In Utah, two Salt Lake City high school students have invented a new way of making biodiesel, and have applied for a patent. Using leftover cooking oil from a Chinese restaurant owned by one of their parents, the students start with the traditional method of mixing oil with methanol and potassium hydroxide. Then two students […]
In Tennessee, ORNL researchers have determined that enzymes moving at the molecular level perform hundreds of chemical processes that have a ripple effect necessary for life. Previously, protein complexes were viewed as static entities with biological function understood in terms of direct interactions, but that isn’t the case The discovery was made using the Jaguar […]
In Delaware, the University of Delaware has been awarded a three-year grant of $2.2 million from the Dept. of Energy for research that will focus on genomic technology to develop microorganisms that are more resistant to toxic chemicals and engineered to withstand the stress response that can inhibit cell growth and cause cell death.
In Switzerland, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has developed a “feedback loop” between a computer and a common yeast that could help the production of biofuel from microbes by controlling biological processes such as switching on and off of specific genes. More on the story.
In Israel, researchers at Tel Aviv University have begun growing Tamarix, a botanical genus that includes salt cedar trees and is indigenous to the old-world deserts, to produce feedstock for biofuels that can survive in arid areas with poor quality water. Though Israel doesn’t have the sufficient land to produce these trees at scale to […]
In Utah, Utah State University is currently working on a portable floating algae pond that the University hopes will be scalable in the world’s large oceans or coastal regions. The one-acre pond may produce up to 3000 gallons of fuel per year.
In California, the first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed by an international team of researches that includes scientists with the Joint BioEnergy Institute. Called RiceNet, this systems-level model of rice gene interactions should help speed the development of new crops for the […]
In Maine, researchers at the University of Maine have developed a process that turn cellulosic materials and MSW into hydrocarbon fuel oil that can be used like a drop-in fuel, though it would need to be refined like any other fossil-based oil in order to meet emissions standards when used in vehicles. The process is […]
In Costa Rica, representatives from Argentina, Brasil, and Costa Rica participated in a videoconference regarding the development of jatropha plantations in Latin America. The videoconference, which was organized by the Hemispheric Program in Agroenergy and Biofuel of the Interamerican Cooperation Institute for Agriculture, focused on the perennial nature of jatropha plants, as well as the […]
In Ireland, Research and Markets will be adding to their offerings “Biofuel Consumption in Germany – Industry and Country Analysis.” The report will feature analysis of market value, market volume, buyer power, supplier power, and more as it attempts to predict Germany’s current challenges, future prospects, and risk in the biofuel sector. In addition to […]
