In Japan, the country’s first privately owned rocket to potentially reach an altitude of 100km is to be powered by ethanol. Interstellar Technologies, founded by maverick Japanese entrepreneur Takafumi Horie, could launch the rocket in January and will collect atmospheric data during its four-minute flight before falling into the Pacific Ocean. Although ethanol provides less […]
In California, researchers have revealed new atomic-scale details about pesky deposits that can stop or slow chemical reactions vital to fuel production and other processes. This disruption to reactions is known as deactivation or poisoning. The research team employed a combination of measurements, including X-ray experiments at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory […]
In Wisconsin, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin has spun out a company called Lactic Solutions to advance a judo-like remedy for lactic acid production during ethanol fermentation: using genetic engineering to transform enemy into friend. Instead of killing lactic acid bacteria with antibiotics, he’s spliced in genes for ethanol production so these organisms […]
In Minnesota, researchers led by the University of Minnesota found that the negative soil legacy of the maize–soybean rotation for native plant performance in interaction with exotics was greatly diminished in soils conditioned by native or exotic perennial species, irrespective of nitrogen addition. This highlights the potential value of perennial species in conversion from row-crop […]
In Washington, a July 2016 EPA report has brought corrosion into the spotlight. What was not mentioned in the EPA report is that there is a simple preventative maintenance item that prevents corrosion, filtering biodiesel blends with filters tested against SAE J1488_201010. Fuel experts have documented severe and rapid corrosion in our existing diesel infrastructure, […]
In South Korea, researchers at UNIST uncovered new ways to make biofuel from carbon dioxide (CO2), the most troublesome greenhouse gas. In their paper published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, the team presented direct CO2 conversion to liquid transportation fuels by reacting with renewable hydrogen (H2) generated by solar water splitting. The currently […]
In Illinois, new research at the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus could significantly change ethanol production by lowering operating costs and simplifying the dry grind process. “There are currently more than 200 dry grind plants that are processing corn to produce ethanol,” says Vijay Singh, director of IBRL […]
In Iowa, new bioplastic materials may enable gardeners to tend their plants more sustainably and could even help plants “self-fertilize” and grow healthier roots, according to research conducted by Iowa State University horticulturists. A five-year study looked at numerous options for bioplastic derived from sources such as polylactic acid and the more biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates. They […]
In Illinois, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory have conducted a detailed study of the reflectivity effects of converting land to grow biofuel crops. Their study is part of an overall analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from land use change: instances where land that was previously forests, grasslands or pastureland […]
In the EU, Open-Bio has launched a database that provides relevant information about bio-based end products to assist public buyers in making purchasing decisions. The main goal? To simplify the lives of procurement officials that want to pay more attention to bio-based products but don’t know where to start. The database presents various bio-based products which […]
