In Washington, the USDA released its Agricultural Productivity Growth in the United States: Measurement, Trends, and Drivers. This report examines changes and trends in U.S. agricultural inputs (e.g., land and labor), output (e.g., crops and livestock), and productivity over the last six decades and the drivers behind productivity changes. The main findings of the report […]
In Malaysia, researchers from University Malaysia Sabah and the University of Hull in the UK have teamed together to develop efficient new ways to produce biofuel and fertilizers from palm oil waste. Part of the funding comes from the British Council via a Newton Fund grant. The multidisciplinary study will focus on using microwave technology […]
In Michigan, Michigan State University has earned a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better understand how biofuel crops acquire nitrogen, insights that could help maximize yields while minimizing fertilizer use. The team will conduct the study at six sites in Michigan and Wisconsin. Along with growing plots of switchgrass and […]
In Japan, Hiroyuki Ohta at Tokyo Institute of Technology, together with scientists based at institutions across Tokyo, Japan, have uncovered a way of enhancing the production of fat-based molecules called triacylglycerols in the Nannochloropsis algal strain NIES-2145, thereby increasing oil synthesis from the microalgae. Triacylglycerols, or TAGs, are a class of lipids which form the […]
In Washington state, a five-year, $40 million study is laying the foundation for a Pacific Northwest industry that converts sustainably produced poplar feedstock into fuels and chemicals. The research, led by the University of Washington, will seed the world’s first wood-based cellulosic ethanol production facility. The handful of other cellulosic ethanol factories use agricultural waste […]
In France, DEINOVE has produced muconic acid in their laboratory using second-generation substrates. “Bio-based muconic acid is a real renewable alternative for the chemical industry, it will be able to replace petroleum-based industrial processes on significant markets,” said Emmanuel Petiot, CEO of DEINOVE. “Deinococcus is no doubt a well-suited microorganism for the development of this […]
In India, five Indian Institutes of Technology have come together to create a virtual center of excellence for bioenergy with IITs from Bombay, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Jodhpur and Roorkee involved. A total of 32 researchers from the various campuses will collaborate on projects about advanced biofuels including cyanobacterial biofuels. Known as the ‘DBT-Pan IIT Centre for […]
In Spain, the US Patents Office has granted a patent to 1nkemia IUCT for its second-generation biofuels production process through 2033. The company’s 66th patent produces fuel from fatty acids found in glycerin that can be used instead of biodiesel or as fuel oil in industrial burners at the same price as fossil fuels, the […]
In Hawaii, Bio-on and University of Hawaii have signed an exclusive global research contract to further develop the technology for the production of the revolutionary bioplastic PHAs: the objective is to use lignocellulosic materials (wood processing waste) and domestic or agricultural waste as the raw material. Bio-on will invest $1.4 million in the Manoa (HI) […]
In Washington state, Hanwu Lei, Washington State University Tri-Cities associate professor in biological systems engineering, was awarded a $494,000 grant this fall to research catalysts, which will be used to increase the energy output and performance of biofuels. Lei said he will use the biomass-derived catalysts to produce aromatic hydrocarbons, which are high-energy organic compounds […]
