Miscanthus-based ethanol boasts higher profits
Urbana IL (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
A recent study simulated a side-by-side comparison of the yields and costs of producing ethanol using miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover. The fast-growing energy grass miscanthus was the clear winner. Models predict that miscanthus will have higher yield and profit, particularly when grown in poor-quality soil. It also outperformed corn stover and switchgrass in its ability to reduce green ...
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Experiment and theory unite at last in debate over microbial nanowires
Amherst MA (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
Scientific debate has been hot lately about whether microbial nanowires, the specialized electrical pili of the mud-dwelling anaerobic bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, truly possess metallic-like conductivity as its discoverers claim. But now University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist Derek Lovley, with postdoctoral researcher Nikhil Malvankar and colleagues, say they have settled the ...
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Solar cells get growth boost
Okinawa, Japan (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University's (OIST) Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit have found that growing a type of film used to manufacture solar cells in ambient air gives it a growth boost. The finding, which could make manufacturing solar cells significantly cheaper, was published in Chemistry of Materials.
The type of material is ca ...
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New paint makes tough self-cleaning surfaces
London UK (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
A new paint that makes robust self-cleaning surfaces has been developed by a team led by UCL researchers. The coating can be applied to clothes, paper, glass and steel and when combined with adhesives, maintains its self-cleaning properties after being wiped, scratched with a knife and scuffed with sandpaper.
Self-cleaning surfaces work by being extremely repellent to water but often stop ...
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Big box stores could ditch the grid, use natural gas fuel cells instead
Richland WA (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
Large facilities like big box stores or hospitals could keep the lights on by using a fuel cell that runs off the natural gas that already flows in pipelines below most city streets.
Instead of drawing electricity from the power grid, facilities could use natural gas-powered solid oxide fuel cells to lower their electric costs, increase power reliability, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a ...
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Kids and robots learn to write together
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
A little girl lines up plastic letters fitted with QR codes in front of a little humanoid robot. The robot struggles to reproduce them on a tablet - especially the loop of the letter p. The girl kindly steps in to help, writing out the word to show the robot how to do it. She puts in effort to teach the robot... without realizing that in reality she is the one who is improving her writing skills ...
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Fukushima Nuclear Exiles in No Hurry to Return Home
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 06, 2015 -
Approximately 120,000 residents of Fukushima Prefecture still remain evacuees because of radiation exposure fears.
Despite the central government lifting evacuation orders on some areas last year, evacuees are in no hurry to return home. A rising number of them are prepared to start a new life elsewhere.
According to the Cabinet Office, 79,000 evacuees received orders to move away fr ...
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New research could lead to more energy storage
Livermore, CA (SPX) Mar 06, 2015 -
Lawrence Livermore researchers have identified electrical charge-induced changes in the structure and bonding of graphitic carbon electrodes that may one day affect the way energy is stored.
The research could lead to an improvement in the capacity and efficiency of electrical energy storage systems, such as batteries and supercapacitors, needed to meet the burgeoning demands of consumer ...
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