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Categories: Energy: Fossil Fuels, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published First sentence ever written in Canaanite language discovered: Plea to eradicate beard lice
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have unearthed an ivory comb from 1700 BCE inscribed with a plea to eradicate lice. The finding provides direct evidence for the use of the Canaanite alphabet in daily activities some 3700 years ago.
Published Earth's oldest stromatolites and the search for life on Mars
(via sciencedaily.com) The earliest morphological traces of life on Earth are often highly controversial, both because non-biological processes can produce relatively similar structures and because such fossils have often been subjected to advanced alteration and metamorphism. Stromatolites, layered organo-sedimentary structures reflecting complex interplays between microbial communities and their environment, have long been considered key macrofossils for life detection in ancient sedimentary rocks; however, the biological origin of ancient stromatolites has frequently been criticized.
Published This simple material could scrub carbon dioxide from power plant smokestacks
(via sciencedaily.com) A simple material can separate carbon dioxide from other gases that fly out of the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. It lacks the shortcomings that other proposed carbon filtration materials have, rivaling designer compounds in its simplicity, overall stability and ease of preparation.
Published A stone age child buried with bird feathers, plant fibers and fur
(via sciencedaily.com) Archaeological researchers have identified human remains as a child, who may have been laid on a bed of down in a Stone Age burial site discovered in Eastern Finland. There may also have been a canid at the child's feet. It reveals interesting details of how Stone Age humans buried their dead about 8000 years ago.
Published 500 million year-old fossils reveal answer to evolutionary riddle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An exceptionally well-preserved collection of fossils discovered in eastern Yunnan Province, China, has enabled scientists to solve a centuries-old riddle in the evolution of life on earth, revealing what the first animals to make skeletons looked like.
Published Revolutionary technique to generate hydrogen more efficiently from water
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have made a serendipitous scientific discovery that could potentially revolutionize the way water is broken down to release hydrogen gas -- an element crucial to many industrial processes. The team found that light can trigger a new mechanism in a catalytic material used extensively in water electrolysis, where water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The result is a more energy-efficient method of obtaining hydrogen.
Published Game changers in fighting climate change: Refuels are suitable for everyday use
(via sciencedaily.com) Synthetic fuels produced from renewable sources, so-called refuels, are deemed potential game changers in fighting climate change. Refuels promise to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional fuels and they allow for the continued use of existing vehicle fleets with combustion engines and of the refueling infrastructure, from fuel production to transport to sales. Researchers carried out extensive fleet tests in a large-scale project with industry partners and proved that refuels can be used in all vehicles and produced in large quantities in the foreseeable future.
Published Europe can rapidly eliminate imports of Russian natural gas
(via sciencedaily.com) Using a new power sector model, a team of researchers has proposed a method for Europe to eliminate natural gas imports from Russia.
Published Why some countries are leading the shift to green energy
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study identifies the political factors that allow some countries to lead in adopting cleaner sources of energy while others lag behind. By analyzing how different countries responded to the current energy crisis and to the oil crisis of the 1970s, the study reveals how the structure of political institutions can help or hinder the shift to clean energy. The findings offer important lessons as governments race to limit the impacts of climate change.
Published Process converts polyethylene bags, plastics to polymer building blocks
(via sciencedaily.com) Polyethylene plastics -- single-use bags and general-purpose bottles -- are indestructable forever plastics. That also makes them hard to recycle. Chemists have found a way to break down the polymer -- a chain of about a thousand ethylene molecules -- into three-carbon molecules, propylene, which are in high demand for making another plastic, polypropylene. The process could turn waste plastic into high-value feedstocks and reduce the need for fossil fuels to make propylene.
Published Scientists improve process for turning hard-to-recycle plastic waste into fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Turning plastic waste into useful products through chemical recycling is one strategy for addressing Earth's growing plastic pollution problem. A new study may improve the ability of one method, called pyrolysis, to process hard-to-recycle mixed plastics -- like multilayer food packaging -- and generate fuel as a byproduct, the scientists said.
Published Catalytic process with lignin could enable 100% sustainable aviation fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) An underutilized natural resource could be just what the airline industry needs to curb carbon emissions. Researchers report success in using lignin as a path toward a drop-in 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Lignin makes up the rigid parts of the cell walls of plants. Other parts of plants are used for biofuels, but lignin has been largely overlooked because of the difficulties in breaking it down chemically and converting it into useful products.
Published Rooftop solar cells can be a boon for water conservation too
(via sciencedaily.com) Electricity-generating rooftop solar cells not only save on planet-warming carbon emissions, they also save a significant amount of water. Water consumption is tightly bound to energy use, because without water we cannot mine, drill, frack, or cool thermoelectric and nuclear plants. A given household may save on average 16,200 gallons of water per year by installing rooftop solar.
Published New laser-based instrument designed to boost hydrogen research
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed an analytical instrument that uses an ultrafast laser for precise temperature and concentration measurements of hydrogen. Researchers describe a new coherent Raman spectroscopy instrument, made possible due to a setup that converts broadband light from a laser with short (femtosecond) pulses into extremely short supercontinuum pulses, which contain a wide range of wavelengths. Their new approach could help advance the study of greener hydrogen-based fuels for use in spacecraft and airplanes.
Published Sulfur shortage: A potential resource crisis looming as the world decarbonizes
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study highlights that global demand for sulfuric acid is set to rise significantly from '246 to 400 million tons' by 2040 -- a result of more intensive agriculture and the world moving away from fossil fuels. A projected shortage of sulfuric acid, a crucial chemical in our modern industrial society, could stifle green technology advancement and threaten global food security, according to a new study.
Published Local renewable energy employment can fully replace U.S. coal jobs nationwide, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Across the United States, local wind and solar jobs can fully replace the coal-plant jobs that will be lost as the nation's power-generation system moves away from fossil fuels in the coming decades, according to a new study.
Published Just 10 financial actors hold the key to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) A new report has identified the 10 financial actors with the most influence on the fossil fuel economy and outlines the decisive role they can play in helping de-carbonize our future.
Published All-in-one solar-powered tower makes carbon-neutral jet fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have designed a fuel production system that uses water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and sunlight to produce aviation fuel. They have implemented the system in the field, and the design could help the aviation industry become carbon neutral.
Published Fuel cells: Novel multi-proton carrier complex as efficient proton conductor at high temps
(via sciencedaily.com) Fuel cells often fall short when it comes to operating at temperatures beyond 100 degrees Celsius owing to their dependence on water as a proton conduction medium. To overcome this issue, a team of researchers designed a new hydrogen-bonded starburst-shaped metal complex consisting of ruthenium (III) ion and six imidazole-imidazolate groups. The resulting single molecular crystal shows excellent proton conductivity even at temperatures as high as 180°C and as low as --70 °C.
Published Electric vehicles pass the remote road test
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study, which demonstrates that even the most rural areas of Australia are feasible for electric vehicles, provides new hope for how the technology could be spread around the most secluded locations in other parts of the world. The study found the vast majority of residents, or 93 per cent, could travel to essential services with even the lower-range of electric vehicles currently available on the Australian market, without needing to recharge en route.