penn state university Archives – The Green Optimistic

Microbes and Saltwater Used to Produce Electricity from Wastewater and Waste Heat

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:15:21 +0000

The difference between saltwater and freshwater can produce electricity. Microbial fuel cells use bacteria to degrade organic matter to also produce energy. Great as they are, these two technologies have had limitations in the past, but now a team of scientists unite them in a system that eliminates most of their shortcomings. The team, led […]

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New Nanofiber/Nanotube Material Filters Radioactive Contaminated Water

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:37:52 +0000

A new innovation from Professor Huai-Yong Zhu at Queensland’s University of Technology can clean up all the water contaminated by radioactive materials. The material Zhu made is based on nanofibers and nanotubes, and uses an approach that had never been tested before. Titanate nanofiber and nanotubes are the materials he uses, to be more exact. […]

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New Microbial Fuel Cell Generates Hydrogen in Self-Sustaining Fashion

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:21:26 +0000

Penn State University researchers have recently demonstrated a system that produces hydrogen from water. Nothing fancy so far. What’s interesting is that they use salt water, tap water, bacteria and membranes to make the process self-powered. Unlike the experiments performed so far, where bacteria inside watery solutions could produce hydrogen only in the presence of […]

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PSU Project Aims To Mimic Skin Responsiveness For Designing Energy-Efficient Buildings

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:19:11 +0000

One day, man-made buildings will mimic the human body in the relationship with the exterior. Penn State University researchers are about to study and implement a model that uses the sensitivity and flexibility of human cells to build "skins" that will give buildings the possibility to self-adapt to the exterior, to regulate their energy use according to changes in the environment.

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