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DOE to award up to $12M for technologies to produce renewable carbon fiber from biomass

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award ( DE-FOA-0000996 ) up to $12 million in funding to advance the development of a cost-competitive pathway to produce high-performance carbon fiber for vehicle lightweighting from renewable non-food biomass. Reducing a vehicle’s weight by just 10% can improve fuel economy by 6% to 8%.

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Alberta publishes report assessing non-combustion uses for bitumen, opens $2M call for projects

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This study provides insights into high-value products that can be made by, or in partnership with Alberta’s oil sands industry. The study focuses on four promising areas: Carbon fibers and products incorporating carbon fibers. Only a small fraction of downstream bitumen derivate is used for Polymer production.

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EOS enters a three-year technical partnership with Williams on additive manufacturing

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The partnership aims at providing Williams with direct and high level insights into the latest additive manufacturing (AM) technologies offered by EOS to complement their existing manufacturing processes, and to support their own AM development project. Williams already owns two polymer EOS systems.

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PEM fuel cell X-ray CT study details effects of temperature and moisture on performance

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Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells require precise temperature and moisture controls to be at their best. The performance of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) and other multiphase flow technologies is significantly dependent on liquid-water management.

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Roadmap shows how to improve lignocellulosic biofuel biorefining with high-value products from isolated lignin

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Potential high-value products from isolated lignin include low-cost carbon fiber, engineering plastics and thermoplastic elastomers, polymeric foams and membranes, and a variety of fuels and chemicals—all currently sourced from petroleum. Each product stream, however, has its own distinct challenges. Ragauskas et al.

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DOE HPC4Mfg program funds 13 projects to advance US manufacturing; welding, Li-S batteries among projects

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Sepion’s polymer membrane technology provides a counterpoint, yielding long-lasting lithium-sulfur cells. Advancing to 10 Ah battery prototypes, Sepion faces challenges in membrane manufacturing related to polymer processing and the molecular basis for membrane performance and durability. Harper International Corp.

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XL1 dive and drive: Volkswagen aggressively optimizes for efficiency in its sleek diesel plug-in hybrid

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The XL1 is aggressively optimized for efficiency in all areas of its design and technology—from materials (carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque); to powertrain (0.8L The battery comprises 60 25Ah cells, with a carbon-fiber case. two-cylinder diesel, 20 kW electric motor and 5.5 Materials and weight.

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