Md. County to Study Ways to Convert Waste to Energy
Anne Arundel County, whose farms produce 1.7 million square feet of horse manure each year, plans to study the feasibility of converting that and other waste materials into energy. The plan is to create a renewable energy source while reducing nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.
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State Approves Biofuel Plant Tax Credits
The Vermont Economic Progress Council approved tax credits Thursday that a Canadian company described as crucial to its plan for establishing a biodiesel production plant in Swanton.
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USDA Designates 20 Biobased Items for Federal Procurement
The U.S. Agriculture Department has announced two proposed rules under the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program, designating 20 items that must receive special consideration by all federal agencies when making purchases.
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High hopes for processing fuel from plant stems and leaves
The stony, hillside fields of Thomas Stickle's farm here in Western Pennsylvania bear an unusual crop: a tall grass meant to feed not animals, but cars. Stickle, who once farmed more than 1,000 acres of corn and other row crops, and government scientists are studying how to get the most out of his switchgrass as a renewable fuel while creating wildlife habitat and conserving soil.
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Bacteria Beat the Heat
A team of scientists from the Weizmann Institute's Plant Sciences Department, led by Prof. Avigdor Scherz, has found that a switch in just two amino acids (the building blocks of protein) can make a difference between functioning best at moderate temperatures and being adapted to living in extreme heat. The results of their research, which recently appeared in Nature, might have implications for future attempts to adjust crops to differing climate conditions or improve enzyme efficiency in industrial processes.
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