Tag Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
‘Super yeast’ has the power to improve economics of biofuels
Scientists have found a way to nearly double the efficiency with which a commonly used industrial yeast strain converts plant sugars to biofuel. Read More
With designer lignin, biofuels researchers reproduced evolutionary path
As one of the researchers put it, 'Nature was already doing what we thought we’d laboriously taught her to do.' Read More
Fundamental discovery slashes energy cost of chemical reactions
"We get two for the price of one," says researcher Shannon Stahl, "and we can save half a volt ... In a fuel cell, that is significant saving of energy." Read More
UW-Madison seeks to capitalize on push to harness helpful microbes
The federal government has launched the National Microbiome Initiative to “foster the integrated study of microbiomes across different ecosystems.” Read More
Biomass blues: Breaking up not so hard to do
A UW spinoff is advancing an audacious effort to convert biomass into three profitable streams of industrial chemicals. Read More
Bioenergy Center, collaborators report 500th invention
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and two partners reported significant progress in their mission to develop technologies that will bring advanced biofuels to the marketplace. Read More
Engineered softwood could transform pulp, paper and biofuel industries
Scientists have demonstrated the potential for softwoods to process more easily into pulp and paper if engineered to incorporate a key feature of hardwoods. The finding, published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could improve the economics of the pulp, paper and biofuels industries and reduce those industries' environmental impact. Read More
Mining bacterial blueprints yields novel process for creation of fuel and chemical compounds
A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has identified the genes and enzymes that create a promising compound — the 19 carbon furan-containing fatty acid (19Fu-FA). The compound has a variety of potential uses as a biological alternative for compounds currently derived from fossil fuels. Read More
Poplars designed for deconstruction: A major boon to biofuels
What began 20 years ago as an innovation to improve paper industry processes and dairy forage digestibility may now open the door to a much more energy- and cost-efficient way to convert biomass into fuel. Read More
Renewable chemical ready for biofuels scale-up
Using a plant-derived chemical, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a process for creating a concentrated stream of sugars that’s ripe with possibility for biofuels. Read More
Perennial energy crops could provide environmental benefits
Rows of corn and soybeans cover rolling hills, stitched together by creeks and woodlands that compose southwest Wisconsin's agricultural patchwork. These complex landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and climate benefits, yet, historically their value has been measured in just one way: bushels per acre. Read More
Marginal land in demand: researchers explore farmer willingness to grow energy crops
In their quest to make cellulosic biofuel a viable energy option, many researchers are looking to marginal lands - those unsuitable for growing food - as potential real estate for bioenergy crops. However, few people have asked: how do farmers feel about using their marginal lands for fuel production? Read More
Researchers unearth bioenergy potential in leaf-cutter ant communities
As spring warms up Wisconsin, humans aren't the only ones tending their gardens. Read More
New biorenewables technology moves closer to marketplace
A licensing agreement for a novel renewable chemical and biofuel production method between Hyrax Energy and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation promises to accelerate commercial development of the technology and lead to high-quality U.S. jobs. Read More
Designing microbes that make energy-dense biofuels without sugar
With metabolically engineered microorganisms hungry for levulinic acid, rather than sugar, a University of Wisconsin–Madison chemical and biological engineer aims to create more sustainable, cost-effective processes for converting biomass into high-energy-density hydrocarbon fuels. Read More