In the UK, BP published for the first time a summary of its forward-looking analyses. In Energy Outlook 2030, BP projects that primary energy use will grow by nearly 40% over the next twenty years, with 93% of the growth coming from non-OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Non-OECD countries are seen to […]
In New York, Accenture has concluded in a new report that China will scale-up faster than the US in alternative vehicles, but the US could lead a global biotechnology-based agricultural revolution that will generate a greater range of biofuel breakthroughs. The reduction in gasoline demand in the US could be up to 22 billion gallons […]
In California, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and Montana State University are collaborating on a project to modify an endophytic fungus – that lives between plant cell walls – to produce fuel-type hydrocarbons for transportation purposes. Sandia is collaborating with Professor Gary Strobel from Montana State University, a known expert in Ascocoryne sarcoides and other […]
In Germany, a recent study shows that GHG emissions for canola-based biodiesel can drop significantly depending on the fertilizer and diesel used during crop production, from approximately 29g CO2 equ./MJ biodiesel (default value) to approximately 21g CO2 equ./MJ biodiesel. The German Research Centre for Biomass (DBFZ) estimated a default value of 38% GHG emissions reductions, […]
In Indiana, researchers at Purdue University have found a genetic mutation that allows a plant to better endure drought without losing biomass. During drought conditions, a plant might close its stomata to conserve water which also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide it can take in, limiting photosynthesis and growth, but the discovery shows plants […]
In Washington, the Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program is offering a free Webinar on Monday, January 24, 2011, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Eastern titled “Improving Photosynthesis for Hydrogen and Fuels Production” in conjunction with the Biomass Program. Dr. Tasios Melis of UC Berkeley will be providing an overview of his invention disclosing […]
In New York, a research team led by Cornell University and USDA Agricultural Research Service at both Cornell and North Carolina State University have related genetic variation across the entire maize genome to traits. The researchers found 1.6 million sites where one maize plant can vary from another, and then identified the genes that control […]
In Japan, researchers from the University of Illinois and the Univerisites of Miyazaki and Hokkaido in Japan have come across a hybrid of Miscanthus sacchariflorus and Miscanthus sinensis that will have similar phenotypic traits to the high-yielding Miscanthus x giganteus. By relying on just the giganteus variety, there is more risk of diseases and pests, […]
In Michigan, researchers have determined that threatened bird species would be better served by developing native perennials as energy feedstocks rather than corn. Almost twice as many species made their homes in grasses than in corn, while plots of switchgrass fell between the two in their ability to sustain biodiversity. More on the story.
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois-Urbana Campaign have determined that half of the world’s current fuel consumption could be replaced with biofuels without competing with food or pastureland. A class of biofuel crops called low-impact high-diversity (LIHD) perennial grasses could produce bioenergy while maintaining grassland. Adding LIHD crops grown on marginal grassland to […]
