Wyden Congratulates Oregon State University on Energy Department Award
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today congratulated Oregon State University on receiving $630,867 to continue cutting-edge research that could provide a low cost and faster way to supply fuel for our nation’s transportation system.
Today, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced its award for the OSU Bio-Lamina-Plates Bioreactor for Enhanced Mass and Heat Transfer. The university research team is designing a new bioreactor that speeds up the process of converting methane, the main component in natural gas, into liquid fuel. The liquid fuel could later be combined with other fuels such as gasoline, diesel and ethanol, to fuel vehicles.
“I commend Oregon State University on its cutting-edge research and I’m thrilled the Energy Department recognizes the work the university is doing to design a machine that could be a game-changer in fueling our nation’s transportation fleet,” Wyden said.
“This is a big focus now around the world: How do we convert methane, which is the basic component of natural gas, into a liquid fuel that is amicable to our transportation system – from cars, trucks, to airplanes?” said Goran Jovanovic, the director of the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute at Oregon State University, and the project leader.
ARPA-E leverages public-private partnerships that are focused on research that could lead to breakthrough technologies in the energy sector.
Wyden is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Department of Energy.
Click here for the full list of projects that received awards from ARPA-E.
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