All Articles Tagged As: fuels

'Omnivorous engine' hopes to run on many fuels (9/6/2008)

Engineers seek to fashion an engine that can run on just about any type of spark-ignited fuel. ...> Full Article

New technique makes corn ethanol process more efficient (9/6/2008)

Researchers are exploring the use of oxygen-less vats of microorganisms that naturally feed on organic waste produced from the ethanol fermentation process. ...> Full Article

Putting the Squeeze on Nitrogen for High Energy Materials (9/4/2008)

Observed changes in the structure of solid nitrogen at high pressures, could lead to new high energy nitrogen- or hydrogen-based fuels in the future ...> Full Article

New process extracts pure hydrogen from contaminant in unrefined oil (8/27/2008)

A commercial-scale process to extract and reuse pure hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide that naturally contaminates unrefined oil, including oil sands, is one step closer to reality ...> Full Article

Researcher converts biodiesel byproduct into omega-3 fatty acids (8/27/2008)

Researcher has found a way to grow omega-3 fatty acids using a byproduct of the emerging biodiesel industry ...> Full Article

Sweet Potato Out-Yields Corn in Ethanol Production Study (8/22/2008)

sweet potatoes grown in Maryland and Alabama yielded two to three times as much carbohydrate for fuel ethanol production as field corn ...> Full Article

Researchers isolate microorganisms that convert hydrocarbons to natural gas (8/21/2008)

Method can stimulate methane gas production from older, more mature oil reservoirs ...> Full Article

A Better Way To Make Hydrogen From Biofuels (8/21/2008)

Researchers here have found a way to convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen very efficiently ...> Full Article

Algae fuel makes splash at international show (8/12/2008)

Researchers display research on the application of algae-based oils for creating biofuels at the Farnborough International Air Show. ...> Full Article

Improved Reaction Data Heat Up the Biofuels Harvest (8/10/2008)

Researchers have detailed some of the most fundamental processes involved in extracting sugars from biomass, the first step in producing ethanol by fermentation. Their findings should help engineers to improve their process designs in order to extract the maximum amount of fuel from a given measure of biomass. ...> Full Article

Scientists a step closer to producing fuel from bacteria (8/9/2008)

Using mathematical computer models, researchers have mapped the metabolism of a type of bacteria called Nostoc. ...> Full Article

Miscanthus can meet U.S. biofuels goal using less land than corn or switchgrass (8/2/2008)

Using Miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. could significantly reduce the acreage dedicated to biofuels while meeting government biofuels production goals ...> Full Article

New biomass technology dramatically increases ethanol yield from grasses and yard waste (8/1/2008)

researchers have developed a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available non-food crops, such as Bermudagrass, switchgrass, Napiergrassâ€"and even yard waste. ...> Full Article

Cow power could generate electricity for millions (7/27/2008)

Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to three per cent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ...> Full Article

Researcher uses grant to study little-known but largely useful microbes (7/21/2008)

Researcher spends his days trying to understand how interactions on a microscopic scale could change how we think of energy production, climate change and even soil contamination. ...> Full Article

Researchers pursue switchgrass as Earth-friendly biofuel (7/20/2008)

Experimental facility examining the sustainability of different perennial bioenergy crops – plants that could be turned into energy either by being burned directly or by being converted into cellulosic ethanol ...> Full Article

Researchers generate hydrogen without the carbon footprint (7/16/2008)

A greener, less expensive method to produce hydrogen for fuel may eventually be possible with the help of water, solar energy and nanotube diodes that use the entire spectrum of the sun's energy ...> Full Article

Ethanol byproduct produces green results (7/5/2008)

DDGS could reduce costs to commercial nursery growers ...> Full Article

Research yields pricey chemicals from biodiesel waste (7/1/2008)

Engineers ID 'green' methods to make valuable organic acids ...> Full Article

Farmers grow camelina for biofuel (6/15/2008)

farmers are forming a co-op to produce a promising biofuel raw material -- camelina, a Mediterranean native plant whose seeds are 40 percent oil and can be used in manufacturing biodiesel. ...> Full Article

Chemists Get Scoop on Crude 'Oil' from Pig Manure (6/13/2008)

After a close examination of crude oil made from pig manure, chemists are certain about a number of things. ...> Full Article

Are microbes the answer to the energy crisis? (6/5/2008)

The answer to the looming fuel crisis in the 21st century may be found by thinking small, microscopic in fact. Microscopic organisms from bacteria and cyanobacteria, to fungi to microalgae, are biological factories that are proving to efficient sources of inexpensive, environmentally friendly biofuels that can serve as alternatives to oil. ...> Full Article

Important Plant Enzymes Identified (5/28/2008)

Could be used to improve disease resistance and/or tailor plants for the production of biofuels or other useful chemical feedstocks ...> Full Article

Researchers use fungus to improve corn-to-ethanol process (5/28/2008)

Growing a fungus in some of the leftovers from ethanol production can save energy, recycle more water and improve the livestock feed that's a co-product of fuel production ...> Full Article

Halting methane squanderlust (5/24/2008)

Researchers determine structure of catalyst that converts methane to more useful compounds ...> Full Article

Energy crops take a roasting (5/21/2008)

A process used to roast coffee beans could give Britain's biomass a power boost, increasing the energy content of some of the UK's leading energy crops by up to 20 per cent. ...> Full Article

A fungus that produces biofuels from plants (5/18/2008)

Only a few genes are responsible for the fungus's enzymatic activity ...> Full Article

Beyond Nutrition - Plants Deliver: Biofuels, Medicines, Bioplastics, Flavours, Pigments (5/14/2008)

The need for a renewable and affordable source of carbon that can sustain future economic development without negatively impacting the environment is now widely recognised. It is also apparent that the increasingly high demand for fossil carbon will eventually deplete existing stocks. ...> Full Article

OPX Biotechnologies Inc. Licenses CU-Boulder Biofuels Technology (5/11/2008)

A Boulder high-tech company spun off from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2007 has been granted an exclusive license by the university for a novel microbial technology to produce new biorefining fuels and related chemical products. ...> Full Article

Turning fungus into fuel (5/8/2008)

Organism with a taste for olive drab shows promise for greener energy ...> Full Article

Lean and mean biomass-degrading fungus reveals capabilities for improved biofuel production (5/5/2008)

The genome analysis of a champion biomass-degrading fungus has revealed a surprisingly minimal repertoire of genes that it employs to break down plant cell walls, highlighting opportunities for further improvements in enzymes customized for biofuels production. ...> Full Article

New oilsands extraction method could eliminate tailings ponds (5/4/2008)

New method of extracting bitumen from oilsands that uses almost no water and would solve the industry's toxic tailings ponds dilemma ...> Full Article

Microbes could boost world energy supply (5/1/2008)

Scientists expect to begin trials next month to find out whether microbes can unlock the vast amount of energy trapped in the world's unrecoverable heavy oil deposits ...> Full Article

Gas from grass - surely not? (4/27/2008)

UK researchers hope to convert ryegrass into ethanol ...> Full Article

New Source for Biofuels Discovered by Researchers (4/24/2008)

A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels ...> Full Article

Biogas production is all in the mixing (4/20/2008)

Engineers using an impressive array of imaging and tracking technologies, have determined the importance of mixing in anaerobic digesters for bioenergy production and animal and farm waste treatment. Anaerobic digesters employ reactors that use bacteria to break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. ...> Full Article

Bioreactors create a marriage of the minds (4/15/2008)

Researchers to produce algal oil feedstock as biofuels for conversion to military jet fuel ...> Full Article

Promising new material for hydrogen storage (4/14/2008)

Lithium based material may be useful in hydrogen storage ...> Full Article

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees, But Gasoline Might (4/12/2008)

Researchers make breakthrough in creating gasoline from plant matter, with almost no carbon footprint ...> Full Article

Gut reaction: Cow stomach holds key to turning corn into biofuel (4/9/2008)

An enzyme from a microbe that lives inside a cow's stomach is the key to turning corn plants into fuel ...> Full Article

Fueling Ethanol Production While Protecting Water Quality (4/7/2008)

Scientists evaluate the unintended consequences of ethanol production on water quality ...> Full Article

Study Finds Concerns with Biofuels (4/6/2008)

Impact of Biofuels on Biodiversity Explored ...> Full Article

Algae could one day be major hydrogen fuel source (4/2/2008)

As gas prices continue to soar to record highs, motorists are crying out for an alternative that won't cramp their pocketbooks. ...> Full Article

Researchers test find near-zero emissions for BMW Hydrogen 7 (3/31/2008)

Independent tests conducted by engineers on the mono-fueled version of the BMW Hydrogen 7 prototype have found that the car's hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the super-ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) level, the most stringent emissions performance standard to date. ...> Full Article

Invention Promises Major Advance in BioFuel Production (3/12/2008)

Research that started with bacteria from the Chesapeake Bay has led to a process that may be able to convert large volumes of all kinds of plant products, from leftover brewer's mash to paper trash, into ethanol and other biofuel alternatives to gasoline. ...> Full Article

Newly defined signaling pathway could mean better biofuel sources (3/8/2008)

A newly defined biochemical pathway in plants may provide the scientific tools to design plants that will yield larger quantities of alternative transportation fuels than currently can be produced ...> Full Article

New Research Suggests Biofuel Blending is Often Inaccurate (3/2/2008)

Study of Retail Biofuel Samples Suggests National Standards May Be Needed ...> Full Article

Researchers Developing a More Efficient Ethanol Production Method (2/27/2008)

A University of Wyoming professor has received a $485,000 grant to explore a more economical way to produce ethanol. ...> Full Article

Study of Energy Crops Finds Miscanthus More Productive than Switchgrass (2/4/2008)

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists in Chicago (July 7-11, 2007), scientists presented findings on how to economically and efficiently produce plant crops suitable for sustainable bioenergy. Improving the production of such biomass is important because it should significantly ease and eventually replace dependence on petroleum-based fuels. Biomass is plant material, vegetation or agricultural waste used as fuel. ...> Full Article

New Techniques Create Butanol, A Superior Biofuel (1/30/2008)

A team of researchers headed by an environmental engineer at Washington University in St. Louis is plying new techniques to produce a biofuel superior to ethanol. ...> Full Article

New Methane Storage Technology Exceeds DOE Goals (1/22/2008)

In a major advance in alternative fuel technology, researchers report development of a sponge-like material with the highest methane storage capacity ever measured. It can hold almost one-third more methane than the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) target level for methane-powered cars, they report in a new study. ...> Full Article

Scientist researches ways to squeeze two fuels from one kernel of corn (1/19/2008)

Getting ethanol from a corn kernel has changed the way the country looks at a corn field. ...> Full Article

Trees, Grass May Produce Ethanol Without Poisoning Gulf (1/19/2008)

Within five to seven years fast growing trees and grasses might become economically viable alternatives to corn as a source of renewable fuel ethanol, reducing the need for pollutants that now cause a massive "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. ...> Full Article

New fund aims to make clean biofuel a reality (1/17/2008)

If we wanted to create the ideal environmentally friendly energy source, it would be a fuel that is easy and economical to produce, and one that does not pollute the air when burned. That is exactly what researchers at ASU intend to develop in a new program that uses bacteria and sunlight to generate hydrogen, a clean fuel that produces no greenhouse gases. ...> Full Article

The power of bananas revealed (1/15/2008)

The thought of powering your house on banana waste may sound a little unrealistic, but, two years ago, UQ researcher, Associate Professor Bill Clarke, proved it was a possibility. ...> Full Article

Butter from Farm Show sculpture will power tractors (1/11/2008)

After the conclusion of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which runs from Jan. 5 to Jan. 12, about 900 pounds of butter used in the event's famous butter sculpture will be scraped off its frame by Penn State farm operations workers, plopped into barrels and brought back to the University and State College Area High School for conversion into biodiesel. ...> Full Article

Scientists Highlight Environmental Impacts of Biofuels (1/5/2008)

Biofuels reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in comparison to fossil fuels. In the Jan. 4 issue of the journal Science, Smithsonian researchers highlight a new study that factors in environmental costs of biofuel production. Corn, soy and sugarcane come up short. The authors urge governments to be far more selective about which biofuels they support, as not all are more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. ...> Full Article

Researchers Investigate Supercritical Method of Converting Chicken Fat and Tall Oil into Biodiesel (12/22/2007)

Chemical engineering researchers have investigated supercritical methanol as a method of converting chicken fat into biodiesel fuel. The new study also successfully converted tall oil fatty acid, a major by-product of the wood-pulping process, into biodiesel at a yield of greater than 90 percent, significantly advancing efforts to develop commercially viable fuel out of plentiful, accessible and low-cost feedstocks and other agricultural by-products. ...> Full Article

Cattle Fed Byproducts Of Ethanol Production Harbor Dangerous E. Coli Bacteria (12/14/2007)

Ethanol plants and livestock producers have created a symbiotic relationship. Cattle producers feed their livestock distiller's grains, a byproduct of the ethanol distilling process, giving ethanol producers have an added source of income. ...> Full Article

Researchers fuelling the 'hydrogen economy' (11/27/2007)

Scientists are turning low-grade sludge into high-value gas in a process which could make eco-friendly biodiesel even greener and more economical to produce. ...> Full Article