Imagine strolling down a sidewalk made from algae or building a wall with the help of microbes grown in a bioreactor. 

This extraordinary image may sound futuristic, but the technology is already here, thanks to Prometheus Materials, a sustainability-focused 麻豆免费版下载Boulder spinout giving concrete blocks a makeover with the help of environmentally-friendly bio-cement-making bacteria, algae and microbes. 

麻豆免费版下载Boulder civil, environmental and architectural engineering professor Wil Srubar founded the Longmont-based company in 2021 with CEO Loren Burnett and a cross-disciplinary team of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder collaborators, including civil, environmental and architectural engineering associate professors Mija Hubler and Sherri Cook and the late Jeff Cameron, formerly of biochemistry. 

The impetus for the research group formed several years earlier around a call for proposals from the  (DARPA), the  (DoD) focused on developing new technologies for the military. 

鈥淚t sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.鈥� 

鈥淥ur charge from the DoD was to grow a material that had both biological and structural function,鈥� said Srubar. 鈥淚t sounded impossible, a bit like a Frankenstein objective of bringing building materials to life.鈥� 

But the challenge was right for Srubar, who leads , where researchers aim to create construction materials that are in harmony with the natural world.

鈥淲e had been thinking about these concepts for some time,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this was the first government investment in this particular area that really catalyzed an entirely new field.鈥�

After two years of 鈥渟pinning their wheels,鈥� said Srubar, the team had a breakthrough in the lab when they made the first sample of engineered living materials that fulfilled DARPA鈥檚 requirements. Srubar said this success required looking back 鈥� way back 鈥� to life on Earth before humans. They were inspired by formations called stromatolites, stony structures built by microscopic photosynthesizing organisms known as cyanobacteria, which are among the oldest living lifeforms on the planet.

鈥淲e know nature has built really strong, tough materials,鈥� said Srubar.

By studying the composition of coral and seashells, for example, the team figured out how to make lab-grown versions of the natural phenomena.

鈥淵ou apply principles of biomimicry, you bring that process into the lab and beautiful things can happen,鈥� he said.

Now Prometheus Materials, named for the legendary Greek god who introduced fire and other technologies to humans, is making sustainable building materials with a process that combines microalgae with other natural components to form zero-carbon bio-cement and bio-concrete with the major goal of reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.

This is so important because making concrete 鈥� the most ubiquitous human-made building material on earth 鈥� generates massive amounts of CO2 and contributes significantly to climate change. Global cement manufacturing produces 11 million tons of CO2 every day (roughly equivalent to emissions from all the cars in the world), or about 8% of the world鈥檚 total CO2 emissions, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand for cement in the U.S. alone is expected to double by 2050.

As the company realizes its transformative role in the construction industry, it has raised $8 million in private funding in the past year and was awarded a role in a $10 million grant from the  (DOE) that will fund collaboration between a trio of national labs. Within this partnership, Prometheus will join other institutions in the field to establish methods for measuring, reporting and verifying CO2 removal and sequestration in cement and concrete materials. 

Environmental Stewardship

Prometheus is just one example of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 strong network of researchers bringing innovations out of labs and into companies that have real-world impact 鈥� the university is a national leader and spinout powerhouse, launching 35 companies in fiscal year 2024 and over 100 since 2016, according to Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. Since 2000, the university has launched 44 sustainability-focused spinouts, including a dozen new companies in just the past few years, said Rees, who leads Venture Partners at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder, the university鈥檚 commercialization arm for the campus.

According to Rees and Srubar, several factors combine to make 麻豆免费版下载Boulder so effective at generating these kinds of companies: research expertise, commercialization resources, market need and an eagerness to improve our world.

鈥淭here鈥檚 such a history of environmental stewardship here at the University of Colorado, and in Boulder specifically, and that鈥檚 very much a part of our institutional fabric,鈥� said Srubar. 鈥淲e do sustainability research really well and it鈥檚 one, if not the pillar, of our education and research mission at the university.鈥�

Rees agreed: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a function of our research prowess in that area. There are many highly talented researchers who care deeply about the climate crisis, and so that鈥檚 where they鈥檝e oriented their research.鈥�

Those innovations could be used in lots of different ways, but Rees shared, 鈥淭he innovators are saying, 鈥榃e want to apply these technologies to really important problems.鈥欌��

For Srubar and others, the drive to make the world a better place is strong.

鈥淚t all begins with a vision and a belief that, first, the world is not static; it can become whatever you dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nderstanding that you have the power and the potential to affect change is what really fueled me and our team.鈥�

Rees also sees market need as critical to driving sustainability-focused ventures.

鈥淭here is an abundance of funding opportunities and demand from the market to have these types of solutions,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the push from what 麻豆免费版下载Boulder is really good at, and you鈥檝e got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the push from what 麻豆免费版下载Boulder is really good at, and you鈥檝e got the pull from a true need for these types of solutions across different industries.鈥�

Driving Meaningful Change

Another company with 麻豆免费版下载Boulder beginnings is the well-established, Boulder-based , founded in 2017 by Greg Rieker, chief technology officer and 麻豆免费版下载Boulder associate professor of mechanical engineering, with colleagues Caroline Alden (笔丑顿骋别辞濒鈥�13),&苍产蝉辫;Sean Coburn (PhDChem鈥�14) and Robert Wright, former 麻豆免费版下载Boulder senior researcher.

LongPath harnesses quantum technology to detect fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors 鈥� and the planet. The company鈥檚 breakthroughs in laser technology and quantum sensing, rooted in 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚, created a leak detection system to do what previous approaches could not: continuously detect invisible-to-the-eye natural gas escaping from pipes on-site at oil and gas facilities.

Finding and patching those leaks is a triple win 鈥� in industry cost savings (from $820 to $980 million per year), and improved air quality and public health. LongPath鈥檚 technology can identify natural gas leaks that sicken and displace thousands of people each year and cut greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.

Today, LongPath鈥檚 Active Emissions Overwatch System is live at oil and gas operations in several states, covering hundreds of thousands of acres. Rieker and his team see the impacts of those systems growing each day, and he estimates that each system saves between 40 and 80 million cubic feet of methane annually.

鈥淓very time we deploy a new system, it really is impactful,鈥� he said, adding the team still celebrates every large leak located. 鈥淲e鈥檒l nail a big one for a customer, and that鈥檚 exciting.鈥�

Similar to Srubar, LongPath鈥檚 founders were motivated by protecting the environment.

鈥淢any academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable,鈥� said Rieker. 鈥淚n 2024, LongPath stopped more than 6 billion cubic feet of methane emissions and counting. That鈥檚 impact, and that鈥檚 why we launched.鈥�

鈥淢any academics measure impact in terms of papers published or citation rates. I always wanted the impact of my work to be more palpable.鈥�

Recently, the company received landmark financial backing from the DOE for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company鈥檚 monitoring systems.

Another game-changing company making significant strides in sustainability is Louisville-based , founded in 2011, based on technology developed by 麻豆免费版下载Boulder mechanical engineering professor Se-Hee Lee and professor emeritus of mechanical engineering Conrad Stoldt (颁丑别尘鈥�94).

Similar to Srubar and Prometheus Materials, Stoldt and Lee answered a call from DARPA. Their challenge was to double the energy density of a rechargeable battery.

鈥淭he metrics they wanted to reach were unheard of,鈥� said Stoldt, but he and Lee accepted the challenge anyway. 鈥淲e saw it as an opportunity鈥� and we sat down and determined that, at least on paper, the only rechargeable battery technology that could meet the specs for the program was a solid-state battery.鈥�

Lee and Stoldt partnered with Douglas Campbell, a small business and early-stage product developer, and chief technology officer Joshua Buettner-Garrett to start Solid Power. Along with then-mentor Dave Jansen, the team negotiated a commercialization agreement with Venture Partners (known then as the 麻豆免费版下载Technology Transfer Office), making the company an exclusive licensee to the university鈥檚 intellectual property.

What began as an idea Stoldt said was 鈥渂ootstrapped鈥� in 麻豆免费版下载Boulder labs, Solid Power is now an industry-leading developer of next-generation all-solid-state battery technology. As their name suggests, solid-state batteries (SSBs) differ from conventional batteries in that the electrolyte powering them is a solid material instead of a gel or liquid. That gives SSBs many advantages over lithium-ion batteries now widely used in electronics, toys, appliances and 鈥� critically 鈥� electric vehicles.

Solid Power鈥檚 design bests lithium-ion cells on safety, cost, durability and battery life 鈥� attributes long sought by consumers and automakers. Their technology swaps the flammable liquid in lithium-ion cells with a solid, sulfide-based electrolyte that is safer and more stable across a broad temperature range. Solid Power鈥檚 cells also easily outpace the conductivity and energy density of today鈥檚 best rechargeable batteries. The result is a smaller, lighter cell that is cheaper and has a longer-lasting charge.

Solid Power, which went public in 2021, employs many Forever Buffs and boasts major partnership deals with BMW and Ford, along with a new 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Thornton.

Their continued innovation was recognized with a recent $5.6 million DOE grant to continue developing its nickel- and cobalt-free cell, and, late last year, the company began award negotiations for up to $50 million in DOE funding. With this project, Solid Power intends to launch the world鈥檚 first continuous manufacturing process, allowing the company to produce its critical electrolyte material more quickly and at a lower cost.

From Lab to Marketplace

With the burgeoning success of Prometheus and others, Srubar hopes to inspire other researchers to make the leap to the marketplace. To that end, he was recently named Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship, a new role in the College of Engineering and Applied Science focused on building bridges between labs and the marketplace.

鈥淭his is something I鈥檓 so passionate about 鈥� shining a light for those inspired and driven by a vision to see change in the world and to follow that pathway of commercialization,鈥� Srubar said. 鈥淚 think 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it.鈥�

鈥淚 think 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 reputation will continue to grow in this space, and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it.鈥�

Emerging ventures at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder

• : Co-founded in 2023 by Elliot Strand (MMatSciEngr鈥�21; PhD鈥�23) and Payton Goodrich to commercialize a low-cost platform to transform agricultural and environmental monitoring, enhance fertilizer use efficiency, improve water resource management and advance climate resilience efforts.
• : Within months of beginning to collaboratively research mushroom root (mycelium) together as PhD students, Tyler Huggins (MEngr鈥�13; PhDCivEngr鈥�15) and Justin Whiteley (MMechEngr鈥�14; PhD鈥�16) knew they鈥檇 found a nature-based way to create meat alternatives.
• : Founded in 2020 by Michael McGehee (麻豆免费版下载Boulder Chemical and Biological Engineering) and then-PhD students Tyler Hernandez and Michael Strand. After developing the initial technology for energy-efficient windows at Stanford, they moved to 麻豆免费版下载Boulder to complete their work and found the company. Tynt allows users to fully control the light and solar heat entering a home, turning panes from clear to opaque with the touch of a button.
• : Founded in 2022 by Simon Julien (ApMath鈥�21; MS鈥�22) and Zachary Jacobs (ChemBiolEngr鈥�21) to bring to market their innovative solar energy control system that solves the issue of intermittent renewable power. The technology was co-invented by Julien, working as an undergraduate and master鈥檚 student in collaboration with Bri-Mathias Hodge (Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering), Amirhossein Sajadi (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• : A 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startup founded on discoveries from Chunmei Ban鈥檚 laboratory (麻豆免费版下载Boulder Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), is developing best-in-class sodium battery technology with the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries.
• : a 麻豆免费版下载Boulder startup founded on technology discovered by Mark Hernandez (Environmental Engineering) uses waste from steel manufacturing to replace hazardous chemicals from wastewater treatment.

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Illustrations by Daniele Simonelli 

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Colorado is famous for generous levels of sunshine 鈥� and 麻豆免费版下载is looking for ways to harness those rays for more than just vitamin D.

In one of the latest steps by campus leadership to drive down emissions and increase energy efficiency, the university is scheduled to begin construction next summer on the East Campus solar array, a two-acre, ground-based panel system with a $7.8 million price tag. The project will be the largest of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 16 existing solar arrays, all of which are located on Main Campus buildings.

鈥淲e鈥檙e aiming to source about 10 percent of our electrical usage from renewables,鈥� said Chris Ewing (EnvDes鈥�96), vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder. 鈥淭his project will get us up there closer to 4 or 5 percent, halfway to our goal.鈥�

The 1.1 megawatt ground-mounted solar array is projected to offset 1.4 million kilowatt hours annually, amounting to about 1.3% of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 annual electricity usage.

The project supports CU鈥檚 Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce campus emissions 50% by 2030 and completely decarbonize by 2050.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in the midst of a climate crisis, and we need to do our part to reduce our carbon emissions,鈥� said Ewing. 鈥淭he other part of the argument is that it makes good business sense. If we invest in solar panels now, that鈥檚 1.1 megawatts of power that we don鈥檛 have to worry about month after month. It will pay for itself after 20 years.鈥�

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Approximately 92 million tons of textile waste is generated globally per year, . 麻豆免费版下载researchers envision a different future for fashion.

A team led by Eldy L谩zaro V谩squez (PhDCTD鈥�25), a doctoral student in the ATLAS Institute, is busy developing methods to make recyclable clothes from gelatin, the common foodstuff in products like Jell-O and marshmallows.

The team that spins textile fibers made from gelatin. These 鈥渂iofibers鈥� feel a bit like flax fiber and dissolve in hot water within a few minutes to an hour.

鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 want these textiles anymore, you can dissolve them and recycle the gelatin to make more fibers,鈥� said Michael Rivera, a co-author of the research and assistant professor in the ATLAS Institute and Department of Computer Science.

The machine, which is small enough to fit on a desk and , heats up the gelatin and uses a plastic syringe to squeeze out droplets of the mixture. Two sets of rollers in the machine then tug on the gelatin, stretching it out into long, skinny fibers 鈥� not unlike a spider spinning a web from silk.

鈥淲ith this kind of prototyping machine, anyone can make fibers,鈥� L谩zaro V谩squez said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need the big machines that are only in university chemistry departments.鈥�

She added that across the U.S., meat producers often discard gelatin that doesn鈥檛 meet quality control standards. L谩zaro V谩squez bought her own gelatin, which comes as a powder, from a local butcher shop.

L谩zaro V谩squez envisions that designers could tweak the chemistry of the fibers to make them a little more resilient 鈥� you wouldn鈥檛 want your jacket to disappear in the rain. They could also experiment with spinning similar fibers from other abundant natural materials like chitin, a component of crab shells, or agar-agar, which comes from algae.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to think about the whole lifecycle of our textiles,鈥� said L谩zaro V谩squez. 鈥淭hat begins with where the material is coming from. Can we get it from something that normally goes to waste?鈥�

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Flowers have the power to improve your physical and mental well-being 鈥� even more so if they are fragrant, according to . That鈥檚 part of what Jamie Seward (PolSci鈥�97) was after when, late last year, she revived , a zero-waste solution for event florals that closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Past clients include the Super Bowl and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. 

Mainly located in Southern California, Arizona and on the East Coast, Repeat Roses transports flowers from events such as weddings and corporate events, rearranges them into smaller bouquets and delivers them to nonprofits like homeless shelters, hospitals or nursing homes. Later, a team picks up the flowers for composting and her clients receive a receipt for their charitable donation. 

Seward, a Navy veteran and former attorney, also serves as senior associate director of alumni relations for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

What inspired you to take over Repeat Roses?

I have a passion for people, I have a passion for the planet and I want to leave the world a little better than I found it.

What鈥檚 the status of your business?

It鈥檚 what I like to call a 鈥榬estart-up鈥� 鈥� it was a start-up and we鈥檝e restarted it. We are up and running, we can operate anywhere in the U.S., and we鈥檙e hoping to get the word out. It takes time for word to spread that we鈥檙e back in business.

What鈥檚 it like when you deliver flowers?

There鈥檚 nothing quite like seeing the faces of the people in a homeless shelter, both the staff and the residents, and the joy on their faces when they see flowers 鈥� which are considered a luxury 鈥� brighten up their space. They鈥檙e worried about the basics, and to have something beautiful and joyful, it elevates everyone鈥檚 mood, it makes everyone feel better and it brightens up their environment.

Why do you compost the flowers?

It鈥檚 more advantageous for the environment for flowers to decompose naturally, versus putting them in a plastic bag in a landfill.

Did anything from your 麻豆免费版下载Boulder experience guide you into doing this type of work?

I was in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at CU, and there was often a philanthropic aspect to our activities. So, it was ingrained in me very early that helping people is something I wanted to do in as many aspects of my life as possible. 

Learn more about Repeat Roses at @RepeatRoses on social media or at . 

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Ryan Burbary (Acct, Fin鈥�22) is owner of , a Boulder-based company committed to limiting single-use plastics and incorporating biodegradable technologies for products. In 2022, Burbary created the world鈥檚 first fully biodegradable synthetic tennis string, which he hopes will reduce the thousands of pounds of tennis string that end up in landfills each year. 

Why did you choose to work in the tennis industry?

My dad owns tennis retail stores, so I grew up around tennis my whole life. I鈥檝e seen the waste that happens. Whether it鈥檚 cutting out strings, putting a new grip on a racket or throwing tennis balls away, I knew there had to be a better way. Biodegradability seemed to be the best way to do it. People realistically won鈥檛 completely change their buying habits for sustainability. But if it鈥檚 an added benefit to the products they already enjoy, there is a better chance of making
a difference. 

What was the process of making the string like? 

Growing up, I accumulated knowledge on the materials used to create tennis products. During this time, I found an additive in other manufacturing industries that makes their products biodegradable. I made the connection that this additive could be used in the tennis industry. Once our factory implemented the additive to our tennis string, I immediately sent it for testing with the United States Racquet Stringers Association to do a full play test. None of the testers knew it was biodegradable, and it scored highly on performance. 

How would you like to influence the future of sports equipment? 

The biodegradable technology we utilize in our products can easily be implemented in industries beyond tennis. One local string brand may make a small impact in terms of sustainability, but if I get a national sports retailer to implement this technology, it would make a huge difference. Most tennis strings sit in the landfill for hundreds of years, but the string I created would biodegrade in just three to five years.  

What are your future goals? 

First, I鈥檇 like to expand our current line to create more sustainable products. Second, I鈥檝e always wanted to do my own thing as an entrepreneur. I am currently working a finance job that I enjoy, but I would one day love to make Velociti my full-time job. 

What advice do you have for recent graduates looking to be entrepreneurs? 

The hardest thing for me is having patience. It鈥檚 easy to want and expect the things you want to get done quickly, but you have to remind yourself that things take time. And find some good mentors you can bounce ideas off of. I have a great one, CD Bodam (PE鈥�69), a family friend in the tennis industry. Having him as a mentor has made a huge impact on my time in this industry. 

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The first Earth Day was held across the United States on April 22, 1970. It motivated student organizers at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder to push for an institution dedicated to sustainability and later that year the Environmental Center was born. Fifty years later, CU鈥檚 environmental center continues to lead the way in sustainability across campuses worldwide. Here鈥檚 10 major milestones in CU鈥檚 green history.

1. First university to create a student-led Environmental Center. (1970)

2. Created the first-ever campus-wide recycling program. (1976)

3. Provided comprehensive bus passes for all students, the first of their kind. (1991)

4. Began the purchase of renewable energy credits. (2000)

5. Installed the campus' first solar panels on the UMC. (2004)

6. Created the Sustainable 麻豆免费版下载Grant. (2005)

7. Became the first university to pledge carbon neutrality. (2007)

8. Created the Zero-Waste Stadium program at Folsom, another first for NCAA D1 schools. (2008)

9. Joined as a founding member of the University Climate Change Coalition. (2018)

10. Became the first university to sign the UN's Sports for Climate Change Action Framework. (2019)  

Photo by Glenn Asakawa

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At Kendall Apartments, an affordable housing community in Lakewood, Colo., children play Nerf wars, soccer and 鈥済roundies,鈥� the don鈥檛-touch-the-ground version of tag. They swing from monkey bars and scale a rope net amid the smell of fresh cedar.

Resident parents are thrilled 鈥� their children, about 65 in all, now have a safe and spacious space to play. The old area was small and crumbling.

Open since June, the new playground is the latest studio project by undergraduate environmental design students at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder. Predecessors dreamed up and built a tree office and a sustainable bathhouse.

The six-month project, led by instructor Jeremy Ehly, involved interviewing parents and children, obtaining zoning permits, regrading the site and designing and building four separate play areas. The 18 麻豆免费版下载students also raised more than $36,000 for material costs, including a $25,000 donation from the Northeast Denver Housing Center.

鈥淲hen we first started the semester, I was completely taken aback by how ambitious we were attempting to be,鈥� said Jesse Koenig (贰苍惫顿别蝉鈥�17).

But they pulled it off, to squeals of joy.

鈥淲hile we were putting our finishing touches on and cleaning up everything, the kids kept asking us, 鈥業s it ready, can I play?鈥欌�� said senior Anne Mosites (Arch鈥�18). 鈥淲e had to power wash everything as our last step and the kids started playing the minute we were done; they didn鈥檛 even care that it was soaking wet.鈥�

The 麻豆免费版下载students felt good, too 鈥� and were ready for more.

Said Ehly, the instructor, 鈥淭hey鈥檝e already been pitching me projects.鈥�

Photos by Jeremy Ehly

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CU-Boulder is working on a four-phase strategy for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the next 40 years. Above Melissa Mora (EnvEngr鈥�06) stands in front of a biodiesel-fueled bus.

This fall Sierra Club鈥檚 magazine named CU-Boulder the top 鈥済reen鈥� university in the nation, a jump up from its No. 2 ranking last year. And the campus earned the highest grade given on a college sustainability report card by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors project.

These accolades stem from decades of hard work by Buffs who have shown a passion for the protection of the planet.

鈥淭he students of the University of Colorado are the heart and soul of our sustainability efforts and have been leaders in environmental stewardship for nearly 60 years,鈥� says Dave Newport, director of CU鈥檚 environmental center.

The Sierra Club鈥檚 ranking is based on a 39-question survey about environmentally friendly practices in the areas of academics, administration, energy, efficiency, food, purchasing, transportation and waste management. CU-Boulder has made significant progress in these areas since 1976 when the first student-led recycling program began.

Today鈥檚 initiatives include trash-free sporting events and buses that run on vegetable oil. Arnett Hall, a residence hall in the Kittredge Complex, along with the ATLAS, law and business buildings, received a LEED gold certification from the United States Green Building Council, which rates buildings based on their sustainability. The UMC addition received a LEED silver certification. And professors of ecology and evolutionary biology are working with ConocoPhillips to produce new kinds of sustainable energy.

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Cooling Towers

Like more than 900 cities, Boulder has voluntarily committed to meeting the Kyoto Protocol鈥檚 greenhouse gas reduction targets, i.e., cut its emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels or about 25 percent below 2008.

And, like all but two of those cities, it is failing to meet its goals.

Boulder spends more than $850,000 a year trying to get Kyoto compliant and has precious little to show for it. Last year, one city program spent more than $260,000 on things like energy audits, insulation rebates, compact florescent bulb discounts and preaching to the persuaded, which got it a thumping 0.6 percent of the way toward its goal.

Which is why I鈥檝e turned into the local nuclear power nag.

Instead of trying to save the world one light bulb at a time, I think Boulder should invest in a nuclear power plant and solve its part of the climate problem once and for all.

Here鈥檚 the case:
According to city estimates, in 2007 Boulder produced 1.9 million metric tons of CO2, 57 percent of it from generating electricity from coal and natural gas. It decreased in 2008, but to be Kyoto compliant the city must cut its annual output by an additional 400,000 tons.

So if Boulder switched to nuclear generated electricity, it would meet its Kyoto target more than two times over. Bang. Problem solved.

But what about nuclear waste (I hear you say)? Do as La Belle, France (which gets 80 percent of its electricity from nukes), does. Recycle it.

But surely Boulder doesn鈥檛 need a whole nuclear power plant, I hear you say. It certainly doesn鈥檛. Boulder鈥檚 electrical needs currently require about 100 megawatts of generating capacity. A typical state-of-the-art nuclear plant produces about 1,200 to 1,400 megawatts. Which means Boulder should partner with a dozen or so other cities failing to meet their Kyoto goals to build a nuclear plant. (Boulder loves to help other people solve their problems.)

But wouldn鈥檛 it take years to get a nuclear power plant up and running? Probably. But all the important stuff Boulder does takes 10 or 20 years.

Planning and building the Pearl Street Mall took 16 years. The idea of building the Boulder Turnpike took shape in the 1930s; it opened in 1952. Boulder started lobbying for 麻豆免费版下载in 1861. It opened in 1877.

But surely Boulderites would never seriously consider nuclear power, would they?

There鈥檚 a city election next November. That would be a good time put the question to the voters as an advisory referendum. The answer might surprise you.

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Al Weimer (MChemEngr鈥�78, PhD鈥�80) hopes to make green gasoline that would someday be available for around $3 per gallon. Cleaner air will be one result.

In the United States we import about two-thirds of the oil used to fill the tanks of our vehicles. And transportation fuels account for about 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Slashing our reliance on foreign fossils could decrease our dependence on foreign governments that often prove as volatile as the oil they export. It also could benefit the environment and slow the pace of global warming.

Weimer, 55, says his technique could make a gallon of green gasoline for less than $3. And he and his team of 10 doctorate and three postdoctoral students recently won a three-year, $1 million federal grant to continue refining the process.

But how did Weimer, who spent 16 years working for Dow Chemical, get involved with green energy? It all started with a process that dozens of oil companies jumped on as the world went to war during the 1930s.

Turning coal into fuel

With a gravelly voice and stocky build, Weimer is the son of a steelworker with an eighth-grade education in Youngstown, Ohio. His father lost his job in the late 1960s, and Weimer remembers his dad delivering newspapers at 5 a.m., driving the morning school bus, sleeping a few hours, driving the afternoon school bus and then working as a security guard into the night. Weimer鈥檚 80-hour work weeks pay a sort of homage to such an ethic.

鈥淵ou work with Al and you can expect to get e-mails at 4:30 in the morning at least two, three times a week,鈥� says Ryan Gill, chemical and biological engineering associate professor and managing director of the CU-led Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2), of which Weimer serves as executive director. C2B2 is a cooperative research and educational center devoted to the conversion of biomass to fuels and other products.

Attracted to math and science at an early age, Weimer pursued his talents up the rungs of academia. While getting his doctorate, Weimer never thought about going into teaching. He focused on energy, in particular coal gasification with fluidized bed reactors. This sounds like a lot of engineering jargon, but fluidized bed reactors transformed the way countries fought during World War II.

First developed in Germany during the mid-1920s, fluidized bed reactors, specifically the Fischer-Tropsch processes, proved to be an ingenious solution for a country rich in coal but poor in oil. It converts pulverized coals into synthesis gas 鈥� a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide 鈥� and converts it into liquid fuels. The process enabled Nazi Germany to turn coal into high-quality, clean-burning fuel, keeping the German war machine running. Both Great Britain and Japan also produced synthetic fuel during this time period in the hopes of achieving petroleum independence.

Far from a thing of the past, the same process has powered all South African vehicles for more than 30 years, as the country relied on it heavily during its isolation under apartheid.

At Dow Chemical Weimer continued his fluidized bed work with the goal of converting synthesis gas into alcohols, gasoline additives and other marketable liquids. In the process, he learned how to run industrial-grade process equipment, build and run pilot plants and to take economics seriously.

鈥淚n industry, cost is a big factor, whereas most academics don鈥檛 have a clue or even care what the cost is,鈥� Weimer says.

But he kept a toe in academia through leadership roles in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and, in his spare time, publishing a peer-reviewed journal article or two a year.

He landed in a Dow scientific group synthesizing superhard metals by fashioning a graphite tube, heating it to seven times the temperature of a kitchen broiler and flowing various powders through it at high speed. Weimer鈥檚 rapid carbothermal reduction process now makes the ultrafine tungsten carbide used around the world in high-end cutting tools like drill bits.

Sun and mirrors

The awards poured in. But by 1996, Weimer was concerned with the lack of emphasis on innovation at his employer and, to no small extent, the U.S. chemical industry at large. While applying for a teaching position at the University of Cincinnati, he stopped by 麻豆免费版下载to round up recommendation letters. They asked him to stay.

Weimer returned to his 麻豆免费版下载energy research roots. Beginning with a small U.S. Department of Energy grant, Weimer and his team developed a system of mirrors to focus sunlight on a cauldron combining zinc and water to make hydrogen, a fuel some view as the transportation fuel of the future. His solar-to-hydrogen work continues, but the group now uses a related system to focus sunlight on lawn clippings and fallen leaves 鈥� known more formally as source-separated green waste 鈥� flowing through at high speed, much like the process used to make drill bits.

The result? Synthesis gas, the same stuff coming off Fischer-Tropsch processes Weimer honed as a 麻豆免费版下载student more than 25 years ago and from which one can make green gasoline, diesel and natural gas.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandates the annual production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, the majority of which will have to come from noncorn kernel feedstock. Today corn kernel feedstocks supply about 9 billion gallons of the fuel, but there are limits. We can only produce about 15 billion gallons annually without running into serious fuel-or-food issues, scientists estimate.

Among other promising types of biofuels are biodiesels brewed from soybean, palm and other plant oils. But these feedstocks provide food for people and will ultimately face similar trade-offs in a world in which our growing population will be increasingly difficult to feed.

Speaking the language

There are other ways to convert biomass to fuel 鈥� cellulosic ethanol production through both heating and chemistry being the current front-runner. But unlike competing processes, Weimer says, the sun-cooked green fuels are synthesized hot enough (1,200掳 C) that there鈥檚 no tar to deal with. What鈥檚 more, there鈥檚 no need to burn part of your input biomass to cook up green fuel, which amounts to a 30 percent loss.

Beyond enabling innovation, Weimer鈥檚 years in industry have helped students and colleagues understand the need for speed and the ability to scale the technologies they hope to bring to market, says Carl Koval, 麻豆免费版下载chemistry and biochemistry professor and executive director of the 麻豆免费版下载Energy Initiative. The Energy Initiative is working to integrate the university鈥檚 extensive research in renewable and sustainable energy with its strengths in climate and environmental science, behavioral studies, policy analysis and entrepreneurship.

Koval said Weimer鈥檚 understanding of how to position intellectual property has brought major benefits to the university, as has his ability to speak the language of industry with the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels in particular, which is supported by state, institutional and industry funds.

鈥淎l could explain the research to these companies and what the value was to them, and that was one of the main reasons they were able to recruit companies into that center,鈥� Koval says. 鈥淭hat would never have happened with a pure academic. They wouldn鈥檛 have known what to say.鈥�

Exploring CU鈥檚 Energy Initiative

Solving the world鈥檚 energy challenges requires the work of experts in climate and environmental science, behavioral studies and policy analysis. As a result, CU鈥檚 leaders in these fields joined together in 2006 to form the 麻豆免费版下载Energy Initiative. 麻豆免费版下载aims to become a national leader in sustainable and renewable energy research, education and technology commercialization. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 happening on campus.

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