Instead of disposing of the scales as waste, they are being recycled into usable power. In India, a team of Jadavpur University researchers have come up with a green energy innovation that recycles waste material into electricity. In this case, the waste material is biodegradable energy extracted from raw fish scales. The fish scales would typically be thrown away, but now they might become a source of fuel for the next generation of devices in the country. In fact, the research team thinks they may be an ideal energy source…
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Toshiba to build Japan’s largest hydrogen fuel production system
Company to develop new hydrogen production system for inexpensive fuel and energy Toshiba Corporation has revealed plans to launch Japan’s largest hydrogen fuel production system, relying on new alkaline water electrolysis technology. The endeavor aims to enable the production of inexpensive, high volume production of hydrogen, thereby making it more accessible to those interested in using fuel cells to generate electricity. Once completed, the new system will be able to produce enough hydrogen in one hour to power two vehicles equipped with fuel cells. Toshiba has managed to create an…
Read MoreScientists identify plant enzyme that could lead to mass-production of biofuels
Researchers may have found an enzyme that could enable any plant to product fuel. In their quest to find the next best environmentally friendly fuel, a team of international researchers have announced that they have successfully isolated an enzyme with lycopaoctaene synthase activity in common algae known as Botryococcus braunii. This enzyme is responsible for hydrocarbon oil production and the scientists are investigating how to use the enzyme to mass-produce biofuels. This discovery could be a breakthrough for the alternative fuel industry. Although not as clean as other forms of…
Read MoreUnited Airlines powers regularly scheduled flights with biofuel
According to the major American airline, it is the first to use sustainable fuel on a regular route. Although United Airlines is not the first to have tested biofuel in its jets, it claims that it is the first to use the green fuel on a regular route. Its Boeing 737 jet that flies the Los Angeles to San Francisco route, four to five times daily, will be fueled by a mixture of 30% biofuel and 70% petroleum fuel, reported the Los Angeles Times. The first flight took off on…
Read MoreU.S. scientists may have found new technique to lower biofuel cost
Decreasing plant lignin could help make green fuel cheaper. Biofuel could become cheaper as scientists have shown for the first time that it is possible to lower lignin in plants by tweaking an enzyme; a discovery which could be highly beneficial to the bioenergy industry. The technique discovered by the scientists from the United States Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), could help reduce the cost required to convert biomass into carbon-neutral fuels used to power cars and other sustainably develop bio-products, reported Phys.org. The technique lowers…
Read MoreMexico opens world’s first cactus-powered biogas plant
The biofuel made from the new plant will be used to power a vehicle fleet. Mexican company, NopaliMex, has successfully constructed the world’s first power plant that uses prickly pear cacti to make biogas. According to Nocticias MVS, the digester was designed to power the plant’s daily 8-ton production operations, as well as provide fuel for the vehicle fleet in the Mexican town of Zitacuaro, located in central Michoacan state, reported EcoWatch. The alternative fuel is expected to lower the use of gasoline by a minimum of 40%. The prickly…
Read MoreBiodiesel has become so inexpensive in the U.S. that it’s free
Some refiners are being paid to use biofuel. Tax credits in the U.S. have made biodiesel so cheap in some parts of the country that some refiners are being paid to use this clean substitute to diesel. More specifically, one-dollar-a-gallon tax subsidy and other credits, has resulted in Midwest refiners paying as little as 64.5 cents a gallon for the alternative fuel. This, plus additional clean energy incentives offered by California, has lead to some customers in the Golden State obtaining the fuel for free, reported Bloomberg. The commitment to…
Read MoreScientists Find Cheaper and Eco-Friendlier Way to Make Biofuels
Researchers have discovered a low-cost method to deliver carbon dioxide (CO2) to microalgae. Although the growth of microalgae can be sped up by carbon dioxide, the CO2 has to be free of contamination or the algae die. Researchers from the Melbourne School of Engineering have found a cheap way to purify the carbon dioxide within the power station flue gasses by absorbing the CO2 into a liquid, allowing it to be delivered to microalgae, which makes it possible to harvest the microalgae and make biofuels. This purification process is typically…
Read MoreExperts are Predicting the Global Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market to grow at a CAGR of 7.34 percent by 2016: MarketResearchReports.biz
MarketResearchReports.Biz has announced addition of new report “Global Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market 2012 – 2016″ to its database. TechNavio’s analysts forecast the Global Solid Oxide Fuel Cells market 2012-2016 to grow at a CAGR of 7.34 percent over the period 2012-2016. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the reduction in CO2 emission. The Global Solid Oxide Fuel Cells market has also been witnessing an increasing number of regulations in the market. However, the difficulty in maintaining a stable high operational temperature could pose a…
Read MoreBiofuel may be produced from roadside weed
Researchers from Nevada think they may be able to produce diesel fuel from gumweed. Nevada scientists believe that curlycup gumweed, a common roadside weed that grows across much of Nevada’s high desert, may be ideal for producing biofuel. More specifically, the researchers think that they are close to producing diesel fuel and may even one day be able to produce jet fuel from the plant, reported the Associated Press. Very little water is needed to grow gumweed. Back in the 1980’s, a University of Nevada researcher and mining engineer, Darrell…
Read MoreNew algae-eating green technology may clean up the Baltic Sea
A remote-controlled floating drone could clean up excess algae and turn it into biofuel. The Baltic Sea has become a breeding ground for frequent algae blooms and this has lead to the accumulation of high levels of toxic algae, which could be dangerous to existing ecosystems. To help deal with this overabundant toxic algae problem, A Swedish design student, Fredrik Ausinsch, has developed a conceptual machine that is not only capable of eating the algae but his green technology also turns it into biofuel. The drone would be designed with…
Read MoreWaste from winemaking could make cheap biofuel
Leftover solid grape waste from winemaking could be used to produce competitive alternative fuel. Researchers from the University of Adelaide, Australia, are investigating the potential of transforming waste that is left over from the winemaking industry into biofuel. The researchers showed that as much as 400 liters of bioethanol could be generated by fermentation of a ton of the solid grape waste annually, which would be beneficial on many levels, including to wineries in Australia, which currently must pay for the disposal of an estimated several hundred thousand tons of…
Read MoreAlgae could be the next major source of alternative fuel
Algae organisms might be an important and reliable energy source, says the DOE. In an effort to find clean alternative fuel in the United States, the Obama administration has been supporting algae biofuel research and development through the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Defense, and it appears that the research was well worth it, as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says that algae shows promise as a renewable energy source, and estimates that it can generate 60 times more oil per acre than plants found on land. Algae are…
Read MoreThe Hydrogen-Fuel cell will revolutionize the economy of the world
PEMFC as an optimal solution for the future energy economy Polymer electrolyte membrane or proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), where chemical energy is directly converted to electrical energy, provides a highly efficient alternative to a standard internal combustion engine. High power density, clean emissions (water), low temperature operation, rapid start-up and shutdown, and ability to use fuels from renewable sources are several reason why fuel cells such as PEMFC have attracted attention for large market applications, such as transportation. With these unique features, PEMFC will revolutionize the future energy…
Read MoreFuel cell project aims to bring energy to small communities
Companies work together to provide reliable energy to rural communities Two companies in South Africa are working together to put fuel cells to work as part of a micro-grid. A micro-grid is a small energy infrastructure that typically exists to provide electricity to rural communities with fewer than 200 households. Anglo American Platinum and Ballard Power Systems, a leading developer of hydrogen fuel cells, are developing a new product. The new product would make use methanol rather than hydrogen fuel. Methanol fuel cells will be used for the new project…
Read MoreUPS to add more alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet
UPS has plans to increase its fleet of alternative energy vehicles by almost 30 percent. UPS, one of the largest shipment and logistics companies in the world, has revealed its plans to add an extra 1,400 new compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to its alternative fuel fleet, which would boost the fleet by nearly 30 percent, and these vehicles would be deployed over the next year. CNG fueling stations will also be built to support these new vehicles. In total, 15 CNG refueling stations will be constructed in North America.…
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