Chemists unlock the key to improving biofuel and biomaterial production

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 ...

New method for identifying carbon compounds derived from fossil fuels

15-Sep-2017 - Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laboratory instrument that can measure how much of the carbon in many carbon-containing materials was derived from fossil fuels. This will open the way for new methods in the biofuels and bioplastics ...

Taking a closer look at genetic switches in cancer

24-May-2017 - Many things go wrong in cells during the development of cancer. At the heart of the chaos are often genetic switches that control the production of new cells. In a particularly aggressive form of leukemia, called acute myeloid leukemia, a genetic switch that regulates the maturation of blood stem ...

Insight into enzyme's 3-D structure could cut biofuel costs

19-May-2017 - Using neutron crystallography, a Los Alamos research team has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down polysaccharides, such as the fibrous cellulose of grasses and woody plants, a finding that could help bring down the cost of creating biofuels. The research focused ...

Genome sequence of fuel-producing alga announced

12-May-2017 - The genome of the fuel-producing green microalga Botryococcus braunii has been sequenced by a team of researchers led by a group at Texas A&M AgriLife Research. The report comes after almost seven years of research, according to Dr. Tim Devarenne, AgriLife Research biochemist and principal ...

Study IDs link between sugar signaling and regulation of oil production in plants

24-Mar-2017 - Even plants have to live on an energy budget. While they're known for converting solar energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, plants have sophisticated biochemical mechanisms for regulating how they spend that energy. Making oils costs a lot. By exploring the details of this delicate ...

University of Miami scientists find way to identify manmade biofuels in atmosphere

Tracking urban atmospheric plumes using isotopic signatures of vehicle emissions

05-Aug-2011 - Scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science have discovered a technique to track urban atmospheric plumes thanks to a unique isotopic signature found in vehicle emissions. Brian Giebel, a Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry graduate student working with ...

Major magnet grant to advance state-of-the-art in chemical analysis

Chemistry professor Alan G. Marshall to oversee $17.5 million NSF project

17-Jun-2010 - The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University is planning to build a state-of-the-art magnet system that will transform the study of complex environmental and biological samples. A better understanding of fossil and biological fuels, for example, could lead to ...

New technique can fast-track better ionic liquids for biomass pre-treatments

16-Jul-2009 - They've been dubbed "grassoline" – second generation biofuels made from inedible plant material, including fast-growing weeds, agricultural waste, sawdust, etc. – and numerous scientific studies have shown them to be prime candidates for replacing gasoline to meet our transportation needs. ...

71 projects fill DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 pipeline

01-Jul-2009 - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has selected 71 new genomic sequencing projects for its 2010 Community Sequencing Program (CSP) — a targeted sampling of the planet's biodiversity — to be characterized for bioenergy, climate, and environmental applications. JGI's ...