Category: Research

GH2 Project co-produces ethanol and acetal with green hydrogen

GH2 Project co-produces ethanol and acetal with green hydrogen

February 13, 2024 |

In Spain, Hydrogen Central reports that researchers from Horizon Europe-funded GH2 Project estimated they can produce 87 liters of ethanol from 1 kilogram of green hydrogen, which can then be converted into 72 liters of acetal. Findings from the project’s researchers was recently published in Global Challenges. Although the discovery may not be a major […]

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Texas A&M researchers discover bioenergy sorghum’s high wax production

Texas A&M researchers discover bioenergy sorghum’s high wax production

February 12, 2024 |

In Texas, already valued for its resilience, biomass production and ability to improve soil fertility, bioenergy sorghum has another attribute that researchers have recently characterized: high wax production. Plant waxes are useful across a wide scope of commercial products like cosmetics, inks and candles, and as edible food coatings and biofuels. Bioenergy sorghum’s production of […]

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Cargill grant supports University of Minnesota effort to develop new crops that produce biofuels

Cargill grant supports University of Minnesota effort to develop new crops that produce biofuels

February 10, 2024 |

In Minnesota, the University of Minnesota said that Cargill has awarded $2.5 million to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota to support research into two novel oilseed crops—winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress—that can produce seed-based oil for low-carbon transportation fuels. “Winter camelina and pennycress could be truly transformative for farmers, the […]

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Brookhaven researchers nail down key to protecting newly synthesized oil droplets

Brookhaven researchers nail down key to protecting newly synthesized oil droplets

February 8, 2024 |

In New York state, biologists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated a new way to boost the oil content of plant leaves and seeds. As described in the journal New Phytologist, the scientists identified and successfully altered key portions of a protein that protects newly synthesized oil droplets. The […]

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UC Riverside researchers lead invention of co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation

UC Riverside researchers lead invention of co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation

February 7, 2024 |

In California, a new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral.  To overcome the lignin hurdle, researchers led by the UC Riverside invented CELF, which stands for co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation. It is an innovative biomass pretreatment technology.  A […]

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German researchers work to produce e-fuels and biosurfactants from exhaust gases and wastewater

German researchers work to produce e-fuels and biosurfactants from exhaust gases and wastewater

February 6, 2024 |

In Germany, researchers asked, how can e-fuels and biosurfactants for industry be produced from exhaust gases and wastewater? An interdisciplinary consortium coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT is addressing this question in the newly launched BEFuel project. The focus is on coupled bioelectrochemical production – i.e. the combination of electrochemical synthesis and biotechnological synthesis using microorganisms. Two […]

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Belgian researchers produce glycerol carbonate in record time

Belgian researchers produce glycerol carbonate in record time

February 5, 2024 |

In Belgium, a study by the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis (CiTOS) demonstrates how glycerol carbonate, a biosourced industrial additive, can be produced in record time using CO2 and a by-product of the cooking oil recycling industry. This study, conducted in collaboration with a team from the Center for Studies and Research on […]

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Biofuels may eliminate 90% of black smoke emissions from cars, study finds

Biofuels may eliminate 90% of black smoke emissions from cars, study finds

February 3, 2024 |

In Nevada, earth.com reported that a study by the University of Malaga found that the use of biofuels could lead to a dramatic reduction of over 90% in black smoke emissions from vehicles. The research, which was a collaboration with the Future Power Systems Group of the University of Birmingham, represents a significant discovery in […]

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Aston University scientists tackle challenges of converting rice straw into biofuels

Aston University scientists tackle challenges of converting rice straw into biofuels

February 1, 2024 |

In the UK, Aston University scientists are to tackle some of the challenges of how to make inedible rice straw into the next generation of biofuels. In recent years, biofuels and biobased chemicals have been blended with petrol to create a more sustainable alternative. The Aston University researchers are to examine issues that currently hinder […]

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German researchers use synthetic biology to capture and convert CO2

German researchers use synthetic biology to capture and convert CO2

January 31, 2024 |

In Germany, synthetic biology offers the opportunity to build biochemical pathways for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2). Researchers at the Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology have developed a synthetic biochemical cycle that directly converts CO2 into the central building block Acetyl-CoA. The researchers were able to implement each of the three cycle modules […]

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