Powering a microprocessor by photosynthesis

Algae-powered computing: Scientists create reliable and renewable biological photovoltaic cell

23-May-2022 - Researchers have used a widespread species of blue-green algae to power a microprocessor continuously for a year - and counting - using nothing but ambient light and water. Their system has potential as a reliable and renewable way to power small devices. The system, comparable in size to an AA ...

Showtime for photosynthesis

One of nature's most important chemical reactions is now being captured in a breakthrough 'molecular movie'

08-Jun-2020 - Using a unique combination of nanoscale imaging and chemical analysis, an international team of researchers has revealed a key step in the molecular mechanism behind the water splitting reaction of photosynthesis, a finding that could help inform the design of renewable energy technology. "Life ...

More efficient biosolar cells modelled on nature

By combining light-collecting and photosynthesis proteins of different types, more energy can be produced

04-Jun-2020 - Potential sources of renewable energy include protein complexes that are responsible for photosynthesis. However, their efficiency in technical applications still leaves much to be desired. For example, they cannot convert green light into energy. A research team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum ...

Bionic catalysts to produce clean energy

04-Jul-2019 - Mixing microbes with carbon nanomaterials could help the transition to renewable energy. KAUST research shows microbes and nanomaterials can be used together to form a biohybrid material that performs well as an electrocatalyst. The material could be used in the solar-powered production of ...

Vetter Works Towards a Sustainable Energy Supply

All German sites of the pharmaceutical service provider will be supplied with green electricity moving forward

31-May-2019 - Vetter has reached another important milestone regarding sustainability. Beginning immediately, all German sites of the company will be supplied with only CO2 neutral energy from certified renewable energy sources. This action underlines the CDMO’s commitment to climate and environmental ...

Bacteria could become a future source of electricity

28-Mar-2019 - In recent years, researchers have tried to capture the electrical current that bacteria generate through their own metabolism. So far, however, the transfer of the current from the bacteria to a receiving electrode has not been efficient at all. Now, researchers from institutions including Lund ...

A "switch" to increase starch accumulation in algae

A brighter future for renewable energy and materials

05-Nov-2018 - Results from a collaborative study by Tokyo Tech and Tohoku University, Japan, raise prospects for large-scale production of algae-derived starch, a valuable bioresource for biofuels and other renewable materials. Such bio-based products have the potential to replace fossil fuels and contribute ...

Stora Enso and Gasum to make renewable energy from wastewater in Sweden

10-Oct-2018 - Stora Enso and energy company Gasum have signed a contract to build a biogas plant at Stora Enso’s Nymölla paper mill in Sweden. The plant, built and operated by Gasum, will turn the mill’s wastewater effluent into renewable energy. Gasum plans to upgrade the biogas into Liquefied Biogas (LBG) ...

New enzyme paradigm for critical reaction in converting lignin to useful products

05-Jul-2018 - An international research team, including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has discovered and characterized a new family of cytochrome P450 enzymes that is critical to improving the conversion of lignin--one of the main ...

How biofuels from plant fibers could combat global warming

28-Feb-2018 - Scientists, companies and government agencies are hard at work on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In recent years, biofuels produced from corn have emerged as a fuel source to power motor vehicles and, perhaps, airplanes. But corn is problematic as a biofuel source ...