In Washington, a group of researchers from 10 institutions led by IFPRI released a report (access the complete report here) concluding that bioenergy can actually support food security. This challenges the “fuel vs. food” argument that biofuels contribute to global hunger. The effects of bioenergy policies on food security could be strongly positive, the […]
In Finland, only biofuels meeting certain sustainability criteria are included in the European Union’s renewable energy goals and are allowed to take advantage of national support systems. In her doctoral dissertation, VTT’s Research Scientist Kati Koponen proposes several areas of development for the greenhouse gas assessment method of the criteria. Koponen has studied how a […]
In Wisconsin, a new analysis of a group of bacteria called Streptomyces reveals the way some strains of the microbe developed advanced abilities to tear up cellulose, and points out more efficient ways we might mimic those abilities to make fuel from otherwise unusable plant material. Streptomyces were long thought to be prominent contributors at […]
In Washington, energy and food security can be simultaneously improved through well-designed biofuel and bioenergy development programs, according to a report released by a team of experts from 10 institutions. The report confronts some of the public’s misconceptions about the food security impacts of biofuels, and offers clarity on the source of these perceptions. One […]
In California, harnessing the University of California’s leadership in sustainability and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Associate Director Bruce Appelgate had a bright idea: What if Scripps Oceanography at UC San Diego began using 100 percent renewable diesel fuel, or biofuel, to power its research vessels? Renewable biofuel is […]
In France, Toulouse White Biotechnology, a pre-industrial demonstrator and accelerator in industrial biotechnology based on renewable carbon, doubled its physical size, with 1700 m2 of surface area now available to accommodate new facilities and laboratories and host the numerous projects. Three new wings, of 400m2 each, are home to TWB’s technical platforms, with advanced equipment […]
In Michigan, according to a new study from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Michigan State University, the use of nitrogen fertilizer on switchgrass crops can produce a sharp increase in emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas up to 300 times more harmful than carbon dioxide and a significant driver of global climate […]
In Japan, scientists from the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan removed the electric organ from a torpedo stingray and chemically stimulated the organ by injecting a solution of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine though a syringe. They were able to achieve more than a minute of continuous current, with a peak voltage of 91 mV and […]
In Washington state, while popular catalysts called zeolites could help turn paper manufacturing waste and other biomass into fuel, the catalyst crumbles after just two days in hot water. And that’s a problem because hot water is nearly ubiquitous in biofuel production. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a team discovered that fixing broken bonds deep […]
In Oklahoma, the popular method of breaking down lignin to convert biomass into valuable biofuels and chemicals is done by using fungi. However, researchers at Oklahoma State University are turning that process on its head. As part of OSU’s BioBased Products and Energy Center, the researchers are helping develop environmentally sound biological pretreatment platforms for cost-effective […]
