In Michigan, whole-tree aspen logging promotes renewable biomass energy from tops and branches, parts of the tree that are often left in the forest during logging in favor of the tree’s trunk, using the residual that remains after a sustainable harvest for logs. It has long been assumed that removing the leaves and branches of […]
In Michigan, fuel retailer NUVU Fuels will make E15 – a fuel with 15 percent renewable biofuel – the standard blend available to customers at all NUVU Fuels locations beginning this summer. NUVU Fuels will offer flex vehicle owners the choice of higher biofuel blends like E85. In addition, E10 will be available at designated […]
In Michigan, Michigan State University’s Daniel Ducat, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received $1,033,970 from NSF’s Division of Systems and Synthetic Biology Early CAREER Faculty Awards to investigate the fundamental interactions that underpin resilient microbial partnerships and may be key to solving some of the earth’s biggest resource challenges. Ducat’s team […]
In Michigan, close genetic analysis of 480 blue mallee eucalyptus plants provides clues to modify cultivars for greater yield, whether for essential oils or jet fuel. In particular, Michigan State University researchers are studying terpenes, organic compounds found in the plant’s leaves. Terpenes enable certain species that produce them (mostly plants, but also some insects) […]
In Michigan, researchers from Michigan State University have investigated the genetic basis of variation in oil yield in blue mallee, a eucalyptus native to Australia. This will allow for a faster and more efficient domestication, making the production of renewable fuels from eucalypt plantations more feasible. One reason for the interest in eucalyptus oil is […]
In Michigan, yeasts are complex organisms that may become the workhorses of biofuel production. To move yeasts into this larger role, scientists need to understand the genetic machinery that leads to the production of complex molecules like the iron-binding molecule pulcherrimin in budding yeasts. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists revealed a four-gene cluster associated […]
In Michigan, in early December 2018, VERBIO North America terminated the agreement it had entered into to purchase a 159-acre parcel owned by Mrs. Myrtle Posey located at the southeast corner of N. Meridian Road and E 110 Avenue N. The site was selected, following a detailed search that lasted approximately 3 months, because it […]
In Michigan, scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Science Center investigated how five different feedstocks affected process and field-scale ethanol yields. Two annual crops (corn stover and energy sorghum) and three perennial crops (switchgrass, miscanthus, and restored prairie) were pretreated using ammonia fiber expansion, hydrolyzed, and fermented separately using yeast or bacteria. They found that […]
In Michigan, Sylvatex Inc. and Trucent recently announced successful scale up and blending of MicroX renewable blendstock from an optimized distillers corn oil (DCO) to free fatty acid (FFA) hydrolysis process. The scale up followed completion of development, construction and operation of a pilot system that was undertaken as part of the joint development agreement […]
In Michigan, with $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, University of Michigan researchers aim to make the long-touted promise of algae as a biofuel source for diesel engines into a reality. Their goal: create biofuels that work with existing diesel engines and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent, compared with normal diesel […]
