Category: Research

University of Kansas algal biomass process yields higher proportions of biochar

February 18, 2013 | Isabel Lane

In Kansas, University of Kansas has tested a hydtrothermal liquefaction integrated wastewater algea-to-biocrude process for cultivating algal biomass. The study influenced liquefaction product distribution to yield a higher proportion of biochar, a valuable co-product. “HTL uses subcritical water as the chemical driving force to convert biomass to a carbon-rich biocrude. Using microalgal feedstocks, biocrude yields […]

65 percent of Americas say climate change is a “Serious problem”

February 14, 2013 | Jim Lane

In Washington, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that in a national poll, 65 percent of Americans think that climate change is a serious problem and a substantial majority support President’s Obama using his authority to reduce its main cause, dangerous carbon pollution. The poll found that 60 percent of Americans support the president using […]

Agriculture Canada gives Alberta beet farmers $600,000 for biofuels study

February 13, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In Canada, the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers Association has received a $600,000 grant from Agriculture Canada to do a study looking at whether ethanol production from sugarbeet makes sense for the province. In addition to biofuel, the study will also look at the commercial viability of bio-glycol production.

Brookhaven scientists devise scheme to keep enzymatic reaction going

February 12, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In New York state, scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes—long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct replacement for the hydrocarbons in gasoline—have figured out why the natural reaction typically stops after three to five cycles. Armed with that knowledge, they’ve devised a strategy to keep the reaction going. The biochemical details—worked out […]

University of Aberdeen leads EU research team on ocean-based biofuels

February 11, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In the UK, an international research team led by the University of Aberdeen is hoping to make biofuels out of microscopic algae found in the world’s oceans and seas. Currently biofuels are created from crops and land-based vegetation – something project coordinator Dr. Oliver Ebenhoeh, from the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Complex Systems and […]

Brookhaven Lab boosts potential of alkane-producing enzyme

February 11, 2013 | Isabel Lane

In New York, scientists have been investigating an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes and have discovered a method to lengthen the natural reaction. Said biochemist John Shanklin, “biologically produced alkanes could be extracted and used directly of fuel.” The scientists, stationed out of Brookhaven National Laboratory, are currently working on installing the enzyme into algae […]

US ethanol production reaches 13.3B gallons for 2012

February 7, 2013 | Jim Lane

In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association and Cardno-ENTRIX reported that domestic ethanol production reached an estimated 13.3 billion gallons — the second highest annual production level in history amidst the nation’s worst drought in 50 years. According to the analysis, ethanol production directly employed 87,292 Americans. An additional 295,969 Americans found work in positions indirectly affiliated […]

UGA researchers find unknown link between plant sugars

February 6, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In Georgia, researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered a connection between two different types of cell wall glycans (sugars) and a specific cell wall protein known as arabinogalactan protein. This connection is not known to exist and does not conform to the commonly held scientific definitions of plant cell wall structure. What they […]

Vietnamese research shows promise in fish waste as biodiesel feedstock

February 5, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In Vietnam, the Saigon Times reports that Hiep Thanh Seafood Processing Corporation has been successful in producing biodiesel from catfish waste such as intestines, bones and fat as part of an EU-funded project led by Finland’s Technology Research Centre (VTT). For every million metric tons of fish coming out of the Mekong Delta every year, […]

Masdar Institute researchers looking at mangrove roots for cellulosic enzymes

February 4, 2013 | Meghan Sapp

In the UAE, researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology are screening mangrove root sediments in the UAE for novel enzymes to break down cellulose waste, a project which will include DNA mapping and interdisciplinary research to find microbes for refining cellulosic feedstocks.

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