sugars from biomass

Study finds way to catalyze more sugars from biomass

(Phys.org) —Catalysis may initiate almost all modern industrial manufacturing processes, but catalytic activity on solid surfaces is poorly understood. This is especially true for the cellulase enzymes used to release fermentable sugars from cellulosic biomass for the production of advanced biofuels. Now, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) through support from the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have literally shed new light on cellulase catalysis.

 

The Article 

 This article will explain it better than I can, but the idea is that using a precise visible light microscopy technique called PALM – for Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy, researchers have found a way to increase the yield of sugars used to make fuel. 

This new technology could make bio-fuel a viable source of energy. It will increase the number of plants that can be used in the process as well as increasing the yield of each plant. 

Slums

The disparity between slums and mansions is most obvious in places like South Korea. There they have huge shantytowns and within the same picture can include high rise condos, penthouses, and mansions along with skyscrapers. Guryong is a shantytown in downtown Seoul.


 


 The residents moved there more than thirty years ago after they were evicted in the 1980s as Seoul started development for the Olympic games. Fires cause problems in the shantytowns as they spread rapidly and there is a lot of fuel for the fire to keep itself alive.

Gangnam is a luxurious downtown neighborhood near to Guryong. Recently a song came out called Gangnam Style, perforemed by Psy, which parodies the rich lifestyle of people in South Korea. Many people enjoy this song, but most are unaware of the true meaning behind the "wackiness" in the music video. In fact the video is an over the top exaggeration of the extremely rich in South Korea.