In North Carolina, the North Carolina AT&T State University has launched a five-year project to research the development of advanced thermochemical biomass conversion technology. The research will particularly focus on the production of syngas from gasification and nanocatalysts for the conversion of syngas to bioethanol. The project is funded by a $5m grant from the […]
In Pennsylvania, a team of Penn State entomologists have demonstrated that biopesticides — naturally occurring microorganisms — might provide an answer to this pest problem. According to Nina Jenkins, senior research associate in entomology, preliminary bioassays on the effects of Beauveria bassiana — a natural fungus that causes disease in insects — on bedbug control […]
In Singapore, researchers from the A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences have created a combination of acids that could make financially feasible the hydrolyzing of empty fruit bunches after the palm oil has been extracted.
In the UK, five Scottish universities will coordinate a $2.5 million fund coming from the European Regional Development Fund, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise that will promote innovation targeted at SMEs to exploit existing and future biofuels research commercially, as well as to conduct feasibility studies. More on the story.
In Washington, more than 200 scientists sent a letter last month to the EPA, DOE and USDA asking them not to promote the use of Giant Reed, Arundo donax, because of its invasiveness as a species. Several trials are taking place across the country to use the plant as a coal replacement or as feedstock […]
In California, research has induced that ethanol aquatic spills are potential more dangerous to aquatic life than traditional gasoline, as ethanol-based liquids mix actively with water, according to the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics. The research, presented last week in San Diego, has calculated the spread of ethanol into water based on a […]
In Delaware, as part of a five-year, $50,000 grant supporting state greenhouse gas reduction projects, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute has partnered with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to create an education and outreach pipeline, as well as training, for the next generation of scientists and Delawareans as part of a sustainable […]
In California, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified a gene in rice plants whose suppression improves both the extraction of xylan and the overall release of the sugars needed to make biofuels. The newly identified gene – dubbed XAX1 – acts to make xylan less extractable from plant […]
In Illinois, a researcher from the University of Illinois at Chicago teamed with Novozymes on a paper that proposes a new way to calculate indirect land use change that has the ability to isolate the climate impact of biofuels-related land use changes from other land use.
In Wisconsin, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have streamlined the process used to produce chemicals and biofuels from cellulosic feedstock, eliminating costly pretreatment steps that can account for up to 30% of cellulosic ethanol production costs.
