Category: Research

NREL, PNNL and ANL find ways to reduce costs of biofuel production

January 9, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Colorado, Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have identified an approach to improve the efficiency and reduce costs of biofuel production that moves beyond conventional strategies. A culmination of years of catalyst development research, “Driving towards cost-competitive biofuels through catalytic fast pyrolysis […]

Green Science Alliance produces wood alcohol at industrial scale

January 8, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Japan, researchers at the at the Green Science Alliance found a solution for breaking down cellulose into glucose in an efficient way. Using this technology, they will produce bioethanol at an industrial level. They will also attempt to create a wood-alcohol-based drink. This will be the first instance of wood alcohol production at an […]

University of Groningen researchers discover why some yeast produces ethanol

January 7, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In the Netherlands, University of Groningen scientists think they have figured out why some yeast cells produce ethanol: yeast cells produce ethanol as a ‘safety valve’ to prevent overload when their metabolic operation reaches a critical level. The new theory, which was published in Nature Metabolism on 7 January, could have far-reaching implications, as it […]

More designer peptides, more possibilities

January 6, 2019 | admin

In Washington, scientists are more rapidly designing peptides for industrial and medical applications, such as catalysts for biofuels, through a complex computational model and real-time testing with the award-winning SLIM ion analysis technology. What used to be a slow process has been sped up thanks to a team of scientists who blended complex calculations with […]

Chinese researchers develop designer TAGs from algae

January 3, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In China, research team led by the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has discovered two novel diacylglyceryl transferases (DGAT2s) that preferentially attach linoleic acid (LA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), respectively, to the glycerol backbone to form triacylglycerol from algae. By modulating the ratio of these specialist enzymes […]

Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology makes significant expansion

January 2, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In the UK, the new Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, launched in December, marks a significant expansion in the College’s activities. The first Synthetic Biology Research Centre opened at Imperial in 2009, funded by the EPSRC. Synthetic biology will be a really important area both for Imperial, the country and for broader society in […]

ORNL researchers create renewable 3D printing feedstock from lignin

January 1, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Tennessee, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a recipe for a renewable 3D printing feedstock that could spur a profitable new use for an intractable biorefinery byproduct: lignin. The discovery, detailed in Science Advances, expands ORNL’s achievements in lowering the cost of bioproducts by creating novel uses for lignin—the […]

Mexican researchers develop biosensors to boost biodiesel production

December 31, 2018 | Meghan Sapp

In Mexico, researchers from the Autonomous University of Baja California have developed biosensors they say will help improve the efficiency of biodiesel production. The nanostructured sensors can quickly determine the catalytic activity of lipases, a technology that can be applied to other uses of the enzyme such as detergents. The researchers said that the sensors […]

X-rays reveal catalyst growth details for more efficient hydrogen fuel cells

December 29, 2018 | admin

In New York, scientists at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Akron are searching for more affordable catalysts that provide the same efficiency in hydrogen fuel cells as pure platinum. “Like a battery, hydrogen fuel cells convert stored chemical energy into electricity. The difference is that you’re using a replenishable fuel so, […]

Turkish researchers seeking EU patent for biofull cell made from human stem cells

December 27, 2018 | Meghan Sapp

In Turkey, a European Patent application was made for biofuel cell developed by a joint study in the scientific cooperation of Üsküdar University, Sabancı University and Yıldız Technical University academicians that uses human stem cells. Designed from the neural cell lines used as a model in scientific studies, the biofuel cell produced high electrical energy […]

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