Fossil Fuels News

October 14, 2016

More Efficient Way to Split Water; Make Hydrogen

Converting Carbon Dioxide Gas Into Fuel

Light-Driven Conversion: Greenhouse Gas to Fuel

New Class of Cheap Flexible Fuel Cells

Latest Headlines

updated 8:44am EDT

Better View of Synthetic Fuel Production

Sep. 23, 2016 — Synthetic fuel is cleaner than natural oil, but its production process needs to be more efficient. Now for the first time, physicists have directly observed the molecules produced in the chemical ... read more

Shale Gas, Not EPA Rules, Has Pushed Decline in Coal-Generated Electricity, Study Confirms

Oct. 7, 2016 — Cheap shale gas produced by fracking has driven the decline in coal production in the United States during the last decade, ... read more

Popeye Was Right: There’s Energy in That Spinach

Sep. 22, 2016 — Using a simple membrane extract from spinach leaves, researchers have developed a cell that produces electricity and hydrogen from water using sunlight. Based on photosynthesis, and technology paves ... read more

Not All Bioplastics Are Created Equal

Sep. 21, 2016 — Conventional plastics are seen as environmentally unfriendly because they're made from fossil fuels. As plastic production grows -- it's expected to double over the next 20 years -- plant-derived ... read more

Inexpensive Semiconducting Organic Polymers Can Harvest Sunlight to Split Carbon Dioxide Into Alcohol Fuels

Sep. 20, 2016 — Chemists have been the first to demonstrate that an organic semiconductor polymer called polyaniline is a promising photocathode material for the ... read more

When Hackers Turn out the Lights

Sep. 16, 2016 — The development of the smart power grid and the smart meter in our homes to accompany it brings several benefits, such as improved delivery and more efficient billing. Conversely, any digital, ... read more

Carbon-Coated Iron Catalyst Structure Could Lead to More-Active Fuel Cells

Sep. 12, 2016 — Fuel cells have long held promise as power sources, but low efficiency has created obstacles to realizing that promise. Researchers have identified the active form of an ... read more

Scientists Expect to Calculate Amount of Fuel Inside Earth by 2025

Sep. 9, 2016 — Scientists have developed numerous models to predict how much fuel remains inside Earth to drive its engines -- and estimates vary widely -- but the true amount remains ... read more

Insights from Higher Wind and Solar Generation in Eastern Grid, USA

Sep. 6, 2016 — A new study used high-performance computing capabilities and innovative visualization tools to model, in unprecedented detail, how the power grid of the eastern United States could operationally ... read more

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

Turkey, Russia Agree to Build TurkStream Gas Pipeline

OPEC Agrees Shock Oil Output Cut

CA Farmers Use Advanced Drone Tech to Save Water

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

Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Ferry in San Francisco Bay Is Possible, Says Study

Oct. 10, 2016 — Researchers set out to answer one not-so-simple question: Is it feasible to build and operate a high-speed passenger ferry solely powered by hydrogen fuel cells? The answer is ... 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 ranges, allowing electrons to form an unimpeded electric ... 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 or ... 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 brings cost-effective fuel ... 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

A New Leaf: Scientists Turn Carbon Dioxide Back Into Fuel

July 30, 2016 — Researchers have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into a usable energy source. Produced by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and car engines, carbon dioxide continues to accumulate in ... 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 dioxide directly into usable hydrocarbon fuel, using only sunlight for ... read more

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

Monday, October 10, 2016