(AGENPARL) - Roma, 2 Febbraio 2024 - (AGENPARL) – ven 02 febbraio 2024 A weekly compendium of media reports on science and technology achievements
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Though the Laboratory reviews
items for overall accuracy, the reporting organizations are responsible for
the content in the links below.
….. LLNL Report, Feb. 2, 2024
This scanning electron micrograph shows the methicillin-resistant
/Staphylococcus aureus/. Image courtesy of National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases.
… Wounds could heal faster
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-synthetic-antibacterial-minerals-combat-topical.html
The development of new antibiotics has stalled — new strategies are needed
as the world enters the age of antibiotic resistance. To combat this
challenge, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have
found that synthetic antibacterial minerals exhibit potent antibacterial
activity against topical MRSA infections and increase the rate of wound
closure.
/Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus/ (MRSA) infection is caused by a
type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics
used to treat ordinary staph infections.
Previous research showed that naturally occurring clays have been effective
in killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, these natural clays are
too variable to be used in clinical settings.
“Our research shows that synthetic antibacterial minerals can successfully
eliminate MRSA biofilms in topical wounds and increase wound closure rates,”
said LLNL scientist Keith Morrison, lead author of a paper appearing in
/Scientific Reports/.
Read More
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-synthetic-antibacterial-minerals-combat-topical.html
LLNL and startup Verne have created a cry-compressed hydrogen storage tank
that could work in semi trucks and eventually in the aviation industry. Image
courtesy of Transportation Security Administration.
… Hydrogen as aircraft fuel
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/no-emissions-transport-companies-team-up-to-analyse-new-hydrogen-technology-for-aviation-2024-01-17
US-UK zero carbon emissions aviation company ZeroAvia and US hydrogen storage
and refuelling technology startup company Verne have signed an agreement to
collaborate in the evaluation of opportunities to employ cryo-compressed
hydrogen as an aircraft fuel, and for refuelling aircraft with it using both
gaseous hydrogen (GH2) and liquid hydrogen sources.
Cryo-compressed hydrogen is gaseous hydrogen stored at cold temperatures, an
approach that increases its energy density and so would allow an aircraft to
achieve a greater range than it could using standard GH2 as fuel.
Verne has received grants from US government agencies, including the
Department of Energy, to support its work.. It has developed cryo-compressed
hydrogen storage systems, focused on surface transport, which it has been
demonstrating in cooperation with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(LLNL).
In December, Verne and LLNL announced that they had successfully demonstrated
a 29-kg capacity cryo-compressed hydrogen fuel system, which was three-times
larger than the previous largest known such system, and is at a suitable
scale for heavy duty vehicles.
Read More
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/no-emissions-transport-companies-team-up-to-analyse-new-hydrogen-technology-for-aviation-2024-01-17
In the Tri Valley, wastes such as food scraps could be used to work on carbon
removal. Image courtesy of University of California.
… All roads lead to the Tri Valley
https://www.hacienda.org/news-events/hacienda-online/pulse/2024/feature-stories/national-lab-issues-groundbreaking-guide-carbon-dioxide-removal
Last month, the first-of-its-kind high-resolution assessment of carbon
dioxide removal (CDR) in the United States was published. LLNL researchers
worked with scientists from more than a dozen institutions to produce
“Roads to Removal: Options for Carbon Dioxide Removal in the United
States.”
This report examines concrete ways for the United States to achieve its
official national goal of a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050.
“Uniquely, Roads to Removal takes a bottom-up approach, characterizing the
local opportunities available to deploy CDR, by addressing the benefits and
tradeoffs of implementing these technologies and land management decisions,
allowing communities to make informed decisions.
While California was analyzed in the report, the Tri-Valley region was not
specifically analyzed. In terms of CDR, “based on our local knowledge, some
of the best options involve putting the wastes generated in the Tri-Valley to
work for carbon removal,” according to Sarah Baker, one of the LLNL
authors. “These wastes include food waste, construction waste, green waste,
wastewater, and agricultural wastes from wineries. These materials in most
cases would degrade in a landfill or be converted to biogas and flared. If we
used them for carbon removal, they could be converted to useful fuels or
materials, and the carbon dioxide from the process could be stored, either
through geologic storage in California or in durable products such as
biochar, which could be applied to the fields or used in wastewater
treatment.”
Read More
https://www.hacienda.org/news-events/hacienda-online/pulse/2024/feature-stories/national-lab-issues-groundbreaking-guide-carbon-dioxide-removal
LLNL has partnered to revolutionize biomethane production. Image courtesy of
California Energy Commission.
… Streamlining biomethane production
https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/denmark-9e915b90855bec8986ce589085e91d99
Electrochaea, Lawrence Livermore and SoCalGas have partnered to revolutionize
biomethane production, enhancing energy security and combating climate
change.
Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Electrochaea is
working with LLNL and SoCalGas to develop and test a single-stage
electro-bioreactor that can operate using excess renewable electricity and
upgrade biogas to carbon-neutral synthetic biomethane. This biomethane can
displace conventionally sourced natural gas to help decarbonize gas
infrastructure. The project is funded with $1 million from the Department of
Energy and will run for two years.
The project’s objective is to merge the two essential steps in methane
production, namely electrolysis and methanation, into a single, streamlined
process unit. This technology can enable both processes to seamlessly
integrate within a single reactor, leading to increased energy efficiency.
Read More
https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/denmark-9e915b90855bec8986ce589085e91d99
This graphic depicts cellulose that are structural components of plants that
are being broken down into simple sugars by enzymes. Graphic by Jennifer
Nill.
… From agricultural residue to fuel
https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/ucd-researches-using-ag-residues-for-fuels/article_3d84d818-bfd9-11ee-90d0-6335c0eee8fd.html
Research led by UC Davis and including Lawrence Livermore sheds new light on
how to access the sugars locked up in plant materials to convert byproducts
into new feedstocks to produce fuels, materials and chemicals.
Converting grasses, weeds, wood and other plant residues into sustainable
products normally produced using petroleum products will be key to achieving
carbon neutrality.
Tina Jeoh, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at UC
Davis, and her team used a spectromicroscopy tool at Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory to measure enzyme reactions in real time to changes in
the environment. The technology allows for simultaneous imaging and chemical
analysis.
Biocatalysts, which accelerate chemical reactions, need sugars for certain
conversions, such as fermentation. Cheap, renewable and sustainable sugars
that don’t compete with food demands are key to that transformation.
“These sugars are key to establishing a bioeconomy built on cycling
renewable carbon for biofuel, biochemical and biomaterial alternatives to
fossil fuel sourced versions,” Jeoh said.
Read More
https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/ucd-researches-using-ag-residues-for-fuels/article_3d84d818-bfd9-11ee-90d0-6335c0eee8fd.html
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