gas

A new source for ethanol: Coal

Ethanol from coal? If it works, it could solve three major problems for the energy industry.

Researchers at Louisiana State University, along with colleagues from Clemson University and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, are trying to develop catalysts and processes that would allow energy companies to convert coal into a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and then convert those gases into ethanol.

The ethanol could then be used as a liquid fuel additive or, alternatively, shipped as a liquid and then be converted into hydrogen for hydrogen fuel cells, said LSU's James Spivey, who is heading up the project. … Read more

Renewables are the New Oil in at Least One Middle Eastern Oil Nation

Last year the government of Abu Dhabi made a splash in energy investment circles by anchoring a cleantech fund:

As described on News.com just two months ago:

"One of the more ambitious related projects in the Mideast is Masdar, a $250 million clean-tech investment fund unfurled last year. The government of Abu Dhabi (through Abu Dhabi Future Energy) has put $100 million into Masdar, while Credit Suisse and the Consensus Business Group have put in $100 million and $50 million, respectively. Masdar, which means "source" in Arabic, also plans to set up a think tank with … Read more

U.S. energy bills at a 20-year high

You're not the only one paying more of your paycheck to energy bills.

Energy bills as a percentage of income in the U.S. are at their highest point since 1987, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor. Overall, they are still below the levels seen in the 70s and early 870s, but energy bills in some low income households is approaching 10 percent.

Polls show Americans believe energy prices will continue to rise.

"If it rises much more, it will become a significant problem, particularly for lower-income households," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody'… Read more

GasApp (iPhone App)

With today's skyrocketing gas prices, it certainly helps to know where to find the cheapest gas station in your area. With GasApp on your iPhone, simply punch in a ZIP code and you'll get a list of gas stations in the area and their gas prices per gallon. There's even a map graphic you can touch to find the best way there.

iPhone link: http://www.gasapp.com/new.html

Web site link: http://www.gasapp.com/

China is No. 1 again, this time in CO2 emissions

China is now No. 1. Not just in population. Nor just in economic growth among major nations. Not just in construction cranes or the building of coal-burning power plants. It's now the reigning champ of CO2 emissions. Despite the best efforts of numerous American utility companies and widespread use of air conditioning, SUVs and our own splurge in coal-burning, the United States has sunk to No. 2 in the CO2 derby.

The first to declare China the CO2 champ is the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Its estimates today show China put out 6,200 million tons of CO2 last … Read more

Possible cataclysm due to melting ice

We have 10 years, folks. And then it's man the lifeboats, or head for the hills. That's the conclusion of James Hansen and five other scientists. They've just published a paper with the Royal Society in England. It says melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctic could soon reach a point of no return. The team even says the recent reports from the United Nations' global warming conferences are too conservative in their projections of what could happen.

The paper urges quick and decisive action, including attempts to scrub greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Hansen is outspoken … Read more

Russian petroleum and electricity direct to North America

Those friendly Russians want to bring more energy directly to your doorstep if you live in North America. That means digging the world's longest tunnel. The proposed project would dig a tunnel over 60 miles long beneath the Bering Sea, surfacing at two islands en route.

Next week a coalition of Russian businesses will present this plan to Canada and the U.S. If it moves ahead, the tunnel would be twice as long as the one now connecting Britain and France.

The tunnel would connect major highways and pipelines yet to be constructed. The hope is to deliver … Read more

GasfindIR-LW infrared camera helps find 20 different greenhouse gasses

Carbon dioxide is for suckers. If you really want to do some damage to the environment, sulfur hexaflouride is where it's at. According to Pollution Online (which, despite its name, is actually against pollution), one pound of SF6 has the same potential global-warming impact as 11 tons of CO2. Sulfur hexaflouride is used in high-voltage electrical equipment. If inhaled, it acts like antihelium, and, according to Wikipedia, makes one "sound like the god of hellfire." Finally, this dangerous (and potentially hilarious) gas is odorless, colorless, nontoxic, nonflammable, and extremely difficult to detect.

That's enough of a … Read more

Trapdoor for the gas cap

As much as we hate to think about gasoline--its ever-rising prices, more specifically--this is an item that could save a good bit of mess at the pump.

Gas caps can be a pain to use, especially if you're as forgetful as we are: We've left a few of them behind by accident, next to the coffee on the roof. But there's an alternative called the "InStant Fill," a device with a "trapdoor mechanism" that allows you to insert the nozzle without removing the cap. Book of Joe notes that it's also an … Read more

Gadgets for survivalist fashion

Remember when gas masks were all the rage? So passe. The true survivalist chic will surely be flashing their new toxic gas detectors at their next bunker soiree.

Fashionable toxic gas detectors are now available in a convenient handheld design, according to Mobile Magazine says, so we can "identify safety and security threats in real time." Not only that, but the new QRAE II model claims to be the first four-gas monitor with a lead-free oxygen sensor--who could ask for more?

We just hope they'll come out with some new colors soon. (Black is so 2006 in … Read more