In Minnesota, using one of the largest supercomputers in the world, a team of researchers led by the University of Minnesota has identified potential materials that could improve the production of ethanol and petroleum products. The discovery could lead to major efficiencies and cost savings in these industries. The University of Minnesota has two patents […]
In Wisconsin, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), one of the Department of Energy’s three bioenergy research centers, has celebrated the filing of its 100th patent application. Since 2011, GLBRC has reported inventions at a rate that exceeds expectations for a university entity of its size and funding level by 50 percent. Reflective of […]
In Ghana, the Technical University of Denmark, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research are launching Africa’s first algae biofuels project with the aim of helping to secure the country’s coastline. The project that will cultivate seaweed as feedstock will use locally available enzymes for processing.
In California, researchers from the DOE JGI and the Joint Bioenergy Institute identified genes in an E. coli microbial metabolism pathway that could improve the production of terpenes. Terpenes are high-energy compounds produced in microbes and plants that could be used for producing biofuels. Enhancing terpene yields could lead to commercial-scale production of these biofuels.
In the UAE, based on research at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) announced it is awarding a contract to International Mechanical & Electrical Co. L.L.C. (IMECO) to construct the world’s first bioenergy pilot project to use desert land – irrigated by seawater – to produce both bioenergy […]
In Belgium, biodiesel made from animal fat reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85% compared to fossil fuels. This exceptional figure has been confirmed by the findings of a recent study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) in Heidelberg. The methodology underlying this calculation was examined by the IFEU as part of a study commissioned […]
In South Dakota, a new white paper details the impact technology innovations have had on the accuracy of carbon intensity modeling for biofuels, resulting in dramatic improvement in the low carbon value of corn-based ethanol. The white paper, written by Ron Alverson, President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Board of Directors, also criticized […]
In Illinois, a new version of an online tool created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory will help biofuels developers gain a detailed understanding of water consumption of various types of feedstocks, aiding development of sustainable fuels that will reduce impact on limited water resources. The newest version of the Water Assessment […]
In the UK, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is leading a European collaborative project that aims to transform food waste into a sustainable source of significant economic added value, namely graphene and renewable hydrogen. The project titled ‘PlasCarb’ will transform biogas generated by the anaerobic digestion of food waste using an innovative low energy […]
In Germany, Freudenberg-NOK recently completed a series of studies on how ethanol, methanol, lubricants and biodiesel fuel-oil blends impact the molecular structure and performance of various elastomeric sealing materials. It has also collaborated with a major customer on analyzing how exhaust fuel-oil condensate affects vehicle seals. Information generated by this research is crucial to understanding […]
