Tag: energy
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Polymer CO2-Capture Material Devised for Natural Gas Wells
3 June 2014. Chemists and materials scientists at Rice University in Houston developed a material that inexpensively extracts and captures carbon dioxide, or CO2, from natural gas wells at ambient temperatures. The team led by Rice chemistry and engineering professor James Tour, including colleagues from National Institute of Science and Technology in Maryland, published their…
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Engineered Microbes Created to Clean Biodiesel Waste
21 May 2014. Microbiologists at Michigan State University in East Lansing created a process with two types of genetically-engineered bacteria that work together to clean up the waste water in the production of biodiesel, and generate ethanol as a byproduct. The team led by Michigan State’s Gemma Reguera published its findings online earlier this month…
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Wireless Power System Invented for Miniaturized Implants
20 May 2014. Engineers and medical researchers at Stanford University in California designed a wireless system that can transfer electric power deep inside the body for miniaturized implants and other therapies. The work of a team led by electrical engineering professor Ada Poon was published online yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid…
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Poplar Trees Engineered to Produce More Biofuels, Wood Pulp
3 April 2014. Researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, a consortium of University of Wisconsin in Madison and Michigan State University in East Lansing, created a genetically modified poplar tree variety with weakened lignin bonds, making it easier to process into commercial biofuels and wood pulp. The team from the labs of Wisconsin’s…
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Report: Climate Consensus Solid, Sudden Damage Risk Real
18 March 2014. A new report from American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) underscores the the near-unanimous consensus by scientists that human-caused climate change is happening, and the risks of abrupt and unpredictable damage are increasing. A panel of 10 climate scientists, with partners in the business community, issued the report yesterday. The…
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Mobile Low-Power Gesture-Recognition System Developed
27 February 2014. Computer scientists and engineers at University of Washington in Seattle developed an inexpensive gesture recognition system for mobile devices that consumes minimal power, with potential applications in robotics and “Internet-of-things” computing. The team led by Shyam Gollakota, director of the university’s Networks and Wireless Lab, presents its work on 3 April at the…
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Institutes Developing Power Grid Cybersecurity Technology
Engineering labs at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta are designing a suite of tools to better protect electric power grids, incorporating lessons from recent smart grid developments. The $1.7 million grant from U.S. Department of Energy will fund the work of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, with two other organizations affiliated with Georgia Tech:…
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Columbia Team to Study Electric Power Switching Transistors
An engineering research group at Columbia University in New York received a $3 million grant from U.S. Department of Energy to create high-power electric switching devices with the speed and efficiency of electronic transistor circuits. The team led by electrical and biomedical engineering professor Ken Shepard — that includes members from MIT, IBM, and the…
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ARPA-E Challenge Seeks Bio Energy Measurement Techniques
A new challenge on InnoCentive, sponsored by Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, is seeking new ideas for measuring the potential energy output of biofuel feedstocks, without harming the plant material. The competition, which has a maximum prize of $30,000, requires a written proposal and has…
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Pressure-Cooked Nanoparticles Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries
Engineers at University of California in Riverside discovered a process for improving cathodes in lithium-ion batteries found in today’s electric cars and most electronic devices, and thus their performance. The team from the lab of Riverside’s David Kisailus published their findings in this month’s issue of the journal Crystal Growth and Design (paid subscription required).…