In Tennessee, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory set out to determine what could increase production speeds and improve the quality of biofuels and bioproducts. What they discovered is a new class of porous membranes—a high performance architecture surface-selective (HIPAS) membrane technology. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, this new class […]
In Washington state, Washington State University researchers have developed a way to grow algae more efficiently — in days instead of weeks — and make the algae more viable for several industries, including biofuels. Their work was reported in the journal Algal Research. The researchers developed a unique biofilm reactor that recycles gasses and uses less […]
In California, two cofounders of Sugarlogix went from engineering yeast for cellulose based fuel production and refining biofuel fermentation processes to cultivating prebiotic sugars that could be good for your gut. Their goal is to develop prebiotic sugars that feed the good probiotics in your gut, especially for people who have taken antibiotics or infants […]
In Indiana, Gen3Bio Inc., a Purdue Foundry-affiliated company, is developing a unique process that could more effectively and affordably transform microalgae into bio-based chemicals to maximize the value of biofeedstock and reduce landfill waste. The company is scaling up and commercializing an effective, efficient and low-cost algae extraction method to lyse open the algae cells […]
In Massachusetts, photosynthesis, which allows energy from the sun to be converted into life-sustaining sugars, can also be hazardous to green plants. If they absorb too much sunlight, the extra energy destroys their tissue. To combat this, green plants have developed a defense mechanism known as photoprotection, which allows them to dissipate the extra energy. […]
In Michigan, researchers at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory have found that chloroplast not only is responsible for photosynthesis but also plays a role in seed oil production which could be manipulated to boost oil yields and therefore increase biofuel production efficiency. The process could boost yields as much as 10% but some bugs in […]
In Brazil, the concentration of ultrafine particles less than 50 nanometers in diameter rose by one-third in the air of São Paulo, Brazil, when higher ethanol prices induced drivers to switch from ethanol to gasoline, according to a new study by a Northwestern University chemist, a National University of Singapore economist and two University of […]
In Colorado, ChemCatBio announced a new 2017 directed funding assistance opportunity. It’s an opportunity for industry and academia to engage with ChemCatBio to tackle challenges associated with these core research themes, to leverage our capabilities and expertise to overcome any process-specific obstacle, or to collaboratively generate new advanced capabilities. ChemCatBio is a research and development consortium dedicated […]
In Canada, University of Saskatchewan researchers have found a new and cheaper way to separate water from ethanol which could decrease costs for producing biofuel. With traditional distillation methods, some water remains, but researchers solved this problem by using non-toxic modified starch-based materials, like corn and potatoes, that act like selective sponges and don’t require […]
In Ohio, researchers at the University of Dayton Research Institute are addressing algae’s vulnerability to fluctuations in weather and temperature, limiting commercial growers and researchers in their selection of growing systems and locations. “Our goal was to design and build an economical and efficient system that could be transported anywhere, easily assembled and operate in […]
