Heating Oil News
Joint research in Oklahoma looks to the sun to boost energy content in biofuel
May 15, 2013 In Oklahoma, Southern Nazarene University (SNU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) are collaborating to investigate the possibility of using sunlight as a way of enriching the energy content of biofuel. The primary goal for this summer is to develop a method for the conversion of acrylate esters into cyclobutanes. The question at the heart of this research is whether the professors can develop a chemical reaction that stores photochemical energy similar to like that of conversion of carbon dioxide into sugars in plants. Developing sustainable energy solutions is likely to be one of the greatest challenges of the new century, and the marriage of photoenergy harvesting and bioenergy has not yet been investigated.
