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

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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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Researchers use synchrotron in quest for better synthetic fuels catalyst

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Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) yields long-chain hydrocarbons for the production of gasoline or diesel from carbon monoxide and hydrogen and is an established process in the chemical industry. —Professor Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt from the Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP). Photo: Tiziana Carambia).

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GM researchers develop Li-Sulfur cathode material with improved cycling stability and efficiency

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A team from General Motors Global Research & Development Center in Michigan has developed a new double-layered core–shell structure of polymer-coated carbon–sulfur to confine better the sulfur/polysulfides in the electrode of lithium–sulfur (Li/S) batteries and to improve the batteries’ cycling stability and Columbic efficiency.

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Identification of small molecule surrogate for cellulose provides insight into fundamental chemistry of pyrolysis; optimization of next-generation biorefineries

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The discovery—reported in an open access paper in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science and highlighted in Nature Chemistry —will help address the lack of detailed understanding of the fundamental chemistry of pyrolysis, which is a roadblock to commercialization. —Paul Dauenhauer. Credit: Paul Dauenhauer.

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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. Click to enlarge.

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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. The study used materials that are relevant to commercial fuel cells.