BGU Receives Grant to Conduct Oil and Natural Gas Research
BGU Receives Grant to Conduct Oil and Natural Gas Research
August 8, 2012
Natural Sciences, Press Releases
BEER-SHEVA, Israel, August 8, 2012 – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have received a grant from the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust and Wolfson Foundation for projects related to oil and gas generation and its environmental impact.
According to BGU’s Vice President for Research and Development Prof. Moti Herskowitz, these two projects are part of the University’s overall commitment to research alternative energy sources and cleaner technologies.
“This support reflects BGU’s leadership role in alternative energy research in Israel thanks to its multidisciplinary approach,” says Herskowitz, who is also the founder and director of the BGU Blechner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development.
One of the grant projects being conducted at the Blechner Center is focused on using a novel method for conversion of natural gas to syngas through catalytic partial oxidation for downstream treatment of natural gas. The researchers believe that this process provides significant opportunities for commercial production.
The other project involves tracking oil and gas formation in a variety of environments, source rocks and generation mechanisms, through the investigation of sulfur and short hydrocarbon transformations using molecular and isotopic geochemical approach. The research will be conducted by BGU’s Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences to help improve the understanding of oil and gas generation and their environmental impact.
“BGU has a worldwide reputation for its research and innovation in alternative energy, and now, this grant will further Israel’s position in reducing worldwide reliance on oil, as part of the BGU energy initiative,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The Wolfson Foundation is a charity that awards grants to support and promote excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health, education, and the arts and humanities.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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