In Japan, two enzymes that plants need to make oils live in different organelles, a pair of RIKEN researchers has found. This finding will help inform efforts to tweak the metabolism of plants to boost their production of oils, which can be used as biofuels among other things. Oils are formed in the endoplasmic reticulum—a […]
In the UK, researchers from the University of Cambridge have demonstrated how carbon dioxide can be captured from industrial processes – or even directly from the air – and transformed into clean, sustainable fuels using just the energy from the sun. The researchers developed a solar-powered reactor that converts captured CO2 and plastic waste into […]
In Germany, demand for modern biofuels is expected to grow substantially in order to mitigate climate emissions. However, they are far from being a climate neutral alternative to gasoline and diesel. A new study in Nature Climate Change shows that under current land-use regulations, CO2 emission factors for biofuels might even exceed those for fossil […]
In Texas, the University of Houston reported that James Flynn, research associate professor at the University of Houston, has been awarded a $1.2 million research grant by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The award will support Flynn and his team’s research project aimed at assessing the impacts of biomass burning, wind-blown dust pollutants and […]
In North Carolina, in a new study, North Carolina State University researchers demonstrated that it’s possible to make carbon dioxide capture filters using 3D printing. Specifically, they printed a hydrogel material that can hold carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that speeds a reaction that turns carbon dioxide and water into bicarbonate. The findings, published in the […]
In Sweden, digesting fish waste can allow circular fish and vegetable farms (aquaponics) to produce biogas that can be fed back into the energy system of these farms. This also generates excellent nutrition for plants, according to new research from the University of Gothenburg. The solid waste of fish has been a byproduct with no […]
In Germany, in the field of microbial electrosynthesis, microbes utilize CO2 and electricity to generate substances like alcohol. The precise biological mechanisms underpinning this process have, until recently, been largely theoretical. Now, scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) have managed to experimentally verify for the first time that […]
In Germany, the DeCarTrans project is further developing a process for producing synthetic fuel from methanol for the transport sector. The consortium of research and industry plans to produce a total of 380,000 liters of green fuel (e-fuel) over the course of the next four years. The synthetic fuel will be produced from biogenic or […]
In Sweden, Umeå University reported that carbon dioxide emissions from lime kilns in Sweden have been reduced by more than 36,000 tons per year, via a collaboration between the Center for Sustainable Cement and Quicklime Production at Umeå University, Nordkalk AB and the Swedish Energy Agency. “The project focuses on implementing biofuels as an alternative […]
In the UK, researchers are using artificial intelligence to develop better microorganism-led processes that efficiently ‘eat’ products such as food waste, wastewater and animal manure to help boost the UK’s burgeoning green industry. The project, which is led by the University of Surrey, has been awarded a £1.4 million grant by UK Research and Innovation. […]
