CAER News Archive: July 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A group at Cornell University was searching for synthetic chemicals to conduct electricity. Organic semiconductors could lead to cheaper, lighter electronics made from solar cells to convert sunlight into energy. Professor John Anthony, UK Department of Chemistry, worked with the Cornell group by applying liquids that contain organic semiconducting materials to surfaces. The pictures you see above were what he saw when the solutions solidified into a thin film and were examined under a microscope.
More of these images can be seen on the Discovery Channel's web site: http://dsc.discovery.com/technology/slideshow/slide-show-solar-cell-solutions.html
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A patent entitled "Method and System for Beneficiating Gasification Slag" was granted to CAER researcher Dr. Jack Groppo, along with C.E. Price and W.L. Barnwell.
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Biomass to Biofuels: An Overview Short Course
Organized by the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research
Thursday-Friday, August 14-15, 2008
Hyatt Regency Hotel - Lexington, Kentucky
Cost: $250.00
Open to the public
Nine engineering professional development hours are offered with this courseThe development of low cost, high capacity processes for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals is essential for expanding the use of carbon neutral processes, reducing dependency on fossil fuel resources, and increasing rural income. Although the recent "food versus fuel" debate has raised doubts about the benefits of biofuels derived from food crops, there is a general consensus that biofuels production will continue to expand, based increasingly on non-food crops.
This course aims to provide a broad introduction to the area of biomass-derived fuels, emphasizing technological aspects of their production. Both current and emerging technologies will be considered, including bioethanol production from corn starch and cellulosic biomass, and the production of biodiesel and so-called "green" or "renewable" diesel. Other topics that will be covered include the development of new feedstocks such as algae and sweet sorghum, and the economics of biomass utilization.
Any questions regarding this event OR to sign up for the mailing list, please contact:
Teresa Epperson / 859-257-0200 / register@caer.uky.edu
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
An article highlighting Darrell Taulbee's work with blast mitigation is currently on the UK Research Web Site. www.research.uky.edu/.
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Jose Fernandez is a master's degree graduate student in chemistry from University of Alicante, Spain. He is here as part of an exchange program. He will be at the CAER for three months and is working in the Carbon Materials Group.Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Paul Yeary is a Chemistry Professor at Alice Lloyd College located in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. He is at the CAER for the second summer working with the Carbon Materials Group.
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
Marybeth McAlister (left) and Alice Marksberry accept award from the EPA's Susan Bodine at the awards ceremony in Washington DC.The CAER won first place in the Communication and Outreach category of the 2008 Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2) Awards. The C2P2 Program is a cooperative effort among the U.S. EPA, Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Ag, Federal Highway Admin., EPRI, USWAG, and ACAA to promote the use of coal combustion by-products. The award was for the new ash education web site (http://www.caer.uky.edu/kyasheducation/index.html), which is a general introduction to what CCBs are for the general public. The original funding for the site came from the UK Commonwealth Collaborative Program.
The web site development team members were: Jack Groppo, Alice Marksberry, Marybeth McAlister, Bob Rathbone, and Tom Robl.
Posted by Marybeth McAlister [Link]
