By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 21, 2019, scientists Abdon Pena-Francesh and Melik C. Demirel, at Pennsylvania State University, published an article on the use of squid teeth tandem repeat proteins that can be functionally used for biodegradable fibers and films. The flexible and tough material results from a protein present in the squid teeth, which can be grown biosynthetically by E. coli bacteria. This biosynthetic expression of squid teeth proteins presents a number of...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 28, 2019, DOE announced that scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have been working on molecular tools that reside naturally within microbial cells. Microbes typically use these tools to carry out their metabolism and other life-sustaining processes; LANL researchers, however, have been using the tools to produce fuel precursors and bioproduct building blocks. With the addition of a biosensor in the microbes, light allows the...
March 8, 2019
DOE BETO Celebrates Women’s History Month
By Lynn L. Bergeson In honor of Women’s History Month (March), DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will be celebrating women working on bioenergy R&D projects at DOE’s national laboratories. Each week of March, BETO will highlight the contributions that these women make to strengthen the U.S. bioeconomy. Activities include the promotion of female scientists and administrators that power BETO-funded bioenergy research on social media and a webinar titled...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On March 4, 2019, DOE announced an opportunity for funding up to $31 million in support of advancing the H2@Scale concept. The H2@Scale concept focuses on enabling affordable and reliable large-scale hydrogen generation across multiple sectors in the U.S. Large-scale hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization can “unite our Nation’s abundant energy resources,” according to U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. By producing...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On March 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced $51.5 million for innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and fuels. Of particular interest to DOE EERE are: Gaseous fuels research, including natural gas, biopower, and hydrogen; Heavy duty freight electrification; Hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies for heavy duty applications; and Energy efficient off-road...
From June 11-13, 2019, the American Chemical Society (ACS) will be hosting their annual Green Chemistry and Engineering (GC&E) Conference and the International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry in Reston, VA. BRAG will be proudly presenting an abstract titled: “The Role of Regulations in Circular Economy — Challenge of New Chemical Bias.” Under the “Entrepreneurs Driving the Circular Economy — Opportunities and Challenges”...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 14, 2019, scientists in China published an article revealing a new methodology developed to safely transform methanol into ethanol. Given methanol’s toxicity, this recently uncovered method allows for a more secure, user-friendly, sustainable technology that can be more broadly applied. The scientific article reports a photo-driven one-step conversion of methanol to ethanol at ambient temperature. A relatively simple process, the...
March 1, 2019
DOE BETO Announces Collaboration Opportunity
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 26, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the sponsorship of a new project to harness algae strains for bioenergy. Called Development of Integrated Screening, Cultivar Optimization and Verification Research (DISCOVR), the project is a multi-laboratory consortium including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National...
March 1, 2019
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, Signed Into Law
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 15, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a bill originally introduced in early 2017 by Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) titled the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (2019 Appropriations Act). Of interest to stakeholders in the biobased sector is Section 428, which covers policies relating to biomass energy. In this section, responsibilities assigned to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Agriculture, and EPA Administrator are...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 22, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice of a proposed partial consent decree in Sierra Club v. Pruitt. This notice is in response to a complaint filed by the Sierra Club in October 2017 to the District of Columbia Court. The complaint alleged that former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt “failed to perform a non-discretionary duty to assess and report to Congress on the environmental and...