biofuels Archives – The Green Optimistic

Scientists Fix the Process of Photosynthesis

Mila Luleva — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 14:10:26 +0000

Scientists discovered a way to fix one of nature’s biggest flaws. They improved the process of photosynthesis and demonstrated huge boost in biomass production. Did you know that nature’s biggest flaw is related to photosynthesis? One of the most crucial natural processes that could assist us in mitigating climate change, is failing. How? Well, apparently […]

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Hardwood Genes Improve Softwood Biofuel Potential

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:00:54 +0000

Yesterday researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison published evidence that the environmental impact associated with processing softwoods into biomass can be greatly reduced by bio-engineering. The addition of two hardwood genes to their counterparts, softwoods, may be able to alter the weak environmental tradeoff of creating softwood-derived paper, pulp and biofuel, according […]

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Big Oil Behind Blocking Use of Ethanol? Say It Isn’t So!

Benji Jerew — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:43:39 +0000

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), higher percentages of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, are to be blended in the national fuel supply, but it seems that Big Oil might play a part in making it difficult. While fuel-efficient vehicles use less fuel overall, one might think this is […]

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Biofuels from Genetically Engineered Bacteria Struggle to Meet Lofty Expectations

Danny Harper — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:01:49 +0000

Still early in its evolution, the renewable energy industry is operating in large part on potential. With few revolutionary game-changers over the past few decades, it is the ideas of what is possible that fuel the sector. Synthetic biology is a prime example of this mindset. Through synthetic biology, scientists believe that by implementing advanced genetic engineering, and radically […]

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Petroleum Use May Drop 80% by 2050

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:55:51 +0000

US greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption for cars and small trucks may be reduced by 80% by the year 2050. A National Research Council report determined that the US can achieve this goal with continued pursuit of biofuels and hydrogen, strong government policies, and more efficient vehicles on the road. Specifically, alternative options to […]

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Nobel Laureate and Photosynthesis Expert Hartmut Michel Says Biofuels Provide No Value

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:21:51 +0000

Nobel Laureate and current director of the Molecular Membrane Biology department at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Dr. Hartmut Michel is best known for his research on photosynthesis. He is one of the foremost experts in the world on how plants turn sunlight into energy. Armed with his vast knowledge, Dr. Michel has some […]

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Biofuels Emit More CO2 Than Thought Because of Their Production Process

Guest Contributor — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:09:56 +0000

The production of biofuel is considered a bandwagon today due to its many benefits to machines as well as to the environment. However, two scientists are challenging the popular belief that biofuels are clean sources of energy. A recent commentary found in GCB Bioenergy, pulls the conclusion that the benefits of using them are overrated […]

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Wood-Breaking Enzyme Discovered in Rhodococcus Jostii, A Soil-Living Bacterium

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:47:27 +0000

A team of researchers from the Universities of Warwick and British Columbia have discovered an enzyme in a soil-living bacterium called Rhodococcus jostii which can break down lignin, a component of the woody parts of plants. Their aim is to develop methods to process biomass that doesn't compete with food crops and that also offer cheap biofuels.

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If Not Grown Wisely, Biofuels Can Emit 55 Times More CO2 Than Fossil Fuels

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:46:32 +0000

An interesting MIT study reveals that biofuels can in some circumstances generate on average 10 times more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels, depending on how they're produced. The study involved a life-cycle analysis of 14 biofuel sources.

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Four Running Men Pollute More Than a Hybrid Car, Italian Study Claims

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:01:05 +0000

Watch the chart on the left... what do you think it represents?

Did you watch it carefully enough? This represents the auto industry's top notch statistic, claiming that 4 (four) running men (the average size) pollute more than 1 (one) hybrid car (carrying its 1.2+ tons and the four men) running at a speed of 30 km/h. Do you also think that's stupid? I did, too.

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Cereplast's Algae-Based Bioplastics Reduce Petroleum Use by 50%

Cristi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:21:09 +0000

Cereplast has already developed some new technologies before, being able to make plastic from renewable materials such as corn starch, tapioca, wheat and potatoes.

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Low-Cost Way to Convert Sugarcane Juice into Useful Fuel

Mike Sandru — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:19:00 +0000

The company Amyris Biotechnologies opened a plant in Campanis, Brazil, with a capacity of more than 10,000 gallons a year, to demonstrate large-scale production of hydrocarbons from sugarcane processed using its engineered microbes, which will convert sugarcane into conventional diesel fuel.

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Microalgae Biofuel an Alternative to Crop Biofuel

Cristi — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:29:11 +0000

Using crops as a source of energy generated in the past years a great controversy. Once because we could use those crops as food for people and second because we use good agriculture lands to generate energy. But what if we could use an alternative to the crops and use smaller areas of lands to generate the same amount of energy?

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10% of Scotland's Biofuel to be Algae-based by 2020

Cristi — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:13:54 +0000

Last week Scotland's Energy Minister launched the Biomara research project to study the feasibility of microalgae and seaweed usage as alternative energy in the production of biofuels. This project aligns with the requests of having at least 10% of clean transport energy by 2020. The project is about $8 million (€6 million) worth.

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New Method for Extracting Hydrogen from Green Algae

Cristi — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:24:25 +0000

Analyzing a single-celled green alga, researchers have found a fermentation process which was not known before that can revolution hydrogen production. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a soil or fresh water single-celled alga, produces its own energy by fermentation when it has no source of oxygen.

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Korean Seaweed Biofuel not Using Usable Lands for Crops

Cristi — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:09:39 +0000

Today, most of the liquid biofuels are sugar or starch based and are obtained from crops of sugar beet, sugar cane, potatoes or corn. A problem in the future could be the lack of lands. These crops use good lands on which food can grow instead. An idea to decrease use of proper agricultural lands would be to use the unproductive lands to obtain biofuels.

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Biofuels are Bad for Poor Countries – they Cause Starvation on Long Term

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:47:14 +0000

The aid agency Oxfam said Wednesday that the all-beloved biofuels are to be blamed for 30% of the increase in food prices worldwide, pushing 30 million people around the globe into poverty.

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New Invention: Bacteria Eating CO2 From The Atmosphere

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:07:15 +0000

A scientist who mapped his genome and the genetic diversity of the oceans said Thursday he is creating a life form that feeds on climate-ruining carbon dioxide to produce fuel. Craig Venter (in the picture), a famous geneticist, announced his “fourth-generation fuel” project at an elite Technology, Entertainment and Design conference in Monterey, California. Between […]

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Side Effects of Ethanol Use

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:19:25 +0000

Ethanol is a promising alternative fuel that, along with improvements in fuel economy and reductions in travel demand, has the potential to help solve many of the problems associated with gasoline use. Though the current form of ethanol made from corn offers limited environmental benefits and limited potential for large-scale displacement of petroleum, it will […]

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