Petrochemicals – News and Features

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Engineering Bacteria to Produce Green Chemicals from Methanol
Methanol can be synthesised from carbon dioxide and water using renewable energy. When this green methanol is metabolised by specialised bacteria, a variety of chemical substances can be biotechnologically produced.

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Wind Farms More Land Efficient Than Previously Thought
Decision-makers have been reluctant to invest in wind energy due to a perception that wind farms require a lot of land compared to electric power plants driven by fossil fuels. Research led by McGill University paints a very different picture.

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Researchers Extract Protein From Spent Beer Grains
Researchers have created a method that extracts over 80 percent of the available protein in grain leftovers from brewing beer, helping to reduce waste.

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Researchers Discover Path to More Environmentally Friendly Plastics
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers have created a potential alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic that is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) and lignin, a component of wood that is a low-cost byproduct of paper manufacturing and biofuel production.

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Engineered Bacteria Produce Biodegradable Plastic
Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water.

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Method Developed To Make Common Painkiller From Trees
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way to make a popular pain reliever and other valuable products from plants instead of petroleum.

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A New, Cost-Effective Method for Producing Quaternary Carbon Molecules
The active ingredient in many drugs is what’s known as a small molecule: bigger than water, much smaller than an antibody and mainly made of carbon. Scripps scientists have uncovered a potential cost-effective way to produce these tricky motifs.

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Plant-Based Plastic Releases Nine Times Fewer Microplastics Than Conventional Plastic
A newly developed plant-based plastic material releases nine times less microplastics than conventional plastic when exposed to sunlight and seawater, a new study has found.

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Plastic-Free Vegan Leather That Dyes Itself Grown From Bacteria
In recent years, scientists and companies have started using microbes to grow sustainable textiles or to make dyes for industry – but this is the first time bacteria have been engineered to produce a material and its own pigment simultaneously.

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To Capture Methane Emissions, Scientists Create Nanoshell Catalysts
A University at Buffalo-led research team is developing new catalysts that aim to turn climate-warming methane emissions into useful commercial products.
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