Frontier Infrastructure Holdings (Frontier) and Carbonfuture have announced a new partnership to create and market carbon-removal credits from CO₂ produced by ethanol plants across the US’ Mountain West and Texas.

Under the agreement, Frontier will handle the physical CO₂ while Carbonfuture will help sell the resulting credits. According to reports, this deal now represents the largest ethanol-based bioenergy carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) carbon dioxide removal (CDR) deal ever signed.

Under the deal, 750,000 carbon credits will be made available from “Project Spirit,” which is Frontier’s ethanol BECCS initiative. These credits will be made available for purchase by corporate and institutional buyers via Carbonfuture once active.

The idea is that CO₂ will be absorbed from corn. This corn is then harvested and fermented to make ethanol, a process that releases relatively pure CO₂.

Typically, this CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere, but under Project Spirit, it is captured at source. The gas is then compressed and liquefied ready for transport in special railcars to Wyoming.

Carbon storage from corn

It is then injected underground in deep geological storage vessels. The process will be actively monitored, and credits are issued for sale for the net quantity permanently removed.

“The removal will be certified under Puro.earth’s Geologically Stored Carbon (GSC) Methodology, with monitoring, reporting, and verification provided by Mangrove Systems,” Frontier explains in its press release.

Ethanol fermentation, it turns out, is attractive for carbon capture because it produces an unusually concentrated CO₂ stream (around 99% in some systems). So it generally requires less complicated separation than capturing dilute CO₂ from a power-station exhaust.

It is also considered “biogenic,” meaning the CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere by plants rather than “cleaning up” extra carbon released from burning things like fossil fuels.

“This partnership agreement marks an important step forward for our CO₂-by-rail initiative and for the ethanol producers we serve,” said Steven Lowenthal, Co-CEO of Frontier, in a press release.

“Carbonfuture has built a trusted platform for durable carbon removal, and partnering with them gives our customers a practical, near-term pathway to achieving their net zero goals through a trustworthy infrastructure,” he added.

Not entirely carbon negative

“Buyers are looking for durable carbon removal they can trust, at scale,” said Julie Mansfield, Head of Global Buyer Growth, Carbonfuture.

“By bringing Frontier’s ethanol BECCS supply to market, this partnership expands access to verifiable, durable removals while reinforcing the rigorous standards needed to scale the sector,” he added.

It is important to note that this is not yet a completed removal project, nor does the announcement say that all 750,000 credits have already been purchased. According to reports, the first CO₂ removals are expected to begin sometime in late 2027.

It is also important to note that the process will not be entirely net-negative in terms of CO₂ emissions. Growing the corn in the first place requires the use of fertilizers, diesel-powered farming machinery, and energy to process and ferment the corn.

Transportation via rail and other parasitic electrical costs are involved for processing the CO₂ and injection underground are also involved. That all said, this will prove attractive to carbon credit purchasers when it finally does go live later next year.

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The United States is moving to expand its domestic drone manufacturing base after Performance Drone Works (PDW) received a conditional loan commitment of up to $820 million from the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC). Rather than focusing solely on producing more drones, the proposed funding aims is address one of the industry’s biggest vulnerabilities: reliance on foreign-controlled supply chains for critical drone components.

If finalized, the financing would help expand U.S. production capacity for propulsion systems, power electronics, flight-control hardware, vision systems, and other key technologies used in drones, robotics, and autonomous platforms.

Building the industrial base behind military drones

Modern military drones are only as resilient as the supply chains that support them. While the United States develops some of the world’s most advanced unmanned systems, many of the electronic components and subsystems that power them continue to come from overseas suppliers.

According to the company, the proposed investment would allow PDW to manufacture many of these critical technologies domestically while also supplying components to other American drone manufacturers. The initiative reflects broader efforts to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base as demand for unmanned systems continues to grow.

The company currently operates Drone Factory 01, a 90,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama, where engineering, systems integration, flight testing, manufacturing, and fulfillment are carried out under one roof.

Lessons from modern warfare

The announcement comes as drones have become one of the defining technologies of modern conflict. From intelligence gathering and precision strikes to logistics and electronic warfare, unmanned systems are now central to military operations across multiple theaters.

Recent conflicts have also exposed the importance of manufacturing capacity. Producing advanced drones at scale requires a reliable supply of motors, batteries, flight controllers, sensors, cameras, communications equipment, and propulsion systems. Many of these have historically depended on international supply chains.

By investing in domestic production of these technologies, the United States aims to reduce potential supply disruptions while improving the ability to rapidly manufacture mission-critical systems when required.

Beyond defense applications

Although the proposed financing is driven by national security priorities, the manufacturing capability could extend beyond military use. PDW said the expanded production capacity is intended to support future public safety, industrial, and commercial applications in addition to meeting defense requirements. A stronger domestic component ecosystem could also benefit the wider U.S. drone industry by providing American-made alternatives for manufacturers that currently rely on imported hardware.

The Office of Strategic Capital was established to help finance technologies considered important to long-term U.S. national security and industrial competitiveness, particularly in areas where private investment alone may not be sufficient to rapidly scale manufacturing.

Funding remains conditional

The proposed $820 million financing has not yet been finalized. According to the announcement, the commitment remains conditional and is subject to additional financial, legal, technical, and due diligence requirements before reaching financial close.

Even so, the size of the proposed investment illustrates how drone manufacturing has become a strategic priority for the United States. As militaries increasingly rely on autonomous systems across air, land, and sea, building secure domestic supply chains for the components behind those platforms is emerging as an important part of maintaining technological and industrial competitiveness.

Bentham Science Launches Two New Journals to Accelerate Research in Wireless Communications and Engineering

Bentham Science Publishers has announced the launch of two new peer-reviewed journals designed to capture the rapid transformation of modern technology: Wireless and Communication Letters and Current Engineering Letters and Reviews. Both publications are now open for manuscript submissions, offering researchers an international platform to share emerging discoveries in communication systems, engineering technologies, and interdisciplinary innovation. The launches arrive as advances in artificial intelligence, sixth-generation wireless networks, satellite systems, advanced materials, and sustainable engineering continue to reshape scientific research and industrial development.

Wireless and Communication Letters is focused on the technologies that enable today’s increasingly connected world. The journal will publish original letters, full-length research articles, comprehensive reviews, mini-reviews, and guest-edited thematic issues addressing both theoretical developments and practical applications. Its scope covers the complete communication chain, from antennas and radio-frequency hardware to signal processing, network architecture, cybersecurity, and intelligent software. By emphasizing the efficient dissemination of research, the journal aims to provide a rapid channel for findings that could influence the next generation of wireless infrastructure.

The technical challenges addressed by the journal are central to the future of digital connectivity. Fifth-generation networks have already introduced high-speed mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low-latency communication, and massive machine-type connectivity, but researchers are now investigating 6G systems capable of supporting even greater data rates, extremely precise sensing, and seamless integration with artificial intelligence. These systems may combine terahertz frequencies, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, distributed antennas, edge computing, and advanced machine-learning algorithms. Such technologies require new approaches to spectrum allocation, energy efficiency, network coordination, and data security.

The journal also welcomes research on the Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communication, areas in which billions of sensors and devices are expected to exchange data with minimal human intervention. In these environments, communication protocols must operate reliably despite limited power, unpredictable radio conditions, and enormous numbers of connected nodes. Research into low-power wide-area networks, intelligent scheduling, network virtualization, and secure device authentication could help support applications ranging from industrial automation and smart cities to remote healthcare and environmental monitoring.

A further component of the journal’s scope involves the physical science of communication. Antenna design, electromagnetic propagation, microwave engineering, optical links, and satellite communication determine how information travels through real environments. Engineers must account for obstacles, atmospheric conditions, interference, polarization, bandwidth limitations, and the movement of users or spacecraft. Developments in compact antennas, beamforming, optical wireless communication, and satellite-terrestrial integration could improve connectivity in rural regions, disaster zones, transportation systems, and future space missions.

Wireless and Communication Letters is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Nasimuddin of the Antenna and Optical Department at the Institute for Infocomm Research in Singapore. Supported by an international editorial board, the journal states that it will apply a rigorous and objective peer-review process. This is particularly important in a field where theoretical claims must often be tested through simulations, prototypes, channel measurements, or performance comparisons. Research involving modulation, coding, information theory, cognitive radio, software-defined networking, artificial intelligence, privacy, and communication protocols will be considered within the journal’s broad technological remit.

Alongside the communications title, Bentham Science has introduced Current Engineering Letters and Reviews, an interdisciplinary journal intended to connect research across the full spectrum of engineering sciences. Announced on 3 August 2026, the journal will publish research articles, short communications, comprehensive reviews, mini-reviews, and thematic issues. Its mission is to bring together discoveries that are often separated into specialist fields, reflecting the reality that many modern technologies emerge from collaboration among mechanical, electrical, materials, chemical, biomedical, environmental, and computer engineers.

The new engineering journal will cover aerospace, civil, structural, transportation, manufacturing, energy, robotics, automation, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and digital engineering. It will also address sustainable engineering, renewable energy systems, smart materials, advanced manufacturing, and biomedical technologies. These subjects are increasingly connected: an electric vehicle, for example, depends simultaneously on materials science, power electronics, software, communications, manufacturing, and transportation engineering. An interdisciplinary publication can provide a forum for examining such systems as integrated technological platforms rather than isolated components.

The scientific importance of this approach is becoming more visible as engineers confront challenges involving climate change, resource efficiency, resilient infrastructure, and automation. Renewable energy systems require improved storage, power conversion, and grid management; smart materials can respond to changes in temperature, pressure, or electromagnetic fields; and artificial intelligence can optimize industrial processes by identifying patterns in large streams of sensor data. At the same time, engineering research must demonstrate reliability, scalability, safety, and economic feasibility if laboratory innovations are to produce measurable benefits in society and industry.

Both journals invite contributions from researchers, engineers, scientists, academics, and industry professionals worldwide. Bentham Science says that information about open-access policies, article processing charges, waiver eligibility, editorial policies, and complaints and appeals procedures is available through the respective journal websites. With their emphasis on rapid communication, technical rigor, and interdisciplinary exchange, the two publications seek to become new hubs for research at the intersection of connectivity, intelligent systems, sustainable technology, and engineering innovation.

Subject of Research: Wireless communications, communication engineering, interdisciplinary engineering research, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, sustainable engineering, and advanced technological systems.

Article Title: Bentham Science Launches Two New Journals to Accelerate Research in Wireless Communications and Engineering

News Publication Date: 3 August 2026 (for the announcement of Current Engineering Letters and Reviews; no publication date is provided for Wireless and Communication Letters).

Keywords

Wireless communications, 5G, 6G, Internet of Things, satellite communications, antenna design, signal processing, artificial intelligence, engineering research, sustainable engineering, robotics, renewable energy, smart materials, advanced manufacturing.

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