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 […]
In Georgia, researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a “super strain” of yeast that can efficiently ferment ethanol from pretreated pine-one of the most common species of trees in Georgia and the U.S. Their research could help biofuels replace gasoline as a transportation fuel. Their research, published online in Biotechnology for Biofuels, shows […]
In Texas, Southwest Research Institute launched the International Alternative Fuel Technology Center (IAFTC), drawing from a variety of disciplines at the Institute to offer all alternative fuels capabilities under one umbrella, to provide original equipment manufacturers and fuel suppliers a comprehensive approach to resolve their technical challenges. SwRI laboratories are outfitted with state-of-the-art instrumentation and […]
In the UK, research from the University of Leicester on behalf of the International Council on Clean Transportation says that palm oil produced in peatland areas generates 86 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year over a 50-year period, nearly double the previous estimate of 50 tonnes but as the EU’s renewable energy directive […]
In Iowa, researchers at Iowa State University have developed a method to increase the rate of biomass production in algae by 50 to 80 percent. The breakthrough comes from expressing certain genes in algae that increase the amount of photosynthesis in the plant, which leads to more biomass. In environments that have relatively low levels […]
