The U.S. ethanol industry

Ethanol is vital to achieving greater American energy independence. It is today's only viable and available fuel that can be substituted for gasoline. Unlike oil, ethanol is renewable-it will never run out. As science moves from making ethanol from corn to producing it from corn cobs and other plant materials, ethanol will continue to be a sustainable and effective energy solution for the world. America's dependence on foreign oil causes enormous problems for Americans every day-raising the prices on everything from gas to groceries and sending money and jobs overseas. This article summarizes the state of the ethanol industry.Biomass energy - United States

Advanced adaptive computational methods for Navier-Stokes simulations in rotorcraft aerodynamics

A phase 2 research and development effort was conducted in area transonic, compressible, inviscid flows with an ultimate goal of numerically modeling complex flows inherent in advanced helicopter blade designs. The algorithms and methodologies therefore are classified as adaptive methods, which are error estimation techniques for approximating the local numerical error, and automatically refine or unrefine the mesh so as to deliver a given level of accuracy. The result is a scheme which attempts to produce the best possible results with the least number of grid points, degrees of freedom, and operations. These types of schemes automatically locate and resolve shocks, shear layers, and other flow details to an accuracy level specified by the user of the code. The phase 1 work involved a feasibility study of h-adaptive methods for steady viscous flows, with emphasis on accurate simulation of vortex initiation, migration, and interaction. Phase 2 effort focused on extending these algorithms and methodologies to a three-dimensional topology

Smartphones: A potential discovery tool

The anticipated wide adoption of smartphones by researchers is viewed by the authors as a basis for developing mobile-based services. In response to the UNLV Libraries’ strategic plan’s focus on experimentation and outreach, the authors investigate the current and potential role of smartphones as a valuable discovery tool for library users

Use of Agricultural Residue Feedstock In North Dakota Biorefineries

Rising prices and uncertain supplies of petroleum, together with environmental concerns regarding fossil fuel combustion, have enhanced interest in biobased products and fuels. This study analyzes the feasibility of a multi-product biorefinery that uses wheat straw as feedstock to produce ethanol, electricity, and cellulose nanofibers. Nanofibers (nanowhiskers) would be used as reinforcements in a biobased nanocomposite material that could substitute for fiberglass in many applications. The growth of a biobased industry could have major economic development implications for the Great Plains/Midwest region.biomass, biomaterials, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), economic development, ethanol, wheat straw, Agribusiness, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Global Geodetic Observing System: Space Geodesy Networks for the Future

Ground-based networks of co-located space geodetic techniques (VLBI, SLR, GNSS. and DORIS) are the basis for the development and maintenance of the International Terrestrial Reference frame (ITRF), which is our metric of reference for measurements of global change, The Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) has established a task to develop a strategy to design, integrate and maintain the fundamental geodetic network and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable way to satisfy the long-term requirements for the reference frame. The GGOS goal is an origin definition at 1 mm or better and a temporal stability on the order of 0.1 mm/y, with similar numbers for the scale and orientation components. These goals are based on scientific requirements to address sea level rise with confidence, but other applications are not far behind. Recent studies including one by the US National Research Council has strongly stated the need and the urgency for the fundamental space geodesy network. Simulations are underway to examining accuracies for origin, scale and orientation of the resulting ITRF based on various network designs and system performance to determine the optimal global network to achieve this goal. To date these simulations indicate that 24 - 32 co-located stations are adequate to define the reference frame and a more dense GNSS and DORIS network will be required to distribute the reference frame to users anywhere on Earth. Stations in the new global network will require geologically stable sites with good weather, established infrastructure, and local support and personnel. GGOS wil seek groups that are interested in participation. GGOS intends to issues a Call for Participation of groups that would like to contribute in the network implementation and operation. Some examples of integrated stations currently in operation or under development will be presented. We will examine necessary conditions and challenges in designing a co-location station

BIOREFINERIES USING AGRICULTURAL RESIDUE FEEDSTOCK IN THE GREAT PLAINS

Rising prices and uncertain supplies of petroleum, together with environmental concerns regarding fossil fuel combustion, has enhanced interest in biobased products and fuels. The work reported here analyzes the feasibility of a multi-product biorefinery using wheat straw as feedstock that produces ethanol, electricity, and cellulose nanofibers. The nanofibers (nanowhiskers) would be used as reinforcements in a biobased nanocomposite material that could substitute for fiberglass in many applications. The analysis indicates that, at 2005 prices and costs, the biorefinery would be marginally profitable. Anticipated advances in bioprocessing technology would enhance profitability. The facility would also make a substantial contribution to the biorefinery site area economy, as a high percentage of operating expenses would be payments to local entities. The growth of a biobased industry could have major economic development implications for the Great Plains/Midwest region.biomass, biomaterials, ethanol, wheat straw, cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW), economic development, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,