Brain Regeneration, Data Storage with Biocomputers, Plastic from Waste Gases, Bamboo Diapers, Gene-Edited Wheat, Jackets from Bison Fluff : The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of November 29th

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of November 29th.

#3 Munich researchers use algae to convert waste gas to carbon fiber

In Germany, researchers at the Technical University of Munich are using algae to convert waste gas from manufacturing facilities into carbon fiber.

The algae convert carbon dioxide into algae oil, which is then converted into polyacrylonitrile, a carbon fiber raw material.

“The system is easily scalable to large areas,” Professor Thomas Brück, head of the project team at TUM’s Algae Cultivation Center, tells Composites World. “Plants which together would cover the size of Algeria would offset all CO2 emissions from air transport.” The technology could be used at large scale in Europe and North Africa and in industries such as power plants and steel processing, he adds.

The carbon fibers produced are identical to conventionally produced carbon fibers, TUM says. More on the story, here.

#4 NREL researchers announce biobased acrylonitrile progress

In Colorado, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories have made headway in their efforts to produce acrylonitrile—a carbon fiber precursor—from corn.

The lab has produced 50 grams of renewable acrylonitrile from corn stover, the waste biomass left over from corn harvesting, with 3-hydroxypropionic acid as an intermediate product.

The next phase of the research project will convert those 50 grams into carbon fiber with subsequent testing.

Agribusiness giant Cargill will also produce larger quantities of biobased 3-HP, while West Virginia nonprofit research institute, MATRIC, will convert the 3-HP into acrylonitrile. An unnamed Portuguese company will then convert that into carbon fiber, and Ford Motor Company will then test the carbon fiber against conventionally produced carbon fiber to evaluate its use in automotive parts.

NREL says the project will be considered successful if the strength and properties of the carbon fiber produced via biobased acrylonitrile is comparable to its petroleum-derived counterpart.
According to NREL, whether the process for biomass-derived ACN ultimately catches on will depend on the strength and properties of the resulting carbon fiber and how that compares to the traditional method. More on the story, here.

#9 Rutgers scientists develop catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into carbon building blocks

In New Jersey, Rutgers scientists developed catalysts that can convert carbon dioxide into plastics, fabrics, resins and other products. The electrocatalysts are the first materials, aside from enzymes, that can turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon building blocks containing one, two, three or four carbon atoms with more than 99 percent efficiency. Two of the products created by the researchers – methylglyoxal (C3) and 2,3-furandiol (C4) – can be used as precursors for plastics, adhesives and pharmaceuticals. Toxic formaldehyde could be replaced by methylglyoxal, which is safer.

“Our breakthrough could lead to the conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable products and raw materials in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries,” said study senior author Charles Dismukes, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.

Previously, scientists showed that carbon dioxide can be electrochemically converted into methanol, ethanol, methane and ethylene with relatively high yields. But such production is inefficient and too costly to be commercially feasible, according to study lead author Karin Calvinho, a chemistry doctoral student in Rutgers’ School of Graduate Studies.

However, carbon dioxide and water can be electrochemically converted into a wide array of carbon-based products, using five catalysts made of nickel and phosphorus, which are cheap and abundant, she said. More on the story, here.

#10 Turkey poop could fuel your next Thanksgiving

In Israel, Ben-Gurion University researchers are focusing on ways to transform turkey poop into useful products like fuel. While experimenting with different manure types, scientists found one particular way to “cook” the poultry feces was most efficient and produced a hydrochar. They chose poultry feces because it is an abundant material and high in carbon and nitrogen which is key for energy production.
After experimenting with different temperatures and techniques and comparing the results, they found that roasting the feces to 842 degrees Fahrenheit without oxygen produced a biochar with similar combustion properties as coal, but the more efficient way to ‘cook the poop’ was by keeping the feces wet, lowering the temperature to 482 degrees Fahrenheit, and increasing the pressure to produce hydrochar. Hydrochar is a mix of biomass particles and water which can be separated to make a coal-like powder and a liquid organic fertilizer – doing double duty for doodo.

When converted to combustible biomass fuel, it could replace approximately 10 percent of the coal used in electricity generation, reduce greenhouse gases and provide an alternative and renewable energy source, Vivian Mau, one of the project’s researchers told NPR. More on the story, here. READ MORE