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the Entire May 2001 Issue in PDF (11.3MB)
Turning Carbon Directly into Electricity
(pdf
file, 2.5MB)
A team of
researchers are investigating direct carbon conversion, an electrochemical
process that converts carbon particles directly into electricity without
the need for such traditional equipment as gasifiers, boilers, and turbines.
The process pushes the efficiency of using fossil fuels for generating
electricity closer to theoretical limits than ever before. The direct
carbon conversion fuel cell uses aggregates of extremely fine carbon particles
distributed in a slurry of molten carbonate at a temperature of 750 to
850 degrees Celsius. In the cell, carbon and oxygen (from ambient air) form carbon
dioxide and electricity. The reaction provides up to 1 kilowatt of power
per square meter of cell surface area, a rate sufficiently high for practical
applications. The process promises to greatly increase the yield of electric
energy from each unit of fossil fuel. It uses fuels derived efficiently
from any fossil fuel (including coal, lignite, petroleum, natural gas,
and even biomass) and significantly decreases the carbon dioxide released
into the atmosphere. The process also makes it easy to capture the carbon
dioxide for sequestration or other use.
Environmental Research in California and Beyond
(pdf
file, 2MB)
Among Lawrence Livermores
many environmental research projects are some that address issues of particular
importance to California. Three projectstwo involving groundwater
quality and a third involving earthquakesexemplify some of this
California-centric work. Study of the migration of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl
ether) in groundwater in the South Lake Tahoe area revealed that the most
likely path of MTBE flow leads directly to water wells. Using a detailed
computational model of a site in Orange County, Livermore environmental
scientists simulated how viruses and microbes move in groundwater and
attach to different geologic media. A region-wide cooperative project
called the Bay Area Paleoseismic Experiment (BAPEX) has Laboratory geologists
mapping ancient earthquakes to create a 2,000-year chronology of large
local earthquakes. The researchers are looking for patterns in timing,
location, and magnitude in hopes of providing a framework for more precise
earthquake forecasts. Results from all of the California-based projects
and others have the potential to benefit not only California but also
regions outside the states borders.
This Nitrogen Molecule Really Packs Heat
(pdf
file, 1MB)
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June 21, 2001
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