BESC, Mascoma develop revolutionary microbe for biofuel production
Biofuels pioneer Mascoma LLC and the U.S. Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center have developed a revolutionary strain of yeast that could help significantly accelerate the development of...
View ArticleBetter switchgrass, better biofuel
Using switchgrass to produce biofuel is one way to decrease the United States' dependence on oil, but growing it and making it profitable can be complicated.
View ArticleUnlocking lignin for sustainable biofuel
Turning trees, grass, and other biomass into fuel for automobiles and airplanes is a costly and complex process. Biofuel researchers are working to change that, envisioning a future where cellulosic...
View ArticleResearch finds supplements help yeast survive, boosting biofuel production
Chemical engineers and biologists at MIT have found a simple way to make yeast produce more ethanol from sugars: Spike the mixture they're growing on with two common chemicals. Adding potassium and an...
View ArticleArgonne works with marine industry on new fuel
The battle for cleaner, greener fuels isn't fought solely on land - America's rivers, lakes and surrounding seas are home to 17 million recreational boats keeping more than 75 million weekend warriors...
View ArticleNew study highlights environmental, economic shortcomings of federal biofuel...
The federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its overreliance on corn ethanol has created additional environmental problems in its 10-year history, resulting in unmet targets for cutting air...
View ArticleEnergy-efficient reaction drives ORNL biofuel conversion technology
A new study from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory explains the mechanism behind a technology that converts bio-based ethanol into hydrocarbon blend-stocks for use as fossil fuel...
View ArticleStudy shows how crop prices and climate variables affect yield and acreage
When corn prices increase farmers reap higher yields by making changes. According to a recent University of Illinois study, about one-third of the yield increase derives from more intensive management...
View ArticleMore efficient way of converting ethanol to a better alternative fuel
Ethanol, which is produced from corn, is commonly-used as an additive in engine fuel as a way to reduce harmful emissions and scale back U.S. reliance on foreign oil. But since ethanol is an oxygenated...
View ArticleBrazil pins renewable energy hopes on second generation ethanol
Brazil thinks it has the sweet solution to ridding the world of reliance on fossil fuels for cars and other vehicles: sugar cane ethanol 2.0.
View ArticleSecond-generation biofuels can reduce emissions, study says
Second-generation biofuel crops like the perennial grasses Miscanthus and switchgrass can efficiently meet emission reduction goals without significantly displacing cropland used for food production,...
View ArticleResearchers develop first high-gravity, one-pot process for producing...
The falling price of gasoline at the pumps may warm the hearts of consumers but it chills the souls of scientists who recognize that humankind must curtail the burning of fossil fuels to reduce the...
View ArticleBest regions for growing bioenergy crops identified
New research has identified regions in the United States where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing effects on water quantity and quality.
View ArticleBetter use of entire biomass of willow
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University investigated how willow biomass can be utilised more efficiently. When processed correctly, willow is eminently suitable as a source of...
View ArticleBiological wizardry ferments carbon monoxide into biofuel
Cornell University biological engineers have deciphered the cellular strategy to make the biofuel ethanol, using an anaerobic microbe feeding on carbon monoxide - a common industrial waste gas.
View ArticleNew research could make ethanol production more efficient and economic
New research at the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus could significantly change ethanol production by lowering operating costs...
View ArticleFood scientist aiding fuel ethanol with new engineered bacteria
For James Steele, moving from the small fermenters where microbes make cheese, wine and beer to the multimillion-gallon tanks where corn is converted to ethanol was a natural progression.
View ArticleVideo: This is your brain on alcohol
It's almost time to ring in 2017. And since most New Year's celebrations include alcohol, Reactions' latest episode explains the chemistry behind its effects - drunkenness, frequent bathroom breaks and...
View ArticleDual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production, increase profits
Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When supplies run out, biorefineries shut down for the other five...
View ArticleScientists engineer sugarcane to produce biodiesel, more sugar for ethanol
A multi-institutional team led by the University of Illinois have proven sugarcane can be genetically engineered to produce oil in its leaves and stems for biodiesel production. Surprisingly, the...
View ArticleBacteria take a deadly risk to survive
Bacteria need mutations—changes in their DNA code—to survive under difficult circumstances. When necessary, they can even mutate at different speeds. This is shown in a recent study by the Centre of...
View ArticleTeam demos potential environmental sustainability benefits in full life cycle...
Numerous studies have raised critical concerns about the promise of corn ethanol's ability to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Some of the studies have suggested that...
View ArticleWaste not, want not: Byproduct of ethanol industry makes suitable cattle feed...
Making a living raising cattle isn't as simple as just buying a herd and turning it out to pasture. Cattle require specific diets to maintain proper nutrition and weight gain. And how to do this in the...
View ArticleCutting the cost of ethanol, other biofuels and gasoline
Biofuels like the ethanol in U.S. gasoline could get cheaper thanks to experts at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Michigan State University.
View ArticleTiny particles increase in air with ethanol-to-gasoline switch
The concentration of ultrafine particles less than 50 nanometers in diameter rose by one-third in the air of São Paulo, Brazil, when higher ethanol prices induced drivers to switch from ethanol to...
View ArticlePotato waste processing may be the road to enhanced food waste conversion
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...
View ArticleNew method makes bioethanol from waste in existing plants
It is possible to produce bioethanol from agricultural and industrial waste in existing plants in a socioeconomically sustainable way. A research project has been carried out by doctoral student...
View ArticleNew solvent contributes to next-generation biofuel production from biomass
Compared to first-generation biofuels produced from food crops, production of second-generation biofuels for daily use is an urgent issue. In this study, researchers developed a novel carboxylate-type...
View ArticleScientists turn beer into fuel
Chemists at the University of Bristol have made the first steps towards making sustainable petrol using beer as a key ingredient.
View ArticleNew sorghum cultivars can produce thousands of gallons of ethanol
Sweet sorghum is not just for breakfast anymore. Although sorghum is a source for table syrup, scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel. That...
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