Articles in the Category: Biofuels

State of the Union Skimps on Science

State of the Union Skimps on Science
For those expecting President Barack Obama to expound on the accomplishments of his laundry list of science and innovation policy he outlined in last year’s State of the Union, there were a few nods to but no specifics in this third State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. As Forbes reported...

Grease Thieves a Bad Ingredient in Biodiesel

Grease Thieves a Bad Ingredient in Biodiesel
Even a few years ago, fast food restaurants would have been glad to have someone remove their used cooking oil. But now it’s a crime. The frequency of oil robberies is on the rise as biodiesel operations are using the leftover restaurant byproduct to recycle for fuel. A black market for the greasy...

Science Underpins Innovation in State of the Union

Science Underpins Innovation in State of the Union
The 2011 State of the Union address, delivered by President Barack Obama, painted a solid picture of the future. Not surprisingly the President finds a secure and prosperous future filled with scientific and technological innovation. To create more jobs, he stresses better education including concentration...

Gobble the Turkey and Give your Leftover Fry Oil to a Biodiesel Maker

Gobble the Turkey and Give your Leftover Fry Oil to a Biodiesel Maker
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, if you plan on frying a turkey this year, someone wants your leftovers. Newport Biodiesel in Newport, Rhode Island collects french fry oil from fast food restaurants but this Thanksgiving the company wants your leftovers. If you live outside Rhode Island, contact...

Synthetic Biology Takes on a Life of Its Own

Synthetic Biology Takes on a Life of Its Own
A Yeast Cell with Synthetic Genes, courtesy of Dr. Pamela Silver, Harvard Medical School Life is often stranger than fiction. But the direction that biology is heading, synthetic life could be stranger than science fiction. The emerging field of synthetic biology is moving closer and closer to creating...

One Celled Solutions

One Celled Solutions
Model of a phage attacking a microbe, courtesy of Ohio State University Science is facing some big questions, like how will we capture excess atmospheric carbon dioxide or how will we overcome antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections? But, a one-celled organism that lives in the sea may have the...

Blooming Algae For Biofuel

Blooming Algae For Biofuel
Dr. Rose Ann Cattolico, Photo by Mary Levin, University of Washington Dr. Rose Ann Cattolico’s 30-year-old idea is finally blossoming. As gas prices soar and fears over foreign oil security mount, many scientists and entrepreneurs are looking for new sources of energy. Algae is one alternative...

Hogging Biofuels

Hogging Biofuels
Pig Manure Biofuel Producers Well, just as gas prices become surreal and corn-based ethanol is threatening grocery bills, there is a new energy looming on the horizon. This one stinks and won’t be filling any gas tanks anytime soon. Pig manure biofuel could be a $1 billion business (down the...

Sugar-Powered Cars

Percival Zhang, courtesy of Virginia Tech Someday fossil fuels will no longer fill our gas tanks. But what will replace gas as the fuel of the future? Some are betting that we will become a hydrogen economy. But there are many barriers blocking the way. A Virginia Tech chemist thinks he’s overcome...

Talking Trash About Biofuel

Talking Trash About Biofuel
Steven Hutcheson, professor of cell biology and molecular genetics and president and CEO of Zymetis Inc. (right), and Ben Woodard, (left), director of the UMd Mtech Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility. A super synthesizing microbe is turning trash into gold. Or at least sugar which can be refined into biofuel....

Black Carbon is New #2 Global Warmer

Black Carbon is New #2 Global Warmer
Scientists have been underestimating the power of black soot and other particulate pollution to warm the world. New science shows that black carbon is the second greatest contributor to global warming. Carbon dioxide is still number one. Black Carbon [ 3:43 ]

Popular Targets

Popular Targets
Some trees are better for scientific study than others. One of the most popular is the poplar—a fast-growing, commonly modified species. But there is a dark side to being poplar. Popular Targets [ 1:46 ]

Cloudy Future

Cloudy Future
Jet engines roar above Earth all day long, creating long, white trails of water vapor. Scientists have determined that these contrails are creating cirrus clouds but the effect on climate change still remains a bit cloudy. Cloudy Future Cloudy Future [ 0:01 ]

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