Bio-Based Ideas

It's been a while again since I last posted here. Writing my thesis and preparing for the actual defense in July are taking most of my time. However, I wanted to at least share an interesting idea I came across in the last couple of months before this month is over. And so today, I'll write about the artificial leaf which Professor Nocera at MIT was researching. It's been all over the science news: an alloy made of nickel and cobalt acts as a catalyst to split water into hydrogen and oxygen similar to what plant leafs do when they perform photosynthesis. After the coolness of the words "artificial leafs" wore off, I started to wonder what is so special about an artificial leaf. After all, doesn't an artificial leaf just do electrolysis ? Couldn't I just achieve the same by connecting solar panels to a container with water and two electrodes? Apparently, the answer is yes and no. By applying a current to water, electrolysis could indeed be performed p...

I recently watched another great NOVA episode on "How to make things cleaner". This is a great episode containing many ideas that could fall into one of our often discussed "bio-based" ideas. It's a bit long, but totally worth it, so bring some time! Watch the full episode . See more NOVA.

I recently attended a panel discussion on career opportunities in the Biofuels business sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of AWIS. There were 2 representatives from Ceres, and 2 representatives from Sapphire Energy. The following are general meeting notes I took of that panel discussion. First Richard Hamilton, President of CEO of Ceres, spoke. He started by outlining the challenges of the current fossil fuels. Oil prices are increasing because of increased demand from emerging countries (including India and China), reduced supply as an increasing number of known oil reserves have peaked in their oil production and not enough new sources start production. Furthermore, increased regulation due to environmental concerns and decreased political stability in key oil producing regions all contribute to the increasing oil price. Lastly, Dr. Hamilton pointed out that oil prices are also increasing as the dollar becomes more and more devalued. When we consider that oil is also one of the ...

Goals: 1. Adapt and deal with symptoms (preparation, preservation, plantation, energy saving, etc) 2. Combat causes of global warming  2.1. Long-term impact (cut CO 2 emissions and remove CO 2 from atmosphere and oceans) (C,D) 2.2. Short-term impact 2.2.1. Reflect more sunlight back into space (D) 2.2.2. Reduce pollutants other than CO 2 2.2.2.1. Reduce emissions of chemical gases such as HFC, PFC, SF 6, , halon, CFC and HCFC (A) 2.2.2.2. Reduce emissions of CH 4 , N 2 O , BC, CO, NO x and VOC (B,C,E) 2.2.2.3. Produce extra OH (D) This can be best achieved through: A. Protocols ( Kyoto , Montreal , etc), standards and deposits (refunded at collection) on products containing inorganic pollutants Fees on nitrogen fertilizers and livestock products (where farmed) to fund local application of biochar C. Fees on burning fuel (where burned) to fund clean local alternatives (incl. EVs, solar cookers , WWS energy) D. Geoengineering ( ad...

On a slightly different angle of the bio-based theme, today's video pick is on "How smart animals are?", a 1 hour video from PBS' NOVAScience, which I have recently become a real fan of. Watch the full episode . See more NOVA scienceNOW.

I would like to thank Wilbert Escorcia , who recently also joined this blogging site, for having shown me the PBS site as another great source of information on the internet. He shared with me the profile of one of the people who are and will likely make a big difference in the sustainable biotechnology field: Jay Kiesling, founder of Amyris Biotechnologies , which was originally known for a bio-based method to efficiently and affordably produce artemisinin, an anti-malarial drug. Amyris Biotechnologies was a company I previously wrote about in my coverage of bio-based companies in California . On a Personal Note: Before, we dive into the video, I would just like to throw in a personal note. In light of the latest discussion about federal funding for public media on capitol hill, I think it is important to emphasize that the unique service public broadcast and radio provides - namely to inform and educate affordably, and broadly - is almost completely absent anywhere else in...

You may remember that a while ago I blogged about a research group that found a way to produce biogas reactor using the content of a stomachs cow . One of the questions, I had back then was what kinds of bacteria were in the cow's stomach fluids? Today, we'll look at a  massive Science article from January 28 with the title "Metagenomic Discovery of Biomass-Degrading Genes and Genomes from Cow Rumen" from the Rubin Lab with Matthias Hess and Alexander Sczyrba as the primary authors recently hit the science world, and gives us that answer.