The bioenergysite website recently made a list of the latest in biofuel research and development: (1) Algal photobioreactors made of plastic from permeable, "forward-osmosis" membranes: The reactors (developed by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Agency, NASA) are large plastic bags which can be filled with wastewater, which serves as a culture medium for the growth of algae. The algae grow on the wastewater medium, and the cleaned water seeps through the one-way semi-permeable membrane. The algae can then be harvest for further processing into biofuels and other useful materials; (2) Tobacco as biodiesel feedstock: Scientists at the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have successfully modified a tobacco plant that produces oil in the leaves; the modified plant had 20% higher oil yield compared to the unmodified plant, (3) Cyanobacteria which converts carbon dioixde and sunlight, directly into biofuel isobutanol. The organism, developed by a team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), uses a "direct route" for fuel conversion. The organism directly produces the biofuel, instead of being "intermediately" processed for biofuel production. The direct-route can substantially reduce the production cost of the biofuel, (4) A strain of E. coli which directly converts simple sugars into biodiesel, alcohol and waxes (plus the enzyme, hemicellulase): This "L9" strain was developed by researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) of the United States Department of Energy (US-DOE), (5) A new and more cost-effective cellulase for cellulose ethanol production: Novozymes (an enzyme company) developed "Cellic CTec2" enzymes, could reportedly enable the biofuel industry "to produce cellulosic ethanol at a price below $2 per gallon for the initial commercial-scale plants that are scheduled to be in operation in 2011"..

The collaborative project by partners in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, which may help promote the use of renewable energy sources and sustainable crop production systems, has been initiated. Called the "Cultivation for bioenergy, water preservation and field protection" (BioM), the project will "develop economically and environmentally sustainable large-scale biomass productions for energy purposes, which do not compete with food production". As listed in the Danish AgroTeck website, the four major activities of the project are: (1) Project management, which ensures an effective leadership and communication platform; (2) Cultivation system and documentation of effects on the environment and nature, which focus on optimal cultivation systems for energy crops in large scale systems and mapping and measuring the effects of these; (3) Development of techniques and harvest and storage methods, which focus on optimization of harvest process, biogas yield, upgrading gas for transport use, and recycling nutrients for organic plant production; (4) Organizing, local approval and business development will ensure the long term sustainability of the cultivation systems by demonstration sites and dissemination of the achieved knowledge. The project, which is co-financed by the EU's Kattegat-Skagerak programme, was launched last January 2010, and will run for three years..