University of Minnesota discovery could make fuel and plastics production more energy efficient and

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2011/UR_CONTENT_359338.html

University of Minnesota discovery could make fuel and plastics production more energy efficient and cost effective

Breakthrough culminates a decade’s worth of research

Contacts: Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, [e-mail], [phone]
Preston Smith, University News Service, [e-mail], [phone]

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/12/2011) —A University of Minnesota team of researchers has overcome a major hurdle in the quest to design a specialized type of molecular sieve that could make the production of gasoline, plastics and various chemicals more cost effective and energy efficient. The breakthrough research, led by chemical engineering and materials science professor Michael Tsapatsis in the university's College of Science and Engineering, is published in the most recent issue of the journal Science.

After more than a decade of research, the team devised a means for developing free-standing, ultra-thin zeolite nanosheets that as thin films can speed up the filtration process and require less energy. The team has a provisional patent and hopes to commercialize the technology.

“In addition to research on new renewable fuels, chemicals and natural plastics, we also need to look at the production processes of these and other products we use now and try to find ways to save energy,” Tsapatsis said.

Separating mixed substances can demand considerable amounts of energy—currently estimated to be approximately 15 percent of the total energy consumption—part of which is wasted due to process inefficiencies. In days of abundant and inexpensive fuel, this was not a major consideration when designing industrial separation processes such as distillation for purifying gasoline and polymer precursors. But as energy prices rise and policies promote efficiency, the need for more energy-efficient alternatives has grown.

…

To read the full research paper in Science, visit http://z.umn.edu/nanosheets.

[Mac1949]

1. OK, so do you think the oil companies will embrace this,

or bury it? I'm not very technologically inclined. I mean, is there much re-tooling involved? Industry in general seems to take a lot of time to adopt new processes, and no matter how cheap the alternative, if it's costly to implement, then it seems like trying to move a mountain.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. This may be of even more interest to the alternative energy industry

They don’t have as large a processing infrastructure already in place.

[Mac1949]

3. Good point.

:hi: