Yeast and sugar “rewired” to create new biofuel: Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering have created a new kind of biofuel from yeast and sugar. One of the advantages is that yeast can be grown anywhere and won’t compete with other food crops.
For biofuel and food, Europe needs more bees: more bees = better harvests, but industrial-scale agriculture and its accompanying pesticides have decimated bee populations. Also, farmers are planting more corn for biofuel production, and bees don’t like corn.
We need more bees, period.
Etihad Airways works to develop biofuel: Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi has access to plenty of cheap oil, but they want to diversify their economy and meet meet the aviation industry’s lowered emissions targets. “In five years,” said chief operations officer Richard Hill, “technology will mature for biofuel to be commercially viable.”
In related news, Delta wants to avoid complying with federal mandates to use more renewable fuel.