Category: Research

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center researchers produce engineered strains of valuable carotenoids

June 18, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In Wisconsin, scientists with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center showed that a strain of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans naturally produces the carotenoid nostoxanthin. By deleting or adding selected genes, they engineered strains that produced the valuable carotenoids beta-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin. They showed that these engineered strains produced carotenoids at comparable levels when grown either in laboratory […]

Dutch researchers discover ocean fungus that can break down polyethylene

June 17, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In the Netherlands, a fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Researchers from, among others, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) published their results in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment. They expect that many more […]

Germany’s DITF and FILK develop synthetic leather from bio-based PBS

June 14, 2024 | Juan Pedro Tomas

In India, Fibre2Fashion reported that an AiF project carried out in close cooperation between the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) and the Freiberg Institute (FILK), will enable the development of synthetic leather using polybutylene succinate (PBS) for both fiber and coating, meeting sustainability criteria. PBS, sourced from renewable materials, allows for […]

CABBI researchers use CRISPR/Cas9 to fine-tune leaf angle in sugarcane

June 13, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In Florida, as a hybrid of Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum, sugarcane has the most complex genome of all crops. This complexity means that improving sugarcane through conventional breeding is challenging. Because of this, researchers turn to gene editing tools, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system to precisely target the sugarcane genome for improvement. In their […]

Brookhaven researchers create high oil yielding camelina variety

June 12, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In New York state, efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from transportation fuels are increasing demand for oil produced by nonfood crops. These plants use sunlight to power the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into oil, which accumulates in seeds. Crop breeders interested in selecting plants that produce a lot of oil look for yellow […]

NIU and ANL researchers identify tin-based catalysts that convert CO2 into common chemicals

June 11, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In Illinois, researchers at Northern Illinois University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory aim to financial incentive industry to capture its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by making the process profitable. The scientists have identified a family of tin-based catalysts that efficiently converts CO2 into ethanol, acetic acid or formic acid—commonly produced […]

NREL says colocating biocrude facilities with existing refineres can cut GHG emissions 150%

June 10, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In Colorado, NREL says building biocrude facilities next to existing refineries—instead of closer to biomass sources—can lower GHG emissions by as much as 150% depending on the exact infrastructure design. That is a striking reduction in emissions, and the researchers detail how industry engineers might achieve it with smart designs that let the facilities share […]

Cambridge University experts to study real impacts of green fuels on Laskaridis bulker

June 8, 2024 | Juan Pedro Tomas

In the UK, Trade Winds reported that Greek owner Laskaridis Shipping is teaming up with experts at Cambridge University to study the actual decarbonization effect of new green fuels. The partners will collaborate with Greek optimization platform Metis for the research project run by the Cambridge Center for Advanced Research & Education in Singapore (CARES), […]

Unlocking New Zealand’s green energy future

June 6, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In New Zealand, a two-year research project has shed light on the promising opportunities for regional New Zealand to adopt short rotation forestry (SRF) for bioenergy production. The findings show that leveraging short rotation forestry will not only diversify regional economies, but also contribute to sustainable land management and generate environmental benefits as New Zealand […]

Japanese researchers find persimmon tannin helps certain yeast grow 8.9X better in ethanol

June 5, 2024 | Meghan Sapp

In Japan, a study by Osaka Metropolitan University found that persimmon tannin helps the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grow 8.9 times better in ethanol, attributing this to the antioxidative properties of the tannin which reduce stress but do not protect cell membranes. The researchers explored persimmon tannin because it is known for its antioxidative properties. “In […]

Free Subscription

The Biofuels Digest newsletter

The most widely-read biofuels daily — 20,000+ organizations subscribe — why not you too?