Self-contained prototype brings artificial photosynthesis a step closer to commercial reality. While solar cells and wind turbines are the devices many people will think of for off-grid electricity production, the development of practical artificial photosynthesis for the creation of hydrogen via solar-powered water splitting could radically alter the way we produce energy locally.
As part of the on-going pursuit of this goal, researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich claim to have created a working, compact, self-contained artificial photosynthesis system that could form the basis for practical commercial devices. Photosynthesis in plants and certain types of algae is the process where light energy is transformed into chemical energy to synthesize simple carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.
Latest bionic leaf now 10 times more efficient than natural photosynthesis. Over the last few years, great strides have been made in creating artificial leaves that mimic the ability of their natural counterparts to produce energy from water and sunlight.
In 2011, the first cost-effective, stable artificial leaves were created, and in 2013, the devices were improved to self-heal and work with impure water. Now, scientists at Harvard have developed the "bionic leaf 2.0," which increases the efficiency of the system well beyond nature's own capabilities, and used it to produce liquid fuels for the first time. The project is the work of Harvard University's Daniel Nocera, who led the research teams on the previous versions of the artificial leaf, and Pamela Silver, Professor of Biochemistry and Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. Like the previous versions, the bionic leaf 2.0 is placed in water and, as it absorbs solar energy, it's able to split the water molecules into their component gases, hydrogen and oxygen.
Source: Harvard. Liquid hydrocarbon fuel created from CO2 and water in breakthrough one-step process. As scientists look for ways to help remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a number of experiments have focused on employing this gas to create usable fuels.
Both hydrogen and methanol have resulted from such experiments, but the processes often involve a range of intricate steps and a variety of methods. Now researchers have demonstrated a one-step conversion of carbon dioxide and water directly into a simple and inexpensive liquid hydrocarbon fuel using a combination of high-intensity light, concentrated heat, and high pressure. According to the researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), this breakthrough sustainable fuels technology uses carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with the added benefit of also producing oxygen as a byproduct, which should create a clear positive environmental impact.
Audi just created diesel fuel from air and water. Audi is making a new fuel for internal combustion engines that has the potential to make a big dent when it comes to climate change – that's because the synthetic diesel is made from just water and carbon dioxide.
View all The company's pilot plant, which is operated by German startup Sunfire in Dresden, produced its first batches of the "e-diesel" this month. German Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka put a few liters of the fuel in her work car, an Audi A8, to commemorate the accomplishment. Using Algae to Treat Water and Create Fuel. Category: New Inventions and Innovations (10)Jan-31-13 A team at Cal Poly is working on a project that would use algae to create biofuels from human waste.
The algae biofuel project, which was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant, will take place at the “raceway” style algae ponds that over half an acre of the San Luis Obispo Water Reclamation Facility. Since algae release oxygen while absorbing nutrients and CO2, they would be able to treat the wastewater to current standards using only energy from the sun, and the nutrients recycled from algae biomass could be processed into sustainable algal biofuels. Hybrid Solar System Helps Green Natural Gas Plants. Hybrid Solar System Helps Green Natural Gas Plants (11)Apr-21-13 A hybrid solar system could help increase the efficiency and eco-friendliness of natural gas power plants while also creating a synthetic fuel for vehicles.
The system features a parabolic mirror that focuses sunlight on a small chemical reactor lined with narrow channels containing natural gas. A catalyst breaks down the molecules of the sunlight-warmed gas to create a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen called syngas (synthesis gas). The waste heat from this reaction is capture by a heat exchanger that sends it back to the reactor, boosting the process until 60 percent of the sunlight is being converted into energy. Syngas can also be used to make synthetic crude oil, which can then be refined for use in vehicles. New Process Creates Crude Oil from Algae in Minutes. New Process Creates Crude Oil from Algae in Minutes (6)Dec-26-13 Researchers have developed a method of creating crude oil from freshly harvested algae in only minutes, saving both time and energy.
Algae has long been recognized for its use as a biofuel source, but the process involved in drying out the wet, aquatic plant is expensive, time consuming and involves a series of steps. To expedite the process, the team from PNNL developed a continuous process that involves subjecting the wet algae to high temperatures and pressure (662ºF and 3,000 psi), which team leader Douglas Elliott described as “a bit like using a pressure cooker.”
In tests, the process resulted in between 50 and 70 percent conversion of the algae’s carbon in to fuel. Other products included clean water, fuel gas and nutrients that can be used to grow more algae. Harvesting Fuel from Plastic Shopping Bags. Harvesting Fuel from Plastic Shopping Bags (5)Feb-16-14 Researchers have developed an energy-efficient way to convert plastic shopping bags into a variety of petroleum products—giving shoppers another reason to keep the bags from landfills, roadsides and oceans.
The bags are first converted to crude oil by the pyrolysis process, part of which involves heating the bags in an oxygen-free chamber. This method has been in use by other research teams, but the team from University of Illinois expanded on the technique by fractioning the crude oil into different petroleum products, which allowed them to then produce products such as natural gas, gasoline, waxes and lubricating oils.
Making Ethanol without Corn. Making Ethanol without Corn (1)Apr-12-14 Researchers have developed a way to make ethanol fuel that eliminates the need for corn or sugarcane, drastically reducing the amount of energy needed to manufacture the alternative fuel.
Manufacturing ethanol usually requires gathering large amounts of biomass and then subjecting the material to fermentation. As an alternative to the labor-intensive process, Stanford University researchers have proven that it is possible to use an electric current to produce the ethanol directly from water and waste gases. The process described by the research team involves converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide—using either an existing technology or one of the more efficient methods currently being developed—and then using an electrochemical process to convert the carbon monoxide to ethanol.
Modular biobattery plant turns a wide range of biomass into energy - Images. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Energy and Safety Technology have developed a "biobattery" in the form of a highly efficient biogas plant that can turn raw materials like straw, scrap wood and sludge into a variety of useful energy sources including electricity, purified gas and engine oil.
The new plant design, currently being put to the test in a prototype plant in Germany, is said to be highly modular and economically viable even at the small scale. The production of biogas – gas created by the breakdown of organic matter, by fermentation or through the action of anaerobic bacteria – is an interesting complement to other sources of renewable energy since it can not only generate electricity at little cost to the environment, but also create biofuel, fertilizer and engine oil.
One issue, however, is that these plants only accept few organic substances as raw materials. Source: Fraunhofer Institute Share. Researchers develop system for on-farm biofuel and animal feed production. Building on methods used by farmers to produce silage for feeding livestock, Japanese researchers have developed a technology for simultaneous biofuel and animal feed production which doesn't require off-site processing. Impressum. Vortragsfolien - Interessengemeinschaft Miscanthus Sachsen.
Homepage. Energie die nachwächst - nachwachsende Rohstoffe, Miscanthus, Pellets- und Hackgut-Heizanlagen. Über Endina Endina unterstützt die regionale Landwirtschaft bei dem Anbau und der Ernte von Brennstoffen aus nachwachsenden Energiepflanzen, die von Endina weiterverarbeitet und vermarktet werden. Endina ist das Bindeglied zwischen Erzeuger und Verbraucher und bildet einen Kreislauf vom Anbau der Energiepflanzen, über die Verarbeitung und den Vertrieb bis zum Kunden. Durch langfristige Verträge wird die Existenz unserer heimischen Landwirtschaft gesichert, aber auch Transporteure, Angestellte und Arbeitnehmer in der Verarbeitung und letztendlich der Endverbraucher profitieren von diesem regionalen Wertschöpfungskreislauf.
Miscanthus - Heizmaterial vom Acker » Klimaschutz-Blog. 12. April 2012 von hempstar. Internet Einstieg » Miscanthus. Miscanthus - ein nachwachsende Rohstoff mit Zukunft! New Energy Farms. New Energy Farms (NEF) provides a complete solution to sourcing biomass feedstock for your project.We have extensive experience in commercial production of high yielding energy grasses. NEF operates in the US, Canada and the EU with vertically integrated operations from plant breeding through to commercial supply of feedstock. Ihr Partner für Anbau, Pflege, Ernte und Nutzung. GREEN ENERGY. Miscanthus. Miscanthus-Anbau. Fonamis GmbH Co KG - Miscanthus - nachwachsender Rohstoff mit Zukunft. Erich Kuhn GmbH Pellets Hackgut-Pellets-Heizung. Energiepreisentwicklung in Deutschland Die Preise für Energierohstoffe entwickeln sich im Laufe der Zeit ganz uneinheitlich.
In der nachfolgenden Grafik zeigen wir Ihnen den Verlauf der letzten 5 Jahre im Überblick. Im Durchschnitt liegen die Preise für Pellets ganz deutlich unter dem Niveau von Erdgas und Heizöl. Die clevere Lösung verwendet zusätzlich die in den Abgasen enthaltene Energie. Der Wasserdampf in der Abluft wird so weit abgekühlt, dass er kondensiert und die in ihm steckende Energie freigibt. Einmal mehr bestätigt HARGASSNER seine Vorreiterrolle für umweltfreundliches und energiesparendes Heizen. Miscanthus. Miscanthus, gemeinhin auch als Chinaschilf bezeichnet, ist ein ausdauerndes Gras, das ebenso wie Zuckerrohr und Hirse zur Familie der Süßgräser gehört.
Miscanthus stammt aus Ostasien und wurde 1935 zunächst als Zierpflanze nach Europa eingeführt. Miscanthus OppStock GbR - Ihr Lieferant für nachwachsenden Rohstoff. Auf der Internetseite der Miscanthus OppStock GbR.