In Colorado, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a fully integrated process to produce a promising precursor for diesel and jet fuel from lignocellulosic biomass, and for less expense than the selling price of the same material from petroleum. The process established by NREL researchers is energy-efficient and results in a 50% […]
In the Netherlands, Wageningen University & Research and its partners developed a new type of aviation fuel that is produced using bio-based waste streams from the agriculture industry. The new type of fuel is based on a mixture of acetone and alcohol. While it does not yet meet all requirements, it is getting close. The […]
In New Hampshire, a Dartmouth Engineering Professor will lead new research funded by a $1.2 million, three-year grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to investigate the use of biomass to produce next-generation fuels and chemicals. The researchers’ goal is to use C. thermocellum, a type of bacteria that is a promising candidate for […]
In Louisiana, each day, many of the products we use, whether we know it or not, are produced from natural gas or crude oil using carbon- and energy-intensive processes. But what if we could make those same products using CO2, thereby drastically reducing or even eliminating our carbon footprint? That is the ultimate goal of […]
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis to: Benjamin List, Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung David W.C. MacMillan, Professor at Princeton University Background on the Award The rapid expansion in the use of organic catalysts is primarily due to their ability to drive […]
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest up more than $130 million in sustainable agricultural research projects aimed at improving a robust, resilient, climate-smart food and agricultural system. This investment is made under the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program. This innovative program focuses on a broad base of […]
In Tennessee, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory team has successfully introduced a poplar gene into switchgrass, an important biofuel source, that allows switchgrass to interact with a beneficial fungus, ultimately boosting the grass’s growth and viability in changing environments. Scientists observed the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor as it enveloped the plant’s roots. This behavior, not […]
In Ohio, in a new study published in the journal Applications in Plant Sciences, scientists obviate the need for specimen staining by tapping into the natural autofluorescence of tissues in species across the plant tree of life. When certain tissue types in both plants and animals absorb light, electrons in their atoms get a jolt […]
In Illinois, Argonne National Laboratory researchers, funded by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and DOT’s Maritime Administration, showed through a new study that biofuels can significantly reduce shipping emissions – between 40 and 93 percent when compared to conventional heavy fuel oil – while remaining cost-effective. The study used publicly available datasets in ANL’s Greenhouse gases, […]
In Pennsylvania, controlling carbon release into the atmosphere will reduce carbon dioxide and slow global warming, but could there be unintended consequences for human health? Now, thanks to a three-year grant of about $400,000 from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State will investigate potential positives and negatives of decarbonization. The researchers aim to […]
