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Biofuels
Biofuels are a type of renewable fuel that is derived from biomass, often plant matter or another kind of biological material. They are used to partially or completely replace petroleum-derived fossil fuels. Kinds of biofuels include solid biomass, liquid fuels and biogases. Specific examples include bioethanol, made from sugar and starch crops, and biodiesel, made from vegetable oils, animals fats and other recycled greases.
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Black carbon casts doubt on space tourism
Will black carbon cause the death of space tourism before it has taken off?
8 | May 16, 2013 10:49am |
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Consumer confidence slipping in solar, wind
The bloom is sliding off the rose of renewables. Electric and hybrid vehicles losing favor too. What about nuclear?
23 | May 16, 2013 4:51am |
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What if we could eat wood?
Would we then be able to feed the whole world? Maybe. Scientists have found a way to turn indigestible cellulose into starch.
33 | April 18, 2013 5:23pm |
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Less luggage lost saved airlines billions last year
$2.1 billion -- the figure that care, attention and innovation saved airlines last year.
1 | April 9, 2013 9:46am |
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Q&A: Gretchen Daily, ecologist, on quantifying nature's value
As people push against the limits of what nature freely offers us in terms of fresh water, climate stability and more, how can we use our resources to achieve the greatest return for society?
3 | April 1, 2013 3:00am |
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Caffeine-addicted bacteria to eat up pollutants
How do you decaffeinate water that's polluted by our widespread use of caffeine? Engineer some bacteria who literally live off caffeine. They'll eat it.
1 | March 28, 2013 10:51am |
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Biofuel blues: Mascoma ends IPO plans
Just when it looked like the biofuels industry was starting to make some progress, one of its own has withdrawn its IPO due to difficult market conditions.
8 | March 25, 2013 3:24pm |
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Designer invents packaging that 'disappears'
"The Disappearing Package" shows how with a simple re-design, much of a product's leftover rubbish can be eliminated completely.
11 | March 25, 2013 4:23am |
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Oil majors are whistling past the graveyard
The latest outlooks from BP and ExxonMobil project a rosy future for oil, while bottom-up forecasts see world oil production declining before 2020. Who you gonna believe?
63 | March 20, 2013 1:43am |
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A small step for plant waste-based fuels
KiOR, the advanced biofuels company that makes fuel from pine wood chips, has made its first commercial shipment of cellulosic diesel.
March 19, 2013 5:04pm |
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Can snail teeth improve battery tech, solar cells?
Can biominerals sourced from snails improve lithium-ion batteries and solar cell concentration?
1 | March 17, 2013 12:00am |
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17-year-old girl exploring algae as biofuel wins Intel science competition
The nation's most prestigious science competition for high school students awarded $1.25 million in 2013.
3 | March 13, 2013 8:25pm |
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And the DOE energy innovation award goes to ... a new type of nuclear power
Transatomic's founders look more Twitterati than Nuclearati. But their "molten salt reactor" trumps great ideas from across all energy areas at this week's investor/entrepreneur summit.
5 | March 1, 2013 5:31am |
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The next big thing: 4D printing
An MIT professor recently unveiled an advanced 3D printing process that allows objects to assemble themselves.
7 | March 1, 2013 3:47am |
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Study: When private companies go public, innovation suffers
While an IPO puts firms in a better position to innovate, other priorities take hold.
2 | February 14, 2013 4:23am |
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The home of biofuel firms? California
According to a new study, California is the preferred home for companies focusing on biofuel production.
5 | February 7, 2013 5:15am |
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The Morning Briefing: A question of biofuels
"The Morning Briefing" is SmaertPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about biofuel research and opinion.
4 | February 7, 2013 12:58am |
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Filabot helps turn a plastic bottle into a 3D printed prototype
An unassuming invention may be a gamechanger for designers and manufacturers.
7 | February 5, 2013 4:05am |
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Wanted: Half a million electric car charge points for Europe
If you build the infrastructure they will come. That's what E.U. lawmakers hope as they try to spark up slow sales of EVs.
10 | January 31, 2013 4:09am |
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For business, food waste a ripe opportunity for savings
Minimizing waste along the food chain: it's good for the environment, but even better for the bottom line. The "mega-movement" is just beginning.
11 | January 15, 2013 1:33am |