Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new effective and environmentally friendly method, which uses electrolyzed water instead of harsh chemicals in the pretreatment of ethanol waste products to produce an acetone-butanol-ethanol fuel mix.

When ethanol is produced, distiller's dried grain with solubles (DDGS) is a waste product.The glucose in DDGS is stuck together, forming cellulosic corn fiber, but the structure is very tough. It forms a kind of crystalline structure which is very difficult to break.In order to get the glucose out, normally people use a strong acid such as sulfuric acid, or a strong lime base, to loosen it, making holes in it. Once the structure is destroyed, we use enzymes to cut the chain of glucose to get glucose that can be used for fermentation.

The strong sulfuric acid method produces some toxic compounds, which can kill the microbes that produce acetone-butanol-ethanol mix completely.Using alkaline sodium hydroxide as a base, after 60 hours, the acetone-butanol-ethanol production was also relatively low. But using acidic electrolyzed water, at about 20 hours the fermentation process began producing the acetone-butanol-ethanol mix. This new technique also eliminates the detoxification of the traditional acid method.The other advantage of this method is that the traditional method produces a large quantity of solid waste that needs to be handled, and some sugars get consumed in the process as well. We want to maximize the sugar yield so we can maximize the ethanol yield.

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Scientists at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina are using the concept of biomimicry to increase the efficiency of solar cells, peering into how a moth’s eye absorbs light.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy lab are working with the University of Florida’s Peng Jiang to study how special coatings that mimic structures found in nature can make solar cells more productive for commercial applications, homes and even space satellites.

A moth’s eye is so good at absorbing light because it consists of tiny, hexagonal bumps that are smaller than the wavelength of visible light.The engineered coatings that mimic the way a moth’s eye absorbs light can reduce unwanted reflection from silicon solar cells from 30 percent to less than 2 percent.

Cambridge-based Joule Biotechnologies has designed a radical technology to mimic photosynthesis using bio-engineered micro-organisms to make ethanol fuel from carbon dioxide and sunlight. Because of the abundance of these raw materials, Joule Biotechnologies should be able to make ethanol economically, sustainably and at stable prices.

Their device, called SolarConverter doesn’t require fresh water and agricultural land like traditional biofuel production . The converter contains a mixture of brackish water, nutrients, and genetically engineered organisms. Carbon dioxide gas is fed into the mixture, and the device is designed to expose the organisms in the mixture to the sun. The organisms are photosynthetic, meaning that they absorb light energy and carbon dioxide to form compounds. Joule has engineered its organisms to secrete ethanol and hydrocarbons and chemicals.

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Here is an interesting article on "Biodiesel Yields Hidden Treasure in Waste Glycerin", which reveals some ways to recycle waste glycerin, a major byproduct of biodiesel manufacture.

Read the full article @ Cleantechnica.com

Eco-friendly PC innovator VeryPC has unveiled its latest invention for cutting the energy wasted by computers. The award winning Sheffield firm has launched PecoBOO – a piece of software,which uses a standard webcam and some clever software that recognises when you stop looking at your computer monitor and puts it on standby, instantly cutting the power it is using by a factor of more than 100.

A revolutionary invention, which could slash greenhouse gas emissions from computer centres, has won £750,000-worth of backing for its creator, Sheffield Technology Parks-based Iceotope. The company, founded by green PC pioneer Peter Hopton, is targeting data centres – giant warehouses packed with racks of computer servers which form the backbone of the internet as well as providing secure data storage for major companies.

Details of the invention are being kept under wraps until an official launch later this year.However, Dan Chester, a former semiconductor industry entrepreneur who was brought in to spearhead Iceotope's development, did reveal that it involves using liquid to cool the server racks.The data centre servers are currently cooled by using large scale air conditioning plants to chill the hot air they generate – further increasing the data centre's carbon footprint.Liquid cooling would not only be more energy efficient, it would also keep the servers cooler, extending their life span.

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Gills Onions, one of the largest processor of fresh onions, has built an anaerobic digester system at its Oxnard, California facility, which will help the company convert the hundreds of thousands of pounds of onion waste into electricity to power the plant.

Presently the company produces over 300,000 pounds of onion waste each day, which is utilized by the system to generate electricity, enough to power 460 homes. The electricity generated is stored in two 300KW fuel cells, which will also offset 30,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

The system will also help save the company $700,000 in electricity costs each year. Since the company is generating electricity for itself on site, it is also eligible to receive $2.7 million from Southern California Gas Company.

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DyoCore Smart Solutions, San Marcos, California, announced the September availability of its SolAir wind/solar hybrid generator. Sporting a breakthrough design with a small blade-span of less than 52 inches and integrated solar fin to maximize directional flow and electrical output, the SolAir is the first hybrid alternative energy source designed for consumer residential, small business and local government markets.

The unit incorporates the latest in thin film transistor solar panels, providing a continuous flow of energy, even with low-exposure to the sun. Furthermore, the company's supplied DC/AC inverter actually recycles unused electricity back into the local grid, dramatically reducing consumer dependency on the nation's power resources, while providing true money savings to environmentally-savvy home owners.

Available in two configurations, 300-watt and 800-watt versions, the SolAir I and II will be available in July 2009 at a suggested retail price of $4,800 for a complete system, including inverter system, high-performance rechargeable batteries and mounting brackets. In many states, the SolAir qualifies for local, state and federal tax credits of up to 80%.

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The accidental discovery of a bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air suggests exciting new possibilities for dealing with global warming, including genetically engineering microbes to manufacture those CO2 "catchers".

A scientist discovered these molecules while doing research unrelated to global climate change.J. A. Tossell, a scientist from Maryland, recognized that these qualities might make it useful as an industrial absorbent for removing carbon dioxide. Tossell's new computer modeling studies found that the molecule might be well-suited for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, in addition to its previously described potential use as an absorbent for CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks.

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Jerome Kelty’s USA, plan to save the planet involves a small solar panel, a USB plug, a battery and an empty Altoids tin.Kelty assembled these parts into his own gadget for charging his iPod Touch using the power of the sun.

Kelty got the idea for the solar-powered charger from the Minty Boost, a $20 charger powered by two AA alkaline batteries. It’s called the Minty Boost because it is also housed in an Altoids breath mints tin. But it had its shortcomings.To improve upon the Minty Boost, Kelty replaced the AA batteries with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery and added a small solar panel. The solar panel recharges the internal battery, which in turn recharges the iPhone.

If everyone who owned the 30 million iPods and iPhones sold to date worldwide recharged their gadgets every day with solar power, instead of plugging into an outlet, 30 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming, would not be created.

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Professor Klaus Lackner at Columbia University and also co-founder of Global Research Technologies (GRT) in Tucson, Arizona, USA, has put forward a device called "artificial tree" that captures CO2 a thousand times faster than a real one. Artificial tree is a device that traps CO2 directly from the atmosphere using a process similar to sequestration at coal-fired power plants. The CO2 passes over a chemical absorber (the ‘leaves’ of the artificial tree) to which the CO2 molecule attaches.Professor Lackner estimates that each ‘tree’ with a capture area of 10m by 10m (32.8ft by 32.8ft) can absorb 1,000 tons each year.

Once you’ve captured the CO2 on the absorber you then have to provide energy to remove the CO2 molecule, compress it and liquefy it.The liquefied CO2 can then be stored underground or used for several different purposes.If the initial energy source is renewable then the process becomes almost CO2 neutral at the front end and a total success at sequestrating CO2 from the atmosphere.It seems that Lackner and GRT have found a sorbent material that requires low energy to remove the CO2 molecule and the end-to-end process is purported to be up to 80% efficient when considered in terms of how much CO2 is removed from the atmosphere versus how much is released by the energy production to operate the machine.

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IBM has announced that it is developing a next-generation rechargeable battery capable of storing 10 times more energy than today's top lithium-ion batteries.

The new batteries could be used to power cars and store power for smart energy grids, according to IBM.IBM's multiyear battery research project will also involve the use of nanotechnology, materials science and supercomputing.The company said it plans to discuss its work on the batteries at its Almaden Institute 2009 conference, which IBM said attracts "innovative thinkers" from academia, government research labs and industry.

The 2009 gathering will be held Aug. 26 and 27 at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose. ( See more)

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