In Germany, wind power turbines, catalytic converters, optical cables and plasma monitors: They all contain Rare Earth metals. Since these 17 metal elements are indispensable to modern technologies, cost and demand are constantly rising. Minable deposits are limited and production is often difficult and harmful to the environment. Recycling these resources as efficiently as possible, […]
In Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory scientists and partner Nzyme2HC are actively exploring if astronauts can use NREL’s patented ethylene-emitting cyanobacteria in closed systems to manufacture building materials on Mars. Leveraging technology previously supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, NREL scientists are pivoting the technology to the potential for Mars exploration. […]
Madonna’s lyrics “Cause we are living in a material world, And I am a material girl” come to mind when looking at the hottest innovations of the week. From a biobased car made with coconut fiber, horsehair, and flax, to cool kicks made from sugarcane and algae, we live in a material world that is […]
In Finland, researchers at the University of Turku have created a cyanobacteria biofilm that produced ethylene—a major building block of the chemical industry—for more than a month. The team genetically engineered cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to produce ethylene by inserting a gene for ethylene-forming enzyme acquired from Pseudomonas syringae. The only inputs were sunlight […]
In Germany, researchers from the Technical University Graz and the RUB were able to increase the catalytic activity of cyanobacteria and makes them more attractive for biotechnological use, where they could be used with targeted enzymes as eco-friendly and readily available biocatalysts for the production of new chemicals. Cyanobacteria, which – although they color water […]
In Germany, a group of researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has discovered that the multicellular species Phormidium lacuna can be genetically modified by natural transformation and could thus produce substances such as ethanol or hydrogen. The technique established by the researchers to modify multicellular cyanobacteria by introducing genetic information opens up a […]
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 […]
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 […]
