Coal Gasification and Carbon Capture
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This week, we find out how to get useful gas from useless coal, and make money from waste carbon dioxide! Underground coal gasification could allow us to access huge amounts of energy in inaccessible coal seams. We find out how it works as well as exploring a new method for capturing waste carbon and turning it into useful chemicals. In the news, dinosaurs inspire new designs for aircraft, spotting a star being ripped apart by a black hole, and the South African bid for the world's biggest radio telescope. Plus, Diana asks what the point is of "junk" DNA?
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An unique astronomical event – an incredibly bright and long lived burst of gamma rays – was probably the result of a black hole destroying a star, according to research published in the journal Science this week.
Comet Hartley 2 has been found to be a more varied place than was previously expected
The Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, should help us to answer some of the big outstanding questions about our universe. It will either be located in Australia or South Africa. Bernie Fanaroff, project manager for the South African SKA bid, met up with Chris Smith…
Porous molecules, useful in a huge range of applications including separating chemicals and catalysing reactions, may be designed on demand thanks to a new method published in the journal Nature this week.
By learning from pterosaurs we may be able to make aircrafts more manouverable.
Radiocarbon dating is an extremely accurate and useful tool to date archaeological finds which contain any previously living material.
Underground coal gasification is a way to get useful fuel from otherwise inaccessible coal seams that are simply un-economical to mine.
Skyonic have developed “Skymine”, a system that not only extracts CO2 but actually turns it into something they can sell!
This week we are in Cambridge’s Museum of Technology to explore the engineering of an iconic bit of coal-fired power – the steam engine...
Why are synfuels cleaner than traditional fuels? Why aren't they used more?
Is there any way to mimic nature and produce 'recycled oil' by combining co2 with electricity from the solar cells or the heat directly from the sun shine?
How can coal be converted to petrol?
Will the underground water be polluted by underground coal gasification and leave the water useless for drinking and other uses?
Do coal or natural gas powered power plants use catalytic converter technology to reduce the pollution of their exhaust? If not, why not?
What is the purpose of non-coding DNA?
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