Energy and Resources News

July 10, 2016

Public Urinal Generates Electricity from Urine

3-D Paper-Based Microbial Fuel Cell

Engineering E. Coli for Biofuel, Bioproduct Production

July 7, 2016 — Researchers developed an alternative fatty acid synthase (FAS) system in which enzymes from other organisms work with the native FAS in <i>E. coli</i> to improve the ... read more

Watery Roadblock in the Pathway to Biofuels

July 7, 2016 — Removing oxygen atoms is vital to turning biomass into biofuels. Scientists discovered how water interferes with two oxygen-removal paths by creating a highly stable ... read more

How Solar Energy Can Be Transformed Into Fuel

July 7, 2016 — A new study look into the quest for sustainable fuel, and how solar energy can be transformed into exactly this. The new procedure uses the sun's thermal energy to convert ... read more

Performance of Cathode Material Improved by Controlling Oxygen Activity

July 6, 2016 — An international team of researchers has demonstrated a new way to increase the robustness and energy storage capability of a particular class of 'lithium-rich' cathode ... read more

Scientists Use Mass Spectrometry to 'Look Inside' an Ancient Greek Amphora

July 6, 2016 — Scientists have used mass spectrometry to analyze bitumen samples from an ancient Greek amphora found on the Taman peninsula. Judging by the level of oxygen in the sample, ... read more

New Discovery Could Better Predict How Semiconductors Weather Abuse

July 5, 2016 — Scientists have found a way to better predict how thin-film semiconductors weather the harsh conditions in systems that convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide ... read more

Pedal Powered Cinema

July 5, 2016 — A team of engineering students has produced a bicycle powered generator which could power a 55 watt projector for the time required to watch ... read more

Discovery Could Dramatically Boost Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

July 4, 2016 — Scientists have discovered a possible secret to dramatically boosting the efficiency of perovskite solar cells hidden in the nanoscale peaks and valleys of the ... read more

Rechargeable Batteries That Last Longer and Re-Charge More Rapidly

July 4, 2016 — Materials researchers have developed a very simple and cost-effective procedure for significantly enhancing the performance of conventional Li-ion rechargeable batteries. The procedure is scalable in ... read more

Nano-Sculptures for Longer-Lasting Battery Electrodes

June 28, 2016 — Scientists know how a liquid metal technique selectively removes elements from a block of well-mixed metals and creates ... read more

Chevron Leads a $37 Bln Oil Expansion

Bat Wings Inspire New Breed of Drone

Sorry, Solar City: Solar Power Still Isn't Competitive

Gold Rush Still Irresistable in Poland

Neural Networks to Obtain Synthetic Petroleum

July 6, 2016 — A research group has made progress in obtaining bio-oils and raw materials from biomass using its patented reactor. Biomass is one of the main sources of energy and heat in the field of renewable ... read more

Replacing Oil With Wood for the Production of Chemicals

July 6, 2016 — Two research projects have developed new processes to replace petroleum with wood for the production of important chemicals. These precursors are used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, plastics ... read more

New Understanding of One of Nature’s Best Biocatalysts for Biofuels Production

June 30, 2016 — Producing fuels from plants and other renewable sources requires breaking down the chemical cellulose; a major candidate to drive, or catalyze, this stubborn chemical is a ubiquitous microorganism ... read more

The Gold Standard of Cracking Tests

June 30, 2016 — Scientists used high-speed photography and digital image analysis to observe both the events that cause cracks and the speed with which the cracks ... read more

Surf’s Up: Magnetic Waves on the Edge

June 29, 2016 — For the first time, a new class of magnetic materials, called topological magnon insulators, was revealed. This novel material can conduct magnetic waves along their edges, without conduction through ... read more

Nano-Stiltskin: Turning Gold Into … See-Through Rubber

June 29, 2016 — Flexible solar panels would benefit from stretchable, damage-resistant, transparent metal electrodes. Researchers found that topology and the adhesion between a metal nanomesh and the underlying ... read more

Hydrogen Production from a Relative of Fool's Gold

June 28, 2016 — Scientists discovered a pyrite-type compound, similar to fool’s gold, that is competitive with platinum for splitting water to produce ... read more

Bridge to Coveted Electronic Properties

June 28, 2016 — A new tabletop system can accelerate materials characterization and further our understanding of magnetic and electronic properties that enable energy-efficient electronics and information ... read more

Simple Preparation for Affordable Solar Energy Storage

June 28, 2016 — A simple process made an electrode that absorbs sunlight and produces oxygen on tiny cobalt islands on a silicon ... read more

One Giant Leap for the Future of Safe Drug Delivery

June 28, 2016 — By using an innovative 3-D inkjet printing method, researchers have taken the biggest step yet in producing microscopic silk swimming devices that are biodegradable and harmless to a biological ... read more

High-Pressure Generator Using a Superconducting Diamond Developed

June 30, 2016 — Researchers have developed a new diamond anvil cell by micro-fabricating a superconducting diamond, which conducts electricity like metal and serves as electrodes, on the world's hardest and ... read more

Laser Uranium Enrichment Technology May Create New Proliferation Risks

June 27, 2016 — A new laser-based uranium enrichment technology may provide a hard-to-detect pathway to nuclear weapons production, according to a forthcoming ... read more

Researchers Discover a New Method to Boost Oil Recovery

June 27, 2016 — As oil producers struggle to adapt to lower prices, getting as much oil as possible out of every well has become even more important, despite concerns from nearby residents that some chemicals used ... read more

Lab Results Could Improve Offshore Production Economics

June 27, 2016 — Gas wells can continue to be productive longer than we predicted, before they need expensive “anti-aging” support, new laboratory tests ... read more

Keep It Simple: Low-Cost Solar Power

June 24, 2016 — A new architecture takes very few processing steps to produce an affordable solar cell with efficiencies comparable to conventional silicon solar ... read more

Coal to Solar: Retraining the Energy Workforce

June 24, 2016 — As the solar industry booms, coal workers have the opportunity to pursue new work. A new study looks at what it takes to retrain underground skills for sunnier ... read more

Energy from Sunlight: Further Steps Towards Artificial Photosynthesis

June 24, 2016 — Chemists have come one step closer to generating energy from sunlight: for the first time, they were able to reproduce one of the crucial phases of natural photosynthesis with artificial ... read more

Nanoscientists Develop the 'Ultimate Discovery Tool'

June 23, 2016 — The discovery power of the gene chip is coming to nanotechnology. Researchers have figured out how to make combinatorial libraries of nanoparticles in a very controlled way. Some of the nanoparticle ... read more

Researchers Discover New Chemical Sensing Technique

June 23, 2016 — Researchers have reported a new technique to determine the chemical composition of materials using near-infrared light. The work could have a number of potential applications, including improving ... read more