In Michigan, Michigan State University researchers have solved a puzzle that could help switchgrass realize its full potential as a low-cost, sustainable biofuel crop and curb our dependence on fossil fuels. Among switchgrass’s attractive features are that it’s perennial, low maintenance and native to many states in the eastern U.S., including Michigan. But it also […]
In Washington D.C, The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) said that a collaborative team of BETO-funded scientists from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are searching for carbon utilization technologies that can make better use of the carbon dioxide generated by industry, transportation, and agriculture by transforming it […]
In Australia, University of Queensland researchers have found a way to more efficiently convert sugarcane into a building block of aviation fuel and other products. By zeroing in on a specific enzyme, a UQ team working in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has sped up the slowest step in processing sugar into […]
In Canada, a new catalyst design created by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering could significantly improve the practicality of an electrochemical process that converts captured carbon dioxide into multi-carbon molecules—some of the key building blocks of the chemical industry. One way to upgrade carbon involves electrochemistry—electricity used to […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have successfully demonstrated precision gene editing in miscanthus, a promising perennial crop for sustainable bioenergy production. Biologists edited the genomes of three miscanthus species using CRISPR/Cas9 — a far more targeted and efficient way to develop new varieties than prior methods. The results will accelerate […]
In Virginia, researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create bioplastics from food waste diverted from landfills. The three-year grant will test the scalability and feasibility of the conversion of these wastes into bioplastics on a national […]
In Germany, HELLA said it is researching in collaboration with industry partners how headlights can be designed more climate friendly. To this end, the automotive supplier has now started the NALYSES research project, in which the BMW Group, Covestro, geba, Miele, the Heinz Nixdorf Institute of the University of Pa-derborn, the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronics […]
In Singapore, photosynthesis is the natural process of converting carbon dioxide (CO2) to useable chemical compounds. In contrast, carbon capture and utilization technologies through processes such as electrochemical CO2 reduction (eCO2R) are the man-made equivalents that could enable the chemical industry to convert its current CO2 waste to useful products. While eCO2R is not a […]
In New York state, AIR COMPANY has seen its collaboration with NASA further strengthened with direct funding through a NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award. With this funding, AIR COMPANY will make integral strides towards its carbon-negative rocket fuel for space applications on Earth, Mars, and beyond. Both the practical requirements and physics of […]
In Switzerland, EPFL chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare. A device that can harvest water from the air and provide hydrogen fuel—entirely […]
