Category: Research

NREL finds little difference between E15 and E10

NREL finds little difference between E15 and E10

October 15, 2013 |

In Washington, after carefully reviewing 43 studies on the effects of E15 on engine durability, emissions, and other factors, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued a report finding that the available literature “…did not show meaningful differences between E15 and E10 in any performance category.

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Biofuels Digest SuperData Gold Access

Biofuels Digest SuperData Gold Access

October 15, 2013 |

A tool for business development, competitive analysis, and forecasting. More than 5 billion gallons in capacity being tracked. The inside scoop on the technologies, the timelines, the teams. From the most widely-read biofuels daily. Biofuels Digest SuperData Gold Access offers comprehensive data on 300+ advanced bioenergy projects, and 3000+ people working on those technologies. What […]

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UCLA researchers create synthetic glycolysis pathway

UCLA researchers create synthetic glycolysis pathway

October 14, 2013 |

In California, UCLA chemical engineering researchers have created a new synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose that could lead to a 50 percent increase in the production of biofuels. The new pathway is intended to replace the natural metabolic pathway known as glycolysis, a series of chemical reactions that nearly all organisms use to convert […]

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MIT study indicates ethanol may not lower the price at the pump

MIT study indicates ethanol may not lower the price at the pump

October 14, 2013 |

In the Energy Journal, an MIT economist has published a report saying that ethanol may not lower the price at the pump. The ‘crack ratio,’ the relative value of gasoline compared to oil, has declined recently, and many have attributed the decline to ethanol. However, the analysts argue that changing oil prices is what really […]

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University of Minnesota finds opportunities in federal agencies’ plans

University of Minnesota finds opportunities in federal agencies’ plans

October 10, 2013 |

In Minnesota, University of Minnesota scientists examine three U.S. federal agencies’ visions of how the nation could meet the targets. By comparing and contrasting the DOE’s, EPA’s and USDA’s scenarios, university scientists aim to inform the discussion on this important policy issue. What Minnesota’s role will be in reaching the biofuels standard is one of […]

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New research shows how to reduce ethanol damage to pipelines

New research shows how to reduce ethanol damage to pipelines

October 9, 2013 |

In Texas, Pipeline Research Council International, a consortium of pipeline companies, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration funded intense research to find the cause of cracking of steel in ethanol from 2005 through 2012. The fundamental mechanism of how oxygen causes cracking of steel is described in a paper […]

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Researchers engineer yeast to consume acetic acid

Researchers engineer yeast to consume acetic acid

October 8, 2013 |

In Illinois, scientists report in Nature Communications that they have engineered yeast to consume acetic acid, a previously unwanted byproduct of the process of converting plant leaves, stems and other tissues into biofuels. The innovation increases ethanol yield from lignocellulosic sources by about 10 percent.

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Edeniq gets new patent for core equipment and process technology

Edeniq gets new patent for core equipment and process technology

October 7, 2013 |

In California, Edeniq announced that the company has received notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, protecting three targeted process applications. The new patent, entitled “Materials and Methods for Converting Biomass to Biofuel,” was approved on September 4, 2013. The patent covers certain core equipment and process technology used in Edeniq’s […]

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UCLA breakthrough could increase yields by 50%

UCLA breakthrough could increase yields by 50%

October 7, 2013 |

In California, a synthetic metabolic pathway for breaking down glucose could lead to a 50% increase in the production of biofuels, according to research performed at the University of California, Los Angeles. The process converts all six glucose carbon atoms into three acetyl-CoA molecules, without losing two of those atoms as carbon dioxide. The pathway […]

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German researchers change biodiesel molecules to act more like fossil diesel

German researchers change biodiesel molecules to act more like fossil diesel

October 3, 2013 |

In Germany, researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines of the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Steinbeis-Transfer Center for Biofuels and Environmental Measuring, Coburg, and the Technology Center Automotive of the University of Applied Sciences in Coburg have changed biodiesel molecules through metathesis with the aim of changing how the […]

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