Reducing biomass to a stable particle size is a key step towards biofuels and biobased products. In practice, this leads to blockages, variable particle distribution, and machine wear. The American bioenergy hub BETO has cited material handling as a barrier to large-scale production for years. New computational models from Idaho National Laboratory address this bottleneck. Researchers combine...
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a new study shows that fruit waste can be turned into usable cooking fuel. Briquettes made from avocado pits and banana peels, supplemented with bagasse from the sugar industry, perform remarkably well in lab tests. They ignite easily, provide stable heat, and produce little smoke. This suggests opportunities for urban kitchens if the transition to production is feasible…
A new study shows that paper mills in the United States can significantly reduce their emissions through three interrelated pathways: electrification of steam and process heat, more efficient dewatering before drying, and replacing natural gas with biogenic waste streams. According to the authors, net zero becomes a reality once the power mix becomes cleaner and mills…
Dimethyl ether, or DME for short, is increasingly appearing as a clean fuel for cooking, freight transport, and industry. It's a gas that liquefies at low pressure, making it similar in use to LPG. A new study in Chemical Engineering Science by Yang and colleagues examines the life cycle of water use and other environmental impacts of DME from…
On October 6, 2025, the Yale School of the Environment published an analysis that puts hydrogen from biomass back on the map. The core is simple: biohydrogen can reduce emissions in industry and transport more quickly in the years before electrolysis is fully scaled up. This makes the route relevant as an accelerator, in addition to…
It sounds almost like magic: turning agricultural and forestry waste streams into new raw materials that can both provide energy and fuel the chemical industry. Yet, that's exactly what a group of researchers recently worked on. In a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, they present an innovative technique, oxidative pyrolysis…
Imagine an aquarium with fine air bubbles constantly rising. In a photobioreactor, those bubbles do more than create an atmosphere; they introduce carbon dioxide into the water and remove oxygen. An Indonesian research team shows that smarter bubbling can significantly accelerate the growth of microalgae. The study was published on September 1, 2025, in…
Researchers in the United States are presenting a textile finish based on cottonseed oil. The goal is to make cotton water-repellent and wrinkle-resistant without formaldehyde and PFAS. The initial results will be shared this week at ACS Fall 2025 in Washington. According to the researchers, a simple chemical step can deliver similar functionality to traditional finishes, with a safer…
A study from the University of Zagreb was recently published in the scientific journal Drvna Industrija, in which researchers investigated new methods for making wood pellets suitable as a coal substitute. The reason is clear: many power plants and industrial facilities still use coal, while climate goals demand rapid alternatives. Conventional wood pellets can help, but…
The energy transition isn't just about technology or policy, but also about making choices that will endure if the future turns out differently than expected. Researchers from ETH Zurich and RWTH Aachen, among others, recently published a study that maps out exactly this. How do you use biomass in a way that not only...
