In Washington state, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), UOP and Netherlands-based Utrecht University have found a way to understand chemical transformations occurring within zeolites. Data from the study will allow scientists to find ways to keep the factory running, as well as enhance catalysts that help produce fuel, biofuel […]
In Massachusetts, chemical engineers and biologists at MIT have found a simple way to make yeast produce more ethanol from sugars: Spike the mixture they’re growing on with two common chemicals. Adding potassium and an acidity-reducing compound helps the yeast tolerate higher concentrations of the ethanol they’re making without dying. Aided by those “supplements,” traditionally underperforming […]
The International Renewable Energy Agency reports: “More than 7.7 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable energy industry. This is an 18 per cent increase from last year’s figure of 6.5 million. The report, Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2015, also provides a first-ever global estimate of the number of jobs supported […]
In New York, Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that Clean energy investment worldwide was $53bn in the second quarter of 2015, down 3% from a revised $54.4bn in Q1 2015 but down 28% compared to the $73.6bn recorded in Q2 2014. “Global investment this year is facing headwinds from the financial markets, with the sharp […]
In Sweden, a research group at the Department of Chemistry has discovered a new aspect in enzymes that, in part, explains how enzymes manage their tasks with unmatched efficiency and selectivity. So-called high-energy states in enzymes are regarded as necessary for catalysing of chemical reactions. A high-energy level is a protein structure only occurring temporarily and […]
In Tennessee, turning trees, grass, and other biomass into fuel for automobiles and airplanes is a costly and complex process. Biofuel researchers are working to change that, envisioning a future where cellulosic ethanol, an alcohol derived from plant sugars, is as common and affordable at the gas station as gasoline. The key to making this […]
45 deals, 37 companies; deal size jumps 7 percent and Q2 2015 is 15% up over 2014 and 138 percent up over Q1. Here’s the complete skinny on who got what. In Florida, The Digest reports that 37 advanced bioeconomy ventures raised $1.328 billion in new capital in Q3 2014 through Q2 2015 for company […]
In North Carolina, the same process plants use to respond to environmental stress acts as an on/off switch for a key enzyme in wood formation, NC State researchers have found. The discovery improves scientists’ understanding of how lignin, which gives wood its strength and ability to transport water, is formed in plants and how it can […]
In Michigan, converting large tracts of the Midwest’s marginal farming land to perennial biofuel crops carries with it some key unknowns, including how it could affect the balance of water between rainfall, evaporation and movement of soil water to groundwater. In humid climates such as the U.S. Midwest, evaporation returns more than half of the […]
In Brussels, International Renewable Energy Agency released three reports today for Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, concluding that a combination of solar, wind, geothermal, marine, biomass and biofuel could meet domestic energy needs while decreasing electricity costs, increasing energy access, and boosting energy independence. Renewables Readiness Assessments offer a holistic evaluation of conditions for […]
