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Industry News
Ras Al Khaimah Breaks Ground on Centre for Advanced Materials
The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah will initiate construction on the Centre for Advanced Materials (RAK-CAM) in September of 2009. The 6,000-sm research facility will house interdisciplinary laboratories for the study of alternative energy, construction, water purification, and environmental preservation. Occupancy is slated for late 2010.
DOE Breaks Ground on National Synchrotron Light Source II
The Department of Energy began construction on the $912 million National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) in July of 2009. Located at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., the NSLS-II will support multidisciplinary research in advanced materials, nanotechnology, condensed matter, materials physics, chemistry, and biology. The project received $150 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will replace the existing National Synchrotron Light Source which began operations in 1982.
Dow Chemcial Builds Algae Ethanol Plant
Dow Chemical Co. is partnering with Algenol Biofuels of Naples, Fla., to construct an ethanol production plant in Freeport, Texas. The facility will utilize algae to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol. Able to produce 100,000 gallons of ethanol per year, the facility will feature bioreactors made of advanced materials and specialty films created by Dow. Algenol is also constructing an $850 million demonstration plant in Mexico with partner Sonora Fields S.A.P.I. de C.V., a subsidiary of Biofields.
Maui Community College Plans Innovative Green Science Building
Maui Community College's planned $26 million, 34,000-sf science building, designed by Design Partners of Honolulu, is targeted for LEED Gold certification-a real challenge, as some of the LEED criteria, such as using building materials obtained from within a few hundred miles, are impossible for the island location. The building will house eight separate laboratories, a lecture hall, a large foyer intended for exhibitions, and a small, separate observatory. "Green" features will include solar photovoltaic panels, rooftop wind turbines, skylights, and light wells.
DOE and FutureGen Alliance Plan Commercial-Scale Carborn Capture and Storage Facility
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the FutureGen Alliance have agreed to develop plans for a commercial carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) facility in Mattoon, Ill. The flagship facility would be the first in the country designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.