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The overall goal of this project is to complete the research and development of an innovative process technology to enhance the economics of biodiesel production, through upgrading the byproduct glycerol to a propane fuel (LPG), which (a) is widely used today, (b) has an existing distribution system, (c) can accommodate the large volumes of byproduct glycerol, and (d) which has attractive economic ...

Because of the relatively high cost of biomass feedstocks compared to fossil fuels, biomass conversion processes must be highly efficient in order to provide a new-term contribution to the U.S. energy balance. Biodiesel is recognized as an important potential fuel, which is obtained by relatively simple esterification of fats or seed oils (soybean, rapeseed, etc.). In the manufacture of biodiese ...

Biomass-derived ethanol is now an integral and rapidly-growing part of the overall transportation fuel system in the U.S. However, distillation processes to remove water from crude fermentation ethanol consumes substantial energy, and adds to production costs. This energy usage contributes to the cost of manufacture of ethanol, requiring subsidies for general use in the transportation sector. This ...

Acetic acid is a large volume, global commodity chemical used as a basic building block in manufacturing polymers, anhydrides, and esters. Current acetic acid manufacturing technologies are based on carbon monoxide, which is produced by partial oxidation or steam reforming of hydrocarbons. This inherently inefficient technology wastes scarce hydrocarbon resources, consumes excessive energy, and ge ...

Biomass-derived ethanol is now an integral part of the overall transportation fuel system in the U.S. To be useful as fuel grade ethanol, large amounts of water must be evaporated from dilute fermentation alcohol, a process that is energy-intensive, costly, and an impediment to the transition to a biofuels economy. By 2012, the total distillation energy required for water evaporation from dilute ...

Acetic acid is a large volume, global commodity chemical used as a basic building block in manufacturing polymers, anhydrides, and esters. Current acetic acid manufacturing technologies are based on carbon monoxide, which is produced by inherently inefficient techniques, wasting scarce hydrocarbon resources, consuming excessive energy, and generating substantial greenhouse gases. Alternative ace ...

provide a higher resolution capability for detecting, tracking, and analyzing high and low energy neutrons, gamma rays, low energy ion beams, etc. To address this need, this project will develop a hybrid solid state sensor with an electron amplification gain on the order of 1011, positional resolutions approaching 10 µm, good potential spectral resolution, and rise times in the range of nanosecon ...

Nuclear physics research has a need for new radiation detector structures having improved characteristics and lower cost. These detectors are needed to provide higher resolution capability for detecting, tracking, and analyzing gamma rays, high- and low-energy neutrons, low-energy ion beams, etc. This project will develop a novel, low cost, hybrid sensor with potential amplification gains on the ...

Abstract A joint DOE-NCI workshop on ion beam therapy (January 2013, Bethesda, MD) has identified an ambitious set of technological developments needed to support a world-class treatment program for ion beam therapy. One important requirement is the ability to provide detectors that afford single-particle registration at high data rates with high degree of uniformity and minimal interference with ...