Hot Article – Page 34

Archive for the ‘Hot Article’ Category

Promising Co catalyst for renewable energy storage

06 Dec 2010

‘HOT’ paper by Dan Nocera (MIT)

A cobalt catalyst operating at high current and in both rivers and seawater is promising for renewable energy storage technologies.

Highly active cobalt phosphate and borate based oxygen evolving catalysts operating in neutral and natural waters
Arthur J. Esswein, Yogesh Surendranath, Steven Y. Reece and Daniel G. Nocera
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00518E

The efficacy and ease of operation of anodes functionalized with Co-OEC at appreciable current density together with its ability to operate in near neutral pH buffered natural water sources bodes well for the translation of this catalyst to a viable renewable energy storage technology.

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No stone left unturned in oil hunt

03 Dec 2010

Polymer coated nanoparticles could be used to detect unrecovered oil in mature oil fields, say US scientists.

With estimates that only ~60% of oil has been recovered from established oil fields, it seems that there’s an untapped source waiting to be discovered. With this in mind, James Tour and his colleagues from Rice University, Texas, and Nankai University, China, have designed nanoparticles to detect crude oil hydrocarbons in rocks in the fields.

The nanoparticles consist of oxidised carbon cores surrounded by polyvinyl alcohol shells that can transport hydrophobic, or water repellent, compounds called nanoreporters through the rocks. ‘It was truly exciting to see that we could build nanoreporters that will migrate through oil-field stone,’ says Tour. The nanoparticles release their cargo when they come into contact with rocks containing oil, which can be seen when they are recovered.

Polymer coated nanoparticles ‘We know that there’s a large volume of residual oil down there, but we don’t know exactly where it is,’ says Bob McNeil, fossil fuels specialist from the oil operator sector. ‘If we had that information, we could start to design smart enhanced oil recovery procedures targeting that oil.’

Emma Shiells

Read the full Chemistry World article…

Link to journal article
Engineered nanoparticles for hydrocarbon detection in oil-field rocks
Jacob M. Berlin, Jie Yu, Wei Lu, Erin E. Walsh, Lunliang Zhang, Ping Zhang, Wei Chen, Amy T. Kan, Michael S. Wong, Mason B. Tomson and James M. Tour, Energy Environ. Sci., 2011
DOI: 10.1039/c0ee00237b

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Biofuels research – read for free

02 Dec 2010

Energy & Environmental Science is delighted to publish a collection of high-impact articles covering the most important areas of modern biofuels research, from leading experts in the field.

Read the Biofuels collection for free

The collection features a Perspective article by George Huber, who is a member of the Energy & Environmental Science Editorial Board, alongside other leading biofuel researchers Chris Somerville, José Goldemberg and James Dumesic, who sit on the Advisory Board.

Also included are a selection of Opinion and Analysis articles from the Biofuels themed issue, Guest Edited by Rafael Luque and José Goldemberg.

Read these insightful feature articles for free:

Catalytic routes for the conversion of biomass into liquid hydrocarbon transportation fuels
Juan Carlos Serrano-Ruiz and James A. Dumesic
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00436G

Switchgrass as an energy crop for biofuel production: A review of its ligno-cellulosic chemical properties
Kasi David and Arthur J. Ragauskas
Energy Environ. Sci., 2010, 3, 1182-1190

Algal biofuels: the eternal promise?
Rafael Luque
Energy Environ. Sci., 2010, 3, 254-257

The critical role of heterogeneous catalysis in lignocellulosic biomass conversion
Yu-Chuan Lin and George W. Huber
Energy Environ. Sci., 2009, 2, 68-80

Bioenergy: in search of clarity
Lee R. Lynd
Energy Environ. Sci., 2010, 3, 1150-1152

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High performance Li rechargeable batteries

29 Nov 2010

‘HOT’ Communication – hot off the press today!

A highly pure Ge nanowire anode material sheathed with carbon shows impressive results – with very high reversible charge capacity, coulombic efficiency of 91% and superior capacity retention.

High performance Ge nanowire anode sheathed with carbon for lithium rechargeable batteries
Min-Ho Seo, Mihee Park, Kyu Tae Lee, Kitae Kim, Jeyoung Kim and Jaephil Cho
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00552E

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George Huber in Chemistry World

26 Nov 2010

Energy & Environmental Science Editorial Board member, George Huber, has featured in Chemistry World today with his latest biomass research. The paper shows that cheap bio-oil could soon compete with crude oil in plastic manufacture.

Read George Huber’s recent Energy & Environmental Science articles:

HOT article
Production of green aromatics and olefins by catalytic fast pyrolysis of wood sawdust
Torren R. Carlson, Yu-Ting Cheng, Jungho Jae and George W. Huber
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00341G

Perspective
The critical role of heterogeneous catalysis in lignocellulosic biomass conversion
Yu-Chuan Lin and George W. Huber
Energy Environ. Sci., 2009, 2, 68-80

Read the Chemistry World feature:
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/November/25111003.asp

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Converting light to fuel – the natural way

22 Nov 2010

‘HOT’ paper – natural light harvesting antennae

This work provides a novel approach for developing a new class of membrane-based smart material with a well-controlled architecture that is dependent on the assembly of interacting components.

It could have important implications in self-repair and control of energy transfer in photoconversion devices. biohybrid photoconversion systems

Supramolecular assembly of biohybrid photoconversion systems
Mateus B. Cardoso, Dmitriy Smolensky, William T. Heller, Kunlun Hong and Hugh O’Neill
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00369G

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Nanostructured silicon for high capacity lithium batteries

19 Nov 2010

Review article – read it today!

Discusses the potential and challenges facing nanostructured silicon anodes, which show great promise as high capacity lithium battery anodes.

Nanostructured silicon for high capacity lithium battery anodes
Jeannine R. Szczech and Song Jin
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00281J

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Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) for energy

16 Nov 2010

HOT Review article – read this comprehensive review article on SECM now

This review focuses on some of the recent advances on SECM applied to studies of heterogeneous chemical processes and chemical reactivity in materials involved in energy-related applications.

Advances on scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) for energy
Paolo Bertoncello
Energy Environ. Sci., 2010, 3, 1620-1633
DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00046A

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Biofuels sustainability policy

15 Nov 2010

EES Opinion article – hot of the press!

Jon C. Lovett and colleagues discuss examples of multiple objectives and regulatory instruments applied to biofuels, with a focus on UK, and highlight the difficulties of applying sustainability criteria under international trade agreements. They also contrast biofuels policy against that of fossil fuels.

Multiple objectives in biofuels sustainability policy
Jon C. Lovett, Sarah Hards, Joy Clancy and Carolyn Snell
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00041H

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Lipstick to coal – products of an integrated wheat straw biorefinery

12 Nov 2010

Researchers at the University of York, UK are using green methodologies to produce alternative energy sources and platform molecules from wheat straw residues.

Use of green chemical technologies in an integrated biorefinery
Vitaly L. Budarin, Peter S. Shuttleworth, Jennifer R. Dodson, Andrew J. Hunt, Brigid Lanigan, Ray Marriott, Kris J. Milkowski, Ashley J. Wilson, Simon W. Breeden, Jiajun Fan, Emily H. K. Sin and James H. Clark
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00184H

Low temperature microwave pyrolysis (< 200°C) is shown to be an energy efficient method to produce char and oil suitable for upgrading for use as sustainable substitutes for fossil fuels. Applying a closed loop system, CO₂ can be internally recycled to sustain the processes and add value by extracting secondary metabolites including fatty acids, wax esters and fatty alcohols.

wheatstraw biorefinery “This has been a really exciting project to work on” says co-author Brigid Lanigan.

“We’ve been very fortunate to be able to work in this developing area and with the establishment of the Green Chemical Technology Facility, we will hopefully be able to expand on this research in the future.”

The group are also looking into other potential commercial applications for these wheat straw products including lubricants, food flavourings and cosmetics!

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