
R. palustris engineered to produce carbon-neutral n-butanol [Full subscriber]
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have engineered a microbe Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 (TIE-1) to produce biofuel from carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity and light.

Twelve and LanzaTech partner to produce polypropylene from CO2 [Full subscriber]
Biotech start-ups LanzaTech and Twelve have partnered to transform carbon dioxide into polypropylene, a key polymer used for medical devices including syringes and IV bags, as well as for large-scale applications in automotive, furniture, textiles and other everyday products.

Converting CO2 into butanol using phosphorous-rich copper cathodes [Full subscriber]
Researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea have discovered a new conversion method that turns carbon dioxide into 1-butanol on a phosphorus-rich copper cathode, based on a combination of faradaic and autonomous nonfaradaic reactions.

France – New plant will gasify hemp into valuable energy products [Full subscriber]
The French startup Qairos Energies says it plans to build a plant in Mareil-en-Champagne near Le Mans in northwestern France that will gasify hemp biomass into valuable products.

World’s first 1000 tonnes demonstration plant exploiting solar energy to produce methanol from CO2 [Full subscriber]
Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have installed the world’s first demonstration project for direct solar fuel synthesis started operation in Lanzhou, China on Jan. 17, 2020. The project claims to be the world’s first for industrial production of liquid fuels from solar energy. Sited in China’s western regions where abundant solar energy will invariably be key to the project’s success.

Evonik and Siemens collaboration for the production of specialty chemicals from CO2 enters the next phase [Registered]
Evonik and Siemens have launched the second phase of their joint research project Rheticus, in which they are developing a process that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and renewable energy to produce specialty chemicals.

Electrosynthesis has the potential to displace petrochemical industry [Registered]
Fossil fuels are the backbone of the global petrochemicals industry, which provides the world’s growing population with fuels, plastics, clothing, fertilizers and more. A review paper, published in the journal Science, charts a course for how an alternative technology — renewable electrosynthesis — could usher in a more sustainable chemical industry, and ultimately enable us to leave much more oil and gas in the ground.