In Connecticut, UConn professor Richard Parnas has patented a biodiesel reactor that uses gravity, heat, and natural chemical reactions to make the biodiesel and separate the glycerol in one step rather than the traditional two-step method that requires mechanical removal of the glycerol. The existing facility produces about 2,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel a year. […]
In California, an F-22 Raptor successfully flew at supercruis (supersonic flight without using the engine’s afterburner) on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina. The flight was the capstone of a series of ground and flight test events conducted by the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force […]
In California, Stanford University has published an article about work done by David Lobell, assistant professor of environmental Earth system science and a center fellow at Stanford’s Program on Food Security and the Environment, Matei Georgescu of the Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics at Arizona State University and Chris Field, professor of environmental Earth system […]
In Oklahoma, researchers at Oklahoma State University have discovered that waste from soda pop production can be used as feedstock for ethanol production simply by adding nitrogen and yeast. The presence of sodium benzoate, a common food preservative, was the major indicator in whether a particular brand of soda would ferment well or not. Soda […]
In the UK, Rothamsted Research says if the UK is serious about attracting more people into growing beet for food, energy, and bio-products, more investment in breeding and scientific techniques is needed to enhance yields and create these new markets. Average beet yields in the UK are 60-70t/ha and Broom’s Barn’s highest yield was 139t/ha […]
In California, SGBiofuels announced it is applying more than 1.6 million genetic markers (SNPs) for Jatropha curcas toward the development of marker assisted selection (MAS) methods to produce elite, high-performing cultivars of the energy crop. The work, in partnership with Lfie Technologies, accelerates the identification and development of specific genetic traits in Jatropha including fruit […]
In Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory completed phase one of its Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility and are seeking partnerships with second generation biofuel pioneers. “The IBRF is designed specifically to help industry scale up their technology,” NREL Team Leader for Partnership Development John Ashworth said. “We have created an empty bay in the facility so […]
In Sweden, Lund University research Nadia Skorupa Parachin has extracted enzymes from garden soil to convert xylose, the world’s second most common sugar, to ethanol. If successful, ethanol production could possibly increase by 20%. Ms Skorupa Parachin explains, “In order for carbohydrates in forestry, plant and waste products to be used for ethanol production, enzymes […]
In Ohio, researchers at Ohio State University have developed a brand new process for producing polyurethane foam using crude glycerine as a feedstock for the polyoil. The product is 5%-10% cheaper than fossil fuel-based as well as other organic-based polyurethane foams. More on the story.
In Belgium, the European Commission has determined that average carbon emissions between 2004 and 2006 for airline flights reached 219 million metric tons and will therefore grant just under 213 million tons of allowances for 2012. Allowances will then fall to about 208.5 million tons every year after. The airline industry is required to participate […]
