Latest Department of Energy Stories
A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) have pinpointed the exact, single gene that controls ethanol production capacity in a microorganism. This discovery could be the missing link in developing biomass crops that produce higher concentrations of ethanol at lower costs."The Department of Energy relies on the scientific discoveries of its labs and research centers to improve the production of clean energy sources," said Energy Secretary...
A novel microscopy method at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is helping scientists probe the reactions that limit widespread deployment of fuel cell technologies.ORNL researchers applied a technique called electrochemical strain microscopy that enables them to examine the dynamics of oxygen reduction/evolution reactions in fuel cell materials, which may reveal ways to redesign or cut the costs of the energy devices. The team's findings were published in Nature...
Material designed for energy applications is 10 times faster than natural enzyme, uses inexpensive metalsLooking to nature for their muse, researchers have used a common protein to guide the design of a material that can make energy-storing hydrogen gas. The synthetic material works 10 times faster than the original protein found in water-dwelling microbes, the researchers report in the August 12 issue of the journal Science, clocking in at 100,000 molecules of hydrogen gas every second.This...
Agriculture's mobile nature makes predicting regional greenhouse gas impacts more complexToday, farming often involves transporting crops long distances so consumers from Maine to California can enjoy Midwest corn, Northwest cherries and other produce when they are out of season locally. But it isn't just the fossil fuel needed to move food that contributes to agriculture's carbon footprint.New research published in the journal Biogeosciences provides a detailed account of how carbon...
Researchers potentially find a renewable path to fuel additives, rubber and solventsResearchers in the Pacific Northwest have developed a new catalyst material that could replace chemicals currently derived from petroleum and be the basis for more environmentally friendly products including octane-boosting gas and fuel additives, bio-based rubber for tires and a safer solvent for the chemicals industry.To make sustainable biofuels, producers want to ferment ethanol from nonfood plant matter...
As part of their continuing commitment to new technology, Lawrence Berkeley Labs has deployed an RFID asset tracking solution from AssetPulse to track and manage lab equipment. The active RFID solution from AssetPulse helps the lab perform a search and inventory 8 times faster than before. Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) July 19, 2011 For eighty years Lawrence Berkeley National Labs has been the hub of numerous scientific breakthroughs. The research at Berkeley Labs has saved lives, reduced energy...
A new approach to growing graphene greatly reduces problems that have plagued researchers in the past and clears a path to the crystalline form of graphite's use in sophisticated electronic devices of tomorrow.Findings of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrate that hydrogen rather than carbon dictates the graphene grain shape and size, according to a team led by ORNL's Ivan Vlassiouk, a Eugene Wigner Fellow, and Sergei Smirnov, a professor of...
RESTON, Va., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Analytic Information Technology Services, LLC (GAITS), a premier provider of information technology, energy technology, and cybersecurity solutions to the Department of Energy and other federal government customers, has received a minority investment from FedCap Partners, LLC. "GAITS has a very attractive position in the expanding federal energy market with contracts at multiple DOE National Laboratories," stated Leslee Belluchie, Managing...
Glass, by definition, is amorphous; its atoms lack order and are arranged every which way. But when scientists squeezed tiny samples of a metallic glass under high pressure, they got a surprise: The atoms lined up in a regular pattern to form a single crystal.It's the first time researchers have glimpsed this hidden property in a glass. The discovery, reported June 17th in Science, offers a new window into the atomic structure and behavior of metallic glasses, which have been used for decades...
Alta Rock, Geodynamics and the Bureau of Land Management will be meeting fellow EGS leaders at the 2nd Annual Enhanced Geothermal Systems Conference in San Jose to discuss ways of pushing EGS projects forward in the light of the latest funding announcement. (PRWEB) June 13, 2011 This week the US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the availability of up to $70 million in new funding over the next three years for technology advancements in geothermal energy to accelerate...
