Fossil Fuels News

September 9, 2016

Converting Carbon Dioxide Gas Into Fuel

Light-Driven Conversion: Greenhouse Gas to Fuel

New Class of Cheap Flexible Fuel Cells

New Leaf: Scientists Turn CO2 Back Into Fuel

Latest Headlines

updated 1:13am EDT

Saskatchewan Uranium Mining Emits Few Greenhouse Gases, Study Shows

Sep. 8, 2016 — The mining and milling of Canadian uranium contributes very few greenhouse gases to nuclear power’s already low emissions, a research group ... read more

Fuel Cell Membrane Outperforms Market: 'Goldilocks' Membrane Is Just About Right

Sep. 7, 2016 — Industrial interest is expected in a vehicular fuel cell membrane able to excrete protons at the most effective temperature ... read more

Study Reveals New Physics of How Fluids Flow in Porous Media

Aug. 23, 2016 — Detailed lab experiments provide fresh insight into the physics of fluid-fluid displacement in porous media, crucial to applications like carbon dioxide sequestration or fuel cell ... read more

Researchers Reduce Expensive Noble Metals for Fuel Cell Reactions

Aug. 22, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel nanomaterial that could improve the performance and lower the costs of fuel cells by using fewer precious metals like platinum ... read more

Plug-in Hybrids Drive Electrically Half of the Time

Aug. 16, 2016 — Plug-in hybrids drive electrically with power from the grid 55% of the time. Battery electric vehicles are driven more in total and in everyday ... read more

Simulating Complex Catalysts Key to Making Cheap, Powerful Fuel Cells

Aug. 9, 2016 — Using a unique combination of advanced computational methods, chemical engineers have demystified some of the complex catalytic chemistry in fuel cells -- an advance that ... read more

Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Solutions including electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, vehicle connectivity, and automation are ... read more

Using Nanotechnology to Give Fuel Cells More Oomph

Aug. 8, 2016 — Applying nanotechnology to fuel cells gives them more oomph, report researchers. The project is part of a $13 million program to advance fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage ... read more

Novel Porous Materials Made from Flexible 'Spaghetti-Like' Molecules

Aug. 3, 2016 — Scientists changed our understanding of metal-organic frameworks. They uprooted the belief that these frameworks must be made from rigid starting ... read more

Breakthrough Solar Cell Captures Carbon Dioxide and Sunlight, Produces Burnable Fuel

July 28, 2016 — Researchers have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and efficiently converts atmospheric carbon ... read more

F-35 Fighter Jet Has World's Most Advanced Engine, Says Developer

Why China Keeps Firing Up More Coal Plants

Here's Why You Thought About Trading Your Hybrid For An SUV

Airbus Looks to Algae Jet Fuel Future

New Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

July 27, 2016 — The mineral pentlandite is a potential new catalyst for hydrogen production. It works just as efficient as the platinum electrodes commonly used today. In contrast to platinum, pentlandite is ... read more

Idle Hands: New and Improved Idlebox Tool to Aid in Reduction of Idling

July 26, 2016 — IdleBox, an electronic education and outreach toolkit aimed at promoting idling reduction across the country, has now been relauned. The new IdleBox is now available to anyone seeking an ... read more

Key Improvement for Fuel Cells: Work Improves Understanding of Process That Stops Reactions

July 18, 2016 — Researchers have determined a key step in improving solid oxide fuel cells, a promising clean energy technology that has struggled to gain wide acceptance in the marketplace. The researchers ... read more

Modeling Predicts Which Counties Could Store More Carbon in Soil by Growing Bioenergy Crops

July 13, 2016 — To help stakeholders in government and business make smart decisions about the best types of land and local climates for planting bioenergy crops, researchers are using computational modeling to ... read more

Could More Fuel-Efficient Engines Lead to More Global Warming?

July 13, 2016 — Auto industry experts predict that more than 50 percent of cars on the road by 2020 will use a relatively new type of fuel-efficient engine. This transition, however, has raised questions about its ... read more

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 microbe’s capacity ... 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 carbon dioxide and ... read more

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

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

Scientists Just Made It Cheaper to Produce Hydrogen from Water

June 27, 2016 — A hydrogen-fuel economy could finally become a reality with the recent discovery of a cheap, stable and efficient means of getting hydrogen from ... 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

Chemists Find New Way to Recycle Plastic Waste Into Fuel

June 21, 2016 — A new way of recycling millions of tons of plastic garbage into liquid fuel has been ... read more

How China Can Ramp Up Wind Power

June 20, 2016 — China has an opportunity to massively increase its use of wind power -- if it properly integrates wind into its existing power system, according to a new study. The research forecasts that wind power ... read more

Better Way to 'Herd' Electrons in Solar Fuel Devices

June 20, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a new way to optimize electron transfer in semi-conductors used in solar fuel ... read more

Behavioral Economics Study Shows Boost in Fuel and Carbon Efficiency of Airline Captains

June 20, 2016 — Interventions rooted in behavioral economics can significantly boost the use of fuel- and carbon-efficient flight practices in the airline industry, according to a new ... read more

Challenger Disaster: How Do Hydrogen Droplets Behave When Hydrogen-Oxygen Aerosol Mixtures Burn?

June 16, 2016 — In the framework of research motivated by the Challenger disaster a team of researchers have pursued all possible mechanisms of igniting explosions of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen mixtures in ... read more

Climate Consequences of Oil Price Uncertainty Could Be Significant

June 13, 2016 — Oil prices can have a major impact on the types and quantities of energy sources used -- and thus on greenhouse gas emissions. A new study is the first to quantify the energy and emissions impacts of ... read more

New Understanding of Plant Growth Brings Promise of Tailored Products for Industry

June 9, 2016 — In the search for low-emission plant-based fuels, new research could lead to sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based products. Scientists have identified new steps in the way plants produce ... read more

Optical Fiber Monitoring Key to Waste Oil Recycling

May 31, 2016 — Scientists are harnessing advanced fiber-sensor technologies to increase productivity and process safety in the waste oil recycling ... read more

Better Combustion for Power Generation

May 31, 2016 — As US utility companies replace coal-fired power plants with natural gas, a collaboration between two parties is contributing to efficiency gains in GE's H-class gas turbines. GE researchers ... read more

Wednesday, July 27, 2016