Harnessing the Entire Spectrum of Sunlight to Make Solar Energy More Efficient
Chemistry finding could make solar energy more efficient as researchers have found a way to harness the entire spectrum of sunlight. Scientists for the first…
Energy
Oil-Catching Sponge Could Be Solution for 100 Billion Barrels of Oil-Contaminated Wastewater Generated Every Year
Drilling and fracking for oil under the seabed produces 100 billion barrels of oil-contaminated wastewater every year by releasing tiny oil droplets into the surrounding…
Scientists Explore Hazards of Pushing Lithium-Ion Cells Too Far [Video]
Rice engineers find overabundance of intentional defects can cause battery cathodes to fail. Intentional defects in batteries have given Rice University scientists a window into…
Innovative Process Rapidly Turns Plant Waste Into Biofuels
Rutgers-led team develops innovative process to rapidly dissolve plant fibers to make it easier to turn plant waste into biofuels. Researchers have developed a new…
Gasification Goes Green: Low-Temp Photocatalyst Slashes Carbon Footprint for Syngas
Rice University engineers have created a light-powered nanoparticle that could shrink the carbon footprint of a major segment of the chemical industry. The particle, tiny…
Shutdown of Coal-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Saved Thousands of Lives
Between 2005 and 2016, the shift away from coal saved an estimated 26,610 lives and 570 million bushels of crops. The decommissioning of coal-fired power…
Harvesting Ocean Energy: Bio-Inspired Membrane Efficiently Produces Electricity From Saltwater
Inspired by membranes in the body tissues of living organisms, scientists have combined aramid nanofibers used in Kevlar with boron nitride to construct a membrane…
Chemists Have Found a Productive Use for Stockpiles of Nuclear Waste
Chemists have found a new use for the waste product of nuclear power — transforming an unused stockpile into a versatile compound which could be…
New Way to Make Hydrogen Energy Out of Water Much More Cheaply
Scientists show how using only water, iron, nickel and electricity can create hydrogen energy much more cheaply than before. Hydrogen-powered cars may soon become more…
MIT Devises New Effecient Way to Remove Contaminants From Nuclear Wastewater
Method concentrates radionuclides in a small portion of a nuclear plant’s wastewater, allowing the rest to be recycled. Nuclear power continues to expand globally, propelled,…
Fusion Researchers Find Safer, More Effective Way to Create a Star on Earth
A major issue with operating ring-shaped fusion facilities known as tokamaks is keeping the plasma that fuels fusion reactions free of impurities that could reduce…
Uncertain Role for Natural Gas in the Transition to Clean Energy Due to Leaks in Wells, Tanks and Pipelines
MIT study finds that challenges in measuring and mitigating leakage of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, prove pivotal. A new MIT study examines the opposing…
New Insights Into Uranium Chemistry Can Aid Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste
A new paper to be published on December 16, 2019, provides a significant new insight into our understanding of uranium biogeochemistry and could help with…
Using Quantum Mechanics to Trigger Atomic Fusion
Fusion by strong lasers: HZDR scientists want to use quantum mechanics to trigger the fusion of atomic nuclei at lower energies. Nuclear physics usually involves…
Researchers Find New Way to Convert Carbon Dioxide Into Usable Fuel
Scientists devise new catalyst that uses light to turn carbon dioxide to fuel. The concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is steadily increasing, and…
Chalcogenide Perovskite Energy Transport Mechanism Mapped for Solar Energy Use
Engineers have characterized the thermal energy conversion mechanism in the lattice of an advanced nanomaterial called chalcogenide perovskite and demonstrated its ‘tunability’ — important for…
Global Carbon Emissions Hits Record High, but Growth Slows
Coal use is down dramatically in the United States and the European Union, and renewable energy is gaining traction. But rising natural gas and oil…
Carbon Intensity of Power Sector Down in 2019 As Renewables Saw Considerable Growth
Engineers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation have compiled carbon emissions for the U.S. electric power sector for the second quarter (Q2)…