Archive for the ‘Resources - Energy - Environment’ Category
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
The concept sounds like spinning fabric out of thin air, but the science is rock solid. Catalyx Nanotech, Inc., a relatively new player in the nanomaterials market, has completed its pilot project to manufacture nanofibers from landfill gas, using a patented cracking process to break down methane into soot free elemental carbon and hydrogen. Based on Catalyx’s success with a similar production facility in Canada, it appears that yet another way to recycle old landfills is right around the corner.
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Tags: Canada, Elemental Carbon, Fabric, Hydrogen, Landfill Gas, Landfills, manufacturing, Methane, Pilot Project, science, Sounds, Success, technology, Thin Air
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Blacklight Power has signed a contract with Akridge in Maryland, marking the sixth utility to sign up for a mysterious form of energy that defies quantum physics. The company claims that it can create energy by lowering the energy level of hydrogen atoms to below their “ground” state. Most scientists agree that this is impossible.
But that hasn’t stopped “six utilities” from signing on for the theoretical power, (though one of the utilities; Akridge Energy LLC is apparently owned by a property company.)
In an increasingly anti-science culture, scientific consensus doesn’t count for much, but the consensus is that you can’t lower hydrogen atoms below their ground state.
Most scientists agree that this violates the laws of quantum physics.
The six utilities are going out on a limb. Or perhaps they know something we don’t:
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Tags: Akridge, alternative energy, Business, Consensus, Energy Level, Energy Llc, Hydrogen Atoms, Media, Quantum Physics, Science Culture, Scientists, Theoretical Power
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
As it stands, most vehicles in the world right now run on one of two fuels: gasoline, or diesel. While they perform the same function, and on the outside the engines look the same, they work in very different ways. While diesels have made progress in becoming cleaner burning, gasoline cars still dominate America’s highways.
But what might happen if someone mixed these two fuels up in the same engine? According to a research group from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the engine not only becomes more thermally efficient but cleaner burning, too.
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Tags: Cocktail, Diesel Engines, Diesels, Different Ways, Gasoline Cars, Gasoline Diesel, Gasoline Engines, Highways, Research Group, University Of Wisconsin, University Of Wisconsin Madison
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
The Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc. and Nissan North America win a $99.8M grant from the Department of Energy to support the largest deployment of electrical vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure in U.S. history.
The project will use Nissan’s LEAF, an early stage zero-emission EV to study and develop the logistics and necessary scale behind the implementation of a national charging infrastructure, that will in turn, support large-scale EV deployment. Initial stages of the project include the deployment of 5,000 EVs and EV charging stations in Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. Don Karner, President of eTec, sums up the industry e-coup:
By studying lessons learned from electric vehicle operations and the infrastructure supporting these first 5,000 vehicles, the Project enables the streamlined deployment of the next 5,000,000 electric vehicles…Nissan and over 40 government and industry partners, will enable this Project to successfully pave the way for electric transportation nationwide.
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Tags: 100m, 8m, Arizona California, California Oregon, Department Of Energy, Deployment, Eco-entrepreneurs, Ecotality Inc, Electric Transportation, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, Electrical Vehicles, Engineering Corporation, Ev, Industry Partners, Initial Stages, Karner, Large Scale, Nissan North America, Transportation Engineering, Vehicle Operations
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Algae, algae, algae. The research that is occurring on this second generation fuel has overfloweth the petri dish as just this week there have been five major algae announcements.
- W2 Energy, based in Canada, announced that it has completed its Sunfilter commercial scale algae bioreactor.
- Algaeventure Systems said that it has begun receiving orders for its algae harvesting, dewatering, and drying technology. The company that has placed the order is General Atomics.
- Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at University of North Dakota was awarded a subcontract by SAIC to use its proprietary technology to produce jet fuel from algal oils.
- Kent BioEnergy, based on California, announced that it is going to establish a division of the company in Charleston South Carolina, partnering with a Grant Know, a local entrepreneur.
- Algenol Biofuels, a Florida based company, has threatened to leave the state and now they are working with CEO Paul Woods to entice his company to stay.
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Tags: Algae, Algenol Biofuels, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Canada, Ceo, Charleston South Carolina, Drying Technology, Eerc, Entrepreneur, Ethanol, General Atomics, Jet Fuel, Petri Dish, Proprietary Technology, Saic, Second Generation, University Of North Dakota, W2
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
It’s a good day for Kleenex. After almost five years of hard campaigning, Greenpeace promised to end its Kleercut campaign against Kimberly-Clark, the world’s largest tissue-product manufacturer of Kleenex, Scott and Cottonelle products. During a joint news conference in Washington D.C., the large corporation and the controversial non-governmental organization (NGO) announced an historic agreement that will ensure greater protection and sustainable management of Canada’s Boreal Forest.
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Tags: Boreal Forest, Business, Campaigning, Canada, greenpeace, Kimberly Clark, Kleenex, News Conference, Ngo, Non Governmental Organization, Product Manufacturer, Sustainable Management, Washington D C
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
A man in Toronto with 13 prior wildlife crime convictions will serve time after being busted with “a plethora” of poached wildlife.
In a “precedent-setting” sentence, The Star has reported that Toronto-based Pak Sun Chung has been sentenced to 106 days plus an additional nine months in jail for two federal offenses under the Species at Risk Act. The judge also banned him from hunting or fishing in Ontario.
Repeat offender Chung was found this time with what is described as “a plethora of wildlife, alive, dead, and quartered.” He also reportedly has $27,000 in fines related to the 13 prior convictions. Chung was previously arrested twice for the same turtle poaching crime in less than six weeks during 2007.
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Tags: About Animals, Canadian Wildlife, Federal Offenses, Fishing In Ontario, Fishing Ontario, Hunting Fishing, Hunting Ontario, In The Americas, Nine Months, Plethora, Prior Convictions, Repeat Offender, Six Weeks, Species At Risk, Species At Risk Act, Sun Chung, toronto, Turtle, Wildlife Crime
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
After writing an article last week on if the UN was making a mistake in their plans for gorilla conservation, titled “Are Gorillas Doomed, Is the UN Making a Huge Mistake,” I got a lot of great feedback from readers. In the article I pointed out some of the things that we as individuals can do to help gorillas. Reader, naturalist, and artist Dave Derrick commented that there is an art for gorillas program on the Year of the Gorilla 2009 Website (http://www.yog2009.org) that he is a part of. Special thanks to Dave for pointing this out. You can check out Dave’s Artwork who’s proceeds go to gorilla conservation here. The art for gorilla program also has some fine photographic prints available for sale.
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Tags: About Animals, About Environment, Artwork, Dave Derrick, Feedback, Gorilla Conservation, gorillas, In Africa, In Europe, In Global, In The Americas, Lot, Mistake, Naturalist, Photographic Prints, Proceeds, Special Thanks
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Comparing DNA from seized ivory to an elephant DNA database is revealing new information on how poaching syndicates and illegal dealers are operating.
The development of a DNA forensics technique may prove to be a valuable weapon in the bloody war against elephant poaching.
According to BBC News, Professor Sam Wasser of the Center or Conservation Biology at the University of Washington is fighting back against these criminals using DNA collected from elephant dung and ivory to expose poaching hotspots.
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Tags: About Animals, About Science, Bbc, Bbc News, Bloody War, Conservation Biology, Criminals, Csi, Dna Database, Dna Forensics, Elephant, Elephant Dung, Elephant Ivory, Elephant Poaching, Illegal Dealers, In Africa, Professor Sam, Syndicates, University Of Washington, Wasser
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Last week we reported on a series of forged letters sent to freshman Congressman Tom Perriello, purportedly from constituent groups, but in reality from an employee for “grassroots” lobbying firm Bonner & Associates. The letters urged Perriello to vote against the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.
