In Japan, bioplastics can be chemically recycled into nitrogen-rich fertilizers in a facile and environmentally friendly way, as recently demonstrated by scientists from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). Their findings pave the way towards sustainable circular systems that simultaneously address issues such as plastic pollution, petrochemical resource depletion, and world hunger. The team focused […]
In Washington, D.C., the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) launched the new Catalyst Property Database (CPD). The database is uniquely suited to catalyst development in biomass conversion, as it was designed specifically to handle complex adsorbates such as those found in biomass vapor streams. These features also make it useful in a wide range […]
In Canada, the goal of creating a cleaner fuel for aircraft engines is creating a spark at UBC Okanagan. A team of researchers studying the burning rate of nanomaterials in liquid fuels believe they have created a recipe for a clean-burning, power-boosting aircraft fuel. The project is a collaboration between the School of Engineering’s Combustion […]
In Missouri, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered a new way to train microbes to make a readily usable biofuel. A team of biologists and engineers modified a microbe called Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 (TIE-1) so that it can produce a biofuel using only three renewable and naturally abundant source ingredients: carbon dioxide, […]
In Illinois, one of the major challenges the world faces is how to provide sustainable sources of energy that meet societal needs as the global population continues to grow. Bioenergy crops have garnered increasing attention as a renewable energy source, but their productivity has not yet been fully realized. In a recent study, published in […]
In Russia, RUDN University chemists together with colleagues from India, Russia and South Africa showed that green microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana can be used for cleaning wastewater from a toxic pyrene. Algae absorb pyrene and at the same time change their metabolism to adapt to stressful conditions. As a result, more lipids are formed in algae, […]
In Texas, Texas A&M AgriLife research will soon evaluate the potential for canola as an alternative crop amid the West Texas region’s high-salinity water, limited irrigation and extended periods of dry weather and hopes canola production would fill demands in biofuel and food supply chains for livestock and humans. The four-year, $880,000 project is being […]
In Brazil, yellow leaf disease, a major sugarcane pest in Brazil, is caused by a virus resistant to thermal treatment. An infected plantation can be saved only by growing plantlets in tissue culture in the laboratory and planting them out, a time-consuming process that requires specialized infrastructure and personnel. According to a group of scientists […]
In Georgia, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a concept that would make Martian rocket fuel, on Mars, that could be used to launch future astronauts back to Earth. The bioproduction process would use three resources native to the red planet: carbon dioxide, sunlight, and frozen water. It would also include transporting […]
In Washington state, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed seaweed-based inks and materials for developing colorful 2-D and 3-D shapes and models. The innovation is called ArtSea Inks and Materials. The set of vivid inks—think a futuristic upgrade from yesteryear’s eight-pack of Crayola crayons—was developed using seaweed solutions bolstered with pigments that […]
