In Maryland, University of Maryland researcher was awarded $2.6 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate the genetics underlying how poplar trees sense nutrients and regulate their metabolism—information that could help farmers maximize yields of this and other plants used in biofuel production. Dedicated biomass crops like poplar, switchgrass, miscanthus and bamboo are […]
In Brazil, a team of researchers has successfully converted methane into methanol using light and scattered transition metals such as copper in a process known as photo-oxidation. The reaction was the best achieved to date for converting methane gas into liquid fuel at ambient temperature and pressure (25 °C and 1 bar, respectively), according to […]
In Oklahoma, funded by the Department of Energy, a theoretical study led researchers at the University of Oklahoma is modeling how carbon dioxide could be combined with ethylene, the most common industrial chemical, to make acrylic acid, a common component of many household industrial products. Acrylic acid is used to make disposable diapers, clothing, plastics, […]
In Texas, a team of Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide to produce bioplastics. Susie Dai, associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, noted that today’s petroleum-based plastics do not degrade easily and create a massive issue in the ecosystems and, ultimately, oceans. […]
In Germany, methanol plays an important role for industry as a commodity chemical and is presently considered one of the key energy carriers in the rising hydrogen economy. However, conventional methanol production from coal and natural gas generates large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. With the project “Carbon2Chem®”, partners from industry, research and academia have […]
In Texas, hydrogen has drawn attention in recent years as a potential source of clean energy because it burns without producing climate-damaging emissions. However, traditional hydrogen production methods have a substantial carbon footprint, and cleaner methods are expensive and technically complex. Now researchers are reporting a significant advance, a two-electrode catalyst that relies on one […]
In Illinois, through funding provided by BioMADE, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Valerian Materials, the University of Minnesota, and Scientific Bioprocessing Inc. (SBI) have partnered to perform research and development on novel sustainable materials solutions. Launched in 2021, BioMADE is the most-recently established Manufacturing Innovation Institute. By supporting the […]
In Massachusetts, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is looking at ways to use food waste to make a renewable and more affordable fuel replacement for oil-based diesel. The work, led by Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Timko, is detailed in a new paper in the journal iScience. The work is part of […]
In Australia, Twist Bioscience and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Center of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (CoESB) announced a partnership that will enable CoESB members and partners to order a wide range of Twist products that facilitate research and development. Emily Leproust, CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, said: “The partnership will provide researchers access […]
In Colorado, if you think of algae, you might think of the brilliant green strands waving in a stream or the blue-green blooms that invade lakes. But the majority of these diverse aquatic organisms that exchange sunlight for energy are brown-colored, like the large forests of seaweeds found in polar regions or coastal California. Brown […]
