In Germany, at present, microbial fuel cells are mainly used in research laboratories to generate electricity. In order for industrial applications to be considered in the future, the fuel cells must be further developed so that they can produce consistently higher amounts of electricity than is currently the case. In a recent study published in […]
In Canada, ERS Genomics announced that its first Canadian patent, CA 2872241, with broad claims to compositions and methods of using CRISPR/Cas9 in humans, animals, plants, and microbes has been granted to the CVC group. CVC stands for University of California, University of Vienna, and Emmanuelle Charpentier and is the acronym used to describe the owners […]
In Japan, the University of Okayama said that a group of researchers have developed a novel mechanical compression method to squeeze maximum benefits from plant biomass for alternate fuel and anti-viral applications. “Biomass is readily available in nature and its organic composition makes it a top choice for an environment-friendly energy resource. However, plant biomass […]
In China, research team from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a novel method that enables efficient CO2 electroreduction to CO by virtue of low-coordination chloride ion adsorption on a silver hollow fiber electrode. The electrochemical conversion of CO2 into carbon-based fuels and valuable feedstocks by renewable electricity is an […]
In India, the Press Trust of India reports that researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati and the University of Lisbon, Portugal have made a breakthrough in breaking down woody matter for ethanol production by improving the efficacy of a specific bacterial enzyme to turn the lignocellulose into simple sugars. Researchers found that with RfGH5_4 […]
In China, a Chinese team of researchers whose study is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, has now genetically engineered a microbial community which could serve as a living carbon sink. In this community, carbon dioxide is first converted into sugar by photosynthesis, then the sugar is converted into useful chemicals. Various bacterial strains are […]
In California, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated a new technique, modeled after a metabolic process found in some bacteria, for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid acetate, a key ingredient in “liquid sunlight” or solar fuels produced through artificial photosynthesis. The new approach, reported in Nature Catalysis, could help advance […]
In India, The Meghalayan reported that a group of researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have studied the efficacy of a specific bacterial endoglucanase enzyme, RfGH5_4 from Ruminococcus flavefaciens in breaking down woody biomatter into a simple sugar that can be fermented efficiently to produce bioethanol. A team led by Professor Arun Goyal […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Chicago are taking inspiration from nature to engineer new systems with a range of potential applications. Their latest experiment mimics the structure of soil to create materials that can interact with their environment, with promise for electronics, medicine, and biofuel technology. It has multiple potential applications; preliminary tests […]
In the UK, an alternative source of heat could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a process which turns food waste into power, new research suggests. A University of Glasgow-led team of scientists have demonstrated that using air-source heat pumps to support anaerobic digestion could cut the carbon emitted during the production of biogas by […]
