A study by researchers at Oklahoma State University concluded that of four perennial grasses that could be grown as dedicated biofuel feedstock crops—bermudagrass, flaccidgrass, switchgrass, and weeping lovegrass—switchgrass is the most efficient in terms of dry biomass per dollar cost.
An earlier US Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of [...]
SiGNa Chemistry, Inc., a developer of stabilized reactive metals for safer, more efficient industrial chemistry, announced the successful design, assembly, and initial testing of its H300 [...]
The US Department of Energy has selected Clemson University to receive up to $45 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines.
Wind turbine sizes have increased with each new generation of [...]
GM Europe is launching the Chevrolet Spark (earlier post), providing more detail on the all-new mini car prior to its going on sale in Europe in the first quarter of 2010. The mini-car (A car) segment is the fastest [...]
UOP LLC used its renewable jet fuel process technology (earlier post) to convert oil from camelina, an inedible plant, to renewable jet fuel for a biofuel demonstration flight by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. (Earlier post.)
The flight, which took place today at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, is the [...]
Regulations on the development of “new energy” vehicles have been submitted to China’s State Council for approval and are expected to be officially in effect in March 2010, according to a report in Gasgoo citing the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Industry and [...]
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. [...]
South Korean scientists from KAIST University and LG Chem have engineered a strain of E. coli to produce polylactic acid (PLA) and its copolymers through direct fermentation. Until now PLA has been produced in a two-step fermentation and chemical process of polymerization, which is both complex and expensive.
The [...]
The completion of a high-quality sequence of the maize (corn) genome was announced in the cover story of the 20 November issue of Science. This new maize sequence provides significant refinements over the draft sequence that was announced in February 2008, including the elimination of redundancy and improvements in [...]
Based on preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies, total vehicle miles traveled on all roads and streets in the US increased by 2.5% (5.8 billion vehicle miles) for September 2009 as compared with September 2008, according to the latest Traffic Volume Trends report from the US Federal Highway Administration. [...]
University of California San Diego researchers have developed a method to enhance the [...]
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has published a report evaluating the potential electromagnetic interference on certain portable devices such as cell phones, global positioning systems (GPS) and ankle monitoring bracelets due to automotive reflective glazing as required under the “Cool Car” regulation . (Earlier post.)
The results indicate [...]
Air pollution may pose an important but largely overlooked health concern for people living near smaller regional airports, according to a new study published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
In the new study, Suzanne Paulson and colleagues note that scientists have known for years [...]
With the Canadian energy industry seeking diversification from the US and potential greenhouse gsa regulations, the Globe and Mail reports that commercial backing is growing for Enbridge Inc.’s stalled Northern Gateway pipelines project.
The Northern Gateway Project. Click to enlarge.The Northern Gateway is a [...]
Engineers at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) have developed a solid-state, rechargeable lithium-air battery. When fully developed, the battery could exceed specific energies of 1,000 Wh/kg in practical applications, the researchers wrote [...]
India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will implement rainwater harvesting in all the existing ONGC residential complexes across India. ONGC has made it mandatory to implement the system in all future projects also.
The objective of the scheme is to replenish the ground water table which is slowly [...]
At the recent Annual Winter Conference of the American Nuclear Society in Washington, and simultaneously at the “Powering Toward 2020” conference in London, England, Hyperion Power Generation Inc. revealed the design for the first version of its Hyperion Power Module (HPM), a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) that it [...]
For the fifth consecutive year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reporting an increase in new vehicle fuel efficiency with a corresponding decrease in average carbon dioxide emissions for new [...]
Researchers from Delft University of Technology have engineered the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to increase ethanol yield from biomass waste by eliminating production of glycerol (glycerol production is essential to reoxidize NADH produced in biosynthetic processes), reoxidizing NADH instead by the reduction of acetic acid to ethanol. A paper on [...]
Valero Energy Corporation intends to permanently shut down its Delaware City, Delaware refinery due to financial losses caused by very poor economic conditions, significant capital spending requirements and high operating costs.
Valero Delaware City Refinery. Click to enlarge.The Valero Delaware City Refinery, acquired [...]
Particles released by car brake pads have been shown to harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a [...]
A new study released today by the Northeast States Center for a Clean Air Future (NESCCAF) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that fuel consumption of Class 8 trucks and the resultant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced up to 50% with the adoption of [...]
Total has signed a research agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop new stationary batteries that are designed to enable the storage of solar power. This agreement valued at $4 million over five years is part of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), which Total joined as [...]
Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the Santa Clara, CA, municipal electric utility, has selected the light-weight 3M Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (3M ACCR) to boost transmission capacity on an existing line without having to enlarge the towers or the right of way. This is SVP’s second installation of ACCR. [...]
Denmark’s Prince Joachim inaugurated the Inbicon biomass biorefinery in Kalundborg, Denmark, where ethanol will be produced from straw. In addition to bioethanol, the plant will also produce lignin biopellets and C5 molasses. The biopellets can be used as fuel at CPH plants, and the C5 molasses can be used [...]
Volvo Trucks North America’s D11 and D13 engines have been certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board as meeting upcoming 2010 diesel emissions standards, the most stringent in the world.
Volvo is the first truck manufacturer to have its heavy-duty diesel engines certified [...]
The international automotive supplier Continental AG has opened its new Asia Headquarters and R&D Center in Shanghai’s Yangpu district, China. The Center aims to provide increased localization and advanced technical support to customers in the Chinese market.
Continental Automotive Tech Center Jiading, the other technical center in Shanghai, focuses on [...]
The California Air Resources Board unveiled its revamped website, Driveclean.ca.gov, which helps consumers choose the least polluting cars on the market. The new website, using information collected for vehicle certification in California, offers a practical system that ranks vehicles according to their emission characteristics and provides tools to compare [...]
ZeaChem Inc. has begun construction of its semi-works scale facility. The facility will have capacity to produce 250,000 gallons of biofuel per year. ZeaChem’s process combines the outputs of two traditional ethanol production pathways (fermentation of sugars and gasification of biomass) into a third catalytically-driven step—hydrogenation—to produce ethanol. ([...]
by Jack Rosebro
A view of Russian gas flaring based on satellite observations. Source: US NOAA and the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership. (Video) Click to enlarge.The Russian government has ordered oil companies to take steps to capture up to 95% of the natural [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE), through its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has completed 1 million miles of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) testing.
The AVTA’s testing of PHEVs demonstrates [...]
The diesel-powered E350 BlueTEC and hydrogen fuel-cell-powered F-Cell will be making their North American debuts at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz will also introduce its first hybrid SUV, the two-mode ML450 HYBRID, to the West Coast.
The E350 BlueTEC (earlier post) is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 [...]
Embraer, General Electric, and Amyris Biotechnologies, a synthetic biology company focused on developing renewable hydrocarbon biofuels (earlier post) signed [...]
The Opel Corsa is receiving a complete re-make for 2010, with major engineering changes, re-vamped powertrain line-up, chassis improvements and steering recalibration to give the Corsa better performance and greater fuel economy as well as comfort, handling and driving dynamics. The Corsa, which accounts for some 30% of Opel/Vauxhall [...]
Iran Khodro Powertrain Co. (IPCO) unveiled its first national diesel engine for passenger cars.
The unveiling ceremony was concurrent with the first day of the “Sixth International Conference on Internal Combustion Engines” in Tehran, organized by IPCO.
The 60 kW (80 hp) diesel has an average fuel consumption of 5 L/100km [...]
The UK Government is soliciting bids for £30 million (US$50 million) in funding to support the installation of plug-in vehicle charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities. This initiative—called Plugged-In Places—will support the development of between three and six electric car cities and [...]
US crude oil production for October averaged 5.36 million barrels per day, continuing at levels not seen since 2005, according to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Monthly Statistical Report.
Crude production from the Lower 48 states averaged 4.67 million barrels per day, up from both last year and prior months. [...]
After a year and a half of initial field testing, Volvo Trucks is releasing an upgraded hybrid refuse truck (earlier post) with new components and software. The new refuse truck will be tested [...]
The BMW ActiveHybrid X6 (earlier post) will arrive in US showrooms right on the heels of its North American debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. The Sports Active Coupe featuring two-model hybrid technology will be available beginning 5 December 2009 with a base MSRP of $89,725, [...]
Over the first year of operations of its pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in South Dakota (earlier post), POET has reduced its per gallon production cost from $4.13 to $2.35, exceeding its expectations. Cost reduction came via reductions in energy usage, enzyme costs, raw material requirements and capital expenses. [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $104.7 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for eight new projects to establish critical research and testing facilities at seven DOE National Laboratories. The projects will support the development and improvement of clean energy and efficiency technologies [...]
Taxiing to and from the airport terminal gate and runway is a major source of CO2 emissions. Aircraft are currently required to use their main propulsion jet engines in a [...]
CleanFUEL USA, a leading supplier of alternative fuel infrastructure and propane engine systems has introduced its latest Liquid Propane Injection (LPI) system for the General Motors (GM) 6.0-liter engine. The new engine system will be available the first quarter of 2010 and the company is now taking orders to [...]
Researchers from MIT, with colleagues from IISc in Bangalore, India and HiPi Consulting in Maryland [...]
The Linde Group and the US company Algenol Biofuels LLC have agreed to collaborate in a joint development project to identify the optimum management of carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) for Algenol’s algae and photobioreactor technology. (Earlier post.)
This cooperation will see the companies join forces to [...]
Both the Chevy Volt extended [...]
Cumulative sales of hybrid vehicles in the fleet sector will total nearly 4 million worldwide between 2009 and 2015, according to a recent report from Pike Research. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that hybrid fleet sales will increase from 300,000 in 2009 to more than 830,000 in 2015, [...]
In Beijing, US President Barack Obama and China President Hu Jintao announced a package of seven measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy, including: a Clean Energy Research Center; Electric Vehicles Initiative; Energy Efficiency Action Plan; Renewable Energy Partnership; 21st Century Coal; Shale [...]
In a joint partnership with the City of Austin, Daimler launched its car2go pilot project in North America. (Earlier post.) Austin becomes the official headquarters of car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler. The first pilot phase starts with 200 smart fortwo vehicles and a defined [...]
For the first time in nearly 40 years, EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation’s sulfur dioxide (SO2) primary air quality standard to protect public health. Power plants and other industrial facilities emit [...]
Despite the economic effects of the global financial crisis (GFC), carbon dioxide emissions from human activities rose 2% in 2008 to an all-time high of 1.3 tonnes of carbon per capita per year, according to a new paper published by an international team of 31 scientists in Nature Geoscience.
The [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is providing $8 million to Argonne National Laboratory for detailed design work for a new, world-class energy research facility. This is the first step in beginning work on what is expected to be a $95 million construction project.
The Energy Sciences Building (ESB) [...]
As one of a series of GE agreements signed in China this week (earlier post), GE and Shenhua Group Corporation have agreed to a framework for an industrial coal gasification joint venture which would combine GE’s expertise in gasification and cleaner power generation technologies with Shenhua’s expertise in [...]
GE and China’s Ministry of Railways signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly advance high-speed rail (HSR) opportunities in the United States. This collaboration will allow GE Transportation to be the first US locomotive manufacturer to more effectively compete for high-speed rail projects against global competitors.
While [...]
The Federal German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety (BMU) will award Mercedes-Benz Vans a grant of up to €9 million (US$13.4 million) for the research and development, testing and trial of battery-electric vans. The funds are being made available from the German government’s Economic [...]
Hyundai Motor Company unveiled the 2.4 Theta II GDI, its first Gasoline Direct Injection engine before an audience of engineers attending the Ninth Annual Hyundai-Kia International Powertrain Conference in Korea. With a compression ratio of 11.3:1, the [...]
Transportation technology provider and consultant Ricardo has been awarded a major contract by Moscow-based KATE LLC to partner with it in the development of a new 7-speed automatic transmission for use in AvtoVAZ cars.
KATE LLC, an independent company established in 2004 with a background in the development of [...]
A University of Utah engineer has developed an inexpensive new method to remove oil sheen by repeatedly pressurizing and depressurizing ozone gas, creating microscopic bubbles that attack the oil so it can be removed by sand filters.
We are not trying to treat the entire hydrocarbon [oil] content in the [...]
US Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced “The Clean Energy Act of 2009”, a bill to promote further investment and development of non-fossil-based energy technologies, including nuclear power and other resources.
“The Clean Energy Act of 2009” spends $20 billion over the next 10 to 20 [...]
Pratt & Whitney and Saudi Arabian Airlines signed an agreement expanding Pratt & Whitney’s EcoPower engine wash service network to The Middle East / North Africa. The agreement provides for Saudi Arabian Airlines to wash its own engines and provide engine wash services to other commercial airlines that fly [...]
Delphi Corporation’s ultra light radio design with insert-molded electro magnetic compatibility (EMC) shielding, available on Chevrolet and GMC full size pick-ups and sport utility vehicles, won top recognition at the 39th Annual Society of Plastics Engineers International [...]
Praxair, Inc. has received a major order from the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) for the long-term supply of hydrogen and nitrogen gases to its new 300,000 barrels per day greenfield oil refinery which is being built at Paradip, Orissa on the eastern coast of India.
Praxair will build a [...]
GE Capital signed an agreement with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK-based subsidiary of Indian group Tata Motors, to provide a working capital facility of up to £170 million (US$286 million), available for a five-year term.
The facility represents an innovative structure to finance JLR finished vehicle stocks between the [...]
Umicore will build an industrial scale recycling facility for end-of-life rechargeable batteries in Hoboken, Belgium. The investment will enable Umicore to deal with the expected growth in the availability of end-of-life Lithium-ion, Lithium-Polymer and Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries.
Increasingly stringent legislation is also placing a heavy premium on [...]
Westport Innovations Inc. has entered a Tier 1 Development Supplier Agreement with Volvo for its heavy duty natural gas engines and associated supply chain. Westport will supply its Westport HD technology and work together with the Gothenburg, Sweden engine manufacturer to qualify appropriate suppliers consistent with Volvo volume and [...]
The new Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid made its first appearance in its future operating location of Hamburg. Starting next year, 10 of the 30 new fuel cell buses that Daimler Buses is producing for European transport operators [...]
In an interview with the Financial Times, Shoshi Kawatsu, general manager of Toshiba’s Super Charge Battery (SCiB) division, said that the company expects to sign up about five car companies as customers for its new SCiB lithium-ion battery (earlier post).
Kawatsu also said that Toshiba was preparing for the [...]
Researchers at UCLA led by Dr. James Liao have genetically engineered the common photosynthetic cyanobacterium—Synechococcus elongatus—efficiently to produce isobutyraldehyde and isobutanol directly from CO2. Isobutyraldehyde is a precursor for the synthesis of other chemicals, and isobutanol can be used as a gasoline substitute.
A paper on their work was published online [...]
Linc Energy Limited has extended its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BP Australia Pty Ltd. This MOU allows for BP Australia to be the first customer to purchase a minimum of 14,000 barrels per day of diesel to be produced via Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) and subsequent Gas to [...]
Satellite observations and a state-of-the art regional atmospheric model have independently confirmed that the Greenland ice sheet is loosing mass at an accelerating rate, reports a new study in Science. Collaborating on the paper were scientists from Utrecht University, the Netherlands Royal Meteorological Institute, Delft University of Technology, Bristol [...]
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% of US voters blame human activity for global warming—a one percentage point decrease from the October poll—while 47% blame global warming on planetary trends—an increase of one percentage point. Just 5% point to some other reason.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles from Toyota (the FCHV-adv), Nissan (X-Trail FCV) and Honda (FCX Clarity) completed a 1,137 km (706.5 miles) demonstration run from Tokyo to Fukuoka to demonstrate that they can go as far as gasoline-powered cars on a single fueling.
The total amount of hydrogen used in the process [...]
DuPont and BSES Limited, the principal provider of research, development and extension to the Australian sugar industry, have formed a research, development and commercialization alliance to improve productivity and use of sugarcane varieties.
The agreement brings together DuPont’s extensive plant biotechnology expertise with BSES’ knowledge of sugarcane breeding, production [...]
The Dutch Cabinet on Friday approved a new road tax bill that would eliminate the current motor vehicle tax and purchase tax and replace them with a charge per kilometer driven, starting in 2012 and increasing through 2018. The measure needs to be approved by the Dutch Parliament before [...]
US Navy researchers have synthesized high-density fuel candidates in up to 90% yield from ß-pinene, a renewable compound derived from wood and plant sources. Pinenes (C10H16) are important constituents of pine resin; they are also found in the resins of other conifers, and more widely in other plants. A paper [...]
Hyundai-Kia developed its first, independent Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for application in the Hyundai Elantra LPI Hybrid (earlier post) and the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid ([...]
Diversified Energy Corporation has successfully completed several key milestones in an advanced gasification development program being sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The 24-month, $945,000 grant is focused on the design and demonstration of a one ton per day OmniGas gasifier to process [...]
Daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental United States, new research shows. Results of the research, by authors at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., Climate Central, The Weather Channel, and the National Oceanic [...]
Nissan and Reliant Energy of Houston, Texas, one of the major competitive electricity providers in the nation, are collaborating to advance electric mobility in the United States. Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. one of the largest electricity generators in the United States.
Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn [...]
Mercedes-Benz will launch the ML450 HYBRID (earlier post) in the US on 16 November. Mercedes-Benz will offer the two-mode ML450 HYBRID as part of a special lease only option (no purchase) for a monthly lease price of $659 per month for 36 months and $549 per month for [...]
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. has developed two new lithium-ion battery systems and will begin mass production of the new products in March 2010. Initial monthly production for each system [...]
Following receipt of a $95 million grant from the US Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and successful negotiations between Saft, the state of Florida, and the city of Jacksonville, construction will soon begin in Jacksonville for a lithium-ion battery factory.
The total estimated cost of [...]
Peugeot teamed up with Ultra Motor on the development of its first electrically-assisted bicycle, now available through its European dealership network.
Peugeot e-Bike. Click to enlarge.Ultra Motor is the provider of the A2B Metro electric bike.
The Peugeot hybrid bicycle is fitted with a Li-ion [...]
SKF and Ricardo have signed an agreement to develop energy efficient solutions to better serve the increasing customer demand from the automotive industry for increased fuel economy and reduced CO2.
SKF is a global supplier in the areas of bearings, seals, mechatronics, services and lubrication systems. Through the cooperation [...]
Renault will produce the electric version of Fluence (earlier post) at the OYAK-Renault Bursa plant in Turkey. Production will start in the first half of 2011.
Renault has now revealed the four production sites for its future EV range. (Earlier post.) The city car previewed by Zoé Z.E. [...]
GM is revealing the 2011 Buick Regal sport sedan to customers in the Los Angeles area today. The new Regal, drawing on work on the award-winning Opel Insignia, will offer two gasoline direct-injection engines and is directly targeted at competitors such as the Acura TSX and Volvo S60.
EADS Deutschland GmbH is coordinating the recently-launched EU GreenAir project—an investigation of the production of hydrogen for aviation applications via efficient and low-emissions new technologies.
The three-year, €7.8 million (US$11.6 million) project launched in September.
Fuel cells for power generation and additional purposes aboard aircraft have a potential to contribute to [...]
The US Department of Energy has selected Exelus, Inc. for an award of up to $1,200,000 to further its development of Biomass-to-Gasoline (BTG) technology—a novel thermochemical process that converts biomass into a clean, high-octane [...]
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Miyazaki Prefecture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to initiate a joint-study to implement all the necessary conditions for the mass introduction of electric vehicles, primarily focused on the following areas:
Educational program Promote EVs in the Business Sector Promote mass adoption of EVs Impact Assessment StudyMass adoption [...]
The US Departments of Agriculture and Energy selected projects for more than $24 million in grants to research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Of the $24.4 million announced today, DOE plans to invest up to $4.9 million with USDA contributing up to $19.5 [...]
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and China’s Peking University agreed on 12 November to jointly pursue the development of safe and effective carbon capture and storage techniques.
The collaboration was cemented at the US-China Workshop on Carbon Capture & Storage, a two-day event sponsored by the Philomathia Foundation through a grant [...]
The Dow Chemical Company announced the transfer to Dow of collective assets from HPL (High Power Lithium). HPL was spun out from Professor Graetzel’s laboratory at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland) in 2003 and is focused on the development of nano-structured metal oxide energy storage [...]
