Search Results for 'Tobacco'

Biobased battery, starch-based gift cards, future fashion, plant-based flame retardants, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of September 5th

September 4, 2019 | Jim Lane

This week is a merry mix of biobased innovations around the world. From the creation of artificial reefs made from PLA in Israel and Spain’s starch-based gift cards to the U.S. where biobased battery materials are reality in Washington state and where flame retardants made from plants are being developed in Michigan, it’s pretty exciting […]

New BIC study shows major macroeconomic effects of bioeconomy through 2016

July 29, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Belgium, a study conducted in 2016 by nova-Institute on behalf of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) showed for the first time which macroeconomic effects are generated by the bioeconomy e.g. turnover and employment for the years 2008 and 2013. An update of the study with 2014 and 2015 data was published in April 2018. […]

Researchers find they can manufacture proteins in the field using chloroplasts

July 9, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In New York state, a team from Cornell University and the University of Illinois announced that crops can cheaply manufacture proteins inside their cellular power plants called chloroplasts—allowing the crops to be grown widely in fields rather than restrictive greenhouses—with no cost to yield. In this study, the team engineered tobacco to produce cellulase proteins […]

Gasolinegate unmasks collusion between EPA and oil industry over three decades

July 2, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Washington, three decades of inaction, neglect, and collusion with the oil industry by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has masked the true emission impacts of gasoline and caused significant harm to the public, according to a new report. EPA’s headliner stories of the day questioning ethics and integrity are just the tip of […]

Synthetic biology tools used to produce terpenoids, oil in plants

May 5, 2019 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

In Michigan, scientists at Michigan State University developed synthetic biology tools to co-produce high-value compounds in plants. The new tools allow to produce both terpenoids and oil, a biofuel resource, in plant leaves. Modern applications for terpenoids range wide, from pharmaceuticals, fragrances, nutraceuticals and biopesticides, to chemical feedstocks. Terpenoids form the largest class of natural […]

Biofuel made from roadkill, cardboard café, wheat straw transformed to isobutene, 3D printed biobricks, algae plastic, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of April 25th

April 24, 2019 | Jim Lane

The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of April 25th. In today’s Digest, biofuel made from roadkill, cardboard café, wheat straw transformed to isobutene, 3D printed biobricks, algae plastic — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online. #1 […]

New WWF report looks at opportunities for aviation biofuel production in Africa

January 31, 2019 | Meghan Sapp

In Austria, a new study, designed by IIASA researchers for conservation charity WWF, has found that while there is a small but not insignificant potential for the production of sustainable biofuels in sub-Saharan Africa, this should be prioritized for the aviation industry which has limited other options when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. The […]

Quest fulfilled? Holy Grail found? 40% crop yield increase really possible?

January 19, 2019 | Helena Tavares Kennedy

Regardless of your age, you’ve probably heard of the search for the Holy Grail, or at the very least watched Monty Python’s movie, “Holy Grail.” And while everyone is probably searching for their own holy grail, scientists in Illinois may have just gotten incredibly close to finding the treasure that any crop producer has been […]

Canadian Marijuana Legalization Day – Can Pot Save Synthetic Biology From the Next Biotechnology Crater?

October 16, 2018 | Jim Lane

By Sam Nejame Special to The Digest This Wednesday, October 17th, is Canadian Marijuana Legalization Day. For the first time Canadians will be able to legally buy pot for recreational use countrywide. Edibles, which are harder to regulate, will come later. From a Synthetic Biology perspective, it’s the infused edibles and drinks that are most […]

A factory no bigger than a molecule, now producing fuels, chemicals and materials

August 6, 2018 | Jim Lane

A team from Switzerland has come up with a black box the size of a molecule, and inside that box they can generate the precursors for fuels, pesticides and face creams with astonishing yields and simplicity. Specifically, they are making compounds that within the 50,000-molecule group known as terpenes — and if you’ve smelled a […]