biofuels « Science and Enterprise

Energy Dept. to Fund $102M for Small Business Research

By Alan, on June 28th, 2012%

The U.S. Department of Energy says it will fund research projects by 104 small businesses in the U.S. to develop energy-related technologies for market. The grants, made under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, total $102 million.

The projects cover technologies applying to energy efficiency, particularly for industrial . . . → Read More: Energy Dept. to Fund $102M for Small Business Research

DARPA Awards $8 Million Synthetic Biology Contract

By Alan, on June 12th, 2012%

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded an $8 million contract to Amyris Inc. of California for tools to expand the scope of Amyris’s industrial synthetic biology technology across various biological platforms and cell types. DARPA awarded the contract under its Living Foundries research program.

With the . . . → Read More: DARPA Awards $8 Million Synthetic Biology Contract

Cellulosic Biofuel Process Close to Cost-Competitive

By Alan, on June 5th, 2012%

Switchgrass (Agricultural Research Service/USDA)

Chemical engineers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana have devised a process for producing biofuels from non-food feedstocks they say is nearly cost-competitive with fossil fuels. An economic analysis of the process developed in the lab of Purdue’s Rakesh Agrawal is described in the journal Biomass Conversion and . . . → Read More: Cellulosic Biofuel Process Close to Cost-Competitive

International Consortium Studies Corn Genome

By Alan, on June 4th, 2012%

(USDA.gov)

A collaboration of genetic and agricultural scientists from the U.S., Mexico, France, Kenya, and China have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the corn genome. The team, led by researchers from Cornell University and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and funded by USDA and National Science Foundation, published their findings online in the . . . → Read More: International Consortium Studies Corn Genome

Canadian Universities Get $22M for Automotive Research

By Alan, on May 30th, 2012%

Chevy Volt (courtesy, GM)

The AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence, a Canadian auto industry research program, will get an infusion of $22 million to fund a series of new projects at Canadian universities for the next two years. The Canadian government will contribute $10 million to the fund, with manufacturers, parts makers, . . . → Read More: Canadian Universities Get $22M for Automotive Research

Microbe Found to Survive Ionic Liquid for Biofuel Processing

By Alan, on May 15th, 2012%

Vegetation in the El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico (A. Kotok)

Researchers from the U.S. Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) of the Department of Energy have isolated a tropical microbe that can endure high concentrations of ionic liquids, the solvents used to process cellulosic biomass into economical commercial biofuels. The team led by . . . → Read More: Microbe Found to Survive Ionic Liquid for Biofuel Processing

Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases

By Alan, on April 18th, 2012%

(CA.gov)

An analysis by researchers in Europe and the U.S. indicate that large-scale biofuel production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. The findings appear online in the journal Global Change Biology/Bioenergy.

The report, an invited analysis by the journal, was led by the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in . . . → Read More: Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases

Algae Biofuel Start-Up Secures $144M for Demo Plant

By Alan, on April 3rd, 2012%

(Sapphire Energy)

Sapphire Energy in San Diego says it received the last installment of its series C financing — the third round of funding after initial start-up — valued at $144 million. The company develops biofuels from algae and bacteria, and the new financing is expected to fund a demonstration production plant in . . . → Read More: Algae Biofuel Start-Up Secures $144M for Demo Plant

Carnegie Institution Adds Four New Crop Databases

By Alan, on March 30th, 2012%

Soybean field (Agricultural Research Service/USDA)

The Carnegie Institution of Science says its Plant Metabolic Network, based in Stanford, California, has added online databases on the biochemical pathways controlling the metabolism of corn, soybeans, wine grapes, and cassava. The new additions offer a detailed view of the chemical reactions taking place in the cells . . . → Read More: Carnegie Institution Adds Four New Crop Databases

Study Shows Increased Heat Boosts Biochar as Soil Additive

By Alan, on March 23rd, 2012%

Caroline Masiello (Rice University)

A research team at Rice University in Houston, Texas has found that heating biochar — charcoal added to topsoil to enhance plant growth — to 450 degrees Celsius increases its ability to deliver water and nutrients to the targeted crops. Their findings appear online this week in the journal . . . → Read More: Study Shows Increased Heat Boosts Biochar as Soil Additive

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