INFORMATION:
New catalyst could improve biofuels production
Palladium makes iron work better
2014-10-16
(Press-News.org) PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University researchers have developed a new catalyst that could lead to making biofuels cheaply and more efficiently.
Led by Voiland Distinguished Professor Yong Wang, the researchers mixed inexpensive iron with a tiny amount of rare palladium to make the catalyst. Their work is featured on the cover of the October issue of the journal ACS Catalysis.
Removing oxygen for better fuel
Researchers, government leaders and industry leaders are interested in renewable biofuels as a way to reduce national dependence on fossil fuels and reduce emissions of harmful carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming.
One of the biggest challenges in biofuels production is grabbing carbon for fuel while also removing oxygen. High oxygen content makes biofuel less stable, gooier and less efficient than fossil fuels and not suitable for airplane or diesel fuels. To improve production, researchers also want to use as little hydrogen as possible in the reaction.
The WSU researchers developed a mixture of two metals, iron along with a tiny amount of palladium, to serve as a catalyst to efficiently and cheaply remove oxygen.
"The synergy between the palladium and the iron is incredible," said Wang, who holds a joint appointment with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and WSU. "When combined, the catalyst is far better than the metals alone in terms of activity, stability and selectivity."
Palladium makes iron work better
Iron catalysts have been an inexpensive way to remove oxygen from plant-based materials. But the catalyst can stop working when it interacts with water, which is a necessary part of biofuels production. The iron rusts.
The October 2014 cover of ACS Catalysis shows a palladium-iron catalyst and its ability to remove oxygen from m-cresol, which is a model compound for lignin. Cover artwork by Cortland Johnson, PNNL.
Palladium can work in water, but it is not terrific at removing oxygen; and the metal is very expensive.
The researchers found that adding extremely small amounts of palladium to iron helped cover the iron surface of the catalyst with hydrogen, which caused the reaction to speed up and work better. It also prevented water from interrupting the reactions. And less hydrogen was needed to remove the oxygen.
"With biofuels, you need to remove as much oxygen as possible to gain energy density," said Wang. "Of course, in the process, you want to minimize the costs of oxygen removal. In this case, you minimize hydrogen consumption, increase the overall activity and gain high yields of the desired fuel products using much less expensive and more abundant catalyst materials."
WSU teams collaborate
The team used advanced techniques – including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy – to understand how atoms on the catalyst's surface interact with the plant material lignin. Corresponding theoretical calculations were done by a WSU team led by Jean-Sabin McEwen.
"By adding the palladium, we could potentially use metals such as iron, which are cheaper and abundant while functioning at better rates with higher yields than palladium or iron alone," said Wang.
The researchers would like to extend their studies under more realistic conditions that more closely mimic real biofuels production.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Older adults satisfied with aging more likely to seek health screenings
2014-10-16
ANN ARBOR—Adults over 50 who feel comfortable about aging are more proactive in getting preventive health care services, a new University of Michigan study found.
Sometimes, the older population does not visit their doctor because they believe that physical and mental declines typify old age, says Eric Kim, a U-M doctoral student in clinical psychology. They think that lifestyle changes will not make a difference, making them less likely to seek preventive care. This is not true and also not a healthy mindset, he says.
Studies show that older adults can go down ...
A simple and versatile way to build 3-dimensional materials of the future
2014-10-16
Kyoto, Japan — Researchers in Japan have developed a novel yet simple technique, called "diffusion driven layer-by-layer assembly," to construct graphene into porous three-dimensional (3D) structures for applications in devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
Graphene is essentially an ultra-thin sheet of carbon and possesses exciting properties such as high mechanical stability and remarkable electrical conductivity. It has been touted as the next generation material that can conceivably ...
Have you heard of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy?
2014-10-16
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is concerning and many—even those with seizure disorders—may not be aware of this condition. New research published in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), reports that 76% of caregivers are more likely to have heard of SUDEP compared with 65% of patients with epilepsy.
Dr. Barbara Kroner, an epidemiologist with RTI International in Rockville, Maryland and lead author of the study says, "When someone with epilepsy dies suddenly we want to understand ...
e-healthcare may help reverse the trend of high CVD and obesity in China
2014-10-16
Beijing, 16 October 2014: The use of electronic health care services (versus more traditional methods) to reduce the high incidence of heart disease in China will be debated by leading cardiologists from around the world in Beijing, from 16 to 19 October 2014.
The 25th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology & Asia Pacific Heart Congress & International Congress of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (GW-ICC & APHC & ICCPR 2014) will advocate a patient centered health care model that maximizes the use of limited medical resources so patients can improve ...
Camargue flamingos starved in freezing conditions in 1985 and 2012 mass mortalities
2014-10-16
1985 was one of the worst years in living memory for the flamingo population of the Camargue, France. Over a 15 day period in January, temperatures plummeted, the lagoons, ponds and salt pans where the birds feed froze and by the time the Arctic blast had loosened its grip, almost one third of the population was dead. 'The 1985 mass-mortality shocked a generation of conservationists,' says David Grémillet from the CEFE-CNRS, France. Alan Johnson, a conservation scientist at the Tour du Valat research center, France, who dedicated 50 years of his life to protecting ...
UK tops global league table for gullet cancer -- adenocarcinoma -- in men
2014-10-16
The study, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialist cancer agency of the World Health Organization, is the first to try and quantify the worldwide extent of each of the two main types of oesophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC for short; and adenocarcinoma.
Rates of SCC have remained fairly stable or have even fallen over the past few years, but those of adenocarcinoma have risen, particularly in high income countries. In 2012, oesophageal cancer was the eighth most common cancer worldwide.
The researchers used data from ...
Health & Safety Executive, HSE, advice on pneumonia jabs for welders 'flawed,' say experts
2014-10-16
Over the past 20 years, a growing body of evidence has linked exposure to metal fumes with a heightened risk of developing, and dying from, bacterial lobar pneumonia.
It is not clear exactly why this happens, but there are indications that the tiny particles in welding fumes boost the stickiness of pneumococcal bacteria to the cells lining the airways of the lungs.
The scientific evidence was sufficient to prompt the government's independent advisory body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), to recommend in 2011 that employers offer welders a ...
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology: Gradual weight loss no better than rapid weight loss for long-term weight control
2014-10-16
Contrary to current dietary recommendations, slow and steady weight loss does not reduce the amount or rate of weight regain compared with losing weight quickly, new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology has found.
The study, led by Joseph Proietto, Sir Edward Dunlop Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Head of the Weight Control Clinic at Austin Health in Australia, set out to examine whether losing weight at a slow initial rate, as recommended by current guidelines worldwide, results in larger long-term weight reduction and less ...
The Lancet: Universal health coverage in Latin America series
2014-10-16
The Lancet is pleased to announce the publication of a new Series on Universal Health Coverage in Latin America.
Health system reform and universal health coverage in Latin America
Overcoming social segregation in health care in Latin America
Social determinants of health, universal health coverage, and sustainable development: case studies from Latin American countries
Leading the way towards universal health coverage: a call to action
Series comments
The Series will be launched on Thursday 16 October, at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) headquarters ...
NEJM Perspective: 'The FDA, e-cigarettes, and the demise of combusted tobacco'
2014-10-16
WASHINGTON – The popularity of E-cigarettes could lead to the "demise" of cigarette smoking and save thousands of lives, but not until they are proven safe and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That's the message from two Georgetown University Medical Center researchers in a perspective piece published Oct. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In "The FDA, E-Cigarettes, and the Demise of Combusted Tobacco," Nathan K. Cobb, MD, and David B. Abrams, PhD, call on the FDA "to accelerate their regulations to eliminate uncertainty regarding ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?
Pink skies
Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research
Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered
% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?
An app can change how you see yourself at work
NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals
New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China
Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds
Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea
New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea
Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes
Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others
Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke
Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition
Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life
Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy
Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming
Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly
Alcohol makes male flies sexy
TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income
Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression
Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring
Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs
AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders
First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes
Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows
Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission
UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages
In pancreatic cancer, a race against time
[Press-News.org] New catalyst could improve biofuels productionPalladium makes iron work better