ScienceDaily: Alternative Fuel News

Tests lead to doubling of fuel cell life

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:03:03 EDT

Researchers working to improve durability in fuel cell powered buses have discovered links between electrode degradation processes and bus membrane durability. The team is quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime.

Top-class biofuel from the depths of the forest

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:52:52 EDT

Tops and branches from tree-felling sites are reborn in the laboratory as compact pellets. However, the energy industry will not act until the price is right.

Engineers devise new way to produce clean hydrogen

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:39 EDT

Engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications.

Bacteria use hydrogen, carbon dioxide to produce electricity

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:11 EDT

Researchers have engineered a strain of electricity-producing bacteria that can grow using hydrogen gas as its sole electron donor and carbon dioxide as its sole source of carbon.

Artificial forest for solar water-splitting: First fully integrated artificial photosynthesis nanosystem

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:26:26 EDT

Researchers have created the first fully integrated artificial photosynthesis nanosystem. While "artificial leaf" is the popular term for such a system, the key to this success was an "artificial forest."

New endurance record for small electric unmanned aerial vehicle

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:45:45 EDT

Using liquid hydrogen fuel stored in a new NRL-developed cryogenic fuel storage tank, the flight shatters the previous 26-hour record set by the UAV in 2009.

Recipe for low-cost, biomass-derived catalyst for hydrogen production

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:31:31 EDT

Researchers have described details of a low-cost, stable, effective catalyst that could replace costly platinum in the production of hydrogen. The catalyst, made from renewable soybeans and abundant molybdenum metal, produces hydrogen in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner, potentially increasing the use of this clean energy source.

Special E. coli bacteria produce diesel on demand

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:49 EDT

It sounds like science fiction but scientists have developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand. While the technology still faces many significant commercialization challenges, the diesel, produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria, is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel and so does not need to be blended with petroleum products as is often required by biodiesels derived from plant oils.

Battery low? Give your mobile some water

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:48:48 EDT

A power source for your mobile phone can now be as close as the nearest tap, stream, or even a puddle, with the world’s first water-activated charging device.

Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:55:55 EDT

In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new research shows.

Cheaper natural gas-powered cars on the horizon?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:41:41 EDT

When it comes to American consumers' vehicular preferences, a chemist says the choice often boils down to simple economics more so than availability, environment or altruism.

Surprising findings on hydrogen production in green algae

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:24:24 EDT

New research fuels hope of efficient hydrogen production with green algae may be possible in the future, despite the prevailing scepticism based on previous research.

Cost-saving measure to upgrade ethanol to butanol -- a better alternative to gasoline

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:35:35 EDT

Scientists have reported a discovery that could speed an emerging effort to replace ethanol in gasoline with a substantially better fuel additive called butanol, which some experts regard as “the gasoline of the future.” Their report on this discovery, holds potential to reduce the costs of converting ethanol factories to production of butanol.

Overcoming a major barrier to medical and other uses of 'microrockets' and 'micromotors'

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:39:39 EDT

An advance in micromotor technology akin to the invention of cars that fuel themselves from the pavement or air is opening the door to new medical and industrial uses for these tiny devices, scientists say. Their update on development of the motors -- so small that thousands would fit inside this "o" -- was part of a recent conference presentation.

'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:58:58 EDT

Another innovative feature has been added to the world's first practical "artificial leaf," making the device even more suitable for providing people in developing countries and remote areas with electricity. It gives the leaf the ability to self-heal damage.

Carbon dioxide released from burning fuel today goes back into new fuels tomorrow

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:28:28 EDT

The search for ways to use megatons of carbon dioxide that may be removed from industrial smokestacks during efforts to curb global warming has led to a process for converting that major greenhouse gas back into the fuel that released it in the first place.

Breakthrough in hydrogen fuel production could revolutionize alternative energy market

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:41:41 EDT

Researchers have discovered a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough that has the potential to bring a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source to the world.

Discovery opens door to efficiently storing and reusing renewable energy

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:23:23 EDT

Researchers have developed a ground-breaking way to make new affordable and efficient catalysts for converting electricity into chemical energy. Their technology opens the door to homeowners and energy companies being able to easily store and reuse solar and wind power. Such energy is clean and renewable, but it's available only when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Discovery may allow scientists to make fuel from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:23:23 EDT

Excess carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere created by the widespread burning of fossil fuels is the major driving force of global climate change, and researchers the world over are looking for new ways to generate power that leaves a smaller carbon footprint. A new process is made possible by a unique microorganism called Pyrococcus furiosus, or "rushing fireball," which thrives by feeding on carbohydrates in the super-heated ocean waters near geothermal vents. By manipulating the organism's genetic material, scientists have created a kind of P. furiosus that is capable of feeding at much lower temperatures on carbon dioxide.

A marine animal to feed your eco-car

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:14:14 EDT

The marine animal tunicate can be used both as biofuel and fish food, according to new research. On the ocean floor, under the pier, and on ship ropes – that’s where the tunicates live. Tunicates are marine filter feeders that serve as bacteria eaters and as a foodstuff in Korea and Japan. But in the future they may become more prevalent. Researchers have found that a certain type of tunicate – ascidiacea – can be used as a renewable source of biofuel and fish food.

Ash from refuse could become hydrogen gas

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:35:35 EDT

Every year, millions of tons of environmentally harmful ash is produced worldwide, and is mostly dumped in landfill sites or, in some countries, used as construction material. The ash is what is left when rubbish has been burnt in thermal power stations. A researcher has now developed a technique to use the ash to produce hydrogen gas.

Hydrogen fuel? Thin films of nickel and iron oxides yield efficient solar water-splitting catalyst

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:52:52 EDT

Chemists say that ultra-thin films of nickel and iron oxides made through a solution synthesis process are promising catalysts to combine with semiconductors to make devices that capture sunlight and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.

Multi-purpose wonder can generate hydrogen, produce clean water and even provide energy

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:48:48 EDT

A new wonder material can generate hydrogen, produce clean water and even provide energy. Science fiction? Hardly, and there's more -- It can also desalinate water, be used as flexible water filtration membranes, help recover energy from desalination waste brine, be made into flexible solar cells and can also double the lifespan of lithium ion batteries. With its superior bacteria-killing capabilities, it can also be used to develop a new type of antibacterial bandage.

Petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions of automobiles could drop 80 percent by 2050: U.S. report

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:16:16 EDT

A new report finds that by the year 2050, the United States may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles -- cars and small trucks -- via a combination of more efficient vehicles; the use of alternative fuels like biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen; and strong government policies to overcome high costs and influence consumer choices.

Model allows engineers to test fuel systems on computers

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:47:47 EDT

Engineers will be able to design better fuel systems for everything from motorcycles to rockets faster and more inexpensively because of a new mathematical fuels model.

Researchers building stronger, greener concrete with biofuel byproducts

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:41:41 EDT

Civil engineers are adding bioethanol byproducts to cement to reduce concrete's carbon footprint and make it stronger.

Chemical chameleon tamed: Researchers give floppy molecule a structure through solvent effects

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:50:50 EDT

How you get the chameleon of the molecules to settle on a particular "look" has been discovered by chemists in Germany. The molecule CH5+ is normally not to be described by a single rigid structure, but is dynamically flexible. By means of computer simulations, the team showed that CH5+ takes on a particular structure once you attach hydrogen molecules.

Making fuel from bacteria

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:22:22 EDT

In the search for the fuels of tomorrow, Swedish researchers are finding inspiration in the sea. Not in offshore oil wells, but in the water where blue-green algae thrive.

Catalysts that produce 'green' fuel

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:22:22 EDT

The energy produced by solar panels, be it heat or electricity, has to be used right away. It is hard to store and preserve and also its transportation can be rather complicated. Creating solar cells capable of producing energy in an easily storable and transportable way, that is to say fuel, is therefore the future challenge of solar energy. Scientists are now working on a catalyst that imitates and improves what nature has been able to do for millions of years.

Duckweed as a cost-competitive raw material for biofuel production

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:05:05 EST

The search for a less-expensive, sustainable source of biomass, or plant material, for producing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel has led scientists to duckweed, that fast-growing floating plant that turns ponds and lakes green.

Artificial leaf: Solar-to-fuel roadmap developed for crystalline silicon

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:15:15 EST

A new analysis points the way to optimizing efficiency of an integrated system for harvesting sunlight to make storable fuel.

Unlocking fuel cell conductivity

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:44:44 EST

Work on a high-conductivity material demonstrates the role of oxygen ions in enhancing their capabilities.

Unlocking fuel cell conductivity

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:30:30 EST

Work on a high-conductivity material demonstrates the role of oxygen ions in enhancing their capabilities.

Scientists develop a whole new way of harvesting energy from the sun

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:29:29 EST

A new method of harvesting the sun's energy is emerging. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods.

Affordable fuel cells closer: Synthetic molecule first electricity-making catalyst to use iron to split hydrogen gas

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:42:42 EST

To make fuel cells more economical, engineers want a fast and efficient iron-based molecule that splits hydrogen gas to make electricity. Researchers now report such a catalyst. It is the first iron-based catalyst that converts hydrogen directly to electricity. The result moves chemists and engineers one step closer to widely affordable fuel cells.

Scientists turn toxic by-product into biofuel booster

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:38:38 EST

Scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes, long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct replacement for the hydrocarbons in gasoline, have figured out why the natural reaction typically stops after three to five cycles -- and devised a strategy to keep the reaction going. The work could renew interest in using the enzyme in bacteria, algae, or plants to produce biofuels that need no further processing.

Biofuels blend right in: Researchers show ionic liquids effective for pre-treating mixed blends of biofuel feedstocks

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:24:24 EST

Blending different feedstocks and milling the mixture into flour or pellets has significant potential for helping to make biofuels a cost-competitive transportation fuel technology.

New genre of 'intelligent' micro- and nanomotors

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:16:16 EST

Enzymes, workhorse molecules of life that underpin almost every biological process, may have a new role as "intelligent" micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields. Single molecules of common enzymes can generate enough force to cause movement in specific directions, new research shows.

Just add water: How scientists are using silicon to produce hydrogen on demand

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:32:32 EST

Super-small particles of silicon react with water to produce hydrogen almost instantaneously, without the need for light, heat or electricity, according to new research.

Photovoltaics beat biofuels at converting sun's energy to miles driven

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:59:59 EST

In 2005, President George W. Bush and American corn farmers saw corn ethanol as a promising fossil fuel substitute that would reduce both American dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, the 2005 energy bill mandated that 4 billion gallons of renewable fuel be added to the gasoline supply in 2006. That rose to 4.7 billion gallons in 2007 and 7.5 billion in 2012. Now a new study shows solar power is not only better in terms of energy efficiency, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions -- but it is cost competitive, too.

Marginal lands are prime fuel source for alternative energy

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:37:37 EST

Marginal lands -- those unsuited for food crops -- can serve as prime real estate for meeting the U.S. alternative energy production goals. Marginal lands represent a huge untapped resource to grow mixed species cellulosic biomass, plants grown specifically for fuel production, which could annually produce up to 5.5 billion gallons of ethanol in the Midwest alone.

High plutonium breeding of light water cooled reactors

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:48:48 EST

Scientists have developed the world's first conceptual nuclear reactor design of high plutonium breeding by light water cooling.

New clean nuclear fusion reactor designed

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:25:25 EST

Researchers have patented a nuclear fusion reactor by inertial confinement that, apart from be used to generate electric power in plants, can be applied to propel ships. This invention helps solve the problem of contamination risk associated with the generation of nuclear fission power.

NASA researchers studying advanced nuclear rocket technologies

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:35:35 EST

Advanced propulsion researchers at NASA are a step closer to solving the challenge of safely sending human explorers to Mars and other solar system destinations. By using an innovative test facility at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, researchers are able to use non-nuclear materials to simulate nuclear thermal rocket fuels -- ones capable of propelling bold new exploration missions to the Red Planet and beyond.

Synthetic biology research: Could fuel for cars or household power supplies be created from naturally-occurring fatty acids?

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:26:26 EST

Scientists have identified a biocatalyst which could produce chemicals found in ice-cream and household items such as soap and shampoo – possibly leading to the long-term replacement of chemicals derived from fossil fuels. This development could mean fuel for cars or household power supplies could be created from naturally-occurring fatty acids.

Nanofibers clean sulfur from fuel

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:07:07 EST

Sulfur compounds in petroleum fuels have met their nano-structured match. Researchers developed mats of metal oxide nanofibers that scrub sulfur from petroleum-based fuels much more effectively than traditional materials. Sulfur has to be removed because it emits toxic gasses and corrodes catalysts. Such efficiency could lower costs and improve performance for fuel-based catalysis, advanced energy applications and toxic gas removal.

Intelligent control for performance: Reducing drag, saving fuel

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:14:14 EST

NASA Dryden's versatile F/A-18 Full Scale Advanced Systems Testbed (FAST) aircraft recently completed a series of flights that explored reducing fuel consumption during cruise flight conditions by making small modifications to existing control laws and mechanisms in the aircraft's flight control computer.

Novel process is low-cost route to ultrathin platinum films

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:25:25 EST

A research group has developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms on a surface. Platinum is a widely used industrial catalyst as well as a key component in microelectronics, so the discovery may have widespread application in the design and manufacture of platinum-based devices.

Wind and solar power paired with storage could power grid 99.9 percent of the time

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:35:35 EST

Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today's electricity expenses, according to new research. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, scientists found.

Synthetic fuel could eliminate U.S. need for crude oil, researchers say

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:02:02 EST

The United States could eliminate the need for crude oil by using a combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops to make synthetic fuel, a team of researchers has found. Besides economic and national security benefits, the plan has potential environmental advantages. Because plants absorb carbon dioxide to grow, the United States could cut vehicle greenhouse emissions by as much as 50 percent in the next several decades using non-food crops to create liquid fuels, the researchers said.

Synchrotron gives insight into green energy enzymes

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:59:59 EST

Chemists have been using a Japanese synchrotron to get a detailed look at enzymes that could help power the green economy.

Gases from grasses: Simulations on Ranger supercomputer help researchers understand biofuel reactions

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:26:26 EST

Researchers used computer simulations and laboratory experiments to discover a reaction site on gold-titanium oxides that is responsible for high rates of catalysis relevant to biofuel and fuel cell reactions. The findings help scientists understand the principle of the catalysis and choose the right catalysts for certain reactions.

Hydrogen production: Can cobalt be used to replace platinum?

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:01:01 EST

Researchers in France have developed two new cobalt-based materials that may be used to replace platinum, a rare and expensive metal, in producing hydrogen from water (electrolysis). One of them works in aqueous solutions with neutral pH . The other is the first catalytic material ever created that is 'commutable', contains no noble metals and can be used in the two chemical reactions essential for water electrolysis: the production of hydrogen and the production of oxygen.

Electricity from the marshes

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:21:21 EST

An unexpected source of new, clean energy has been found: the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell that can generate electricity from the natural interaction between living plant roots and soil bacteria. The technique already works on a small scale and will soon be applied in larger marshland areas throughout the world.

Nanotechnology simplifies hydrogen production for clean energy

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:09:09 EST

In the first-ever experiment of its kind, researchers have demonstrated that clean energy hydrogen can be produced from water splitting by using very small metal particles that are exposed to sunlight.

Clues to cause of hydrogen embrittlement in metals: Findings could guide design of new embrittlement-resistant materials

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:23:23 EST

Hydrogen can easily dissolve and migrate within metals to make these otherwise ductile materials brittle and more prone to failures. Now, researchers have shown that the physics of hydrogen embrittlement may be rooted in how hydrogen modifies material behaviors at the nanoscale. Scientists have now presented a model that can accurately predict the occurrence of hydrogen embrittlement.

Using rust and water to store solar energy as hydrogen

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:37:37 EST

How can solar energy be stored so that it can be available any time, day or night, when the sun shining or not? Scientists are developing a technology that can transform light energy into a clean fuel that has a neutral carbon footprint: hydrogen. The basic ingredients of the recipe are water and metal oxides, such as iron oxide, better known as rust.

Nanocrystals and nickel catalyst substantially improve light-based hydrogen production

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:27:27 EST

Hydrogen is an attractive fuel source because it can easily be converted into electric energy and gives off no greenhouse emissions. Chemists are now adding to its appeal by increasing the output and lowering the cost of current light-driven hydrogen-production systems.

Nanoparticles: When less is more in predicting performance

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:08:08 EST

A computational approach that makes processor-intensive first-principle calculations more manageable is now available to predict the structure of nano-alloy catalysts.

Navy researchers look to rotating detonation engines to power the future

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:54:54 EDT

At the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, scientists are studying the complex physics of rotating detonation engines which offer the potential for high dollar savings by way of reduced fuel consumption in gas-turbine engines.