Oct
17
Where More Biofuel Crops Can Be Grown
October 17, 2011 | 1 Comment
Matt Johnston, from the University of Minnesota and his colleagues have produced a global map that identifies areas of low-yielding biofuel crops whose productivity could be increased through intensification opening a new set of questions and issues. The map shows that there is huge potential for increasing biofuel production without increasing its area footprint. However, […]
Sep
7
On the Enzyme Hunt
September 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Ashli Brown, Ph.D. and colleagues, including graduate student Candace Williams at Mississippi State University have taken the hunt for enzymes to break out the sugars from the super-tough plant material known as lignocellulose in switch grass, corn stalks and wood chips to the Giant Panda. The panda digestive tract contains bacteria with potent effects in […]
Mar
31
Using Protein and Bacteria to Make Renewable Petroleum
March 31, 2011 | 1 Comment
University of Minnesota researchers, with a breakthrough from graduate student Janice Frias of figuring out how to use a protein to transform fatty acids produced by bacteria into ketones that can be cracked to make hydrocarbon fuels has the university filing patents on the process. The ink is barely dry. U of M researchers have […]
Mar
4
Algae Based Butanol Production Gains Working Processes
March 4, 2011 | 4 Comments
This week two new algae process paths made it out into view. One deals with algae directly producing butanol and the other is a growth process for algae that exploits an already concentrated algae growth medium with innovative processing. First and simplest, and likely most easily adoptable is from a team of chemical engineers at […]
Jan
31
Making Fungus Make New Biofuels
January 31, 2011 | 5 Comments
Sandia National Laboratories’ biochemist Masood Hadi says the beauty of the endophytic fungi is there is no need for the cost-intensive industrial processes that are typically required to break down biomass. “These things can turn crystalline cellulosic material directly into fuel-type hydrocarbons without any mechanical breakdown.” If this can be made to work and grown […]
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