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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Corn-Tank-Erous"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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"CORN-TANK"-EROUS... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. WITH THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF ETHANOL, WE ALREADY KNOW THE VALUE OF CORN, WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING FUEL. BUT, WHAT ABOUT CORN FOR STORING FUEL? RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA, AND THE MIDWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE, HAVE FOUND THAT WASTE CORN-COBS--WHEN HEATED AND TURNED INTO BRIQUETTES--HAVE AN AMAZING NETWORK OF TINY CHAMBERS THAT ENABLES THEM TO STORE NATURAL GAS AT A HIGH DENSITY, AND LOW PRESSURE. THINK OF THESE CORN-COB BRIQUETTES AS A SPONGE, INSIDE THE TANK: THEY'LL HOLD NATURAL GAS 180 TIMES THEIR OWN VOLUME--AT ONE-SEVENTH THE PRESSURE USED IN CONVENTIONAL GAS TANKS. THIS IS HUGE: IT IS THE FIRST NEW TECHNOLOGY TO MEET THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S STORAGE-VOLUME GOAL, SET BACK IN 2000. IT MAY ENABLE MORE-COMPACT FUEL-TANK DESIGNS, FOR CARS POWERED BY NATURAL GAS. IN FACT, ONE OF THE TRUCKS IN THE NATURAL-GAS FLEET OF THE KANSAS CITY [MISSOURI] "OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY" IS RUNNING WITH THE NEW CORN-COB BRIQUETTE STORAGE TANKS. A STEP CLOSER TO MORE PRODUCTS THAT HELP TO BRING ALTERNATIVE FUELS TO ALL OF US. NOT TO BE CORNY--BUT, SHUCKS, ALL EARS ARE ON THIS SHOCKINGLY UN-"CORN"-VENTIONAL METHOD OF FUEL STORAGE. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
