In Italy, the UN Committee on World Food Security which falls under the FAO has issued a new report which says that biofuel policies in the US, EU and Brazil have significantly contributed to food price rises. The report is calling for the scrapping of these biofuel policies entirely as it claims that the mandates […]
In Maryland, a researcher at the University of Maryland has developed a system of algae ponds that is cleaning up agricultural chemical runoff in Chesapeake Bay. The experiment is now operating on a small-scale in two sites in the state but the hope is that it expands into hundreds or thousands of acres. The algal […]
In Massachusetts, researchers at Harvard Medical School are working to use a deepwater bacteria to create octanol, which can be refined into a number of transportation fuels. The bacteria, Shewanella oneidensis, which produces electricity when feeding on carbon poor foods. The researchers hope to reengineer the bacteria so that with electricity and carbon dioxide, the […]
In the UK, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and York have found that the enzyme TaGH61 found in fungi can overcome the chemical intractability of cellulose allowing for the better conversion into ethanol. The work was also done by scientists at Novozymes laboratories in California, and Bagsvaerd in Denmark and researchers from the University […]
In Florida, researchers have found a technique to reduce the time it takes to create a new pine tree breed from 13 years to 6 years. The University of Florida researchers found a way to use the genetic code that is already known about a pine tree to accurately predict the traits that will appear […]
In California, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have discovered that the mutated CG1 corn gene can triple the amount of starch stored in the switchgrass stems and make it easier to convert into the sugars needed for biofuels. The altered grasses didn’t flower during the two years of growth trials, meaning that […]
In China, Guangxi Academy of Sciences has signed a cooperation agreement with FuturaGene to develop and optimize second generation biofuel production from woody biomass such as eucalyptus with FuturaGene supplying raw material from eucalyptus in the Guangxi region. The academy will be responsible for identifying the best species for further breeding and for optimizing the […]
In Minnesota, researchers led by the University of Minnesota have produced a map outlining where crops could be intensified to increase biofuel production. Researchers calculated median yields and yield gaps for 10 ethanol and 10 biodiesel crops, producing both global and individual results for 238 countries, territories and protectorates that includes more than 1200 country/crop combinations to pinpoint which […]
In Illinois, researchers have found a way to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide using an ionic liquid as a co-catalyst, reducing the amount of electrical energy required. A research team at the University of Illinois worked with researchers at Dioxide Materials, using an electrochemical cell as a flow reactor, which separated the oxygen output […]
In Washington, Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) are pushing legislation that would require the EPA to waive a portion of the annual Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) when the corn stocks-to-use ratio falls below 10 percent. The RFA’s Geoff Cooper comments: “A primary concern is the fact that a decision with annual implications […]
