In Montana, a Montana State research team, publishing in Micobial Ecology and highlighed in a recent issue of Biorefining, are reporting that a fungus of Persea indica is producing cineole, benzene, naphthalene and 1-methyl-1,4 cyclohexane. Cineole – also known as eucapyptol – can be used in an 8:1 blend with gasoline, while all four molecules […]
In Washington, the journal Science, has published an article by US and Swiss researchers concerning the construction of a reactor that uses cerium heated by sunlight to produce fuel. The device uses a parabolic mirror to concentrate sunlight on cerium oxide, held in a chamber where it breaks down carbon dioxide and water into carbon […]
In Illinois, researchers from the University of Illinois, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of California and BP have discovered a newly engineered yeast strain can simultaneously consume both glucose and xylose from plants to produce ethanol. The new strain, made by combining, optimizing and adding to earlier advances, reduces or eliminates several major […]
In Germany, researchers at the German Aerospace Center have identified a way to transform biodiesel and ethanol into a hydrogen-rich gas suitable for high temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cells while on-board. They determined autothermal reforming in combination with a water gas shift reactor is the preferred option. More on the story.
In Fiji, the Fiji National University (FNU), through its College of Engineering, Science and Technology (CEST) and the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development (CATD), have signed a memorandum of undertstanding to co-operate in the fields of biofuel research, development and demonstration. More on the story.
In Massachusetts, ARPA-E chief Arun Majumdar recently highlighted Agrivida’s biofuels technology, stating that “They take the gene sequences that produce enzymes and put them in the plant itself, so when the plant grows, it produces the enzymes free of cost.” Agrivida’s research is focused on mechanisms to “switch off” the enzymes during the plant’s growth […]
In Washington, Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have found that barley grain can be used to produce ethanol, and the leftover byproducts-barley straw, hulls, and dried distillers grains (DDGS)-can be used to produce an energy-rich oil called bio-oil. The bio-oil could then be used either for transportation fuels or for producing heat and power […]
In Wisconsin, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have genetically altered yeast cells to survive higher ethanol concentrations, addressing a bottleneck in the production of ethanol from cellulosic material in quantities that could make it economically competitive with fossil fuels. They concluded that many wild strains of yeast respond to ethanol much differently than do […]
In Texas, students at the Lone Star College-Montgomery Biotechnology Institute are collaborating with the National Algae Association in developing a commercial-scale algae photobioreactor. Twenty students are working on the project, which will produce biodiesel, and the students are currently testing 25 strains of algae for performance. More on the story.
In Kentucky, a long-standing switchgrass trialing and research project from the Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council and University of Kentucky Plant and Soil Science Department is drawing to a close, but the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which partnered in the project, is expected to continue burning switchgrass for power generation. EKPC officvials said that they […]
