In Brazil, Ceres and Raizen announced that they have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement to develop and produce sweet sorghum on an industrial scale. Sweet sorghum can be grown to complement existing feedstock supplies and extend the operating season of Brazilian sugarcane-to-ethanol mills. Under the collaboration, the companies will each contribute in-kind services and resources […]
In Sweden, Taurus Energy has held contract negotiations with a US company as it develops its XyloFerm yeast strain, which can be used for the production of second-generation ethanol. The US company produces a cheap sugar from cellulose material, producing hemicellulose as a by-product. The two companies plan on signing a Research Collaboration Agreement, under […]
In California, researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership that includes Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have found a way to increase the production of fuels and other chemicals from biomass fermented by yeast. By introducing new metabolic pathways into the yeast, they enable the microbes to efficiently ferment cellulose […]
In the UK, Imperial College researchers have used medical imaging techniques to explore why making willow trees grow at an angle can vastly improve their biofuel yields. Using micro-CT scans, the team showed that the trees respond to being tilted by producing a sugar-rich, gelatinous fibre, which helps them stay upright.
In Missouri, Arvegenix is working to domesticate pennycress in an effort to make the plant a viable biofuel crop for use in biodiesel, aviation biofuel and renewable lubricants. The two-year old start-up recently received a $100,000 equity grant from The Yield Lab, a new St. Louis-based agriculture technology accelerator program.
In California, if advanced biofuels are to replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on a gallon-for-gallon basis at competitive pricing, we’re going to need a new generation of fuel crops – plants designed specifically to serve as feedstocks for fuels. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have demonstrated the […]
In California, Lygos has successfully achieved pilot scale production of malonic acid from sugar. A versatile compound, malonic acid was identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of the “Top 30 Value Added Chemicals” to be produced from biomass-derived sugar, instead of petroleum.Lygos’ novel manufacturing technology decreases CO2emissions, eliminates toxic inputs and could […]
In Illinois, a recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne simulated a side-by-side comparison of the yields and costs of producing ethanol using miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover. The fast-growing energy grass miscanthus was the clear winner. Models predict that miscanthus will have higher yield and profit, particularly when grown in poor-quality […]
In California, researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership that includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have found a way to increase the production of fuels and other chemicals from biomass fermented by yeast. By introducing new metabolic pathways into the yeast, they enable […]
In Canada, biofuel producers in Western Canada will soon be able to purify and convert raw glycerol more cost-effectively thanks to an investment of $538,542, announced by the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. With this funding, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), led by Canada Research Chair […]
