Dean Toste of the Chemical Sciences Division and Harvey Blanch of the Physical Biosciences Division led a team of researchers who showed that a fermentation process used in World War I to make cordite for bullets and artillery shells might find new use today in the production of advanced biofuels. The research team combined the fermentation process – known as ABE – with a palladium catalyst to produce molecular precursors to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Also on this team were Pazhamalai Anbarasan, Zachary Baer, Sanil Sreekumar, Elad Gross, Joseph Binder and Douglas Clark. More>
Posts Tagged ‘Chemical Sciences Division’
More Bang for the Biofuel Buck
Friday, November 9th, 2012CC2.0 Seminar Today on F-Electron Soft X-Ray Science for Clean Energy Materials
Thursday, November 8th, 2012
David Shuh of the Chemical Sciences Division will give the CC2.0 LDRD seminar today at 2 p.m. in Building 15-253 on “Developing f-electron soft x-ray spectroscopy, simulation, theory, and experiment for clean energy materials.” Fundamental advances are needed to understand the chemistry and physics of f-electrons in lanthanides and actinides, to advance the potential use of these materials in clean energy technologies. David Shuh is the director of the Glenn T. Seaborg Center and leads the Molecular Environmental Sciences Beamline 11.0.2 at the Advanced Light Source.
CC 2.0 Seminar on Metal Organic Frameworks for CO2 Sequestration
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
Mary Gilles of the Chemical Sciences Division will speak at the next Carbon Cycle 2.0 LDRD seminar on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. in Building 15-253. She will discuss “Photo-Switchable Metal Organic Frameworks for CO2 Sequestration,” and her group’s work on the synthesis, development, and characterization of external-stimuli responsive MOFs for CO2 capture and reversible CO2 adsorption. Gilles’s research focuses in three research areas: microscopy and spectroscopy studies on atmospheric aerosol aging, development of in situ cells for soft X-ray spectroscopies, and MOF thin films incorporating responsive components. More>
A Long-term View of Critical Materials: From Coal to Ytterbium
Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
A national alarm has sounded over the shortage of rare earth materials, such as manganese (pictured), cobalt, and nickel. These are critical ingredients in a wide range of clean-energy and medical technologies. However, at Berkeley Lab chemical scientists believe that taking a long-term view is vital for addressing both the current shortage as well as avoiding future shortages of materials that are crucial to U.S. industry. More>
Cuk, Herr Receive Bakar Fellowships for Commercially Promising Research
Monday, August 6th, 2012
Research innovations by early-career UC Berkeley faculty are getting a significant boost toward commercial development from the campus’s Bakar Fellows Program. The Bakar initiative, launched this year, is aimed at speeding the translation of Berkeley-bred innovations into practical applications and, in the process, improving the California economy. It creates a network of faculty, postdocs, students, staff and alumni to support researchers’ efforts to take their discoveries from the lab to the market. The recipients include Berkeley Lab researchers Tanja Cuk (left) of the Chemical Sciences Division and Amy Herr of the Physical Biosciences Division. More>
Laser Conference Approaching at Light Speed
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
The 21st International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy, the world’s leading meeting for quantum optics, will be held next June in Berkeley. Although a year away, attendance is limited and by invitation only; contact the organizers for an invitation and student aid. Keynote speaker is 2005 Physics Nobel Laureate Theodor Haensch of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, with a public lecture by Eric Cornell of the University of Colorado, a 2001 Physics Nobel Laureate. The Advanced Light Source’s Roger Falcone chairs the local organizing committee, and Dmitry Budker, Nuclear Science Division, and Hartmut Haeffner, Materials Sciences Division (MSD), co-chair the event. Among the organizers are Holger Mueller of Chemical Sciences and MSD’s Dan Stamper-Kurn. More>
Enrique Iglesia Wins 2012 Eni Award for Hydrocarbon Research
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
Lab chemical scientist Enrique Iglesia is among the winners of 2012 Eni Awards, receiving the New Frontiers of Hydrocarbons — Downstream Prize. The award recognizes his development of hydrocarbon synthesis catalysts, which improve process efficiency and reduce waste and energy use. The award ceremony will take place at the Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome on June 15, before Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. More>
Lab Researchers Win DOE Early Career Awards
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Five Berkeley Lab researchers were on the list of 68 recipients from 47 institutions in the third year of the Early Career Research Program managed by DOE’s Office of Science. The awards, which focus on areas of high priority for the nation and DOE’s mission, support exceptional researchers during the critical stages of their formative work by funding their research for up to five years and $2.5 million. Lab winners include (l-r) Hank Childs (CRD), John Dueber (PBD), Oliver Gessner (CSD), Daniel Kasen (NSD), and Kevin Wilson (CSD). More>
Four Berkeley Lab Researchers Named to National Academy of Sciences
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
Four Berkeley Lab researchers were elected members or foreign associates to the National Academy of Sciences. The election recognizes their distinguished careers and research achievements. The NAS membership is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States. New members include (l-r) John Bell of the Computational Research Division, John Hartwig of the Chemical Sciences Division, Bernard Sadoulet of the Physics Division, and John Clarke of the Materials Sciences Division. More>
Pat Durbin Memorial Lecture on ‘Plutonium: Moving Back to the Future’
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
The third Annual Pat Durbin Memorial Lecture will be held on Wednesday, May 9, at 4 p.m. in the Building 66 Auditorium. The lecture honors the late Patricia Durbin, best known for her seminal work in medical aspects of radiation protection. The Glenn T. Seaborg Center of the Chemical Sciences Division will host refreshments at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Memorial Lecture on “Plutonium – Moving Back for the Future?” presented by Nicholas Priest of the Radiological Protection Research and Instrumentation Branch AECL Chalk River Laboratories, Canada.
