News tagged with chemical fuel

High-speed method to aid search for solar energy storage catalysts

Eons ago, nature solved the problem of converting solar energy to fuels by inventing the process of photosynthesis.

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 25, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Extracting fuels and chemicals from plant life

Concerns over increasing global energy demand and the environmental impacts of fossil fuels are motivating the world’s researchers to try to develop alternative, renewable sources of energy.

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 21, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New research may improve the efficiency of the biofuel production cycle

(Phys.org) -- Using new experimental methods and computational analysis, a team of scientists from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), led by Lawrence Livermore's Michael Thelen, discovered how certain bacteria ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created May 14, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Nanosheet catalyst discovered to sustainably split hydrogen from water

(Phys.org) -- Hydrogen gas offers one of the most promising sustainable energy alternatives to limited fossil fuels. But traditional methods of producing pure hydrogen face significant challenges in unlocking ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (15) | comments 57 | with audio podcast

Solar thermal process produces cement with no carbon dioxide emissions

(Phys.org) -- While the largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is the power industry, the second largest is the more often overlooked cement industry, which accounts for 5-6% of all ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Apr 10, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (25) | comments 22 | with audio podcast report

'Tunable' metal nanostructures for fuel cells, batteries and solar energy

(PhysOrg.com) -- For catalysts in fuel cells and electrodes in batteries, engineers would like to manufacture metal films that are porous, to make more surface area available for chemical reactions, and highly ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot (w/ video)

American researchers have created a robotic jellyfish, named Robojelly, which not only exhibits characteristics ideal to use in underwater search and rescue operations, but could, theoretically at least, never ...

Technology / Engineering

created Mar 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Touch of gold improves nanoparticle fuel-cell reactions

Advances in fuel-cell technology have been stymied by the inadequacy of metals studied as catalysts. The drawback to platinum, other than cost, is that it absorbs carbon monoxide in reactions involving fuel ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Mar 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Rational design can improve hydrogen fuel cell efficiency

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hydrogen fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electricity, offer the potential for a wide variety of applications, especially in transportation and power ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 29, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast feature

Breakthrough in designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts for fuel cells

University of California, Berkeley, chemists are reimagining catalysts in ways that could have a profound impact on the chemical industry as well as on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 23, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (13) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Man-made photosynthesis to revolutionize food and energy production

Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of new research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting today. It could see us one ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 17, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New metal catalyst drives hydrogen fuel reaction forwards and backwards

(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to driving hydrogen production, a new catalyst built at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory can do what was previously shown to happen only in nature: store energy in hydrogen and release ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 16, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Solvay hails world's largest fuel cell of type in Flanders, one can power 1,400 homes

Chemicals giant Solvay hailed Monday the successful entry into service in Flanders of what it said was the largest fuel cell of its type in the world.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 8

Plant power: The ultimate way to 'go green'?

Researchers are turning to plants and solar power in the search for new sources of renewable and sustainable energy that can support the transition from rapidly depleting fossil fuels to a bio-based society. An article published ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Feb 02, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New technology converts seaweed to renewable fuels and chemicals

A team of scientists from Bio Architecture Lab (BAL), has developed breakthrough technology that expands the feedstocks for advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals production to include seaweed (macroalgae). The team engineered ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2