article thumbnail

Study: Energy sorghum may combine best of annual, perennial bioenergy crops

Green Car Congress

Now, a study by researchers at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has found that energy sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) behaves more like miscanthus in the way it efficiently captures light and uses water to produce abundant biomass. Energy sorghum falls somewhere in between.

Energy 321
article thumbnail

Researchers find shade from stand density can cost farmers about 10% of potential crop yield

Green Car Congress

A team from the University of Illinois has found that compared to top leaves, the shaded lower level leaves of C4 crops planted in dense stands such as corn and Miscanthus underperform, costing farmers about 10% of potential yield.

Illinois 150
article thumbnail

Converting Coal Power Plants to Nuclear Gains Steam

Cars That Think

Most nuclear plants around the world today are large light-water reactors, with capacities well over a gigawatt—quite a bit more than typical coal plants. Large reactors need consistent and prolific water sources to cool themselves, something not every old coal plant can provide. Either option will be an uphill battle.

Coal 145
article thumbnail

UI, Argonne develop catalyst for more efficient solar-powered reduction of CO2 to CO for conversion to fuel

Green Car Congress

In a new study from the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers report devising a new transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanoarchitecture for catalytic electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to carbon monoxide (CO) in an ionic liquid.

Solar 150
article thumbnail

New membrane technology for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture begins pilot-scale test

Green Car Congress

In addition, the membrane system does not use hazardous chemicals, so there are no emissions or disposal issues; it uses less water than other capture technologies; and the membrane has no moving parts. and City Water, Light and Power. That means the membrane area can be reduced, cutting down the cost and size of the system.

Carbon 150
article thumbnail

Study finds that bioenergy crops could have a significant impact on the hydrologic cycle of a region

Green Car Congress

A new study led by Praveen Kumar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, details the links between the hydrologic cycle and large-scale land conversion for the cultivation of bioenergy crops, both now and as growing conditions change in the future. —Phong et al. —Praveen Kumar.

Water 218
article thumbnail

EPA awards $6.6M to universities for black carbon research

Green Car Congress

The research will analyze the impacts of black carbon on air and water quality, investigate the behavior of black carbon aerosols in the atmosphere, and develop innovative tools such as computer models to look at black carbon deposits on snow. The research also examines the aging of black carbon in the atmosphere.

Universal 231