Energy research

Biomass Conversion and Utilization

  • Biofuel enhancement through plasma-assisted reforming
    Scott Kovaleski (Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering)
    T. Greg Engel (James C. Dowell Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Biogas and electricity production from waste or wastewater
    Zhiqiang Hu (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Biogas production from animal and human wastes in India and the U.S.
    Leon Schumacher (Professor, Agriculture Systems Management, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
    Ken Schneeberger (Assistant Dean Special Programs, Professor of Agriculture Economics, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Development of biomass-based foams and other products
    Fu-Hung Hsieh (Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Extraction of oil from biomass using supercritical fluids
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Gasification of biomass in supercritical water to produce hydrogen and/or syngas
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Integrated systems engineering approach to biomass utilization
    Jinglu Tan (Division Director of Food Systems and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
    L. Schumacher (Professor, Agriculture Systems Management, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
    S. Borgelt (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Logistic modeling and optimization of biomass utilization systems
    Jinglu Tan (Division Director Food Systems and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Nanoparticles in thermochemical biomass conversion
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Quality and peformance analysis of biofuels
    Ali Bulent Koc (Assistant Professor of Agricultural Systems Management, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources)
  • Tire-derived fuel for electric power generation at MU Power Plant
    Gregg Coffin (Superintendant Power Plant, Department of Energy Management)
  • Thermochemical conversion of biomass into fuels and other chemicals
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Wood wastes for electric power generation at MU Power Plant
    Gregg Coffin (Superintendant Power Plant, Department of Energy Management)

Biomass Production and Transport

Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management in Agriculture

  • Alternative weed management systems for corn, soybean and vegetables
    Reid Smeda (Associate Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Corn and soybean production systems that give high yields, enhance sustainability, and protect the environment
    William Wiebold (Professor of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Cost-effective and environmentally sound weed management regimes to minimize economic losses on agronomic crops
    Kevin Bradley (Assistant Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Creating options to chemicals as a means to control the most economically significant soybean pests in a sustainable manner
    James English (Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Efficient use of manure nutrients for sustainable, energy-efficient crop production that protects water and other natural resources
    John Lory (Associate Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Energy conservation through lightweighting of vehicles
    Douglas Smith (Lapierre Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Lightweight vehicle design by long-fiber composites to achieve the highest strength and stiffness to weight ratios
    Douglas Smith (Lapierre Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Management practices and farming systems that maximize grain production and minimize nutrient and pesticide losses off fields
    Newel Kitchen (USDA-ARS, Adjunct Associate Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Measuring tree and canopy leaf area for sustainable forest management using high-resolution digital aerial photogrammetry
    David R. Larsen (Professor and Chair of Forestry Department and Natural Resources, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Optimization and robust design methods for mechanical structures/devices with the highest energy efficiency
    Douglas Smith (Lapierre Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Optimization of energy efficiency in buildings
    Yun-Sheng (Shawn) Xu (Associate Professor of Research, Water Resource Research Center, College of Engineering)
  • Optimizing nutrient application rates and to minimize nutrient movement to surface and ground water
    Peter Scharf (Associate Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Organic materials and wastes as soil amendments to replace non-renewable resources
    Peter Motavalli (Associate Professor of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Precision agriculture techniques to evaluate energy and economic-efficient options for optimal agricultural production (e.g., variable-rate technology, on-the-go sensors & multi- and hyper-spectral imagery)
    Harlan Palm (Assistant Professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Saving fuel and water when growing irrigated rice
    Joe Henggeler (Extension Associate Professor, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Thermodynamic stability and combustion efficiency of nanoemulsion biofuel systems
    Ali Bulent Koc (Assistant Professor of Agricultural Systems Management, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources)
    Leon Schumacher (Professor, Agriculture Systems Management, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
  • Sustainable corn, cotton, rice and soybean production from soil fertility management, plant nutrient monitoring and conservation tillage systems
    William "Gene" Stevens (Extension Associate Professor, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)

Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management in Business and Industry

Energy Storage

Fuel Cells

  • Carbon nanotubes and grapheme-based supercapacitors
    Hao Li (Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Improving biogas conversion from municipal sludge and animal waste
    Zhiqiang (Zachary) Hu (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    Robert Reed (Associate Professor of Research, Water Resources Research Center, College of Engineering)
  • Powdery electrodes for fuel cells
    Yuwen Zhang (Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
    JK Chen (William & Nancy Thompson Missouri Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)

Energy Generation

  • Gasification of biomass in supercritical water to produce hydrogen and/or syngas
    William Jacoby (Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Nuclear Energy Conversion Research Program
    Mark Prelas (Professor Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering & Research Associate, MU Research Reactor)
  • Power regenerating aircraft runway dynamic energy storage
    Noah Manring (Chairman Electrical Engineering & Glen Barton Professor of Fluid Power in Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Nanotechnology and soybeans: implications for energy generation by drawing on the chemical and photochemical reactions of plants, in an environmentally friendly manner (Greennano Company)
    Kattesh Katti (Professor of Radiology, School of Medicine & Professor of Physics, College of Arts and Science; Sr. Research Scientist, MU Research Reactor)

Geothermal Energy

Power Harvesting

Solar Energy

  • Heat pipe jet refrigeration system using low-grade thermal energy
    Hongbin (Bill) Ma (Lapierre Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Improving efficiency of solar collection
    Yun-Sheng (Shawn) Xu (Associate Professor of Research, Water Resource Research Center, College of Engineering)
  • Nanowire based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for high efficiency
    Hao Li (Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Passive solar design for Missouri homeowners
    B. Buffaloe (Extension Associate, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources)
    M. Goldschmidt (Resident Instruction Assistant Professor of Architectural Studies, College of Arts and Science)
  • Solar-assisted geothermal refrigeration for remote applications
    Yun-Sheng (Shawn) Xu (Associate Professor of Research, Water Resource Research Center, College of Engineering)

Steam & Gas Turbines

  • Magnetic bearings for steam turbines in nuclear power generation
    Zaichun (Frank) Feng (Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)

Transportation

Transmission

  • Grid voltage pollution assessment; Maximum transmission efficiency via variable displacement pumps and motors
    Robert O'Connell (Professor of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering)
    Roger Fales (Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Lightweight, nanomaterial-based electric conductor for power transmission through the electric grid system
    Sanjeev Khanna (Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Optimizing hydrostatic transmission operating efficiency using variable displacement pump and variable displacement motor
    Roger Fales (Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
    Noah Manring (Chairman Electrical Engineering & Glen Barton Professor of Fluid Power in Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering)

Wind Turbines

  • Lightweight and high strength composite materials for energy savings in stationary and dynamic structures
    Sanjeev Khanna (La Pierre Associate Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering; Assistant Director, Missouri Industrial Assessment Center)
  • Nanofiber reinforced composites for wind-turbine blades
    Hao Li (Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)
    Qingsong Yu (Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering)
  • Online efficiency optimization and structural health monitoring of wind turbines via harmonics tracking method
    P. Frank Pai (Lapierre Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering)