article thumbnail

New one-pot conversion of CO2 to polycarbonate copolymers

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Texas A&M have developed a two-step, one-pot conversion of CO 2 and epoxides (highly reactive compounds with a three-membered ring made of two carbon atoms and one oxygen atom) to polycarbonate block copolymers that contain both water-soluble and hydrophobic regions and can aggregate into nanoparticles or micelles.

article thumbnail

Greyrock to build small-scale gas-to-liquids plant near Houston

Green Car Congress

Greyrock Energy, a company transforming natural gas into premium transportation fuels ( earlier post ), announced a final investment decision (FID) to build a small-scale Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) facility near Houston, Texas. The plant will be commercially operational by the end of 2015.

Houston 225
article thumbnail

DOE awarding >$24M to 77 projects through Technology Commercialization Fund

Green Car Congress

OTT was established in 2015 to advance the economic, energy, and national security interests of the United States by expanding the commercial impact of the Department of Energy’s research and development portfolio. Quanex Building Products Corporation, Houston, Texas SCP SYS LLC, San Francisco, Calif. San Jose, Calif.

article thumbnail

Researchers use melamine to create effective, low-cost carbon capture; potential tailpipe application

Green Car Congress

Using an inexpensive polymer called melamine, researchers from UC Berkeley, Texas A&M and Stanford have created a cheap, easy and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks.

Low Cost 243
article thumbnail

UPS updates 125 Workhorse E-GEN series hybrid electric step vans with smaller genset engine for better fuel economy

Green Car Congress

The updated trucks, which were originally purchased in September 2015, deliver up to four times the fuel economy of a gasoline-powered vehicle, UPS said. The trucks will be deployed in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio and Texas later this year. AMP Electric Vehicles went public in 2010.

article thumbnail

New thermoelectric material offers higher output power than other available materials

Green Car Congress

Traditionally, thermoelectric materials researchers have focused on a high thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) as the only parameter pursued in thermoelectric materials for high conversion efficiency. It can be used with waste-heat applications and concentrated solar energy conversion at temperatures up to 300 ?C, 1424388112.

Available 150
article thumbnail

Pinto Energy to build 2,800 bpd small-scale GTL plant in Ashtabula; Velocys microchannel technology

Green Car Congress

Ventech is a global leader in the design and construction of new modular refineries, and will build these GTL plants at their Pasadena, Texas fabrication complex. Mechanical completion of the plant is expected in late 2015, with start-up in early 2016. The modules will be transported to the Ashtabula project site for installation.

Building 252