In Indiana, Purdue University has been awarded $6.5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy for research aimed at producing superior strains of sorghum suitable for growing as a biofuel. The grant is among six Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture awards nationwide from DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The projects are focused on accelerating […]
In Missouri, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced it was awarded an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA–E TERRA program. Funds will be used for research to accelerate breeding and the commercial release of economically viable bioenergy sorghum hybrids. Todd Mockler, Ph.D., Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator at the […]
In the UK, based at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), researchers have identified the exact mechanism and structure of two key enzymes isolated from yeast moulds that together provide a new, cleaner route to the production of hydrocarbons. Published in Nature, the research offers the possibility of replacing the need for oil in current […]
In Brazil, Ceres says the company is pulling back from research into bioenergy crops due to low prices and a sinking domestic economy and will instead focus on sugarcane for food and feed. Unfavorable biofuels policies as well as delays in bringing to market second generation biofuel production technologies have helped to support the decision […]
In Iowa, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today released the findings of the latest and largest poll of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers on their presidential candidate preference. The poll, conducted by Advantage, Inc., is by far the largest sample of likely Republican caucus-goers in a public poll this year, and allowed voters to choose from […]
In Colorado, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a fast, simple process for making platinum “nano-raspberries”—microscopic clusters of nanoscale particles of the precious metal. The berry-like shape is significant because it has a high surface area, which is helpful in the design of catalysts. Even better news for industrial […]
In California, Genomatica announced significant progress in harnessing cellulosic biomass for commercial production of high-quality chemicals rather than just fuels. Genomatica’s work sets the stage to increase the range of feedstock choices for making chemicals using biotechnology. Through advances in strain engineering and process design, Genomatica has developed clear guidance for biomass pretreatment technology developers […]
In Italy, Bio-on announced its completion of another phase in the development of the technology for making PHAs from glycerol and today stands ready to grant licenses for this new technology to realise the first PHAs bioplastic production plants using biodiesel by-products. Bio-on technology now enables production facilities producing from 2,000 tons/year to 10,000 tons/year […]
In California, researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership led by the University of California (UC) Berkeley that includes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the BP energy company have developed a process that can be used to selectively upgrade alkyl methyl ketones derived from […]
