FARM ENERGY NEWS BLOG » Biological Science

Protein identified that concentrates CO2 in algae

Karl — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:52:51 +0000

AMES, IA –– For plants and microalgae, CO2 is vital to growth. It fuels their photosynthesis process that, along with sunlight, manufactures sugars required for growth.

CO2 is present in such a limiting concentration that microalgae and some plants have evolved mechanisms to capture and concentrate CO2 in their cells to improve photosynthetic efficiency and increase growth.

An Iowa State University researcher has now identified one of the key proteins in the micro-algae responsible for concentrating and moving that CO2 into cells. Read more . . .

Applied Principles in Biomanufacturing

Karl — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:29:51 +0000

Biomanufacturing remains a critical step in the reality of biotechnology innovations becoming marketable products. The Master of Science in Biotechnology at UW-Madison announces a new certificate course, Applied Principles in Biomanufacturing, designed to help you bring an applied, working understanding of biomanufacturing back to your employer.

This certificate course will take place June 22–26, 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin. Participants will learn via hands-on activities in a biomanufacturing lab combined with lectures from experienced industry experts. Information and knowledge obtained from the certificate course will allow students to bring real value back to their employers.

More details about the certificate course and the instructors can be found at: Applied Principles in Biomanufacturing

New enzymes created for biofuel production

Karl — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:02:42 +0000

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 fuels such as ethanol or butanol. Read more. . .

When fungi attack

Karl — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:00:37 +0000

Scientists try using nature’s approach to break down biomass
for cellulosic ethanol

It looks like a chunk of wood.

It looks like a small piece of a big tree, something you might grab two-handed to toss into the campfire. Pick it up, and it feels like florist’s foam. It’s light as a dry sponge and flakes away under the weight of your fingers.

What it is is the skeleton of a tree branch: a framework of lignin picked clean of its cellulose mass. The rotted wood is a builder’s nightmare.

It also is a biorefiner’s dream. The sugar compounds that comprise the bulk of all plant tissue, cellulose and hemicellulose, are the building blocks for cellulosic ethanol, a potentially sustainable alternative to fossil-based fuels The challenge is freeing those carbohydrates, unharmed, from the lignin glue that protects it. So far the world has failed to find a way to do it effectively or affordably. Read the story . . .

Note: The item appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of Solutions, published by the University of Minnesota’s College of Agricultural, Food and Natural Resource Sciences. Written by Sarah Specht, the article (linked above) covers research efforts in studying the role of fungi in breaking down lignin so that cellulose is more accessible for making ethanol and other bio-products.