Green Technology
Steel-mill waste turned into construction staple
June 1, 2011 12:51 pm | News | CommentsSteel mills in the United States produce up to 12 million tons waste slag every year, which is usually converted to slag that gets deposited in a landfill. Recent research in Spain shows that it is possible to include this iron and oxide-heavy material in commercial bricks, moving large-scale recycling of this slag closer to reality.
NREL highlights 2010 utility green power leaders
May 9, 2011 10:20 am | News | CommentsAs was highlighted in yesterday’s R&D Daily , America does not hold a leadership position in developing green technologies. But interest in renewable energy is strong, and according to the National Renewable Energy Lab, more than 850 energy utilities across the U.S. offer green power programs. NREL this week released its annual list of its leaders.
Chemistry curbs spreading of carbon dioxide
May 6, 2011 9:14 am | News | CommentsResearchers in England have found that the presence of a simple chemical reaction with brine can delay or prevent the spreading of stored carbon dioxide in underground aquifers. Mathematical analysis shows that with knowledge of the physical structure of a saline storage aquifer, the movement of CO 2 within it be calculated and, in theory, manipulated.
Harper to fill low-cost carbon fiber fab contract for Oak Ridge
March 29, 2011 6:11 am | News | CommentsValued at more than $12 million, the full pilot-scale carbon fiber process line from New York-based Harper International is part of the DOE’s effort to reduce the cost of carbon fiber and introduce as a high-strength component for a greater variety of products, such as automobiles. The new line at Oak Ridge National Lab will involve the use of low-cost, renewable lignin as a precursor.
Green chemistry: The route towards zero-waste production
February 18, 2011 3:51 am | News | CommentsNovel green chemical technologies will play a key role helping society move towards the elimination of waste while offering a wider range of products from biorefineries, according to a Univ. of York scientist.
ORNL's Jaguar helps BMI win award, nation save fuel
February 14, 2011 5:38 am | News | CommentsSouth Carolina-based BMI Corp. used computing time on the Jaguar supercomputer to analyze complex models of tractor trailers. The work led them to create undertray add-on components that could improve average fuel mileage from 6 to 6.5 mpg. The increase is significant: 18-wheelers collectively travel 130 billion miles per year.
Greener process for key ingredient for everything from paint to diapers
February 10, 2011 5:32 am | News | CommentsChemists in China have discovered an environmentally friendly way to make an indispensable industrial material, acrylic acid, without the need for increasingly expensive propylene obtained from petroleum. The new solution, detailed in a paper publicly available at American Chemical Society, involves an efficient conversion of lactic acid.
Solar-powered trash can reduces carbon footprint, cuts costs
February 8, 2011 5:41 am | by Richard Lewis | News | CommentsInvented by a Brown Univ. student, Kai Morrell, Big Belly trash cans compact the trash they receive, getting energy from solar panels. The cans, which have appeared on campus, are also networked, and call for pickup when they are full. Fewer pickups means savings on truck fuel and maintenance staff time.
End of an era: NIST to cease calibrating mercury thermometers
February 3, 2011 4:47 am | News | CommentsAs part of the EPA’s effort to phase out the use of mercury thermometers and reduce the amount of the potent neurotoxin in the environment, the National Institute of Standards and Technology will cease its calibration standards program and encourage industries to adopt new ASTM standards that govern the use of mercury thermometer alternatives.
Device makes clean water through sunlight and fuel cells
May 25, 2010 6:04 am | Product Releases | CommentsA trio of inventors in New Jersey recently unveiled The HYDRA, a hydrogen fuel cell-based machine that converts waste scum into drinkable water, electricity, and medical-grade oxygen. Solar cells drive the conversion process, and the unit is designed to be transported by trailer.
A clean energy America…is it coming or not?
February 24, 2010 2:18 pm | Blogs | CommentsAlmost a year ago, the buzz during the downturn was that the economic stimulus will help boost jobs in a sort of national improvement program reminiscent of the 1930s. Our coal would be phased out. Our grids would get smart. Our cars would get hybridized.
Dr. Hans van Leeuwen: Fighting Famine with Fungi
December 21, 2009 8:54 am | by Lindsay Hock | Articles | CommentsFrom water purification methods, to creating food and animal feed from waste, to making the purest alcohol ever, van Leeuwen has left his mark on society and throughout the world.
Joule Biotechnologies Introduces Process For Producing Renewable Transportation Fuels
July 28, 2009 10:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsJoule Biotechnologies unveiled its Helioculture technology—a process that harnesses sunlight to directly convert carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into SolarFuel liquid energy.
ETV Motors Completes Demonstration of Turbine-charged Electric Vehicle
July 28, 2009 10:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsETV Motors successfully completed a milestone test of its novel Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) architecture.
EMSL Installs Chinook Supercomputer
July 28, 2009 5:22 am | Product Releases | CommentsAt more than 160 teraFLOPS, the newly installed $21.3 million Chinook supercomputer is over a dozen times faster than its predecessor the EMSL's MPP2.
Super enzyme, environmental hero
August 31, 2002 8:00 pm | Award WinnersWith growing fears of global warming and environmental pollution, society has been demanding more Earth-friendly technology, and many manufacturers are responding. One example of a green technology is the “Super Enzyme System” developed by Haruo Takahashi at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories Inc., Nagakute-cho, Japan.
Soybean oil plasticizer
August 31, 2002 8:00 pm | Award WinnersModified vegetable oils are used as plasticizers to improve thermal stability negates this shortcoming. Researchers at Battelle in conjunction with The Ohio Soybean Council, both of Columbus, Ohio, have expanded on this secondary plasticizer with their development of Environmentally Friendly Plasticizers for Polyvinyl Chloride Resin. The researchers chemically modified soybean oil to optimize its compatibility with PVC resin so that it could be used as a primary plasticizer.
