In the UK, a ground breaking research project by the GW4 Alliance aims to clean up water from a Cornish tin mine, using algae to harvest the precious heavy metals and produce biofuel at the same time. GW4 brings together the South West and Wales’ four leading, research-intensive universities: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Researchers […]
In China, scientists have discovered a bacteria from the guts of a worm that can degrade polyethylene in one step. The research found that at least two strains of a moth larva, known as a waxworm, have gut microbes that could degrade polyethylene without a pretreatment step. The research is being reported in Environmental Science […]
In Indiana, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has ruled against GS CleanTech in a case the company had mounted against 17 ethanol plants and manufacturers of ethanol production equipment who the company claimed had violated its corn oil patents. The judge ruled four of the company’s patents invalid because it […]
In Massachusetts, a report in MIT’s Technology Review says that falling oil prices are spelling the death knell for cellulosic ethanol. All of the cellulosic ethanol plants that came online this year were planned when oil was over $100 a barrel, compared to $70 now and $115 earlier this year. Lower oil prices could mean […]
In California, two years ago, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria to convert glucose into significant quantities of methyl ketones, a class of chemical compounds primarily used for fragrances and flavors, but highly promising as clean, green and renewable blending agents for diesel fuel. […]
In North Dakota, a discovery by researchers at North Dakota State University, Fargo, holds scientific promise that could lead to a new type of plastic that can be broken down when exposed to a specific type of light and is reduced back to molecules, which could then be used to create new plastic. The research […]
In the UK, the University of East Anglia is researching the rate of electrical transfer inside bacterial proteins to improve “bio-batteries” for portable technology such as mobile phones and laptops powered by human or animal waste. The study has found that the rate of transfer depends on the orientation and proximity of electrically conductive ‘stepping […]
In Iowa, the US agriculture secretary told the Ames Tribune that the USDA will provide Iowa State University with a $1 million grant to develop bio-based paint, coating and adhesive products based on acrylated glycerol. The grant is part of an overall $4 million research grant package for biofuels and biomaterials. The third and final […]
In the Netherlands, AkzoNobel has joined forces with SuikerUnie, Rabobank, Deloitte, Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), Groningen Seaports, and the Province of Groningen, to investigate the possibility of producing chemicals from beet-derived sugar feedstock. The parties have asked Deloitte to perform a feasibility study to provide an independent critical review and […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois have published a study identifying yield zones for three major bioenergy crops. “The unique aspect of our study is that it provides detailed information about where these crops can grow, in terms of their location and stability over time, which has not been done in the past,” […]
