Petroleum News

October 5, 2025

Top Headlines

New Rocket Fuel Compound Packs 150% More Energy

Sep. 30, 2025 — A new boron-rich compound, manganese diboride, delivers much higher energy density than current solid-rocket materials while remaining stable until intentionally ignited. Its power comes from an unusual, strained atomic structure formed during ...

Why “Dry” Oil Wells Aren’t Really Empty

Sep. 28, 2025 — Oil wells often dry up far earlier than predicted, leaving companies baffled about the “missing” reserves. A Penn State team tackled this puzzle by harnessing PSC’s Bridges-2 supercomputer, adding a time dimension and amplitude analysis to ...

Toxic Waste Could Become the Next Clean Energy Breakthrough

Sep. 26, 2025 — Bio-tar, once seen as a toxic waste, can be transformed into bio-carbon with applications in clean energy and environmental protection. This innovation could reduce emissions, create profits, and solve a major bioenergy industry ...

This Tiny Iron Catalyst Could Transform the Future of Clean Energy

Aug. 27, 2025 — Hydrogen fuel cells could power cars, devices, and homes with nothing but water as a byproduct—but platinum’s cost holds them back. Chinese researchers have now unveiled a breakthrough iron-based catalyst that could rival platinum while boosting ...

Why Recycling ‘Dead’ Batteries Could Save Billions and Slash Pollution

Aug. 19, 2025 — Lithium battery recycling offers a powerful solution to rising demand, with discarded batteries still holding most of their valuable materials. Compared to mining, recycling slashes emissions and resource use while unlocking major economic ...

Digital Twins Are Reinventing Clean Energy — But There’s a Catch

July 29, 2025 — Researchers are exploring AI-powered digital twins as a game-changing tool to accelerate the clean energy transition. These digital models simulate and optimize real-world energy systems like wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. But while ...

Hydrogen Fuel at Half the Cost? Scientists Reveal a Game-changing Catalyst

June 20, 2025 — Researchers in South Korea have developed a powerful and affordable new material for producing hydrogen, a clean energy source key to fighting climate change. By fine-tuning boron-doping and phosphorus levels in cobalt phosphide nanosheets, the team ...

Clean Energy, Dirty Secrets: Inside the Corruption Plaguing California’s Solar Market

June 11, 2025 — California s solar energy boom is often hailed as a green success story but a new study reveals a murkier reality beneath the sunlit panels. Researchers uncover seven distinct forms of corruption ...

Collaboration Can Unlock Australia's Energy Transition Without Sacrificing Natural Capital

June 3, 2025 — Australia can reach net-zero emissions and still protect its natural treasures but only if everyone works together. New research from Princeton and The University of Queensland shows that the country ...

Waste to Foundation: Transforming Construction Waste Into High-performance Material

May 30, 2025 — In a major advancement for sustainable construction, scientists have created a cement-free soil solidifier from industrial waste. By combining Siding Cut Powder and activated by Earth Silica, an ...

A Cheap and Easy Potential Solution for Lowering Carbon Emissions in Maritime Shipping

May 29, 2025 — Reducing travel speeds and using an intelligent queuing system at busy ports can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oceangoing container vessels by 16-24%, according to researchers. Not only ...

Cryogenic Hydrogen Storage and Delivery System for Next-generation Aircraft

May 28, 2025 — Researchers have designed a liquid hydrogen storage and delivery system that could help make zero-emission aviation a reality. Their work outlines a scalable, integrated system that addresses several engineering challenges at once by enabling ...

Latest Headlines

updated 6:09am EDT

Neutrinos May Be the Hidden Force Behind Gold and Platinum

Sep. 21, 2025 — When two neutron stars collide, they unleash some of the most powerful forces in the universe, creating ripples in spacetime, showers of radiation, and even the building blocks of gold and platinum. ...

Tiny Reactor Boosts Fusion With a Sponge-Like Trick

Aug. 23, 2025 — Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that a small bench-top reactor can enhance nuclear fusion rates by electrochemically loading a metal with deuterium fuel. Unlike massive ...

This Triple-Layer Sunlight Catalyst Supercharges Green Hydrogen by 800%

June 23, 2025 — Researchers in Sweden have developed a powerful new material that dramatically boosts the ability to create hydrogen fuel from water using sunlight, making the process eight times more effective than ...

Rice University Breakthrough Keeps CO₂ Electrolyzers Running 50x Longer

June 22, 2025 — A Rice University team discovered that bubbling CO₂ through a mild acid dramatically improves the lifespan and efficiency of electrochemical devices that convert CO₂ into useful fuels. This ...

New Fuel Cell Could Enable Electric Aviation

May 27, 2025 — Engineers developed a fuel cell that offers more than three times as much energy per pound compared to lithium-ion batteries. Powered by a reaction between sodium metal and air, the device could be ...

A New Approach Could Fractionate Crude Oil Using Much Less Energy

May 22, 2025 — Engineers developed a membrane that filters the components of crude oil by their molecular size, an advance that could dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed for crude oil ...

Personal Space Chemistry Suppressed by Perfume and Body Lotion Indoors

May 21, 2025 — In 2022 a team discovered that high levels of OH radicals can be generated indoors, simply due to the presence of people and ozone. This means: People generate their own oxidation field and change ...

Does Renewable Energy Reduce Fossil Fuel Production in the US?

May 20, 2025 — Increasing renewable energy may not reduce the use of fossil fuels in the United States, according to a new study ...

Scientific Breakthrough Brings CO2 'Breathing' Batteries Closer to Reality

May 20, 2025 — Scientists have made a breakthrough in eco-friendly batteries that not only store more energy but could also help tackle greenhouse gas emissions. Lithium-CO2 'breathing' batteries release power ...

Investment Risk for Energy Infrastructure Construction Is Highest for Nuclear Power Plants, Lowest for Solar

May 20, 2025 — The average energy project costs 40% more than expected for construction and takes almost two years longer than planned, finds a new global study. ...

New Catalyst Boosts Efficiency of CO2 Conversion

May 14, 2025 — Researchers have developed an encapsulated cobalt-nickel alloy that significantly improves the efficiency and durability of high-temperature CO2 conversion, a promising technology for carbon ...

Scientists Define the Ingredients for Finding Natural Clean Hydrogen

May 13, 2025 — Researchers have detailed the geological ingredients required to find clean sources of natural hydrogen beneath our feet. The work details the requirements for natural hydrogen, produced by the Earth ...

Helping Birds and Floating Solar Energy Coexist

May 12, 2025 — How might floating solar energy projects impact wild birds and vice versa? A paper outlines key considerations for a growing floating solar ...

Satellite Measures CO2 and NO2 Simultaneously from Power Plant Emissions for the First Time

May 9, 2025 — A research team used the German environmental satellite EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) to simultaneously detect the two key air pollutants carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen ...

Mercury Levels in the Atmosphere Have Decreased Throughout the 21st Century

May 8, 2025 — Mercury is released by environmental and human-driven processes. And some forms, specifically methylmercury, are toxic to humans. Therefore, policies and regulations to limit mercury emissions have ...

Researchers Develop Practical Solution to Reduce Emissions and Improve Air Quality from Brick Manufacturing in Bangladesh

May 8, 2025 — A new study analyzes the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that showed that brick kiln owners in Bangladesh are willing and able to implement cleaner and more efficient business ...

How to Reduce Global CO2 Emissions from Industry

May 8, 2025 — Global emissions of carbon dioxide from industry can be reduced by five per cent. But that requires companies and policy makers to take a holistic approach to energy efficiency and energy management ...

Advancing Electrocatalyst Discovery Through the Lens of Data Science

May 8, 2025 — Data science has revolutionized the hunt for high-performing catalysts, enabling scientists to quickly identify and test suitable ...

Eco-Friendly Aquatic Robot Is Made from Fish Food

May 8, 2025 — An edible robot leverages a combination of biodegradable fuel and surface tension to zip around the water's surface, creating a safe -- and nutritious -- alternative to environmental monitoring ...

Smart Spongy Device Captures Water from Thin Air

May 7, 2025 — Engineers have invented a sponge-like device that captures water from thin air and then releases it in a cup using the sun's energy, even in low humidity where other technologies such as fog ...

Piecing Together the Brain Puzzle

May 7, 2025 — Our brain is a complex organ. Billions of nerve cells are wired in an intricate network, constantly processing signals, enabling us to recall memories or to move our bodies. Making sense of this ...

Breakthrough in Fuel Cell Recycling Turns 'Forever Chemicals' Into Renewable Resources

May 6, 2025 — A new technique that uses soundwaves to separate materials for recycling could help prevent potentially harmful chemicals leaching into the ...

Scientists Discover a New Way to Convert Corn Waste Into Low-Cost Sugar for Biofuel

May 6, 2025 — Scientists have found a new way to produce sugar from corn stalks and other crop waste, potentially opening a new pathway to sustainable ...

Green Nickel for Sustainable Electrification

Apr. 30, 2025 — Scientists have developed a carbon-free, energy-saving method to extract nickel for batteries and stainless ...

Rapid Lithium Extraction Eliminates Use of Acid and High Heat, Scientists Report

Apr. 30, 2025 — Lightweight lithium metal is a heavy-hitting critical mineral, serving as the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that power phones, laptops, electric vehicles and more. As ubiquitous as ...

Rare Earth Element Extraction Bolstered by New Research

Apr. 30, 2025 — A more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to extracting rare earth elements that power everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones could increase domestic supply and ...

Greasing the Wheels of the Energy Transition to Address Climate Change and Fossil Fuels Phase out

Apr. 29, 2025 — The global energy system may be faced with an inescapable trade-off between urgently addressing climate change versus avoiding an energy shortfall, according to a new energy scenario ...

Breakthrough Extends Fuel Cell Lifespan Beyond 200,000 Hours, Paving the Way for Clean Long-Haul Trucking

Apr. 28, 2025 — Researchers have developed a new catalyst design capable of pushing the projected fuel cell catalyst lifespans to 200,000 hours. The research marks a significant step toward the widespread adoption ...

Study Finds Dramatic Boost in Air Quality from Electrifying Railways

Apr. 16, 2025 — Switching from diesel to electric trains dramatically improved the air quality aboard the San Francisco Bay Area's Caltrain commuter rail line, reducing riders' exposure to the carcinogen ...

Scalable Graphene Membranes: A Leap for Carbon Capture

Apr. 11, 2025 — Scientists have developed a scalable method to produce porous graphene membranes that efficiently separate carbon dioxide. The breakthrough could significantly reduce the cost and footprint of carbon ...