http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/11114/global_bioenergies_and_clariant_produce_isobutene_from_wheat_straw_at_industrial_pilot_scale/

Global Bioenergies and Clariant began production of isobutene using wheat straw hydrolysate in their industrial pilot project plant at Pomacle Bazancourt in France.

The project combines Clariant's process, which allows the conversion of agricultural residues into sugar-rich hydrolysates, with Global Bioenergies' isobutene production process using various industrial-grade sugars. Clariant produced the wheat straw hydrolysate in its Straubing facility in Germany and will be converted into renewable isobutene at the Global Bioenergies' industrial plant.

The production of isobutene opens the door for a more general use of second generation sugars. Isooctane, a derivative of isobutene, is ideal as an additive for fuels as it can provide better engine performance and lower environmental impact.

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http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/1670191/nyc-passes-legislation-to-increase-biodiesel-in-heating-oil

The city of New York has taken another significant step in reducing its carbon footprint by passing legislation that requires biodiesel blending of heating oil sold in the city.

The bill, which was passed September 28, 2016, will increase the amount of biodiesel in heating oil in the city from the current 2% to 5% by October 1, 2017. The blend level then increases to 10% in 2025, 15% in 2030, and 20% in 2034. Organizations supported this effort, including the heating oil industry.

It is estimated that the increase from 2% to a 5% blend in the city would reduce the emissions equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road, and the increase to 20% being the equivalent of removing 250,000 million cars.

This legislature follows the move of New York City in 2013 to power its municipal fleet vehicles with biodiesel blends. The city has experienced a 19 percent reduction in carbon emissions since 2005, on track to reach an 80 percent reduction by 2050.

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http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/11071/roxol_bioenergy_allowed_to_reopen_philippines_bioethanol_plant/

Roxol Bioenergy Corporation, the bioethanol subsidiary of Roxas Holdings, has been allowed to reopen its bioethanol plant in Negros Occidental, Philippines, after implementing measures to lessen the emission of foul odor. The plant, located at Barangay Nagasi, La Carlota City, was shut down last September 9, 2016, when a cease and desist order (CDO) was filed against Roxol. The CDO was lifted this September 29, 2016 by the Office of the La Carlota City Mayor based on the results of the city government's inspection and verification of the mitigating measures implemented.

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http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/9/26/mark-winterbottom-drives-new-biofuels-campaign

The Palaszczuk Government recently launched a new biofuels education campaign, the E10 OK. The campaign highlights the benefits of ethanol-blended petrol and biodiesel and helps motorists to understand their vehicle's compatibility with E10 via their smart phone. The campaign's website will also feature a vehicle E10 compatibility checker, which will allow motorists to check if their vehicles are E10 compatible.

In frontlines of the campaign is V8 Supercar champion and Bathurst winner Mark Winterbottom, the face of the new campaign, encouraging motorists to increase their use of biofuels in Queensland. Mr. Winterbottom said that the new campaign will encourage motorists to take a fresh look at E10, its performance, and its effect on Queensland's economy.

The E10 OK campaign will involve television, radio, press, digital, outdoor, and cinema advertising.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/09/14/1606043113.full

Lignin, a component of lignocellulosic biomass, is critical to biofuel production. Lignin is hard to break down, limiting the biofuel production process. However, by studying the metabolic pathway of a soil bacterium that lives off lignin, the Sandia research team, led by Seema Singh, have developed a technology to break down lignin and extract valuable platform chemicals.

The team looked to the bacterium Sphingobium, or SYK-6, commonly found in the lignin-rich waste stream from wood pulp production and only feeds on lignin. The researchers then studied how SYK-6 lives off lignin and mapped its pathway.

The next step would be to engineer a microbial chassis to harness SYK-6's metabolic pathway. The aim is to stop the pathway at the right step to extract a useful product such as platform chemicals. Another step would be to insert the genes responsible for the desired metabolic process in SYK-6 into a strong industrial host like E. coli to create a chassis for desired fuels and chemicals.

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http://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-016-0611-1

Enzymatic deconstruction of lignocellulose, catalyzed by fungi such as Aspergillus nidulans, releases a mixture of sugars for fermentation into ethanol. However, a major drawback is the inability of yeast to successfully consume sugars other than glucose. The team of Thaila Fernanda dos Reis from Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil screened the genome of A. nidulans for transporters capable of consuming non-glucose sugars, and introduced them into Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The team identified two proteins in A. nidulans, CltA, and CltB, with roles in cellobiose transport and cellulose signaling, respectively. CltA conferred growth on low and high concentrations of cellobiose to the S. cerevisiae. Meanwhile, CltB was not able to confer growth on cellobiose, but the introduction of additional functional copies of CltB increased the growth in the presence of low concentrations of cellobiose, indicating its ability to transport cellobiose. Furthermore, a previously identified glucose transporter, HxtB, was also found to be a major xylose transporter in A. nidulans. In S. cerevisiae, HxtB conferred growth on xylose which was accompanied by ethanol production.

This study serves as basis for future research on engineering Aspergillus spp. to consume other carbon sources or to improve transport and fermentation of non-glucose sugars in S. cerevisiae.

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http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2016/september/biofuel-research/

University of Delaware researchers have identified a promising blend of bacteria and synthesize gas that is capable of producing much more acetone than other methods while avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions.

Acetogens are anaerobic bacteria that take carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas and convert them into chemicals such as acetone, butanol or ethanol. Researchers tested how Clostridium ljungdahlii would do with mixotrophy, the use of two sources of fuel for the fermentation process, in this case, sugars and synthetic gas. The bacteria consumed both sugar and gas, gave off no carbon dioxide, and produced 38% more acetone than the previous maximum.

The project could lead to significant advances in biofuel production from sources that do not add to the planet's carbon pollution. The work was conducted in partnership with White Dog Labs Incorporated, a young biotechnology firm.