Methane

In Kentucky, bourbon demand is expected to double in the next five years, while the state's cattle population has reached its lowest point since 1951. Here's how these facts could combine to turn bourbon distilleries into a new source of biofuels.

Methane has a greenhouse effect 80 times worse than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and emissions are skyrocketing even as we start reducing CO2. That makes UCF's new hydrocarbon-capturing, sunlight-powered catalyst a very compelling idea.

China has stolen a march on the rest of the world by successfully launching the first space rocket powered by liquid methane and oxygen. The Suzaku-2 Yao booster successfully lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on July 12.

New Holland Agriculture has announced a new tractor designed to run on fuel created on-site using cow manure. The T7 Methane Power LNG offers the same power and torque as a diesel tractor, but it's part of a system that can greatly reduce emissions.

The global oil industry wastefully burns off about as much natural gas as is used by all of Central and South America – but a new methane binding agent offers a potential way for this greenhouse gas to be converted economically into liquid fuels.

Blue hydrogen isn't a step forward for the climate, says a new report out of Cornell and Stanford Universities. Indeed, it's worse than simply burning gas or coal in many applications – so it's not an acceptable transition phase in the race to zero.

Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have found a catalyst that allows the methane in natural gas to be converted into methanol at room temperature, providing a far less energy-intensive option than current solutions.

Aqualia and SEAT are teaming up to develop a sustainable fuel from wastewater. The project, known as Life Metha-morphosis, is aimed at creating a biofuel from treated organic waste, which can then be used to power CNG cars, whose CO2 emissions would be cut by up to 80 percent.

New Holland is no stranger to alternative fuels and technology in its tractors, having dabbled with hydrogen and autonomous battery-powered models in the past. In another attempt to move away from diesel, the agricultural giant has just unveiled the T6.180 Methane Power.

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) claim to have created a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system that produces both hydrogen and methane, all from water and solar energy.

Firefly Space Systems recently unveiled its planned Alpha launcher aimed at the small satellite launch market. It is designed to launch satellites into low-Earth orbit at very low cost with an unconventional aerospike engine. It is also the first orbital launcher to use methane as fuel.

A new soft-bodied robot developed at Harvard can jump 30 times its body height using tiny internal explosions