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DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office updates 5-year program plan; commercially viable hydrocarbon biofuel technologies by 2017; <$3/GGE

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The Office’s high-level schedule aims for development of commercially viable renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet technologies by 2017 through R&D, and enables a trajectory toward long-term renewable fuels goals.

2017 247
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UC Santa Barbara team develops catalytic molten metals for direct conversion of methane to hydrogen without forming CO2

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Bi 0.73 ) achieved 95% methane conversion at 1065°C in a 1.1-meter Under these conditions, the equilibrium conversion is 98%. When the temperature was reduced to 1040 °C, the CH 4 conversion decreased to 86%. Higher conversions, at higher temperatures, were not possible because of Mg evaporation. —Upham et al.

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Scientists develop method for direct conversion of methane to methanol or acetic acid under mild conditions

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Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, Tufts University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown that mononuclear rhodium species, anchored on a zeolite or titanium dioxide support suspended in aqueous solution, can catalyze the direct conversion of methane to methanol and acetic acid using oxygen and carbon monoxide under mild conditions.

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Albemarle to expand lithium production capabilities with $230M acquisition of Guangxi Tianyuan New Energy Materials

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Founded in 2017, Tianyuan’s operations include a recently constructed lithium processing plant strategically positioned near the Port of Qinzhou in Guangxi. The plant has designed annual conversion capacity of up to 25,000 metric tons LCE and is capable of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.

Energy 243
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Toshiba’s new large-scale production technology for electrolysis electrodes cuts iridium use to 1/10

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Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolysis is seen as a highly promising conversion method, as it is reacts rapidly to power fluctuations and is highly durable. Toshiba developed an iridium oxide nanosheet laminated catalyst that reduced the iridium requirement to 1/10 in 2017.

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Japan team reports pathway to green ammonia: photocatalytic conversion of nitrogen with water

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Researchers in Japan report that a commercially available TiO 2 with a large number of surface oxygen vacancies, when photo-irradiated by UV light in pure water with nitrogen—successfully produces ammonia (NH 3 ). 7b06634.

Water 170
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KAUST team seeks improved catalysts for Lebedev ethanol-to-butadiene process for renewable rubber

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A 2017 analysis by a Ukrainian/French team (Kyriienko et al. We are making good progress and already have an even more selective version, which could be a key step for commercializing the process. suggested that the Lebedev method holds more potential than the Ostromisslensky. —Javier Ruiz-Martinez Resources Pavlo I.

Renewable 259