Category: Research

NREL researchers create computer model of polymers in Populus wood

NREL researchers create computer model of polymers in Populus wood

February 28, 2024 |

In Colorado, a multidisciplinary approach has enabled a research team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to quantitatively define the relative positioning and arrangement of the polymers in Populus wood, and to create a computer model that details the findings. The research solving this macromolecular puzzle, Atomistic, Macromolecular Model of the Populus Secondary Cell Wall […]

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Horizon Europe project to establish four circulatirty industrial hubs

Horizon Europe project to establish four circulatirty industrial hubs

February 27, 2024 |

In Germany, a consortium of 35 organizations from various countries in Europe is working on this in the Horizon Europe Innovation Action project entitled “Sustainable Circular Economy Transition: from Industrial Symbiosis to Hubs for Circularity (IS2H4C)” under the leadership of the University of Twente (NL). The four-year project aims to establish four industrial hubs: in […]

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McMaster University and DTU researchers improve tech for CO2 capture for fuel and plastics

McMaster University and DTU researchers improve tech for CO2 capture for fuel and plastics

February 26, 2024 |

In Canada, the drive to capture airborne carbon dioxide from industrial waste and make it into fuel and plastics is gaining momentum after a team of researchers at McMaster University and computational chemistry experts at Copenhagen’s Danish Technical University uncovered precisely how the process works and where it bogs down. The researchers set out to […]

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ATU and Trinity team up to boost hydrogen production in Ireland

ATU and Trinity team up to boost hydrogen production in Ireland

February 24, 2024 |

In Ireland, Silicon Republic reported that a new research project aims to support Ireland’s transition to a circular economy by reducing waste and boosting hydrogen production. The report highlighted that the the Nano2H2 project is a collaboration between Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and Trinity College Dublin, which aims to develop low-cost materials for the production […]

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University of Cincinnati engineers create more efficient way to convert CO2 into ethylene

University of Cincinnati engineers create more efficient way to convert CO2 into ethylene

February 22, 2024 |

In Ohio, engineers at the University of Cincinnati created a more efficient way of converting carbon dioxide into valuable products while simultaneously addressing climate change. The team found that a modified copper catalyst improves the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide into ethylene, the key ingredient in plastic and a myriad of other uses. Ethylene has […]

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DOE labs discover promising pathway to formic acid from CO2

DOE labs discover promising pathway to formic acid from CO2

February 21, 2024 |

In Colorado, identifying routes to efficiently convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to an intermediate chemical which can be further upgraded to fuels or commercially valuable chemicals has been challenging. New research from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories discovered a promising pathway to produce formic acid from CO2 with high energy efficiency and durability using […]

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ETH Zurich removing CO2 from the atmosphere with new method

ETH Zurich removing CO2 from the atmosphere with new method

February 20, 2024 |

In Switzerland, researchers at ETH Zurich are developing a new method to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. It involves molecules that become acidic when exposed to light. Their new process requires much less energy than conventional technologies. Scientists are exploiting the fact that in acidic aqueous liquids, CO2 is present as CO2, but in alkaline […]

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Cargill awards Forever Green Initiative $2.5M to study winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress

Cargill awards Forever Green Initiative $2.5M to study winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress

February 19, 2024 |

In Minnesota, Cargill has awarded $2.5 million to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota to support research into two novel oilseed crops—winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress—that can produce seed-based oil for low-carbon transportation fuels while also protecting soil, improving water quality, and providing new revenue streams for farmers. Fuel made from […]

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Wisconsin researchers investigate role of biofuels in renewable energy future

Wisconsin researchers investigate role of biofuels in renewable energy future

February 18, 2024 |

In Wisconsin, The Badger Herald reported that the Wisconsin Energy Institute is researching methods to convert biological matter into fuel and plastics, with intentions to replace fossil fuels.  Biofuels are created using biological material to convert their sugars into a fuel compound — many having diverse renewable energy applications, associate director of the Wisconsin Energy […]

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers boost ethanol production via yeast fermentation

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers boost ethanol production via yeast fermentation

February 15, 2024 |

In Illinois, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a way to boost ethanol production via yeast fermentation, a standard method for converting plant sugars into biofuels. Their approach, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, relies on careful timing and a tight division of labor among synthetic yeast strains to yield more […]

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