E.coli bacteria that eats switchgrass to make fuel

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have engineered the first strains of e.coli bacteria that can digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. And all without having to add expensive enzyme additives.

Chemical giant BASF invests in biomass-to-sugar startup

BASF, one of the world’s biggest chemical companies, has invested $30 million in biomass-to-sugar startup Renmatix. BASF’s investment was part of a $50 million round of funding that included existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Extracting Bio Crude From Algae And Other Biomass Through Hydro-thermal Liquefaction.

There are a lot of process involve in the extraction of  bio crude from algae; these process became when the idea of obtaining a high oil content from the feed stock or biomass present.

Algae provide many potential routes for the conversion into biofuels, including hydrothermal liquefaction. During hydrothermal liquefaction, high moisture biomass is subjected to elevated temperatures (250-350 deg C) and pressures (10-20 MPa) in order to break down and reform the chemical building blocks into a bio-crude oil. [University of Illinois, Dept. of Agriculture]