Category: Research

U.S. DOE award gives $1.4M for biofuels research in Tennessee

U.S. DOE award gives $1.4M for biofuels research in Tennessee

May 27, 2018 |

In Tennessee, researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are getting $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Energy over the next two years through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative. The projects are focused on the development of commercial applications for biofuels as well as biobased energy and biobased products. David Harper, […]

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Embrapa teams with DowDuPont’s agri arm to enhance Brazilian crops

Embrapa teams with DowDuPont’s agri arm to enhance Brazilian crops

May 24, 2018 |

In Brazil, Embrapa and Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, signed an agreement to conduct leading-edge research to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Brazilian farming. The research will focus on genomics to improve the pest and drought tolerance of crops, enhance the post-harvest quality of agricultural products and minimize the environmental impact of farming. […]

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Panjab University center scores more than $376,000 to support food and agri start-ups

Panjab University center scores more than $376,000 to support food and agri start-ups

May 23, 2018 |

In India, the Tribune reports that Panjab University’s Bioincubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies has been awarded more than $376,000 to support five start-ups food and agriculture processing. One of the five projects is to scale up a technology to produce biodiesel from algae following successful smaller-scale trials that demonstrated the fuel has a lower […]

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Malaysian and UK researchers develop new technology to process POME

Malaysian and UK researchers develop new technology to process POME

May 22, 2018 |

In Malaysia, engineers at the University of Nottingham Malaysia have developed new technology to help the global palm oil processing industry reduce CO2 emissions and create renewable energy from its waste. Now University researchers, in collaboration with Malaysian industry partners, have built a unique integrated zero-waste management system for the mills. The pilot plant, called […]

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Chalmers University finds gasification the way forward after 10 years of research

Chalmers University finds gasification the way forward after 10 years of research

May 21, 2018 |

In Sweden, a chance to switch to renewable sources for heating, electricity and fuel, while also providing new opportunities for several industries to produce large numbers of renewable products. This is the verdict of researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, who now, after ten years of energy research into gasification of biomass, see an […]

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Researchers find a way to increase biofuel from algae by 30%

Researchers find a way to increase biofuel from algae by 30%

May 18, 2018 |

In India, a team of 14 scientists from Korea, Spain, and India found a way to increase biofuel from algae by 30% by unearthing a “gatekeeper” that regulates biofuel yields in algae. “This metabolic gatekeeper in algae is akin to what Heimdall does in the Avengers, regulating who enters Asgard,” said Rishiram Ramanan, the lead […]

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Sandia researchers demo bioengineered bacteria to reduce cellulosic biomaterial production costs

Sandia researchers demo bioengineered bacteria to reduce cellulosic biomaterial production costs

May 17, 2018 |

In New Mexico, Sandia Lab asks, what does jet fuel have in common with pantyhose and plastic soda bottles? They’re all products currently derived from petroleum. Sandia National Laboratories scientists have demonstrated a new technology based on bioengineered bacteria that could make it economically feasible to produce all three from renewable plant sources. Piecing together […]

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Spanish researchers use AI to predict biodiesel composition from engine noise

Spanish researchers use AI to predict biodiesel composition from engine noise

May 16, 2018 |

In Spain, a new model designed by several University of Cordoba research groups allows for predicting this noise depending on the chemical physical composition of the biofuel that powers the engine. One of the main novelties of the model is that it uses neural networks, mathematical models inspired by the biological behavior of neurons. In […]

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Brazilian researchers isolate enzyme for bagasse saccharification in the Amazon

Brazilian researchers isolate enzyme for bagasse saccharification in the Amazon

May 15, 2018 |

In Brazil, missing piece of the puzzle to achieving second-generation ethanol from sugarcane bagasse is saccharification – saccharification meaning the process by which complex sugars called polysaccharides are depolymerized and broken down into simple soluble sugars. This would be achieved through composing the proper enzyme cocktail and consequently assembling an industrial-scale microbial platform for the […]

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DOE announces awards up to $3 million for biomass research projects

DOE announces awards up to $3 million for biomass research projects

May 14, 2018 |

In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $3 million in funding for advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). DOE has selected two projects from the University of Tennessee and Northwestern University that will receive between $1 million to $2 million each. Integrating science […]

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