A researcher from India is honored for her work to use a biodiesel byproduct to replace chemicals usually used in biodiesel production. The National Biodiesel Board and the American Cleaning Institute honored Dr. B.L.A. Prabhavathi Devi from the Centre for Lipid Research at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India with the 2013 Glycerine Innovation Award Annual Honor for using …
Producing Biodiesel from E. Coli
Researchers in the United Kingdom have figured out how to produce biodiesel from E. coli bacteria. This news release from the University of Exeter says the work with Shell Oil makes a product almost exactly the same as petroleum diesel, removing any blend limits other biodiesel forms might require: Professor John Love from Biosciences at the University of Exeter said: …
Report: More Wind & Solar = Reliable Grid
According to a new report by Synapse Energy Economics prepared on behalf of the Civil Society Institute (CSI), if the U.S. ceases to burn coal, shuts down a quarter of existing nuclear reactors the trims its use of natural gas by 2050, the resulting increased reliance on wind, solar and other renewables will not result in a less reliable electricity …
Research Turns Swine Manure into Biocrude Products
Researchers at the University of Illinois have come up with a way to turn swine manure into a biocrude oil, as well as growing algae biomass, capturing carbon, purifying wastewater and recycling nutrients. This news release from the school says Yuanhui Zhang and Lance Schideman, both professors in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, have combined their years of …
U.S.-Israel Bio-Energy Challenge Heads to DC
More than a dozen of Israel’s top academic and industrial biofuels research scientists and innovators will be arriving in Washington this week to begin a week-long dialogue with their American counterparts at the U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA), as well as with the Navy, FAA and the private sector. The group be meeting with White House officials …
How to Recover from Algal Pond Crashes
Sandia National Laboratory has developed several complementary technologies to help the algae industry in detecting and recovering from pond crashes, and is making use of the AzCATI test-bed facility to collect data and apply its technologies. The research focuses on monitoring and diagnosing algal pond health and draws upon Sandia’s longstanding expertise in microfluidics technology, its strong bioscience research program …
Green Tea Could Lead to More Green Biodiesel
Researchers have found that some of the compounds in green tea could lead to more biodiesel production. Scientists at the University of California, Davis found several compounds, including common antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate, found in green tea, and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a food preservative, boosted the oil production by green microscopic algae: “They can live in saltwater, they take …
Spanish Study Finds Microalgae for Biodiesel
There might be a variety of microalgae previously overlooked for biodiesel that is back in the renewable energy game. This article from Biofuels International says scientists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Spain have identified dinoflagellate microalgae as an ‘easy and profitable way’ of creating biodiesel: ‘If we make simple adjustments to completely optimize the process, biodiesel obtained …
Solar Homes to Test Microgrid System
Research at Missouri University of Science and Technology will use four solar homes to test a microgrid renewable energy management and and storage system. This university news release says the homes were built by students at the school, along with support from utility company representatives the Army Corps of Engineers and several Missouri businesses, at the university’s Solar Village. “Distributed …
Virginia Tech Finds Way to Get Hydrogen from Plants
Researchers at Virginia Tech have found a way to extract hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough touted as possibly bringing a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source to the world. “Our new process could help end our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and …