In Pennsylvania, controlling carbon release into the atmosphere will reduce carbon dioxide and slow global warming, but could there be unintended consequences for human health? Now, thanks to a three-year grant of about $400,000 from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State will investigate potential positives and negatives of decarbonization. The researchers aim to […]
In Pennsylvania, a multi-institutional research group led by two Penn State faculty members identified, for the first time, how cellulose crystals orient themselves relative to the cell wall in plants, with potential implications for chemical and energy development. “A more detailed understanding of the structure of plant cell walls could lead to new strategies for […]
In Pennsylvania, flavonoid compounds—produced by the roots of some sorghum plants—positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers. That is important because sorghum is a crop that can respond to climate change because […]
In Pennsylvania, in discovering a mutant gene that “turns on” another gene responsible for the red pigments sometimes seen in corn, researchers solved an almost six-decades-old mystery with a finding that may have implications for plant breeding in the future. The culmination of more than 20 years of work, the effort started when, in 1997, […]
In Pennsylvania, a $1 million investment by HERO BX, an Erie-based biodiesel company, will create research opportunities for students and faculty members in the School of Science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Much of the work will be conducted in a new, 1,500-square-foot chemistry lab the company developed in the Advanced Manufacturing and […]
In Pennsylvania, WESA-FM reports that industrial hemp acres could increase by 100-fold to 5,000 acres next year from just 50 acres this year as research at Penn State looks to continues to scale up, looking at uses included biofuels and cooking oil. Research has so far shown promising results when farmers plant it after harvesting […]
In Pennsylvania, with more than two-dozen companies in Pennsylvania manufacturing potato chips, it is no wonder that researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed a novel approach to more efficiently convert potato waste into ethanol. This process may lead to reduced production costs for biofuel in the future and add extra value […]
In Pennsylvania, researchers from Penn State found a more efficient and less expensive way to convert potato waste into ethanol, which is good news for the more than 20 potato chip manufacturing companies located in the region. By adding a bioreactor of mold and yeast while breaking down potato peels and residuals from complex carbohydrates […]
In Pennsylvania, Penn State researchers are looking at how switchgrass might be successfully grown on former strip mining lands, of which there are many in the state, to help begin bringing life back and providing value from biofuel or ethanol at the same time. After reviewing test results and his colleagues’ recommendations, the lead connected […]
In Pennsylvania, Penn State Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Yuan Xuan and researchers at Yale University will work together to identify clean-burning biofuels for next-generation internal combustion engines thanks to a $1.2 million award from the Energy Department’s Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines Initiative (Co-Optima). The project is part of Co-Optima’s ground-breaking research in powertrain technology […]
