In Germany, a research team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum revealed the secret of how cyanobacteria converts CO2 which makes it possible to use the information to improve the production of sustainable fuels for example. By analyzing the molecular structure of the complex using cryo-electron microscopy in combination with computer simulations and other biochemical experiments, the team […]
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office’s Bioenergy Technology Incubator 2 project is looking at how to directly produce ‘drop in’ ready biofuel (ethyl or methyl laurate) by cyanobacteria using CO2, water, and light as the main inputs. Check out the latest results of this project like the successful production and excretion of methyl […]
Cyanobacteria are interesting little organisms. They have the highest photosynthetic efficiency of all organisms. They were the first O2 producing photosynthesizers. But the big question is how to get these natural little guys to help with bioindustrial processes and a circular economy? Just ask David Smernoff of HelioBioSys who shared this presentation about how they […]
In Sweden, researchers at Uppsala University have successfully produced microorganisms that can efficiently produce the alcohol butanol using carbon dioxide and solar energy, without needing to use solar cells. This has been presented in a new study published in the scientific journal Energy & Environmental Science. The knowledge and ability to modify cyanobacteria so they […]
In Finland, a researcher from the University of Turku has determined how the use of cyanobacteria and other tiny blue-algae interact with wastewater that not only cleans the water but also produces feedstock for biodiesel production. Of the different kinds of wastewaters tested, municipal wastewater was found to create the most fats in the bacteria […]
In Idaho, a researcher at Idaho National Laboratory has developed a way to grow blue-green algae – known as cyanobacteria – for bioenergy. The process could also help clean up water from wastewater treatment plants. Blue-green algae blooms can clog waterways around the world, from estuaries in Florida to the Mississippi River Basin to lakes […]
In Washington state, fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria might not complain about jet lag. But like humans, their physiologies adhere to a roughly 24-hour cycle of behavioral patterns in the absence of external cues. Organisms that experience recurring day and night cycles have evolved a biochemical oscillator or circadian clock. This clock determines which activities, from […]
In Germany, researchers at the University of Tübingen have discovered a natural substance that could compete with the controversial herbicide glyphosate: a newly discovered sugar molecule synthesized from cyanobacteria that inhibits the growth of various microorganisms and plants but is harmless to humans and animals. It was published in the journal Nature Communications on Friday. […]
In the UK, the University of East Anglia is searching for a first level researcher to apply machine learning approaches to investigate cyanobacterial metabolism and identify optimal pathways and metabolic fluxes for compound production. The student will test these outcomes by generating appropriate mutants and measuring growth and compound production of these strains in small […]
In Michigan, Michigan State University scientists are proposing a new way to economically produce biodegradable plastics with sunlight and help from an ancient microorganism. Researchers at the Ducat MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory took cyanobacteria, that use sunlight to naturally produce sugar, and genetically tweaked them to constantly leak that sugar into a surrounding […]
