Nanofibers yield stronger, tougher carbon fiber composites
Using a best-of-nature approach developed by researchers working with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Dartmouth University, startup company Terragia Biofuel is targeting commercial biofuels production that relies on renewable plant waste and consumes less energy. The technology can help meet the demand for billions of gallons of clean liquid fuels needed to reduce emissions from airplanes, ships and long-haul trucks.
Hempitecture, a graduate of the Innovation Crossroads program, has been awarded $8.4 million by the DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains. As part of the grant, Hempitecture will establish a facility in East Tennessee.
Science, technology, engineering and math students from colleges across the nation who participate in the next DOE Building Technologies Office’s JUMP into STEM competition will tackle three new challenges: building affordability, peak power demand and indoor comfort in extreme climates.
ThermoVerse and Expanding Frontiers have made strides in energy Â鶹ӰÒô by securing wins in Phase 2 of the Department of Energy’s American-Made Lab MATCH Prize, a competition designed to accelerate commercialization of national laboratory technologies.
The Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory at ORNL utilizes robotics, multi-modal imaging, and AI to enhance understanding of plant genetics and interactions with microbes. It aims to connect genes to traits for advancements in bioenergy, agriculture, and climate resilience. Senior scientist Larry York highlights the lab's capabilities and the insights from a new digital underground imaging system to improve biomass feedstocks for bioenergy and carbon storage.
A new Global Biomass Resource Assessment developed by ORNL scientists gathered data from 55 countries resulting in a first-of-its kind compilation of current and future sustainable biomass supply estimates around the world.
Stephen Kowalski and Mikael Salonvaara received the Distinguished Service Award, which salutes members who have served the society with distinction in chapter, regional and society activities.
Kashif Nawaz, distinguished researcher and section head for Building Technologies Research at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or ASME.
Katy Bradford is on a mission to revolutionize the construction industry and is the founder of Cassette Construction, a company in the newest cohort of Innovation Crossroads, a DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program node at ORNL. As an Innovation Crossroads fellow, Bradford and her company will receive technical, financial and networking support to successfully advance the company’s products to the marketplace.
A team led by scientists at ORNL identified and demonstrated a method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%, using simulations on the lab’s supercomputers and follow-on analysis.