Making New Enzymes to Engineer Plants for Biofuel Production

(PhysOrg.com) -- Brookhaven scientists have created a new enzyme with the potential to interfere with a key cell-wall component in plants, possibly leading to plants that are easier to "digest" and convert to biofuels.

Plant discovery opens frontiers

University of Adelaide researchers have discovered a biochemical mechanism fundamental to plant life that could have far-reaching implications for the multibillion dollar biomedical, pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology ...

Scientists reveal catalytic mechanism of lovastatin hydrolase

Hyperlipidemia, one of the most common threats to human health, refers to an abnormal increase of cholesterol and/or triglycerides in the blood. One effective method for prevention and treatment of the disease is cholesterol-lowering ...

Ethanol-fueled racecars outrun conventional speedsters

(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of automotive researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory and industry have shown that a fuel-injected racing car engine fueled by E-85, an ethanol-based fuel, outperforms the same engine with ...

A molecular ripcord for chemical reactions

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands) have developed an entirely new method for starting chemical reactions. For the first time they used mechanical forces to control catalytic activity - one ...

Improving the catalytic converters of motor vehicles

The chemical mechanism that occurs on the surface of an automotive catalytic converter has been deciphered thanks to an observation speed record established by Frédéric Thibault-Strarzyk at the Laboratoire Catalyse ...

A laser shines light on the catalytic converter

(PhysOrg.com) -- Catalytic converters are encountered everywhere in our cars and in the chemical industry. However, the chemical reaction is not well understood. A discovery made at the EPFL may help to shed light on a field ...

Two problems in chemical catalysis solved

The research group of Professor Petri Pihko at the Department of Chemistry and the NanoScience Center of the University of Jyväskylä has solved two acute problems in chemical catalysis. The research has been funded by the ...

New, low cost alternative for ethylene production

The increased supply and optimized cost of natural gas have pushed chemical industries to seek new ways of converting methane, the main constituent of natural gas, to ethylene, a hydrocarbon widely used in chemical products ...

page 1 from 2