Three unrelated problems were solved by one simple solution devised by Logistics Civil Augmentation Program IV contract partner, Fluor. They plan to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel to help power solid waste incinerators at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

Christopher Waechter, Fluor country environmental manager, said the initiative was proposed initially as a cost avoidance measure. The overall cost avoidance is projected to be $750,000 per year.

However, the process also has the added benefits of removing used cooking oil from the waste stream and increasing the skills of the local workers while allowing them to work in a safer work area. Using biodiesel to fuel the incinerators is also a much safer option than traditional methods. 

This initiative is paired with an existing program that reclaims used motor oil and other fuel for use in the incinerators.

Boeing welcomed China President Xi Jinping to its airplane factory and announced several agreements that will deepen the cooperation between Boeing and China. The two committed to further development of China's commercial aviation industry and meet strategic business objectives for Boeing.

Another agreement announced was Boeing and National Development Reform Commission's initiative to turn agricultural waste in China into sustainable aviation biofuel. Boeing will partner with NDRC to turn items from farms, such as corn cobs and wheat stalks, into sustainable jet fuel to reduce aviation's carbon emissions.

"Together, we're finding innovative ways to support China's aviation industry and help build a sustainable future," said Mr. Ian Thomas, President of Boeing China.

Yum! Restaurants India Pvt Limited, which operates KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut in India, has signed an agreement with Advait to collect its used cooking oil (UCO) from KFC in the Andhra and Telangana regions.

Advait, the only UCO collector in India certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, will convert the UCO into biodiesel or export the feedstock for biodiesel processing in Europe. Advait currently collects UCO in four South Indian states. Advait aims to start collecting UCO throughout India with more than 15 collection yards in major cities by the end of this year.

Advait has partnered with one of the largest biodiesel producers in India, Southern Online Bio Technologies Ltd., to supply it with UCO and market its biodiesel in India and abroad. The biodiesel made will be sold to various road transport organizations in India.

The productivity of algae depends on its photosynthetic ability. In their natural environment, algae have evolved to maximize individual cell growth. However, in a photobioreactor, it is the collective productivity of the culture that should be maximized. Improving light use efficiency is one of the primary aims of algae research.

Giorgio Perin and his colleagues from Universita de Pedova in Italy generated Nannochloropsis gaditana mutant strains and screened them for mutations in the photosynthetic apparatus. The selected mutants exhibited diverse phenotypes, some of which can be potentially beneficial under photobioreactor conditions.

Particular attention was given to strains with reduced cellular pigments. Analysis revealed that some of these strains exhibited improved photosynthesis. In at least one case, this resulted in improved biomass productivity.

Their results demonstrate that modification of N. gaditana can potentially generate strains with improved biomass productivity under photobioreactor conditions.

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO), a promising chemical due to its industrial applications, can be sourced from the biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. However, the formation of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), a by-product that may cause purity issues, as well as the low concentration, efficiency, and yield of 2,3-BDO from crude glycerol limits its use.

The team of Sukhyeong Cho from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology studied the production of 2,3-BDO from crude glycerol using the engineered Klebsiella oxytoca M3. The modified Klebsiella oxytoca M3 had two genes deleted: pduC, which encodes glycerol dehydratase large subunit, and ldhA, which encodes lactate dehydrogenase. These were deleted to reduce the formation of 1,3-PDO and lactic acid.

When the modified K. oxytoca M3 was used in fermentation with pure glycerol, cell growth and glycerol consumption were significantly enhanced and 2,3-BDO production was significantly higher than the parent strain. Notably, when crude glycerol was supplied, the engineered strain showed high 2,3-BDO production, efficiency, and yield without the formation of 1,3-PDO.

2,3-BDO production from glycerol was dramatically enhanced by disruption of two genes in K. oxytoca. 2,3-BDO production without 1,3-PDO was also achieved by using the engineered strain and crude glycerol.

Yarrowia lipolytica has emerged as a potential organism for the production of biolipids as it accumulates high amounts of lipids from glucose. Starch is one of the most abundant carbohydrates in nature. However, Y. lipolytica lacks the capacity to breakdown this polymer, thus requiring expensive enzymatic and/or physical pretreatments.

Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France expressed alpha-amylase and glucoamylase enzymes in Y. lipolytica. The modified strains were able to grow on starch as its sole carbon source and produce certain amount of lipids.

The researchers then expressed both enzymes in an engineered strain capable of overaccumulating lipids. The engineered strain was able to produce up to 5.7 times more lipids than the first modified strain. Analysis revealed that the properties of a biodiesel produced by this strain from raw starch would fit the standards.

The results showed that lipid production from starch can be enhanced by both metabolic engineering and culture condition optimization.