The newest catalytic converters in diesel engines blast away a pollutant from combustion with the help of ammonia. New research shows that the catalyst attacks its target pollutant in an unusual way, providing insight into how to make the best catalytic converters.
Sep 10th, 2013
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Vestas has produced the first prototype 80 meter blade for the V164-8.0 MW - the world's most powerful offshore wind turbine - at the R+D centre on the Isle of Wight, UK. The blade will now undergo an extensive testing regime to ensure total reliability.
Sep 10th, 2013
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Gas flaring by the oil industry and smoke from residential burning contributes more black carbon pollution to Arctic than previously thought - potentially speeding the melting of Arctic sea ice and contributing to the fast rate of warming in the region.
Sep 10th, 2013
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A furniture design academic from Sheffield Hallam University has started creating furniture made from 100 per cent biodegradable material, which can be composted at the end of its lifespan.
Sep 10th, 2013
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For many of us, it's the fuel that wakes us up and gets us started on our day. Now, University of Cincinnati researchers are discovering that an ingredient in our old coffee grounds might someday serve as a cheaper, cleaner fuel for our cars, furnaces and other energy sources.
Sep 9th, 2013
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Already noted for saving gasoline and having zero emissions, electric cars have quietly taken on an unlikely new dimension - the ability to reach blazing speeds that rival the 0-to-60 performance of a typical Porsche or BMW, and compete on some race courses with the world's best gasoline-powered cars, an authority said here today at a major scientific conference.
Sep 9th, 2013
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Renewable energy holds the promise of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. But there are times when solar and wind farms generate more electricity than is needed by consumers. Storing that surplus energy in batteries for later use seems like an obvious solution. But a new Stanford University study finds that when you factor in the energetic costs, grid-scale batteries make sense for storing surplus solar energy, but not for wind.
Sep 9th, 2013
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A University of California, Riverside assistant professor of electrical engineering and several colleagues have created a new measurement tool that could help avoid an energy crisis like the one California endured during the early 2000s and better prepare the electricity market for the era of the smart grid.
Sep 9th, 2013
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Researchers are exploring thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology based on kesterite - Copper-Zinc-Tin Sulphide crystal structure - materials that are less expensive and more widely available than materials currently used in PV panels.
Sep 9th, 2013
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The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is starting up a research factory for small series production of lithium-ion cells. The batteries that will be manufactured based on the new methods developed there will meet the enormous demands on product quality and efficiency.
Sep 9th, 2013
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New research from the University of East Anglia shows that rising ocean temperatures will upset natural cycles of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and phosphorous. Plankton plays an important role in the ocean's carbon cycle by removing half of all CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and storing it deep under the sea. Findings published today in Nature Climate Change reveal that water temperature has a direct impact on maintaining the delicate plankton ecosystem of our oceans.
Sep 8th, 2013
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With almost 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide released each year from burning coal, gasoline, diesel and other fossil fuels in the United States alone, scientists are seeking ways to turn the tables on the No. 1 greenhouse gas and convert it back into fuel.
Sep 8th, 2013
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The EU-funded MERGE project ('Mobile Energy Resources in Grids of Electricity') was aimed at addressing the issue of electric vehicle deployment without major changes to existing power network infrastructure.
Sep 6th, 2013
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Twenty five years ago, the German chemist Michael Braungart developed a new approach to recycling, now called 'Cradle to Cradle' or C2C after the book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, which he and the American architect William McDonough published in 2002. Their basic idea is that the recycling process should start with the initial design of products.
Sep 6th, 2013
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Study shows that factors other than wages dominate trends in photovoltaic costs, raising the prospect of competitive manufacturing anywhere.
Sep 6th, 2013
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Although microbes that live in the so-called "dark ocean"-- below a depth of some 600 feet where light doesn't penetrate-- may not absorb enough carbon to curtail global warming, they do absorb considerable amounts of carbon and merit further study, according to a University of Iowa study.
Sep 5th, 2013
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