Green Options » Research http://greenoptions.com/tag/research Posts tagged 'Research' Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:58:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Study: Bio-Based Plastics Could Viably Replace Nearly All Plastics http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/study-bio-based-plastics-could-viably-replace-nearly-all-plastics/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/study-bio-based-plastics-could-viably-replace-nearly-all-plastics/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:58:57 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/study-bio-based-plastics-could-viably-replace-nearly-all-plastics/

In many ways plastics are simply synthetic compounds that mimic and try to improve upon substances we find widespread in nature—polymers such as you might find in wood, leaves, seeds and fur. Bio-based plastics (those derived from biological sources other than fossil fuels) have been around for more than 100 years. In fact, celluloid, the first synthetic plastic ever made was invented in the mid 1800s, and—you guessed it—was bio-based.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/study-bio-based-plastics-could-viably-replace-nearly-all-plastics/feed/ $4 Million Goes to MIT from French Oil Company for Solar Energy Battery Project http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:02:21 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/
Total, a French oil company, recently agreed to give the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $4 million for a 5-year research project to develop stationary batteries that can more efficiently store solar energy.

More efficient energy storage has been a difficult issue for scientists to crack. It is a major issue preventing more widespread use of renewable energy, and solar energy in particular.

Is this project, one funded by a true oil giant, the one that will make it happen?

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/feed/ Research Findings Throw Some Doubt Into Theory of Peak Oil http://gas2.org/2009/11/04/research-findings-throw-some-doubt-into-theory-of-peak-oil/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/04/research-findings-throw-some-doubt-into-theory-of-peak-oil/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:46:34 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/11/04/research-findings-throw-some-doubt-into-theory-of-peak-oil/

In 1877 Russian scientist Dimitri Mendeelev suggested that the large deposits of oil and gas we find under the surface of the Earth could be made without the decay of long-dead organisms in a process called abiotic synthesis of methane.

Since then the theory has been relegated to the back shelf due to a lack of evidence and the prevailing conventional wisdom that all deep oil and gas deposits arise from decaying prehistoric animal and plant material.

While it’s no doubt that the decay of dead animals and plants is one pathway to the creation of Earth’s oil and natural gas deposits (potentially the largest), new research done with high-tech equipment simulating the conditions of deep earth suggests that Mendeelev’s theory is correct.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/04/research-findings-throw-some-doubt-into-theory-of-peak-oil/feed/ Robot Fish to Better Monitor Water Quality http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:32:10 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/
An ecologist and an engineer at Michigan State University are working together to create robot fish that can better monitor various factors in aquatic environments.

Combining the brilliance of nature with some top-notch engineering, these two scientists are on to something and getting the funding for it.

The researchers are breaking ground with this and looking to raise water monitoring to another level.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/feed/ $15 Billion Per Year Needed for Clean Energy R&D Says Growing Consensus of Innovation Supporters http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/01/15-billion-per-year-need-for-clean-energy-rd-says-growing-consensus-of-innovation-supporters/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/01/15-billion-per-year-need-for-clean-energy-rd-says-growing-consensus-of-innovation-supporters/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:36:28 +0000 Yael Borofsky http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/01/15-billion-per-year-need-for-clean-energy-rd-says-growing-consensus-of-innovation-supporters/ As the Senate version of pending climate legislations, Kerry-Boxer’s CEJAPA, heads for mark-up on Tuesday, voices calling for $15 billion annually for clean energy research and development are starting to gain traction. Earlier this week, Google’s Director of Climate Change and Energy, Dan Reicher joined the ranks of think tanks such as, Brookings Institution, Third Way, and the Breakthrough Institute, not to mention President Barack Obama, when he called on the Senate EPW committee to include this funding in the bill.

According to Reicher’s testimony (emphasis in original):

“Chairman Boxer, it is essential that Congress address this serious energy R&D short-fall by incorporating President Obama’s goal of $15 billion per year in federal energy R&D spending in final climate legislation.”

This testimony followed on the heals of a letter and discussion paper from the nation’s leading universities to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, emphasizing the need for a bottom line investment of $5 billion dollars annually in R&D, significantly more than would be allocated under both House and Senate version of climate and energy legislation.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/01/15-billion-per-year-need-for-clean-energy-rd-says-growing-consensus-of-innovation-supporters/feed/ Did Diet Coke Cause My Cancer? http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/31/did-diet-coke-cause-my-cancer/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/31/did-diet-coke-cause-my-cancer/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:27:12 +0000 Rhonda Winter http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/31/did-diet-coke-cause-my-cancer/ Recently I have been reading very disturbing research about how Diet Coke can possibly cause cancer and kill you. The artificial sweetener that is used in most diet beverages, aspartame, once ingested, becomes a lethal poison called methyl alcohol. Small quantities of this noxious substance can lead to blindness and death; even the most miniscule amounts of this aspartame toxin are strongly linked to cancer.
MaxineThis is an image of the cancerous tumor that was recently removed from my body.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/31/did-diet-coke-cause-my-cancer/feed/ Green: Mainstream, Sticky, but Not Deep http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/31/green-mainstream-sticky-but-not-deep/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/31/green-mainstream-sticky-but-not-deep/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:20:41 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/31/green-mainstream-sticky-but-not-deep/ What is the current state of the consumer on the issue of green products? Grail Research, which recently conducted a survey of 500 consumers on issues related to the purchase of green products, refers to green as mainstream and sticky, but not deep.

According to the study, “The Green Revolution” (September 2009),

  • 84% of consumers say that either some or most of the products they purchase are green (mainstream)
  • Only 1% say that they used to buy green products but no longer do (sticky)
  • Only 8% of consumers make green the primary factor in their purchase decisions (not deep)

The number one reason people are deterred from buying green products? They are perceived as being too expensive, with 69% of respondents giving this answer. Forty percent view green products as not offering enough variety and choice.

What is the difference between the moderately interested (light green consumers) and the very committed (dark green consumers)?

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/31/green-mainstream-sticky-but-not-deep/feed/ Japan Slaughters 59 Whales, Just One Short Of Maximum Allowed http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/19/japan-slaughters-59-whales-just-one-short-of-maximum-allowed/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/19/japan-slaughters-59-whales-just-one-short-of-maximum-allowed/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:00:39 +0000 Rhishja Larson http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/19/japan-slaughters-59-whales-just-one-short-of-maximum-allowed/ Whale meat for sale in Japan as a result of commercial whaling operations

Japan’s annual whaling expedition off the port city of Kushiro has resulted in the killing of 59 minke whales - just one whale short of the 60 allowed by international guidelines.

Under the cover of its so-called research program, Japan has slaughtered 59 minke whales - almost the maximum of 60 authorized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/19/japan-slaughters-59-whales-just-one-short-of-maximum-allowed/feed/ U.S. Senate Reinstates Funding for Hydrogen Car Research http://gas2.org/2009/10/19/us-senate-reinstates-funding-for-hydrogen-car-research/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/19/us-senate-reinstates-funding-for-hydrogen-car-research/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:49:30 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2009/10/19/us-senate-reinstates-funding-for-hydrogen-car-research/

In an unexpected U-turn, the U.S. Senate has agreed to continue to back research for the next generation of hydrogen cars - funding that the Obama administration had earlier proposed to cut.

The move came last Thursday as Senate members voted to commit $187 million to hydrogen research, almost as much as was promised before the indecision.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/19/us-senate-reinstates-funding-for-hydrogen-car-research/feed/ Interview with Jamie Wimberly, CEO EcoAlign, publisher of “Green Gap Redux: Green Words Gone Wrong” http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/10/16/interview-with-jamie-wimberley-ceo-ecoalign-publisher-of-green-gap-redux-green-words-gone-wrong/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/10/16/interview-with-jamie-wimberley-ceo-ecoalign-publisher-of-green-gap-redux-green-words-gone-wrong/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:37:26 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/10/16/interview-with-jamie-wimberley-ceo-ecoalign-publisher-of-green-gap-redux-green-words-gone-wrong/ All this talk about going green, do we really know what exactly it means?  Companies invest millions in trying to segment the green market. There’s the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report.  The Roper Green Gauge. The Landor ImagePower Green Brands Survey.  And on and on..(..so many segments, so little time!) Maybe more importantly: When we talk about green are we talking about the same thing?  Apparently not.

This week I spoke with Jamie Wimberly whose firm, EcoAlign, just came out with a report called “Green Gap Redux: Green Words Gone Wrong”. Wimberly is CEO of Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), a company in the clean tech space that includes EcoAlign. Jamie has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and environment space, previously having served as the Vice President of the Consumer Energy Council of America (CECA), the President of the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets (CAEM) and a Director on Boards of technology companies. He is a published author, frequent speaker and the Executive Producer of the award-winning Day In The Life Of (DILO) video.

Q: Hi Jamie.  Before we talk about the “Green Gap Redux” report, can you talk about how your focus on energy makes EcoAlign different from other green marketing agencies?
A. I was attracted to the energy sector because it impacts so many of the big issues of our day, including the environment, and is integral to modern society in all aspects.  The relationship between energy and environment is a symbiotic one, meaning that we won’t be able to clean up our environment and manage climate change without a transformation on how we produce, deliver and consume energy.  Our deep expertise in energy (the partners alone have over 50 years of collective experience in the sector) means that we can go beyond your usual agency engagement and truly discuss all aspects of strategy – operational, financial, marketing, etc.  As such, we are able to elevate the discussion of such things as messaging/ communications, product development, customer engagement, campaign design, channels and metrics, and other marketing-related activities to the C-level suite of our clients.  Finally, I would note that “sustainability” is evolving into a complete management model.  For that transition to be effective, you need to have a lot of skill sets and a strategic perspective that only comes from a deep understanding of all the moving pieces of a company. The end goal is for sustainability to become a business and economic driver to enhance profitably.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/10/16/interview-with-jamie-wimberley-ceo-ecoalign-publisher-of-green-gap-redux-green-words-gone-wrong/feed/ Practical, Multi-University Low Carbon Technology Center http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/14/practical-multi-university-low-carbon-technology-center/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/14/practical-multi-university-low-carbon-technology-center/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:58:27 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/14/practical-multi-university-low-carbon-technology-center/

Looking to create products for the real world as soon as possible, a new research center in the UK is aiming to speed up the development and installment of a variety of low carbon technologies to ensure a greener future for us all.

This new £50 million ($80 million) center hopes to do this through more coordinated and focused efforts from four universities and a regional development agency. The four universities that have teamed up are Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and Yorkshire, and they are working with the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward. The name of the new center is Centre for Low Carbon Futures (CLCF).

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/14/practical-multi-university-low-carbon-technology-center/feed/ “Mystery” Ceramic Could Lead to Cheaper, Stronger Hydrogen Fuel Cells http://gas2.org/2009/10/12/mystery-ceramic-could-lead-to-cheaper-stronger-solid-oxide-hydrogen-fuel-cell/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/12/mystery-ceramic-could-lead-to-cheaper-stronger-solid-oxide-hydrogen-fuel-cell/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:40:21 +0000 Tina Casey http://gas2.org/2009/10/12/mystery-ceramic-could-lead-to-cheaper-stronger-solid-oxide-hydrogen-fuel-cell/ A new ceramic material called Barium-Zirconium-Cerium-Yttrium-Ytterbium Oxide (BZCYYb) could lead to more efficient, lower cost fuel cells.

They don’t know how it works, but it does.

A team of researchers at Georgia Tech has developed a new high-tech ceramic material that could make solid oxide fuel cells less costly and less finicky, and much more durable and efficient. The material is called Barium-Zirconium-Cerium-Yttrium-Ytterbuim Oxide. [Ed note: Say that three times fast and you get a gold star.] I don’t know if it’s any less of a tongue twister, but it’s known as BZCYYb for short.

Solid oxide fuel cells are of interest because they can generate energy without the need for an expensive catalyst such as platinum, which is typically used in hydrogen fuel cells. While nanotechnology is enabling the development of hydrogen fuel cells that use less platinum, with BZCYYb the prospects look good for ditching the precious metal entirely in favor of more sustainable technology—if solid oxide systems can be developed in a commercially viable form, that is.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/12/mystery-ceramic-could-lead-to-cheaper-stronger-solid-oxide-hydrogen-fuel-cell/feed/ New Nickel-Lithium Battery Has “Ultrahigh” Energy Storage Capacity http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/new-nickel-lithium-battery-has-ultrahigh-energy-storage-capacity/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/new-nickel-lithium-battery-has-ultrahigh-energy-storage-capacity/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:38:23 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/new-nickel-lithium-battery-has-ultrahigh-energy-storage-capacity/ Researchers have found a way to create a battery out of Nickel and Lithium that can store more than 3.5 times the energy of lithium-ion batteries and are much safer to boot.

Lithium-ion batteries are great and all—having heralded in a new age of portable electronics and allowed for the possibility of mass-market electric cars—but they have a few major drawbacks. For instance, they have a propensity to catch fire and explode and, although they have a much better energy storage capacity than say lead-acid or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, they still weigh too much to pack more than a couple hundred miles of range into a passenger car.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/new-nickel-lithium-battery-has-ultrahigh-energy-storage-capacity/feed/ Scientists Researching How Plants Can Make Petroleum http://gas2.org/2009/10/02/scientists-researching-how-plants-can-make-petroleum/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/02/scientists-researching-how-plants-can-make-petroleum/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:19:07 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/10/02/scientists-researching-how-plants-can-make-petroleum/

As part of a National Science Foundation grant program to examine cutting edge ways to make nature work for us, a team of scientists at Iowa State University have been awarded $2 million to unravel how some plants and algae can make hydrocarbons and discover if the genes that govern that process might be isolated.

“These plants are capturing solar energy and creating something that’s chemically identical to petroleum,” said Jackie Shanks, Iowa State’s Manley R. Hoppe Professor of Chemical Engineering, in a statement.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/02/scientists-researching-how-plants-can-make-petroleum/feed/ Update: Breakthrough Biodiesel Process Now Running At Commercial Scale http://gas2.org/2009/09/30/update-breakthrough-biodiesel-process-now-running-at-commercial-scale/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/30/update-breakthrough-biodiesel-process-now-running-at-commercial-scale/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:09:26 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/09/30/update-breakthrough-biodiesel-process-now-running-at-commercial-scale/

Just about this time last year I reported on the very promising and innovative Mcgyan® biodiesel process. It was one of the most popular stories gas 2.0 ran that year, and rightly so: the breakthrough seemed to deliver the possibility of making biodiesel in mere seconds from start to finish, reducing costs by half the price of other biodiesel, producing no waste, using no chemical reactants, and using any animal fat or vegetable oil as a feedstock.

At the time the company in charge of the project, Ever Cat fuels, had only succeeded at making a small-scale pilot operation of 50,000 gallons per year. But, as of 2 days ago, the process has been completely commercialized.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/09/30/update-breakthrough-biodiesel-process-now-running-at-commercial-scale/feed/ Scientists Use Weed Killer to Make Cheap Sugar-Based Fuel Cell http://gas2.org/2009/09/29/scientists-use-weed-killer-to-make-cheap-sugar-based-fuel-cell/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/29/scientists-use-weed-killer-to-make-cheap-sugar-based-fuel-cell/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:13:33 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/09/29/scientists-use-weed-killer-to-make-cheap-sugar-based-fuel-cell/

This is one of those topics I’m just not sure what to think of…

When the average person hears the term fuel cell, typically what comes to mind is something that mysteriously makes electricity from hydrogen. In reality the process isn’t all that mysterious—basically the hydrogen is split into its component parts (electrons and protons) and the protons are allowed to flow through the cell, but the electrons are forced to travel another path, which creates the current (and charges the battery or runs the motors or turns on the lights).

Although the hydrogen fuel cell is the most common type of cell, you can make fuel cells that use many different things, including hydrocarbons and sugars. They all work on the same basic principal, but hydrogen fuel cells are considered superior because their only emission is water vapor and they produce lots of energy.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/09/29/scientists-use-weed-killer-to-make-cheap-sugar-based-fuel-cell/feed/ Biofuel to be Made from Tuberculosis Bacteria http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/28/biofuel-to-be-made-from-tuberculosis-bacteria/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/28/biofuel-to-be-made-from-tuberculosis-bacteria/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:01:23 +0000 Bryan Nelson http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/28/biofuel-to-be-made-from-tuberculosis-bacteria/ researcher examines biofuel-producing microbes

A team of researchers at MIT are engineering a strain of bacteria, which is similar to the type that causes tuberculosis, to produce biofuel.

The researchers say that the bacteria are useful because they are hungry for a number of sugars and toxic compounds and produce lipids that can be converted to biodiesel.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/28/biofuel-to-be-made-from-tuberculosis-bacteria/feed/ Green Economy = More Jobs http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/25/green-economy-more-jobs/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/25/green-economy-more-jobs/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:21:53 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/25/green-economy-more-jobs/

A new report released today says that if we shift our economy — to a greener, low-carbon economy — we will have more jobs, not fewer.

Earlier this week, Tony Blair (former prime minister of the UK) and the Climate Group reported that if we worked to avoid climate change we’d create 10 million new jobs by 2020 — worldwide. Another recent study by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council says that such a shift could increase employment in the EU by 2.7 million jobs by 2030.

One more report, released today by the Global Climate Network (an alliance of nine influential think tanks) comes to similar conclusions.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/25/green-economy-more-jobs/feed/ The Average Age of an Entrepreneur is Older than You Might Think http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/21/the-average-age-of-an-entrepreneur-is-older-than-you-might-think/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/21/the-average-age-of-an-entrepreneur-is-older-than-you-might-think/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:59:34 +0000 Leah Edwards http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/21/the-average-age-of-an-entrepreneur-is-older-than-you-might-think/ How old is too old to be an entrepreneur? The stereotype that people take fewer risks as they age does not bear out in a report by the entrepreneur-supporting Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Titled “THE COMING ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOM“, the report shows that the average age of entrepreneurs is higher than many would expect.

Kauffman Foundation

“It turns out that over the past decade or so, the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity belongs to the 55-64 age group. The 20-34 age bracket, meanwhile, which we usually identify with swashbuckling and risk-taking youth (think Facebook and Google), has the lowest rate.”

Since the U.S. population is aging quickly, the number of people 55 and older is increasing dramatically. Because of increasing (healthy, productive) life expectancies and a decline in lifetime employment by large companies, the Kauffman Foundation is expecting that we’re “on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom”. Download the fairly brief “pdf” of the report.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/21/the-average-age-of-an-entrepreneur-is-older-than-you-might-think/feed/ Student-Built, Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Boat to Set Sail on Hudson River http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:14:40 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/ Welcome to another episode of “If college students can do it, why can’t the rest of the world figure it out too?”

An enterprising and organized group of undergraduate and graduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have fitted an old sail boat with a spiffy set of hydrogen fuel cells and plan to run the boat from Manhattan to upstate New York later this month in a “green power” tour of sorts.

I love it when college students do this kind of stuff. Seriously. If I could have stayed in college forever, I would have. Believe me, I tried.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/feed/