PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Nanomaterial to help reduce CO2 emissions

2013-07-09
(Press-News.org) University of Adelaide researchers have developed a new nanomaterial that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power stations.

The new nanomaterial, described in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, efficiently separates the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from nitrogen, the other significant component of the waste gas released by coal-fired power stations. This would allow the carbon dioxide to be separated before being stored, rather than released to the atmosphere.

"A considerable amount of Australia's – and the world's – carbon dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power stations," says Associate Professor Christopher Sumby, project leader and ARC Future Fellow in the University's School of Chemistry and Physics.

"Removing CO2 from the flue gas mixture is the focus of a lot of research. Most of Australia's energy generation still comes from coal. Changing to cleaner energies is not that straightforward but, if we can clean up the emissions, we've got a great stop-gap technology."

The researchers have produced a new absorbent material, called a 'metal-organic framework', which has "remarkable selectivity" for separating CO2 from nitrogen.

"It is like a sponge but at a nanoscale," says Associate Professor Sumby. "The material has small pores that gas molecules can fit into – a CO2 molecule fits but a nitrogen molecule is slightly too big. That's how we separate them."

Other methods of separating CO2 from nitrogen are energy-intensive and expensive. This material has the potential to be more energy efficient. It's easy to regenerate (removing the CO2) for reuse, with small changes in temperature or pressure.

"This material could be used as it is but there are probably smarter ways to implement the benefits," says Associate Professor Sumby.

"One of the next steps we're pursuing is taking the material in powder form and dispersing it in a membrane. That may be more practical for industrial use."

### The project is funded by the Science Industry Endowment Fund and is a collaboration between researchers in the Centre of Advanced Nanomaterials, in the School of Chemistry and Physics, and the CSIRO.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

UC Davis MIND Institute researchers identify specific fetal antigens attacked by maternal antibodies

2013-07-09
UC Davis MIND Institute researchers have identified the specific antibodies that target fetal brain proteins in the blood of a subset of women whose children are diagnosed with autism. The finding is the first to pinpoint a specific risk factor for a significant subset of autism cases, as well as a biomarker for drug development and early diagnosis. The researchers have named autism related to these antibodies "Maternal Autoantibody-Related," or MAR autism. The study found that the mothers of children with autism were more than 21 times as likely to have the specific ...

UC Davis MIND Institute researchers find exposure to maternal antibodies affects behavior

2013-07-09
Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute have found that prenatal exposure to specific combinations of antibodies found only in mothers of children with autism leads to changes in the brain that adversely affect behavior and development. The researchers said that the highly specific immunoglobulin-G (IgG) autoantibodies cross the placenta during pregnancy to impact fetal brain development, resulting in a form of autism that the researchers now are calling maternal antibody-related (MAR) autism. The researchers said that MAR autism cases could represent as much as ...

Parasites in cat poop: Potential public health problem?

2013-07-09
Each year in the United States, cats deposit about 1.2 million metric tons of feces into the environment, and that poop is carrying with it what may be a vast and underappreciated public health problem, say scientists July 9 in the journal Trends in Parasitology, a Cell Press publication. Some of that poop is laden with an infectious parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan that has recently caused toxoplasmosis epidemics in otherwise healthy people, not just in pregnant women or people with immune deficiencies. Additional concerns have been raised by studies ...

Health info exchange: Short-term growth, but long-term concerns

2013-07-09
ANN ARBOR –While record numbers of hospitals and doctors participate in electronic health information exchange efforts, which enable medical histories to follow patients as they move between healthcare providers, the long-term success of these programs is in question. That's according to a new national survey of health information exchange organizations led by a University of Michigan researcher. Health information exchange efforts come into play primarily when patients switch doctors or are admitted to a hospital. Because they give doctors access to patients' medical ...

Women who give birth to multiple babies after IVF are at higher risk of breast cancer

2013-07-09
London -- Women who give birth to multiple babies following IVF treatment are at a higher risk of breast cancer than those giving birth to singletons or who remain childless. Dutch investigators from the Omega study group said the explanation may not be the multiple pregnancy per se but a maternal trait related to a higher implantation potential and to breast cancer itself. Although the results were derived from a large nationwide cohort study, the investigators emphasise that the findings should next be replicated in further studies and that presently there is no reason ...

Female obesity linked to lower rates of live birth and embryo implantation in the uterus

2013-07-09
London, 9 July 2013: An analysis of almost 10,000 first cycles of egg donation treatment at one of Europe's largest IVF centres shows that female obesity reduces the receptivity of the uterus to embryo implantation and thereby compromises reproductive outcome. The investigators report that excess female weight "impairs human reproduction" and that "the reduction of uterine receptivity is one of the mechanisms involved". As a result they advise weight reduction before pregnancy in any type of conception, including ovum donation. The study is presented today at the ...

Large UK population study finds no increased cancer risk in children born after assisted conception

2013-07-09
London, 9 July 2013: Children born as a result of assisted reproduction (ART) are at no greater risk of cancer than children born spontaneously in the general population, according to results of one of the largest ever cohort studies of ART children. "This is reassuring news for couples considering assisted conception, their subsequent children, fertility specialists and for the wider public health," said the investigators. Results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of ESHRE by Dr Carrie Williams from the Institute of Child Health, University ...

Women working shifts are at greater risk of miscarriage, menstrual disruption and subfertility

2013-07-09
London, 9 July 2013: Shift work, which encourages sleep deprivation and patterns of activity outside the circadian rhythm, has been associated with a greater risk of ill health and loss of well-being in some (but not all) studies.(1) However, little is known about the effects of shift work on reproductive health and fertility. Now, a study reported today at the annual meeting of ESHRE, by Dr Linden Stocker from the University of Southampton, UK, indicates that working shift patterns is associated with an increased risk of menstrual disruption and subfertility. The ...

Egg banking for social reasons

2013-07-09
London, 9 July 2013: Egg freezing as insurance against age-related infertility is a growing trend in many countries. Women who bank oocytes for use at some time in the future hope to buy a little time in their search for a suitable partner. However, a study from one of Europe's largest centres in reproductive medicine suggests that many of those banking eggs believe they will never use them - even though they still recognise the experience as "positive". The majority of those who did (and did not) freeze their eggs wished they had done so at an earlier age. The study ...

Research demonstrates the influence of temporal niches in maintaining biodiversity

2013-07-09
By studying rapidly evolving bacteria as they diversify and compete under varying environmental conditions, researchers have shown that temporal niches are important to maintaining biodiversity in natural systems. The research is believed to be the first experimental demonstration of temporal niche dynamics promoting biodiversity over evolutionary time scales. The temporal niches – changes in environmental conditions that occur during specific periods of time – promoted frequency-dependent selection within the bacterial communities and positive growth of new mutants. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise counteracts junk food's depression-like effects through gut-brain metabolic signaling

Genetic link discovered between childhood intelligence and parental longevity

Psychedelics reshape time perception offering new therapeutic pathways

Genetic inflammation markers reveal distinct depression subtypes affecting treatment response

Understanding how menopause symptoms can complicate treatment of traumatic brain injuries

Digestive issues more common during perimenopause and menopause

Oral or transdermal hormone therapy? The mental health risks are not the same

When women initiate estrogen therapy matters

Risk of eye disease increases during menopause transition

Life in the fast (and slow) lanes for salmon

Early natural menopause linked with higher risk of metabolic syndrome

Earlier menopause and reduced cardiac function can take a toll on brain health

Feeling anxious during menopause? Hormone therapy may or may not help

Likelihood of being prescribed hormone therapy may depend on the type of provider seen

The role of genetics in modifying the link between earlier menopause and memory decline

Who watches the AI watchman?

Female bodybuilders at risk of sudden cardiac death

Garment factories are sweltering. These simple fixes could keep workers safe

‘Slums’ of Victorian Manchester housed wealthy doctors and engineers, new study reveals

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 announced

Most of Wine Country’s agricultural workers have been exposed to wildfires, new survey finds

Obesity-related cancer rising among both younger and older adults worldwide

A 'Rosetta Stone' for molecular systems

What goes up must come down – scientists unearth “universal thermal performance curve” that shackles evolution

Physical activity increases total daily energy use, study shows

National study finds public Montessori programs strengthens early learning outcomes -- at sharply lower costs compared to traditional preschool

National poll: 1 in 10 young children play outdoors as little as once a week

How do people learn new facts?

Exploring how storytelling strategies shape memories

How people process mental images versus real-life visuals 

[Press-News.org] Nanomaterial to help reduce CO2 emissions