Wireless sensing technology provides an unprecedented ability to monitor the physical environment by using a network of cheap sensor nodes. Current approaches to extracting information from a wireless...
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Ethanol obtained from the fermentation of grains and sugars is being blended with gasoline to bolster dwindling petroleum supplies. The alcohol increases combustion efficiency and octane value, and ca...
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In 2008, coal-fired power plants generated 49 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S., more than twice that of any other energy resource. Coal is an important fossil fuel because world coal r...
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Beyond its fuel potential, biomass is poised to supplant nonrenewable sources in the production of important building block chemicals. One such intermediary is 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a primary...
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Sorbic acid has been used extensively as a preservative in a vast array of food. The benefits of sorbates as food preservatives are two-fold: sorbates inhibit a wide spectrum of bacteria, yeasts and m...
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Efficient fermentation of cellulosic feedstocks is an essential step in the production of biofuel from plant materials. Glucose and xylose are the two most abundant monomeric carbohydrates found in he...
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The desire to store renewable energy such as solar or wind energy in the form of hydrogen gas, which could substitute for non-renewable fossil fuels, is driving the development of effective water oxid...
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Significant research is conducted to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of energy generated by renewable resources. Existing photovoltaic cells and conventional photoelectrochemical cells conv...
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Increasing crude oil prices and concerns with sustainability have led to a growing interest in producing chemicals and fuels from renewable sources. A major focus for the replacement of petroleum feed...
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Thermodynamically, a specific voltage is required to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. In practice, the actual potential required to oxidize water is greater than the thermodynamic potential. The ...
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The finite nature of fossil fuels along with rising oil prices has prompted a need for alternative fuel sources. One alternative involves the conversion of biomass materials into biofuel. But current ...
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Lignin is a complex, heterogeneous polymer found in all vascular plants. It rigidifies plants and plays a crucial role in water transport. However, lignins are effectively indigestible and interfere...
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New, renewable sources of transportation fuel and commodity chemicals are needed to meet continuing demand. Biomass has tremendous potential as a renewable resource for the production of fuels and che...
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New, renewable sources of transportation fuel and commodity chemicals are needed to meet continuing demand. Biomass has tremendous potential as a renewable resource for the production of fuels and che...
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Solar power is a renewable energy resource that has generated a lot of interest as an alternative to fossil fuels. Unfortunately, solar photovoltaic panels historically have been proven inefficient in...
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Ethanol production from cellulosic biomass can make a significant contribution toward decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels.  However, the fermentation of biomass can be problematic.  On...
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Lignocellulosic biomass is a plant biomass that is made up of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, and is an ideal raw material for use in biofuel production. The premier lignocellulosic biomass crop...
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Developing batteries with improved performance and safety requires considering a variety of factors. Optimal batteries should provide high voltage, storage of substantial amounts of energy, reliable a...
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Biofuels produced from biomass provide a promising alternative to fossil fuels.  Biomass is an inexpensive, readily available and renewable resource.  However, the process of converting biom...
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Detecting chemical and biological agents at low levels is important in military applications, drug enforcement, airport security and environmental monitoring.  A variety of devices and methods cu...
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Rectifiers are devices that convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). The simplest and least expensive type of rectifier uses a full- or half-bridge of diodes to convert single- or th...
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Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal diseases caused by a misfolded form of the prion protein.  TSEs include sheep scrapie; bovine spongiform encephalopathy, know...
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Distributed energy resources (DER) are small power generators that are typically located at customer sites where the energy they generate is used. Small DER produce low emissions, can be manufactured ...
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Current changes in global climate, land use and other human activities, such as the increased use of pesticides, can have a negative impact on the well being of animals.
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Processes that store renewable energy such as wind or solar energy as chemical fuels have the potential to provide a substitute for fossil fuels and ease civilization’s reliance on non-renewable...
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