2015 Abarth 695 Biposto features SABIC lightweight PC glazing solutions; 40% weight savings

5 December 2014

Abarth’s production model of the 695 Biposto includes polycarbonate (PC) glazing solutions from SABIC. The vehicle’s front fixed windows, which include built-in sliding panels, are made from SABIC’s LEXAN resin, a PC material, and EXATEC coating technology.

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The Abarth 695 Biposto features front fixed windows, which include built-in sliding panels, made from SABIC’s LEXAN resin, a PC material, and EXATEC coating technology. Click to enlarge.

The EXATEC glazing system involves applying protective coating layers on the LEXAN resin-based windows. First, a hard coat is applied to the thermoplastic windows to ensure resistance to sunlight UV exposure. A glass-like plasma coating is then applied over the hard coat, which delivers an advanced level of protection for scratch and abrasion resistance. This not only enhances the weatherability of the hard coat layer, but delivers the performance necessary to meet regulatory standards.

The fixed front windows with sliding panels are features straight from the world of racing and is applied to the Abarth 695 Biposto to help transfer the racing experience of the Abarth brand to the on-road car market. SABIC’s EXATEC coating makes this possible because it is the one solution available today that meets European regulatory requirements for transparency, scratch and abrasion resistance for PC-based vehicle windows.

Isoclima, a supplier with twenty years of experience working with some of the racing world’s biggest teams, developed the sliding window concept and assembled the fully glazed windows. In addition to providing the glazing materials and technology, SABIC delivered support in the ideation and development phase of the project.

SABIC’s PC glazing solutions makes possible up to 40% in weight savings for the front fixed window and sliding panel compared to conventional glass. These savings adds to a number of other weight-reducing measures to help the Abarth 695 Biposto weigh in at just 997 kilograms (2,198 lbs). The weight loss adds to the sporting character of the car, boosting its performance.

The car’s low weight combined with its 1.4 T-Jet engine tuned to 140 kW (190 hp) and 250 N·m (184 lb-ft) has resulted in a small car that finishes first in its category with the best weight-to-power ratio (5.2 kg/HP) and the best acceleration (0-62 mph or 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds). The car can reach a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

USDA awards $5.6M to 220 biofuel producers

6 December 2014

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making $5.6 million in grants to 220 producers (awards of less than $500 not listed) to support the production of advanced biofuels, and is awarding more than $4 million in additional grants that will advance the bioeconomy. These awards include:

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• The National Biodiesel Board and Regents of the University of Idaho received $768,000 and $192,000 respectively, through the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program. The program was established to stimulate biodiesel consumption and the development of a biodiesel infrastructure. The funded education and outreach activities will raise awareness of biodiesel fuel use among governmental and private entities that operate vehicle fleets and the public. Funded projects also focus on educational programs supporting advances in infrastructure, technology transfer, fuel quality, fuel safety and increasing feedstock production.

• South Dakota State University (SDSU) received $2.3 million through the Sun Grant Program. This program encourages bioenergy and biomass research collaboration between government agencies, land-grant colleges and universities, and the private sector. SDSU will lead a consortium of five regional grant centers and one subcenter that makes competitive grants to projects that contribute to research, education and outreach for the regional production and sustainability of possible biobased feedstocks. The project period will not exceed five years.
  

• Through the Critical Agricultural Materials program, Iowa State University of Science and Technology received $1 million for the development of new paint, coating, and adhesive products that are derived from acrylated glycerol, which is a co-product of the biodiesel industry. The Critical Agricultural Materials program supports the development of products that are manufactured from domestically-produced agricultural materials and are of strategic and industrial importance to benefit the economy, defense, and general well-being of the nation. Many such products replace petroleum-based products and offer opportunities to create new businesses and new markets for agricultural materials.

The funding for producers is being provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of advanced biofuel produced from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. Examples of eligible feedstocks include but are not limited to: crop residue; animal, food and yard waste; vegetable oil; and animal fat.

The Advanced Biofuel Payment Program supports the research, investment and infrastructure; USDA has made more than $280 million in payments to more than 350 producers (more than 3,100 total payments) in 47 states and territories since the program’s inception. These payments have supported the production of more than 5.8 billion gallons of advanced biofuel and the equivalent of more than 58 billion kilowatt hours of electric energy.

Examples of producers receiving this latest round of Advanced Biofuel payments are:

• Appling County Pellets, in Baxley, Ga. It received $22,475 for its production of more than 358,000 metric tons of wood pellets. Appling sells premium-grade wood pellets for sustainable wood fuel use to markets in the northeastern United States and Europe.

• AgPower Jerome of Shoshone, Idaho, is receiving $3,027 for the conversion of nearly 137 million gallons of dairy cattle manure into 25.5 million kWh of electricity that is sold to a local utility.

• White Mountain Biodiesel, LLC of North Haverhill, N.H., a producer of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, received $8,655. The company produced almost 1.8 million gallons of biodiesel from almost 2 million gallons of waste vegetable oil. The biodiesel is distributed throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.

• Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy, LLC of Phillipsburg, Kan., produced 6.9 million gallons of ethanol from almost 2.6 million bushels of sorghum and received $18,128.

Commentary: Could falling oil prices spark a financial crisis?

5 December 2014

by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

The oil and gas boom in the United States was made possible by the extensive credit afforded to drillers. Not only has financing come from company shareholders and traditional banks, but hundreds of billions of dollars have also come from junk-bond investors looking for high returns. Junk-bond debt in energy has reached $210 billion, which is about 16 percent of the $1.3 trillion junk-bond market. That is a dramatic rise from just 4 percent that energy debt represented 10 years ago.

As is the nature of the junk-bond market, lots of money flowed to companies with much riskier drilling prospects than, say, the oil majors. Maybe drillers were venturing into an uncertain shale play; maybe they didn’t have a lot of cash on hand or were a small startup. Whatever the case may be, there is a reason that they couldn’t offer “investment grade” bonds. In order to tap the bond market, these companies had to pay a hefty interest rate.

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For investors, this offers the opportunity for high yield, which is why hundreds of billions of dollars helped finance companies in disparate parts of the country looking to drill in shale. When oil prices were high and production was relentlessly climbing, energy related junk bonds looked highly profitable.

But junk bonds pay high yields because they are high risk, and with oil prices dipping below $70 per barrel, companies that offered junk bonds may not have the revenue to pay back bond holders, potentially leading to steep losses in the coming weeks and months.

The situation will compound itself if oil prices stay low. The junk bond market may begin to shun risky drilling companies, cutting off access to capital. Without the ability to finance drilling, smaller or more indebted oil companies may not have a future. The Wall Street Journal profiled a few fund managers who are beginning to steer clear of smaller oil companies. Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the oil and gas sector on November 25 to a “negative” outlook because of falling oil prices.

If oil prices stay at $65 per barrel for three years, 40 percent of all energy junk bonds could be looking at default, according to a recent JP Morgan estimate. While that is a long-term and uncertain scenario, the pain is being felt today. The FT reported that a third of energy debt issued in the junk-bond market is currently in «distressed» territory.

That begs the question; could a shakeout of the oil industry spark a broader financial crisis? Banks and other financial institutions could be overly exposed to energy debt. The Telegraph paints a dire scenario in which the debt bubble bursts because of low oil prices, leading to a cascading 2008-style financial collapse, at least in the junk bond market.

Such a scenario may be a bit overblown. Persistently low interest rates keep demand for junk bonds high, meaning oil companies will probably be able to restructure their debt and continue to access capital. Also, drillers will not immediately face an existential crisis because many have hedged themselves, locking in prices for a certain amount of production.

But a junk bond crisis could become more likely if oil prices stay low for an extended period of time. Once a few companies begin to default, the problem could quickly spread. Another variable is how quickly the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates, which could significantly affect the attractiveness of the junk bond market.

Local and regional banks could be highly exposed as well, especially if energy loans make up a large share of their lending portfolio. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that banks like Oklahoma-based BOK Financial—with 19 percent of its loan portfolio made up of energy loans—could be the most vulnerable. Moreover, an economic downturn in regions that depend heavily on energy, such as Texas or North Dakota, could see a broader decline in demand for loans of all kinds. That could add to the pain for local banks.

Low oil prices are not just a problem for oil companies. Investment funds, hungry for yield in a low interest rate environment, have poured money into oil and gas. To be sure, we are far from a crisis at this point, but if oil prices don’t rebound, a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money.

Source: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Could-Falling-Oil-Prices-Spark-A-Financial-Crisis.html

Vertimass selected for negotiation for up to $2M from DOE for conversion of ethanol into gasoline, diesel and jet blendstocks; expanding the ethanol market (updated)

5 December 2014

Ethanol conversion to hydrocarbons as a function of temp. at a LHSV of 2.93 h⁻¹. Source: US 20140100404 A1. Click to enlarge.

Vertimass LLC has been selected for negotiation of an award to receive up to $2 million from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (earlier post) to support the commercialization of catalyst
technology that converts ethanol into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel
blend stocks, while retaining compatibility with the current
transportation fuel infrastructure. (Earlier post.)

The technology—developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Chaitanya Narula, Brian Davison and Associate Laboratory Director Martin Keller and licensed exclusively by Vertimass—is expected to allow expansion of the ethanol market beyond current constraints. Existing US ethanol production plants currently have a capacity of approximately 14 billion gallons per year, a level that saturates current use as 10% blends with gasoline. However, the new Vertimass catalyst breaks that barrier by producing a hydrocarbon blend stock compatible in higher-level blends.

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The majority of ethanol in the US is used as 10 percent blends with gasoline, and current US ethanol production has virtually saturated that market as a result of what many refer to as a “blend wall”. One of our goals is to overcome this blend wall challenge.

While ethanol has been traditionally considered too low in energy density for use as a jet fuel, the Vertimass/ORNL catalyst can overcome that issue. This new fuel could also be used to power heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles for which ethanol is not ideally suited. Thus, the technology would expand opportunities to use more ethanol from corn in the US, cane sugar in Brazil, and cellulosic biomass worldwide. Initial tests indicate the Vertimass fuels (Vertifuels) are compatible for blending with gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels with no engine modifications, but further tests are underway for ASTM certification.

The technology uses an inexpensive metal-loaded zeolite catalyst to transform ethanol into a blendstock consisting of a mixture of C₃ – C₁₆ hydrocarbons containing paraffin, iso-paraffins, olefins, and aromatic compounds with a calculated motor octane number of 95. Fractional collection of the fuel product allows for the different fractions to be used as blendstock for gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. Benefits of the catalyst technology include:

• A single step conversion of ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend stock without the addition of hydrogen.

• the ability to process ethanol concentrations of ranging between 5 — 100%. In fermentation streams, the alcohol is typically in a concentration of no more than about 20% (vol/vol), 15%, 10%, or 5%. Thus, this process allows for the direct use of the fermentation stream—i.e., without concentration, or purification.

• Production of minimal amounts of light gases.

• Operation at relatively low temperature and atmospheric pressure.

• The ability to shift product distributions in response to changing market demands.

This technology can also convert a range of other alcohol feedstocks such as methanol, propanol, and butanol into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel blend stocks as well as benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) that have valuable chemical markets.

Graph showing hydrocarbon distribution in product stream of 10% ethanol after catalytic conversion over Cu-ZSM-5 at 400° C at 12.5 h⁻¹ LHSV. The compounds are (from left to right, identified by arrows) water, acetaldehyde, isobutane, 2-butene, acetone, 2-methylbutene, 2-methyl-2-butene, cis-1,2-dimethylcyclopropene, cyclopentane, 3,3-dimethylcyclobutene, benzene, 4,4-dimethylcyclobutane, toluene, 1,3-dimethylbenzene, 1-ethyl-3-methylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and 1-ethyl-4-methylbenzene. Source: US 20140100404 A1. Click to enlarge.

Tests have shown that the non-dilutive process is efficient across
uses. Traditionally, ethanol has been considered too low in density for
jet fuel; Vertimass and ORNL’s catalyst technology has overcome that
issue with no modifications required. Additionally, converted ethanol
has a composition compatible with various fuels, retaining output and
consistency with zero engine modifications required.

The resulting liquid can be blended at various concentrations into gasoline, diesel and jet fuels without negatively affecting engine performance. Successful engine experiments performed on a variable valve actuation gasoline engine showed comparable performance and emission data to certification gasoline. After mixing with petroleum-derived fuels, the blendstock does not require modifications to the existing distribution infrastructure.

The blend-stocks produced with this catalyst technology are
anticipated to fall under the Renewable Fuel Standard at the same level
as the ethanol used as feedstock.

This green catalyst technology can be rapidly added to an existing
ethanol plant with low capital and operating costs while providing fuel
flexibility and essentially replacing dehydration operations. With the ability to add operations to existing plants at a rapid pace and low cost, the new product will help meet the goals of Renewable Standard Fuel production and also help the Federal Aviation
Administration achieve their target of 1 billion gallons of renewable
aviation fuel by 2018.

Resources

• Zeolitic catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbons
  US 20140100404 A1

Airbus Group signs MOU with Emerging Fuels Technology on sustainable aviation fuels

4 December 2014

Airbus Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Emerging Fuels Technology, Inc. (EFT) to promote EFT in the commercialization of technologies to produce sustainable fuels for aviation. EFT’s proprietary Advanced Fixed Bed (AFB) Fischer-Tropsch reactor and catalyst system can convert synthesis gas from virtually any carbonaceous feedstock into transportation fuels such as renewable diesel and sustainable jet fuel. EFT specializes in small modular GTL licensing, Fischer-Tropsch and upgrade licensing for XTL projects, and contract RD.

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EFT offers several standard Reference Designs of its GTL technology which includes its proprietary and patented Advanced Fixed Bed Fischer-Tropsch reactor/catalyst system in nominal 250 Barrel per Day modules complete with related support equipment and modular upgrade packages from 250 BPD to 10,000 BPD.

In addition to the MOU with Airbus Group, EFT recently signed a broad Cooperation Agreement with Black Veatch (BV), a global leader in the engineering, procurement and construction of energy infrastructures. Under this agreement, BV will offer its clients the benefit of a technology “wrap” which can provide a range of performance guarantees, in addition to traditional cost and schedule guarantees for projects incorporating EFT’s technologies into sustainable fuels facilities. Other aspects of the agreement grant exclusivity to BV in representing EFT technologies in select markets and applications.

Airbus Group’s 2014 launch of a sustainable aviation fuels roadmap has led to collaborative projects with airline partners. It has also led to approval of 50% blends of biomass-to-liquid (BTL) and hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) fuels on commercial flights. Through May 2014, more than 1,500 commercial flights have been flown with alternative fuels worldwide.

Our belief is that, with support from regional governments, a significant percentage of all aviation fuel could come from sustainable sources by 2030, if we can establish adequate supply sources to produce commercial quantities of sustainable aviation fuel.

EIA: US proved oil reserves up for 5th year in a row; N Dakota proved oil reserves surpass Gulf of Mexico

4 December 2014

US crude oil proved reserves increased for the fifth year in a row in 2013, a net addition of 3.1 billion barrels of proved oil reserves (a 9% increase) according to US Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, 2013, released today by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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US natural gas proved reserves increased 10% in 2013, more than replacing the 7% decline in proved reserves seen in 2012, and raising the US total to a record level of 354 trillion cubic feet (Tcf).

At the state level, North Dakota led in additions of oil reserves (adding almost 2 billion barrels of proved oil reserves in 2013, a 51% increase from 2012) because of development of the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin. North Dakota’s proved oil reserves surpassed those of the federal offshore Gulf of Mexico for the first time in 2013. Texas (still the state with the largest proved reserves of oil) had the second largest increase, adding 903 million barrels of proved oil reserves in 2013.

Pennsylvania and West Virginia reported the largest net increases in natural gas proved reserves in 2013, driven by continued development of the Marcellus Shale play, the largest US shale gas play based on proved reserves. Combined, these two states added 21.8 Tcf of natural gas proved reserves in 2013 (13.5 Tcf in Pennsylvania and 8.3 Tcf in West Virginia) and were 70% of the net increase in proved natural gas reserves in 2013.

US production of both oil and natural gas increased in 2013: Production of crude oil and lease condensate increased 15% (rising from 6.5 to 7.4 million barrels per day), while US production of natural gas increased 2% (rising from 71 to 73 billion cubic feet per day).

Proved reserves are those volumes of oil and natural gas that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions. An increase in natural gas prices used to characterize existing economic conditions contributed to the reported increase in proved natural gas reserves. For example, the 12-month first-of-the-month average natural spot price at Henry Hub increased from $2.75 per million Btu (MMBtu) in 2012 to $3.66 per MMBtu in 2013.

EIA’s estimates of proved reserves are based on an annual survey of domestic oil and gas well operators.

New efficient catalytic system for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to hydrocarbons

4 December 2014

Photocatalytic reduction products formed on various catalysts. The Au₃Cu@STO/TiO₂ array (red arrow) was the most reactive photocatalyst in this family to generate hydrocarbons from diluted CO₂. Kang et al. Click to enlarge.

Researchers from Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and TU-NIMS Joint Research Center, Tianjin University, China have developed a new, particularly efficient photocatalytic system for the conversion of CO₂ into CO and hydrocarbons. The system, reported in a paper in the journal Angewandte Chemie, may be a step closer to CO₂-neutral hydrocarbon fuels.

More than 130 kinds of photocatalysts have been investigated to catalyze CO₂ reduction; of those, strontium titanate (SrTiO₃, STO) and titania (TiO2) are two of the most investigated materials. The research team headed by Dr. Jinhua Ye decided to use both, and devised a heteromaterial consisting of arrays of coaxially aligned STO/TiO₂ nanotubes.

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The researchers evenly loaded the nanotubes with nanoparticles of a gold-copper alloy to act as co-catalyst. Hydrazine hydrate (N₂H₄•H₂O) acted as the source of hydrogen and maintained the necessary reducing atmosphere. This system allowed the researchers to very efficiently convert CO₂ to CO and methane (CH₄), as well as other hydrocarbons.

Herein, we develop a new approach that is able to achieve high-rate UV/Vis-light-driven conversion of diluted CO₂ into CO and hydrocarbons in which STO/TiO₂ coaxial nanotube arrays loaded with an optimized combination of Au–Cu bimetallic NPs are used as the photocatalyst. Under UV/Vis-light illumination, a CO production rate of 138.6 ppm cm^-2 h^-1 (3.77 mmol g^-1 h^-1) and total hydrocarbon production rate of 26.68 ppm cm^-2 h^-1 (725.4 mmol g^-1 h^-1) are obtained on Au₃Cu@SrTiO³/TiO₂ nanotube arrays by using diluted CO₂ (33.3% in Ar). Generally the highest rate of production (e.g. methane) in previous reports does not exceed tens of mmol per hour of illumination per gram of photocatalyst.

On the nanoparticles, CO₂ is first reduced to CO, then to CH₄ and on to other hydrocarbons. A 3:1 ratio of gold to copper results in the largest amount of hydrocarbon product.

CH₄ is the main hydrocarbon product with an evolution rate of 15.49 ppm cm^-2 h^-1 (421.2 mmol g^-1 h^-1), and is 60% of the total hydrocarbon products. The other hydrocarbons are C₂H₆, C₂H4, and C₃H₆. The corresponding quantum efficiency for the photo-reduction is 2.51%. After five cycles measurement during a 34-hour test, the CH₄ gas-evolution rate decreases from 15.49 to 13.57 ppm cm^-2 h^-1, which is still 87.6 % of its original activity.

The researchers attributed the efficiency of their system to:

• employing high surface area nanotube array architectures, with holes in the tube walls to enhance the gas diffusion and increase the contact between photogenerated charge carriers and surface species;

• developing STO/TiO₂ heterostructures to facilitate the photogenerated charge separation;

• distributing noble bimetallic alloy NPs co-catalysts along the nanotube arrays to help the redox process; and

• choosing hydrous hydrazine as the hydrogen source and electron donor to provide a reductive atmosphere for keeping the alloying effect.

Irradiation with sunlight releases electrons within the semiconductor nanotubes. The STO/TiO₂ heterostructures allow the subsequent charge separation to be maintained better than in the pure substances. The electrons are transferred to the bimetallic precious metal nanoparticles and from there to the CO₂, the resulting CO, and other gaseous intermediates.

The large surface area of the nanotube bundles and the porosity of the nanotube walls facilitate a high degree of gas diffusion and ensure efficient charge transport. Special effects resulting from their alloyed state allow the gold-copper nanoparticles to stop the return of photogenerated electrons in the semiconductors much more effectively than the pure metals.

The hydrazine hydrate provides the necessary hydrogen, resupplies electrons to the catalyst, and forms a reducing atmosphere, which stabilizes the metal nanoparticles for a long time. If water is used as the hydrogen source instead, the catalytic system is rapidly deactivated.

Resources

• Qing Kang, Tao Wang, Peng Li, Lequan Liu, Kun Chang, Mu Li, and Jinhua Ye (2014) “Photocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide by Hydrous Hydrazine over Au–Cu Alloy Nanoparticles Supported on SrTiO3/TiO2 Coaxial Nanotube Arrays” Angewandte Chemie International Edition doi: 10.1002/anie.201409183