Scientists identify enzyme that could help accelerate biofuel production
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS at Tokyo Institute of Technology have honed in on an enzyme belonging to the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) family as a promising target for increasing biofuel production from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae. Algae are known to store up large amounts of oils called triacylglycerols (TAGs) under adverse conditions such as nitrogen deprivation. Understanding precisely […]
Biofuels from plant fibers could combat global warming
Reading Time: 2 minutesSCIENTISTS, companies and government agencies are hard at work on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In recent years, biofuels produced from corn have emerged as a fuel source to power motor vehicles and, perhaps, airplanes. But corn is problematic as a biofuel source material. It’s resource-intensive to grow, creates many environmental impacts, […]
To find new biofuel enzymes, it can take a microbial village
Reading Time: 2 minutesBerkeley Lab-led study unveils new source of robust cellulases in compost A NEW study led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), demonstrates the importance of microbial communities as a source of stable enzymes that could be used to convert plants to biofuels. […]
B10 fuelling Kuala Lumpur’s city fleet
Reading Time: < 1 minuteKuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is aiming to use B10 biofuel for all of its diesel-powered vehicles by the end of the year, according to a press release from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. DBKL’s Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department engineer Muhammad Alif Muhammad Noor said that this goal was part of the DBKL’s initiative […]
Microbe buddies convert heat- trapping methane to energy
Reading Time: 3 minutesResearchers from the Department of Energy at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have recently discovered that the ubiquitous heat-trapping methane gas can be converted into beneficial and environmental-friendly energy by simply creating a harmonious environment for two very different microbes. Per biotechnology news portal Bionity.com on April 13, the discovery published in the Bioresource Technology journal […]
From coffee-waste to biofuels
Reading Time: 2 minutesFuture Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels. Purpose-grown feedstocks (used to extract oils) for biodiesels are controversial because of their cost and the demand they place on land and water. However, spent coffee grounds, which have […]
Mitsubishi Corp and SBC explore use of algae as feedstock gears up
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEMENGOH, SARAWAK: Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will move into the next phase of a research collaboration which started in year 2012. The collaboration between MC and SBC has reached Phase 3 (Demonstration and Validation of Commercially Viable Microalgal Biomass Production Technologies) which will implement an outdoor facility to demonstrate and […]
Fuel from water hyacinth
Reading Time: 2 minutesPeople who maintain ponds and lakes will know how much of a nuisance water hyacinth is. Sure, this aquatic weed is nice to look at, but it is considered a pest in many countries. Thanks to the researchers at Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur (IIT – Kharagpur), water hyacinth – which contains up to 50 […]
…. And sunflower is Hawaii’s largest biofuel source
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHawaii’s longest operating biodiesel producer, Pacific Biodiesel Technologies is planting sunflowers as its first biofuel crop on 115 acres in Maui’s central valley. The project is the largest of its kind and the only biofuel farming operation running on 100% renewable fuel in Hawaii, showcasing the company’s sustainable, community-based model of agriculture and renewable energy.[ihc-hide-content […]