(Pluton Biosciences/PR Newswire) ..."Pluton's technology will benefit farmers' bottom lines as well as our environment," said RA Capital's Michael Gillespie, MD, who has also joined Pluton's Board of Directors. "Microbial Cover Crops™ will enrich the soil with nitrogen to increase
soil microbial biomass
Back TO HOMEGrowing In Iowa: The Future of Food and Farming -- Pivot Bio Improves Grower Access to a Dependable Nitrogen Source
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From his time at the University of Iowa to the first startup he founded with support from the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, Karsten Temme, Ph.D., credits much of his accomplishments as Pivot Bio CEO and co-founder to the invaluable
April 11, 2023 Read Full Article
B-Harmony: Creating Happy Bacterial Colonies and Ridding the World of Its Methane Malaise, the Windfall Bio Way
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... So, let us introduce Windfall Bio, just now emerging from many moons of stealth. News has arrived from Windfall’s Menlo Park Hq that the company has closed a $9 million seed round led by
April 10, 2023 Read Full Article
Biofuel Revolution: Could Common Bacteria Found in Soil Fuel Jet Planes
by Trenton Doyle (NZ Herald) New research has found a way to make explosive compounds using bacteria commonly found soil - which could pave the way for cleaner alternatives to jet fuel. And with fuel prices at record highs, some scientists
July 01, 2022 Read Full Article
Degradation of Biobased Plastics in the Soil
(Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research) The idea of biodegradable plastics sounds good at first. However, very little is known about how they are degraded in the soil and how this is influenced by climate change. In two recent studies, soil ecologists
October 15, 2021 Read Full Article
Pluton Biosciences Gets $6.6M in Seed Funding, Bayer AG Soil Deal and More
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 Biosciences is doing with their novel microbes. They are making
October 11, 2021 Read Full Article
Connections: Saying Goodbye to a Soil Organic Matter Fundamental
by Sally Brown (BioCycle Magazine) ... This fuller understanding of how SOM (soil organic carbon) operates in no way takes away the importance of soils as a tool for carbon storage. Rather it suggests that policies based on burying and
September 08, 2021 Read Full Article
Impact of Diesel and Biodiesel Contamination on Soil Microbial Community Activity and Structure
Eduardo K. Mitter, James J. Germida and J. Renato de Freitas (Scientific Reports) Soil contamination as a result of oil spills is a serious issue due to the global demand for diesel fuel. As an alternative to diesel, biodiesel has
June 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Are Microbes the Next Carbon Crop for Farmers?
by Mindy Ward (Farm Progress) Pluton Biosciences partners with Bayer for a carbon sequestration project. -- Barry Goldman has one goal — to find the next Bt-like row crop breakthrough but for carbon sequestration. “There are a trillion species of microbes, and the
April 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Department of Energy to Provide $68 Million for Bioenergy Crop Research
(Department of Energy) Studies Will Focus on Improving Crop Productivity and Resiliencen -- Today (July 28, 2020) the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $68 million in funding over five years for basic research aimed at making bioenergy feedstock crops
July 29, 2020 Read Full Article
Smart Farms of the Future: Making Bioenergy Crops More Environmentally Friendly
by Julie Chao (Joint BioEnergy Institute) Farmers have enough worries – between bad weather, rising costs, and shifting market demands – without having to stress about the carbon footprint of their operations. But now a new set of projects by scientists at
June 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Smart Farms of the Future: Making Bioenergy Crops More Environmentally Friendly
by Julie Chao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab launches three new projects to advance sustainable agricultural practices ... The three projects, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), leverage Berkeley Lab’s strengths in artificial intelligence, sensors, and ecological biology.
June 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Leading with Soil: Scaling Soil Carbon Storage in Agriculture
(Carbon 180) Soil carbon storage offers significant economic and environmental opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Agricultural practices that store carbon in the soil can help fight climate change at a low cost. Those same practices can also improve overall soil
May 13, 2020 Read Full Article
Predicting How Microbial Neighbors Influence Each Other
(U.S. Department of Energy) A new microbial network inference method reliably predicts interactions that depend on neighboring organisms. -- The Science Microbes in the soil form networks, which in turn make up larger communities. As the environment changes, so do the microbes
December 31, 2019 Read Full Article
UP Govt to Set up Biofuel Plants to Address Issue of Stubble Burning
by Virendra Singh Rawat (Business Standard) Will set up 1-2 biofuel plants in all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh -- With the Supreme Court recently directing Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to prevent their farmers from stubble burning owing to the severe dip
November 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Core Leaf-Bound Microbes Identified for Two Key Bioenergy Crops
by Mark E. Griffin (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits make up the biggest chunk of potential living space for microbes in the environment, but ecologists still don’t know a lot about how the microorganisms that reside
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Undergraduates Participate in Bioenergy Research at GLBRC
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Each year, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) hosts a group of undergraduate students to participate in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, designed to immerse students in research. This summer, 11 undergraduate
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Get with the Program: Biogas Producers Struggling to Generate Revenue from Their Digestate
by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) Biogas producers struggling to generate revenue from their digestate may find an opportunity to turn this around through the American Biogas Council’s Digestate Standard Testing and Certification Program. -- ... Exeter Agri-Energy was formed to
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Announces $64 Million for Research on Plants and Microbes: Genomics-Based Research Will Help Develop Crops for Bioenergy
(U.S. Department of Energy) oday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts. The plant research—12 projects totaling $29 million over three years—focuses on expanding knowledge of
August 29, 2019 Read Full Article
If We Really Want to Sequester More Carbon, Agriculture Can’t Be Made the Enemy, Says Microbial Input Startup Locus
by Lauren Manning (Ag Funder News) ... Carbon sequestration is a phrase that’s becoming commonplace in the media, in food policy circles, and more recently around the dinner table. Put simply, Zorner says, carbon sequestration describes the process that plants use
August 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Norfolk Farmer Diversifies Income and Boosts Soil Health with Miscanthus
(Terravesta) Norfolk farmer, Adam Brewer, is planning for the future by diversifying his income and looking after his soils with Miscanthus. Farmers wanting to learn more about the many environmental and financial benefits presented by the crop are invited to attend
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Engineered Microbe May Be Key to Producing Plastic from Plants
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 — but frustratingly untapped — bounty into a replacement for
March 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Clover Improves Soil Quality, Feeds Biofuels Crop
by Christie Delfanian (South Dakota State University/Phys.Org) A four-leaf clover might bring good luck, but a stand of Kura clover can produce healthier soil—in the long run, according to a South Dakota State University study. Planting Kura clover, a pasture legume, with prairie
March 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Activating the Right Bacteria: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to 3Bar Biologics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 3Bar Biologics’ Bio-YIELD uses naturally occurring microbes that are precisely matched to specific crops and soil environments. These microbes were discovered and isolated during a 15-year extensive research process by scientists at The Ohio State University.
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
SfL Report Assesses Challenges Posed by Changing Climatic Conditions in Missouri
(Solutions from the Land) Solutions from the Land (SfL) commends Missouri agriculture and forestry leaders who looked into the future, examined what science is telling them is coming from changing climatic conditions and extreme weather events, and explored opportunities to
October 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Resilience through Regional Partnership: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to the SPARC Consortium
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Southeastern Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata (SPARC) is a consortium consisting of the University of Florida (lead), the University of South Florida, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, and other institutions, government agencies, the civil aviation
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
United States Biochar Initiative 2018 Conference: “The Carbon Link in Watershed Ecosystem Services” Stories from Stockholm to Virginia
by Bill Keba* (Advanced Biofuels USA) My wife checked my fishing gear upon learning that I was attending the Biochar 2018 Conference in Wilmington, Delaware. Why? She thought I made up “biochar” and the conference as a way escape to
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Putting Bacteria to Work
(U.S. Department of Energy) The idea of bacteria as diverse, complex perceptive entities that can hunt prey in packs, remember past experiences and interact with the moods and perceptions of their human hosts sounds like the plot of some low-budget science
July 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Growing the Future: WVU Biologists Team up to Research New Bioproducts
by Kathy Swisher (West Virginia University) West Virginia University biologists are part of a $40 million Department of Energy effort to create sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts through four new bioenergy research centers. As part of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation led by
September 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Markus Ribbe and Yilin Hu: Brewing Biofuel from Bacteria
by Wendy Wolfson (University of California Irvine Applied Innovation) In a high-ceiling room in professor Markus Ribbe’s lab, a giant still emits pungent vapors from fermenting bacteria. Ribbe, chancellor’s professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at the UCI School of
August 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Could This Enzyme Help Turn Biofuel Waste into Something Useful?
by Sarah Yang (Berkeley Lab) Joint BioEnergy Institute study targets LigM for its role in breaking down aromatic pollutants -- A protein used by common soil bacteria is providing new clues in the effort to convert aryl compounds, a common
April 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Vega Biofuels to Provide Biochar to Alaska’s Legal Cannabis Industry
(Vega Biofuels) Vega Biofuels, Inc. (OTCPink:VGPR) announced today that it has signed a five year Agreement to provide the Company’s Biochar to legal cannabis growers in Alaska. The state of Alaska is the most recent state to legalize both medical
March 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Decoded Microbial Metabolism Explains Biofuel Yield
by Blaine Friedlander (Phys.Org) To unravel how intricate waste biomass converts to biofuels, a Cornell professor studied the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum to decipher its metabolism. Understanding the bacterium's sugar-processing complexities may lead to improved biofuel yields. "It is recognized for over
January 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Bacteria Turn Trees into Pollution-Eating Machines
by Anthony King (Horizon Magazine) Hacking trees by adding bacteria to their roots could help scrub contaminated soil clean of chemicals and metals from industrial spillages and fallouts, a process known as gentle remediation. Once the approach is refined, it could
November 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Diverse Fungi Secrete Similar Suite of Decomposition Enzymes
(Phys.Org/Department of Energy) Soil fungi secrete a wide range of enzymes that play an important role in biofuel production and bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils and water. A recent study reveals different fungal species secrete a rich set of enzymes that
August 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Biogeochemical Research Priorities for Sustainable Biofuel and Bioenergy Feedstock Production in the Americas.
by Gollany HT, Titus BD, Scott DA, Asbjornsen H, Resh SC, Chimner RA, Kaczmarek DJ, Leite LF, Ferreira AC, Rod KA, Hilbert J, Galdos MV, Cisz ME (Biogeochemical Research) Rapid expansion in biomass production for biofuels and bioenergy in the
June 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Results, Additional $72.3 Million Soil Health Investment to Support Paris Agreement
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack shared the first results of USDA's Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry, one year after he unveiled the plan at Michigan State University. In addition to providing specific goals
May 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Raises $9m to Commercialize Co2 Sequestering Biocarbon Soil Input
by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunder News) Cool Planet, the biocarbon and biofuel producer, has raised $9 million in extra funding to commercialize its soil amendment product CoolTerra, which just earned a USDA Certified Biobased Product Label. ... But the majority of funding until
February 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Ecological Farming: A Different Form of Agtech –Exclusive Report
by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunderNews) ... “Ecological farming is ‘AgTech’ but of a different kind. It is a return to the original definition of ‘technology’, which comes from two Greek words: technis, which means art, skill, craft or the way something is gained, and logos,
January 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Switchgrass Key to Future Plant Hardiness?
(Agri-View/Renewable Energy World) The relationship between a prairie grass such as switchgrass and naturally occurring microbes may help shed light on growing hardier plants for livestock and humans. Understanding how microbes promote prairie grasses to grow in nutrient-deficient, marginal soils
January 13, 2016 Read Full Article
US Department of Energy Awards $13.5 Million to Enhance Sorghum for Biofuel
(Donald Danforth Plant Science Center/EurekAlert!) The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced that it will be part of a major collaborative research project to improve sorghum's productivity under resource-limited conditions. The research should lead to strategies to increase plant biomass
December 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Biosensor Technology Will Visualize Movement of Phosphate from Soil Fungi to Plant Roots
(Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research/EurekAlert!) DOE-funded project will track movement of phosphate in real time -- Professor Maria Harrison has received part of a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to support the development of biosensors to
December 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Crop Miscanthus in Trials to Restore Flood Plain Soils
(Bioenegy Insight) The Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK and the supply chain specialist Terravesta are running new trials to examine how the energy crop miscanthus survives in water-logged land and its effect on the soil after flooding. The trials come some
December 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Marginal Soil Can Make for Good Biofuel Crops
(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Switchgrass, a perennial native to the tallgrass prairie, is one of the most promising bioenergy crops in the United States, with potential to provide high-yield biomass on marginal soils unsuitable for traditional agricultural crops. New research by
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Researchers Receive $15 Million for Biofuel Crop Study
(UT News) A researcher at The University of Texas at Austin will receive two grants totaling $15 million to study a native prairie grass, including how it can become a sustainable source of bioenergy amid global climate change. Tom Juenger, a
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Grant to Improve a Sustainable Biofuel Source
by Lauren Klamm (Source) Colorado State University is one of 10 institutions in a $13.8 million research grant to improve sorghum as a sustainable source for biofuel production. ... Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the five-year grant takes a
October 21, 2015 Read Full Article
UNL Leads $13.5 Million Research to Enhance Sorghum for Biofuel
by Gillian Klucas (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) ... The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead a $13.5 million, multi-institutional research effort to improve sorghum as a sustainable source for biofuel production. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, this five-year grant takes a comprehensive
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Grant to Help Increase Biofuels Yield while Limiting Fertilizer Use
(Michigan State University) Michigan State University has earned a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better understand how biofuel crops acquire nitrogen, insights that could help maximize yields while minimizing fertilizer use. Sarah Evans, an integrative biologist
September 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Report Based on False Assumption of Either-Or Land Use Approach
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the World Resources Institute (WRI) working paper, “Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land,” the authors work off the assumption that land-use decisions are used making an “either-or” approach, i.e., land can either
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
World Resources Institute Wrong About Biofuels Impact on Land Use and the Environment
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (January 30, 2015), the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) criticized a new report by World Resources Institute (WRI) for its false data on the environmental and land use impacts of biofuels. The report titled, ‘Avoiding Bioenergy
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
25x’25 Responds to Questionable Assessment of Bioenergy Production
(25x'25) A report released today by the World Resources Institute would seem to demonstrate the old adage: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The "change" in this instance is a massive amount of research showing the
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
DNA Analysis Strategy Aids in Study of Biofuel Feedstocks
by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers from Michigan State University, U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published the largest soil DNA sequencing effort. “The Great Prairie represents the largest expanse of the world’s most
March 25, 2014 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Co-Product Can Reduce Soil Nitrogen Losses to Groundwater
(Rothamsted Research) Application of biodiesel co-product (BCP) reduces the amount of soil nitrogen (N) loss when compared to traditional agricultural practices. An important goal in agricultural sustainability that would also impact national sustainability is to establish better management of nitrogen (N) to