Biotechnology
Seaweed would seem to an ideal source of biomass for making renewable fuels. Kelp has a high sugar content; it doesn’t need farmland or fresh water and large quantities can be sustainably harvested. Harvesting the kelp which is already growing along 3% of the world’s coastlines could potentially produce 60 billion gallons of ethanol. The problem with kelp is that its primary sugar, alginate, could not be broken down efficiently enough to produce biofuel on an industrial scale. Now, scientists from the Bio Architecture Laboratory in Berkeley, California, have genetically engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria capable of digesting … Continue Reading
Scientists at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago have reported the development of a strong and reversible sponge-like material to capture and store gaseous carbon dioxide. The main component, gamma-cyclodextrin, is a naturally occurring biorenewable sugar molecule that is derived from cornstarch. These sugar molecules are held in place by metals taken from salts such as potassium benzoate or rubidium hydroxide. It is the precise arrangement of the sugars in the crystals that causes them to capture of carbon dioxide. Dr Jeremiah J. Gassensmith, lead author of the paper said that “It turns out that … Continue Reading
A team of scientists from England’s University of East Anglia have announced in the in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. that they have discovered "the exact molecular structure of the proteins which enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge." With this knowledge, scientists can start working on technology for tethering bacteria directly to electrodes, which could lead to much more efficient microbial fuel cells or "bio-batteries". The team utilized X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of the electron-transferring proteins, which were attached to the surface of a shewanella oneidensis bacterium cell. Dr Tom Clarke of East … Continue Reading
A report from the Energy Biosciences Institute in Berkeley projects that, while algal oil production technology has the potential to produce several billion gallons of renewable fuel annually, development of cost-competitive algae biofuel production will require much more long- term research, development and demonstration. In the meantime, several non-fuel applications of algae could serve to advance the nascent industry. The replort says that the industry is still in its early gestation stage. Although well over 100 companies are now working to produce algal biomass and oil for transportation fuels, most are small and none has yet operated a pilot plant … Continue Reading
In 2000, Bruce Kania’s black dog, Rufus, jumped into a pond and came out red. Concerned for his dog and wondering what was going on, Bruce also saw a tremendous opportunity for invention, if he could develop a new and natural stewardship tool which could clean water and, in the process, improve life for all the creatures who live in it. Bruce brought together a team of engineers and plant specialists turned to the floating peat bogs of Northern Wisconsin, where world-record fish are to be found within crystal-clear waters, for inspiration: The team set about “biomimicking” these floating riparian … Continue Reading
Styrofoam is made from petroleum and is said to make up 25% of landfills. We recently wrote about a biodegradable styrofoam substitute made from mushrooms (see Are Mushrooms the New Plastic?). Now, scientists have created another biodegradable styrofoam-like material using mostly milk and clay. The research began with an accidental discovery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. A student of Professor David Schiraldi freeze-dried clay and got something intriguing enough to warrant a closer look. So, the team started mixing the clay with a variety of materials. When they added a cow’s milk protein called casein, they ended up … Continue Reading
Montana State University researchers have discovered that common baking soda, when added at a particular time in the growing cycle, can dramatically increase algae’s production of the key oil precursors for biodiesel. According to the scientists, the search for a chemical trigger to boost oil production in algae was a long and sometimes torturous journey. Not only did they have to find a chemical that would work but they had to figure out the best time to add it to the algae. If the baking soda is added too early or too late, the algae don’t respond but when added … Continue Reading
Researchers at Bristol University are investigating the possibility that developing crop plants, such as wheat, with broad shiny leaves could reflect a substantial amount of sunlight and help to reduce global warming.
Eben Mayer says that styrofoam makes up 25% of landfills. He believes that he has found an alternative to this "toxic white stuff" in mushrooms, as h e explains in this nine-minute video:
A group of 29 scientists have published an article in the prestigious Science journal arguing for the development of perennial grain crops which have been described as potentially "the biggest agricultural revolution for 10,000 years". Currently, most grain grown around the world has to be replanted after every crop. 70% of all cropland is used for annual cereals, oilseeds and legumes. Thia consumes a lot of resources and is hard on the land. The scientists argue that perennial grain, in addition to not needing replanting – saving farm machinery passing over and compacting the ground and reducing fuel consumption – … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- Dysol Aiming to Print Storage with Solar CellsAustralia's Dyesol Limited has acquired an equity stake in Printed Power Pte Ltd, a spinoff company of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Printed Power is focussing on integrating dye solar cell technology with printed storage and power management systems to … Continue Reading → […]
- CSIRO Printer Makes 10m of Solar Cells a MinuteCSIRO researchers have built a gigantic printer that spits out solar cells at a rate of about ten metres a minute. The printer system uses existing technology to embed polymer solar cells (also known as organic solar cells) in thin … Continue Reading → […]
- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted WaterScientists from Deakin University, together with French colleagues, say that they have manufactured a lightweight and reusable material that can absorb up to 33 times its weight in a wide range of spilt oils, chemical solvents and dyes, while repelling … Continue Reading → […]
- Dysol Aiming to Print Storage with Solar Cells
