Weeds like Palmer amaranth make farming harder and less profitable, and available herbicides are becoming less effective. For scientists to find solutions, they first need to know their enemy.
Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) have developed a sustainable process that has redefined and expanded oilcane’s product portfolio, adding value to this feedstock.
In a traditional biorefinery, sugarcane is used as a feedstock to produce bioethanol fuel. Sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice, and that juice goes on to be processed into fuel. Meanwhile, the dry fibrous material that remains after crushing, called bagasse, is burned.
As a perennial and drought-resistant plant that is indigenous to the region, the Kalahari melon is an effective and ancient cover crop for traditional grain/sorghum/maize crops and will play a key role for food security in the era of climate change.
Using funds provided by the ACES International Graduate Grant, I initiated a study about Kalahari melon oil extraction in Namibia.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has announced the creation of a new administrative unit — the Division of Parks and Natural Spaces (DPNS) — to oversee Allerton Park and Retreat Center and the Illinois Arboretum. Headed by current Allerton Executive Director Derek Peterson, DPNS will ensure long-term sustainability of these public recreational spaces by focusing on conservation and community engagement.
A first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary center focused on creating a climate-smart circular bioeconomy is poised for significant growth, with the appointment of a director, two endowed professorships, and a major campus commitment to hire four new faculty in departments across the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Energy drinks are becoming an increasingly important topic in public health, nutrition and food policy, with global sales more than doubling from 2018-2023 and product selection expanding by 20% since 2021.
Lisa Ainsworth has been named director of the internationally acclaimed Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency project, which is led by the University of Illinois.
Longtime Chicago residents may miss the chocolatey fragrance wafting from Blommer Chocolate Company's now-shuttered West Loop factory. However, despite the closing of the factory, the Chicago headquarters and laboratories of one of North America’s largest cocoa processor remain.
Twenty-five members of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program participated in two days of seminars at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Feb. 6-7 to broaden their international perspectives and understanding of Illinois’ place in global agriculture.
People living in rural areas are at greater risk for obesity than the general population, and they often have limited access to healthy, affordable food, physical activity facilities, public transportation, and health care institutions. Weight loss interventions are more successful with support from a dietitian, but many rural residents do not have preventive care providers nearby.