The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and NETL have has announced up to $2 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002376, Enabling Gasification of Blended Coal, Biomass, and Plastic Wastes to Produce Hydrogen with Potential for Net-Negative Carbon Dioxide Emissions.

A program supported by NETL will prepare a new generation of welders in the use of advanced alloys that will enable electric generating stations to run with greater efficiency, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and supply affordable electricity using the nation’s abundant fossil energy resources.  

Working with researchers from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds has made an indelible impression on NETL’s Mike Bergen about the positive power of diversity. “I am a huge proponent of diversity,” said Bergen, a research engineer whose duties include managing 42 employees. “Scientists and engineers from other countries are often taught differently and have alternate ways to approach challenges and problems. Diversity creates synergy. It brings a fresh set of eyes to an issue, and it makes the team stronger.”

Building on five years of success, NETL and its partners will meet to chart the next steps in their ongoing efforts to shape Pittsburgh into a “Clean Energy City of the Future.” NETL will host the meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23, with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne Light Company, RAND Corporation and other stakeholders in attendance. Due to COVID-19, a virtual meeting is planned.  

The U.S. Department of Energy’s NETL will take part in Powering Partnerships, a webinar for businesses to learn about bidding and contracting opportunities with the federal government. Businesses are invited to participate in this free virtual event from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. The webinar will be hosted by the Small Business Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Registrants will be provided with the webinar link prior to the the session.

With support from NETL, researchers from the University of North Dakota (UND) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) identified unique pathways and pretreatments to extract rare earth elements (REEs) from low-rank coal (LRC) ash in a more economical and environmentally sustainable manner that can be adjusted to meet variable conditions. LRCs, such as lignites, are one of the most abundant fossil fuel sources in the world.  NETL-supported project with UND and PNNL researchers has shown that the ash from LRCs can be a potentially viable source of REEs.

NETL recently had the opportunity to present its capabilities in the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to members of the oil and natural gas producing industries.

NETL Director Brian Anderson will open an afternoon discussion devoted to the development of advanced energy storage technologies and the role the Lab is playing to move those projects forward. Anderson’s remarks, which begin at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, will kick off the sixth week of DOE-NETL 2020 Virtual Integrated Project Review Meeting sessions. These sessions are designed to share updates on various NETL-supported projects and programs to address the nation’s energy challenges.

As part of FUEL 2020, a continuing virtual conference hosted by VertueLab throughout the month of September, representatives from NETL will participate in a Thursday, Sept. 17 panel titled “Innovating Through a Recession with Federal and National Lab Support.” The event will highlight the Lab’s key programs and activities and share tips and tricks for working with a national lab and securing federal funding.

A robust partnership between NETL and industry partner Louisville, Kentucky-based Pyrochem Catalyst Company (PCC) continues to strengthen and could impact automotive power systems and the design of their harmful exhaust components. Transportation, fueled by gasoline and diesel, remains a major source of mobile emissions, which include unconverted hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates. A catalyst technology co-developed by NETL and PCC may provide a remedy.