Biofuel Technologies

Press Releases

Low-cost Reusable Material Could Facilitate Carbon Dioxide Capture

March 6, 2008 — Researchers have developed a new, low-cost material for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants and other generators of the greenhouse gas. Produced with a simple one-step chemical process, the new material has a high capacity for absorbing carbon dioxide — and can be reused many times.

Carbon Capture Strategy Could Lead to Emission-Free Cars

February 11, 2008 — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a strategy to capture, store and eventually recycle carbon from vehicles to prevent the pollutant from finding its way from a car tailpipe into the atmosphere. Georgia Tech researchers envision a zero emission car, and a transportation system completely free of fossil fuels.

Georgia Tech Takes Comprehensive Biofuels Approach
Interdisciplinary research initiative focuses on converting forest products

September 15, 2007 — Fuel prices are at record highs and so is the demand for alternative fuels. But major scientific and technological advances are required before economically viable alternative fuels become a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. Biofuel research at Georgia Tech intensified in 2004 with the launch of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), created to enable, facilitate and coordinate programs related to energy research and education.

Georgia Tech Part of New Biofuel Research Center

June 29, 2007 — The Georgia Institute of Technology is part of a new research team, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, that has won a bid from the Department of Energy for a $125 million bioenergy research center that will seek new ways to produce biofuels. The center will employ the interdisciplinary expertise of the team's partners in biology, engineering and agricultural science and commercialization to develop processes for converting plants including switchgrass and poplar trees into fuels.

Chevron, Tech Partner to Create Alternative Fuels

June 15, 2006 — Chevron Corp. and the Georgia Institute of Technology have formed a strategic research alliance to pursue advanced technology aimed at making cellulosic biofuels and hydrogen viable transportation fuels.

Side-Stream Chemicals Could Boost Biorefineries

September 10, 2006 — Biorefineries developed to produce ethanol from cellulose sources such as trees and fast-growing plants could get a significant economic boost from the sale of high-value chemicals — such as vanillin flavoring — that could be generated from the same feedstock. Revenue from these "side stream" chemicals could help make ethanol produced by biorefineries cost competitive with traditional fossil fuels.

"Clean-Tech" Companies Gain Traction

May 16, 2006 — Volatile weather, summer smog alerts, soaring fuel prices and rising greenhouse-gas levels have focused increased attention on cleaner, more-sustainable technologies. That concern can be clearly seen among the startup companies formed in Georgia Tech's VentureLab program, which is assisting more than a half-dozen early-stage companies that are pursuing clean-technology products and services. These new technologies range from renewable fuels and high-efficiency solar cells to hurricane forecasting and tiny jet-like devices that could reduce aircraft-fuel consumption.

People

Arthur J. Ragauskas

Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Profile

Rachel Chen

Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Profile

Charles A. Eckert

Director, Specialty Separations Center
Profile

Charles L. Liotta

Regents' Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Profile

John D. Muzzy

Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Profile

Matthew Realff