Consumer Confidence Falls From 3-Year High
Consumer confidence fell this month from a three-year high in February, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.
New method could improve economics of sweetening natural gas
Natural gas extracted from coal beds and methane-rich geologic features must first be purged of hydrogen sulfide before it can be used as fuel. Until now, processing methods have often proved to be inefficient, requiring large amounts of heat. A team o…
Class 8 net orders surge, commercial trailer orders stay strong in January
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Net orders for Class 8 vehicles continued to surge in January and, despite a modest falloff, commercial trailer orders remained strong, according to ACT Research Co. (ACT). Continued strong demand for equipment indicates… [Full Story]
Intermodal Traffic Rises 1% for Week
Intermodal traffic rose 1% last week from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Drawing a Li-air cathode with a pencil
Chemistry World. Scientists at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan have made an electrode for a lithium-air battery using a pencil. Haoshen Zhou and Yonggang Wang designed a battery in which the lithium is enca…
Total Petrochemicals, IFP Energies nouvelles and Axens co-developing bio-ethylene production technology by dehydration of ethanol
Total Petrochemicals, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and its subsidiary Axens are developing a new optimized technology for the production of bio-ethylene by dehydration of ethanol. Ethylene, with a $160-billion market, is a valuable commodity two-carb…
Train Derails On NS Track In Hagerstown, Md.
Norfolk Southern Corp. says a Winchester Western Railroad train has derailed on Norfolk Southern’s tracks in Hagerstown.
Ark. House panel passes part of highway plan
A House committee has passed and sent to the full House a bill that would ask voters to raise the tax on diesel as part of an effort to raise money for Arkansas’ highways.
Linde, BASF and RWE to invest additional 6M in long-term test of CO2 scrubbing project
Linde, BASF and German power utility RWE will invest a further €6 million (US$8.3 million) into another phase of their research on CO2 scrubbing for carbon capture. (Earlier post.) In the current pilot phase, the partners achieved a separation effici…
Characteristics of Hitachis 3rd-gen Li-ion power cell used in GMs eAssist; 4th gen power cells and PHEV cells coming
Input and output power characteristics of 2nd and 3rd generations. Source: Hitachi Review. Click to enlarge.
GM’s eAssist light electrification system—currently offered as the base powertrain in the full-sized 2012 Buick LaCrosse and offer…