Clean Green News

Air Barriers vs. Vapor Barriers

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Air leaks are a big source of moisture problems that lead to bugs, mold, and rot in homes

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This podcast series is excerpted from a two-day class called "Building Science Fundamentals" taught by Dr. Joe Lstiburek and Dr. John Straube, of Building Science Corporation.

POET Targets Water Use of 2.33 Gallons per Gallon of Ethanol in Five Years; 22% Reduction

POET plans to decrease water use in the production of ethanol by 22% over the next five years in the first goal of its sustainability initiative, Ingreenuity. If successful, it will cut the company’s water used per gallon of ethanol from an average of 3 gallons to 2.33, an annual water savings of one billion gallons.

University of Wisconsin Team Develops High-Yielding Chemical Hydrolysis Process to Release Sugars from Biomass for Cellulosic Fuels and Chemicals

A University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has developed a chemical process for the hydrolysis of biomass into sugars for subsequent processing into fuels and chemicals that delivers sugar yields approaching those of enzymatic hydrolysis. In an open-access paper published in the 9 March issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they report that the process leads to a nearly 90% yield of glucose from cellulose and 70-80% yield of sugars from untreated corn stover.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporations All-Electric Walk-In Van Chassis Debuts at NTEA Work Truck Show; Enova Drive System, Tesla Battery Pack

The all-electric WIV chassis. Click to enlarge.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) presented the preproduction plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV) chassis at the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show.

EU Launches 37M Next-Generation Integrated Biorefinery Project

Work has begun on a new EU-funded project to improve the performance of Europe’s biorefineries. Dubbed EUROBIOREF (European multilevel integrated biorefinery design for sustainable biomass processing), the project aims to improve cost efficiency by 30%, cut energy use by 30% and reduce feedstock consumption by 10%.

The 4-year project has a total budget of €37 million (US450.5 million), €23 million US$31.4 million) of which comes from the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Mitsubishi Motors Partners to Promote the i-MiEV Electric Vehicle in Switzerland

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MM Automobile Schweiz AG and Switzerland’s largest electricity provider Alpiq Holding AG (Alpiq) through which the three parties will work together to promote the popularization of the new-generation electric vehicle i-MiEV in Switzerland.

InterAcademy Council to Conduct Independent Review of the UN IPCC’s Processes and Procedures at Request of United Nations and IPCC

The United Nations Secretary General and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced have asked the InterAcademy Council (IAC) to conduct an independent review of the IPCC’s processes and procedures to further strengthen the quality of the Panel’s reports on climate change. The IAC is the umbrella organization for various national academies of science from countries around the world.

TU Delft Researchers Demonstrate Bioabatement of Toxic Fermentation Inhibitors in Biomass Hydrolysates Using Engineered Bacterium; Potential to Enhance Cost-Effectiveness of Cellulosic Fuels and Chemicals

Researchers from TU Delft have demonstrated the ability of a newly-engineered bacterium to support the in situ breakdown of toxic fermentation inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysates produced when sugars are released from biomass for subsequent fermentation.

FEV to Exhibit New 7H-AMT Electrically Assisted Transmission at SAE World Congress; Functionality for Hybrid or All-Electric Driving

Cutaway of the 7H-AMT. Click to enlarge.

FEV, Inc. will show its internally developed 7-speed hybrid automated manual transmission (7H-AMT) at the upcoming 2010 SAE World Congress, 13-15 April 2010 in Detroit. The 7H-AMT is designed specifically for transverse installation, paving the way for wider use of more fuel efficient transmissions in smaller vehicles.

NYSERDA Commits $8M to Develop and Commercialize 19 New York Battery and Energy-Storage Technology Projects

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will award $8 million to help develop or commercialize 19 advanced energy storage projects. The awards are being made to companies and universities across New York that are involved in advanced research and development of energy storage applications that could benefit transportation, utility Smart Grid applications, renewable energy technologies, and other industries.