Scientists have developed a new class of energy-dense biofuels based on one of nature’s most unique molecules

04-Jul-2022

Converting petroleum into fuels involves crude chemistry first invented by humans in the 1800s. Meanwhile, bacteria have been producing carbon-based energy molecules for billions of years. Which do you think is better at the job? Well aware of the advantages biology has to offer, a group of ...

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BioMates runs validation-scale production

06-Apr-2022

In the EU-funded project BioMates, the overall production process is now established and running on a validation scale. After producing 1000 kilograms of bio-oil in a test facility for the first time last year, this was another important step for achieving the project’s goal to establish a ...

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Scientists explore a genetic sensor of blue light to double oil productivity in industrial microalgae

01-Apr-2022

Microalgae, algae that cannot be seen by the naked eye, absorb carbon dioxide and produce oils that can be used as biofuels. These biofuels, which can be carbon negative, offer promise as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. However, the biological processes that allow these microalgae to ...

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Spectroscopy method enables future opportunities for looking at complex biomolecules in different plants

08-Feb-2022

As the world searches for and demands more sustainable sources of energy and materials, plant biomass may provide the solution by serving as a renewable resource for biomaterials and biofuel production. However, until now, the complex physical and chemical interactions in plant biomass have been ...

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More than 99 percent of the most widely produced chemicals aren’t sustainable

04-Feb-2022

For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich have calculated in absolute figures the extent to which the production of chemicals is currently interfering with nature worldwide – and the results are staggering. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the new method also takes land use and ...

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Genetically engineered E. coli eat glucose, then help turn it into molecules found in gasoline

24-Nov-2021

It sounds like modern-day alchemy: Transforming sugar into hydrocarbons found in gasoline. But that’s exactly what scientists have done. In a study in Nature Chemistry, researchers report harnessing the wonders of biology and chemistry to turn glucose (a type of sugar) into olefins (a type of ...

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19-Aug-2021

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a bioprocess using engineered yeast that completely and efficiently converted plant matter consisting of acetate and xylose into high-value bioproducts. Lignocellulose, the woody material that gives plant cells their ...

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Water in zeolites saves energy in the conversion of biomass into biofuel

06-Jul-2021

Zeolites are extremely porous materials: Ten grams can have an internal surface area the size of a soccer field. Their cavities make them useful in catalyzing chemical reactions and thus saving energy. An international research team has now made new findings regarding the role of water molecules ...

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Millions of litres of primary municipal wastewater can be treated sustainably using fast-growing willow trees while also producing renewable bioenergy and ‘green’ chemicals

29-Jun-2021

Every year in Canada, six trillion litres of municipal wastewater are partially treated and released into the environment, while another 150 billion litres of untreated sewage are discharged straight into pristine surface waters. Now researchers have found a way to stem that flow: by filtering ...

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30-Apr-2021

The discovery of a novel enzyme that releases a valuable chemical from agricultural waste could provide an important breakthrough in the upscaling of renewable fuels and chemicals, a new study shows. Researchers - led by the University of York - have discovered an enzyme in a fungus which can act ...

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