In North Carolina, researchers at North Carolina State University discovered that a bacterium found in camel crickets is capable of breaking down lignin – the stuff that makes wood tough – opening new research pathways for the development of biofuels and chemical manufacturing. The study also highlights the potential inherent in using ecosystem analysis as […]
In Wisconsin, researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute have developed a strategy for employing the bacterium N. aromaticivorans to turn lignin into a more valuable commodity. This can help turn woody plants into a replacement for petroleum in the production of fuels, plastics and other chemicals. The bacterium, […]
It is said that one tree can affect the entire forest. If one tree has a pest problem or catches fire or any other plethora of issues, it can spread to neighboring trees and before you know it, you have a total wipeout. But can it work in the reverse? Can one big, beautiful tree […]
In Tennessee, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a recipe for a renewable 3D printing feedstock that could spur a profitable new use for an intractable biorefinery byproduct: lignin. The discovery expands ORNL’s achievements in lowering the cost of bioproducts by creating novel uses for lignin—the material left over […]
In Finland, Lineo by Stora Enso won ‘Best Product Innovation’ at the ICIS Innovation Awards 2018. Lineo, which was launched earlier this year and is made from lignin, can be used in a range of applications for which fossil-based materials are currently used. It is a renewable replacement for oil-based phenolic materials, which are used […]
In Washington, D.C., an international research team, including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), discovered and characterized a new family of cytochrome P450 enzymes that is critical to improving the conversion of lignin into valuable products such as nylon, plastics, and chemicals. The study outlines how the international team […]
In Virginia, last month a rocket thundered off a NASA launch pad, destined for the International Space Station. Nestled among the 7,400 lbs. of supplies was a handful of seeds designed to open new windows into our knowledge of how plants grow in space – information that could lead to growing fresh food in space […]
In California, a closed-loop biorefinery could dramatically lower the cost of biofuels and related products. In this approach, the refinery produces the solvents it needs, rather than “importing” them. Scientists at the Joint BioEnergy Institute are developing a closed-loop biorefinery concept that uses waste lignin as a potential process solvent. How? They synthesized a new […]
In California, Sandia National Laboratories scientists have demonstrated a new technology based on bioengineered bacteria that could make it economically feasible to produce things like jet fuel, pantyhose, and plastic bottles from renewable plant sources. Economically and efficiently converting tough plant matter, or lignin, has long been a stumbling block for wider use of the […]
In North Carolina, researchers at the Forest Biotechnology Group at North Carolina State University are speeding up the process of engineering trees for specific needs in timber, biofuel, pulp, paper and green chemistry applications. Scientists can now predict the effects of altering 21 pathway genes involved in producing lignin a component of wood that needs […]
