by Andy McGlashen (Midwest Energy News) The exit of its majority owner and operator leaves the future uncertain for a long-delayed project that has attracted at least $120 million in public financing to turn wood from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into fuel
yeast
Back TO HOME12 Bellwether Biofuels Projects – Where Do They Stand?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Advanced biofuels – mirage or reality? In January we wrote: “When these 12 projects open for business (or not) in 2013, you’ll know for sure.” So, what do we know? ... We identified 12 “Bellwether projects” in
July 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol: Scale-Up and Commercialization - Part 2
by David Glass (D Glass Associates) In the final breakout session of the BIO World Congress on June 19, there was a second panel on scale-up and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. As with the session on the conference’s first day,
June 21, 2013 Read Full Article
New Yeast Strain Could Lower Costs for Cellulosic Ethanol Production
by Ann Perry (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) A new strain of yeast that could help streamline cellulosic ethanol costs and production has been developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers. This work, which supports the USDA
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Engineered Yeast Makes More Biofuels
by Helen Tunnicliffe (TCE Today) Moving process to mitochondria ups production 260% Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have engineered yeast to increase production of isobutanol, a promising biofuel, by 260%. Isobutanol, a heavy alcohol, contains more energy than ethanol and is
February 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Transporter Engineering for Improved Tolerance against Alkane Biofuels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
by Binbin Chen, Hua Ling and Matthew Wook Chang (Biotechnology for Biofuels) Hydrocarbon alkanes, components of major fossil fuels, are considered as next-generation biofuels because their biological production has recently been shown to be possible. However, high-yield alkane production requires robust
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Fungi, the Rodney Dangerfield of Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Now, yeast is a fungi, but fungi as a Kingdom is a lot broader than our friend yeast and, like Rodney Dangerfield, it been getting, by and large, no respect, no respect. Researchers have for
January 07, 2013 Read Full Article
Study Finds Biodiesel from Algae, Yeast and Bacteria Can Displace both Petroleum Diesel and Soybean Biodiesel
(Green Car Congress) Biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) derived from oleaginous microbes—microalgae, yeast, and bacteria—can effectively displace both petroleum diesel and biodiesel produced from plant oils, according to the findings of a new study by a team from Utah State
November 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Aussie Brothers Make Biofuel Breakthrough
by Nick Perry (The Australian) A Technology breakthrough by two Australian brothers could offer a solution to the world's insatiable appetite for food and fuel. Phillip and Geoff Bell have developed a new way to produce ethanol from waste products such
November 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Highlights Renewable Fuels Industry’s Top 10 Efficiency and Technology Innovations of the Past Decade
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As a part of its 10th Anniversary celebration of progress and prosperity, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today released a list of the ethanol and biodiesel industry’s Top 10 efficiency and technology innovations of the
September 05, 2012 Read Full Article
BIOTECH: Carlsbad Firm Uses Yeast for 'Green' Chemicals from Veggie Oil to Nylon
by Bradley J. Fikes (North County Times) Vegetable oils are versatile substances. They're used not only for cooking, but also for making soaps and for biofuels. If Carlsbad-based Verdezyne Inc. is successful, you may soon be wearing them, in a
September 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Novozymes, Terranol Partner on Yeast to Boost Biofuels Industry
by Sally Bakewell (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Novozymes A/S (NZYMB) agreement to market Terranol A/S’s yeast technology as the world’s biggest maker of enzymes seeks to make biofuels from energy crops and agricultural waste commercially viable. ...Novozymes supplies enzymes to break down matter such
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Yeast Technology Deal Struck for Bioethanol Use
(Biofuels International) Bioethanol yeast developing company Lesaffre, and its business unit Fermentis, has acquired xylose isomerase technology from yeast technology providers Butalco. ...According to Butalco, the xylose isomerase technology enables an improved production of lignocellulosic biofuels as the enzyme is highly
August 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Bacterial Inhibition Without Antibiotics
by Sami Faour (Ethanol Producer Magazine/BetaTec Hop Products) A method for controlling infection and maximizing ethanol yields ...Growth of contaminating lactic acid bacteria is a major problem in industrial alcohol fermentations. These bacteria can grow under the conditions of yeast fermentation
August 09, 2012 Read Full Article
iDiverse Discovers Yeast Gene that Increases Fuel Ethanol Production Yield
(PR NewsWire) iDiverse announced that it has discovered a yeast gene that when inserted into yeast and properly modulated can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34%. "The gene functions by protecting the yeast against some of the lethal stresses
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
BioTork Develops Xylose-Fermenting Yeast for Ethanol Facilities
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After nearly two years of collaborative research, biotechnology company BioTork LLC and the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center have developed a yeast strain capable of fermenting the xylose found in ligno-cellulosic biomass in a commercial-scale
May 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Ceres Sweet Sorghum Hybrids Processed by Amyris
(Ceres) • Pilot project validates U.S.-produced sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for advanced biofuels and bio-products. • Conversion efficiency of sweet sorghum sugars were similar to sugarcane. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today announced its improved sweet sorghum hybrids
May 04, 2012 Read Full Article
Mascoma Gets Favorable FDA Review of Yeast Ethanol Product
by Lori Valigra (Mass High Tech) Renewable fuels company Mascoma Corp. of Lebanon, N.H., said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has completed its scientific review of the company’s MGT yeast product and supports its use to produce
February 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Production from Xylose by Pichia Stipitis NRRL Y-7124 in a Stirred Tank Bioreactor
by Silva, J. P. A., Mussatto, Solange I., Roberto, I.C., Teixeira, J. A. (Universidade do Minho/Repositorium) The ethanol production by Pichia stipitis was evaluated in a stirred tank bioreactor using semidefined medium containing xylose (90.0 g/l) as the main carbon source. Experimental assays
February 01, 2012 Read Full Article
Oregon State University Researcher Highlights Public,Private Biomass Work in Oregon
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) ...During a presentation at the 2012 Pacific West Biomass Conference & Tradeshow, Christine Kelly, an associate professor of chemical, biological and environmental engineering at Oregon State University, outlined the achievements made by private companies, research
January 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Verdezyne Secures Patent on Engineered Microorganism
(Verdezyne) Verdezyne, Inc., a privately-held industrial biotechnology company focused on producing renewable chemicals and fuels from non-petroleum sources, has been granted a United States Patent on engineered microorganisms. Verdezyne was awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,093,037, titled “Engineered Microorganisms With Enhanced Fermentation Activity” for the
January 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Mascoma Implements Commercialization Strategy for Drop-In MGT™ Yeast Product to Improve Economics of Corn Ethanol Production
(Mascoma/BusinessWire) Mascoma Corporation, a renewable fuels company, announced today that it has implemented key components of the commercialization strategy for its Mascoma Grain Technology, or MGT™, yeast product, which is the first commercial application of Mascoma’s proprietary consolidated bioprocessing (CBP)
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Mascoma, Codexis Closing in on Commercialized Cellulosic Biofuels
by Derek Mead (GreenTechMedia) Biofuel up-and-comers Codexis and Mascoma both have big news that means cellulosic ethanol production is right around the corner. ...With traditional sugar feedstocks -- and in the U.S., that means corn -- up around $275 a ton,
December 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Face a Reality Check
by Lauren Sommer (KQED) ...The idea behind biofuels is pretty simple. Plants take sunlight and use that energy to make sugars. The biofuels industry wants to transform those sugars into fuel. That requires some molecular rearranging, so they’re looking to
December 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo Receives Key Patent from USPTO for Efficient Production of Isobutanol
(Gevo) Gevo, Inc., a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, today received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on another aspect of its yeast technology that enables the low-cost, high-yield production of biobased isobutanol. Gevo was
December 09, 2011 Read Full Article
National Science Foundation, Japan Science and Technology Agency Issue New Joint Awards To Reduce Pesticide Pollution And Promote Biofuel
(Red Orbit) The carbon footprint of humans will be reduced by four awards for plant and microbial research issued under a new joint U.S./Japanese program Four joint United States and Japanese research teams have been awarded funding totaling about $12 million
December 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Taking the Fuel Out of Biofuels
by Ben Lefebvre (Wall Street Journal) Unable to compete with petroleum products, biofuel companies have found replacement products to sell As advanced biofuel companies work toward creating an economically viable alternative to petroleum, some have found an alternative place to
December 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Research Reduces Toxins, Improves Distillers Grains
by Matt Soberg (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Virginia Tech and USDA researchers developed strategy that reduces barley toxins sometimes present in distillers grains used for animal feed. The strategy modifies the ethanol fermentation process and focuses on deoxynivalenol (DON), the most
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Leaf Energy Adds Third Cellulosic Energy Technology to Portfolio with Exclusive Agreement
by Angela Kean (Proactive Investors Australia) Leaf Energy (ASX: LER) has signed worldwide exclusive licence agreement with Texas A & M University to develop the marine yeast Debaryomyces hansenii as a production platform for high value biofuels and proteins. Debaryomyces hansenii
November 28, 2011 Read Full Article
UGA Creates “Super Yeast” to Aid Ethanol Production
(Atlanta Business Chronicle) The University of Georgia researchers created a “super strain” of yeast that ferments ethanol from pretreated pine as part of an effort to help biofuels take the place of gasoline for fuel. … UGA said their research shows
November 18, 2011 Read Full Article
'Cyborg' Yeast Genes Run by Computer
by Jason Palmer (BBC News) Scientists have succeeded in forming a "feedback loop" between a computer and a common yeast to precisely control the switching on and off of specific genes. The computer controlled flashes of light to start and stop
November 07, 2011 Read Full Article
The SuperFriends and Their Planet-Saving Microbial Biofuel Powers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the world at large, they are generally called pests. We call them ‘magic bugs’. They are like the SuperFriends of Saturday morning cartoons – Nature has certainly endowed them with magic powers. ...Too often, public
November 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Toyota Develops New Yeast For Cellulosic Ethanol Production
(Biofuels Journal) Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) held an event Oct. 4 at its Toyota Biotechnology and Afforestation Laboratory in Aichi prefecture to showcase technologies developed there as part of its biotechnology and afforestation businesses. Technology on display included a newly developed yeast that
October 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Joint BioEnergy Institute Scientists Identify New Microbe-Produced Advanced Biofuel as an Alternative to Diesel Fuel
by Lynn Yarris (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Researchers with the U.S Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified a potential new advanced biofuel that could replace today’s standard fuel for diesel engines but would be clean, green, renewable
September 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo Awarded Contract to Supply Jet Fuel to U.S. Air Force
(BusinessWire/Yahoo!Finance) Air Force Purchase is for Jet Engine Testing and Feasibility Flight Demonstration Gevo, Inc., a leading renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, received a $5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the development of biojet
September 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Biorefinery Yeast Research Shows Promise
by (Western Farm Press/US Department of Agriculture) Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other rough, fibrous, harvest-time leftovers may soon be less expensive to convert into cellulosic ethanol, thanks to USDA scientists' studies of a promising new biorefinery yeast. Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other
September 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Mascoma’s IPO: The 10-Minute Version
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Intrigued by cellulosic ethanol and a new product called MGT, in Mascoma’s IPO? ...Mascoma Corporation announced that it has filed an S-1 registration statement relating to a proposed $100 million initial public offering. The number of
September 20, 2011 Read Full Article
“Synthetic” Chromosome Permits Rapid, On-Demand “Evolution” of Yeast
(NewsWise/Johns Hopkins University) Johns Hopkins researchers create man-made system with built-in diversity generator In the quest to understand genomes—how they’re built, how they’re organized and what makes them work—a team of Johns Hopkins researchers has engineered from scratch a computer-designed yeast chromosome
September 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Trillium Awarded SBIR Grant from National Science Foundation
(Trillium FiberFuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Trillium FiberFuels Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant to further its work in developing innovative technologies for creating fuel-grade ethanol from straw and other biomass. This latest award to Trillium from the
September 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Discovery Turns Seaweed Into Biofuel in Half the Time
(University of Illinois/Science Daily) University of Illinois scientists have engineered a new strain of yeast that converts seaweed into biofuel in half the time it took just months ago. ..."The key is the strain's ability to ferment cellobiose and galactose simultaneously,
August 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Novel Gene Increases Yeast's Appetite for Plant Sugars
(Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) For thousands of years, bakers and brewers have relied on yeast to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yet, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers eager to harness this talent for brewing biofuels have found when
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Looking Beyond the Fossil Age: Royal DSM Aims to Be in the Thick of the Race for Next Generation of Biofuels and Health-Care Materials
by William Lyons and Sten Stovall (Wall Street Journal) ..."We don't realize it, but we are living in the fossil age," he (Royal DSM CEO Feike Sijbesma) argues. "Population will increase, urbanization will increase, temperature will increase and the price of
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Industrial Yeast Strain Engineered to Ferment Ethanol from Lignocellulosic Biomass
by Nikolai Khramtsov, Luise McDade, Alexander Amerik, Esther Yu, Kunjan Divatia, Alexander Tikhonov, Michael Minto, Georges Kabongo-Mubalamate, Zdenek Markovic, Marie Ruiz-Martinez and Steven Henck (Bioresource Technology/Science Direct) In this study an industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain capable of fermenting ethanol from pretreated
July 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Lallemand Announces New Ethanol Yeast at FEW
by Lallemand Ethanol Technology (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...The yet-to-be-named yeast is the first product to be patented (pending) and commercialized out of the exclusive partnership between Lallemand Ethanol Technology and Xylogenics Inc. Developed using extensive genomics knowledge, this new class
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
DSM Strengthens Yeast Technology Leadership for 2G Biofuels
(DSM) Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, today announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire C5 Yeast Company B.V. (Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands) from Royal Cosun. The acquisition will allow DSM to combine C5
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
EdeniQ Licenses Yeast Technology From USDA
(PR NewsWire/The Street) EdeniQ, Inc., a California-based clean technology company serving the global biofuels industry, announced today that it has licensed yeast technology from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) associated with the fermentation
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Consolidated Bioprocessing: A Revolution in Biofuels Development
by Jeremy Fordham (Green-Trust.org) ...Microorganisms are incredibly abundant and diverse, especially in their metabolic functionality. Consolidated bioprocessing takes advantage of this versatility. ...Cellulose is a crystalline molecule that is critical to a plant cell’s structure, so it is hard for microbes
June 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Verdezyne Closes New Financing Round: BP, DSM, OVP Venture Partners and Monitor Ventures Participate in Round
(Verdezyne/BusinessWire) Verdezyne, Inc., an industrial biotechnology company developing cost-effective processes for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals, today announced it has closed a new funding round. New investors in this round include BP Alternative Energy Ventures and DSM Venturing B.V.,
May 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Logos and EdeniQ Receive Department of Energy Funding for Corn-to-Cellulosic Pilot Biorefinery
(Logos Technologies) DOE commits full $20.5 million to retrofit and build pilot plant in Visalia, CA Logos Technologies®, Inc. and EdeniQ, Inc., announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval to fully fund $20.5 million in federal cost share under DOE’s Integrated
May 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Keasling Featured in NOVA’s ‘Power Surge’ Program
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/PBS) Can emerging technology defeat global warming? The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in clean energy projects as our leaders try to save our crumbling economy and our poisoned planet in one bold,
May 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Amyris's First Commercial Production Facility Complete and Operational
(Amyris) Amyris, Inc., announced the completion of the first industrial-scale facility for the production of Biofene™, Amyris’s renewable farnesene. The production facility is located in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil at a facility owned by Biomin do Brasil Nutricão Animal Ltda., a
April 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Enzymes from Garden Compost Could Favour Bioethanol Production
(Lund University) The researcher in question is Nadia Skorupa Parachin and the secret of her technique is enzymes that she extracted from garden soil. If ethanol can be successfully made from xylose then ethanol production could increase by over 20
March 11, 2011 Read Full Article
TU Delft Licenses Sustainable Ethanol Technology to DSM
(Delft University of Technology) TU Delft and the Kluyver Centre have developed an innovative technology for efficient production of bioethanol from agricultural waste and licensed it to the Life Sciences and Material Sciences company DSM. As part of this
March 04, 2011 Read Full Article
The Brew Barons: Masters of Advanced Fermentation, Driving the Redefinition of Biofuels: Pt 1
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Is there enough energy, food, fiber and feed for all? Advances in industrial fermentation – a/k/a an incredulous “you’re making what? from what? using what? – will be the key to answering that question. The stars of this drama
March 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Amyris Technology Performs Successfully at Industrial Scale
(Amyris, Inc.) Amyris, Inc., announced that it has completed multiple runs of its fermentation process using Amyris engineered yeast to produce Biofene™, Amyris renewable farnesene, in 100,000 and 200,000 liter capacity fermentors. These runs were completed through contract manufacturing operations
February 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Gearing up for Bagasse
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) KL Energy Corp. is preparing to validate its modified process technology to turn sugarcane bagasse into ethanol. As the bitter winter turns to spring in the tiny town of Upton, Wyo., located on the northern
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Seaweed Study Boosts Prospects for Marine Biofuels
(EnvironmentalExpert.com) Seaweed biofuel farms have come a step closer to reality with an improvement in the way seaweed sugars can be converted to ethanol. Dried seaweed can be fermented to produce ethanol but breaking down galactose, the dominant sugar in
February 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Scandinavia Goes Viking in Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the Old Norse, the term “viking” meant to “undertake an expedition” and it later came to characterize the raiders, settlers and traders that epitomized an era of Scandinavian expansion that impacted Europe, Asia
January 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Team Overcomes Major Obstacles to Cellulosic Biofuel Production
(EurekAlert/University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana) A newly engineered yeast strain can simultaneously consume two types of sugar from plants to produce ethanol, researchers report. The sugars are glucose, a six-carbon sugar that is relatively easy to ferment; and xylose, a five-carbon
December 30, 2010 Read Full Article
"Green Genes" in Yeast May Boost Biofuel Production
(Innovations Report) An effort to increase biofuel production has led scientists to discover genes in yeast that improve their tolerance to ethanol, allowing them to produce more ethanol from the same amount of nutrients. This study, published in the December 2010 issue
December 23, 2010 Read Full Article
Seaweed as Biofuel? Metabolic Engineering Makes It a Viable Option
(PhysOrg.com) Is red seaweed a viable future biofuel? Now that a University of Illinois metabolic engineer has developed a strain of yeast that can make short work of fermenting galactose, the answer is an unequivocal yes. ...(M)arine biomass can be easily
December 17, 2010 Read Full Article
Bioengineers Develop Bacterial Strain That Could Increase Ethanol Production
(Wiley Press Room/Renewable Energy World) A team of Bioengineers in the United States have modified a strain of bacteria to increase its ability to produce ethanol. The research, published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, reveals how adaptation and metabolic engineering can
December 14, 2010 Read Full Article
Using Yeast to Build a Better Plastic
(PR NewsWire) NYU-Poly Chemist Uses Yeast, Plant Oils to Produce Super-Durable Recyclable Plastic. Next Step: Transforming It into Biofuel Dr. Richard Gross, professor of chemical and biological science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), has developed a method for
December 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Evaluation Proves Taurus Energy Yeast
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) SEKAB E-Technology and Taurus Energy AB have successfully carried out a three-week long industrial demo scale evaluation of Taurus Energy’s yeast. The yeast has been specially developed, and, in contrast to ordinary yeast, it can ferment pentose
November 22, 2010 Read Full Article
iDiverse Modifies Yeast to Excel under Stress
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Using a proprietary gene construct, California-based iDiverse has successfully modified yeast to be highly resistant to a number of lethal stresses normally encountered in the bioproduction of fuel ethanol, improving yields. “We’ve targeted
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Cellodextrin Transport in Yeast for Improved Biofuel Production
by Jonathan M. Galazka, Chaoguang Tian, William T. Beeson, Bruno Martinez, N. Louise Glass, Jamie H. D. Cate (Science) Fungal degradation of plant biomass may provide insights for improving cellulosic biofuel production. We show that the model cellulolytic fungus Neurospora crassa
October 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Sekab Trials Corn Waste Ethanol Production
(Argus Media) Swedish ethanol producer Sekab and Swedish technology specialist Taurus Energy will next month begin trialling the production of ethanol from corn waste. The trials will take place at Sekab's ethanol demonstration plant in Ornskoldsvik, northern Sweden, and involve the development
September 28, 2010 Read Full Article
Waste-Based Microbial Oil set to Become a Raw Material for Renewable Diesel
(Neste Oil Corporation) Neste Oil has applied for patents to cover technology developed to produce microbial oil from waste and residues with the help of various yeasts and molds for use as a feedstock for its NExBTL renewable diesel. Research work
September 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Engineering Yeast Can Make Biofuels Commercially Viable
by John Timmer (Ars Technica) ...Cellulose is a very long polymer of sugar molecules. Yeast will happily use those sugars to produce ethanol, but it can't get at them while they're trapped in cellulose. As a result, a suite of
September 13, 2010 Read Full Article
Indianapolis-Based Xylogenics Licenses Yeast Strain to Ethanol Producer
(Indianapolis Business Journal) Indianapolis-based bioengineering firm Xylogenics Inc. has licensed its proprietary yeast strain to a Milwaukee firm that is a supplier to the fuel-ethanol industry. It is the first such licensing agreement for Xylogenics. Lallemand Ethanol Technology will use Xylogenics’
August 30, 2010 Read Full Article
Scientist IDs Genes that Promise to Make Biofuel Production More Efficient, Economical
(EurekAlert) A University of Illinois metabolic engineer has taken the first step toward the more efficient and economical production of biofuels by developing a strain of yeast with increased alcohol tolerance. Biofuels are produced through microbial fermentation of biomass crops, which yield
August 20, 2010 Read Full Article
Promising Ethanol Yeast Nears Market Launch
(Xylogencis, Inc.) ...Two-year-old Xylogenics Inc. also says it plans to license its first bioengineered yeast later this year. This version is intended to boost yields and lower costs of making the automotive fuel ethanol at conventional distilleries that use corn. The
August 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Auburn Researchers Finding Ways to Turn Waste Into Fuel
by Travis Herrmann (TheAuburn Plainsman) Auburn University researchers have patented a new process for producing ethanol from paper (m)ill waste materials through biological conversion. With research funded by the Masada Resource group, the new conversion process can produce an estimated 2.5
July 30, 2010 Read Full Article
DSM and Roquette to Start Bio-Based Succinic Acid Joint Venture
(DSM) At the 7th annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, taking place this week in Washington D.C. (United States), DSM and Roquette will elaborate on a recent technical breakthrough and proprietary process for the manufacture of bio-based succinic acid that will
June 29, 2010 Read Full Article
Super-Yeast Generates Ethanol From Energy Crops And Agricultural Residues
(Red Orbit) A new type of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been developed which can efficiently ferment pentose sugars, as found in agricultural waste and hardwoods. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Biotechnology for Biofuels describe the creation of
June 26, 2010 Read Full Article
New Yeast Can Ferment More Sugar, Make More Cellulosic Ethanol
(Purdue University) Purdue University scientists have improved a strain of yeast that can produce more biofuel from cellulosic plant material by fermenting all five types of the plant's sugars. Nathan Mosier, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering; Miroslav Sedlak,
June 24, 2010 Read Full Article
Silver Nanoparticles Mitigate the Cell Damage Caused by Ethanol, Study Suggests
(Science Digest) A new article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) describes how nanoparticles formed by very small numbers of silver atoms can protect against the cell damage caused by ethanol. The study was led by researchers from
June 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Firm Looks to China for Biofuel Technology Agreement
by Max Showalter (JCOnline.com) A startup company at the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette has developed an innovative yeast-based cellulosic ethanol technology and will get a big boost Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing. Representatives of Green Tech America Inc., founded by
June 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Nalco Introduces Yeast Activity Monitor, a New Technology for Global Brewing and Ethanol Markets
(NALCO) The Nalco Yeast Activity Monitor is innovative technology that gives producers unique insight into their fermentation processes that has never before been possible. Dr. Michael Bradley, Naperville R&D, was instrumental in developing the Nalco Yeast Activity Monitor equipment and
June 01, 2010 Read Full Article
Gene Discovery Potential Key to Cost-Competitive Cellulosic Ethanol
(Oak Ridge National Lab) Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are improving strains of microorganisms used to convert cellulosic biomass into ethanol, including a recent modification that could improve the efficiency of the conversion process. Biofuels researchers and
May 25, 2010 Read Full Article
Wine-Making Yeast Shows Promise for Bioethanol Production
(Science Centric) Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that might be important for ethanol production from plant material, providing insights into the bioethanol alternative to 'fossil fuels.' Combining new high-throughput
May 18, 2010 Read Full Article
Novozymes and Nedalco to Improve Biofuel Production
(Novozymes) Novozymes, the world leader in biofuel enzymes, and Royal Nedalco, a leading yeast developer and ethanol producer, collaborate to develop a new fermentation process that can efficiently ferment C5 and C6 sugars. Fermentation of both types of sugars is essential
May 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Direct Production of Biodiesel from the Fungus M. circinelloides; Opportunity to Enhance Yield with Genetic Engineering
(Green Car Congress) Researchers in Spain have demonstrated the direct transformation of biomass consisting of the fungus M. circinelloides into biodiesel compliant with ASTM D6751 and EN14213 and 14214 standards. A paper on their work was published online 2 April
April 12, 2010 Read Full Article
Verdezyne and Lallemand Ethanol Technology Partner to Develop and Commercialize Novel Yeast for Enhanced Ethanol Production
Verdezyne, Inc., an industrial biotechnology company, and Lallemand Ethanol Technology, a global provider of yeast to the fuel ethanol industry, April 7, 2010, announced they have signed an agreement to develop and commercialize a genetically enhanced high-yield ethanol producing yeast. Verdezyne
April 09, 2010 Read Full Article
A Different Route to Corn-Based Fuel
by Matthew L. Wald (New York Times) Jack Huttner, the executive vice president of Gevo, a five-year old company in Englewood, Colo., would like to take over an ethanol plant and, using the same base ingredients that go into corn-based
March 23, 2010 Read Full Article
University of Queensland Institute Ignites Plans for Jet Biofuel
(Queensland Business Review) The University of Queensland (UQ) has entered into a new agreement with an American alternative energy company to turn Queensland sugar cane into jet biofuel. Researchers from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN) will work with
March 11, 2010 Read Full Article
Butalco Announces It Is to Produce Its First Cellulosic Ethanol in Summer 2010
(PRInside.com) This summer, Butalco will use its proprietary new yeast technology to produce biofuel from agricultural waste in a pilot plant in Southern Germany. Butalco’s new microbial catalysts will enable up to 30% increased yields in cellulosic ethanol production. ...Traditionally, yeasts are
February 23, 2010 Read Full Article
University of Queensland Institute Ignites Plans for Jet Biofuel
(Queensland Business Review) The University of Queensland (UQ) has entered into a new agreement with an American alternative energy company to turn Queensland sugar cane into jet biofuel. Researchers from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (AIBN) will work with
February 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Genomes Of Biofuel Yeasts Reveal Clues That Could Boost Fuel Ethanol Production Worldwide
(Science Daily) ... (I)n two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. yeast
November 10, 2009 Read Full Article
New Yeasts Could Help Fast-Track Biofuel Production
(Science Daily) A new yeast that makes ethanol from both five-carbon and six-carbon sugars without needing oxygen has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. This could be an important breakthrough in industrial ethanol production, because it's difficult to
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
Genome Sequence Published for Important Biofuels Yeast
A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane and other tough grasses into ethanol that might be used as biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. "Understanding this microbe may enable more
October 08, 2009 Read Full Article
Brew Your Own Fuel Ethanol at Home in California Using Spent Beer Yeast
GreenHouse is teaming-up with beer pioneer Karl Strauss Brewing Company to convert spent beer yeast into ethanol fuel for California residents and businesses. This news comes on the heels of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s June 4 press conference, where he unveiled