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$18M in new DOE awards for advance materials innovations in manufacturing
Ceralink's Microwave Technology Center
The DOE is giving a total of $13 million to 48 industrial energy-efficiency R&D projects, many of which will have either a direct bearing on ceramic and cementitious materials development and manufacturing including several new opportunities for high-temperature materials applications. An additional $5 million in matching grants is being ponied up by the private sector.
The awards, part of DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program, are targeted for the “development of transformational industrial processes and technologies that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” The ITP awards come in four topic areas:
Next Generation Manufacturing Concepts - These manufacturing concepts address the goal of reducing the energy intensity or greenhouse gas emissions of industrial systems by a minimum of 25 percent.
Energy Intensive Processes - These projects address specific technology areas that are expected to generate large energy-saving benefits across a variety of industries and transform the way major manufacturing processes use energy. The following specific technology areas are included: Reactions and Separations; High-Temperature Processing; Waste Heat Minimization and Recovery; and Sustainable Manufacturing.
Advanced Materials - These projects focus on Thermal and Degradation Resistant Materials and Materials for Energy Systems.
Industrial Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction - These projects address transformational technologies that offer not only carbon intensity reductions, but also absolute carbon reductions.
The list of awards is long, but here are a few highlights:
3M is getting nearly $800,000 to develop of new high-temperature low-cost ceramic media/catalyst support for use in natural gas surface combustion burners with lower NOx emissions.
Alcoa is getting $397,00 to develop a novel membrane purification cell to produce pure aluminum from recycled scrap.
Aspen Aerogels is getting $375,000 to develop a new nanoporous silica-based high-temperature aerogel for high-temperature steam and process pipes (450–650°C) to make a durable product with improved water repellency and decreased dusting).
CCS Materials Inc. is getting $382,000 to develop hydrate-free, non-Portland cement concrete for building facades. The aim, first, is to create a CO2-negative inorganic binding phase and, second, develop a method to reduce the energy required to make concrete by 60% and CO2 emissions by more than 90%. These objectives will be accomplished using a patent-pending process called low-temperature solidification.
Ceralink is getting $1.21 million for three RF and microwave-related projects. The first is to establish the manufacturing potential of RF glass lamination process (a low-energy alternative to autoclaving) for auto and solar panel glass. The other two projects involve microwave-enhanced direct cracking of hydrocarbon feedstock and energy-efficient microwave calcination of limestone.
Eaton Corp. is getting $373,000 to develop nanocoatings technology for high-contact stress environments
using new compositions (al-mag-borides) and coating methods.
Hi-Z Technology is getting $500,000 to develop and commercialize thermoelectric devices based on Si/SiGe quantum well materials as ultra-thin films that, for example, could increase the efficiency to 40% of the conversion of thermal energy in hot waste gas to electric energy.
Rive Technology Inc. is getting $762,000 for advanced nanostructured molecular sieves (mesoporous zeolite containing adsorbents) for energy-efficient industrial separation of propane from propylene.
Structured Materials Industries Inc. is getting $315,000 low cost production of InGaN for next-generation photovoltaic devices and LEDs.
UES Inc. is getting $300,000 to develop and commercialize next-generation super-hard, nano-crystalline and multilayered multifunctional coatings, with at least double service life. The coating materials include nitrides and borides and the processes include magnetron sputtering ion plating and large area filtered arc deposition.
Univ. of California, Santa Cruz is getting $348,000 to develop a transformational print-based manufacturing process for fabricating photovoltaics and solid state lighting on thin plastic substrates.
Univ. of the Pacific is getting $367,000 to research and develop a new silica-alumina based cementitious material (i.e., non-limestone) largely using coal refuse as a constituent that will be ideal for mine backfill, mine sealing and waste disposal stabilization.
Aerogel markets report available
Companiesandmarkets.com is offering a new 70-page report that analyzes the global market for aerogels by following end-use markets: thermal and acoustic insulation, consumer products, sensors and Instrumentation, medical, aerospace, energy and others. The report contains separate analyses for US, Europe and the rest of world, with forecasts through 2015.
The report profiles 11 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as American Aerogel, Aspen Aerogels, Cabot, Marketech International and TAASI. The publisher says the market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research, noting that the company profiles are mostly extracted from online sources.
Material wise, the report covers silica and carbon aerogels plus cryogels and xerogels. It also covers technological developments including aerogel integration with fibers and yarns. On the business side, the report delves into recent product innovations and industry activities.
The report costs $4,500 but a view of the table of contents is provided for free.
Read more about aerogel:
Video: Aerogel insulation hits housing market
Aerogel-based -40°C hydration system to be licensed
Solar Decathlon entries make use of aerogel
Aeroclay research at Case Western
NASA’s aerogel grid captures amino acid in space
Cabot”s Nanogel aerogel insulation selected for 50 km of subsea pipelines
Artistic aerogel light demonstrations
Aerogel used in classic car remake
Aerogel’s potential to mop up oil spills
Aerogel has potential as tunable waveplate
Universe’s largest catcher’s mitt?
Birdair demonstrates aerogel membrane roofing systems
Video of the week: aerogel insulation hits housing market
GreenTech reported that some aerogel companies are offering thin blankets that serve as replacements for traditional fiberglass, foam or cellulose insulation. It’s still more expensive upfront but the costs have fallen to the point that it can make sense in certain cases, particularly masonry or curved walls. The video posted above shows aerogel insulation over bent tubing.
Aerogels are made by removing the liquid from gels, resulting in a material that is more than 90 percent air. The porous structure of the nanomaterial makes it difficult for heat to pass through. As a result, aerogels make very good and light-weight insulators.
Aspen Aerogels says that its aerogel blankets have two to four times the insulating value per inch compared to fiberglass or foam. It’s also relatively easy to work with, allows water vapor to pass through and is fire resistant.
Material company Cabot has also developed its Nanogel insulator for buildings. Another company, ThermaBlok, has had its insulation used in demonstration houses built during last year’s Solar Decathlon home competition.
Contractors have started using the material on superinsulated homes that are sealed from the outside, both over masonry and under shingles. On wood frame homes, thin strips of aerogel can be applied to studs to prevent what’s called thermal bridging, where heat escapes through the walls’ framing.
Aspen provides this chart for for the R-value-philes (Spaceloft being Aspen’s brand name for their building insulation aerogel):
Read more about aerogel:
Aerogel markets report available
Aerogel-based -40°C hydration system to be licensed
Solar Decathlon entries make use of aerogel
Aeroclay research at Case Western
NASA’s aerogel grid captures amino acid in space
Cabot”s Nanogel aerogel insulation selected for 50 km of subsea pipelines
Artistic aerogel light demonstrations
Aerogel used in classic car remake
Aerogel’s potential to mop up oil spills
Aerogel has potential as tunable waveplate
Universe’s largest catcher’s mitt?
Birdair demonstrates aerogel membrane roofing systems
