In Colorado, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered a method of plastics upcycling—transforming discarded products into new, high-value materials of better quality and environmental value—that could economically incentivize the recycling of waste plastics and help solve one of the world’s most looming pollution problems. Published in Joule, […]
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking applicants for its 2019 Executive Energy Leadership Program—otherwise known as Energy Execs. Energy Execs provides non-technical business, governmental, and community leaders throughout the country an opportunity to learn about advanced energy, energy-efficiency technologies, analytical tools, and financing to guide their organizations and communities […]
In Colorado, Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have identified an approach to improve the efficiency and reduce costs of biofuel production that moves beyond conventional strategies. A culmination of years of catalyst development research, “Driving towards cost-competitive biofuels through catalytic fast pyrolysis […]
In Colorado, taking a page from history, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers successfully produced 50 grams of bio-derived acrylonitrile (CAN). That capped the first phase of a DOE-funded program. The second phase, now underway, calls for the production of 50 kilograms of ACN that will be converted into carbon fiber and tested. The nitrilation process, […]
In Washington, D.C., an international research team, including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), discovered and characterized a new family of cytochrome P450 enzymes that is critical to improving the conversion of lignin into valuable products such as nylon, plastics, and chemicals. The study outlines how the international team […]
In Washington state, a team of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory performed a detailed analysis of cattle waste, wastewater, sludgy grease ensconced in restaurant and cafeteria grease traps and food wastes’ potential for biofuel production on a site-specific basis across the conterminous United States. The results of the team’s […]
In Colorado, if there’s an easier, more efficient method, science will find a way. That’s certainly the case in producing cellulosic biofuels, which, at least for now, requires a two-step process to free the sugars trapped in plant matter and convert them into something else. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy […]
In Colorado, Robert McCormick, who earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming and joined NREL nearly 17 years ago, has been elevated to senior research fellow. Along with other current research fellows, these individuals will advise NREL executive management on the strategic direction of science and technology research and ensure NREL’s […]
In Colorado, it was more than 10 years in the making, but when it came to uncovering the secrets of the molecular structure of enzymes, perseverance paid off. By studying and comparing the workhorse cellulose-degrading enzymes of two fungi, researchers from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have pinpointed regions on these enzymes […]
In Canada, Enerkem Inc. announced it had succeeded in producing a new high-performance biofuel that could improve the octane rating of fuels sold on the market and reduce their carbon footprint. The chemical engineering expertise at Enerkem’s Innovation Centre in Westbury, Quebec, allowed the company to successfully develop a process that uses its proprietary waste-to-biofuel technology […]
