Search Results - energy

28 Results Sort By:

Natural mineral tetrahedrite as a direct source of thermoelectric materials

Thermoelectric (TE) materials make possible the direct conversion of waste heat into electricity, potentially improving energy efficiency or providing an alternative energy source. TE materials experience the thermoelectric effect, whereby voltage is generated when there is a temperature gradient within the material. Since 1995, advances in engineering...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Xu Lu, Donald Morelli
Keywords(s):   Category(s): Energy, Electrical, Materials

TEC2013-0040: Method to Increase Calorific Content and Enhanced Nutritional Value of Plant Biomass for the Production of Fuel and Feed

Background Production of alternative fuels such as biodiesel is on the rise around the world and in the U.S. due to a strong and growing desire to reduce dependency on petroleum-derived diesel fuel. The acceptance of biodiesel has been slowed due to its higher cost relative to petroleum-derived diesel. The higher cost of biodiesel is directly related...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Christoph Benning, Sanjaya Sanjaya, Rachel Miller
Keywords(s):   Category(s): Agriculture, Biotechnology, Energy

TEC2013-0007: Use of plants with increased level of highly methylesterified homogalacturonan for improving digestibility of plant biomasses.

Background Production of fuels and value-added chemicals from plant biomass often requires pretreatment of the biomass. Pretreatment increases the capital equipment needs and costs of the final product. Additionally, the use of seeds as a feedstock has been controversial, with some claiming that use of seeds for chemical production is increasing the...
Published: 7/30/2014   |   Inventor(s): Federica Brandizzi, Curtis Wilkerson, SanG-Jin Kim, Michael Held, Jonathan Walton, Dina Jabbour
Keywords(s): Agriculture Biotechnology, Animal Feed Additives, Biomass, Biomass Ethanol, Plant Biotechnology Category(s): Agriculture, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Energy

110105: Transformer-less Unified Power Flow Controller

The ability to store and shift electrical power over time is becoming more important as economies increasingly adopt renewable power sources. Meshed AC power grids have limited controllability and cannot effectively handle congestion of key transmission lines during sporadic peaks and valleys of input power, such as that produced by solar and wind sources....
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Fang Peng
Keywords(s): Power Converter Category(s): Electrical, Energy

110073: Synthesis and Processing of Cubic LiLaZrO for Use in Lithium Ion Batteries and Fuel Cells

Lithium ion batteries are used in a wide variety of consumer goods such as cell phones, mp3 players, and digital cameras. These products are becoming increasingly smaller, requiring a smaller battery. Although lithium-based batteries provide superior energy densities over other battery types, lithium is high reactive with water. To safeguard against...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Jeffrey Sakamoto, Hyunjoong Kim, Yunsung Kim, Ryan Maloney, Ezhiyl Rangazamy
Keywords(s): Lithium air battery, Lithium Batteries, Semi-fuel battery Category(s): Chemicals, Electrical, Energy

110036: Reactor for Incompatible Gases

Microorganisms that produce biofuels may be used to produce a wide array of gasoline alternatives. Higher alcohols, like isobutanol, are good candidates for alternative fuels because their energy density and octane value are similar to gasoline. Isobutanol has a high octane rating, is oxygenated, non-hygroscopic, and non-corrosive. The autotrophic...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Robert Worden, Yangmu "chloe" Liu
Keywords(s): Gas Reactor, Isobutanol Category(s): Chemicals, Energy

110029: Algae Transcription Factors That Increase Oil Production

In recent years, the interest in alternative fuel has grown rapidly. There are many different alternatives on the market, from corn oil to algae. The largest advantages of algae biofuel are that it is a renewable source of energy and that algae may be grown autotrophically using energy from the sun. Autotrophic growth helps reduce or avoid the...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Christoph Benning
Keywords(s): Algae, Biofuel, Biotechnology, Transcription Category(s): Biotechnology, Energy

110010: Improved Method for Producing Acetoxypropanoic Acid (APA)

The increasing awareness of biodegradability and sustainability by customers creates opportunities for the biorenewable chemical industry. Biorenewable chemicals are expected to have a 25 percent share in the chemical industry (excluding fine chemicals) by the end of 2030. Description Michigan State University’s invention uses lactic acid, a...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Aspi Kolah, Lars Peereboom, Carl Lira, Dennis Miller, Mike Lilga, Karl Albrecht
Keywords(s): Acids, Acrylics, APA Formation, Reactive Distillation Category(s): Biotechnology, Energy

100031: Microbial Fuel Cells for Efficient Bioenergy Conversion

Microbial fuel cells (MFC), or electrochemical or biological cells, are used to convert biomass material into liquid fuel and ultimately into electricity. They convert chemical energy into electrical energy through the catalytic reaction of micro-organisms. This process occurs in nature, and researchers have had difficulty effectively and efficiently...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): Gemma Reguera, Allison Speers, Jenna Young
Keywords(s): Bioelectricity, Biomass Ethanol, Bioreactor Category(s): Biotechnology, Energy

090131: Utility Promoters for Biomass Feedstock Biotechnology

Genetic optimization of biomass is necessary to improve the rates and final yields of sugar release from woody biomass. Areas that would benefit from genetic optimization include growth rate, environmental stress tolerance, yields of easily fermentable polysaccharides, total lignin content, lowering biomass recalcitrance to fermentation, and wood...
Published: 7/21/2014   |   Inventor(s): KyunG-Hwan Han, JaE-Heung Ko
Keywords(s): Biofuel, Biomass, Ethanol, Feedstock, Lignocellulose Category(s): Biotechnology, Chemicals, Energy
1 2 3