aluminum Archives – The Green Optimistic

Ford Fuel Economy Will be Won by Carbon Fiber, not Aluminum

Benji Jerew — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:16:48 +0000

With the introduction of the new Ford F-150 and its lighter aluminum body work, many had come to the conclusion that Ford would introduce aluminum across the lineup to improve fuel economy. Not so, says Ford Motor Company executive Joe Hinrichs. While the adoption of aluminum body panels does shave some 700 pounds off the […]

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Getting 100% of Our Aluminum from Recycling May Soon Become Reality

Danny Harper — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:21:44 +0000

Having properties that do not degrade in a similar fashion as paper or plastic, aluminum is the best known candidate for recycling and reusing. Not only does the act of recycling aluminum require 95% less energy than producing new material from bauxite ore, it also offers near indefinite use. According to Nick Madden, the man responsible for buying new […]

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Nanoscale “LEGO” Setup of Aluminum Studs Improves Solar Cell Efficiency

Adele Hall — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 18:04:04 +0000

Most often, precious metals like gold and silver are used in solar cell efficiency. Now, an international research team has found that aluminum may be the better option. They demonstrated that a nanoscale LEGO-style setup of aluminum studs can improve solar cell efficiency by up to 22 percent. Aluminum is already cheap and abundant, and […]

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Could Aluminum Revolutionize the Electric Vehicle Industry?

Benji Jerew — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 06:42:50 +0000

Increasing fuel economy is no easy feat, considering that the main way to do so is to reduce engine size, and this means less powerful vehicles, or build smaller vehicles, which aren’t easily marketable. Electric vehicles [EV] have this same kind of catch-22 situation, because, while they are nearly emissions-free, they do have limited range. […]

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How to Produce Hydrogen From an Aluminum Soda Can and Water

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:23:48 +0000

Here’s how you can produce hydrogen to power cars, homes, or even toys. Hydrogen is the cleanest energy carrier in the universe, and is also easily obtainable from recycled soda cans and water that you can find virtually anywhere. The process sitting at the base of this experiment is a simple one you probably learned […]

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DIY: How to Make a Coca Cola-based Battery

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:28:32 +0000

Here's a method of producing a battery out of some Cola, salt, aluminum and copper coins. It lights a LED and it can be an interesting source of free energy!

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