In Colorado, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the way a new process using light to reduce dinitrogen in ammonia could inspire the development of more sustainable processes for ammonia production. According to the study, photochemical (photon) energy can serve as a substitute for the adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)-dependent electron transfer mechanism […]
In Mexico, researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in collaboration with the University of Newcastle have determined the country is idea for growing microalgae as biodiesel feedstock. Chlorella, scenedesmus and Desmodesmus are native to Texcoco Lake and can be grown in just one day and processed into biodiesel in three hours. Researchers are […]
In Washington, using a microwave and catalyst-coated beads, scientists have devised a new way to convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel that could make it more affordable. They report how they did it in ACS’ journal Energy & Fuels. Biodiesel has many advantages over traditional fuels. It is renewable, biodegradable and emits less carbon dioxide. […]
In California, a team led by researchers from University of California, Berkeley and including researchers from the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, have described cassava’s genetic diversity in an April 18, 2016 advanced online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology. As cassava roots contain 20-40% starch that costs […]
In Minnesota, polyurethanes in products from cushy sofas to stretchy spandex have made sitting, sleeping and walking more comfortable. But once they have served their purpose, most of the non-degradable materials pile up in landfills. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Macro Letters a potential way to reduce future waste: a chemically recyclable foam […]
In California, Calysta has announced that its FeedKind protein nearly eliminates the need for water and agricultural land for production of fish feed for the aquaculture industry, according to a study from the Carbon Trust. The report provides a detailed analysis of FeedKind protein taking into account a variety of environmental sustainability criteria, and concludes […]
In Tennessee, a pair of doctoral candidates in the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, which is run jointly by UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a process to turn that lignin into a product that would aid both the earth and the people who work it, quite literally turning one […]
In Hawaii, at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Lisa Keith has spent the past 5 years fine-tuning conditions under which Chlorella protothecoides algae can be coaxed into producing oil from discarded papayas and other unmarketable crops or byproducts, like glycerol. The effort […]
In South Dakota, researchers from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology have successfully converted tomato waste into electricity, paving the way for an efficient low-cost new alternative energy source. The research findings of Venkataramana Gadhamshetty, Ph.D., and his team were presented at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in […]
In Texas, an enzyme responsible for making hydrocarbons has been discovered by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists studying a common green microalga called Botryococcus braunii. The study, published in the current issue of the journal Nature Communications, could enable scientists to use the enzyme in a plant to make large amounts of fuel-grade oil, according to […]
