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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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), [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 – [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]