In Colorado, through a novel chemistry using nontoxic resources like linseed oil, waste grease, or even algae, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a groundbreaking method for producing renewable polyurethane without toxic precursors. It is a breakthrough with the potential to green the market for products ranging from footwear, to automobiles, to mattresses, […]
In Colorado, through a research partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), ExxonMobil that once urged motorists to “Put a tiger in your tank,” may one day suggest they fuel up with some algae. A year into their unique collaboration, NREL and ExxonMobil are navigating a multi-pronged effort toward a future where clean-burning biofuels […]
In Colorado, a new single-phase catalyst that enables the conversion of renewable and waste carbon into sustainable diesel fuels has been developed through a unique collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) consortia, Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy (ChemCatBio) and the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. […]
In Colorado, an analysis from NREL researchers suggests hydrogen has the greatest potential among technologies for seasonal energy storage in the future. They developed a multi-model approach that considers both the estimated cost and value of storage technologies in determining cost-competitiveness. They analyzed 80 scenarios involving hydrogen, pumped hydro, and compressed air in making their […]
In Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers experimented with a common method in the pulp and paper industry used for bleaching to see how well this method could deconstruct biomass. The method known as “ozonolysis” was applied to corn stover in the lab. Results showed that using ozonolysis helped to breakdown the biomass with a […]
In Colorado, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a new machine-learning tool that has significantly speeded up calculating the thermodynamics of chemical reactions and is able to provide predictions that are used in development of detailed reaction mechanisms for combustion of biofuels. Developed as part of the Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels […]
In California, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers suggest a shift in long-haul trucking toward hydrogen would necessitate a coast-to-coast network of fueling stations and answers to certain questions like bottlenecks, challenges, fueling methods and protocols and other questions they are now looking at to expand hydrogen’s usage as a fuel. With few exceptions, most of […]
In Colorado, collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and three other national laboratories has yielded new insight into the ability of bacteria to break down the hardy part of a plant known as lignin. The additional understanding of the process could open a path to industrial applications. The newly published research builds upon […]
In Colorado, for the past four years, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have collaborated with other top U.S. scientists, engineers, and analysts on the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. A new report summarizes findings from this first phase of the initiative, which has focused primarily on turbocharged (or “boosted”) spark-ignition […]
In Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory added three senior-level execs to the team this week, completing its leadership team. Julie Baker is now deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer for the lab. She succeeds Bobi Garrett, who retired at the end of 2019. Already employed at NREL as associate laboratory director for Facilities […]
