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Scientists make renewable plastic from carbon dioxide and plants

Scientists have discovered a novel way to make plastic from carbon dioxide and inedible plant material, such as agricultural waste and grasses. Researchers say the new technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to plastic bottles and other items currently made from petroleum.

Mar 9th, 2016

Personalized energy

The local food movement is booming. Can we do the same for electricity?

Mar 8th, 2016

Modernizing a technology from the vacuum tube era to generate cheap power

Scientists look to thermionic energy conversion to provide clean and efficient power generation.

Mar 4th, 2016

Re-thinking renewable energy predictions

Researchers explored some of the scientific problems involved in the fluctuations of renewable energy and how to better predict energy outputs.

Mar 3rd, 2016

New way to reduce plant lignin could lead to cheaper biofuels

Scientists have shown for the first time that an enzyme can be tweaked to reduce lignin in plants. Their technique could help lower the cost of converting biomass into carbon-neutral fuels to power your car and other sustainably developed bio-products.

Mar 2nd, 2016

Researchers' new advance in quest for second generation biofuels

An international team of researchers has made a significant step forward in understanding the processes naturally occurring enzymes use to degrade microbe-resistant biomass, a key aim in the development of biofuels.

Mar 2nd, 2016

Researchers make key improvement in solar cell technology

Researchers improved the maximum voltage available from a cadmium telluride solar cell, overcoming a practical limit that has been pursued for six decades and is key to improving its efficiency.

Feb 29th, 2016

Biofuels from algae: A budding technology yet to become viable

Despite high expectations and extensive research and investment in the last decade, technological options are still in developing stages and key resources for algal growth are still too onerous for economically viable production of algal biofuels.

Feb 29th, 2016

Optimizing biofuel production from algae using carbon dioxide emissions

Scientists report an optimized way of producing biofuel from algae that also removes CO2 emissions from the environment.

Feb 24th, 2016

Better technology could take agriculture halfway towards climate targets

Researchers studied a range of measures for cutting food-related emissions. Besides reductions in beef and dairy consumption, they found that technology improvements will be crucial. Under favorable conditions, better technology could cut these emissions by as much as 50 percent.

Feb 24th, 2016

Proven one-step process to convert CO2 and water directly into liquid hydrocarbon fuel

A team of chemists and engineers have proven that concentrated light, heat and high pressures can drive the one-step conversion of carbon dioxide and water directly into useable liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

Feb 22nd, 2016

Biofuel tech straight from the farm

Natures figured it out already, how to best break down food into fuel. Now scientists have caught up, showing that fungi found in the guts of goats, horses and sheep could help fill up your gas tank too.

Feb 18th, 2016

Organic waste for sustainable batteries

A carbon-based active material produced from apple leftovers and a material of layered oxides might help reduce the costs of future energy storage systems. Both were found to have excellent electrochemical properties and stand for the environmentally compatible and sustainable use of resources.

Feb 18th, 2016

Fuels that do not produce any hazardous exhaust gases

Modern combustion engines become increasingly economical and clean. Engine developers, however, are now facing the technical conflict of whether fuel consumption or exhaust gas emission is to be further reduced. This Gordian knot might be cut by chemists' and engineers' further development of sophisticated fuels that help optimize combustion in the engine.