US – Page 134 – TechConnect Briefs

Passive solar design features for a zero energy home in Babylon, Iraq

Al-Qaraguli A., Alguriny H., Chong O., Gibbs D., Coplen L., McKissack, US

In May 2011, the authors participated in the 2011 Renewable Energy Conference: “Supporting Sustainable Development for Iraq” sponsored by the Iraqi government with assistance from the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation. The conference was [...]

Dairy CAFO Wastewater, Water Harvesting and Ammonia Fuel Cells

Collins C., Hughes S., Jackson G., Spiralcat of Maryland, US

Spiralcat of Maryland has two pilot demonstration: A Dairy CAFO located within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed brings together precision agriculture and targeted air quality strategies while conserving water, and removing unwanted salts and excess nutrients [...]

Computer modeling of water and salt transport in RO membrane active layers

Pitera J.W., Na Y.-H., Vora A., Dubois G., IBM Research, US

As part of a combined computational and experimental effort to develop new reverse osmosis desalination membrane materials, we have carried out detailed equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of the aromatic polyamide active layers of [...]

Enhanced RO Performance of Polyamide Bi-layer Membranes Prepared by Sequential Interfacial Polymerization

Na Y.-H., Nassar M., Diep J., Davis B., Vora A., Dubois G., Al-Rasheed R., Nassar M., Geise G., Freeman B., IBM Almaden Research Center, US

We have developed polyamide bi-layer thin film composite membranes to enhance RO-desalination performance. The polyamide bi-lyer membrane consists of conventional non-substituted aromatic polyamide under-layer and HFA-substituted aromatic polyamide top-layer, which can be esaily prepared by [...]

CNT-polyamide nanocomposite membranes for gas and water separations

Marand E., Surapathi A., Chan W.F., Chen D., Chen H., Chen D., Chen H., Shao X., Johnson J.K., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, US

We have developed asymmetric carbon nanotube/polyamide membranes for desalination applications. The carbon nanotubes are functionalized with zwitterionic groups that control the rejection of anionic species, while permitting the transport of water. Water flux measurements demonstrate [...]

A Novel Technique for Removing Finely Dispersed Particles from Tailings

Ware W., Ashcraft N., Soane D., Soane Energy, US

Traditional oil, gas, and mining industries rely heavily on the use of water as a means to aid in the recovery of natural resources. Often times these activities, either through mechanical shear or chemical additives, [...]

Rapid Hydrate Formation, A Process for Transport and Storage of Natural Gas

Taylor C.E., Brown T., Unione A., U.S. Department of Energy, US

Experimental results from the Na¬tional Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) show that rapid and continu¬ous formation of methane hydrate, as well as other gas-derived hydrates is achievable. The goal of this technology is to pro¬vide a [...]

The Retention of Silica Nanoparticles at Oil/Water Interface

Metin C.O., Nguyen Q.P., The University of Texas at Austin, US

We investigate the retention of silica nanoparticles at water/crude oil interface. Silica nanoparticles with three different surfaces (unmodified, surface modified with anionic (sulfonate), or nonionic (PEG) surfactant) are used. Interfacial tension (IFT) measurements provide us [...]

Clean Coal by Oxyacidification

Gokturk H., Ecoken, US

US, China and many other industrialized economies rely heavily on coal for electricity generation. Unfortunately coal has become a controversial fuel due to various pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) generated during combustion. Regulated pollutants include [...]

Reducing Material Waste in Biodiesel Production through Multi-Energy Optimized Processing

Kropf M.M., The Pennsylvania State University, US

Multi-Energy Optimized Processing is a patented green chemical processing technique which substitutes focused energy for hazardous chemicals to achieve efficient fuel conversions. Applied to bio diesel production, this technology reduces material waste in the form [...]