In the Niger Delta, the pirates in armed speedboats attack tankers and work with militants in the delta's swamplands who steal around 150,000 barrels a day from oil installations or pipelines, around 5 percent of Nigeria's daily production. West Africa's burgeoning oil industry has a pirate problem. On Jan. MORE

For their study, the researchers used corn stover as the feedstock for the new HD-SP reactor as well as the US-SP process they had developed earlier, subjected the output to enzymatic saccharification using a mixture of cellulase from Trichoderma reesei and β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger , and characterized the results. MORE

Aspergillus niger, shown here with its DNA lit up in green, is a fungus that can be used on an industrial scale to produce enzymes or chemicals such as citric acid. An international team led by Scott Baker of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has compared the genome sequences of two strains of the fungus Aspergillus niger to, among other things, better harness its industrial potential in biofuels applications. niger is thus a well understood fungal fermentation process. MORE

Shell has shut three flow stations after its oil pipeline in the Niger Delta was sabotaged. Recent attacks have resulted in $1bn a month in lost revenue. Source: bbc.com MORE

— In the study, the team study, investigated the photochemical production of 1 O 2 by size-fractionated road dust collected in Edmonton, Alberta and compared the reactivity of this substrate to that of Arizona test dust, Niger sand, and Cape Verde dust. Researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada) have shown for the first time that road dust is photochemically active; i.e., sunlight causes chemical reactions in the dust. MORE

are using three strains of fungi: Aspergillus niger , Penicillium simplicissimum and Penicillium chrysogenum. A team of researchers University of South Florida is using naturally occurring fungi to drive an environmentally friendly recycling process to extract cobalt and lithium from tons of waste batteries. The researchers presented their work at the 252 nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia. MORE

It may struggle to do that with the recent shuttering of the Trans Niger Pipeline, potential strikes from oil workers unions and the announcement from the Niger Delta Avengers that attacks will resume this year. by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. Oil prices faltered at the start of the second week of the year, as fears set in about a rapid rebound in US shale production. MORE

Growing political instability in Libya, as the LNA is targeting control of the country, or the re-emergence of the Niger Delta insurgency, will put a cap on increases. by Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com. OPEC exports have come under pressure this week from technical threats to oil fields, with Saudi Arabia’s Manifa problems grabbing the headlines. MORE

But Libya’s restoration of output coincided with a similar reduction in violence in the Niger Delta. Meanwhile, peace in the Niger Delta remains fragile, and reports that militants have grown frustrated with the pace of talks with the government raises concerns about a return to violence. by Nick Cunningham for Oilprice.com. Oil prices appear to be stuck in the $50s per barrel, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious supply risks to the market. MORE

Nigerian production hit 30-year lows in May as militancy continued in the country’s oil rich Niger Delta. Barely 10 days after a 30-day ceasefire deal with the Nigerian government, militants claimed a round of fresh attacks in the Niger Delta at the start of July, marking a major setback after weeks of respite. MORE

Several of the rivers channeling less water serve large populations, including the Yellow River in northern China, the Ganges in India, the Niger in West Africa and the Colorado in the southwestern United States. The change in runoff inferred from streamflow records worldwide between 1948 and 2004, with bluish colors indicating more streamflow and reddish colors less. MORE