In Senegal, the national government has included the Institute of Agricultural Research in the development of domestic biofuel policy including supervision of jatropha-based biofuel production, due to concerns over potential monoculture of jatropha, and improvement of environmental standards. It is the first time researchers have been used in policy making in the country.
In California, a UC San Diego team of electrical engineers has found that nanowires made from silicon and zinc oxide offer a cheap way to deliver hydrogen fuel on a mass scale. Using a vertical structure and branches, the vertical structures are better able to grab and absorb light compared to flat surfaces. This leads […]
In Israel, researchers from Tel Aviv University in conjunction with other universities nationwide have teamed to grow macroalgae along the coastline for ethanol production. Called the “Combined Aquaculture Multi-Use Systems,” the system feeds upon eutrophication – pollution caused by human waste and fish farming which has led to marine environmental degradation. The seaweed grown in […]
In Germany, researchers from the various universities and research institutes have joined together to form the Fuels Joint Research Group, some of whom have worked together in the past, in an attempt to initiate more joint research into alternative fuels. Exhaust gas treatment as well as environmental and health effects of fuels will also be […]
In Washington, Rabobank recently released a report on Agribusiness in Brazil and United States markets. According to the report, despite developments in Brazil’s access to the US ethanol market, the Brazilian cane industry will struggle to satisfy both its domestic and world demand because of uncertain outlook for output growth. Said David Nelson, Global Strategist […]
In Iowa, Iowa State researchers are studying methods for breaking down the crystalline structure of cellulose in plants to ease the process of breaking down cellulose into sugar. Their research, which was funded by the DOE and the National Science Foundation, has recently been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In Washington, 65 percent of algae producers said they plan to expand capacity in 2012, according to a new survey from the Algal Biomass Organization. The survey found that respondents were optimistic that algae biofuels will be commercially available and competitive with fossil fuels by 2020, with 90 percent believing that it is at least […]
In Iowa, researchers at Iowa State University have discovered genetic mutations to cellulose in plants could improve the conversion of cellulosic biomass into biofuels, partly using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as part of the study. The study also reports the cellulose produced by the mutated plant could be more efficiently processed into the sugars […]
In Canada, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador will fund the Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development to the tune of $89,500 to set up a demonstration scale facility that will produce biodiesel from fish oil. Pilot scale research used salmon and cod oils brought in from outside the province but the next round of […]
In China, researchers from China Agricultural University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences are moving into the experimental phase of their joint research to develop cassava and switchgrass for biofuel production. Crop trials have taken place in southwest China and north China with the Swedish scientists using their technology to process the feedstock.
