Biomass

Finding a way to produce hydrogen simply and cleanly would go a long way toward eventual use of the gas as a fuel source. And that's exactly what researchers at the University of Cambridge (UC) have done, adding to a host of other green possibilities that have been proposed for creating the gas.

​​Almost seven years after introducing its clever wooden stove that generates its own power, BioLite has given its low-emission campsite cooker a makeover. The CampStove 2 also runs purely on wood but features an onboard battery to use the power at a later date.

Scientists are claiming a chemical breakthrough that replaces the key molecule in conventional tires with one sourced from grass and trees instead, all without affecting the tire's color, shape or performance.

Global efforts to extract energy from sewage in forms such as heat, biogas and even electricity may get a boost thanks to the work of a team of biochemists and microbiologists from Ghent University, Belgium, who are collaborating on a pilot project with DC Water in Washington DC.

Alaska Airlines has flown a number of commercial passengers across the United States, fueled by woody biomass. ​

Researchers are experimenting with producing electricity from tomato waste. With a microbial electrochemical process, the organic material releases electrons into a fuel cell to become electricity.

Imagine a world where vehicles run on beer. Some might think of this as a devastating waste of good hops, but a(UMD team sees a lot of promise for the idea. The team has been awarded a patent for a process that in short, brews gasoline naturally.

London-based company, Bio-bean, hopes to turn left-over coffee grounds into biodiesel for vehicles and biomass pellets to heat buildings.

Algae is proving to be pretty darn useful – in recent years, it’s been used to produce oxygen, purify wastewater, provide light and serve as a source of biofuel. Now, bioplastics firm Algix and clean tech company Effekt are making flexible foam out of the stuff, too.

Researchers at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis in Belgium have developed a Polylactic acid (PLA) production technique that is cheaper and greener and makes the bioplastic a more attractive alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

This "bio-digital" structure sees fluid filled with microalgae organisms pumped around an otherwise transparent shelter to produce dynamic shade, energy in the form of biomass, and an impressive amount of oxygen, while responding to the presence of visitors to produce interesting visual effects.

Trees may be a renewable resource, but the rate of this renewal may not meet the increasing demand for plant biomass. But now researchers at the University of Manchester have potentially found a way to boost tree stocks by using gene manipulation to increase the size and growth rate of trees.