In Illinois, a multi-institution report provides practical agronomic data for five cellulosic feedstocks, which could improve adoption and increase production across the country. The project, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Sun Grant Initiative, began in 2008 and includes researchers from 26 institutions. Together, they evaluated the bioenergy potential of switchgrass, Miscanthus, […]
In Oman, researchers from the Sultan Qaboos University believe the sultanate is ideal for macroalgae production for biofuels in the longer term thanks to a number of suitable wadis. Algae grows naturally in the wadis following rains when nutrients accumulate. By studying the wadis’ different green and blue algae species, they believe some that produce […]
In Tennessee, a novel method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory creates supertough renewable plastic with improved manufacturability. Working with polylactic acid, a biobased plastic often used in packaging, textiles, biomedical implants and 3D printing, the research team added tiny amounts of silicon-based materials called silanes to design a new polymer. “Our fast, scalable approach […]
In New York state, the key to redox flow batteries is finding chemicals that can not only “carry” sufficient charge, but also be stored without degrading for long periods, thereby maximizing power generation and minimizing the costs of replenishing the system. Researchers at the University of Rochester made “a simple molecular modification”— replacing the compound’s […]
In Massachusetts, microbial species that grow in environments where carbon is mainly available as lignin are promising for finding new ways of removing lignin that protects cellulose for improved conversion of lignin to fuel precursors. One candidate species that can use lignin for growth in the absence of oxygen is Enterobacter lignolyticus SCF1, a bacterium […]
In India, researchers at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology genetically modified a fungus in order to increase the production of enzymes helpful in converting cellulose into simple fermentable sugars. ICGEB’s research could help produce double the amount of biofuel from agricultural waste materials. The genetically engineered fungus could be a valuable alternative […]
In the UK, CPI, the UK’s technology innovation provider for process manufacturing, announced that its partnership with Green Lizard Technologies (GLT), and their licensed company Oleocycle Ltd, will be providing a second-use to waste cooking oils via a novel one-step pilot plant that converts oils into low sulfur biodiesel feedstocks, and a range of other […]
In Canada, researchers from the University of Calgary have found a way to produce a higher quality, more stable fuel from biowaste, such as sewage, that is simpler and cleaner than existing methods. The researchers used methane instead of hydrogen for the purification process and they used it directly in the crude stage, but they […]
In Maryland, the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) has been awarded a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to elucidate the mechanism of rust pathogenesis in poplar in an effort to engineer durable resistance for this important, second generation biofuel crop. The aim of the three-year project is to investigate the molecular […]
In Massachusetts, a new report from MIT Sloan professor John Sterman supports the growing argument that burning wood pellets for power is worse for the climate than burning coal, because of the short-term effects and the “potentially irreversible impacts that may arise before the long-run benefits are realized.” “Because combustion and processing efficiencies for wood […]
