by Sonia Fernandez (University of California – Santa Barbara/Phys.Org) It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. In this case, the “job” is the breakdown of lignin, the
Tag "genetically enhanced microbes"
by Chris Hubbuch (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are working to develop plant-based fuels that are a key piece of the nation’s blueprint for
By Dieter Holger (Wall Street Journal) Straws, bottles and packaging made with captured greenhouse-gas are starting to reach commercial scale, offering a way for businesses making and using everyday products to
(U.S. Department of Energy) 37 Projects Will Develop New Technologies That Engineer Plants and Microbes into Bioenergy and Improve Carbon Storage — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $178
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biogas is an ancient thing, organisms have been making it for millenia – only in recent decades have we learned to capture and use it
by Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) President Joe Biden will sign orders on Monday to push more government dollars to the U.S. biotechnology industry, aimed at reducing dependence on China for materials to
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Zara clothing made from steel factory waste emissions thanks to LanzaTech, adidas and Allbirds scaling up their low-carbon footwear, Canadian brand launches apple leather handbags,
by Talia Ogliore (The Source) Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered a new way to train microbes to make a readily usable biofuel. A team of biologists and engineers
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Pluton is a large body of intrusive igneous rock according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and “breaking ground” and being “ground breaking” is just what Pluton
by Anne Trafton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Phys.Org) To try to expand biofuels’ potential impact, a team of MIT engineers has now found a way to expand the use of a wider
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Biomass derived sugars can be used by engineered microbes to make fuels and chemicals – but Invizyne is looking at alternative methods to improve cellulosic
by Moji Karimi (Cemvita Factory/Biofuels Digest) Any SynBio (synthetic biology) company is faced with three principal questions right off the bat: 1. Product or platform? A) Product: develop the microbe, build the
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/SciTechDaily) Microbes found in the goat gut microbiome could help humans convert plant material into valuable, eco-friendly commodities. Converting the tough fibers and complex sugars in plants into
by Sonia Fernandez (University of California – Santa Barbara/Phys.Org) … “This has been the longest single effort in my lab,” said (Michelle) O’Malley, who with her research team way back in
by Joshua R.Elmore, Gara N.Dexter, DaviniaSalvachúa, MarykateO’Brien, Dawn M.Klingeman,KentGorday, Joshua K.Michener, Darren J.Peterson, Gregg T.Beckham, Adam M.Guss (Metabolic Engineering) Engineered P. putida to catabolize xylose and arabinose. Identified bottlenecks in xylose catabolism in P.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A company that designs materials at a molecular level by optimizing microbes to biomanufacture unique structural oils discovered in nature, but not previously accessible commercially, is
(University of Minnesota) … “So many other things change around a gene at the same time, you can’t focus on how a single gene changes,” said Michael Travisano, a professor in the University
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Domo arigato Mr. Roboto – How would you like an automated microfluidic system to help create an ultra-high throughput workstation for the screening and optimization of microbial
(University of Manchester/Phys.org) Researchers from the University of Manchester are using synthetic biology to explore a more efficient way to produce the next generation of biobased jet fuels—partly made from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The industry is always on the look for microbial pathways that are capable of producing high carbon efficiency intermediates that are amenable to economic bioconversion,
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC) … Contract manufacturing options are diminishing and the facilities currently operating are looking for more favorable commercial terms. If you are planning to scale
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, the Digest turns 12. Since the Digest was launched in July 2007, we’ve had the privilege of telling the amazing success story of the bioeconomy— new
(The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)/Phys.Org) Researchers have presented a new strategy for efficiently producing fatty acids and biofuels that can transform glucose and oleaginous microorganisms into microbial
(Bioenergy Insight) Professor Gyoo Yeol Jung and his research team utilised algae that grow three times faster than starch crops and succeeded in producing biofuel and biochemicals. … (T)he joint research
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Invizyne Technologies is making chemicals the cell-free way using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. By inputting sugar and using engineered microbes, they can result in useful
(AZO CleanTech) … (T)he collaborative research team of POSTECH and Seoul National University created a new microorganism, which they christened as Vibrio sp. dhg. In their research, they effectively showed that Vibrio
by Sebastien Malo (Reuters) Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive of carbon recycling firm LanzaTech, explained modestly how the Chicago-based startup had cut multi-million-dollar deals on four continents, including in China, aimed at helping
(Michigan State University) … Daniel Ducat, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, received $1,033,970 from NSF’s Division of Systems and Synthetic Biology to investigate the fundamental interactions that
by Krishna Ramanujan (Cornell Chronicle) One of the big issues with sustainable energy systems is how to store electricity that’s generated from wind, solar and waves. At present, no existing technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) SCIBAC has developed a patented MERGE (Microbial Enhanced Recombinants Generated by Evolution) platform for strain improvement works by harnessing and directing a natural evolutionary process where
(Worcester Polytechnic Institute/PR Web) Isobutanol has been hailed as a possible green replacement for fossil fuels like gasoline, but producing it has proven difficult and costly. In a paper in Nature
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Opus 12 has developed a device that recycles CO₂ into cost-competitive chemicals and fuels. Their technology bolts onto any source of CO₂ emissions, and with only
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions focusing on enzymes and microbes. Since 2000, they have brought more than 100 new molecules to market to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Joint BioEnergy Institute is a U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center dedicated to developing advanced biofuels—liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Industrial Microbesupgrades methane to various multi-carbon chemicals using synthetic biology. Noah Helman, CSO and Co-Founder of iMicrobes gave this illuminating overview of methane as a feedstock, the breakthrough
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Biofuels Digest) In my previous article on Scale-up from the Microbes Perspective, I discussed how the biotechnology commercialization process would be viewed by a microbe. This is a
by Chris Barncard (University of Wisconsin-Madison) With a few genetic tweaks, a type of soil bacteria with an appetite for hydrocarbons shows promise as a biological factory for converting a renewable
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTechhas over 20 years experience sourcing and supplying over 5 million tons of wood fiber and organic feedstock in markets across North America. They offer biomass
by Jessica Velez, Angel Fernando Cisneros Caballero and Narjes Alfuraiji (Science Trends) … In the genetic engineering world, E. coli is a valuable user-friendly host with a well-known growth metabolism and the
by Max Witynski (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center/University of Wisconsin-Madison) A major goal of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center is to harness the power of microbes to create biofuels. But often, it’s
(ExxonMobil/Renewable Energy Group/Globe Newswire) Partnership to expand on joint ExxonMobil and REG research into cellulosic biodiesel; Clariant’s sunliquid® technology to facilitate creation of compatible cellulosic sugars; Objective is to combine technologies into a
by Tom Ziemer (University of Wisconsin-Madison/Phys.Org) If environmental engineer Daniel Noguera had his way, he would orchestrate a microbiome to pump out higher-value chemical products. In that vein, Noguera, the Wisconsin
by Mark Warner (Warner Advisors LLC/Biofuels Digest) On a biotechnology project years ago, one of the team members responsible for biological advancement referred to themselves as the microbial organisms “shop steward”, a
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Checkerspot designs high performance materials such as microbes to express new molecular building blocks that they then apply chemistry to create materials that are built into
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The achievement of a major proof of concept is the news, in the case of Industrial Microbes — the ability to show that they can
(Hiroshima University/Asian Scientist Magazine) By preventing bioengineered microalgae from growing outside the lab, researchers have reduced the risk of the genetically modified organisms escaping into the wild. Researchers at Hiroshima University, Japan,
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In California, Zymergen has raised over $400 million in Series C funding led by returning investor SoftBank Vision Fund. The round welcomes new investors
(University of Maryland) Workshop on Opportunities and Challenges in Anaerobic Digestion Maryland and the Northeast US Experience Topics •Anaerobic Digestion: Where We Are Today •Digester Systems in the Northeast–Successful Case Studies
(Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory/Phys.Org) Microbes in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants such as moose help break down recalcitrant plant biomass into carbon nutrients, but how do they do this over the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product
(U.S. Department of Energy/Phys.Org) To improve biofuel production, scientists must understand the fundamental interactions that lead to the expression of key traits in plants and microbes. To understand these interactions,
by Craig Laufer* (Advanced Biofuels USA) After hearing from many speakers at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, one recurring theme from the sessions I attended was the application
by Catherine Clifford (CNBC) A bacteria found in the gut of a rabbit can now help cars run in a more eco-friendly way. The bacteria, identified by biotech start-up LanzaTech, helps turn factory carbon
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Harnessing Methane & Methanol as Feedstocks, that’s the subject of this overview of the uses of methanol when used by engineered platform organisms for fuel and
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The meanest, nastiest, ornierest, heat-seeking organism ever found that munches biomass and other microbes that got a booster via the DOE’s $40M grants for advanced microbes
(U.S. Department of Energy) 31 Projects Will Help Advance Fundamental Science for Bioenergy — Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $40 million in funding for 31 projects to advance research
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Biomass Magazine) Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a way to use machine learning to dramatically accelerate the design of microbes that
by James Temple (MIT Technology Review) In the closing weeks of 2008, the US Department of Energy invited politicians and press to a dedication ceremony for the Joint BioEnergy Institute in
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) According to BIO, the global economic value today of the biobased economy – including industrial biotechnology, renewable chemicals and polymers, biofuels, enzymes and biobased materials – is
by Bob Kodrzycki (Encompass Biotech LLC/Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) … Opportunity, such as the availability of a new feedstock or the possibility
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) US-based White Dog Labs have developed a new process that eliminates the production of CO2, a
by Erika Ebsworth-Goold (Washington University in St. Louis/The Source) An engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis is using e. coli
by Joseph Bebon (NGT News) ExxonMobil and Renewable Energy Group (REG) announced that by utilizing REG’s patented fermentation technology, the companies’ joint research program
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Germany, Clariant’s board has approved investment in a new full-scale commercial plant for the production
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We reported on Amyris’ progress recently in “The New Colossus aims to unlock its Golden Door”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) iMicrobes designs and builds microorganisms, including industrial strains of bacteria and yeast to produce chemicals from
by Gregory T. Benz (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest) Fermentation processes, both aerobic and anaerobic, have been successful on an industrial
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Verdezyne is a privately held industrial biotechnology company that is developing and commercializing novel genetically
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Ginkgo Bioworks designs custom microbes for customers across multiple markets. We build our foundries to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As the project team behind this presentation explains, there’s trouble right here in River City
(Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group) On November 9, 2016, Inside EPA published “New TSCA Requirements Raise Challenges To EPA
by Anthony King (Horizon Magazine) Hacking trees by adding bacteria to their roots could help scrub contaminated soil clean of
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans,
(Biofuels International) lllinois Institute of Technology researchers have received a patent for a method to genetically engineer bacteria and yeast
(Cornell University/EurekAlert!) Cornell University biological engineers have deciphered the cellular strategy to make the biofuel ethanol, using an anaerobic microbe
(U.S. Department of Energy) Study reports first significant alcohol production by an archaeon. — The U.S. bioethanol industry depends largely
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s Zymergen? As they put it, “We believe in harnessing the power of biology to
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In Minnesota, construction is now underway at the Green Biologics bio-based n-butanol and acetone
(The Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®)) On September 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Another barrier to commercially viable biofuels from sources other than corn has fallen with the engineering
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Which microbes achieve a better, faster, cheaper transformation of the world around us? … Down
(Oakbio/Digital Journal) his ecoli based microbe platform expands the sources of waste materials Oakbio can convert to green, renewable fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest’s first original series, Faces, debuts episode #1 for online viewing and download. More
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In California, Amyris and Kuraray announced the expansion and extension of their ongoing collaboration in
(Colorado State University) An interdisciplinary team of Colorado State University researchers has received a $2 million National Science Foundation grant
by David Glass (DGlassAssociates.com) In two blog entries in 2010, I described the possible regulatory regimes that might affect the
by David Glass (DGlassAssociates.com) … The use of genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs) in manufacturing will likely face a fairly straightforward
by Ysabel Yates (Renewable Energy World) …Using microbes to create useful products is nothing new. Humans have been doing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Are they biofuels? We think so – even if they are post-biomass. They do what
(BioTork) Harnessing the Power of Adaptive Evolution to Further Improve the Efficiency of Metabolic Engineering BioTork announces collaboration with BASF to
by Robert Carlson (What Matters) …Amyris Biotechnologies has modified yeast to transform sugar into useful compounds, including malaria drugs and
by Lauren Sommer (KQED) …The idea behind biofuels is pretty simple. Plants take sunlight and use that energy to make
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) Researchers Reach Milestone on the Road to Biofuels A
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) For thousands of years, bakers and brewers have relied on yeast to convert sugar into
by John Roach (MSNBC) Could lead to microbes that produce drugs and biofuels A computer software program is outfitting biotechnology
by Jeremy Fordham (Green-Trust.org) …Microorganisms are incredibly abundant and diverse, especially in their metabolic functionality. Consolidated bioprocessing takes advantage of
(Dyadic) Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of enzyme and protein
by Maggie Fox (Reuters) Researchers looking for better ways to make biofuels turned to experts at breaking down grass —
(PhysOrg.com) Is red seaweed a viable future biofuel? Now that a University of Illinois metabolic engineer has developed a strain
by Stephen del Cardayre (Vice President of Research and Development, LS9) LS9 has focused efforts on the development of a renewable
by Andrew Pollack (New York Times) …“We’ve probably engineered over 4,000 strains,” said Mike Mendez, a co-founder and vice president
From the open plenary session of the Biomass 2008 Conference. Download PDF.
New DOE Request for Information Released on Biomass Conversion Research, Development, and Analysis Programs DEADLINE March 11, 2022
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released a new request for information (RFI) on several priority areas