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Articles on Future Fuels-Microbes and Enzymes

• Fifth of Global Energy Could Come from Biomass Without Damaging Food Production, Report Suggests
  Jan 31, 2012 - sciencedaily.com
  
  TA new report suggests that up to one fifth of global energy could be provided by biomass (plants) without damaging food production.
  
  
• Bank of Tokyo Leads $500 Million Funding for Biomass Power Plant
  Aug 3, 2011 - Ehren Goossens - bloomberg.com
  
  The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. led a $500 million financing round for a 100-megawatt biomass power plant under construction in Gainesville, Florida.
  
  
• Turning Brown into Green
  Feb 18, 2010 - fuelnj.com
  
  After years of Research and Ddevelopment and refined prototypes, we are proud to announce the launch of our UnifiedFUELS biomass processing plant system
  
  
• British Airways to use biofuel
  Feb 16, 2010 - Renewable Energy Focus
  
  British Airways and Solena Group are establishing a sustainable jet-fuel plant as BA plans to use the biofuel to power part of its fleet from 2014.
  
  
• BA agrees deal for UK jet biofuel plant
  Feb 15, 2010 - Richard Scott - BBC News
  
  British Airways has struck a deal to build the first plant in Europe to produce jet fuel from waste matter.
  
  
• Microbes Produce Fuels Directly from Biomass
  Jan 31, 2010 - Science Daily
  
  A collaboration led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the JBEI researchers engineered a strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria to produce biodiesel fuel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids.
  
  
• Microbe converts sludge into ethanol
  Oct 7, 2009 - Martin LaMonica - cnet
  
  Two companies said Wednesday that they have developed a method for turning sewage sludge into ethanol.
  
  
• The Next Generation of Biofuels
  March, 2009 - Scientific American
  
  Americans burn through 140 billion gallons of gasoline a year. And even if drivers switch to more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, the nation’s fuel needs are expected to increase by a fifth over the next 20 years, thanks to dramatic increases in car and airplane use. Which is why, in addition to developing solar, wind and geothermal energy, policy makers, including President Barack Obama, are advocating biofuels to transform the transportation culture.
  
  
• BP, Soros Fund invest in ethanol-making microbe
  Nov 18, 2008 - Martin LaMonica - cnet
  
  Oil giant BP and George Soros' investment firm are putting millions of dollars into a company that has isolated a microbe that can create ethanol.
  
  
• New Method Turns Wood into Sugar for Biofuels
  Oct 28, 2008 - Jane Burgermeister - Renewable Energy World.Com
  
  A new method of producing high efficiency and easily available biofuels from wood, grass and plants could soon be available, according to researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Germany.
  
  
• Using Plants Instead of Petroleum to Make Jet Fuel
  Oct 3, 2008 - David Biello - Scientific American
  
  Chemical engineers in North Dakota have successfully turned oil from plants—canola (rapeseed), coconuts and soybeans—into jet fuel indistinguishable from the conventional kind, according to U.S. government tests. Working with the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), scientists at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota turned these plant oils into fuel that had a similar density, energy content and even freezing point.
  
  
• Two Groups of Researchers Make Gasoline from Sugar
  Sept 24, 2008 - Renewable Energy World.Com
  
  Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams are announcing this month that they have successfully converted sugar -- potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants -- into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals.
  
  
• Bacteria from Compost Could Provide 10% of UK Transport Fuel Needs
  Sep 16, 2008 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Often found in compost heaps, the bacteria that converts waste plant fiber into ethanol could eventually provide up 10% of the UK's transport fuel needs, scientists heard last week at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held at Trinity College, Dublin.
  
  
• Beetles That Break Down Wood Might Provide Key to Biofuel Research
  Sept 8, 2008 - Amitabh Avasthi - Renewable Energy World.Com
  
  A little-known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists. Researchers say the discovery could lead to more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels.
  
  
• Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop
  Aug 8, 2008 - cnn.com
  
  The bacteria used are a harmless form of E. coli. And the feedstock, or food for the microbes, can be any type of agricultural product, from sugar cane to waste such as wheat straw and wood chips. Choosing plants with no food value sidesteps one of the biggest criticisms of another synthetic fuel, corn ethanol, because critics say that corn should be used as food, not fuel.
  
  
• Enzyme Technology
  2008 - Iogen Corporation
  
  Iogen's line of enzymes for cellulosic ethanol production is currently being used in the company's demonstration plant. These enzymes will be available for sale in conjunction with technology licenses for the cellulosic ethanol facilities in the future.
  
  
• Advanced, Renewable Biofuel That Can Be Used In Today's Cars
  2008 - Iogen Corporation
  
  Cellulosic ethanol is a renewable, advanced biofuel that can be used in today’s cars. It is one of the most cost effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and gasoline use in road transport, and in this regard can deliver benefits similar to improved vehicle efficiency.
  

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