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UrduOver the next three years, European researchers aim to construct passive ventilation systems not from concrete or steel, but from a wood-based foam.
Tag: Cellulose
Scientists Gain New Molecular-Level Insights into Breaking Down Plant Material for Biofuels
To produce biofuels from nonedible plants, researchers can use cellulase to break down plant cellulose into glucose, which can be fermented to generate bioethanol. Researchers have now used a specialized optical microscope to visualize single cellulase enzymes interacting with different forms of cellulose. This allowed them to investigate enzyme function in the presence of the product of the reaction and other components of plant biomass.
Airy cellulose from a 3D printer
Ultra-light, thermally insulating and biodegradable: Cellulose-based aerogels are versatile. Empa researchers have succeeded in 3D printing the natural material into complex shapes that could one day serve as precision insulation in microelectronics or as personalized medical implants.
New route to recyclable polymers from plants
Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics.
“Organic Fertilizer from Cassava Waste” An Innovation from Chula to Replace Chemical Fertilizers and Increase the Value of Agricultural Waste
A Chula researcher has been successful in adding value to agricultural waste generated by industrial factories by transforming cassava waste and sewage sludge into organic fertilizer to replace the use of chemical fertilizers. He has also come up with a special formula of microbial inoculum that increases nutrients needed by plants.
Circuit boards from renewable raw materials
Can ecologically sustainable circuit boards for the electronics industry be produced from cellulose fibers? Empa researcher Thomas Geiger looked into this question. He is now part of a multinational EU project called “Hypelignum”. Its goal: biodegradable electronics.
Garret Suen: Then and Now / 2012 Early Career Award Winner
Garret Suen is an associate professor of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, who is researching how herbivores use the microbes in their stomachs to break down cellulose into smaller molecules that can be converted into biofuels and bioproducts.
Creating solar cells and glass from wood – or a billion tons of biowaste
A digital, urbanised world consumes huge amounts of raw materials that could hardly be called environmentally friendly. One promising solution may be found in renewable raw materials, according to research published in Advanced Materials.
Plant-Based Spray Could be Used in N95 Masks and Energy Devices
Engineers have invented a way to spray extremely thin wires made of a plant-based material that could be used in N95 mask filters, devices that harvest energy for electricity, and potentially the creation of human organs. The method involves spraying methylcellulose, a renewable plastic material derived from plant cellulose, on 3D-printed and other objects ranging from electronics to plants, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Materials Horizons.
New Process Boosts Lignin Bio-oil as a Next-Generation Fuel
A new low-temperature multi-phase process for upgrading lignin bio-oil to hydrocarbons could help expand use of the lignin, which is now largely a waste product left over from the productions of cellulose and bioethanol from trees and other woody plants.
Discovery reveals how plants make cellulose for strength and growth
The new discovery unveils the molecular machinery that plants use to weave cellulose chains into cable-like structures called “microfibrils.”
Picking Up Threads of Cotton Genomics
In Nature Genetics, a multi-institutional team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers sequenced and assembled the genomes of the five major cotton lineages to provide breeders with genetic level insights on crop improvements. The genomes are available on JGI’s plant data portal Phytozome.
How to Make it Easier to Turn Plant Waste into Biofuels
Researchers have developed a new process that could make it much cheaper to produce biofuels such as ethanol from plant waste and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Their approach, featuring an ammonia-salt based solvent that rapidly turns plant fibers into sugars needed to make ethanol, works well at close to room temperature, unlike conventional processes, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Green Chemistry.