#microreactors

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Exploring the Role of Microreactors in Green Chemistry 

Green chemistry focuses on designing processes that reduce waste, improve efficiency, and minimize environmental impact. One of the most transformative technologies in this field is the use of microreactors. These small-scale reaction chambers offer precise control over chemical processes, leading to safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly reactions. Continuous flow microreactors and microchannel reactors are revolutionizing chemical synthesis by improving reaction conditions, minimizing waste, and enhancing sustainability. 

What Are Microreactors? 

Microreactors are miniaturized chemical reactors that use channels on the micrometer scale to conduct chemical reactions. Unlike traditional batch reactors, these systems allow for continuous processing, enhancing reaction efficiency and control. The compact design of microchannel reactors enables precise temperature and pressure regulation, which is critical for optimizing chemical reactions. 

The Advantages of Microreactors in Green Chemistry 

Microreactors contribute to green chemistry in several ways: 

1. Enhanced Safety 

Chemical reactions in traditional reactors often involve hazardous reagents and extreme conditions. Continuous flow microreactors improve safety by reducing reaction volumes, thus limiting the risk of explosions or accidental spills. Additionally, microreactors provide precise temperature control, minimizing thermal runaways. 

2. Improved Efficiency 

Microreactors enhance mass and heat transfer due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. This leads to faster reaction times and improved yield, making them more efficient than conventional batch processes. Microchannel reactors allow for controlled mixing and reaction kinetics, reducing the chances of undesired side reactions. 

3. Reduction in Waste 

Green chemistry aims to minimize waste generation, and microreactors help achieve this by optimizing reagent usage. Since these reactors operate on a smaller scale, they require fewer chemicals and solvents, reducing the production of hazardous byproducts. Additionally, continuous processing prevents batch-to-batch variations, leading to consistent and reproducible results. 

4. Energy Efficiency 

Microreactors operate under controlled conditions, reducing the energy required for heating and cooling. The efficient heat exchange in microchannel reactors minimizes energy consumption, making chemical processes more sustainable and cost-effective. 

5. Scalability and Automation 

One of the challenges in chemical manufacturing is scaling up laboratory processes for industrial production. Microreactors offer seamless scalability by allowing multiple units to operate in parallel. Furthermore, their compatibility with automation and digital monitoring ensures consistent process control, reducing human error and improving reproducibility. 

Applications of Microreactors in Green Chemistry 

Microreactors find applications in various fields, from pharmaceuticals to fine chemicals. Some notable applications include: 

1. Grignard Reactions 

Grignard reactions, which involve the formation of carbon-carbon bonds using organomagnesium compounds, are widely used in organic synthesis. However, traditional Grignard reactions pose challenges such as exothermic behavior and moisture sensitivity. Continuous flow microreactors provide enhanced control over reaction conditions, improving yield and reducing the risks associated with traditional batch processes. 

2. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 

The pharmaceutical industry benefits from microreactors by enabling safer and more efficient synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Their ability to conduct rapid reactions with precise control ensures high purity and consistent product quality. Continuous flow processing also reduces solvent consumption and waste generation, aligning with green chemistry principles. 

3. Fine Chemical Production 

Microreactors are widely used in the production of fine chemicals, including fragrances, flavors, and agrochemicals. The controlled reaction environment ensures high selectivity, reducing unwanted byproducts and improving process efficiency. 

4. Catalytic Reactions 

Heterogeneous catalysis is a crucial area of green chemistry, and microreactors play a key role in enhancing catalytic performance. The confined space within microchannel reactors improves catalyst efficiency and facilitates continuous operation, reducing catalyst degradation and extending its lifespan. 

Future Perspectives 

As industries shift towards greener and more sustainable chemical processes, the adoption of microreactors is expected to grow. Advances in materials science, automation, and artificial intelligence will further enhance the capabilities of continuous flow microreactors, making them more versatile and efficient. Researchers are also exploring novel reactor designs, such as 3D-printed microreactors, to expand their applications in green chemistry. 

Microreactors are transforming the landscape of green chemistry by offering safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional chemical processes. The use of continuous flow microreactors, microchannel reactors, and other advanced reactor technologies is driving sustainable innovation across various industries. As the demand for eco-friendly chemical production continues to rise, microreactors will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of green chemistry. 

Industries looking to adopt greener chemical processes should explore the potential of microreactors to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance safety while adhering to sustainability goals. 

Discover cutting-edge continuous flow microreactors from Amar Equip, designed for precision and efficiency. Their advanced microchannel reactors enable seamless scalability and enhanced reaction control. From microreactors to specialized Grignard applications, Amar Equip delivers innovative solutions for every need.  

Explore their technology today! 

[stonylabchem]

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[outer-space-youtube]

Clean Water?

If we had access to the power needed then we could clean salt water and have water for everyone, and that is putting it lightly. So, how do we get the power when it takes too much… to build solar fields and big wind farms? How many times do I need to say it? “Nuclear Power” you know that clean power that the Oil Tycoons are investing in. @MonsieurDean explains how it could power an AI Utopia.‘I…

[salvep]

Exploring the Diverse World of Inorganic Chemicals: Types, Applications, and Market Trends

The world of inorganic chemicals is vast and diverse, encompassing a wide range of compounds that play crucial roles in various industries. From the production of fertilizers and pigments to the manufacturing of electronics and pharmaceuticals, inorganic chemicals are essential building blocks for modern society. Types of Inorganic Chemicals: Inorganic chemicals can be broadly classified into several categories based on their composition and properties. Some of the major types include: 1. Acids and Bases: These compounds are characterized by their ability to donate or accept protons. Examples include sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide. 2. Salts: Formed by the reaction between acids and bases, salts are ionic compounds that dissociate in water. Common examples include sodium chloride, potassium nitrate, and calcium carbonate. 3. Oxides: Inorganic oxides are compounds composed of oxygen and another element. They can be classified as acidic, basic, or amphoteric. Examples include silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and iron oxide. 4. Metals and Alloys: Metals and their alloys are widely used in various applications due to their unique properties. Examples include steel, aluminum, copper, and titanium. Applications of Inorganic Chemicals: Inorganic Chemicals find applications in a wide range of industries, contributing to the production of essential products and materials. Some key applications include: 1. Agriculture: Inorganic chemicals are used in the production of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. They help in enhancing crop yield, controlling pests, and promoting plant growth. 2. Construction: Inorganic compounds such as cement, glass, and ceramics are integral to the construction industry. They are used in the manufacturing of buildings, roads, and infrastructure. 3. Electronics: Inorganic materials, including semiconductors and superconductors, are crucial components in electronic devices. They are used in the production of integrated circuits, solar cells, and display technologies. 4. Water Treatment: Inorganic chemicals play a vital role in water treatment processes. Compounds such as chlorine, alum, and activated carbon are used for disinfection, coagulation, and adsorption of impurities. 5. Pharmaceuticals: Inorganic compounds are used as active ingredients, excipients, and catalysts in the pharmaceutical industry. They are essential for the synthesis and formulation of various drugs and medications.

Get More Insights on Inorganic Chemicals

[chadmmc]

(via It's not a tiny home. It's actually a nuclear microreactor powerplant)

[subscribe1]

🚀 Unveiling the Future: Rolls-Royce's Nuclear Space Microreactor! 🌕

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #20

May 24-31 2024

The EPA awards $900 million to school districts across the country to replace diesel fueled school buses with cleaner alternatives. The money will go to 530 school districts across nearly every state, DC, tribal community, and US territory. The funds will help replace 3,400 buses with cleaner alternatives, 92% of the new buses will be 100% green electric. This adds to the $3 billion the Biden administration has already spent to replace 8,500 school buses across 1,000 school districts in the last 2 years.

For the first time the federal government released guidelines for Voluntary Carbon Markets. Voluntary Carbon Markets are a system by which companies off set their carbon emissions by funding project to fight climate change like investing in wind or solar power. Critics have changed that companies are using them just for PR and their funding often goes to projects that would happen any ways thus not offsetting emissions. The new guidelines seek to insure integrity in the Carbon Markets and make sure they make a meaningful impact. It also pushes companies to address emissions first and use offsets only as a last resort.

The IRS announced it'll take its direct file program nationwide in 2025. In 2024 140,000 tax payers in 12 states used the direct file pilot program and the IRS now plans to bring it to all Americans next tax season. Right now the program is only for simple W-2 returns with no side income but the IRS has plans to expand it to more complex filings in the future. This is one of the many projects at the IRS being funded through President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

The White House announced steps to boost nuclear energy in America. Nuclear power in the single largest green energy source in the country accounting for 19% of America's total energy. Boosting Nuclear energy is a key part of the Biden administration's strategy to reach a carbon free electricity sector by 2035. The administration has invested in bring the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan back on-line, and extending the life of Diablo Canyon in California. In addition the Military will be deploying new small modular nuclear reactors and microreactors to power its installations. The Administration is setting up a task force to help combat the delays and cost overruns that have often derailed new nuclear projects and the Administration is supporting two Gen III+ SMR demonstration projects to highlight the safety and efficiency of the next generation of nuclear power.

The Department of Agriculture announced $824 million in new funding to protect livestock health and combat H5N1. The funding will go toward early detection, vaccine research, and supporting farmers impacted. The USDA is also launching a nation wide Dairy Herd Status Pilot Program, hopefully this program will give us a live look at the health of America's dairy herd and help with early detection. The Biden Administration has reacted quickly and proactively to the early cases of H5N1 to make sure it doesn't spread to the human population and become another pandemic situation.

The White House announced a partnership with 21 states to help supercharge America's aging energy grid. Years of little to no investment in America's Infrastructure has left our energy grid lagging behind the 21st century tech. This partnership aims to squeeze all the energy we can out of our current system while we rush to update and modernize. Last month the administration announced a plan to lay 100,000 miles of new transmission lines over the next five years. The 21 states all with Democratic governors are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The Department of Transportation announced $343 million to update 8 of America's oldest and busiest transportation stations for disability accessibility. These include the MBTA's the Green Line's light-rail B and C branches in Boston,  Cleveland's Blue Line, New Orleans'  St. Charles Streetcar route, and projects in San Francisco and New York City and other locations

The Department of interior announced two projects for water in Western states. $179 million for drought resilience projects in California and Utah and $242 million for expanding water access in California, Colorado and Washington. The projects should help support drinking water for 6.4 million people every year.

HUD announced $150 million for affordable housing for tribal communities. This adds to the over $1 billion dollars for tribal housing announced earlier in the month. Neil Whitegull of the Ho-Chunk Nation said at the announcement "I know a lot of times as Native Americans we've been here and we've seen people that have said, ‘Oh yeah, we'd like to help Indians.’ And they take a picture and they go away. We never see it, But there's been a commitment here, with the increase in funding, grants, and this administration that is bringing their folks out. And there's a real commitment, I think, to Native American tribes that we've never seen before."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $135 million to help Moldavia. Since the outbreak of Russia's war against neighboring Ukraine the US has given $774 million in aid to tiny Moldavia. Moldavia has long been dependent on Russian energy but thanks to US investment in the countries energy security Moldavia is breaking away from Russia and moving forward with EU membership.

The US and Guatemala launched the "Youth With Purpose” initiative. The initiative will be run through the Central America Service Corps, launched in 2022 by Vice President Harris the CASC is part of the Biden Administration's efforts to improve life in Central America. The Youth With Purpose program will train 25,000 young Guatemalans and connect with with service projects throughout the country.

Bonus: Today, May 31st 2024, is the last day of the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program helped 23 million Americans connect to the internet while saving them $30 to $75 dollars every month. Despite repeated calls from President Biden Republicans in Congress have refused to act to renew the program. The White House has worked with private companies to get them to agree to extend the savings to the end of 2024. The Biden Administration has invested $90 Billion high-speed internet investments. Such as $42.45 billion for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, $1 billion for the The Middle Mile program laying 12,000 miles of regional fiber networks, and distributed nearly 30,000 connected devices to students and communities, including more than 3,600 through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

[frostgears]

preflight checklist

control link green.

organic component support green.

APU chemical turbines green.

APU microreactor green.

reactors #2 and #3 at 10%, full military power pending exit from carrier immediate volume.

reactors #1 and #4 primed for automatic start on exit from carrier immediate volume.

multimodal magnetic shielding in cooperative echo mode for catapult launch, transition to active eddy deflection mode recommended immediately once clear of catapult.

reflex targeting system safe, authorization to be transmitted on exit from carrier immediate volume.

arc swords equipped.

intermediate-range cannon equipped.

detachable semi-autonomous spreadfire missile packs equipped.

extended-range missile pods equipped.

redirector weapons available once the Ceres Beam clears the horizon.

luck? don't need it. never had it. lucky girls don't become what you are.

somewhere in the bulk of the huge machine enclosing you, the carrier that dwarfs even your battle-self, your handler will be chewing her lip.

not because she cares if you get hurt, but because she gets some leeway from command handling an asset with your exemplary service record. punishment conditioning. reward conditioning. the chemical leashes she holds you with, the grip of her voice over the link.

if you don't come back, you don't get to fly like this again.

if you don't come back, it'll be a long time before they'll let her do to anyone else what she can do every day to you.

catapult cycling. green. launch. □

[mariacallous]

In the old ranchlands of South Texas, dormant uranium mines are coming back online. A collection of new ones hope to start production soon, extracting radioactive fuel from the region’s shallow aquifers. Many more may follow.

These mines are the leading edge of what government and industry leaders in Texas hope will be a nuclear renaissance, as America’s latent nuclear sector begins to stir again.

Texas is currently developing a host of high-tech industries that require enormous amounts of electricity, from cryptocurrency mines and artificial intelligence to hydrogen production and seawater desalination. Now, powerful interests in the state are pushing to power it with next-generation nuclear reactors.

“We can make Texas the nuclear capital of the world,” said Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, former chief operating officer for Texas governor Greg Abbott’s office and former senior counsel to the Texas Office of the Attorney General. “There’s a huge opportunity.”

Clay owns a lobbying firm with heavyweight clients that include SpaceX, Dow Chemical, and the Texas Blockchain Council, among many others. He launched the Texas Nuclear Alliance in 2022 and formed the Texas Nuclear Caucus during the 2023 state legislative session to advance bills supportive of the nuclear industry.

The efforts come amid a national resurgence of interest in nuclear power, which can provide large amounts of energy without the carbon emissions that warm the planet. And it can do so with reliable consistency that wind and solar power generation lack. But it carries a small risk of catastrophic failure and requires uranium from mines that can threaten rural aquifers.

In South Texas, groundwater management officials have fought for almost 15 years against a planned uranium mine. Administrative law judges have ruled in their favor twice, finding potential for groundwater contamination. But in both cases those judges were overruled by the state’s main environmental regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Now local leaders fear mining at the site appears poised to begin soon as momentum gathers behind America’s nuclear resurgence.

In October, Google announced the purchase of six small nuclear reactors to power its data centers by 2035. Amazon did the same shortly thereafter, and Microsoft has said it will pay to restart the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania to power its facilities. Last month, President Joe Biden announced a goal to triple US nuclear capacity by 2050. American companies are racing to license and manufacture new models of nuclear reactors.

“It’s kind of an unprecedented time in nuclear,” said James Walker, a nuclear physicist and cofounder of New York-based NANO Nuclear Energy, a startup developing small-scale “microreactors” for commercial deployment around 2031.

The industry’s reemergence stems from two main causes, he said: towering tech industry energy demands and the war in Ukraine.

Previously, the US relied on enriched uranium from decommissioned Russian weapons to fuel its existing power plants and military vessels. When war interrupted that supply in 2022, American authorities urgently began to rekindle domestic uranium mining and enrichment.

“The Department of Energy at the moment is trying to build back a lot of the infrastructure that atrophied,” Walker said. “A lot of those uranium deposits in Texas have become very economical, which means a lot of investment will go back into those sites.”

In May, the White House created a working group to develop guidelines for deployment of new nuclear power projects. In June, the Department of Energy announced $900 million in funding for small, next-generation reactors. And in September it announced a $1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in Michigan, which it called “a first-of-a-kind effort.”

“There’s an urgent desire to find zero-carbon energy sources that aren’t intermittent like renewables,” said Colin Leyden, Texas state director of the Environmental Defense Fund. “There aren’t a lot of options, and nuclear is one.”

Wind and solar will remain the cheapest energy sources, Leyden said, and a build-out of nuclear power would likely accelerate the retirement of coal plants.

The US hasn’t built a nuclear reactor in 30 years, spooked by a handful of disasters. In contrast, China has grown its nuclear power generation capacity almost 900 percent in the last 20 years, according to the World Nuclear Association, and currently has 30 reactors under construction.

Last year, Abbott ordered the state’s Public Utility Commission to produce a report “outlining how Texas will become the national leader in using advanced nuclear energy.” According to the report, which was issued in November, new nuclear reactors would most likely be built in ports and industrial complexes to power large industrial operations and enable further expansion.

“The Ports and their associated industries, like Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), carbon capture facilities, hydrogen facilities and cruise terminals, need additional generation sources,” the report said. Advanced nuclear reactors “offer Texas’ Ports a unique opportunity to enable continued growth.”

In the Permian Basin, the report said, reactors could power oil production as well as purification of oilfield wastewater “for useful purposes.” Or they could power clusters of data centers in Central and North Texas.

Already, Dow Chemical has announced plans to install four small reactors at its Seadrift plastics and chemical plant on a rural stretch of the middle Texas coast, which it calls the first grid-scale nuclear reactor for an industrial site in North America.

“I think the vast majority of these nuclear power plants are going to be for things like industrial use,” said Cyrus Reed, a longtime environmental lobbyist in the Texas Capitol and conservation director for the state’s Sierra Club chapter. “A lot of large industries have corporate goals of being low carbon or no carbon, so this could fill in a niche for them.”

The PUC report made seven recommendations for the creation of public entities, programs, and funds to support the development of a Texas nuclear industry. During next year’s state legislative session, legislators in the Nuclear Caucus will seek to make them law.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for energy investment in Texas,” said Stephen Perkins, Texas-based chief operating officer of the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative environmental policy group. “We’re really going to be pushing hard for [state legislators] to take that seriously.”

However, Texas won’t likely see its first new commercial reactor come online for at least five years. Before a build-out of power plants, there will be a boom at the uranium mines, as the US seeks to reestablish domestic production and enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel.

Texas Uranium

Ted Long, a former commissioner of Goliad County, can see the power lines of an inactive uranium mine from his porch on an old family ranch in the rolling golden savannah of South Texas. For years the mine has been idle, waiting for depressed uranium markets to pick up.

There, an international mining company called Uranium Energy Corp. plans to mine 420 acres of the Evangeline Aquifer between depths of 45 and 404 feet, according to permitting documents. Long, a dealer of engine lubricants, gets his water from a well 120 feet deep that was drilled in 1993. He lives with his wife on property that’s been in her family since her great-grandfather emigrated from Germany.

“I’m worried for groundwater on this whole Gulf Coast,” Long said. “This isn’t the only place they’re wanting to do this.”

As a public official, Long fought the neighboring mine for years. But he found the process of engaging with Texas’ environmental regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, to be time-consuming, expensive, and ultimately fruitless. Eventually, he concluded there was no point.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he said. “I guess I’ll have to look for some kind of system to clean the water up.”

The Goliad mine is the smallest of five sites in South Texas held by UEC, which is based in Corpus Christi. Another company, enCore Energy, started uranium production at two South Texas sites in 2023 and 2024, and hopes to bring four more online by 2027.

Uranium mining goes back decades in South Texas, but lately it’s been dormant. Between the 1970s and 1990s, a cluster of open pit mines harvested shallow uranium deposits at the surface. Many of those sites left a legacy of aquifer pollution.

TCEQ records show active cases of groundwater contaminated with uranium, radium, arsenic, and other pollutants from defunct uranium mines and tailing impoundment sites in Live Oak County at ExxonMobil’s Ray Point site, in Karnes County at Conoco-Phillips’ Conquista Project, and at Rio Grande Resources’ Panna Maria Uranium Recovery Facility.

All known shallow deposits of uranium in Texas have been mined. The deeper deposits aren’t accessed by traditional surface mining, but rather a process called in-situ mining, in which solvents are pumped underground into uranium-bearing aquifer formations. Adjacent wells suck back up the resulting slurry, from which uranium dust will be extracted.

Industry describes in-situ mining as safer and more environmentally friendly than surface mining. But some South Texas water managers and landowners are concerned.

”We’re talking about mining at the same elevation as people get their groundwater,” said Terrell Graham, a board member of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District, which has been fighting a proposed uranium mine for almost 15 years. “There isn’t another source of water for these residents.”

“It Was Rigged, a Setup”

On two occasions, the district has participated in lengthy hearings and won favorable rulings in Texas’ administrative courts supporting concerns over the safety of the permits. But both times, political appointees at the TCEQ rejected judges’ recommendations and issued the permits anyway.

“We’ve won two administrative proceedings,” Graham said. “It’s very expensive, and to have the TCEQ commissioners just overturn the decision seems nonsensical.”

The first time was in 2010. UEC was seeking initial permits for the Goliad mine, and the groundwater conservation district filed a technical challenge claiming that permits risked contamination of nearby aquifers.

The district hired lawyers and geological experts for a three-day hearing on the permit in Austin. Afterwards, an administrative law judge agreed with some of the district’s concerns. In a 147-page opinion issued in September 2010, an administrative law judge recommended further geological testing to determine whether certain underground faults could transmit fluids from the mining site into nearby drinking water sources.

“If the Commission determines that such remand is not feasible or desirable then the ALJ recommends that the Mine Application and the PAA-1 Application be denied,” the opinion said.

But the commissioners declined the judge’s recommendation. In an order issued March 2011, they determined that the proposed permits “impose terms and conditions reasonably necessary to protect fresh water from pollution.”

“The Commission determines that no remand is necessary,” the order said.

The TCEQ issued UEC’s permits, valid for 10 years. But by that time, a collapse in uranium prices had brought the sector to a standstill, so mining never commenced.

In 2021, the permits came up for renewal, and locals filed challenges again. But again, the same thing happened.

A nearby landowner named David Michaelsen organized a group of neighbors to hire a lawyer and challenge UEC’s permit to inject the radioactive waste product from its mine more than half a mile underground for permanent disposal.

“It’s not like I’m against industry or anything, but I don’t think this is a very safe spot,” said Michaelsen, former chief engineer at the Port of Corpus Christi, a heavy industrial hub on the South Texas Coast. He bought his 56 acres in Goliad County in 2018 to build an upscale ranch house and retire with his wife.

In hearings before an administrative law judge, he presented evidence showing that nearby faults and old oil well shafts posed a risk for the injected waste to travel into potable groundwater layers near the surface.

In a 103-page opinion issued April 2024, an administrative law judge agreed with many of Michaelsen’s challenges, including that “site-specific evidence here shows the potential for fluid movement from the injection zone.”

“The draft permit does not comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements,” wrote the administrative law judge, Katerina DeAngelo, a former assistant attorney general of Texas in the environmental protection division. She recommended “closer inspection of the local geology, more precise calculations of the [cone of influence], and a better assessment of the faults.”

Michaelsen thought he had won. But when the TCEQ commissioners took up the question several months later, again they rejected all of the judge’s findings.

In a 19-page order issued in September, the commission concluded that “faults within 2.5 miles of its proposed disposal wells are not sufficiently transmissive or vertically extensive to allow migration of hazardous constituents out of the injection zone.” The old nearby oil wells, the commission found, “are likely adequately plugged and will not provide a pathway for fluid movement.”

“UEC demonstrated the proposed disposal wells will prevent movement of fluids that would result in pollution” of an underground source of drinking water, said the order granting the injection disposal permits.

“I felt like it was rigged, a setup,” said Michaelsen, holding his 4-inch-thick binder of research and records from the case. “It was a canned decision.”

Another set of permit renewals remains before the Goliad mine can begin operation, and local authorities are fighting it too. In August, the Goliad County Commissioners Court passed a resolution against uranium mining in the county. The groundwater district is seeking to challenge the permits again in administrative court. And in November, the district sued TCEQ in Travis County District Court seeking to reverse the agency’s permit approvals.

Because of the lawsuit, a TCEQ spokesperson declined to answer questions about the Goliad County mine site, saying the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

A final set of permits remains to be renewed before the mine can begin production. However, after years of frustrations, district leaders aren’t optimistic about their ability to influence the decision.

Only about 40 residences immediately surround the site of the Goliad mine, according to Art Dohmann, vice president of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District. Only they might be affected in the near term. But Dohmann, who has served on the groundwater district board for 23 years, worries that the uranium, radium, and arsenic churned up in the mining process will drift from the site as years go by.

“The groundwater moves. It’s a slow rate, but once that arsenic is liberated, it’s there forever,” Dohmann said. “In a generation, it’s going to affect the downstream areas.”

UEC did not respond to a request for comment.

Currently, the TCEQ is evaluating possibilities for expanding and incentivizing further uranium production in Texas. It’s following instruction given last year, when lawmakers with the Nuclear Caucus added an item to TCEQ’s biannual budget ordering a study of uranium resources to be produced for state lawmakers by December 2024, ahead of next year’s legislative session.

According to the budget item, “The report must include recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes and potential economic incentive programs to support the uranium mining industry in this state.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Laurie Clarke at TNR (05.11.2025):

The radical libertarian city builders of the tech-bro set have an audacious new proposal: They want to convert Guantánamo Bay, host to the infamous prison, into the high-tech charter city of their wildest imaginations, which will double as a “proving ground” for migrants seeking to enter the United States. The Charter Cities Institute, or CCI, which has lobbied the Trump administration on setting up so-called freedom cities in the U.S, suggests the president take advantage of Guantánamo’s special legal status to convert the controversial detention camp into “a beacon of 21st-century prosperity.” CCI promotes the worldwide development of charter cities, semiautonomous zones designed to be exempt from the regulations and taxes of the nations in which they’re located. The freedom cities idea pushed by CCI and other groups fits this mold: tech hubs that would be exempt from some federal laws. Adherents to this movement argue that these arrangements drive innovation and prosperity. But as New Republic contributor J.J. Anselmi explained back in March, there’s not much innovation to be had—freedom cities are little more than spit-shined reboots of the “company towns” of yesteryear. Nevertheless, the president has proven receptive to the idea, and the groups have claimed that his inner circle is engaging with their proposals. Now they’ve come up with an eye-catching new site for him to consider. “By transforming Guantanamo Bay into a charter city, the U.S. government can catalyze economic growth, manage immigration flows, and project America’s unparalleled capacity for innovation and statecraft—all while requiring no legislation,” claims the CCI proposal from earlier this year. “This parcel of federal land on the Caribbean coastline presents a striking opportunity to reimagine American governance and reassert U.S. global leadership.” CCI argues in its proposal that the substantial development it plans to unleash would bypass the “multi-tiered hurdles” of “zoning boards, county regulations, city councils, and environmental legal frameworks” that the group claims is holding back similar charter city projects in the U.S. It further argues that this relaxed regulatory environment would encourage cutting-edge R&D in areas like biotech, artificial intelligence, and nuclear microreactors, likening the new enterprise to an American Dubai, capable of attracting billions of dollars in capital over the next five to 20 years.

More controversially, CCI proposes to do something very akin to what the Emiratis are best known for doing—erecting a labor economy that more readily resembles modern-day slavery. The big selling point for its GITMO haven suggests that the hypothetical city could house migrants who wish to move to the U.S., keeping them under surveillance for a “probationary period” while “evaluating their contributions to the local economy and society.”

[...] Charter cities have long been a fascination of Silicon Valley’s libertarian right. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an early investor in “seasteading,” the dream of seaborne libertarian enclaves floating beyond sovereign jurisdiction. In recent years, high-profile Silicon Valley investors Marc Andreessen and Balaji Srinivasan have joined the movement, which has turned its attention to land-based fiefdoms. CCI promotes the establishment of these kinds of projects worldwide. It was an early champion of Próspera, a charter city in Roatán, Honduras, which is currently engaged in a legal battle with the Honduran government over its continued existence. It is also involved in several city projects in Africa, including one in Nigeria called Itana. Próspera and Itana have both received funding from Pronomos Capital, a venture capital firm backed by Thiel and Andreessen, whose right-leaning Silicon Valley faction has grown in influence since Trump entered the White House.

CCI told The New Republic that it had “spoken to staff within the administration and both aisles of Congress” about freedom cities and issues relating to housing and economic dynamism but said it wasn’t actively lobbying for freedom cities. However, CCI founder Mark Lutter is still listed online as part of the Frontier Foundation team, a nonprofit advocating for freedom cities. CCI didn’t comment on whether the Guantánamo proposal had been presented to anyone in government. Guantánamo experts aren’t convinced this plan will ever come to fruition. “I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with using space for a more productive, beneficial purpose than a military base,” said Joseph Margulies, professor of the practice of government at Cornell University and author of Guantánamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power. “But what’s troublesome is the idea that you are seeking a place that is beyond the law. That is the perennial attraction of Guantánamo, right?”

The libertarian-aligned Charter Cities Institute has some dastardly plans for Gitmo: turn it into a techbro hellhole.

[atomicastrid]

If the moon gets a microreactor before Earth I swear to fucking god

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Scientists create tunable shells to encapsulate tiny droplets

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a novel technique to encapsulate liquid droplets used for various applications, including single crystal growth and cell culture. The technique exploits the capillary effect—the rise of a liquid through a narrow space—to coat droplets in a composite shell containing oil-loving and hydrophobic particles. It offers the ability to tune the shell thickness over a wide range, allowing the encapsulation of droplets of different sizes. The study was published in Nature Communications. Droplets are important in a variety of fields. "In microreactors, droplets can be used to create different reaction environments or mix different chemicals. In drug delivery systems, droplets can be used to deliver drugs or other agents to specific tissues or organs. In crystallization studies, droplets can be used to control the growth of crystals. And in cell culture platforms, droplets can be used to grow cells in a controlled environment, which can help to improve cell viability and proliferation," explains lead researcher Rutvik Lathia, Ph.D. student at the Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc.

Read more.

[ice-to-orange-blossoms]

All these atomic age girlies with their microreactors, what of us with fireboxes and boilers, taking a crew to operate. Mechanical girl with her own breath, with finesse needed to keep her at her best without being wasteful. And she has her quirks and doubles, different from any others, even those who were ostensibly exactly alike. A deceptively quiet power. And all her moving parts on the outside, open for all to marvel at.

The locomotive girl dream

[realbadatpoker]

Nuclear engineer here. It's really important you understand, that from a nuclear engineering perspective, this is:

Fucking awesome 😎

[enterprisewired]

U.S. Air Force Selects Fast Microreactor for Nuclear Power Pilot

As part of the federal nuclear microreactor pilot program, the U.S. Air Force is planning to install its first nuclear microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The selected microreactor is an Oklo liquid metal-cooled fast reactor.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), representing the Department of Air Force (DAF), issued a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) on August 31. This NOITA designates Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse, based in Santa Clara, California, for the U.S. Air Force Base pilot project and commences the acquisition process with the potential to grant Oklo a 30-year, firm-fixed-price contract to implement this advanced nuclear energy technology.

 U.S. Air Force Land lease agreement

The Micro-Reactor Pilot Program, initiated in response to a requirement in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, aims to develop and operate at least one licensed micro-reactor by December 31, 2027. This micro-reactor will supply power and steam to a defense base under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). U.S. Air Force Base was selected as the site for the first microreactor by DAF in October 2021. This choice was influenced by factors such as the base’s resilient power needs for mission assurance, limited access to clean energy, existing energy infrastructure, and a compatible climate, as stated by the agency.

Oklo will be responsible for the site selection, design, construction, ownership, and commercial operation of the microreactor. However, the Department of Air Force (DAF) will enter into a land lease agreement and a 30-year fixed-price power purchase agreement (PPA) with Oklo once Oklo obtains a combined operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

 Flexible carbon-free energy

The Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) follows a request for proposals issued in September 2022, with the proposal period closing on January 31, 2023. After selecting a vendor and issuing the NOITA, DAF’s next steps will involve permitting and licensing activities. DAF is expected to commence a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment by 2024. The demonstration and operational testing of the microreactor is targeted to commence by the end of 2027, although this timeline is considered tentative and subject to change, as noted.

According to the Department of U.S. Air Force (DAF), the pilot project aims to investigate the potential of the micro-reactor in delivering dependable and flexible carbon-free energy. These micro-reactors are equipped with inherent safety features that adapt to changing conditions and demands, thereby preventing overheating, as stated by the agency. Given their ability to operate independently from the commercial grid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, micro-reactors hold promise as a power source for remote domestic military installations that are crucial to national security infrastructure.