iDOE Announces LANL Use Of Microbial Biosensors For Conversion Pathway Design
On February 28, 2019, DOE announced that scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have been working on molecular tools that reside naturally within microbial cells. Microbes typically use these tools to carry out their metabolism and other life-sustaining processes; LANL researchers, however, have been using the tools to produce fuel precursors and bioproduct building blocks. With the addition of a biosensor in the microbes, light allows the scientists to learn how efficiently the product is being made and thus enabling more efficient quality control to increase overall yield. This technology is called LANL’s Smart Microbial Cell Technology and consists of a high throughput screening for enzyme discovery, design, and evolution. It allows LANL to engineer custom biosensors that detect intracellular concentrations of a specific precursor. This biosensor technology can, thus, be adapted to a single enzyme, pathway, or even global optimization of an industrial strain. The work is being led by Taraka Dale, Remash Jha, and, Niju Narayanan at LANL, under the Agile BioFoundry multinational laboratory effort to expedite biomanufacturing processes.
DOE BETO Celebrates Women’s History Month
In honor of Women’s History Month (March), DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will be celebrating women working on bioenergy R&D projects at DOE’s national laboratories. Each week of March, BETO will highlight the contributions that these women make to strengthen the U.S. bioeconomy. Activities include the promotion of female scientists and administrators that power BETO-funded bioenergy research on social media and a webinar titled “Women’s History Month/Women-in-Algae.” The webinar is scheduled for March 14, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) and will focus on DOE algae research and career opportunities.
DOE Announces Funding For Trucks And Off-Road Vehicles And The Fuels That Power Them
On March 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced $51.5 million for innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and fuels. Of particular interest to DOE EERE are:
- Gaseous fuels research, including natural gas, biopower, and hydrogen;
- Heavy duty freight electrification;
- Hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies for heavy duty applications; and
- Energy efficient off-road vehicles.
There are five topic areas for this funding opportunity, and concept papers are due March 29, 2019. Full applications are due by May 15, 2019.
