Category: Research

Commodity eco-certification skyrockets

Commodity eco-certification skyrockets

May 1, 2014 |

In Canada, a new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST), Environment and Trade in a World of Interdependence (ENTWINED) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) says that commodities certified under sustainability schemes jumped 41 percent in 2012 […]

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Wisconsin research project to create cellulosic ethanol from dairy waste

Wisconsin research project to create cellulosic ethanol from dairy waste

April 30, 2014 |

In Wisconsin, Accelerated Renewable Energy (ARE) project located a 5,000 head dairy farm will build a biorefinery set to produce biogas, fertilizer and even cellulosic ethanol from manure. A $7 million grant from the USDA Biomass Research and Development Initiative is partially funding the project in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, local agencies and […]

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Northwestern study shows lower ozone, higher CO, NOx in Sao Paulo in shift to gasoline

Northwestern study shows lower ozone, higher CO, NOx in Sao Paulo in shift to gasoline

April 29, 2014 |

In Indiana, a Northwestern University study by an economist and a chemist reports that when fuel prices drove residents of São Paulo, Brazil, to mostly switch from ethanol to gasoline in their flexible-fuel vehicles, local ozone levels dropped 20 percent. At the same time, nitric oxide and carbon monoxide concentrations tended to go up. The […]

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Researcher to receive R&D award from paper industry

Researcher to receive R&D award from paper industry

April 28, 2014 |

In Georgia, Dr. Junyong Zhu will receive 2014 Research and Development Technical Award from TAPPI, the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and converting industries. This award is given for outstanding accomplishments or contributions which have advanced the technology of the paper and related industries in the field of research and development. […]

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University of Nebraska corn stover study slammed by USDA, ACORE, POET, and more

University of Nebraska corn stover study slammed by USDA, ACORE, POET, and more

April 27, 2014 |

In Nebraska, renewable experts, the EPA, and the research community alike have disputed a recent University of Nebraska study which concluded that fuel produced from cellulosic ethanol from corn residue could result in 7% more greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline in the short term. According to critics, the study was conducted under highly unrealistic conditions: […]

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European Bioenergy Research Institute develops Pyroformer

European Bioenergy Research Institute develops Pyroformer

April 24, 2014 |

In the UK, as fuel prices continue to increase, researchers from the European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University in Birmingham, have developed an innovative bioenergy solution that uses waste products to generate cost-effective heat and power and that could reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. The market opportunities of the equipment – […]

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OriginOil teams with Catalina Sea Ranch to research off-shore algae production

OriginOil teams with Catalina Sea Ranch to research off-shore algae production

April 23, 2014 |

In California, OriginOil will provide its demonstration-scale EWS Algae Model 12 system to Catalina Sea Ranch, which will use it to treat incoming seawater and harvest algae to feed its shellfish nursery and selective breeding program. Catalina Sea Ranch will provide independent data on the efficiency and use of the machine, and will give OriginOil access to […]

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Carnegie researchers create tool to ID photosynthesis genes

Carnegie researchers create tool to ID photosynthesis genes

April 23, 2014 |

In California, researchers at the Carnegie Institute for Science team including developed a highly sophisticated tool that will transform the work of plant geneticists by making large-scale genetic characterization of Chlamydomonas mutants possible for the first time. Their work is published by The Plant Cell. Their tool is a major step forward in the goal […]

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University of Nebraska-Lincoln says GHG of stover ethanol worse than gasoline

University of Nebraska-Lincoln says GHG of stover ethanol worse than gasoline

April 21, 2014 |

In Nebraska, using corn crop residue to make ethanol and other biofuels reduces soil carbon and can generate more greenhouse gases than gasoline, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The findings by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln team of researchers cast doubt on whether corn residue can be used to meet federal […]

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USDA researchers simplify pyrolysis process

USDA researchers simplify pyrolysis process

April 17, 2014 |

In Pennsylvania, innovations at the USDA are bringing researchers one step closer to developing “green” biofuel production systems farmers can use to meet on-farm energy needs, or to produce renewable fuels for commercial markets. The researchers modified the standard pyrolysis process by gradually replacing nitrogen gas in the processing chamber with the gases produced during pyrolysis. […]

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