The Haynesville Shale could get a boost from Louisiana Tech. The school is on the cutting edge of nanotechnology research, which is a new way to build materials, systems and devices on a molecular level. Tech held a conference Friday to show off their research. Several companies attended, including Jupiter Fuels of Minden. The company has developed a cheaper method of transforming natural gas into liquid fuel.

"Nanotechnology allows us to lower the operating temperature of that to make the capitalization cost of that half of rival projects," Jupiter's Chief Tech Officer Chester Wilson said. Wilson says a vital part of their method involves carbon dioxide and local natural gas is full of it.

"The Haynesville product, the natural gas sold here, sells for about 30 percent less than stuff that comes from Calgary," he said. "The reason is, its contaminated with 10 percent carbon dioxide. So, we actually were made for this region."

Jupiter Fuels plans to open a reactor in Minden some time in January.