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NREL, MIT, WSU team develops process to convert lignin to aromatic blendstock for 100% sustainable aviation fuel

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Although electrification has shown promise toward reducing the carbon footprint of passenger vehicles, aviation remains dependent on hydrocarbon fuels due to their high energy density relative to even the most advanced battery technologies available today. Stone et al. Lignin makes up the rigid parts of the cell walls of plants.

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MIT researchers propose mechanism for overcoming bottleneck in electroreduction of CO2

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Researchers at MIT have identified , quantified, and modeled a major reason for the poor performance of electroreduction processes to convert CO 2 to fuel or other useful chemicals. This unwanted reaction uses up energy and greatly reduces the overall efficiency of the conversion process, the researchers found. 1c02540.

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MIT researchers significantly increase lifetimes of solid oxide fuel cells by changing pH

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MIT researchers have found that changing the pH of the system can increase the lifetimes of a range of technologies including fuel cells. An open-access paper on their work is published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science. Fuel and electrolysis cells made of solid metal oxides are of interest for several reasons.

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MIT researchers develop oxygen permeable membrane that converts CO2 to CO

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MIT researchers have developed a new system that could potentially be used for converting power plant emissions of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, and thence into useful fuels for cars, trucks, and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a wide variety of products.

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MIT team engineers yeast to be more tolerant to toxic byproducts, boosting biofuels production; “tolerance module”

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To try to expand biofuels’ potential impact, a team of MIT engineers has now found a way to expand the use of a wider range of nonfood feedstocks to produce such fuels. The MIT researchers developed a way to circumvent that toxicity, making it feasible to use those sources, which are much more plentiful, to produce biofuels.

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MIT proof-of-concept demo of ionic wind propulsion for aircraft

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MIT researchers have demonstrated that an aircraft with a 5-meter wingspan can sustain steady-level flight using ionic-wind propulsion. The MIT team’s final design resembles a large, lightweight glider. In this way, the batteries supply electricity at 40,000 volts to positively charge the wires via a lightweight power converter.

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MIT Energy Initiative announces 2014 seed grant awards

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The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) announced its latest round of seed grants to support early-stage innovative energy projects. As in the past, the call for proposals welcomed submissions on topics across the spectrum of energy and related environmental research, with interdisciplinary research strongly encouraged.

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