Tag Archives: green technology

Microbe Endures Ionic Liquids, May Lead to Efficient Biofuel Production Process

May 16, 2012

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A joint team of scientists have identified and determined how a tropical rainforest microbe is able to endure high concentrations of an ionic liquid used to dissolve cellulosic biomass. Their discovery may provide a basis for engineering ionic liquid tolerance into strains of fuel-producing microbes for a more efficient biofuel production process. In the search [...]

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Scientists Look to Space for Renewable Energy Source

May 16, 2012

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renewable energy by collecting solar power in space

Research is underway on new equipment that will allow solar power to be gathered in space and transferred back to earth through microwaves or lasers, providing renewable energy for the future and providing power to disaster areas or outlying areas that are difficult to reach by traditional means. Solar power gathered in space could be [...]

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Floating “Power Buoy” Creates Electricity from Ocean Waves

May 14, 2012

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power buoy floats in Monterey Bay

In an effort to harness the power of ocean waves, engineers designed and built a floating “power buoy” that measures 8 feet across, 10 feet wide and 18 feet long. The buoy uses the upward and downward motion of waves, combined with the weight of a metal plate, to move a hydraulic piston, resulting in [...]

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NDCX-II, A Special-Purpose Particle Accelerator

May 14, 2012

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Accelerator to Study Steps on the Path to Fusion

A team of engineers and scientists just completed work on NDCX-II, a special-purpose particle accelerator designed to produce a high-quality, dense beam that can rapidly deliver a powerful punch to a solid target. The just-completed NDCX-II, the second generation Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), [...]

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VW Passat TDI Clean Diesel Vehicle Travels 1626 Miles on One Tank of Fuel

May 11, 2012

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VW Passat TDI Clean Diesel Vehicle Travels 1626 Miles on One Tank of Fuel

A step in the right direction, a VW Passat TDI set the world record for longest distance on one tank of clean diesel fuel. The stock 2012 Passat TDI was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and had an average of 84.1 miles per gallon during its three day trip totaling 1626 miles. Herndon, Virgina [...]

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Environmentally Friendly Treatments Could Reduce Odors in Cotton Fabric

May 11, 2012

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inhibit microbial growth in cotton socks, T-shirts and other clothes using silver particles

The future might smell better thanks to scientists at the USDA that are investigating new antimicrobial treatments for clothing. Using an environmentally friendly method to produce silver nanoparticles, researchers are prompting the silver nanoparticles to form directly on cotton fibers, eliminating the handling and storage of the antimicrobial agents prior to application. Socks, T-shirts and [...]

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Zinc Anode Battery System, Alternative for Nickel Cadmium Batteries

May 8, 2012

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prototype zinc anode battery system

Researchers at the CUNY Energy Institute have developed an operating prototype zinc anode battery system. Designed to be non-toxic, and reliable with fast discharge rates and high energy densities, zinc anode batteries offer an environmentally friendlier and less costly alternative to nickel cadmium batteries. The CUNY Energy Institute, which has been developing innovative low-cost batteries [...]

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Bacteria May be the Key to New Biofuel Technology

May 4, 2012

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Berkeley Lab-led team explores a way to create biofuels

As advancements in biofuels continue, researchers from the Berkeley Lab are looking into new ways of creating biofuels that don’t rely on photosynthesis. Focusing on a bacterium called Ralstonia eutropha, the team hopes to be able create advanced electrofuels that will serve as replacements for diesel and jet fuel. Is there a new path to [...]

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Zeolite Catalyst Creates P-Xylene from Biomass

May 1, 2012

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Chemical Engineers Discover a High-Yield Method for Producing Everyday Plastics from Biomass

Chemical engineers at UMass Amherst have discovered a high-yield method of making plastic bottles from biomass. By using a zeolite catalyst capable of transforming glucose into p-xylene, the inexpensive process creates p-xylene with an efficient yield of 75-percent, which could help remove the need for petroleum-based materials in the plastic bottle industry. Amherst, Massachusetts – [...]

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Nanotextures Make Anti-Fogging, Self-Cleaning and Glare-Free Glass

April 26, 2012

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glass that’s anti-fogging

Are you tried of foggy windows on rainy days and glare coming off your TV screen? Scientists at MIT have developed a new process of creating glass that uses surface nanotextures that are self-cleaning and resists fogging and glare. The researchers believe this “multifunctional” glass could improve upon a variety of products from photovoltaic panels [...]

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Increasing Solar Cell Efficiency with Graphene

April 25, 2012

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Graphene Boosts Efficiency of Solar Cells

In an effort to increase solar cell efficiency, scientists at Michigan Technological University are working on a cost effective method that adds graphene to titanium dioxide, increasing its conductivity and bringing 52.4 percent more current into the circuit. The coolest new nanomaterial of the 21st century could boost the efficiency of the next generation of [...]

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Working to Recycle Greenhouse Gases

April 25, 2012

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catalyst of the methanol synthesis in the semi-automatic precipitation reactor

Scientists around the world continue to study greenhouse gas emissions and researchers at the Fritz Haber Institute discovered findings that could lead to the recycling of greenhouse gas that is produced when fossil fuels burn. There is now one less mystery in chemical production plants. For many decades industry has been producing methanol on a [...]

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