BIO Sensing of Massachusetts (MA) Δ 13th of January 2014 Ω 5:11 AM

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~ GreenFuel ~ MIT reports new twist in microRNA biology ~ BROAD Institute	~ Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research ~ The University of Massachusetts Amherstsense ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
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«BIO Sensing of U.S.	Θ	Θ
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~ GreenFuel

»GreenFuel
ξ algae are the fastest-growing plants in the world
ξ like other plants, they use photosynthesis to harness sunlight and carbon dioxide, creating high-value compounds in the process
ξ energy is stored inside the cell as lipids and carbohydrates, and
ξ can be converted into fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol
ξ proteins produced by algae make them valuable ingredients for animal feed

ξ GreenFuel uses a portfolio of technologies to profitably recycle CO2 from smokestack, fermentation, and geothermal gases via naturally occurring species of algae
ξ algae can be converted to transportation fuels and feed ingredients or
ξ recycled back to a combustion source as biomass for power generation
ξ industrial facilities need no internal modifications to host a GreenFuel algae farm
ξ the system does not require fertile land or potable water

»Lipid
»Carbohydrate

Sensed via web server:
We are looking for partners to develop the who life cycle solutions to produce BIO-LH2 and BIO-MH2.
Our unmanned helicopter (Xi) is designed to use liquid hydrogen (LH2) as its fuel.
Metal hybrid (MH2) in fuel cells is used to power its electronics.
The base station (Base4Xi) is to refuel Xi helicopters for longer operations.
LH2 for Xi and for/at Base4Xi should be produced by environment frienly process such as using algaes.
We are also interested to collaborate in other hydrogen applications, not just with these unmanned devices.
Best regards
Chief BIO Officer

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~ MIT reports new twist in microRNA biology

»MIT reports new twist in microRNA biology
ξ papers are the latest example of the power of using computational tools to investigate the genomes of multiple species, known as comparative genomics
ξ the Kellis group has used this approach to discover protein-coding genes, RNAs, microRNAs,
ξ regulatory motifs, and targets of individual regulators in diverse organisms ranging from yeast and fruit flies to mice and humans
ξ this represents a new phase in genomics-making biological discoveries sitting not at the lab bench, but at the computer terminal
ξ Kellis is the Karl Van Tassel Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
ξ and an associate member of the Broad Institute
ξ he grew up in Greece and France, earned his B.S., M.Eng. and Ph.D. from MIT
ξ was appointed to the faculty in 2004
ξ at 30, he has already earned numerous awards and accolades,
ξ including a place on the list of the 35 top innovators under 35 by Technology Review magazine in 2006

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~ BROAD Institute

»BROAD Institute

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~ Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

»Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

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~ The University of Massachusetts Amherstsense

»The University of Massachusetts Amherstsense

»New Method Rapidly Produces Low-Cost Biofuels From Wood, Grass

Abstract
ξ Huber's method is for making biofuels from cellulose,
ξ the non-edible portion of plant biomass and a major component of grasses and wood.
ξ At $10 to $30 per barrel of oil energy equivalent, cellulosic biomass is significantly cheaper than crude oil.
ξ The U.S. could potentially produce 1.3 billion dry tons of cellulosic biomass per year,
ξ which has the energy content of four billion barrels of crude oil.

George Huber of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
ξ has received a $400,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation
ξ to pursue his revolutionary new method for making biofuels, or "green gasoline," from wood or grasses,
ξ a process that would be much less expensive than conventional gasoline or ethanol made from corn.
ξ Results of Huber's research were published in the April 2008 issue of ChemSusChem,
ξ a publication devoted to environmentally-sound chemistry
ξ "We've proven this method on a small scale in the lab," says Huber, a professor of chemical engineering.
ξ "But we need to make further improvements and prove it on a large scale before it's going to be economically viable."
ξ Huber is a nationally recognized expert on biofuels, which are sustainable fuels made from plant materials.
ξ In June 2007, he chaired a workshop in Washington, D.C., for the National Science Foundation and
ξ the U. S. Department of Energy titled "Breaking the Chemical and Engineering Barriers to Lignocellulosic Biofuels,"
ξ which was attended by 71 top experts from academia, industry and governmental agencies.
ξ Huber's method is for making biofuels from cellulose,
ξ the non-edible portion of plant biomass and a major component of grasses and wood.
ξ At $10 to $30 per barrel of oil energy equivalent, cellulosic biomass is significantly cheaper than crude oil.
ξ The U.S. could potentially produce 1.3 billion dry tons of cellulosic biomass per year,
ξ which has the energy content of four billion barrels of crude oil.
ξ That's more than half of the seven billion barrels of crude oil consumed in our country each year.
ξ What's more, biomass as an energy crop could increase the national farm income by $3 to $6 billion per year.
ξ Huber is addressing the lack of an economical process for converting cellulose into liquid biofuels,
ξ which is the main roadblock for their mass production.
ξ Every conventional conversion method takes several steps, with each step making the whole process more expensive and less feasible.
ξ For example, ethanol production from cellulosic biomass currently involves multiple steps, including
ξ pretreatment, enzymatic or acid hydrolysis, fermentation, and distillation.
ξ Other processes for making biofuels have been hamstrung by similar multi-step methods.

ξ Huber has come up with a technique for producing his "green gasoline" from biomass in one simple step
ξ by placing solid biomass feedstocks such as wood in a reactor,
ξ which is basically a high-tech still for thermal conversion of feedstock to gasoline.
ξ He heats the feedstock by a technique known as catalytic fast pyrolysis
ξ which means
ξ rapid heating of the biomass to between 400 and 600 degrees centigrade and
ξ followed by quick cooling
ξ By adding zeolite catalysts to this process,
ξ gasoline range hydrocarbons can be directly produced from cellulose within sixty seconds
ξ "This is a big improvement because it's all done in one single step, instead of several stages," explains Huber.
ξ "Also, because of the high temperatures we use in the process,
ξ the residence time in our reactor is two to 60 seconds.
ξ With cellulosic ethanol, your residence time is five to ten days,
ξ which means you have to have a huge reactor costing much more money.
ξ So we estimate that building a facility to use our process would be much less expensive."
ξ Using the current cost of wood in Massachusetts, which is $40 per dry ton,
ξ as an example of the feedstock he can use in this process,
ξ Huber estimates that a gallon of green gasoline can be produced with his method for between $1 and $1.70,
ξ depending on how much he can improve the catalytic conversion in his process through standard engineering techniques.
ξ Huber has already demonstrated that this process will work on a small scale in his lab.
ξ Now he has to design a reactor and catalysts that are specifically geared for his process.
ξ Huber just received a $30,000 grant from the UMass Amherst Office of Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property,
ξ as funded by the UMass president's office, to develop a prototype reactor to demonstrate green gasoline production on a large scale.
ξ Huber has been working with three other professors at UMass Amherst including
ξ Phillip R. Westmoreland, a chemical engineer and expert on fast pyrolisis who has been helping to design the reactor, and
ξ William C. Conner, a chemical engineer with expertise in zeolite catalysts
ξ The third researcher is Scott Auerbach, a theoretical chemist from the UMass Amherst chemistry department

George Huber email: huber@ecs.umass.edu
Research Interests
ξ Concerns about global warming, national security and the diminishing supply of fossil fuels
ξ are causing our society to search for new renewable sources of transportation fuels.
ξ In this respect, domestically available biomass has been proposed as part of the solution to our dependence on fossil fuels.
ξ While biomass has potential to replace a large fraction of imported petroleum based products,
ξ the main obstacle to the more widespread utilization of our low-cost biomass resources is the absence of low-cost processing technologies.
ξ The objective of Prof. Huber's research is to develop highly efficient and low-cost catalytic processes,
ξ catalytic materials and reactors for biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals utilizing aqueous-phase processing.

Fields:
ξ Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Nanotechnology, Polymers/Biomaterials

Applications:
ξ Energy, Environment, Alternative Fuels/"Green" Technologies, Energy Generation

Phillip R. Westmoreland
ξ On leave, 2006-08: National Science Foundation, Arlington VA

Synthesis & Characterization of Nanoporous Materials
ξ studying the synthesis and characterization of nanoporous solids
ξ this includes zeolites and other molecular sieves as well as other polymeric materials
ξ most recently studying the microwave synthesis and engineering of these materials
ξ the microwave exposure not only can enhance the synthesis by orders of magnitude
ξ but can change adsorption selectivity and catalysis
ξ further novel materials can be synthesized with controllable morphologies
ξ the separations processes interested span from large hydrocarbons to synthesis gas (hydrogen)
ξ while the catalysis spans from partial oxidation to exhaust catalysis

Scott Auerbach, Functionalized Biofuel Catalysts
ξ With both NSF and DOE funding
ξ modeling functionalized zeolites for new catalytic applications in biofuel production
ξ Although traditional zeolites are acidic,
ξ modeling processes that give rise to strongly basic zeolites,
ξ which will play an important role in the refinement of biomass-derived oxygenates
ξ computing NMR and IR spectra for comparison with experiment (in collaboration with Curt Conner and Clare Grey)
ξ to determine the nature of active sites in basic zeolites

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