Energy and Resources News

December 30, 2024

Top Headlines

Taking a Cue from Lightning, Eco-Friendly Reactor Converts Air and Water Into Ammonia

Dec. 19, 2024 — Taking inspiration from how nature --including lightning -- produces ammonia, a team has developed a reactor that produces the chemical commodity from nitrogen in the air and water, without any ...

'Capture the Oxygen!' The Key to Extending Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Battery Life

Dec. 25, 2024 — A research team develops manganese-based cathodes with longer lifespan by suppressing oxygen ...

Step Forward in Generating Solar-Powered Hydrogen

Dec. 17, 2024 — Another advance has been made by experts in nano-scale chemistry to propel further development of sustainable and efficient generation of hydrogen from water using solar power. Experts have now identified a novel solar cell process to potentially ...

Geothermal Aquifers Offer Green Potential but Quality Checks Required

Dec. 20, 2024 — A research team has revealed that to use the aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system safely over the long term it is crucial to investigate the groundwater quality before operating the system and to continuously monitor the water ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:06am EST

Breathing New Life Into Technology: New Way of Separating Oxygen from Argon

Dec. 19, 2024 — Combining the adsorption properties of solids with the dissolution capabilities of liquids, researchers have created a versatile and efficient material for improving oxygen separation in gases. In ...

Generate Electricity by Attaching Device to Your Clothes

Dec. 16, 2024 — A research team has developed a highly efficient wearable energy harvester that can power electronic devices using only body ...

Breakthrough in Photochemical Water Oxidation: Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy

Dec. 18, 2024 — Water oxidation offers a promising path to achieve sustainable energy by efficiently generating oxygen. This study investigates how optimizing Ru(II) ...

Significant Advancement Made in Engineering Biology and Clean Energy

Dec. 17, 2024 — Engineers have reported a significant advancement in engineering biology and clean energy. A team of researchers has developed an innovative light-driven hybrid nanoreactor that merges natural ...

Training Solar Panels to Dance With the Wind

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers propose a unique numerical decision-making framework for solar panel protection against extreme weather conditions. The framework combines advanced wind simulations with machine learning ...

Electric Vehicle Transition Could Create Unwanted Air Pollution Hotspots in China and India

Dec. 16, 2024 — New research has uncovered a potential unintended consequence of the electric vehicle transition in India and China, finding that sulfur dioxide ...

It's Worth Mixing It Up: What Combination of Policies Will Lead to a Clean Energy Future?

Dec. 16, 2024 — How can we ensure that as many households as possible adopt not only solar panels, but also their own battery to store solar energy, a heat pump, and ...

New Concept for Sustainable Fuel Cell Polymer Electrolytes Overcomes Barriers in High-Temperature, Low-Humidity Use, Advancing Net-Zero Carbon Goals

Dec. 10, 2024 — A research group has developed a new design for the electrolytes used in fuel cells. The material complies with environmental regulations and ...

New Device Produces Critical Fertilizer Ingredient from Thin Air, Cutting Carbon Emissions

Dec. 13, 2024 — A new prototype device demonstrates an innovative approach to producing ammonia -- a key component of fertilizer -- that could transform an industry ...

New Research Provides an Improved Understanding of Earthquake Hazards in the Permian Basin

Dec. 2, 2024 — A new collection of published papers offers the most detailed and comprehensive breakdown yet of how water injected into the Permian Basin during oil ...

Paving the Way for the Future of Energy Storage With Solid-State Batteries

Dec. 20, 2024 — Advances in solid-state battery research are paving the way for safer, longer-lasting energy storage solutions. A recent review highlights breakthroughs in inorganic solid electrolytes and their role ...

Study Urges Canada to Build Solar Power Mega-Projects

Dec. 11, 2024 — Canada should focus on building mass utility-scale solar mega-projects to kickstart its green energy transition, according to a new report. The recommendation comes from a new article which looks at ...

Researchers Harness Copper Versatility to Enable Control of CO2 Reduction Products

Dec. 11, 2024 — Just like we recycle waste, repurposing excess CO2 from the atmosphere could be one way to abate the worsening climate crisis. In electrochemical reduction, CO2 is converted into industrial products ...

A Greener, Cleaner Way to Extract Cobalt from 'Junk' Materials

Dec. 10, 2024 — As the demand for lithium-ion batteries escalates with the proliferation of mobile phone, electric vehicles and even pacemakers, key components in these powerhouses, like cobalt, face significant ...

Less Is More: Why an Economical Iridium Catalyst Works So Well

Dec. 6, 2024 — Iridium-based catalysts are needed to produce hydrogen using water electrolysis. Now, a team has shown that the newly developed P2X catalyst, which requires only a quarter of the Iridium, is as ...

From Chip Shop to Pit Stop -- Scientists Make Old Cooking Oil Biofuel as Efficient as Diesel

Dec. 6, 2024 — A new way to produce fuels made from leftover fat can create biofuel as effective as diesel and 1000-times more efficiently than current methods a new study has ...

So You Want to Build a Solar or Wind Farm? Here's How to Decide Where

Dec. 6, 2024 — A new study shows the benefits of coordinating the siting of solar farms, wind farms, and storage systems, taking into account local and temporal variations in wind, sunlight, and energy demand. This ...

X-Ray Vision: Seeing Through the Mystery of an X-Ray Emissions Mechanism

Dec. 4, 2024 — Since the 1960s, scientists who study X-rays, lightning and similar phenomena have observed something curious: In lab experiments replicating these occurrences, electrons accelerated between two ...

A Catalyst Can Turn Methane Into Something Useful

Dec. 4, 2024 — Chemical engineers designed a catalyst that can convert methane into useful polymers, which could help reduce greenhouse gas ...

Artificial Photosynthesis Learned from Nature: Successfully Developed New Solar Hydrogen Production Technology

Dec. 2, 2024 — Scientists developed next-generation energy technology to produce eco-friendly hydrogen from ingredients in ...

Improved Catalyst Turns Harmful Greenhouse Gases Into Cleaner Fuels, Chemical Feedstocks

Nov. 26, 2024 — A chemical reaction can convert two polluting greenhouse gases into valuable building blocks for cleaner fuels and feedstocks, but the high temperature required for the reaction also deactivates the ...

Engineered Additive Makes Low-Cost Renewable Energy Storage a Possibility

Nov. 22, 2024 — As part of an effort to overcome the long-term energy-storage challenge, engineers have invented a water-soluble chemical additive that improves the performance of a type of electrochemical storage ...

Nano-Patterned Copper Oxide Sensor for Ultra-Low Hydrogen Detection

Nov. 22, 2024 — A novel hydrogen sensor offers a promising solution for real-time hydrogen leak detection, addressing safety concerns in industrial applications. This sensor, made with nano-patterned cupric-oxide ...

Quantum-Inspired Design Boosts Efficiency of Heat-to-Electricity Conversion

Nov. 21, 2024 — Researchers have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic systems, which convert heat into electricity via light. Engineers designed a thermal emitter that can deliver high ...

Turning Carbon Emissions Into Methane Fuel

Nov. 20, 2024 — Chemists have developed a novel way to capture and convert carbon dioxide into methane, suggesting that future gas emissions could be converted into an alternative fuel using electricity from ...

Tapping Excess Heat from a Camp Stove for Charging Power

Nov. 20, 2024 — New research may make it possible to keep electronic devices powered with another piece of equipment you're likely to bring with you while exploring the great outdoors: camping stoves. The work ...

Perovskite Research Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency and Product Life

Nov. 19, 2024 — An international team has identified a strategy to improve both the performance and stability for solar cells made out of the 'miracle material' perovskite by mitigating a previously hidden ...

Battery Research With X-Ray Microscope

Nov. 19, 2024 — New cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. ...

Modeling and Analysis Reveals Technological, Environmental Challenges to Increasing Water Recovery from Desalination

Nov. 18, 2024 — Using zero liquid discharge to increase water recovery from desalination is an emerging method to combat water scarcity, but is expensive, energy-intensive and comes with environmental risks. ...

Recycling Batteries With Citric Acid

Nov. 15, 2024 — A simple, highly efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly process could provide a viable pathway for the sustainable recycling of depleted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): No chemicals ...