In Massachusetts, using a new robotic platform, MIT researchers can simultaneously track hundreds of microbial populations as they evolve new proteins or other molecules. Natural evolution is a slow process that relies on the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations. In recent years, scientists have found ways to speed up the process on a small scale, […]
In Wisconsin, researchers at UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Energy Institute have published a new study on how to transform the solid leftovers of cow manure into versatile chemicals called medium chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are valued because they can be used to make biodiesel to power a car or into green jet fuels. The versatile building […]
In Arizona, a team of biomedical engineering students at Arizona State University engineered microalgae to bind arsenic in water, reduce it and sequester the toxic contamination. The ASU team developed a strain of mutant algae that significantly captures arsenic in tandem with a filter system. While more than 99% of Arizonans who obtain drinking water […]
In South Korea, fuel cells that generate clean electricity by breaking down urea―a common organic molecule―could become a great resource to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, state-of-the-art catalysts for these cells require precious metals, making them prohibitively expensive for mass production. To tackle this issue, scientists from the Korean Maritime & Ocean University explored […]
In Singapore, a team of scientists from NTU Singapore and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US, has developed a ‘smart’ food packaging material that is biodegradable, sustainable and kills microbes that are harmful to humans. It could also extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days. The natural food packaging […]
In India, a team of scientists from India (Algae Research and Bioenergy Lab, Uttaranchal University; Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University; and Department of Biotechnology, Dolphin (P.G.) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences), Korea (Department of Environmental Engineering, The University of Seoul), and Russia (Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy […]
In India, the Hindustan Times newspaper reports researchers at Kurukshetra University will soon begin looking into deriving value from paddy straw for both farmers and industry thanks to a grant from Haryana state government. The three-year grant is for a project on production of microbial silicase for resolution of silica in rice straw for value […]
In Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers demonstrated a new process for transforming a plentiful Wisconsin waste – the solid leftovers of cow manure – into fatty acids, energy-rich molecules that can be used to make biodiesel, green jet fuels, and a wide range of important chemicals. Civil and environmental engineering graduate student Abel T. Ingle, […]
In Washington, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a new Request for Information (RFI) on the scale-up and demonstration of renewable fuels. The RFI, titled “Overcoming Barriers to Renewable Fuel Scale-Up and Demonstration,” seeks input from biofuels producers and technology developers about their readiness to scale process technologies to pilot- and demonstration-scale sustainable aviation […]
In Mexico, researchers at the National Technological Institute of Mexico, Morelia Technological Institute campus, have developed a prototype of a photobioreactor for optimization of the Chlorella Vulgaris microalgae for which they requested patent registration by Model of Utility before the Mexican Institute of Intellectual Property (IMPI). In addition to increasing current biomass production, it will […]
