In Colorado, an enzyme discovered at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) proves adept at breaking down cellulose fibers regardless of whether their crystalline structure is simple or highly complex. No other enzyme has shown that ability. The enzyme, called CelA, comes from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, and NREL scientists reported three years […]
In Germany, currently, making products such as fuels, synthetic materials or pharmaceuticals from renewable raw materials lacks efficiency because the microorganisms process the raw materials very slowly and generate many unwanted by-products. Biotechnologists at Goethe University Frankfurt have now succeeded in optimizing sugar utilization in baker’s yeast. Researchers from the Institute of Molecular Biosciences at […]
In Washington, DC, the American Institute of Physics reported that CellulosomePlus, an international research consortium that includes researchers from Spain, Poland and Ireland, developed a way to re-engineer the bacterial enzyme complexes, called cellulosomes, which serve as catalysts in the degradation process. Helping bacteria become more efficient in this process could result in more affordable […]
In India, researchers from New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University have discovered that by bringing together species of bacteria from Aravalli marble mines near Alwar and from brackish waters in the high-altitude Pangong Lake in Ladakh on the border with China can create biodiesel. The bacteria from the marble mines can sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic […]
In Finland, the EU project COMSYN aims to develop a production concept for competitive bio-based fuels by means of a compact gasification and synthesis process. The target reduction for biofuel production is up to 35 percent compared to alternative methods, which translates to less than EUR0.80/liter production cost for diesel. The production concept is based […]
In the Midwest, Department of Energy researchers examined the effect of weather on biofuel production by comparing switchgrass and corn stover harvested after a year of major drought and after 2 years of normal precipitation. They found that the plants produced more sugar, but the sugar changed during pretreatment and produced toxic compounds rather than […]
In Pennsylvania, with more than two-dozen companies in Pennsylvania manufacturing potato chips, it is no wonder that researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed a novel approach to more efficiently convert potato waste into ethanol. This process may lead to reduced production costs for biofuel in the future and add extra value […]
In Delaware, University of Delaware researchers invented a more efficient, and less costly, process for extracting sugars from wood chips, corn cobs and other organic waste from forests and farms. Their new process requires only one step to separate out the sugars from the lignin, instead of the usual two-step process that uses harsh chemicals […]
In California, researchers from the Berkeley Lab have developed a new recipe for creating synthesis gas mixtures, or syngas, that involves adding a pinch of copper atoms sprinkled atop a gold surface. The new material supports a room-temperature electrochemical reaction that can convert carbon dioxide and water into syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and […]
In France, an international team has discovered an enzyme which allows microalgae to convert some of their fatty acids into hydrocarbons using light. This enzyme, which has been named “FAP” (Fatty Acid Photodecarboxylase), is of an extremely rare type, as only four enzymes powered by light have been identified to date. Chlorella is a single-cell […]
