Alliance for Collaborative Research in Alternative Fuel Technology (ALL-CRAFT)

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ABSTRACT0438469 Coleman. This award is to the University of Missouri-Columbia to support the activity described below for 24 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-04556). Partners: The partners include the University of Missouri-Columbia (Lead Institution), Clean Vehicle Education Foundation, DBHORNE LLC, Lincoln University, Midwest Research Institute, Missouri Biotechnology Association, and Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The primary objective is to develop safe, high-capacity storage technologies for natural gas. These technologies build on new adsorbent materials that radically reduce the pressure required for high-capacity gas storage for next-generation clean automobiles. The project involves production of nanoporous carbon and calixarene from domestic sources as adsorbents for methane; construction and testing of a prototype natural gas automobile fuel tank based on these materials; developing technologies to collect methane from landfills; establishing a training program in alternative energy technologies for undergraduates based on internships; and assessing and patenting the technologies. Potential Economic Impact: The activity will provide practical fuel tanks for clean and non-polluting automobiles and trucks, and for large-scale tanks for shipping gas fuels. This will sustain long-term innovation by demonstrating new clean energy and transportation technologies, and by training students to become future leaders in alternative energy technologies. The intellectual merit of the project lies in the development of natural gas fuel storage tanks that avoid the need for high-pressure containment based on new storage media. The broader impacts of the activity concentrate on the clean fuel aspects for non-polluting automobiles for the future, to include potential hydrogen storage for fuel cells for automobiles, and education of a diverse workforce for the future.