Natural gas inhabited by unusual specialists
A German-American research team of biologists and geochemists has discovered hitherto unknown anaerobic bacteria in marine sediments which need only propane or butane for growth. view more (2007-09-24)
Hydrocarbons in the Horsehead mane
Observing the edge of the famous Horsehead Nebula with the IRAM interferometer located on the Plateau de Bures (France), a team of French and Spanish astronomers discovered a large quantity of small hydrocarbon molecules. This is a surprise because the intense UV radiation illuminating the Nebula should destroy the small hydrocarbons near the... view more... (2005-02-21)
Motorcycles emit 'disproportionately high' amounts of air pollutants
Motorcycles collectively emit 16 times more hydrocarbons, three times more carbon monoxide and a "disproportionately high" amount of other air pollutants compared to passenger cars. view more (2005-12-20)
Hydrocarbons in the deep Earth?
The oil and gas that fuels our homes and cars started out as living organisms that died, were compressed, and heated under heavy layers of sediments in the Earth's crust. Scientists have debated for years whether some of these hydrocarbons could also have been created deeper in the Earth and formed without organic matter. view more (2009-07-27)
The microbial hydrocarbon diet
Bioremediation of industrial sites and petrochemical spillages often involves finding microbes that can gorge themselves on the toxic chemicals. This leaves behind a non-toxic residue or mineralized material. view more (2009-06-12)
Scientists in first global study of 'poison' gas in the atmosphere
It was used as a chemical weapon in the trenches in the First World War, but nearly a century later, new research by an international team of scientists has discovered that phosgene is present in significant quantities in the atmosphere. view more (2007-09-20)
New evidence for organic compounds in deep space
The mysterious spectral bands in the infrared of interstellar gas clouds in deep space originate from organic compounds. Research by the Nijmegen physicist Hans Piest confirms this. He has provided new experimental evidence for this almost 30-year-old problem in astronomy. Each molecule has specific wavelengths at which it can either absorb or... view more... (2002-04-18)
Bioavailable contaminants come from the Exxon Valdez oil catastrophe
Contaminants from natural coal deposits in the Gulf of Alaska are not easily bioavailable, unlike the crude oil from the Exxon Valdez tanker catastrophe. view more (2009-08-31)
Landfill Cover Soil Methane Oxidation Underestimated
Landfilled waste decomposes in the absence of oxygen and results in the production of methane. Landfills are classified as the second-largest human-made source of CH4 in the U.S. Additionally, landfill gas contains numerous non-methane hydrocarbons that are either volatilized directly from waste materials or produced through biochemical reactions... view more... (2009-04-28)
Solvents in Retreat
A new catalyst for selective solvent-free hydrogenation at low temperatures A number of cyclic hydrocarbons with multiple double bonds are readily accessible intermediates in chemical industry. In the course of further processing it is often necessary to saturate some of the double bonds with hydrogen to form single bonds. This type of reaction,... view more... (2001-03-27)
OU Researchers Isolate Microorganisms That Convert Hydrocarbons to Natural Gas
When a group of University of Oklahoma researchers began studying the environmental fate of spilt petroleum, a problem that has plagued the energy industry for decades, they did not expect to eventually isolate a community of microorganisms capable of converting hydrocarbons into natural gas. view more (2008-08-20)
Titan may have subsurface ocean of hydrocarbons, says Stanford researcher
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may have a subterranean ocean of hydrocarbons and some topsy-turvy topography in which the summits of its mountains lie lower than its average surface elevation, according to new research. view more (2009-04-06)
Sunlight turns carbon dioxide to methane
Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers. view more (2009-03-05)
Quicker from Crude Oil to Silk Stockings
Specific Oxidation of Hydrocarbons Adipic acid is an important building block for a series of chemical products, for example synthetic material and fibers like Nylon - the material from which women's hosiery is made. On a large-scale, adipic acid, a hydrocarbon chain of six carbon atoms with an acid functionality at each end, is usually generated... view more... (2000-06-29)
Hydrocarbon afterglow reveals reproductive cheaters
An 'honest indicator' has been discovered by a scientific team at Arizona State University that reveals reproductive cheating. But before you run out to buy an infidelity identification kit, know that it only works for ants. view more (2009-01-12)
Natural gas nanotech
Nanotechnology could revolutionize the natural gas industry across the whole lifecycle from extraction to pollution reduction or be an enormous missed opportunity, claim two industry experts writing in Inderscience's International Journal of Nanotechnology. view more (2007-10-31)
Air pollution link to clogged arteries
Should we be watching our exposure to airborne pollution as well as our cholesterol levels" Research now indicates that air pollution has a role to play in atherosclerosis (artery hardening), which can contribute to heart attacks or strokes. view more (2007-07-26)
A potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common malignancy and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the world. view more (2009-04-17)
Engineering algae to make fuel instead of sugar
In pursuing cleaner energy there is such a thing as being too green. Unicellular microalgae, for instance, can be considered too green. view more (2008-12-17)
Measuring the health of the sea
Last summer Donostia City Council in the Basque Country installed a special buoy in the city's Concha Bay for the first time. The apparatus carried out analyses of the water quality in order to verify its suitability for bathing. This buoy was anchored at the bottom of the sea, halfway between the Santa Clara islet and the Concha and Ondarreta... view more... (2003-07-28)
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