Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

'Green future' development: Top 10 priorities for emerging economy countries

Malaysian leaders meet top US, other international experts at High Level Green Future Forum.

September 23, 2013 Read more

First steps towards achieving better and cheaper biodiesel

Is there any connection between wine and biodiesel? The answer is yes, however surprising it may seem. Acetals are chemical compounds found in many wines, like port, for example, which give it a unique, sweet smell. However if acetals are blended with biodiesel, they improve its properties.

September 23, 2013 Read more

Aluminum in autos better than steel to save energy and cut carbon

Opting for aluminum over steel in new automobile construction to improve fuel economy is also the best way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to a new study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

September 21, 2013 Read more

Organic waste transformed into industrial prime material

Researchers at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City, look to consolidate a pilot biorefinery that will use the waste of various fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants produced in urban and rural areas, to transform them into fuels and high value products.

September 21, 2013 Read more

Reducing CO2 footprint with bio-plastics

The EU-funded project ECOTPU ('Plastics from renewable sources applied in footwear') was aimed at developing a new family of environmentally benign polyurethanes for the EU footwear market.

September 20, 2013 Read more

Solving the bottleneck in biogas production

The EU-funded project WAVALUE ('High added value eco-fertilisers from anaerobic digestion effluent wastes') will demonstrate a cost-effective industrial process for producing a new range of sustainable fertilisers, with digestate as their main component.

September 20, 2013 Read more

Fuel-efficient cars and planes cheaper with magnesium drawn from ocean

A lightweight metal that reduces fuel use in cars and planes could be extracted from the ocean through a unique process being developed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The process could ultimately make fuel-efficient transportation more affordable.

September 19, 2013 Read more

Algae biofuel cuts CO2 emissions more than 50 percent compared to petroleum

Algae fuel will have a significant energy return on investment, consume waste CO2 and can be grown in saltwater on marginal lands.

September 19, 2013 Read more

Tapping geothermal energy in inner cities

Geothermal plant systems can be cheaply integrated in tunnels.

September 19, 2013 Read more

Are window blinds the future of power generation? (w/video)

Imagine a future where you run household appliances with electricity generated by window blinds. Such a future might seem far-fetched, but not to Deakin University PhD student Gayathri Devi Rajmohan.

September 18, 2013 Read more

The future for four clean energy technologies arrives in America

Over the past four years, America's clean energy future has come into sharper focus. Yesterday's visionary goals are now hard data - tangible evidence that our energy system is undergoing a transformation.

September 18, 2013 Read more

Predictive model a step toward using bacteria as a renewable fuel source

A new transcriptomics-based model accurately predicts how much isoprene the bacterium Bacillus subtilis will produce when stressed or nourished. This model marks a step toward understanding how changes in the bacteria's environment affect gene expression and, in turn, isoprene production.

September 17, 2013 Read more

New materials improve oxygen catalysis (w/video)

Highly active catalysts could be key to improved energy storage in fuel cells and advanced batteries.

September 17, 2013 Read more

Clean energy least costly to power America's electricity needs

Findings show carbon pollution from power plants can be cut cost-effectively by using wind, solar and natural gas.

September 17, 2013 Read more

Study determines best arrangement of tidal sails device

Simulation predicts optimized arrangement of clean, green power-generating devices.

September 17, 2013 Read more

50 companies produce 73% of the greenhouse gases emitted by the Global 500

Fifty of the 500 largest listed companies in the world are responsible for nearly three quarters of the group's 3.6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

September 17, 2013 Read more

Call for papers: 'Distributed Wind Power - Matching Generation and Demand'

The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), Chinese Wind Energy Equipment Association (CWEEA) and China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC) invite papers and presentations for the 13th World Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition WWEC2014, taking place 7-9 April 2014 in Shanghai, China.

September 17, 2013 Read more

New catalyzer to avoid environmental pollution from chlorinated volatile organic compounds

Researchers from the University of Alicante and the University of the Basque Country have developed and patented a new catalyst that efficiently removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorinated in gas streams, pollutants involved in the destruction of the ozone layer and acts as greenhouse gases, in addition to having toxic effects in humans.

September 17, 2013 Read more