In Japan, Hiroshima University (HU) researchers successfully developed a biocontainment strategy for genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Their new method prevents genetically modified cyanobacteria from surviving outside of their test environment, enabling ways to more safely research the effects of GMOs. Their results were published in ACS Synthetic Biology. The applications of bioengineered microbes have […]
In Saudi Arabia, a compound made from the glycerol by-product of biodiesel production could promote cleaner burning in vehicle engines. The potential of glycerol waste from biodiesel production to be simply converted into a clean-burning sustainable fuel is being explored by scientists at KAUST’s Clean Combustion Research Center. The researchers used computational analysis to explore […]
In Indonesia, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Korean National Institute of Forest Science (NIFOS) and Indonesia’s University of Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya (UMP) are working together to study increasing biofuel plantations on a 7.2 million hectare tract of mostly degraded land in the province of Central Kalimantan that could help reduce deforestation in the […]
In Germany, scientists from Ruhr-Universität Bochum succeeded for the first time in understanding how certain algae enzymes produce hydrogen by reproducing the pathway of the protons to the active center of these [FeFe] hydrogenases. This could allow such efficient but vulnerable biocatalysts to be chemically more stable. The hydrogenases produce two protons and two electrons […]
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $98 million in funding for 40 new projects as part of OPEN 2018, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA‑E) latest open funding opportunity. These funds will support some of America’s top energy innovators’ R&D projects as they seek to develop technologies to transform the nation’s energy system. […]
In Iran, a researcher from the Islamic Azad University of Bushehr Bushehr has determined that chicken fat is an appropriate feedstock for biodiesel production when it is going to be blended at high ratios of 75% or above or used as B100. The results of various production tests looked at varying levels of catalysts and […]
In Israel, researchers at the Ben-Gurion University Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research have published a study in the Journal of Cleaner Production showing the use of hydrothermal carbonization to transform human waste into hydrochar for use as biofuel. A byproduct of the process is a liquid fertilizer for crops. The process sterilizes the waste, leaving […]
In Norway, two researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Industrial Ecology Program decided to look at how producing aviation biofuels in Norway would affect the climate and other environmental aspects identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. These goals have been developed to guide the world’s transition to […]
In Spain, researchers at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos found a new method using purple bacteria and electrical currents that reduces carbon emissions from wastewater treatment plants. Purple bacteria are photosynthetic and use infrared light as their energy source, giving them various colors like purple, brown and red. The bacteria can perform metabolic reactions and are […]
In New Zealand, the University of Victoria says building a biorefinery—probably at Marsden Point—geared towards aviation fuel, as well as bioethanol and biodiesel for blending with conventional fuels will aid the transition away from the country’s current heavy transport and aviation vehicle fleet, as well as feeding current and future hybrid electric vehicles. An aspect […]
