Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Two new research grants drive Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies research in the UK

Two new research projects, that will drive forward low carbon vehicles technologies, are to receive GBP6 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as part of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Energy Programme.

September 10, 2014 Read more

Sun-powered desalination for villages in India

Off-grid communities with salty groundwater could get potable water through a proposed solar technique.

September 8, 2014 Read more

Understanding the implications of climate change for business

A new online resource, which summarises the implications of climate change for specific sectors of the economy, has been produced and made freely available by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

September 5, 2014 Read more

Climate-smart agriculture requires three-pronged global research agenda

A focused, three-pronged research agenda is needed if the world is to boost agricultural production and meet the demands of its upwardly spiraling population, while dealing with climate change and limited options for expanding agricultural land, report researchers summarizing findings from the most recent Climate Smart Agriculture Conference.

September 5, 2014 Read more

New device harvests energy from natural fluctuations in temperature and pressure

A centuries-old clock built for a king is the inspiration for a group of computer scientists and electrical engineers who hope to harvest power from the air.

September 4, 2014 Read more

Scientists create renewable fossil fuel alternative using bacteria

Researchers have engineered the harmless gut bacteria E.coli to generate renewable propane.

September 2, 2014 Read more

Fossil fuel divestment is a $5 trillion challenge

Pressure is starting to build for institutional investors to cut their exposure to fossil fuel stocks, but they will need to find viable alternative destinations for their money.

September 2, 2014 Read more

Future solar panels

Conventional photovoltaic technology uses large, heavy, opaque, dark silicon panels, but this could soon change. Researchers within the X10D European project are working on new materials to produce solar panels in order to come up with alternatives to the current panels. What is needed to improve the functioning of cells with a large surface are materials that cost less to produce and offer greater energy efficiency.

September 2, 2014 Read more

Policy uncertainty threatens to slow renewable energy momentum

The International Energy Agency forecast sees renewable power as a cost-competitive option in an increasing number of cases, but facing growing risks to deployment over the medium term.

August 28, 2014 Read more

New solutions needed to recycle fracking water

Scientists have performed a detailed analysis of water produced by hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) of three gas reservoirs and suggested environmentally friendly remedies are needed to treat and reuse it.

August 28, 2014 Read more

Recycled tires could see new life in lithium-ion batteries

By modifying the microstructural characteristics of carbon black, a substance recovered from discarded tires, researchers are developing a better anode for lithium-ion batteries.

August 27, 2014 Read more

Novel recycling methods: The fluorescent fingerprint of plastics

Researchers have developed a new process which will greatly simplify the process of sorting plastics in recycling plants. The method enables automated identification of polymers, facilitating rapid separation of plastics for re-use.

August 21, 2014 Read more

Water and sunlight the formula for sustainable fuel

An Australian National University (ANU) team has successfully replicated one of the crucial steps in photosynthesis, opening the way for biological systems powered by sunlight which could manufacture hydrogen as a fuel.

August 21, 2014 Read more

South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya lead renewables spurt in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa will see more capacity come online this year in non-hydro renewable energy than in the whole of the 2000-13 period.

August 21, 2014 Read more

New process helps overcome obstacles to produce renewable fuels and chemicals

A new study demonstrates a concept that provides opportunities for the successful conversion of lignin into a variety of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials for a sustainable energy economy.

August 20, 2014 Read more

Water leads to chemical that gunks up biofuels production (w/video)

Study shows water trips up key chemical reactions that turn plants into fuels, provides scientific principles that can speed up biofuel development.

August 20, 2014 Read more

Turning waste from rice, parsley and other foods into biodegradable

Your chairs, synthetic rugs and plastic bags could one day be made out of cocoa, rice and vegetable waste rather than petroleum, scientists are now reporting. The novel process they developed could help the world deal with its agricultural and plastic waste problems.

August 20, 2014 Read more

A semi-artificial leaf faster than natural photosynthesis

A cooperation between chemists and biologists resulted in a new method for the very efficient integration of photosynthetic proteins in photovoltaics. Their recent report offers a new immobilization strategy that yields electron transfer rates exceeding for the first time rates observed in natural photosynthesis.

August 20, 2014 Read more