Category: Research

Defense Logistics Agency to invest $3.3 million in wood to jet fuel technology in Maine

Defense Logistics Agency to invest $3.3 million in wood to jet fuel technology in Maine

September 8, 2016 |

In Maine, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will invest $3.3 million to advance wood to jet fuel technology at the Technology Research Center (TRC) of the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute at the University of Maine. The technology is based on FBRI’s patented thermal deoxygenation (TDO) process, which was shown to yield jet fuel test samples […]

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UK could become seaweed powerhouse but major gaps need filling

UK could become seaweed powerhouse but major gaps need filling

September 7, 2016 |

In the UK, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science has determined commercial seaweed farming could become a major industry along the country’s coastline thanks to growing demand for algae for biofuel production as well as in nutraceuticals and along the bioeconomy supply chain. Lack of regulation for seaweed farming and a dearth of […]

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Louisiana researcher gets funding to develop software and algorithms for algae biofuel research

Louisiana researcher gets funding to develop software and algorithms for algae biofuel research

September 6, 2016 |

In Louisiana, a researcher from the University of New Orleans has been awarded $141,453 by the Louisiana Board of Regents Industrial Ties Research Subprogram to software and theoretical underpinning needed to help convert algae into biofuel such as advanced algorithms for analyzing and optimizing gene regulatory network-based biofuel production modeling in algae. The grant will […]

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Dutch company secures US patent for hydrous ethanol blends between 60% and 95%

Dutch company secures US patent for hydrous ethanol blends between 60% and 95%

September 5, 2016 |

In the Netherlands, SHE Blends BV has been awarded a US patent for high level hydrous ethanol fuel blends between 60% and 95% with an eye on the E85 market. The company already commercializes 15% hydrous ethanol blends at the pump in the Netherlands and has expanded to several other countries as well. Sister company […]

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Illinois State researcher gets funding to develop pennycress genetic resources

Illinois State researcher gets funding to develop pennycress genetic resources

September 1, 2016 |

In Illinois, Illinois State Associate Professor of Genetics John Sedbrook is collaborating on a $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop genetic resources that can be used to rapidly domesticate field pennycress as a new winter annual oilseed cover crop. Illinois State University’s portion of the grant is $367,021, […]

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Flinders and University of California Irvine team on ‘paradigm shifting’ enzyme technology

Flinders and University of California Irvine team on ‘paradigm shifting’ enzyme technology

August 31, 2016 |

In Australia, enzymes, described as the ‘engine rooms’ of the natural world, can now work up to 16 times faster thanks to ‘paradigm shifting’ technology developed between Flinders and University of California Irvine. The latest breakthrough adds to a suite of clean technology being developed by Flinders University with its novel Vortex Fluidic Device, which enables […]

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Researchers look at enzymes from fungi that could improve biofuel production

Researchers look at enzymes from fungi that could improve biofuel production

August 30, 2016 |

In Massachusetts, soil fungi secrete a wide range of enzymes that play an important role in biofuel production and bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils and water. A recent study reveals different fungal species secrete a rich set of enzymes that share similar functions, despite species-specific differences in the amino acid sequences of these enzymes. The study […]

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US Geological Survey study says biofuel crops in the Dakotas harming bees

US Geological Survey study says biofuel crops in the Dakotas harming bees

August 29, 2016 |

In Virginia, Northern Great Plains of North and South Dakota, which support over 40 percent of United States commercial honey bee colonies, are quickly becoming less conducive to commercial beekeeping as a result of land-use changes, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study published Monday. The USGS scientists found that landscape features favored by beekeepers […]

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Biodiesel from the Right Sources Can Burn More Cleanly than Regular Diesel: Report

Biodiesel from the Right Sources Can Burn More Cleanly than Regular Diesel: Report

August 28, 2016 |

In California, the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium at San José State University released a study on the generation of various pollutants during low-temperature combustion (LTC) of several types of biodiesel in comparison to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD).The researchers found that biodiesel may have the advantage of reducing the size and number of soot particles emitted. […]

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University of Michigan study says biofuel worse than fossil fuels while Growth Energy hits back

University of Michigan study says biofuel worse than fossil fuels while Growth Energy hits back

August 25, 2016 |

In Michigan, new study from University of Michigan researchers challenges the widely held assumption that biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are inherently carbon neutral. Contrary to popular belief, the heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas emitted when biofuels are burned is not fully balanced by the CO2 uptake that occurs as the plants grow, according to […]

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