Free Republic

MIT researchers have developed a new membrane that separates various types of fuel by molecular size, potentially eliminating the need for the energy-intensive process of crude oil distillation. Turning crude oil into everyday fuels like gasoline, diesel, and heating oil demands a huge amount of energy. In fact, this process is responsible for about 6 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Most of that energy is spent heating the oil to separate its components based on their boiling points. Now, in an exciting breakthrough, engineers at MIT have created a new kind of membrane that could change the game....

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology Tuesday announced that it has developed the world’s first next generation seawater distillation technology that allows consumable water to be produced in low temperatures and under low pressure, which increases energy efficiency and production capacity. Additionally, the institution has set up the world’s largest seawater distillation plant. According to the institution, it developed a membrane distillation that only allows vapor to pass through while keeping the liquids contained. The vapor is compressed to create a liquid that can be consumed or used for industrial purposes such as irrigation by removing salt...

Disasters happen. From Hurricane Sandy, Irene, Andrew and Katrina to the devastating Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, disasters strike without warning and the aftermath can be as devastating as the event. During an emergency, water supplies are often contaminated and disrupted, sometimes for an extended period of time. Without a safe supply of drinking water, healthy people who could otherwise provide for their family can become severely ill within days. At greater risk are children and infants. People take safe drinking water for granted. They don’t think about their water supplies, nor do they think about the vulnerability of...