A new process for catching gas from the environment and holding it indefinitely in molecular-sized containers has been developed by a team of University of Calgary researchers, who say it represents a novel method of gas storage that could yield benefits for capturing, storing and transporting gases more safely and efficiently.
“This is a proof of concept that represents an entirely new way of storing gas, not just improving on a method that already exists,“? said U of C chemistry professor George Shimizu, Enn.com reported.
“We have come up with a material that mechanically traps gas at high densities without having to use high pressures, which require special storage tanks and generate safety concerns.“
In a paper published in the current online version of the world’s leading material science journal Nature-Materials, Shimizu, fellow U of C professor David Cramb, chemistry graduate student Brett Chandler and colleagues from the National Research Council describe their invention of “molecular nanovalves.“
Using the orderly crystal structure of a barium organotrisulfonate, the researchers developed a unique solid structure that is able to convert from a series of open channels to a collection of air-tight chambers. The transition happens quickly and is controlled simply by heating the material to close the nanovalves, then adding water to the substance to re-open them and release the trapped gas. The paper includes video footage of the process taking place under a microscope, showing gas bubbles escaping from the crystals with the introduction of water.
“The process is highly controllable and because we’re not breaking any strong chemical bonds, the material is completely recyclable and can be used indefinitely,“ Shimizu said.
The team intends to continue developing the nanovalve concept by trying to create similar structures using lighter chemicals such as sodium and lithium and structures that are capable of capturing the lightest and smallest of all gases Ñhydrogen and helium.
“These materials could help push forward the development of hydrogen fuel cells and the creation of filters to catch and store gases like CO2 or hydrogen sulfide from industrial operations in Alberta,“ Cramb said.

South African coastline has potential for 1,000 turbines.

ESKOM (Energy Supply Commission) has confirmed that it will invest R1 billion in a 100MW wind farm on the West Coast to feed into the South Africa’s electricity grid by the beginning of 2010.
A R5,3 billion 100MW solar thermal energy plant in Upington is also under consideration. If this project is approved, the plant could come online by 2012.
While small, these projects will be in operation years before the other major power stations Eskom has commissioned, Mybroadband.co.za reported.
Eskom’s GM for corporate sustainability Wendy Poulton says the projects are part of Eskom’s R300bn capacity expansion and research programmes over five years, which will provide renewable energy resources from wind, sun and water.
The plans for the West Coast wind farm includes building about 100 turbines over a 25kmà site near the coast, in the Vredendal area. Other sites in the area are being considered for further development.
Eskom estimates that the South African coastline has potential for 1000 turbines.
Poulton says the capacity factor of wind farms depends on the availability and speed of the wind. “Turbines generally operate 20 percent to 25 percent of the time, and this can vary seasonally.“
The West Coast north of the Olifants River is regarded as having the highest wind speeds in the country.
A precursor to the new wind farm was Eskom’s 3MW pilot study for three years in Klipheuwel near Darling in Western Cape. It found that the best energy production occurs during the windy summer months with capacity of between 10 percent in winter and 35 percent in summer. The wind turbines at Klipheuwel generate electricity at wind speeds between 11km/h and 50km/h, with full power generation only reached at about 50km/h.
The project also assessed different technological features of turbines, how to develop an operations and maintenance programme, as well as to evaluate the effect the farm might have on the national electricity grid.
The proposed 100MW thermal energy plant at Upington in Northern Cape will serve as a pilot project.
It will be 10 times the size of solar power plants and use a new, but proven, technology, says Eskom’s MD for corporate services Steve Lennon.
He says the cost of the project is estimated at about R5,3 billion .
Almost all solar power is now generated through photovoltaic cells, with the largest being a 10MW plant.
Alternatively, new technology concentrates the sun’s rays through a parabolic mirror. The heat gathered at the focal point is used to melt salt. This molten salt then drives a conventional turbine, says Lennon.
Compared with fossil fuel power generators, a R5 billioj investment for a 100MW power plant is high, says Lennon--“almost the same as a nuclear plant“.
“If the first plant works well, the cost will immediately come down to two-thirds for the second one,“ he says.
Eskom’s Research and Innovation Center’s Louis van Heerden says Eskom has been studying the technology for several years and recent efforts have focused on reducing the technical risks associated with the use of such a new technology.
Van Heerden says the main benefits of renewable energy technology are that there are no fuel costs, and as a result no future pressure on resources that occurs with gas and oil; and that these technologies have a limited effect on the environment.

E85 ethanol is an alternative fuel that is produced from agricultural crops by converting fiber into ethanol (alcohol).

Climate change and depleting hydrocarbon resources have become major concerns for car manufacturers across the globe, which have already started coming up with innovative ideas regarding the future fuels of vehicles.
According to Khaleejtimes.com, Mary Beth Stanek, director of environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors (GM), recently had “promising“ meetings with Abu Dhabi officials, regarding the latest GM vehicles running on biofuels.
In an exclusive interview to Khaleej Times, she explained what GM is putting on the market and why.
“At present, 35 percent of the global energy needs are met by petroleum products. By 2030 the energy demand will increase by 70 percent,“ said Stanek.
Much of this energy is required by cars, whose number has already reached 800 million today and in 15 years the number is expected to grow to 1.1 billion.
All these cars would not only require more petrol than is believed to be available in the future, but also have one of the largest impacts on climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have developed a number of products that run on cleaner fuel or energy and the authorities here seem to take a keen interest in them,“ said Stanek.
One of these products is E85 ethanol, an alternative fuel that is produced from agricultural crops, by converting fibre into ethanol (alcohol), which is a clean-burning, renewable resource that recycles the carbon dioxide, thus reducing the greenhouse gasses, said Stanek.
For the past several years, car manufacturers have been giving more attention to hybrid electric vehicles, which use two or more distinct power sources for propulsion.
The hybrid is the most environmentally friendly car, as it achieves greater fuel economy and lower emissions than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as lower noise levels.
This type of vehicle is only efficient for city traffic, though, where there are frequent stops, coasting and idling periods.
“We are planning to produce a 4X4 plug-in hybrid, which uses a Lithium Ion battery, highly efficient electronics and powerful electric motors to achieve significant increases in fuel economy,“ said Stanek.
According to her, it is these plug-in hybrids that the UAE officials are mostly interested in. “We signed an agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority a few months ago to deliver such vehicles by 2012, which will be used as taxis,“ said Stanek.

Farmers in the Northern Plains often worry about what the weather could do to their crops--but they seldom think about what their crops could do to the weather.
A new NASA-funded study at South Dakota State University will tackle that question by asking whether regional weather patterns and the risk of wildfires could change because of a shift in planting. Farmers may grow fewer corn and soybean crops and more perennial grasses grown primarily to fuel cars, Katu.com reported.
Scientists at the university’s Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence and their collaborators will look at the potential effects of such a shift in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, western Minnesota and northern Iowa under different scenarios, said Geoff Henebry, an SDSU professor and senior scientist at the center.
Many factors can change the seasonal cycle of exchanges of water and energy between the land and the lower portion of the atmosphere, Henebry said.
For instance, perennial grasses use more water early in their growing season than corn or soybean plants.
“As you change the land surfaces, you change the characteristics of the seasonality of the vegetation growth and water use and the brightness,“ he said.
Senior scientist Michael Wimberly said the researchers are not trying to predict exactly what will happen. Their goal is to make some broad but reasonable assumptions so potential consequences can become part of the discussion.
The $738,000 study is timely because it involves feedstocks such as switchgrass that are used for biofuel--which is expected to be more widely used in future ethanol production. Most domestic ethanol now comes from corn.
One concern is that a move toward widespread use of switchgrass and other perennial grasses could increase the potential of wildfires.
Dried-out grasses are a hot fuel source, and farm machinery could easily provide a spark for ignition. That could become a problem in a region known for its relatively high sustained winds, and many fire departments don’t have experience in large grass fires, Henebry said.
“Switchgrass is highly flammable, and grass fires are really fast and furious,“ he said.
Such fires were common in the tall grass prairie thousands of years before European settlement.
“You look at historical records and that’s one of the first things people would do after homesteading is you get some kind of a fire break around your property,“ Henebry said.
Agricultural use of fire continues, but it tends to be localized in grazing land.
Wimberly said research could lead to the development of practices to decrease such risks.
“If the hazards are recognized and understood, then there’s a good chance they can be managed and mitigated,“ Wimberly said.
“So the idea is to get out ahead of the curve and try to envision some of these things rather than being in a reactive mode somewhere down the line after they become a problem.“