Eric Isaacs is President of Argonne National Laboratory and Board Member of C2ST

Courtesy: The Huffington Post

If you want proof of the real-world value of basic science research, take a look under the hood of GM’s innovative new Chevy Volt. There you’ll find a safe, long-lasting lithium-ion battery that uses materials developed and patented at Argonne National Laboratory.

The Chevy Volt, and the Argonne-developed materials inside the GM battery that drives its wheels, demonstrate that American ingenuity, powered by American investment, can renew our industries, create good jobs, improve our energy security and protect our environment.

As America’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, the Volt represents a major, exciting step toward electrification of our nation’s transportation fleet — a critical component of President Obama’s vision of ending America’s dependence on foreign oil.

The 2011 Chevrolet Volts 16 kWh battery can be recharged using a 120V or 240V outlet. X11CH_VT159

Just as important, the development of the electric car is recharging the American battery industry, creating new green tech jobs where they are most needed. Under just-announced licensing agreements, battery manufacturer LG Chem is building batteries using Argonne’s cutting-edge lithium-rich materials, and General Motors can use Argonne’s battery technology throughout its supply chain — for the Volt and for future electric vehicles. Already, an LG Chem subsidiary is building a new battery facility in Michigan. The plant, which was partially funded through the federal stimulus program, will employ more than 400 workers.

As Director of a Department of Energy national laboratory, I am sometimes questioned about the investment of taxpayer dollars of basic scientific research, especially in these challenging economic times. Today I am proud to answer those questions by pointing to the role Argonne’s “dream team” of scientists and engineers has played in the development of the new electric car. Our fundamental research made it possible to develop reliable, safer cathode materials for car batteries, and our advanced energy storage technologies are backed up with years of world-class basic and applied research and development, as well as extensive testing and validation.

Argonne’s collaboration with the U.S. auto industry shows that our national laboratories are delivering on the Department of Energy’s mission to expand the innovation pipeline, which runs from the earliest discoveries of basic science to the development of amazing products built by U.S. industry and delivered to American consumers.

Our latest contribution to today’s electric car batteries is only the beginning. Argonne researchers already are racing to create a new generation of car battery technologies. As Foreign Policy magazine recently noted,

“The future of the electric-car industry belongs not to the scientists and engineers who perfect the batteries we have now, but the ones who figure out what comes next, in the 2020s, the 2030s, and beyond… The holy grail is a battery powerful and safe enough to challenge the energy density of gasoline and the freedom of the internal combustion engine.”

The stakes for our national economy are incredibly high. The research firm IHS Global Insight predicts that advances in battery technology will allow hybrids and electric cars to grab up to 15 percent of the world’s new-car sales by 2020. At today’s production rates, that adds up to about 7.5 million cars a year — and at an average cost of $30,000 per car, that equals $225 billion a year, roughly equivalent to Toyota’s entire global sales in 2009, Foreign Policy calculates.

It won’t be easy. But I am optimistic that the national laboratories, in collaboration with private industry, can provide world-class, mission-driven basic and applied research that will keep America in the forefront of energy technology.

The rollout of a practical, reliable electric car represents a milestone in American auto technology that underscores the critical need for continuing, significant investment in basic research at laboratories nationwide. It shows that intellectual curiosity, combined with an innovative spirit, continue to fuel the engine of America’s economic might.

Physicist Eric D. Isaacs is the Director of Argonne National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy’s first national laboratory for science and engineering research.

- Eric Isaacs

Research at the Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (Bio-CAT) synchrotron x-ray facility at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne provides another, important step toward a full explanation of stretch activation, which also plays an important role in mammalian cardiac expansion and contraction.

Flying insects are among the most successful species on our planet. Flight is very metabolically demanding and many insects have found a clever way to reduce energy costs in their flight muscles by employing a process called “stretch activation,” whereby nervous stimulation is just enough to maintain a constant low level of calcium and the muscles are “turned on” when they are stretched by antagonistic muscles.

Stretch activation has been recognized since the 1960s as an interesting and physiologically important phenomenon, but a mechanistic explanation has been elusive. Now, research at the Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (Bio-CAT) synchrotron x-ray facility at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne provides another, important step toward a full explanation of stretch activation, which also plays an important role in mammalian cardiac expansion and contraction.

How stretch activation works in the heart is unknown. As contractions propagate through the heart, the contraction of one piece of muscle tissue stretches adjacent muscle, thereby activating it. The end result is a very strong contraction at the end of systole aiding cardiac ejection. Heart muscle is much less organized structurally than insect muscle and is thus much harder to study using current biophysical methods than is the nearly crystalline insect muscle system. Furthermore, diffraction patterns from insect muscle have readily identifiable diffraction signatures, lacking in mammalian muscle, that indicate force-producing crossbridge binding to actin binding sites. The insect muscle presents, therefore, an ideal model system to study crossbridge action and its regulation.

The experiments carried out at the Bio-CAT are the result of collaboration between the groups of Michael Reedy at Duke University, Thomas Irving at IIT, and researchers from Florida State University, The Scripps Research Institute, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. The experimenters used the Pilatus 100K detector newly available at Bio-CAT to collect two-dimensional x-ray diffraction movies (16-ms time resolution, or 32 frames per wing-beat cycle) of isolated flight muscle from the waterbug Lethocerus indicus during sinusoidal length oscillations that mimic the wing-beat cycle in vivo.

Full analysis of all the diffraction features will take some time but enough is now known to propose a comprehensive, self-consistent structural model for stretch activation. There appear to be connections between the thick and thin filaments, at the level of the troponins, proteins that normally turn on and off the thin filament by binding calcium. Providing there is some calcium present, these connections can turn on the thin filament by transmitting strain from the thick filaments to the troponins. These long-lived troponin connections appear to consist of the same sort of myosin heads that bind to actin at so-called target zones elsewhere on the thin filament to generate force. Strain in troponin appears to alter its interaction with another protein tropomyosin, allowing this long actin-blocking protein to move so as to open the binding sites on actin to accept the force producing myosin heads.

Meanwhile, the thick myosin containing filaments are twisting as a response to passive stretch at the same time that the actin-containing thin filaments are elongating in response to the same stretch. The result is more myosin heads brought within range of target zones during muscle stretch so that they bind actin more quickly and generate force more efficiently.

These new data and this new model bring together many ideas from many places to provide a testable model for stretch activation.

The Reedy group has been collaborating with the Irving group for more than 18 years and this project has been a major motivator for many of the technical developments in fiber diffraction at the Bio-CAT facility. The present experiment, providing a solution to a long standing puzzle, has raised much excitement in the muscle biophysics community. Ken Holmes of Heidelberg University, who did the very first synchrotron diffraction experiment of any kind back in 1970, said recently that Reedy’s group has finally accomplished the same insect muscle experiment that Rosenbaum, Holmes, and Witz hoped to perform when they innovated use of synchrotron radiation for x-ray diffraction 40 years ago (Nature 230, 434 [1971]).

GE Intelligent Platforms has purchased SmartSignal, a company started by the University of Chicago based on technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.

The GE acquisition demonstrates why the University of Chicago creates start-up companies to prove new technologies, said Alan Thomas, director of UChicagoTech, the university’s Office of Technology and Intellectual Property. “It’s great to see technology from Argonne that was incubated through the University of Chicago be adopted in a much wider way by such a prominent company. This is the innovation process at work,” he said.

“Part of Argonne’s mission is to partner with industry and promote the economic interests of the United States,” said Argonne Director Eric Isaacs. “This is an excellent example of how research investments can lead to new opportunities, new industries and new jobs as technology developed in the laboratory is transferred to the marketplace.”

SmartSignal provides software and services that monitor machinery and equipment, analyze data, and diagnose developing problems before they become serious. It continuously monitors approximately 12,000 assets at more than 300 sites worldwide.

“SmartSignal provides GE with proven analytic software technology that delivers real results,” said Erik Udstuen, Vice President of Software & Services for GE Intelligent Platforms. “At GE, we are always striving to solve the world’s toughest problems, and today the reliability and efficiency of the world’s infrastructure — from energy to water to transportation — is an important problem to solve. We are excited to bring SmartSignal’s advanced technology to help a broad set of customers improve their operations and proactively address problems across a wide range of their assets.”

SmartSignal, its customers and its employees have received many honors for developing and using its technology in a variety of industrial applications, including the following:

• Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards, Software Division Runner-Up, SmartSignal;
• Illinois Technology Association 2009 Lighthouse Award Winner, SmartSignal;
• M2M Magazine 2008 Top 100 Leader in M2M, SmartSignal;
• Edison Electric Institute 2007 Edison Award Winner, Great Plains Energy subsidiary Kansas City Power & Light (a SmartSignal customer).

The company is based on patented smart technology that Argonne scientists developed in the early 1990s to predict pump failures at nuclear facilities. When SmartSignal was legally incorporated in 1995, the company consisted of two employees and eight patents. The company became fully financed in 1999 and became profitable in 2007.

Based in Lisle, Ill., the company now has approximately 100 employees. The company focuses its business on the power and oil and gas industries, serving scores of clients in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, including Chevron, GenOn, Constellation Energy, Entergy and Delta Airlines.

The research that created the patented technology was originally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy.

Argonne, which is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, owns the license for all power-generation applications of SmartSignal’s technology. A minority shareholder in SmartSignal, the university owns the license for all other applications. Both organizations will continue to receive royalties on the patents covering the technology.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America ‘s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLCfor the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Office of Science.

- Eleanor Taylor

A T-shaped battery replica (left) is positioned near a Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle. Argonne National Laboratory and LG Chem, Ltd., announced today that they have reached a licensing agreement to make and use Argonne's patented cathode material technology in lithium-ion battery cells. The technology is in the battery cell that is powering the Volt. Photo courtesy General Motors.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and LG Chem, Ltd., announced today that they have reached a licensing agreement to make and use Argonne’s patented cathode material technology in lithium-ion battery cells.

The technology is in the battery cell that is powering General Motors Company’s Chevrolet Volt, the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The Volt has an EPA estimated range of 35 miles on a full charge.

The Argonne-developed technology offers the longest-lasting energy available in the smallest, lightest package: a 50—100 percent increase in energy storage capacity over conventional cathode material. Further, its unique lithium- and manganese-rich mixed-metal oxide combination extends the operating time between charges, increases the calendar life and improves the inherent safety of lithium-ion cells.

“We believe that Argonne’s patented cathode material technology that helps increase the capacity of lithium-ion battery cells and LG Chem’s safety-enhanced SRS^®(separator) technology are the keys to producing high-performance and safe batteries for the GM Volt,” said Youngjoon Shin, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Battery R&D, LG Chem.

“The licensing agreement with LG Chem concretely illustrates the key role that DOE national laboratories like Argonne play in the manufacturing supply chain in the United States,” said Eric Isaacs, Argonne director and president of UChicago Argonne, LLC, a wholly owned laboratory management subsidiary of the University of Chicago. “The development of this cathode material is the result of research performed by a multidisciplinary team of world-class scientists based at Argonne.”

“It is especially gratifying to know that the commercialization of this Argonne-cathode is helping the development of an emerging U.S. battery manufacturing industry, as well as the creation of new American jobs,” said Jeff Chamberlain, who heads Argonne’s Energy Storage Initiative.

LG Chem Michigan, Inc. (LGCMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Chem, will manufacture Li-ion polymer battery cells for the Chevy Volt at a Recovery Act-funded $303 million production facility under construction in Holland, Mich. The plant will employ more than 400 people.

“Department of Energy innovations are playing a critical role in advancing America’s electric vehicle industry,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The commercialization of this cutting-edge battery technology once again highlights the importance of our national laboratories in advancing our clean energy goals and supporting U.S. manufacturing.”

Argonne has developed and patented a sizable suite of Li-ion battery technologies with funding from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Funding for the earlier stages of research and development of this technology was provided by DOE’s Office of Science.

A battery charging in the 2011 Chevy Volt. The battery is based on cathode technology invented at Argonne National Laboratory.

“Talented scientists at Argonne have long been a source for industry-leading innovations in the area of automotive research,” said Rep. Judy Biggert, (R-Ill.), a senior member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and long-time champion of federal research efforts.  ”With support for basic science research from the DOE’s Office of Science and Congress, the work going on right here in our community promises to transform our transportation industry and keep the U.S. economically competitive for years to come.  This agreement will help speed those innovations out of the laboratory and into the marketplace, where they can create jobs, benefit consumers and help reduce our dependence on foreign energy.”

“This licensing agreement underscores the importance of scientific research conducted at the DOE’s national laboratories, research that makes possible discoveries that benefit the American economy,” said University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer.

About LG Chem
LG Chem, Ltd. is Korea’s largest chemical and rechargeable battery maker in terms of both size and performance. The company’s chemical business is vertically integrated and manufactures a wide range of products, from petrochemical goods to high-value added plastics. It also extends its chemical expertise into high-tech areas such as rechargeable batteries and the display materials field. For more information, please visit the website at www.lgchem.com.

About LG Chem Michigan Inc.

LG Chem Michigan, Inc. (LGCMI) is a wholly-owned North American subsidiary of LG Chem. The company was established in 2010 to manufacture Lithium-ion battery cells at the $303 million production facility in Holland, Mich., that was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

About Argonne

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America ‘s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Office of Science.

Certainly, this begs the question to be asked: Why aren’t we using solar technology already?

Actually, we have been using solar cells for over 50 years!  Solar cells have predominantly been made from silicon however; the cost of producing solar cells has been a major detraction from its broad use due to the price of the raw materials and processing difficulties.  Thus the burning of fossil fuels is currently a more economical way to provide households and businesses with electricity.

Solar cells utilize semiconducting materials to convert the light into electricity by the photoelectric effect, and have typically been made from inorganic materials, predominantly silicon.

An alternative to the use of silicon is organic photovoltaic devices that use organic semiconducting polymers.  They are expected to have much lower manufacturing costs, ease of processing, and provide solar cells with better properties (lightweight & flexible), meaning more affordable solar cells with broader applications.  A leader in this field is Luping Yu of The University of Chicago who has developed many semiconducting organic polymers.

Luping Yu, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago

Recently, his group and collaborators at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory have provided systematic studies on the polymer architecture at the molecular level.  These studies have identified key factors for improving the power conversion efficiency of such polymers, which could enable the design and synthesis of a new generation of organic semiconducting polymers.  The highest reported power conversion efficiency is about 8%, albeit lower than that of silicon photovoltaic devices.  Higher efficiencies would translate to lower costs for the customers.

For more information about photovoltaic cells produce electricity, check out this video!

As the world becomes increasingly conscious of the environmetal concerns of using fossil fuels for energy, let’s hope the promise of solar energy garners more attention.  Hopefully, Yu’s research opens new avenues for the practical use of this green source of energy.

Here are some additional resources to learn a little more about solar energy.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell1.htm

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201002687/abstract

http://lupingyu.uchicago.edu/publications/naturephotonics2009.pdf

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja808373p?journalCode=jacsat&quickLinkVolume=131&quickLinkPage=56&volume=131

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011 (Must register before January 7 2011)

Argonne National Laboratory

9700 S. Cass Av., Argonne, IL 6043

Argonne National Laboratory is celebrating it’s 10th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day this February and you’re invited!

• Visit exciting engineering and research labs!
• Spend the day with Argonne mentors who will talk to you about your interests and possible careers!
• Attend the career presentation “Engineering is Fun!”
• Hands-on activities and experiments.
• Tour in some of Argonne’s most exciting engineering and research facilities

Meet women engineers.  Learn about engineering careers. Do “hands-on” activities and experiments that teach you what being an engineer is all about.

Don’t forget to register!   Registration closes January 7, 2011.

For more information about the program, please visit Argonne’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day website.

The event is open to 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade girls interested in math, science and engineering fields from throughout the Chicago area.

Girls in sixth through eighth grades are invited to learn all about science and engineering during the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.

“The event is designed to spark their curiosity and encourage girls to pursue their interests in science and engineering,” said Molly Finster, chairperson for the event and an Argonne environmental engineer. “It is a great way to reach out to our future generation of female scientists and engineers and show them all of the possibilities that exist.”

The event is a fun and educational way to introduce girls to engineering and science while showcasing all of the different and exiting potential career opportunities available to them.

The students will spend the day working with a mentor, participate in hands-on activities, tour the laboratory and attend interactive presentations. They will also have lunch with some of Argonne’s leading experts, enabling them to ask questions about their work, education and how they decided to enter their chosen fields.

“The hands-on mentoring aspect of the role models is so important in helping girls envision themselves as scientists and engineers,” said Maria Power, and Argonne engineer and assistant chair of the event. “Argonne is a perfect place to inspire girls to explore all of the different aspects of science and engineering.”

The event is open to 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade girls interested in math, science and engineering fields from throughout the Chicago area.

The deadline for applications is January 7, 2011. Application forms and additional information about the conference are available online.

Student selection is conducted by lottery, and all interested middle-school girls are encouraged to apply.

The event is sponsored by Argonne’s Education and Outreach Council and all of the laboratory’s research divisions, in conjunction with Argonne’s Division of Educational Programs and the Women in Science and Technology program.

For more information about the program, please visit Argonne’s Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day website.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America ‘s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLCfor the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Office of Science.

Eric Isaacs is President of Argonne National Laboratory and Board Member of C2ST.

Four decades ago, NASA put a man on the moon using a computer system less powerful than the electronics in many modern-day toasters. With that audacious act of technological faith, the United States took a giant step toward global leadership in science, engineering, and a myriad of other sectors that had not yet been imagined.

This week, when a Chinese machine was ranked number one on the most recent Top 500 list of the world’s mostpowerful supercomputers, the United States has lost more than international bragging rights. By creating the Tianhe-1A, with 1.4 times more muscle than America’s fastest supercomputer (the Jaguar at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory,) the Chinese have sent a forceful message to the world about their ambitious vision of their country’s scientific, economic and military future.

The United States cannot afford to take a back seat in computer technology to the Chinese, or to anyone else. The nation that leads the world in high-performance computing will have an enormous competitive advantage in every sector, including national defense, medicine, energy, environment, finance, manufacturing and product development.

But more important, the nation with the best and fastest supercomputers will attract the best scientific and engineering talent from around the world. And if the United States loses a generation of our top technological talent to another nation, we will feel the impact of that loss for decades to come.

There is no reason for the United States to yield its position as the world’s leader in supercomputing. As the director of Argonne National Laboratory, home to one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, I know that we already have in place a roadmap to create the next generation of supercomputers – systems that will be 1,000 times more powerful than the new Chinese machine.

Unlike today’s supercomputers, with speeds that are measured in petaflops -a quadrillion sustained floating-point operations per second – the next generation will be measured in exaflops – a quintillion, or one million trillion floating point operations per second.

These exascale supercomputers, as they are known, will be powerful enough to simulate worldwide climate change – or the extraordinarily complex functions that take place within a single human cell. Hundreds of American scientists and engineers at universities, in private industry and at our national laboratories already are racing to design the elements of an exascale system, re-imagining hardware, programs, and applications for a supercomputer that will come on line in 2020.

But our scientists cannot meet that deadline without a substantial national investment – in the future of leadership computing, and in American science overall.

We need to make sure that American researchers and engineers have access to the supercomputers and other technological tools they need to help solve the great scientific, energy, environment, and security challenges of our time. We also need to make sure that our laboratories are equipped with cutting-edge facilities that will draw talented young scientists from around the world.

We have no time to lose. Ten short years ago, China had no high performance computing ability. Today, after investing billions of dollars in its computer technology, China has 24 computer systems on the list of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers.

As we watch China take over the lead in supercomputing speed, Americans can take some comfort in the knowledge that the Chinese system is built largely from American-designed components. But the networking technology that brings those components to life was designed in China – and the Chinese already are at work on a 1-petaflop supercomputer made from Chinese parts.

America needs a substantial, longterm national investment to speed our journey down the road to exascale computing – a road that leads to economic growth, international competitiveness and national security. Without that commitment, the American supercomputers of the future may be labeled, “Made in China.”

Eric D. Isaacs is the Director of Argonne National Laboratory.

- Eric Isaacs

Chris Marshall is a research chemist with expertise in catalyst formulation and characterization, reactor testing of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, catalysis fundamentals, and molecular modeling.

His work is aimed at understanding the workings of current catalysts and improving their activities and selectivities. Research goals are met by a combination of selective synthesis of active catalytic phases; improved understanding of the interrelationships between the active phases, supports and feeds; and the use of computational chemistry to develop first-principle understanding of both catalyst and hydrocarbon feed and products. The unique understanding brought about by these techniques provides new insights into existing and future commercial processes; this research important to both the U.S. Department of Energy and chemical and energy-producing companies.

Marshall currently heads up one of Argonne’s Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) called the Institute for Atom-Efficient Chemical Transformations (IACT).  IACT is is a partnership among world‐class scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin‐Madison, and Purdue University. Using a multidisciplinary approach involving integrated catalyst synthesis, advanced characterization, catalytic experimentation, and computation, IACT will address key chemistries associated with clean, efficient utilization of the two main chemical energy resources in the United States, namely coal and biomass. We have identified the efficient removal of oxygen from biomass and coal and the hydrogenation of these systems as key chemistries and unifying themes for IACT.

Before joining Argonne, Chris worked for the Amoco Oil Research and Development Department in Naperville, Illinois. His work included the development of new petroleum processing catalysts. While at Amoco he furthered his extensive understanding of catalyst mechanisms and deactivation, which began during his Ph.D. research at Michigan State University under Professor Thomas J. Pinnavaia. Chris made his mark in the development of in-situ techniques for catalyst characterization. He developed techniques (such as in-situ gravimetric analysis of deactivating catalysts) that were crucial tools for understanding the deactivation of catalytic cracking catalysts and served as the basis for new catalyst formulations. Early in his career at Argonne, Chris directed research programs in nanoscale synthesis of catalysts, hydrocarbon alkylation catalysis, sulfur-resistant NOx catalysts, and catalysts for the removal of toxic substances in coal liquids.

Chris’ current research emphasizes a mix of fundamental understanding of the nature of the catalyst with practical applications. He interacts extensively with academic, industrial, and national-laboratory organizations.

Biomass ’10: Renewable Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Workshop was held in Grand Forks, N.D., on July 20 and 21. This was the eighth such event hosted by the Energy & Environmental Research Center with sponsorship support from the EERC Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization, the North Dakota Department of Commerce Division of Community Services and the U.S. DOE. The goal of the workshop has always been to provide a forum to discuss breakthrough technologies regarding the conversion of biomass to liquid fuels, energy, and chemicals. More than 300 registrants, including 40 speakers, from 26 states, seven countries and more than 160 organizations, engaged in lively discussions throughout the technical sessions and networking venues.

Gerald Groenewold, EERC director, kicked off the event and spoke of the transition between fossil energy and renewable energy and how it needs to be done right for sustainable energy security, economic growth and greenhouse gas emission control. With a strong Canadian delegation in the audience, Groenewold noted that the U.S. can never be truly energy independent because it must retain the long-standing trade relationship with Canada and other allied nations.

Keynote speaker, N.D. Gov. John Hoeven, repeated the theme of transition and highlighted North Dakota’s unique blend of expanding oil, gas and coal in the west and expanding bioenergy development in the east. U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who made comments via video, spoke of legislation and seed funding intended to promote technologies that curb global climate change and improve energy security, while maintaining prudent fossil energy growth.

Biomass energy could experience significant growth of 5 to 10 percent of electricity and 10 to 20 percent of transportation fuels in the next 30 years. Several speakers, such as Bill Berguson from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, showed data on the cost-effective supply of biomass feedstocks, both residues and energy crops, which lends support to the case for growth in bioenergy.

Several discussions centered on the future of ethanol as well. Brian Jennings from the American Coalition of Ethanol and Chris Marshall from Argonne National Laboratory sparred over water consumption, field-to-wheels energy issues, and pipeline and blending infrastructures for ethanol versus hydrocarbon biofuels such as green gasoline components. Corn ethanol has, in a sense, blazed a trail for these upcoming biofuels by establishing public interest, financing scenarios, transportation infrastructure and plant construction.

Several presenters, such as Jennings, Randall Goodfellow from Ensyn Technologies Inc., Adam Wirt from Poet LLC, and Robert Wooley from Abengoa Bioenergy New Technologies, made the case that demonstration projects are revealing the economics for converting cellulosic biomass into liquid biofuels.

Ted Aulich, senior research manager at the EERC, spoke of the reality of 50 cents to $1 a gallon green diesel from nonfood crop oil, and Tom Allnutt of Phycal LLC described a 40-acre algae plant being built now in Hawaii to produce more than 100,000 gallons per year of renewable jet fuel. In the next few years, Poet’s 25 MMgy ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa; the EERC-Tesoro 1 to 3 MMgy renewable jet fuel system in North Dakota, and others will prove the economic competitiveness of biomass-derived liquid fuels. Projects are definitely not stuck in the boardroom.

For biopower production, several speakers emphasized the need for brokers and proven methods for supply of densified biomass to power plants. Several vendors and researchers at the workshop displayed new approaches to chop, shred, grind, bale, pulverize, pelletize, torrefy or pyrolize herbaceous and woody biomass into denser fuels conducive to introduction into an energy system.

In stark contrast to processing typical terrestrially grown biomass, a panel discussion was devoted to algae as a feedstock for bioenergy. Dave Haberman from IF LLC argued that native algae species exist for bioenergy purposes and genetically modified algae is not worth the risk. Allnutt countered that genetically modified strains can be controlled given the proper safeguards.

In summary, Biomass ’10 was a success, and the status of new technologies and commercial business was updated thoroughly. Consistently higher fossil fuel prices are making biomass a competitive resource on an energy-content basis in some cases. Large amounts of funding from both federal and private sectors have resulted in the construction of several demonstration plants.

- Chris Zygarlicke

Argonne National Laboratory is pleased to announce it will be hosting a community open house on August 29, 2009. The event is free and open to the public and will features tours, interactive exhibits and demonstrations. This is a great opportunity for the entire family to celebrate science and learn more about Argonne’s research in helping solve some of our greatest challenges in energy, the environment and national security.

Argonne’s last open house was held in October of 2006 and attracted approximately 20,000 visitors.

Hope to see you there!!

More information is available at:
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2009/news090803.html

Argonne to showcase science and technology at community open house

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory will open its gates to the community on Saturday, August 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a day of discovery and fun for the whole family. The event is free and open to the public.

“The open house will be great fun for everyone,” said Eric Isaacs, director of Argonne National Laboratory. “We love welcoming the community and having an opportunity to show off some of the great work we are doing to benefit our nation while inspiring public interest in science, engineering and technology.”

This rare opportunity will allow visitors to see how Argonne, the nation’s first national laboratory, is helping to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges in energy, environment and national security and learn more about science and technology.

Argonne conducts basic scientific research to better understand the world we live in, develops and evaluates advanced energy sources, promotes environmental stewardship and helps protect our nation and its economic competitiveness. Argonne also operates world-class user facilities to help advance America’s scientific leadership, including one of the world’s fastest and most energy efficient supercomputers.

The laboratory’s last open house, held in 2006, attracted approximately 20,000 people. Information about this year’s open house is available online at www.anl.gov/Community_and_Environment/Open_House.html and on the Argonne National Laboratory Facebook page.

The educational event will feature interactive exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, engaging presentations and tours of Argonne’s unique facilities.

Let your imagination soar as you learn about the wonders of science, explore technology innovation, and experience Argonne’s research firsthand with experiences like:

• Strap on special 3-D glasses to explore the outer edges of the universe
• Race the robot in a molecular biology speed challenge
• Test your sense of smell against an electronic nose
• View a chain reaction
• Calculate your environmental footprint
• Have fun with extreme cold and cryogenics
• Witness how ice slurry can save lives
• Turn matter into energy
• See how science is helping to restore sight to the blind
• Find out how Sudoku, science and supercomputers work together in solving logic puzzles
• Learn about the science of toys
• Walk through an accelerator
• Glimpse nanoparticles changing colors
• Battle model cars powered by fuel cells to see which is fastest
• Watch a master scientific glassblower demonstrate his craft
• Monitor climate change with live data feeds from around the world
• Ride an energy bike to generate electricity
• Identify proteins and learn how they can clean up the environment and produce energy
• Explore the mysteries of magnets by building one of your own
• Visualize local, national and international environmental projects with interactive 3-D maps

Tours will include the Advanced Photon Source, the Western Hemisphere’s most brilliant source of X-rays for research; the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a leading nanotechnology research facility; ATLAS, the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System; and the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator.

The event will be held rain or shine. Free shuttle service will be provided and food and drink will be available for purchase. Advance reservations are not required and visitors are welcome to take photos and videos of the event.

Argonne is located at 9700 South Cass Avenue, just south of Interstate 55 near Darien and Lemont, with entrances from Cass Avenue and Lemont Road.

Argonne is dedicated to your safety. Alcohol, firearms and weapons are not permitted on the Argonne campus. Visitors must adhere to all Illinois traffic laws. Helmets are required on site if you are riding a motorcycle, bicycle or using any wheeled sporting equipment. Cell phones cannot be used while driving on the Argonne site.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.