Ask a biofuel researcher to name the single greatest technical barrier to cost-effective ethanol, and you're likely to receive a one-word response: lignin.
Biotechnology
Feb 16, 2016
2
638
TrCel7a is a cellulase: a special enzyme that breaks down cellulose, the most plentiful natural polymer on the planet.
Biotechnology
Dec 10, 2015
0
4
The tulip called Queen of the Night has a fitting name. Its petals are a lush, deep purple that verges on black. An iridescent shimmer dances on top of the nighttime hues, almost like moonlight glittering off regal jewels.
Condensed Matter
Sep 15, 2015
0
44
Researchers at the University of Maryland recently discovered that paper made of cellulose fibers is tougher and stronger the smaller the fibers get. For a long time, engineers have sought a material that is both strong (resistant ...
Nanomaterials
Jul 24, 2015
2
86
One of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces, drawn in red chalk on paper during the early 1500s and widely believed to be a self-portrait, is in extremely poor condition. Centuries of exposure to humid storage conditions or a ...
General Physics
Jun 3, 2014
1
0
(Phys.org) —Led by Art Ragauskas, the newly appointed Oak Ridge National Laboratory-University of Tennessee Governor's Chair in Biorefining, a multi-institutional team of researchers offers a new view of an organic polymer ...
Biotechnology
May 19, 2014
0
0
Aalto University has developed a new process with global significance for working cellulose into a textile fiber.
Materials Science
Nov 21, 2013
0
0
Researchers studying more effective ways to convert woody plant matter into biofuels at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified fundamental forces that change plant structures during pretreatment ...
Materials Science
Nov 13, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org) —A cheap and simple process using natural fibers embedded with nanoparticles can almost completely rid water of harmful textile dyes in minutes, report Cornell and Colombian researchers who worked with native ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 19, 2013
0
0
Lulea University of Technology is the first in Sweden with a new technology that scales up production of nano-cellulose from wood residues. It may eventually give the forest industry profitable new products, such as nano-filter ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 30, 2013
0
0
