In Texas, researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have used a combination of metabolic engineering and directed evolution to develop a new, mutant yeast strain that could lead to a more efficient biofuel production process that would make biofuels more economically competitive with conventional fuels. Their findings […]
In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne tested pig diets containing 30 percent conventional DDGS (DDGS-CV), high-protein distillers dried grains (HP-DDG), or uncooked DDGS (DDGS-BPX), and compared them with a corn-soybean meal basal diet. They conducted one experiment using growing pigs and another experiment using finishing pigs to determine if the stage of […]
In Arizona, University of Arizona startup company GlycoSurf has finalized an exclusive license agreement for a new chemical synthesis technology, which was created at the University of Arizona. Prominent UA researchers Jeanne E. Pemberton and Robin Polt, both with the UA College of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, along with Raina M. Maier of […]
In Singapore, experimental analysis and computer simulations reveal new insights into the process by which ethanol produced from waste biomass can be converted into hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. These insights should aid the design of more efficient catalysts for hydrogen production. Hydrogen gas is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Today, […]
In New York state, Butamax has won another patent round against Gevo when the Patent Trial and Appeal Board rules that Butamax has demonstrated a Gevo patent for aviation biofuel was in fact not patentable, saying it was either “anticipated or obvious” compared to other patents.
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.
