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WASHINGTON – As part of the Energy Department’s efforts to develop efficiency standards that cut carbon pollution and save money by saving energy, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced that the Department has finalized new energy efficiency standards for metal halide lamp fixtures, which are used in lighting for big box stores and parking lots. Over 30 years, these standards will help reduce harmful carbon pollution by up to 28 million metric tons – equivalent to the annual electricity use of 3.9 million homes – and save consumers more than $1.1 billion on their energy bills. These standards support President Obama’s call to cut energy waste, save families money on their utilities bills and help reduce pollution, as outlined in the State of the Union address this week.

“By working with industry and efficiency groups, we are developing appliance standards that are saving billions of dollars while helping to fight carbon pollution,” said Secretary Moniz. “Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department continues to make good progress to help communities and businesses save on their utility bills and build a more sustainable energy future.”

Under the Obama Administration, the Energy Department has finalized new efficiency standards for more than 30 household and commercial products, including dishwashers, refrigerators and water heaters, which are estimated to save consumers more than $400 billion and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 billion metric tons through 2030.

To build on this success, the Administration has set a new goal: Efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings set in the first and second terms combined will reduce carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 – equivalent to nearly one-half of the carbon pollution from the entire U.S. energy sector for one year – while continuing to cut families’ energy bills.

Metal halide lamp fixtures include the ballast which starts and regulates the electrical current for these lighting systems. They are commonly used for parking lots and streets, flood lighting, athletic facilities, big-box stores and warehouses. On average, one metal halide lamp fixture consumes about 2,210 kilowatt hours of energy per year.

The efficiency standards established today will update the 2007 standards for metal halide lamp fixtures. These standards incorporate feedback from industry, consumer and environmental advocacy groups and other stakeholders and will go into effect three years after publication in the Federal Register.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.energy.gov

NASA is inviting the public to help astronomers discover embryonic planetary systems hidden among data from the agency’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission through a new website, DiskDetective.org. Disk Detective is NASA’s largest crowdsourcing project whose primary goal is to produce publishable scientific results. It exemplifies a new commitment to crowdsourcing and open data by the United States government.

“Through Disk Detective, volunteers will help the astronomical community discover new planetary nurseries that will become future targets for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope,” said James Garvin, the chief scientist for NASA Goddard’s Sciences and Exploration Directorate.
WISE was designed to survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths. From a perch in Earth orbit, the spacecraft completed two scans of the entire sky between 2010 and 2011. It took detailed measurements on more than 745 million objects, representing the most comprehensive survey of the sky at mid-infrared wavelengths currently available.

Astronomers have used computers to search this haystack of data for planet-forming environments and narrowed the field to about a half-million sources that shine brightly in the infrared, indicating they may be “needles”: dust-rich disks that are absorbing their star’s light and reradiating it as heat.

“Planets form and grow within disks of gas, dust and icy grains that surround young stars, but many details about the process still elude us,” said Marc Kuchner, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “We need more examples of planet-forming habitats to better understand how planets grow and mature.”

But galaxies, interstellar dust clouds, and asteroids also glow in the infrared, which stymies automated efforts to identify planetary habitats. There may be thousands of nascent solar systems in the WISE data, but the only way to know for sure is to inspect each source by eye, which poses a monumental challenge.

Public participation in scientific research is a type of crowdsourcing known as citizen science. It allows the public to make critical contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics by collecting, analyzing and sharing a wide range of data. NASA uses citizen science to engage the public in problem-solving.
Kuchner recognized the spotting of planetary nurseries as a perfect opportunity for crowdsourcing. He arranged for NASA to team up with the Zooniverse, a collaboration of scientists, software developers and educators who collectively develop and manage citizen science projects on the Internet. The result of their combined effort is Disk Detective.
Disk Detective incorporates images from WISE and other sky surveys in brief animations the website calls flip books. Volunteers view a flip book and classify the object based on simple criteria, such as whether the image is round or includes multiple objects. By collecting this information, astronomers will be able to assess which sources should be explored in greater detail, for example, to search for planets outside our solar system.

“Disk Detective’s simple and engaging interface allows volunteers from all over the world to participate in cutting-edge astronomy research that wouldn’t even be possible without their efforts,” said Laura Whyte, director of citizen science at Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Ill., a founding partner of the Zooniverse collaboration.

The project aims to find two types of developing planetary environments. The first, known as a young stellar object disk, typically is less than 5 million years old, contains large quantities of gas, and often is found in or near young star clusters. For comparison, our own solar system is 4.6 billion years old. The second planetary environment, known as a debris disk, tends to be older than 5 million years, possesses little or no gas, and contains belts of rocky or icy debris that resemble the asteroid and Kuiper belts found in our own solar system. Vega and Fomalhaut, two of the brightest stars in the sky, host debris disks.

WISE was shut down in 2011 after its primary mission was completed. But in September 2013, it was reactivated, renamed Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), and given a new mission, which is to assist NASA’s efforts to identify the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOWISE also can assist in characterizing previously detected asteroids that could be considered potential targets for future exploration missions.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., manages and operates WISE for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The WISE mission was selected competitively under NASA’s Explorers Program managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The science instrument was built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah. The spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.nasa.gov

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J.– Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that it has entered into a supply agreement with Asahi Glass Company Ltd. (AGC) to increase production for HFO-1234yf, a new refrigerant for automobiles with a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 1. This GWP is 99.9 percent lower than that of the current refrigerant in use, HFC-134a, and even lower than the GWP of carbon dioxide.

AGC will manufacture HFO-1234yf in Japan, and Honeywell will market the product to customers in the U.S, Europe and Asia. Under the agreement, AGC’s production is expected to begin in mid-2015.

“Honeywell’s supply agreement with AGC will help us meet immediate demand for HFO-1234yf, which is steadily increasing in response to concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and the need to comply with regulations,” said Ken Gayer, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Fluorine Products. “We continue to work with our customers to anticipate long-term demand, which will be met by a new high-volume manufacturing plant we will build in Geismar, Louisiana. Manufacturing locations in both the U.S. and Asia will provide automotive customers with improved supply chain reliability and security.”

Last month, Honeywell announced that the company and its suppliers would invest about $300 million to increase capacity for HFO-1234yf, including building a new manufacturing plant for the refrigerant at Honeywell’s existing Geismar location. The plant will use new process technology and is expected to be fully operational in 2016. The exact size of the plant will depend on supply agreements that Honeywell is putting in place with major customers.

HFO-1234yf is being implemented by automakers in part to meet the EU MAC Directive, a landmark piece of legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of air-conditioning systems in passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The directive requires that refrigerants in all new vehicle types sold in Europe after Jan. 1, 2013, have a global-warming potential (GWP) below 150.

GWP is a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere, with carbon dioxide setting the comparison with a GWP of 1. HFO-1234yf offers a GWP that is less than 1, giving it even less of an environmental impact than carbon dioxide. (See “Comparison of Greenhouse Impact” table below.)

All cars sold in Europe after 2017 must meet the new GWP requirement of less than 150. HFO-1234yf, with a GWP below 1, not only meets this requirement but is more than 99 percent below the new, stricter regulation.

Automakers in the U.S. are also adopting HFO-1234yf to help comply with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and vehicle greenhouse gas standards, which aim to improve the average fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with cars and light trucks. Because HFO-1234yf has an extremely low environmental impact (a GWP of less than 1 compared with a GWP of 1,300 for the current refrigerant, HFC-134a), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows automakers to receive credits for using HFO-1234yf.

Nearly half a million cars are on the road today safely using HFO-1234yf, and by the end of 2014, the number of vehicles is expected to exceed 2 million. Third-party data shows that HFO-1234yf’s widespread adoption globally would have the greenhouse gas equivalent of permanently removing more than 30 million cars from the road worldwide, or about 3 percent of the total global fleet.

HFO-1234yf has the proven ability to perform as an effective automotive refrigerant in all regions of the world, and Honeywell continues to develop a global infrastructure to support its global customer base.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.honeywell.com

SINGAPORE-ExxonMobil reinforced its long-term supply commitment to the fast-growing Asia-Pacific market today during an event celebrating the expansion of its Singapore chemical production facility.

“Global chemical demand will grow at a faster pace than GDP as people seek higher standards of living and purchase more household and packaged goods manufactured with chemical products,” Rex W. Tillerson, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) chairman and chief executive officer, said at the event.

“Two-thirds of that growth in chemical demand will be here in the Asia-Pacific region. ExxonMobil’s expanded Singapore chemical plant is uniquely positioned to serve these growth markets – from China to the Indian subcontinent and beyond.”

ExxonMobil’s expansion project doubled the size of its finished product capacity in Singapore, making it the largest chemical expansion in the company’s history.

The Singapore chemical facility, which now accounts for about one-quarter of ExxonMobil’s global chemical capacity, incorporates more than 40 new proprietary technologies and is designed to be one of ExxonMobil’s most energy efficient and flexible sites. For example, a new steam cracker can process an unprecedented range of feedstock, from light gases to crude oil, to produce an expanded slate of premium and commodity petrochemicals.

Tillerson noted that the foundation for the advancements at the Singapore complex were established decades ago and strengthened through the company’s relationships with and respect for the people and nation of Singapore. “Government leaders here wisely pursued a stable policy course that encouraged international investment, teamwork and advanced technologies,” Tillerson said.

Leo Yip, chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said, “The official opening of ExxonMobil’s Singapore Chemical Plant Expansion enhances Singapore’s leadership position as Asia’s energy and chemicals hub. This latest investment – the single largest manufacturing investment in Singapore’s history – is testament to our ability to successfully attract and execute complex mega-projects. The expansion of ExxonMobil’s chemical plant will create meaningful and exciting career opportunities for Singaporeans and also enable Singapore to broaden our chemicals industry with higher-value downstream chemical facilities.”

Png Cheong Boon, CEO, JTC Corporation, said, “The opening of ExxonMobil’s chemical plant is a testimony of the excellent infrastructure on Jurong Island and the strong partnership with ExxonMobil. We remain committed to work with the industry to ensure that Jurong Island remains a key energy and chemical hub in the region.”

Tillerson said that Singapore’s leadership has built a nation that promotes openness, transparency and free trade that enable progress through the exchange of talent, goods, services and ideas.

ExxonMobil has operated in Singapore for 120 years and is one of the country’s largest foreign manufacturing investors. The company employs 2,000 people at its refining and chemical production complex in Singapore. ExxonMobil cogeneration facilities, with capacity of 360 megawatts, meet the steam and electricity needs of the manufacturing complex, resulting in lower operating costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

This Press Release is courtesy www.exxonmobil.com

MOSCOW, Russia – The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) has officially launched a new sustainable agriculture program in Russia to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by implementing more sustainable farming practices and healthier seed crops, which will also promote better food choices for consumers in Russia. As the Official Carbon Partner of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, this innovative project is part of the Company’s “Sustainable Future” program to mitigate the direct carbon footprint associated with the hosting of the Games by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee.

Traditional farming practices include the use of heavy machinery for deep tilling of fields each year which consume fuel, cause long-term soil erosion and lead to substantial GHG emissions. Dow Seeds, a unit of Dow AgroSciences, is deploying leading technology in Russia and engaging with local farmers to encourage low-till agriculture and other sustainable farming solutions to reduce the negative impact on the environment, while also enabling the production of healthier crops.

Dow is partnering with Farmer’s Edge (a world leader in precision agronomy) and ADVAG (a leader in Russian Agriculture Management) to work with five large farms: “Shatsk Zolotaya Niva” LLC (AgroTerra), KFH “Baigora”, “VAPC” LLC, SKPSSK “Izmalkovskiy” and “ADVAG – Baltic Farms” LLC. The program will provide access to state-of-the-art precision agriculture and advanced expertise to optimize farm productivity of Nexera™ hybrid canola seeds while focusing on more sustainable practices, such as reduced tillage, optimized use of nutrients and variable rate application of fertilizer.

The partnership is set to last for two years, and has the potential to eliminate up to 100,000 metric tons of GHG emissions at these five farms combined over a 10-year span. The emissions reductions will count toward the mitigation of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games’ direct carbon footprint, estimated to be up to 360,000 MT.

“The project will demonstrate to the Russian Agricultural Industry how yields can be increased and optimized using more sustainable farming practices,” explains Dr. Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, Sustainability and Technology Director, Dow Olympic Operations. “Advancing sustainability while enabling increased production of healthier oils is a very significant way to connect Dow’s ‘Sustainable Future’ program with the very values of the Olympic Movement, which combine the environment with the promotion of healthier lifestyles.”

Holistic Approach, Amplified Results

In addition to minimizing emissions, low -till farming has positive effects on the entire ecosystem, keeping existing carbon based materials in the soil rather than emitting them into the atmosphere. Maintaining higher carbon content in soil improves water retention, reduces the need for additional irrigation and decreases soil erosion. By increasing soil resilience, crops become stronger and better able to resist weeds and pests, therefore reducing the need for additional pesticide and herbicide applications. Avoiding overuse of fertilizers also decreases the emissions of nitrogen oxides, or gases with extremely high global warming potential. A resulting healthier ecosystem will lead to higher crop yields, ultimately benefitting the local economy.

This program also improves the quality of crops produced. Dow is focusing on rapeseed (canola), aiming to reduce Russia’s dependency on oil imports in the long term and promoting the use Omega-9 canola oils, which are low saturated fat oils for healthier food production. The seeds to be introduced by Dow are bred to work particularly well with reduced tillage practices, producing higher yields and, therefore, more efficient farms.

Training for farmers is another key component of the program, which focuses on mastering low-tillage practices to achieve higher crop yields, and using water and fertilizers in an optimized way. The training programs started in December of 2013, and a technological map and special guidelines will be developed for each farm to support the implementation in early 2014.

“Innovation and sustainability are part of our core as a Company. We feel these specific training programs have the potential to bring lasting, positive change to Russia’s environment, agricultural sector, and overall economy,” said Igor Savinskiy, country leader for Dow Seeds in Russia. “Enabling greenhouse gas emissions reductions that will support the climate goals of Sochi 2014 is a very special way to celebrate our 40 years presence in Russia.”

Contributing to more sustainable Olympic Games

As The Official Carbon Partner of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, supporting sustainable agricultural practices is just one piece of Dow’s “Sustainable Future” program, a unique and innovative program to mitigate the direct carbon footprint associated with hosting the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Dow is collaborating with partners and customers in Russia to implement energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies that will result in a net decrease of GHG emissions in the key areas of infrastructure, industry and agriculture. All projects will be implemented in-country, generating benefits to the Russian economy by targeting upgrades in building infrastructures, farming practices and industrial processes.

“As The Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Movement, we are in a unique position to advance sustainability beyond the Games and catalyze change globally through the excitement generated by the Olympics,” said George Hamilton, vice president, Dow Olympic Operations. “GHG emission reductions are happening in Russia as we speak, thanks to the low carbon and energy efficient technologies introduced through this unique sustainability program tailor-made by Dow for Sochi 2014.”

This Press Release is courtesy of www.dow.com

NASA’s uncrewed Global Hawk research aircraft is in the western Pacific region on a mission to track changes in the upper atmosphere and help researchers understand how these changes affect Earth’s climate.
Deployed from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., the Global Hawk landed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam Thursday at approximately 5 p.m. EST and will begin science flights Tuesday, Jan. 21. Its mission, the Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX), is a multi-year NASA airborne science campaign.

ATTREX will measure the moisture levels and chemical composition of upper regions of the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, a region where even small changes can significantly impact climate. Scientists will use the data to better understand physical processes occurring in this part of the atmosphere and help make more accurate climate predictions.

“We conducted flights in 2013 that studied how the atmosphere works and how humans are affecting it,” said Eric Jensen, ATTREX principal investigator at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “This year, we plan to sample the western Pacific region which is critical for establishing the humidity of the air entering the stratosphere.”

Studies show even slight changes in the chemistry and amount of water vapor in the stratosphere, the same region that is home to the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation, can affect climate significantly by absorbing thermal radiation rising from the surface. Predictions of stratospheric humidity changes are uncertain because of gaps in the understanding of the physical processes occurring in the tropical tropopause layer.

ATTREX is studying moisture and chemical composition from altitudes of 55,000 feet to 65,000 feet in the tropical tropopause, which is the transition layer between the troposphere, or the lowest part of the atmosphere, and the stratosphere, which extends up to 11 miles above Earth’s surface. Scientists consider the tropical tropopause to be the gateway for water vapor, ozone and other gases that enter the stratosphere. For this mission, the Global Hawk carries instruments that will sample the tropopause near the equator over the Pacific Ocean.

ATTREX scientists installed 13 research instruments on NASA’s Global Hawk 872. Some of these instruments capture air samples while others use remote sensing to analyze clouds, temperature, water vapor, gases and solar radiation.

“Better understanding of the exchange between the troposphere and stratosphere and how that impacts composition and chemistry of the upper atmosphere helps us better understand how, and to what degree, the upper atmosphere affects Earth’s climate,” Jensen said.

In 2013, for the first time, ATTREX instruments sampled the tropopause region in the Northern Hemisphere during winter, when the region is coldest and extremely dry air enters the stratosphere. Preparations for this mission started in 2011 with engineering test flights to ensure the aircraft and its research instruments operated well in the extremely cold temperatures encountered at high altitudes over the tropics, which can reach minus 115 degrees Fahrenheit. ATTREX conducted six science flights totaling more than 150 hours last year.

Jensen and Project Manager Dave Jordan of Ames lead the ATTREX mission. It includes investigators from Ames and three other NASA facilities: Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The team also includes investigators from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, universities and private industry.

ATTREX is one of the first research missions of NASA’s new Earth Venture project. These small and targeted science investigations complement NASA’s broader science research satellite missions. The Earth Venture missions are part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program managed by Langley.

This Press Release is courtesy of NASA.gov

Several companies, working closely with NASA, ended 2013 with an impressive string of achievements to build on in 2014 as the American aerospace industry continues to develop and demonstrate commercial human spaceflight capabilities with the potential to support both commercial and government customers.

The year will be pivotal for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) as the agency looks to announce one or more awards by August for Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts that would lead to operational crewed flights to the International Space Station. NASA intends to use new commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the station within the next three years.

NASA’s industry partners are pursuing ambitious milestones this year as CCP moves forward. The partners are Blue Origin of Kent, Wash.; The Boeing Company of Houston; Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Sparks, Nev.; and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif.

Milestones planned by the companies include sophisticated software demonstrations, a free flight to evaluate a vehicle in a simulated space environment and launches to test the first of a new generation of launch abort systems. The goal of CCP is to develop a new generation of U.S. human transportation systems capable of delivering humans to low-Earth orbit from American soil.

“Our partners have steadily moved pieces from the drawing boards and computer screens to factory floors and test stands across the country,” said Kathy Lueders, acting manager of CCP. “The new year offers exciting opportunities for these companies to demonstrate the reach and potential of their hard-earned innovations.”

Blue Origin test-fired its BE-3 engine in 2013. It plans this year to review its assembly of a sub-scale propellant tank and conduct a review of the space vehicle’s subsystems design.

With the completion of a detailed design review in 2013, Boeing continued to develop its spacecraft, the CST-100, confirming in this review the service module propulsion system was ready to move into the next phases: production and integration with the CST-100 spacecraft.

Boeing’s certification plan for the CST-100 detailed several aspects of its development and operation, including plans for testing components and systems along with the spacecraft as a whole — a plan that takes the spacecraft through development to the launch pad and on to mission operations.

“Boeing’s goal is to develop a safe and reliable commercial space transportation system and these reviews are vital to meet that goal,” said Gennaro Caliendo, NASA’s Integration Team lead for Boeing. “They help ensure that the spacecraft and its myriad systems will work together to accomplish challenging missions, which require the utmost attention to detail.”
NASA worked with a team of engineers and designers from SNC in 2013 to review detailed certification and systems safety plans for its Dream Chaser Space System.

“The roadmap to understanding how safe and reliable a crew transportation system is takes a lot of details and dedication from all parties involved,” said Cheryl McPhillips, NASA’s Partner Integration Team lead for SNC. “When building a system that is to be trusted enough to carry humans into space, the most important part is building in safety from the start. SNC has made significant progress with its Dream Chaser to date.”

SNC plans to build on that progress in 2014 with wind tunnel tests and further advancement of its innovative main propulsion and reaction control systems, and a second free flight test of the Dream Chaser.

SpaceX’s first commercial satellite launch on an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket gave NASA engineers an opportunity to review the vehicle’s performance in flight following the Sept. 28 liftoff and ascent of the Falcon 9 v1.1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The company anticipates using the upgraded rocket to launch humans to destinations in low-Earth orbit.

“With the upgrade from version 1.0 to a 1.1, SpaceX introduced a number of new systems including new engines, new software and new avionics,” said Derek Hassmann, NASA Partner Integration Manager working with SpaceX. “The overall conclusion is that SpaceX is on the right track. The goal really isn’t to judge their design, but to see how they cope with anomalies, see how they track their processes and control their hazards and how they’re able to deal with the unexpected.”

The 2014 calendar for SpaceX includes increasingly detailed reviews of the company’s integrated systems and progress on its ground systems. SpaceX will conduct two flights to test the Dragon’s launch abort systems, powered by two SuperDraco thrusters that will push the Dragon into the sky instead of pulling the spacecraft up as previous launch abort systems have done.

Milestones achieved by CCP’s partners are continuing to push commercial spacecraft and transportation system designs closer to reality. The successes of NASA and American aerospace companies are ushering in a new generation of space transportation capabilities, which will enable new opportunities for humans to live and work in space.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.nasa.gov

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered novel compounds produced by certain types of chemical reactions – such as those found in vehicle exhaust or grilling meat – that are hundreds of times more mutagenic than their parent compounds which are known carcinogens.

These compounds were not previously known to exist, and raise additional concerns about the health impacts of heavily-polluted urban air or dietary exposure. It’s not yet been determined in what level the compounds might be present, and no health standards now exist for them.

The findings were published in December in Environmental Science and Technology, a professional journal.

The compounds were identified in laboratory experiments that mimic the type of conditions which might be found from the combustion and exhaust in cars and trucks, or the grilling of meat over a flame.

“Some of the compounds that we’ve discovered are far more mutagenic than we previously understood, and may exist in the environment as a result of heavy air pollution from vehicles or some types of food preparation,” said Staci Simonich, a professor of chemistry and toxicology in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.

“We don’t know at this point what levels may be present, and will explore that in continued research,” she said.

The parent compounds involved in this research are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, formed naturally as the result of almost any type of combustion, from a wood stove to an automobile engine, cigarette or a coal-fired power plant. Many PAHs, such as benzopyrene, are known to be carcinogenic, believed to be more of a health concern that has been appreciated in the past, and are the subject of extensive research at OSU and elsewhere around the world.

The PAHs can become even more of a problem when they chemically interact with nitrogen to become “nitrated,” or NPAHs, scientists say. The newly-discovered compounds are NPAHs that were unknown to this point.

This study found that the direct mutagenicity of the NPAHs with one nitrogen group can increase 6 to 432 times more than the parent compound. NPAHs based on two nitrogen groups can be 272 to 467 times more mutagenic. Mutagens are chemicals that can cause DNA damage in cells that in turn can cause cancer.

For technical reasons based on how the mutagenic assays are conducted, the researchers said these numbers may actually understate the increase in toxicity – it could be even higher.

These discoveries are an outgrowth of research on PAHs that was done by Simonich at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games in 2008, when extensive studies of urban air quality were conducted, in part, based on concerns about impacts on athletes and visitors to the games.

Beijing, like some other cities in Asia, has significant problems with air quality, and may be 10-50 times more polluted than some major urban areas in the U.S. with air concerns, such as the Los Angeles basin.

An agency of the World Health Organization announced last fall that it now considers outdoor air pollution, especially particulate matter, to be carcinogenic, and cause other health problems as well. PAHs are one of the types of pollutants found on particulate matter in air pollution that are of special concern.

Concerns about the heavy levels of air pollution from some Asian cities are sufficient that Simonich is doing monitoring on Oregon’s Mount Bachelor, a 9,065-foot mountain in the central Oregon Cascade Range. Researchers want to determine what levels of air pollution may be found there after traveling thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean.

This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Science Foundation. It’s also an outgrowth of the Superfund Research Program at OSU, funded by the NIEHS, that focuses efforts on PAH pollution. Researchers from the OSU College of Science, the University of California-Riverside, Texas A&M University, and Peking University collaborated on the study.

This Press Release is courtesy of Oregon State University www.oregonstate.edu

Orion’s first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, is less than a year away now, and the team building the spacecraft is meeting milestones left and right as they prepare the vehicle for its debut.

The Orion crew module that will fly 3,600 miles above Earth on the spacecraft’s first mission is continuing to come together inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Since the heat shield that will protect it from temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit was delivered to Kennedy in early December, the Orion team has been preparing it for installation. They’ve placed it on a work stand and begun drilling the holes necessary to attach it to the module. The heat shield is scheduled be put in place in the spring.

Once the heat shield has done its job getting Orion through the Earth’s atmosphere after its two orbits around Earth, it will be up to the parachutes to do the heavy lifting, literally. A total of 11 parachutes will be used for various landing functions, but three main parachutes that together could almost cover a football field ultimately will slow Orion’s descent down to less than 20 miles per hour for the finale: a relatively gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The three main parachutes that will be used for EFT-1 were installed on the vehicle this month. A crane lowered each of the 300-pound main parachutes into place near the top of the capsule, and technicians in clean suits fit them into their compartments. They’ll be deployed using three smaller pilot parachutes that pull them out after the preceding drogue parachutes have done the initial work of slowing the vehicle down.

While those activities are preparing the spacecraft in Florida, the rockets that will launch Orion into space are nearing completion in Decatur, Ala., home of United Launch Alliance’s final assembly facility. The core, port and starboard boosters of the Delta IV heavy lift rocket that will be used for EFT-1 are all final assembly, with the starboard section leading the charge. It’s currently in final acceptance testing, while the RS-68 engine was recently installed on the core booster, and the propulsion and wire harness assemblies are being integrated into the port booster.

The rocket is scheduled to be completed and shipped to Florida in the spring. With all this activity wrapping up 12 months of arrivals, installations and tests, 2013 has been a good year for the Orion Program. In fact, the only thing that could top it would be 2014 and the launch of EFT-1.

This Press Release is courtesy of NASA

Washington, DC — The board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) today adopted revisions to its environmental procedures and guidelines governing high-carbon intensity projects, aligning the Bank with President Obama’s goal of reducing carbon pollution, while maintaining the Bank’s focus on continuing to help create and support American export-related jobs.

“No one has been more supportive of U.S. exports and the American jobs they produce and maintain than this Bank and this board. Since 2009, we have supported nearly 1.2 million jobs.” said Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im chairman and president. “We can’t do it, however, without considering the environmental costs associated with transactions.”

The revised guidelines adopted today require carbon capture and storage in most countries in order to secure Bank financing for coal-fired power plants, but would provide flexibility for the Bank with respect to the important energy needs of the poorest countries in the world.

The policy revisions were drafted by Ex-Im Bank staff and reviewed extensively by exporters, the public, leading environmental groups, the Administration and other federal agencies through an extensive and transparent vetting process.

“The Bank engages in an important balancing act — in supporting our exporters, we have to weigh the potential impacts on the environment associated with our financing,” Hochberg said. “This balancing act is a Congressional mandate, is a directive in our Charter, is part of our mission and it is something we at the Bank take seriously.

Hochberg noted that: “Our proposed guidelines would balance the Bank’s obligations to its many different stakeholders and also its efforts to support the growth of export-related U.S. jobs.”
“Without guidelines or limits, ever-increasing numbers of new coal plants worldwide will just continue to emit more carbon pollution into the air we breathe,” said Hochberg. “But America cannot do this alone. I strongly support the Administration’s efforts to build an international consensus such that other nations follow our lead in restricting financing of new coal-fired power plants.”

Ex-Im has been a leader among the world’s export credit agencies (ECAs) in adopting measures to protect the environment while financing exports.
•In 1995 the Bank was the first ECA to adopt environmental procedures and guidelines governing its export financing.
•In 1999 the Bank began tracking and publicly reporting projected carbon emissions produced by projects it financed. Even today Ex-Im is the only ECA that tracks and reports carbon emissions.
•In 2009 the Bank approved a formal carbon policy, and in 2010 it approved supplemental guidelines for high-carbon intensity projects.

The guideline revisions approved today are not designed to impact mining projects or coal exports produced by American coal miners. Ex-Im staff have worked with other agencies to ensure that the flexibility of these guidelines would be consistent with those of other federal agencies.

In addition to approving the revisions to its environmental guidelines, the board today approved seven transactions that together will support more than 11,200 U.S. export-related jobs.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.exim.gov

WASHINGTON — As part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department today announced more than $7 million for projects that will help bring cost-effective, advanced hydrogen and fuel cell technologies online faster. This investment – across four projects in Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Tennessee – will increase U.S. leadership in fuel cell-powered vehicles and backup power systems, and give businesses more affordable, cleaner transportation and power options.

“By partnering with private industry and universities, the Energy Department is helping to build a strong 21st century transportation sector that cuts harmful pollution, reduces costs for U.S. businesses and leads to a more sustainable energy future,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Reduced oil dependence is an important part of President Obama’s energy security and climate plans, and hydrogen and fuel cell technologies will help ensure America’s continued leadership in clean energy innovation.”

With support from the Energy Department, private industry and the Department’s national laboratories have already achieved significant advances in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies – reducing costs and improving performance. These research and development efforts have helped reduce automotive fuel cell costs by more than 50 percent since 2006 and by more than 30 percent since 2008. At the same time, fuel cell durability has doubled and the amount of expensive platinum needed in fuel cells has fallen by 80 percent since 2005.

Building on this progress, the projects awarded today will help further reduce the cost of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, expand fueling infrastructure and build a strong domestic supply chain in the United States. This investment also supports the Energy Department’s broader efforts to continue U.S. leadership in clean energy innovation. These projects include:

Center for Transportation and the Environment ($3 million DOE investment): Based in Atlanta, Ga., the Center for Transportation and the Environment will develop a fuel cell hybrid electric walk-in delivery van with a 150-mile range per fueling. The project will also retrofit 15 UPS delivery vans with fuel cell hybrid power trains and test these vehicles at distribution facilities across California. The University of Texas’s Center for Electromechanics, Electric Vehicles International, Hydrogenics USA and Valence Technology will also participate in this project.

FedEx Express ($3 million DOE investment): Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Express will develop a hydrogen fuel cell delivery truck with a range of up to 150 miles per fueling and test 20 of these trucks at FedEx facilities in Tennessee and California. Plug Power and Smith Electric Vehicles will join FedEx in this project.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. ($900,000 DOE investment): Located in Allentown, Pa., Air Products and Chemicals partner with Structural Composites Industries will develop a cost-effective tube trailer for hydrogen delivery and storage that can withstand high pressures. Air Products and Chemicals will also test this new technology under real-world operating conditions at hydrogen fueling stations in southern California.

Sprint ($250,000 DOE investment): Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, Sprint will deploy fuel cell-powered backup power systems for rooftop telecommunications equipment. The project will demonstrate modular and lightweight fuel cell systems that can be easily installed without heavy cranes and can be refueled from the ground — overcoming the need for transporting fuel to rooftops. Air Products, Altergy Systems, Burns & McDonnell Engineering Inc., CommScope Inc., First Element Energy LLC, IGX Group, Inc. and ReliOn Inc. will also participate in this project.

This Press Release is courtesy of Energy.gov

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a proposed rule to require manufacturers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to demonstrate that their products are safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections. Under the proposal, if companies do not demonstrate such safety and effectiveness, these products would need to be reformulated or relabeled to remain on the market.

Today’s action is part of a larger, ongoing review of antibacterial active ingredients by the FDA to ensure these ingredients are proven to be safe and effective. This proposed rule does not affect hand sanitizers, wipes, or antibacterial products used in health care settings.

Millions of Americans use antibacterial hand soap and body wash products. Although consumers generally view these products as effective tools to help prevent the spread of germs, there is currently no evidence that they are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. Further, some data suggest that long-term exposure to certain active ingredients used in antibacterial products—for example, triclosan (liquid soaps) and triclocarban (bar soaps)—could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects.

“Antibacterial soaps and body washes are used widely and frequently by consumers in everyday home, work, school, and public settings, where the risk of infection is relatively low,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “Due to consumers’ extensive exposure to the ingredients in antibacterial soaps, we believe there should be a clearly demonstrated benefit from using antibacterial soap to balance any potential risk.”

The widespread consumer use of antibacterial products, the accumulated scientific information and concerns raised by health care and consumer groups have prompted the FDA to reevaluate what data are needed to classify the active ingredients in consumer antibacterial products as “generally recognized as safe and effective” or GRASE. Under the proposed rule, manufacturers who want to continue marketing antibacterial products will be required to provide the agency with additional data on the products’ safety and effectiveness, including data from clinical studies to demonstrate that these products are superior to non-antibacterial soaps in preventing human illness or reducing infection.

“While the FDA continues to collect additional information on antibacterial hand soaps and body washes, we encourage consumers to make an educated choice about what products they choose to use,” said Sandra Kweder, M.D., deputy director, Office of New Drugs at CDER. “Washing with plain soap and running water is one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others.”

Consumers should continue to be diligent about washing their hands. If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol should be used. More information on appropriate hand washing from the CDC may be found here.

Almost all soaps labeled “antibacterial” or “antimicrobial” contain at least one of the antibacterial ingredients addressed in the proposed rule. The most common active ingredients in antibacterial soaps are triclosan and triclocarban. Some soaps labeled “deodorant” may also contain these ingredients.

The proposed rule does not require the antibacterial soap products to be removed from the market at this time. When the proposed rule is finalized, as previously stated, either companies will have provided data to support an antibacterial claim, or if not, they will have to reformulate (remove antibacterial active ingredients) or relabel (remove the antibacterial claim from the product’s labeling) these products in order to continue marketing. The proposed rule is available for public comment for 180 days, with a concurrent one year period for companies to submit new data and information, followed by a 60-day rebuttal comment period.
This Post is courtesy of www.fda.gov

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman joined with officials from Clemson University to dedicate the nation’s largest and one of the world’s most advanced wind energy testing facilities in North Charleston, S.C. Led by Clemson University’s Restoration Institute, the facility will help test and validate new turbines, particularly for offshore wind – helping to speed deployment of next generation energy technology, reduce costs for manufacturers and boost global competitiveness for American companies.

“Developing America’s vast renewable energy resources is an important part of the Energy Department’s all-of-the-above strategy to pave the way to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future,” said Deputy Secretary Poneman. “The Clemson testing facility represents a critical investment to ensure America leads in this fast-growing global industry – helping to make sure the best, most efficient wind energy technologies are developed and manufactured in the United States.”

During President Obama’s first term, the United States more than doubled generation of electricity from wind, solar and geothermal sources. To ensure America’s continued leadership position in clean energy, the President has set a goal to double renewable electricity generation once again by 2020. Wind testing facilities – like the one in South Carolina – are attracting companies from around the world to design and test their turbines and creating new jobs and opportunities for American workers and businesses.

“This facility is about job creation, sustainable growth and energy independence, while building the infrastructure to power America’s economic growth and prosperity for years to come,” said Congressman Jim Clyburn. “I applaud Clemson University for their leadership in bringing this cutting edge research to South Carolina and North Charleston. Wind energy represented over 40% of new electricity production in the United States in 2012, but there is still tremendous amount of untapped potential for this technology. I look forward to this industry creating jobs while providing clean renewable energy.”

Located at a former Navy warehouse with easy access to rail and water transport, the Clemson facility will test machinery that converts both onshore and offshore wind to electricity and allow engineers to simulate 20 years’ worth of wear and tear on drivetrains in a few months. The facility’s proximity to the coast also makes it ideal for U.S. and international companies to testing larger offshore wind turbines.

Supported by a $47 million Energy Department investment as well as about $60 million in outside funding, the facility is equipped with two testing bays – for up to 7.5-megawatt and 15-megawatt drivetrains, respectively. The facility will also feature a grid simulator that mimics real-world conditions and can help private industry and public researchers better study interactions between wind energy technologies and the U.S. power grid.

Boosting U.S. Wind Testing Capabilities Nationwide

Over the past four years, the Energy Department has made significant investments in our nation’s wind turbine testing capabilities, including the Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility in Lubbock, Texas, to help optimize whole wind farms’ performance and power production as well as the United States’ first commercial large-blade test facility in Boston Harbor.

These efforts build off the Department’s National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colo., which has helped drive new wind technology development since 1993. This past week, the Department dedicated a new five-megawatt dynamometer at the center to further strengthen its capabilities and conduct research on stronger, more durable wind drivetrains for land-based wind farms. Connected to a grid simulator as well as operating multi-megawatt turbines at the center, the new installation will also help study grid interactions and test energy storage devices simultaneously.

This Press Release is Courtesy of US Department of Energy- www.energy.gov

WASHINGTON — As part of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan, today the Energy Department announced the selection of 18 projects across the country to research innovative, second-generation technologies that will help improve the efficiency and drive down costs of carbon capture processes for new and existing coal-fired power plants.

“In the past four years we’ve more than doubled renewable energy generation from wind and solar power. However, coal and other fossil fuels still provide 80 percent of our energy, 70 percent of our electricity, and will be a major part of our energy future for decades,” said Secretary Ernest Moniz. “That’s why any serious effort to protect future generations from the worst effects of climate change must also include developing, demonstrating and deploying the technologies to use our abundant fossil fuel resources as cleanly as possible. As part of the President’s all-of-the-above approach to develop clean and affordable sources of American energy, the projects announced today will focus on the next generation of carbon capture technologies – helping to drive down the cost, increase efficiency and ensure America’s continued international leadership in combating climate change.”

To date, the Obama Administration has invested $6 billion in clean coal technologies to ensure the U.S. continues to have access to safe, sustainable and affordable energy from our abundant domestic fossil resources. Developing, demonstrating and deploying these technologies is a critical part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy.

With nearly $84 million in investments from the Energy Department – and additional cost-share from industry, universities, and other research institutions – the projects will support the development of advanced technologies that will help enable efficient, cost-effective application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) processes for new and existing coal-fired power plants.

Projects will conduct carbon capture research for two different fossil power generation processes. For traditional, combustion-based power plants – like most coal-fired plants today – research will focus on more efficiently capturing carbon emissions post combustion. More advanced, gasification-based electric power plants break down coal – or almost any carbon-based feedstock – into its chemical constituents before any combustion takes place. Research into this technology will improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of pre-combustion carbon capture.

COURTESY OF US ENERGY DEPARTMENT

Underscoring President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut harmful emissions and double energy efficiency, the Energy Department is taking action to develop the next generation of combined heat and power (CHP) technology and help local communities and businesses make cost-effective investments that save money and energy. As part of this effort, the Department launched today seven new regional Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnerships across the country to help strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, lower energy consumption and reduce harmful emissions.

Last year, President Obama established a new national goal of 40 gigawatts of new CHP capacity by 2020 – a 50 percent increase from today. Meeting this goal would help American manufacturers and companies save as much as $100 billion in energy costs over the next decade and reduce emissions equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road. View an Energy Department infographic on how CHP technology works and its environmental and economic benefits.

Launching Seven New CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships

Since 2003, the Energy Department has supported a set of regional centers to help organizations understand how CHP can improve their bottom lines and lower energy bills.

Today, the Department is launching seven regional CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships – the next generation of these centers – to help further grow America’s CHP market for commercial, institutional and industrial businesses, state agencies, utilities and trade associations. Located in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington state, these organizations will offer best practices for CHP project financing, management and state policies, market analysis tools and resources, and technical site evaluations.

Find more information on how the CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships are helping U.S. businesses and communities get the information they need to make smart, cost-effective investment decisions.

Strengthening Infrastructure Reliability and Resilience

Combined heat and power technologies can also help make our nation’s infrastructure smarter, stronger and better equipped to maintain power against increasingly severe weather events. During and after Hurricane Sandy, CHP helped hospitals, fire stations and multifamily housing in New York and New Jersey continue their operations when the electric grid went down.

The Energy Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency recently issued a guide to help state and local officials determine if CHP is a good option for Sandy rebuilding efforts. The guide includes practical information on financial, site and technical decision-making as well as how to operate and maintain these systems.

The Energy Department is also helping critical facilities across the country invest in CHP – providing affordable, reliable power and heat and ensuring that life-saving operations keep running. For example, in 2010, Thermal Energy Corporation installed a new high-efficiency 48 megawatt CHP system to power and heat the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and 16 other institutions at the Texas Medical Center. The Energy Department invested about $10 million in this project, matched by $62 million in private funding. Last year, the Midwest Clean Energy Application Center helped Gundersen Health system complete installation of a CHP system at its medical campus in Onalaska, Wisconsin – completely offsetting its electricity and steam needs and saving about $100,000 each year.

Developing Innovation CHP Technologies

In addition to technical assistance efforts, the Energy Department is supporting research, development and demonstration projects to help grow the CHP market, including finding CHP solutions that fit small- and medium-sized facilities and accelerating new product commercialization.

Industries with high and continuous demand for both electrical and thermal energy – such as food processing, paper manufacturing and metals production – are well suited for CHP installations but often face market and technical barriers to deployment. With that in mind, the Department is supporting demonstration projects to test how these systems impact plants’ operations and energy use and help identify financing and maintenance best practices. For instance, the Department partnered with Frito-Lay to install and test a CHP system at its Killingly, Conn.-based food processing facility. In addition to providing reliable, efficient power, the gas-fired system reuses excess heat to warm Frito-Lay’s chip fryer oil – cutting costs and reduce harmful air pollution.

The Department is also supporting new CHP technologies that are cleaner, more efficient and can use a variety of fuel sources. The Gas Technology Institute is developing a new CHP burner technology that cuts greenhouse gas emissions while improving overall system efficiency. Capstone Turbine Corporation is designing a combined 65 kilowatt CHP system and biomass gasifier that can use stalks, grass and other material to generate gas and power a turbine. Capstone is also developing a 370 kilowatt CHP system that can save about 44 percent more energy over a traditional system while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 95 percent.
Courtesy Department of Energy

Scientists at the Chemicals and Science Fair in Sacramento, California have reported a discovery of new characteristics of hydrocarbons. This will go a long a long to reduce carbon emissions from petro-chemicals usage and impact the auto industry as well.

The US is seriously considering its rules governing offshore oil drilling. In view of the the recent oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and the adverse environmental consequences, more stringent rules are been crafted to eliminate the circumstances that triggered such spills.