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DOE awards U of North Dakota $2.5M to sample and characterize coal-based resources containing rare earth elements

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The US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced that the University of North Dakota has been awarded a 2-year, $1.5-million million contract to sample and characterize US coal-based resources containing high concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs).

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Flaring practices allow more methane into the atmosphere than thought; simple fixes can have big impact

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New research led by the University of Michigan shows that in the real world, this practice is far less effective than estimated, releasing five times more methane in the US than previously thought. Methane—which can be a byproduct of oil production—is a powerful greenhouse gas. A paper on the work is published in Science.

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DOE awards $19M to 13 initiatives in fossil-fuel areas to produce rare earth elements and critical minerals

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $19 million for 13 projects in traditionally fossil-fuel-producing communities across the country to support production of rare earth elements and critical minerals essential to the manufacturing of batteries, magnets, and other components important to the clean energy economy.

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Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

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Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are using membrane distillation technology to enable drillers to filter and reuse the produced water in the oil and gas industry, in agriculture, and other beneficial uses. The method is already being tested in Texas, North Dakota, and most recently in New Stanton, Pa.

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Airbus launches flight test program to characterize composition of hydrogen contrails; Blue Condor

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We know that hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide when burned, but we also know that with water vapor and heat being the most significant by-products, hydrogen combustion does produce contrails. Test flights are scheduled for late 2022 in North Dakota in collaboration with the University of North Dakota.

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NETL says rare earth recovery projects meeting and exceeding expectations

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Four rare earth elements (REEs) recovery projects managed by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) ( earlier post ) have made significant progress in the development of a domestic supply of REEs from coal and coal by-products by successfully producing REE concentrates.

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Study finds air pollution and GHG costs of crude-by-rail nearly 2x pipeline costs; much larger than spill and accidents costs

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Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that the air pollution and greenhouse gas costs of shipping crude by rail are nearly twice as large as those for oil pipelines. Movements of petroleum products, particularly crude oil, have received enormous media attention. Clay et al.

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