Iowa State Researchers Double Down on Heat to Break Up Cellulose, Produce Fuels and Power
Iowa State University engineers and researchers have built and are testing a bio-oil gasifier. It will allow them to combine two thermochemical technologies to produce the next generation of fuels from renewable sources such as corn stalks and wood chips.
Initial Results of Study Show North Dakota Clay Could Play Role in Oilpatch
Initial results of clay samples from western North Dakota show varying percentages of alumina content, a finding of interest to the North Dakota Geological Survey that commissioned the study. Scientists in a lab at North Dakota State University's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), Fargo, are completing analysis of the clay, often referred to as kaolin, which could eventually play a role in proppants used for hydraulic fracturing in North Dakota oil exploration.
Green Power Technology Breakthrough at IUPUI
Discovery of new class of power inverter could mean cheaper, faster hybrid vehicles and other green products.
Evolving Microbes Help Iowa State Engineers Turn Bio-Oil Into Advanced Biofuels
A research team led by Iowa State University's Laura Jarboe is working to develop hungry, robust microbes that can ferment biofuels from the bio-oil produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust.
Story Tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 2012
1) When a storm knocks out power. 2) My trip calculator. 3) Refining a microscope. 4) Next generation lighting source.
Dry-Run Experiments Verify Key Aspect of Sandia Nuclear Fusion Concept
Magnetically imploded tubes, intended to help produce controlled nuclear fusion at scientific "break-even" energies or better within the next few years, have functioned successfully in preliminary tests.
Sandia and OurEnergyPolicy.org Release "Goals of Energy Policy" Poll That Suggests Call for Ambitious Agenda
U.S. energy policy should simultaneously pursue security of its energy supply, economic stability and reduced environmental impacts, says a national poll of energy professionals jointly prepared by Sandia National Laboratories and OurEnergyPolicy.org. The findings of the national poll, "The Goals of Energy Policy," show that the vast majority -- more than 85 percent -- of the 884 energy professionals surveyed prefer policymaking that pursues all three goals at once.
Researchers Calculate Maximum Energy Potential From Wind
Wind turbines could power half the world's future energy demands with minimal environmental impact, according to new research published by University of Delaware and Stanford University scientists in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
September 2012 Story Tips
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oklahoma's ClimateMaster Inc. have collaborated to develop a ground source heat pump that can reduce a homeowner's electric bill by up to 60 percent. Owners of electric cars could kiss that cumbersome cord goodbye without losing efficiency because of a proprietary technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. With the first demonstration of a dual-fuel advanced combustion cycle in a modified multi-cylinder engine, researchers have moved closer to delivering on the promise of increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.
Spinach Power Gets a Big Boost
Spinach power has just gotten a big boost. Vanderbilt researchers have combined the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous "biohybrid" solar cells.
Researchers Develop New Low Cost, High Efficiency Solar Technology
Researchers at RTI International have developed a new solar technology that could make solar energy more affordable, and thus speed-up its market adoption.
Microwave Ovens May Help Produce Lower Cost Solar Energy Technology
The same type of microwave oven technology that most people use to heat up leftover food has found an important application in the solar energy industry, providing a new way to make thin-film photovoltaic products with less energy, expense and environmental concerns.
ORNL Researchers Probe Invisible Vacancies in Fuel Cell Materials
Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale.
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Biorefinery Makes Use of Every Bit of a Soybean
Scientists today unveiled new technology intended to move soybeans, second only to corn as the top food crop in the U.S., along the same use-to-all path of corn and crude oil as a raw material for a wider portfolio of products. They described it - a new integrated soybean biorefinery - at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, being held here through Thursday.
ORNL Technology Moves Scientists Closer to Extracting Uranium From Seawater
Fueling nuclear reactors with uranium harvested from the ocean could become more feasible because of a material developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Self-Charging Power Cell Converts and Stores Energy
Researchers have developed a self-charging power cell that directly converts mechanical energy to chemical energy, storing the power until it is released as electrical current. The development eliminates the need to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy for charging a battery.
New Solar Panels Made with More Common Metals Could Be Cheaper and More Sustainable
With enough sunlight falling on home roofs to supply at least half of America's electricity, scientists today described advances toward the less-expensive solar energy technology needed to roof many of those homes with shingles that generate electricity. Their report was part of a symposium on sustainability at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, being held here this week.
Advances in Decades-Old Dream of Mining Seawater for Uranium
Scientists today reported progress toward a 40-year-old dream of extracting uranium for nuclear power from seawater, which holds at least 4 billion tons of the precious material. They described some of the most promising technology and an economic analysis. Their reports were part of a symposium at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, being held here through Thursday.
Cleaner Fuel for Cruise Ships and Other Big Vessels From Ingredients in Detergents, Medicines
Scientists today described development of a new fuel mixture to ease the major air pollution and cost problems facing cruise ships, oil tankers and container ships. These vessels tend to burn the cheapest and most highly polluting form of diesel fuel. Their report was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, being held here this week.
Ecologist: Genetically Engineered Algae for Biofuel Pose Potential Risks That Should Be Studied
Algae are high on the genetic engineering agenda as a potential source for biofuel, and they should be subjected to independent studies of any environmental risks that could be linked to cultivating algae for this purpose, two prominent researchers say.
Fueling the Future with Renewable Gasoline and Diesel
A new process for converting municipal waste, algae, corn stalks and similar material to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel is showing the same promise in larger plants as it did in laboratory-scale devices, the developers reported here today. It was part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, which continues through Thursday.
New Biorefinery Finds Treasure in Starbucks' Spent Coffee Grounds and Stale Bakery Goods
With 1.3 billion tons of food trashed, dumped in landfills and otherwise wasted around the world every year, scientists today described development and successful laboratory testing of a new "biorefinery" intended to change food waste into a key ingredient for making plastics, laundry detergents and scores of other everyday products. They described the research at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
As Smart Electric Grid Evolves, Virginia Tech Engineers Show How to Include Solar Technologies
An economically feasible way to store solar energy in existing residential power networks is the subject of an award winning paper written by two Virginia Tech electrical engineers and presented at an international conference.
Sunflowers Inspire More Efficient Solar Power System
A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called heliotropism. It's a clever bit of natural engineering that inspired imitation from a UW-Madison electrical and computer engineer, who has found a way to mimic the passive heliotropism seen in sunflowers for use in the next crop of solar power systems.
Iowa State Researchers Feed Pigs, Chickens High-Protein Fungus Grown on Ethanol Leftovers
An Iowa State University research team is feeding fungi grown on the leftovers of ethanol production to pigs and chickens. The feed-production process also cleans water used to make ethanol, boosting the amount of water that can be recycled back into biofuels.