A new study on thermal decomposition of a potential fuel additive has shown that it could make biofuels cleaner and have more efficient combustion.

Scientists have been researching additives made of oxygenated organic compounds that could help reduce the release of pollutants into the atmosphere as well as increase the efficiency of combustion of fuels. Researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have learned how these potential additives decompose under combustion.

Diethyl carbonate (DEC), which is 40.6% oxygen by mass, has the potential to facilitate clean combustion of diesel fuels. KAUST scientists evaluated the effects of pressure and temperature on the decomposition of DEC to understand its decomposition. They found that DEC had a significant effect on the decomposition of organic esters, lowering the reaction energy and increasing its reactivity.

These findings will present more knowledge on the application of biodiesel fuels to modern diesel engines and engine hybrids. Furthermore, it will also clarify the blending effect of esters and carbonates with conventional fuels.

Using microbes growing in two diverse climatic conditions, A team of researchers from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have found a way to convert carbon-rich waste materials into biofuel.

Researchers discovered two distinctly different species of bacteria from Aravalli marble mines in India and found that they can, in combination, produce biodiesel from carbon-containing waste materials. The first bacterium, Serratia sp. ISTD04, is capable of harvesting carbon dioxide into organic compounds. Meanwhile, lipase from the bacterium Pseudomonas sp. ISTPL3, can convert these lipids into biodiesel.

The Serratia sp. microbe sequesters carbon dioxide linked to climate change and converts it into lipids. Moreover, 60% of its body weight is made up of lipids that can be converted into biodiesel via transesterification. The scientists were amazed to see the lipase having a very high conversion efficiency. They have also demonstrated that the lipase from Pseudomonas sp. could be recycled several times.

In a previous study, scientists from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovered an enzyme, CeIA from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, adept at breaking down cellulose fibers regardless of its crystalline structure. According to the research, no other enzyme has shown this ability.

The original research showed that CeIA could convert biomass to sugars faster than competing commercial catalysts. This new study now focuses on how the enzyme could help remove one of the main barriers preventing cellulosic biofuels from becoming a commercial reality: the crystalline structure of cellulose.

The structure of cellulose in cell walls has been a problem for cellulases, with fungal enzymes unable to easily break down fibers with high crystalline content. CeIA however, was found to be unaffected by the level of crystalline content. It is capable of breaking down cellulose regardless of its crystallinity.

Researchers looked at how CeIA performed in breaking down and interacting with the components of cell walls in corn stover. Chemical pretreatments were used on corn stover and silky fibers called cotton linters, leaving behind various amounts of the components and varying degrees of crystallinity.

The only obstacle to CeIA was lignin, the component which gives rigidity to cell walls. With some of the chemical pretreatments, some lignin remained, stopping the enzyme.