In Minnesota, scientists say they are close to producing super varieties of wheat that will resist from variants of Ug99, a new and deadly form of wheat rust and at the same time boost yields by as much as 15 percent. Scientists report that new data show key Ug99 variants have now been identified across […]
In Mexico, researchers at the la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California are isolating microalgae from a lake in San Quentin, south of Ensenada, to see if it would make an appropriate feedstock for biofuel. The species under investigation can be grown in poor conditions, as it is adapted to the water quality of the lake, […]
In Illinois, the Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research at the University of Illinois has opened a renovated CABER Bioprocessing Laboratory, that will focus on increasing efficiencies in current biofuel technologies, and developing new biofuel and biochemical technologies. The 2500 square foot lab features wet milling, dry grind and ethanol fermentation equipment. Biomass processing equipment will […]
In Massachusetts, a new five-year $750,000 Early Career Research grant from the DOE aims to determine the genetic mechanism that enables certain strains of the Q Microbe to produce up to 30 percent more ethanol from energy crop model system Brachypodium than other strains.. Samuel Hazen received one of 65 awarded grants from the DOE. […]
Advanced Biofuels USA today released a white paper detailing the mechanics of a third approach for producing cellulosic ethanol, called syngas fermentation, a hybrid of the two traditional major pathways, biochemical and thermochemical. The paper, “Syngas Fermentation, The Third Pathway for Cellulosic Ethanol,” discusses the benefits the process holds and seeks to garner awareness about […]
In Finland, new research by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland shows there is very little difference in fuel consumption between E5 and E10 in the Finnish market under normal driving conditions. The tests, which used six used cars of different makes, found that driving 100km on E5 (standards tested at an actual 4.7%) required […]
In Pakistan, researchers at the University of Karachi are exploring the use of several of the country’s 410 halophyte species as potential feedstocks for ethanol production under the guidance of the university’s Institute for Sustainable Halophyte Utilization. Initial estimates show that about 70,000 liters of ethanol could be produced per hectare annually.
Retuers is reporting that “Deforestation rates generally from 2005-2010 were below 1 percent, it found, but much higher in particular countries and especially in Togo and Nigeria.” Togo? The biofuels industry there consists of, essentially, one 2700-hectare jatropha plantation operated by Greenleaf Global. The Watchdog continues to caution that data on rising biofuels production, and […]
In Ghana, Colombia University professor Kartik Chandran has won a $1.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to produce biodiesel and methane from human waste in the capital city of Accra using the “Next-Generation Urban Sanitation Facility” he has developed. The idea is to provide local communities with access to affordable fuel […]
In Finland, researchers led by by Professor and Research Director Yrjö Helariutta have discovered the genetic process that controls the development of wood cells in the roots of plants. Xylem (wood cells) is the vascular tissue that transports water and nutrients upward from the root, also contributing to the formation of the woody element in […]
