http://www.isaaa.org/kc/A weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA).en-usWed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16143Yarrowia lipolytica is a common biotechnological platform for the production of lipids, the preferred feedstock for the production of biofuels and chemicals. To reduce the cost of microbial lipid production, inexpensive carbon sources should be used, such as lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Unfortunately, lignocellulosic materials often contain toxic ...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Research and Developmenthttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16144Stanford scientists have found a new type of cellulose, called pEtN, in Escherichia coli.This study, led by Lynette Cegelski, was originally aimed to investigate the matrix of slime-like materials that surrounds microbes and protects their communities. In this latticework, the team found a modified form of cellulose. It had been missed by previous ...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Research and Developmenthttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16153The formation of by-products, mainly acetone, in the acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation significantly affects the yield. The team led by Chao Wang of Nanjing Tech University in China genetically-engineered Clostridium acetobutylicum to eliminate acetone production. The team also altered ABE fermentation to isopropanol–butanol–ethanol (IBE)....Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Research and Developmenthttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16155Qantas made the world's first dedicated biofuel flight between the United States and Australia. Qantas QF96 flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne over the weekend. The 15-hour trans-Pacific flight operated with approximately 24,000 kg of 10% biofuel blend, saving 18,000 kg in carbon emissions.Fuel for the flight was produced from Brassica carinata, a ...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800News and Trendshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16149A team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is exploring sweet sorghum ethanol as a future income source for western Nebraska.Sweet sorghum is a cultivar of sorghum developed for the harvest of juice. Due to its high sugar content and stability in drought, researchers deemed it as a potential ethanol feedstock crop on non-irrigated farmland in wes...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Productionhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16151The development of fast-growing hardwood trees as a source of biomass for biofuel production requires a good understanding of the plant cell wall structure and mechanisms that underlie the recalcitrance of woody biomass. Downregulation of the GAUT12.1 gene in poplar (Populus deltoids) was reported to result in improved biomass saccharification, pla...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Productionhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16150Researchers in Canada claim to have found a simpler, cleaner way to produce fuel from waste materials such as sewage.Currently, biowaste is converted into biofuel with a two-step process. Biomass is converted into biocrude oil with a chemical and thermal process and the second stage is refining, where hydrogen is added under high pressure and heat,...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Processinghttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=16152Biogas production from lignocellulosic biomass is considered challenging due to the recalcitrant nature of the biomass. The team of Daniel Girma Mulat from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences applied steam-explosion (SE) pretreatment (210 °C and 10 min) to reduce the recalcitrance of birch. The team also performed bioaugmentation, the additio...Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0800Biofuels Processing