University of Kentucky receives $20m for biofuels research from Kentucky NSF grant
In Kentucky, the University of Kentucky has received a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The grant, which is to support 150 jobs over the next five years, will focus on three research areas: chemical biology for advanced materials, which can help biofuel manufacturing processes; advanced-membrane technologies, which have broad applications for energy production and water purification; and electrochemical energy storage.
Organizers insisted that the work will help, rather than supplant, Kentucky’s traditional energy source, coal. “What we’re looking at here are things that complement the coal industry,” Andrews said. They include possible carbon-capture technology for coal-fired power plants. “I’m agnostic about energy. … We are going to struggle to meet energy demands. We need to develop all of our technological options if we’re going to deliver affordable energy to people in the state.”
Category: Fuels
