Category: Research

New handheld sensor meaures biofuels content in diesel, in seconds

New handheld sensor meaures biofuels content in diesel, in seconds

December 10, 2016 |

In the UK, hand held DieselProve technology from Salunda Limited has been developed for the accurate determination of the biofuel content of diesel blends used in a wide range of automotive and industrial power applications. The tool is designed to provide a fast and simple diagnostic tool to assess the biofuel content in biodiesel fuels, […]

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WSU research shows consumers willing to pay 11% premium for biofuels

WSU research shows consumers willing to pay 11% premium for biofuels

December 8, 2016 |

In Washington state, Washington State University research shows that consumers are willing to pay a premium of approximately 11 percent over conventional fuel. “We were surprised the premium was that significant,” said Jill McCluskey, WSU professor in the School of Economic Sciences. “We wanted to study people in different regions of the country, to make […]

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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign develop method to lower dry grind ethanol production process costs

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign develop method to lower dry grind ethanol production process costs

December 7, 2016 |

In Illinois, new research at the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory 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 and […]

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WSU Tri-Cities researchers receive NSF I-Corps grant to commercialize biojet research

WSU Tri-Cities researchers receive NSF I-Corps grant to commercialize biojet research

December 6, 2016 |

In Washington state, researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities have been awarded a National Science Foundation I-Corps grant to explore the market potential of their biojet fuel research. The team has successfully demonstrated a new, water-based process for deconstructing and recovering lignin from biomass and converting it into jet fuel-range hydrocarbons. These could be certified […]

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University of Manchester students win Cargill challenge to solve ethanol production problem

University of Manchester students win Cargill challenge to solve ethanol production problem

December 5, 2016 |

In the UK, students Rachana Halasabele and Alessia Xu from The University of Manchester in the UK recently triumphed with their innovative and practical winning solution to a real-life industry problem set by Cargill’s ethanol experts at their starches and sweeteners plant in Trafford Park, Manchester. The UK-wide competition, open to all Universities, is the […]

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Japan’s first privately owned rocket to be fueled by ethanol

Japan’s first privately owned rocket to be fueled by ethanol

December 1, 2016 |

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 […]

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Berkeley Lab researchers use atomic science to improve biofuel production

Berkeley Lab researchers use atomic science to improve biofuel production

November 30, 2016 |

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 […]

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University of Wisconsin researcher spins out company tackling lactic acid in ethanol production

University of Wisconsin researcher spins out company tackling lactic acid in ethanol production

November 29, 2016 |

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 […]

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Minnesota researchers find exotics can help repair soils following maize-soy rotation

Minnesota researchers find exotics can help repair soils following maize-soy rotation

November 28, 2016 |

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 […]

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SAE J1488_201010 needed for Diesel Infrastructure Corrosion, Prevention, says Dieselpure

SAE J1488_201010 needed for Diesel Infrastructure Corrosion, Prevention, says Dieselpure

November 27, 2016 |

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, […]

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