Maize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research
Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production. view more (2009-11-20)
Miscounting bioenergy benefits may increase greenhouse gas release
A fixable error in the way carbon is counted in current U.S. climate legislation and in the Kyoto Protocol could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using biofuels, says a premier group of national environmental and land use scientists. view more (2009-10-23)
Strategy outlined for growing bioenergy while protecting wildlife
A study described in the October issue of BioScience identifies diverse native prairie as holding promise for yielding bioenergy feedstocks while minimizing harm to wildlife. view more (2009-10-01)
Fuels from Biomass: New Technique Can Fast-Track Better Ionic Liquids for Biomass Pre-Treatments
Understanding how ionic liquids dissolve lignocellulose will help scientists find new and better ways of producing advanced fuels from biomass
They've been dubbed "grassoline" - second generation biofuels made from inedible plant material, including fast-growing weeds, agricultural waste, sawdust, etc. - and numerous scientific... view more... (2009-07-13)
All the carbon counts
Cutting down forests for agriculture vents excess carbon dioxide into the air just as industrial activities and the burning of fossil fuels do. view more (2009-05-29)
A Genome May Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
With the costs of genome sequencing rapidly decreasing, and with the infrastructure now developed for almost anyone with access to a computer to cheaply store, access, and analyze sequence information, emphasis is increasingly being placed on ways to apply genome data to real world problems, including reducing dependency on fossil fuel. view more (2009-05-13)
Synthetic Biology Can Help Extend Anti-Malaria Drug Effectiveness
In addition to providing a simple and much less expensive means of making artemisinin, the most powerful anti-malaria drug in use today, synthetic biology can also help to extend the effectiveness of this drug. Fermenting artemisinin via engineered microbes, such as yeast, can be done at far lower costs than extracting the drug from Artemsisia... view more... (2009-03-09)
Will Large Amounts of Soil Carbon be Released to the Atmosphere if Grasslands are Converted to Energy Crops?
Grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the United States may be increasingly converted to growing bioenergy grain crops. view more (2009-02-17)
Biofuels, like politics, are local
Field work and computer simulations in Michigan and Wisconsin are helping biofuels researchers understand the basics of getting home-grown energy from the field to consumers. Preliminary results presented today suggest that incorporating native, perennial plants during biofuels production reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, improves water... view more... (2009-02-13)
Seeing the forest and the trees helps cut atmospheric carbon dioxide
Putting a price tag on carbon dioxide emitted by different land use practices could dramatically change the way that land is used - forests become increasingly valuable for storing carbon and overall carbon emissions reductions become cheaper, according to research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the... view more... (2009-02-13)
Microbes fuel energy debate
Microbes may well be the answer to our global energy crisis. By fermenting biomass to produce biofuels, they offer a possible climate-friendly solution to the anticipated shortfall in fossil fuel supply. view more (2009-01-23)
Biofuel carbon footprint not as big as feared, Michigan State University research says
Publications ranging from the journal Science to Time magazine have blasted biofuels for significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, calling into question the environmental benefits of making fuel from plant material. But a new analysis by Michigan State University scientists says these dire predictions are based on a set of... view more... (2009-01-16)
'Green' Gasoline on the Horizon
University of Oklahoma researchers believe newer, more environmentally friendly fuels produced from biomass could create alternative energy solutions and alleviate dependence on foreign oil without requiring changes to current fuel infrastructure systems. view more (2009-01-14)
U.N. Climate Change Conference considers ancient soil replenishment technique in battle against global warming
Former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin enriched their fields with charred organic materials-biochar-and transformed one of the earth's most infertile soils into one of the most productive. view more (2008-12-18)
Managing Carbon Loss
As the United States continues to develop alternative energy methods and push towards energy independence, cellulosic-based ethanol has emerged as one of the most commercially viable technologies. view more (2008-12-04)
Mandate for biofuels production requires science-based policy and global perspective
In his State of the Union Address on January 23, 2007, President Bush stated that, in order to substantially lower foreign oil imports, "We must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017." view more (2008-10-03)
MIT: Preventing forest fires with tree power
MIT researchers and colleagues are working to find out whether energy from trees can power a network of sensors to prevent spreading forest fires. view more (2008-09-22)
MSU's discovery of plant protein holds promise for biofuel production
Scientists at Michigan State University have identified a new protein necessary for chloroplast development. The discovery could ultimately lead to plant varieties tailored specifically for biofuel production. view more (2008-08-18)
Tips on how to build a better home for biological parts
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have compiled a series of guidelines that should help researchers in their efforts to design, develop and manage next-generation databases of biological parts. view more (2008-07-17)
Duckweed genome sequencing has global implications
Three plant biologists at Rutgers' Waksman Institute of Microbiology are obsessed with duckweed, a tiny aquatic plant with an unassuming name. Now they have convinced the federal government to focus its attention on duckweed's tremendous potential for cleaning up pollution, combating global warming and feeding the world. view more (2008-07-09)
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