BACKGROUNDPalm sap is a nutritious drink but it cannot be stored for long duration (once it is extracted from the palm tree) even under refrigeration. TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTIONPolymeric membranes are used to purify/clarify palm sap (Neera). The resulting palm sap is visibly better without turbidity is free of bacteria and yeast (that cause fermentation). This can be achieved without loss of nutrients and without any use of chemical additives/bio-preservatives. The purified palm sap has a shelf life of up to 6 months.

Problem: If people cannot evaluate in real-time the CO2 emissions associated with their transportation choices they cannot consider this impact on the environment in their mobility decisions. Technology: The invention presents a novel method to estimate real-time CO2 emissions using data from mobile phone sensors (accelerometer GPS). An algorithm uses a Decision Tree classification method to determine the user’s transportation mode using inertial information from the phone sensors. A second algorithm computes the distance travelled using the GPS and internet map services.

For fixed bottom mounted offshore wind concepts state of the art is to use jackups or crane vessels for assembly and installation operations. Sufficiently sized equipment that can operate under most weather conditions needs to be chartered increasing the cost of the wind park. In case of undersized equipment a considerable delay during the installation phase can be expected. Even if the costs of the tower and the nacelle will slightly increased in case of our invention the total costs of fabrication installation maintenance will be reduced.

Background: Eastern cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) that are suitable for planting in Iowa that produce increased biomass have been developed at Iowa State University. Technology Description: Fast growing trees such as aspen cottonwood and eucalyptus can be grown as so-called short rotation crops and have potential to be used as a source of woody biomass for the production of biofuels such as wood pellets and cellulosic ethanol.

The team led by Professor Chanwoo Park at the University of Nevada Reno’s Department of Mechanical Engineering Sustainable Energy Lab has developed a novel evaporator tube design that utilizes a multi-tiered effect to promote a superior efficiency and performance. Technology SummaryEvaporators are industrial devices used to concentrate solutions particularly utilized in systems with heat sensitive components. The team’s current research is focused on developing an exceptionally efficient two-phase heat transfer closed-system design.

With the exception of light-based sensors that change their light interaction properties all sensors require some power in order to operate and provide a signal to a remote source. Light-based systems are readily blocked by typical obstructions such as buildings trees and vegetation. Some wireless systems require the use of on-board circuitry that temporarily charges up a battery or capacitor in the presence of an externally applied RF radiation then use this electrical energy to re-transmit signal. This method is bulky expensive and can only transmit data at short distances.

Acess to onshore acreage for setting up wind parks will be limited due to the current development of parks and competition with other needs such as agriculture housing air traffic radar and plain esthetics. Acess to shallow water sites are limited and a large part of the world’s coastline has little or none. Wind speed and continuous operation are of key importance to park owners. At offshore locations winds blow more continuously with a higher wind speed.

Rutgers scientists have introduced a pine gene for ammonium assimilation (glutamine synthetase [GS]) into poplar resulting in superior field performance including increased height and volume growth compared with non-transgenic controls. The GS transgenics can contribute significantly to strategies for increasing energy biomass production in woody perennials. Resulting trees have superior field performance including enhanced height and volume growth when compared to non-transgenic controls.

There is a growing trend in the plastics industry towards utilizing sustainable materials and processes for polymer production. This trend is driven by social political economical and environmental concerns motivating a desire to lessen dependency on petroleum-derived products. Polylactic acid (PLA) is growing rapidly in popularity as an alternative to petrochemical-based plastics. It is biodegradable thermoplastic and derived from renewable resources.

Several exotic wood borers (Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Longhorn Beetle) potentially threaten the entire community of ash tree species and several other hardwood species (e.g. maples) in North America. The Mountain Pine Beetle a tree-killing bark beetle in western North America is currently impacting 8.4 million acres of conifer forests in Canada and northwestern US. Currently there are few options for insect control that are not chemically based. This new method provides a non-chemical means of insect prevention and control of tree-infesting pests that occur across all habitats.