Navigation Links
Nanoparticles increase biofuel performance
Date:4/8/2011

College Park, Md. (April 8, 2011) -- How to put more bang in your biofuels? Nanoparticles! A new study in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy shows that the addition of alumina nanoparticles can improve the performance and combustion of biodiesel, while producing fewer emissions.

Why add nanoparticles? The idea, says lead author R. B. Anand, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology in Tiruchirappalli, India, is that because of their high surface-to-volume ratio, the nanoparticleswhich, in the study, had an average diameter of 51 billionths of a meterhave more reactive surfaces, allowing them to act as more efficient chemical catalysts, thus increasing fuel combustion. The presence of the particles also increases fuelair mixing in the fuel, which leads to more complete burning.

In the study, Anand and co-author J. Sadhik Basha first used a mechanical agitator to create an emulsion consisting of jatropha biodiesel (a fuel derived from the crushed seeds of the jatropha plant), water, and a surfactant, then blended in different proportions of alumina nanoparticles. In addition to outperforming regular biofuel, the nanoparticle-spiked fuels produced significantly lower quantities of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide gases, and created less smoke.

The researchers are now testing other types of nanoparticles, including hollow carbon nanotubes, and investigating the effects of nano-additives to engine lubrication and cooling systems. One obstacle to the application of this kind of nanotechnology is the high cost of nanoparticle production, says Anandwho also cautions that nanoparticles "should be used judiciously," because they tend to "entrain into human bodies."


'/>"/>

Contact: Charles E. Blue
cblue@aip.org
301-209-3091
American Institute of Physics
Source:Eurekalert

2

GOOD

Page: 1

Related biology technology :

1. New materials based on carbon nanoparticles
2. Nanoparticles improve solar collection efficiency
3. New instrument keeps an eye on nanoparticles
4. Special sugar, nanoparticles combine to detect cholera toxin
5. Targeted Gold Nanoparticles and Noninvasive Radio Fields Attacking One of the Deadliest and Least Curable Types of Cancer: Pancreatic Carcinoma
6. Tecnalia investigates nanoparticles for soil remediation
7. Scientist chronicle nanoparticles journey from the lungs into the body
8. Trouble with sputter? Blame giant nanoparticles
9. Gold nanoparticles enrich everyday products
10. Magnetic fields drive drug-loaded nanoparticles to reduce blood vessel blockages in an animal study
11. Study shows that size affects structure of hollow nanoparticles
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/17/2013)... (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 Dr. Sparano ... and Women’s Health at the Albert Einstein College of ... at the Montefiore Medical Center. He is also ... Center and leads the Einstein Breast Cancer Working Group, ... translational breast cancer research. He also serves as Vice ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... release is available in German . ... well: with the naked eye, you can see which branch ... the blur of branches through the telephoto lens for high-magnification ... researchers who are looking to study proteins, the active biomolecules ... Zurich,s Institute for Molecular Systems Biology, and her colleagues have ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., USA (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 ...     Green Globes Certified for sustainability , ... and insect pressures , Syngenta ... opening celebration today at the company’s RTP Innovation Center. ... Lab allows company researchers to simulate any agricultural climate ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... -- Yongye International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YONG ) ("Yongye" ... of crop nutrient products in the People,s ... May 16, 2013, the special committee (the "Special Committee") ... was provided a letter (the "Letter") issued by Abax ... ("Abax") to Full Alliance International Limited ("Full Alliance"). The ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Joseph A. Sparano, MD, Named Vice Chair of ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group 2Joseph A. Sparano, MD, Named Vice Chair of ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group 3Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 2Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 3Syngenta Opens Unique $72 Million Advanced Crop Lab 2Syngenta Opens Unique $72 Million Advanced Crop Lab 3Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 2Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 3Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 4
... Energy crop company,Ceres, Inc. announced today that ... hybrids with Range Fuels, Inc. as part,of a ... Range Fuels,commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, now under construction ... While wood residues will be the primary ...
... IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 9 SectorWatch.biz announces ... the news and,driving markets today. MarketStats offers ... opportunity for investors to respond with,articles, blogs ... by visiting: http://www.SectorWatch.biz ,-- a division ...
... to be Tested on Type 2 Diabetic Volunteers, ... ORMP.OB) ( http://www.oramed.com ), a developer,of oral delivery ... with,ETI Karle Clinical Pvt. Ltd. ( http://www.etiklinical.com ), ... conduct Phase 2B clinical,trials on its oral insulin ...
Cached Biology Technology:Ceres Trials Energy Crops at Georgia Biofuel Facility 2Ceres Trials Energy Crops at Georgia Biofuel Facility 3SectorWatch.biz Issues MarketStats on Agri-Biotech Equities YGYB, GRO, SEED, MON, ADM, and BG 2Oramed Pharmaceuticals Partners With ETI Karle Clinical to Conduct Phase 2B Trials on Its Oral Insulin Capsule, ORMD 0801 2Oramed Pharmaceuticals Partners With ETI Karle Clinical to Conduct Phase 2B Trials on Its Oral Insulin Capsule, ORMD 0801 3
(Date:5/17/2013)... The State University of New Jersey, and City University ... called Visikol TM that effectively clears organisms to ... place of chloral hydrate, which is one of the ... tightly regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) due ... or clearing agents, are vital for viewing organisms under ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve ... could increase cell survival. , The discovery, made by ... in the EMBO journal with additional comment ... for stroke and other brain diseases. , The research ... a protein, known as SUMO, responsible for controlling the ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... The iCargo project (Intelligent Cargo in Efficient and Sustainable ... thanks to an improvement in the efficiency of intermodal ... assist decision making. It comprises 29 European organisations with ... management. It has a budget totalling 17,000,000 and a ... is working to specify and develop the semantic components ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New formula invented for microscope viewing, substitutes for federally controlled drug 2New formula invented for microscope viewing, substitutes for federally controlled drug 3SUMO wrestling cells reveal new protective mechanism target for stroke 2New logistics services that will cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions 2
... and videos! , With their long stalks and feathery ... like their garden-variety namesakes. Perhaps because of that resemblance, scientists ... moving around like their stalkless relatives, the feather stars. ... a depth of 430 meters (1410 feet) near Grand Bahama ...
... study from the forthcoming Quarterly Review of Biology, biologists ... types of laughter ?laughter which is stimulus-driven and laughter ... occurs during everyday social interaction in response to banal ... Matthew Gervais and David Sloan Wilson. "The unstated issue ...
... Earth's landscape , The ice ages made massive changes to ... in the oceans? , Research by marine scientists reveals that ... of animals were wiped out by ice sheets scouring the ... that these ecosystems somehow dodged extinction by recolonising from nearby ...
Cached Biology News:U. of Colorado researcher identifies tracks of swimming dinosaur in Wyoming 2U. of Colorado researcher identifies tracks of swimming dinosaur in Wyoming 3Seafloor creatures destroyed by ice action during ice ages 2