http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Not too long ago, it seemed that ethanol production was the wave of the future. The use of trash, wood chips or different types of plants -- usually grass or corn -- to make ethanol was considered a way to help reduce reliance on foreign oil. However, investor interest in the process cooled, especially since it turned out that some materials were not terribly efficient when it came to producing ethanol. However, wood chips are once again being considered in the quest to create an industry based around cellulosic ethanol. http://www.physorg.com/news177942392.html Chemistry Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:27:35 EST news177942392 Using a wet ethanol production method that begins by soaking corn kernels rather than grinding them, results in more gallons of ethanol and more usable co-products, giving ethanol producers a bigger bang for their buck - by about 20 percent. http://www.physorg.com/news176996815.html Chemistry Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:47:29 EST news176996815 As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. http://www.physorg.com/news176663972.html Biology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:20:23 EST news176663972 (PhysOrg.com) -- Termite damage costs the U.S. more than $1 billion each year, but that same destructive power might help solve one of the nation`s most pressing economic quandaries: sustainable fuel production. http://www.physorg.com/news176581694.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:50:03 EST news176581694 Dr. James Palmer, associate professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, is collaborating with fellow professors Dr. Yuri Lvov, Dr. Dale Snow, and Dr. Hisham Hegab to capitalize on the environmental and financial benefits of "biofuels" by using nanotechnology to further improve the cellulosic ethanol processes. http://www.physorg.com/news174228049.html Chemistry Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:41:27 EST news174228049 When society jumps on a bandwagon, even for a good cause, there may be unintended consequences. The unintended consequence of crop-based biofuels may be the loss of wildlife habitat, particularly that of the birds who call this country's grasslands home, say researchers from Michigan Technological University and The Nature Conservancy. http://www.physorg.com/news173595036.html Biology Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:10:01 EST news173595036 Individuals with ethanol in their bloodstreams appear less likely to die following a moderate to severe head injury, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news172770345.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:10:04 EST news172770345 (PhysOrg.com) -- Going on a diet can be good for you. And maybe a gasoline "diet" of traditional fuel blended with increased levels of ethanol will be good for the environment and economy without hurting cars and small engines. Researchers are trying to find out because new ethanol blends could play a starring role in reducing petroleum use. http://www.physorg.com/news172568234.html Technology Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:37:56 EST news172568234 (PhysOrg.com) -- A Purdue University researcher has found a way to predict the nutrient content in distillers dried grains with solubles, making the ethanol byproduct more marketable as a feedstock. http://www.physorg.com/news172500167.html Chemistry Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:00:01 EST news172500167 Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites. So far, there are no therapies available to interfere with fibrogenesis in the diseased organ. http://www.physorg.com/news172397446.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:12:01 EST news172397446 Cars running on sugarcane ethanol can produce as many harmful pollutants as those using ordinary petrol (gasoline), according a study published by Brazil's environment ministry. http://www.physorg.com/news172391700.html Space & Earth Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:35:40 EST news172391700 "Salt-loving algae could be the key to the successful development of biofuels as well as being an efficient means of recycling atmospheric carbon dioxide", Professor John Cushman of the University of Nevada told the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, today (10 September). http://www.physorg.com/news171781380.html Biology Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:30:02 EST news171781380 A new four-year, $3.72 million grant to North Carolina State University will allow researchers to shed light on an important mystery - how genes impact the type and amount of "glue," known as lignin, produced in trees. Understanding the role of lignin, which binds fibers together to form wood, has significant implications in the production of paper products, biofuels and construction materials. http://www.physorg.com/news171173463.html Biology Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:11:36 EST news171173463 Watermelon juice can be a valuable source of biofuel. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Biotechnology for Biofuels have shown that the juice of reject watermelons can be efficiently fermented into ethanol. http://www.physorg.com/news170447604.html Chemistry Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:00:01 EST news170447604 After a three-year slog Colombian scientists have revved up a car that runs on yucca-derived ethanol, spurring hopes that the Latin American staple could be transformed into an abundant fuel. http://www.physorg.com/news170094894.html Technology Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:35:32 EST news170094894 (PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers at Ohio State University have found a way to double the production of the biofuel butanol, which might someday replace gasoline in automobiles. http://www.physorg.com/news169890707.html Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:57:34 EST news169890707 At a time when water supplies are scarce in many areas of the United States, scientists in Minnesota are reporting that production of bioethanol - often regarded as the clean-burning energy source of the future - may consume up to three times more water than previously thought. Their study appeared in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. http://www.physorg.com/news168689599.html Space & Earth Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:50:01 EST news168689599 Research from Canada's own Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) featured in this week's edition of the Lancet shows that worldwide, 1 in 25 deaths are directly attributable to alcohol consumption. This rise since 2000 is mainly due to increases in the number of women drinking. http://www.physorg.com/news165230226.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:17:46 EST news165230226 Some food groups in the Mediterranean diet are more important than others in promoting health and longer life according to new research published on bmj.com today. http://www.physorg.com/news165005282.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:48:32 EST news165005282 Liver disease that results as a consequence of alcohol abuse is a major medical problem worldwide. Ethanol consumption leads to a variety of liver alterations including the accumulation of fat, inflammation of the liver, as well as the presence of scar tissue. However, how these events happen after drinking alcohol are not well understood. It is known that ethanol-related liver alterations involve impairments to the hepatocyte cell in the liver that includes the induction of cell death mechanisms. It has also been shown that as a consequence of ethanol metabolism, oxidative stress is induced in hepatocytes through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the relationship between hepatocellular oxidative stress and the promotion of cell injury is not completely understood. http://www.physorg.com/news164279744.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:50:01 EST news164279744 There is growing interest in using crop residues as the feedstock of choice for the production of cellulosic-based ethanol because of the more favorable energy output relative to grain-based ethanol. This would also help provide a solution to the debate of food versus fuel, because less of the grain would be diverted to ethanol production, leaving more available for food and feed consumption. http://www.physorg.com/news163159091.html Space & Earth Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:58:36 EST news163159091 Asked to choose between lower gasoline prices and reduced greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline, 66 percent of Americans in a new online survey chose lower gas prices and the rest said that reducing the emissions that cause climate change was more important. http://www.physorg.com/news162672802.html Space & Earth Wed, 27 May 2009 19:54:07 EST news162672802 (PhysOrg.com) -- Electricity or ethanol, which is the better use of our nation's biomass crops when it comes to powering vehicles? Our government seems to have chosen ethanol, recently announcing nearly $800 million of research money devoted towards biofuels, far more than they have committed towards bioelectricity. However, a recent study published in the journal Science seems to suggest that they, like me at the Kentucky Derby, may be backing the wrong horse. The team, led by researchers at UC Merced and Stanford, have found that bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a wide range of input parameters, in terms of transportation efficiency as well as emissions. http://www.physorg.com/news161352399.html Chemistry Tue, 12 May 2009 13:09:59 EST news161352399 (PhysOrg.com) -- UQ research has found a traditional extract of kava, a medicinal plant from the South Pacific, to be safe and effective in reducing anxiety. http://www.physorg.com/news161257487.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 10:45:15 EST news161257487 (PhysOrg.com) -- Concerns over petroleum gas prices and long-term effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment have prompted scientists to look for alternative renewable energy sources for transportation use. One of the questions at hand is determining what that preferred technology should be. http://www.physorg.com/news160925431.html Technology Thu, 07 May 2009 14:30:59 EST news160925431 (AP) -- The Obama administration renewed its commitment Tuesday to speed up investments in ethanol and other biofuels while seeking to deflect some environmentalists' claims that huge increases in corn ethanol use will hinder the fight against global warming. http://www.physorg.com/news160766172.html Space & Earth Tue, 05 May 2009 18:16:38 EST news160766172 (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency says that corn ethanol - as made today - wouldn't meet a congressional requirement that ethanol produce 20 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. But the agency said it is still more climate friendly than gasoline. http://www.physorg.com/news160751096.html Space & Earth Tue, 05 May 2009 14:05:22 EST news160751096 (AP) -- President Barack Obama's commitment to take on climate change and put science over politics is about to be tested as his administration faces a politically sensitive question about the widespread use of ethanol: Does it help or hurt the fight against global warming? http://www.physorg.com/news160593602.html Space & Earth Sun, 03 May 2009 18:20:23 EST news160593602 (PhysOrg.com) -- Federal requirements to increase the production of ethanol has developed into a "drink-or-drive issue" in the Midwest as a result of biofuel production's impact on water supplies and water quality, says an environmental engineering researcher at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. http://www.physorg.com/news160327223.html Space & Earth Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:21:01 EST news160327223 In car-crazy California, a new fuel standard ordered by state officials to curb greenhouse gases could dramatically change how vehicles run. It also could have a huge effect on cost. http://www.physorg.com/news160148187.html Technology Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:41:13 EST news160148187