can survive in arid areas with poor quality water. Though Israel doesn’t have the sufficient land to produce these trees at scale to […]
In Utah, Utah State University is currently working on a portable floating algae pond that the University hopes will be scalable in the world’s large oceans or coastal regions. The one-acre pond may produce up to 3000 gallons of fuel per year.
In California, the first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed by an international team of researches that includes scientists with the Joint BioEnergy Institute. Called RiceNet, this systems-level model of rice gene interactions should help speed the development of new crops for the […]
In Maine, researchers at the University of Maine have developed a process that turn cellulosic materials and MSW into hydrocarbon fuel oil that can be used like a drop-in fuel, though it would need to be refined like any other fossil-based oil in order to meet emissions standards when used in vehicles. The process is […]
In Costa Rica, representatives from Argentina, Brasil, and Costa Rica participated in a videoconference regarding the development of jatropha plantations in Latin America. The videoconference, which was organized by the Hemispheric Program in Agroenergy and Biofuel of the Interamerican Cooperation Institute for Agriculture, focused on the perennial nature of jatropha plants, as well as the […]
In Ireland, Research and Markets will be adding to their offerings “Biofuel Consumption in Germany – Industry and Country Analysis.” The report will feature analysis of market value, market volume, buyer power, supplier power, and more as it attempts to predict Germany’s current challenges, future prospects, and risk in the biofuel sector. In addition to […]
In Brazil, Boeing, Embraer and the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation announced plans to collaborate on long-term aviation biofuels-related research and development. Azul, GOL, TAM and Trip airlines will be strategic advisors in the program. This collaboration is leading the development of a detailed report outlining the opportunities and challenges of creating a cost-effective, bio-derived, […]
In Indiana, researchers at Purdue University have discovered that not all corn waste is the same and that more efficient cellulosic ethanol production could result from treating the different types of cellulose—the rind, the leaves and the pith—differently. The pith and leaves of stover are fairly easy to break down while the rind, which only […]
