Researchers to engineer synthetic anaerobic bacteria to capture, convert methane

“We want to stop releasing methane and start harnessing it and do so in lieu of burning it”

06-Oct-2022 - Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging to the environment per molecule than carbon dioxide, according to theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Bacteria at the bottom of the sea can remove methane from their surroundings, entirely without oxygen, through a process ...

Mat baits, hooks and destroys pollutants in water

23-Mar-2018 - A polymer mat developed at Rice University has the ability to fish biologically harmful contaminants from water through a strategy known as "bait, hook and destroy." Tests with wastewater showed the mat can efficiently remove targeted pollutants, in this case a pair of biologically harmful ...

Breakthrough process for directly converting methane to methanol

04-Dec-2017 - The direct oxidation of methane--found in natural gas--into methanol at low temperatures has long been a holy grail. Now, researchers at Tufts have found a breakthrough way to accomplish the feat using a heterogeneous catalyst and cheap molecular oxygen, according to a paper published by a team ...

Extracting energy from bacteria

31-Oct-2013 - Most of us wouldn't consider bacteria a promising energy source of the future. That would be shortsighted, says Leonard Tender, a microbial-electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., who believes that the focus of his research – electrode reactions catalyzed by ...

Rust can power up artificial photosynthesis

Boston College chemists produce power boost critical to novel energy harvesting applications

15-Oct-2013 - Chemists at Boston College have achieved a series of breakthroughs in their efforts to develop an economical means of harnessing artificial photosynthesis by narrowing the voltage gap between the two crucial processes of oxidation and reduction, according to their latest research, published in ...

Morphing manganese

Researchers report discovery about manganese in aquatic environments

27-Aug-2013 - An often-overlooked form of manganese, an element critical to many life processes, is far more prevalent in ocean environments than previously known, according to a study led by University of Delaware researchers that was published in "Science." The discovery alters understanding of the chemistry ...

Driving magnesium micromotors with seawater

22-May-2013 - Scientists in the California have developed magnesium-based Janus micromotors that self-propel in seawater. Research shows how the micromotors can be used to capture and transport oil droplets from contaminated seawater, presenting a possible environmental application for the removal of oil ...

New highly stable fuel-cell catalyst gets strength from its nano core

Palladium core protects precious platinum

23-Nov-2010 - Stop-and-go driving can wear on your nerves, but it really does a number on the precious platinum that drives reactions in automotive fuel cells. Before large fleets of fuel-cell-powered vehicles can hit the road, scientists will have to find a way to protect the platinum, the most expensive ...

Microbes may consume far more oil-spill waste than earlier thought

Study near Gulf of Mexico spill site finds surprisingly high methane uptake by microbes

22-Oct-2010 - Microbes living at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico may consume far more of the gaseous waste from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill than previously thought, according to research carried out within 100 miles of the spill site. A paper on that research, conducted before the Deepwater Horizon rig ...

Fuel cells in operation: A closer look

11-Oct-2010 - Measuring a fuel cell's overall performance is relatively easy, but measuring its components individually as they work together is a challenge. That's because one of the best experimental techniques for investigating the details of an electrochemical device while it's operating is x-ray ...