In Colorado, University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new tool that could lead to more efficient and cheaper technologies for capturing heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere and converting them into beneficial substances, like fuel or building materials. Such carbon capture technology may be needed at scale in order to limit global warning this […]
In Germany, Fraunhofer UMSICHT is working on the extraction of methanol from steel mill gases and sustainably produced hydrogen in the Carbon2Chem project. The researchers are already successfully operating a demonstration-scale plant on the institute’s premises in Oberhausen. In the next step, tests under real conditions are planned at a steel mill in Duisburg. Researchers […]
In Michigan, newly published Michigan State University research details how switchgrass can mitigate effects of climate change when grown on marginal land — agricultural land of little value. For farmers, it may also provide economic returns in these otherwise unproductive spaces. Lignocellulosic biofuels, which are made from plant biomass, are one of the only current […]
In Texas, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are using artificial intelligence to set a new world record for producing algae as a reliable, economic source for biofuel that can be used as an alternative fuel source for jet aircraft and other transportation needs. Joshua Yuan, AgriLife Research scientist, professor and chair of Synthetic Biology and […]
In Illinois, when a car battery reaches the end of its life, it goes to an automotive shredder that chops it up. Getting out the useful chemicals from these chopped up batteries is no easy task. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have turned to a process called capacitive deionization […]
In China, chemists have developed a nano-scale structure that combines copper, gold and silver to work as a superior catalyst in a chemical reaction whose improved performance will be essential if carbon capture and utilization efforts are to succeed in helping to mitigate global warming. One possible means of carbon-capture-and-utilization is via a chemical reaction […]
In Mexico, the seeds of the wild castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, can be converted into biodiesel according to a new study in the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology. The Mexican research team shows how the requisite transesterification reaction of oil from the seeds using methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide […]
In Germany, so far, little is known about how microplastics interact with higher-order terrestrial plants. Recent studies have shown that microplastics are taken up in the roots of agricultural plants such as wheat. As part of a cutting-edge interdisciplinary project by Berlin-based art studio, Studio Austen, the research team from the IGB and the German […]
In Texas, Southwest Research Institute upgraded its test equipment to allow for testing the effects of transporting natural gas and hydrogen blends in the same pipeline. The latest capability will help clients research hydrogen-based solutions to understand if infrastructure for climate-warming greenhouse gases can be transitioned to handle more sustainable resources. “Hydrogen is an excellent […]
