Biofuel researchers have figured out how to make fuel from switchgrass, algae, corn, soy, canola oil, plants and paper.
All of those biofuels are tough to scale to meet the demands of filling up millions of gas tanks on a daily basis.
But now the innovative researchers at the University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering have developed a new type of biofuel or renewable energy source.
It’s fuel from genetically engineered yeast cells and ordinary table sugar. The combination creates oil and fats, “known as lipids, that can be used in place of petroleum-derived products,” according to a news release.
“You can take the lipids formed and theoretically use it to power a car,” UT Assistant Professor Hal Alper said in a news release. He and his team of students have dubbed the concoction “a renewable version of sweet crude.” They published their research on Jan. 20 in Nature Communications.
Alper believes their invention could scale to meet the marketplace’s growing demand for alternative fuels.
Tag: renewable energy
At the Clean Energy Venture Summit 2011, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Director for Clean Energy, Jose Beceiro says Austin has more than 200 companies involved in the clean technology industry. It’s a growing area and more companies are relocating to the city all the time, he said.
In fact, Complete Energy Systems, based in Boca Raton, just signed an agreement with Pflugerville City Council to move into a new energy park. The company, which only has eight employees, says it plans to hire up to 200 employees by 2014.
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell declared the city the clean energy capital of the world at a reception for the Clean Energy Venture Summit 2011 at city hall Wednesday night.
The city’s goal is to have 35 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2020 and it’s well on its way to achieving that goal, he said.
In the last few weeks, the city has signed wind contracts that will put it at 30 percent of its energy coming from renewables by the end of next year, Leffingwell said.
Austin has a very mature high-tech industry that provides a support base to nurture clean energy business that continue to grow, Leffingwell said.
Several years ago, Austin declared itself the live music capital of the world and no one has ever challenged that, Leffingwell said. So he expects the clean energy capital of the world slogan to stick as well.
The changes started at city hall, which is the only city hall that is a national wildlife habitat, it has all kinds of renewable features including solar panels, Leffingwell said.