Michigan State University Archives – The Green Optimistic

Electric Vehicles Could Reduce Summer City Emissions, say Researchers

Benji Jerew — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 18:34:55 +0000

We already know that electric vehicles can significantly reduce emissions, merely by virtue of the fact that they can be recharged via renewable energy, but a new study suggests that their effect on emissions is greater than their own emissions reduction. By themselves, electric vehicles generate zero emissions, but they also don’t generate nearly as […]

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Research to Boost Biofuel Capacity of Switchgrass – Michigan State University

Benji Jerew — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:18:44 +0000

As a biofuel feedstock, switchgrass is fairly well-suited to the task of carbon sequestration, but it could be even better, says Michigan State University (MSU) As a biofuel feedstock, harvested switchgrass is fermented to produce ethanol (C2H6O), a type of alcohol. Ethanol can then be blended with gasoline, up to 85% for flex-fuel vehicles, reducing […]

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Energy-Saving Thermoelectric Material Made From Dirt

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:07:30 +0000

A team of researchers at Michigan State University have developed a new type of thermoelectric material by using common materials found in dirt. The researchers developed this material using what they know about tetrahedrites, one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. MSU Professor of Chemical Engineering, Donald Morelli, and his team figured out how […]

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Geobacter Bacteria Cleaning up Nuclear Waste and Generating Electricity

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:45:54 +0000

Some microbes may be able to clean up nuclear waste and at the same time generate electricity. Michigan State University (MSU) researchers have recently discovered how a bacterium called Geobacter can do all that. “Geobacter bacteria are tiny micro-organisms that can play a major role in cleaning up polluted sites around the world,” said Gemma […]

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