New, simple technique may drive down biofuel production costs
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive technique for removing lignin from the plant material used to make biofuels, which may drive...
View ArticleSoil bacterium causes biofuel breakdown
(Phys.org) —Biofuels made from plant materials—also known as lignocellulosic biofuels—have promise as a source of sustainable alternative fuels thanks to soil bacterium known as Enterobacter...
View ArticleDiscovery could yield more efficient plants for biofuels
(Phys.org) —Genetically modifying a key protein complex in plants could lead to improved crops for the production of cellulosic biofuels, a Purdue University study says.
View ArticleResearchers annotate genome of the smallest known fungal plant pathogen
Researchers sequenced and analyzed the genome of Mixia osmundea, the smallest fungal plant pathogen (13.6 million bases) to date, to provide insight into its mode of pathogenicity and reproductive...
View ArticleMicrobes engineered for the direct conversion of biomass to ethanol fuel
The promise of affordable transportation fuels from biomass—a sustainable, carbon neutral route to American energy independence—has been left perpetually on hold by the economics of the conversion...
View ArticleThe JBEI GT Collection: A new resource for advanced biofuels research
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have unveiled the first glycosyltransferase clone collection specifically targeted for the study of the...
View ArticleNew hope for powdery mildew resistant barley
New research at the University of Adelaide has opened the way for the development of new lines of barley with resistance to powdery mildew.
View ArticleHow sweet it is: New tool for characterizing plant sugar transporters
A powerful new tool that can help advance the genetic engineering of "fuel" crops for clean, green and renewable bioenergy, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s...
View ArticleNew 3-D imaging techniques may improve understanding of biofuel plant material
Comparison of 3D TEM imaging techniques reveals never-seen-before details of plant cell walls, according to a study published September 10, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Purbasha Sarkar...
View ArticleSearch for better biofuels microbes leads to the human gut
Scientists have scoured cow rumens and termite guts for microbes that can efficiently break down plant cell walls for the production of next-generation biofuels, but some of the best microbial...
View ArticleFine-tuning plant cells for superior cereal crops
Changing the developmental path of grain in cereal crops to better influence yield, quality and end-use is the aim of University of Adelaide research scientist Dr Matthew Tucker.
View ArticleHow a white rot tackles freshly-cut food
Researchers sequenced and analyzed the white rot fungus Phlebiopsis gigantea, which can break down fresh-cut conifer sapwood. They also sequenced and analyzed the set of P. gigantea's secreted proteins...
View ArticleRetracing the roots of fungal symbioses
With apologies to the poet John Donne, and based on recent work from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), a DOE Office of Science user facility, it can be said that no plant...
View ArticleMetabolic path to improved biofuel production
Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership that includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, have found...
View ArticleResearchers use proteomics to profile switchgrass
If advanced biofuels are to replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on a gallon-for-gallon basis at competitive pricing, we're going to need a new generation of fuel crops - plants designed specifically...
View ArticleUnique proteins found in heat-loving organisms attach to plant matter
Unique proteins newly discovered in heat-loving bacteria are more than capable of attaching themselves to plant cellulose, possibly paving the way for more efficient methods of converting plant matter...
View ArticleBiofuels and chemicals that don't cut into the food supply
Emma Master's team spent the last two years studying plant cell walls, the part of the cell that gives trees and other flora their structural strength. The wall itself is built from a tight complex of...
View ArticleFungus covers fragments of its own cell wall to avoid plant defences
Many fungi can make themselves invisible to the immune system of plants. Scientists from Wageningen University have discovered that the tomato fungus Cladosporium manages this by enclosing chunks of...
View ArticleChemists find binding site of protein that allows plant growth
Using a new and super-sensitive instrument, researchers have discovered where a protein binds to plant cell walls, a process that loosens the cell walls and makes it possible for plants to grow.
View ArticleDiscovery opens doors to building better plants
(Phys.org) —The survival of the vast majority of plants, including those that people rely on for food, depends on their ability to build strong but flexible cell walls. A key component of these walls...
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