Univ. of Illinois research examines costs, benefits of energy crops
Urbana –– On the University of Illinois South Farms, 320 acres are devoted to the largest biofuels research farm in the U.S., growing crops that could be used to produce renewable energy. Last year, the farm planted miscanthus, switchgrass, corn, and restored prairie as bioenergy crops. The goal is to compare insect and disease challenges, environmental [...]
New enzymes created for biofuel production
Pasadena, CA –– Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and world-leading gene-synthesis company DNA2.0 have taken an important step toward the development of a cost-efficient process to extract sugars from cellulose –– the world’s most abundant organic material and cheapest form of solar-energy storage. Plant sugars are easily converted into a variety of renewable [...]