Energy and Resources News

January 26, 2025

Top Headlines

New Design Makes Aluminum Batteries Last Longer

Jan. 24, 2025 — Large batteries for long-term storage of solar and wind power are key to integrating abundant and renewable energy sources into the U.S. power grid. However, there is a lack of safe and reliable battery technologies to support the push toward ...

Clean Hydrogen in Minutes: Microwaves Deliver Clean Energy Faster

Jan. 21, 2025 — An interdisciplinary team has developed a groundbreaking technology that addresses key limitations in clean hydrogen production using microwaves. They have also successfully elucidated the underlying mechanism of this innovative ...

New Water Purification Technology Helps Turn Seawater Into Drinking Water Without Tons of Chemicals

Jan. 21, 2025 — Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking ...

Using Infrared Heat Transfer to Modify Chemical Reactions

Jan. 23, 2025 — Researchers have shown for the first time that heat transfer in the form of infrared radiation can influence chemical reactions more strongly than traditional convection and conduction ...

Latest Headlines

updated 6:06pm EST

Biodegradable Nylon Precursor Produced Through Artificial Photosynthesis

Jan. 22, 2025 — Scientists have developed an artificial photosynthesis technology that produces precursors of biodegradable nylon from biomass-derived compounds and ...

Researchers Unlock New Insights Into Tin-Based Catalysts for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Jan. 22, 2025 — A group of researchers have analyzed thousands of reports from the past decade, identifying a tin-based catalyst that aids the production of formic ...

We Can Make Fertilizer More Efficiently Under the Surface of the Earth

Jan. 21, 2025 — Instead of relying on energy-hungry reactors to generate high temperatures and pressure, researchers are looking underground at Earth's natural heat and forces to cook up ammonia for fertilizer. In a ...

Technology for Oxidizing Atmospheric Methane Won't Help the Climate

Jan. 17, 2025 — Atmospheric scientists show proposed 'geoengineering' effort to remove methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere could worse air quality while providing minimal climate ...

The Ins and Outs of Quinone Carbon Capture

Jan. 16, 2025 — Engineering researchers have developed carbon capture systems that use molecules called quinones, dissolved in water, as their capturing compounds. A new study provides critical insights into the ...

New Research Helps Eliminate Dead Zones in Desalination Technology and Beyond

Jan. 15, 2025 — Engineers have found a way to eliminate the fluid flow 'dead zones' that plague the types of electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. ...

Team Makes Sustainable Aviation Fuel Additive from Recycled Polystyrene

Jan. 13, 2025 — A new study overcomes a key obstacle to switching commercial aircraft from their near-total reliance on fossil fuels to more sustainable aviation fuels. The study details a cost-effective method for ...

Floating Solar Panels Could Support US Energy Goals

Jan. 14, 2025 — Federal reservoirs could help meet the country's solar energy needs, according to a new study. Geospatial scientists and senior legal and regulatory analyst quantified exactly how much energy could ...

Just as Gouda: Improving the Quality of Cheese Alternatives

Jan. 14, 2025 — Scientists are working to produce plant-based cheese with all the characteristics of real cheese, but with better health benefits. To create a cheesy product with the same texture as the real thing, ...

From Carbon Dioxide to Acetaldehyde: Toward Greener Industrial Chemistry

Jan. 3, 2025 — Scientists have developed a copper catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into acetaldehyde, a key chemical used in manufacturing. The breakthrough offers a green alternative to ...

Sodium-Ion Batteries Need Breakthroughs to Compete

Jan. 13, 2025 — A thorough analysis of market, technological, and supply chain outcomes for sodium-ion batteries finds that significant advances are needed before ...

Light, Flexible and Radiation-Resistant: Organic Solar Cells for Space

Jan. 10, 2025 — Radiation testing suggests that solar cells made from carbon-based, or organic, materials could outperform conventional silicon and gallium arsenide for generating electricity in the final frontier, ...

Electric Fungi: The Biobattery That Needs to Be Fed

Jan. 9, 2025 — A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors ...

Breakthrough in 2D Material Growth Opens Doors to Cleaner Energy and Next-Generation Technology

Jan. 8, 2025 — A breakthrough in decoding the growth process of Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN), a 2D material, and its nanostructures on metal substrates could pave the way for more efficient electronics, cleaner ...

High Performance in Frosty Conditions

Jan. 8, 2025 — Most solids expand as temperatures increase and shrink as they cool. Some materials do the opposite, expanding in the cold. Lithium titanium phosphate is one such substance and could provide a ...

Trash to Treasure: Leveraging Industrial Waste to Store Energy

Jan. 7, 2025 — As more products begin to depend on battery-based energy storage systems, shifting away from metal-based solutions will be critical to facilitating the green energy transition. Now, a team has ...

Research May Boost Next-Generation Space Rockets

Jan. 3, 2025 — Hidden patterns in electric propulsion plasma beams could help ensure the success of long-term space ...

Water Treatment: Catching Steroid Hormones With Nanotubes

Jan. 2, 2025 — Steroid hormones are among the most widespread aquatic micropollutants. They are harmful to human health, and they cause ecological imbalances in aquatic environments. Researchers investigated how ...

Revolutionizing Heat Management With High-Performance Cerium Oxide Thermal Switches

Jan. 1, 2025 — Groundbreaking cerium oxide-based thermal switches achieve remarkable performance, transforming heat flow control with sustainable and efficient ...

Solar-Powered Charging: Self-Charging Supercapacitors Developed

Dec. 30, 2024 — A research team achieves 63% energy storage efficiency and 5.17% overall efficiency by combining a supercapacitor with a solar ...

'Capture the Oxygen!' The Key to Extending Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Battery Life

Dec. 25, 2024 — A research team develops manganese-based cathodes with longer lifespan by suppressing oxygen ...

Taking a Cue from Lightning, Eco-Friendly Reactor Converts Air and Water Into Ammonia

Dec. 24, 2024 — Taking inspiration from how nature --including lightning -- produces ammonia, a team has developed a reactor that produces the chemical commodity from nitrogen in the air and water, without any ...

Geothermal Aquifers Offer Green Potential but Quality Checks Required

Dec. 20, 2024 — A research team has revealed that to use the aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system safely over the long term it is crucial to investigate the groundwater quality before operating the system ...

Paving the Way for the Future of Energy Storage With Solid-State Batteries

Dec. 20, 2024 — Advances in solid-state battery research are paving the way for safer, longer-lasting energy storage solutions. A recent review highlights breakthroughs in inorganic solid electrolytes and their role ...

Generate Electricity by Attaching Device to Your Clothes

Dec. 20, 2024 — A research team has developed a highly efficient wearable energy harvester that can power electronic devices using only body ...

Breathing New Life Into Technology: New Way of Separating Oxygen from Argon

Dec. 19, 2024 — Combining the adsorption properties of solids with the dissolution capabilities of liquids, researchers have created a versatile and efficient material for improving oxygen separation in gases. In ...

Breakthrough in Photochemical Water Oxidation: Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy

Dec. 18, 2024 — Water oxidation offers a promising path to achieve sustainable energy by efficiently generating oxygen. This study investigates how optimizing Ru(II) photosensitizers, metal oxide catalysts, and pH ...

Step Forward in Generating Solar-Powered Hydrogen

Dec. 17, 2024 — Another advance has been made by experts in nano-scale chemistry to propel further development of sustainable and efficient generation of hydrogen from water using solar power. Experts have now ...

Significant Advancement Made in Engineering Biology and Clean Energy

Dec. 17, 2024 — Engineers have reported a significant advancement in engineering biology and clean energy. A team of researchers has developed an innovative light-driven hybrid nanoreactor that merges natural ...

Training Solar Panels to Dance With the Wind

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers propose a unique numerical decision-making framework for solar panel protection against extreme weather conditions. The framework combines advanced wind simulations with machine learning ...