NEWS RELEASES

A versatile new toolkit developed by researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) provides a streamlined method for addressing genetic engineering challenges in Rhodotorula toruloides, reducing the time and effort required for complex metabolic engineering projects and unlocking the full biotechnological potential of this oleaginous yeast.

Wet wastes are promising candidates for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production due to their triglyceride content, which can be converted into biocrude via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). SAF precursors must meet criteria derived from conventional fuels. Currently, no HTL-derived biocrude meets these. This study, with contributions from researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of catalytically upgrading wet waste-derived biocrudes into SAF precursors using zeolite-supported Mo₂C nanocatalyst.

This study by researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) provided proof-of-concept of the value of bioengineering sorghum leaf angle to confer greater photosynthetic carbon gain, biomass production, and yield without greater extraction of soil water. These findings are an important step toward the creation of the ideotype sorghum "smart canopy," showing measured increase in leaf blade angle as a means to sustainably deliver boosts in both grain and biomass for the bioeconomy.

Building renewable energy plants to meet our energy needs is critical to transitioning away from fossil fuels and tackling global warming — but how do people who live near these plants feel about them? Reports of community opposition have been used against renewable energy. Scientists surveyed communities across the US living within three miles — about an hour’s walk — of solar energy and found that 82% of local residents would support or are neutral towards more solar energy plants in their local area.