Biocombustíveis

Avanços na produção de etanol celulósico:

"A team of researchers from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering and Mascoma Corporation in Lebanon, N.H., have made a discovery that is important for producing large quantities of cellulosic ethanol, a leading candidate for a sustainable and secure alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuel. For the first time, the group has genetically engineered a thermophilic bacterium, meaning it's able to grow at high temperatures, and this new microorganism makes ethanol as the only product of its fermentation. (...)"

...e combustível para aviação produzido a partir de algas com resultados positivos:

"Jet fuel from algae passes first test (...)"

Captura de Carbono

Na próxima semana entra em funcionamento a primeira central de energia a carvão com captura e armazenamento de CO2, ainda que em fase piloto. A notícia completa no Guardian:


"World's first carbon capture pilot fires up clean-coal advocates
German project will burn coal in an atmosphere of pure oxygen – producing CO2 waste which can be buried – creating enough electricity to power 1,000 homes


The world's first complete demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will begin next week at a coal-fired power station in Germany.

Built alongside the 1,600MW Schwarze Pumpe power plant in north Germany, the demonstration experiment will capture up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, compress it and bury it 3,000m below the surface of the depleted Altmark gas field, about 200km from the site.(...)"