Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Bottling clean energy in chemical bonds (w/video)

Converting renewable electricity into stable molecules could provide long-term energy storage.

July 27, 2021 Read more

Smartphone screens effective sensors for soil or water contamination (w/video)

The touchscreen technology used in billions of smartphones and tablets could also be used as a powerful sensor, without the need for any modifications.

July 23, 2021 Read more

Eco-friendly plastic from cellulose and water

Researchers create new kind of environmentally friendly bioplastic with hydroplastic polymers.

July 23, 2021 Read more

Machine learning models to help photovoltaic systems find their place in the sun

Scientists develop algorithms that predict the output of solar cells, easing their integration into existing power grids.

July 21, 2021 Read more

Making clean hydrogen is hard, but researchers just solved a major hurdle

Researchers have found a low-cost way to solve one half of the water-splitting equation to produce hydrogen as clean energy -- using sunlight to efficiently split off oxygen molecules from water. The finding represents a step forward toward greater adoption of hydrogen as a key part of our energy infrastructure.

July 19, 2021 Read more

Spinning electricity from heat and cold

Magnetic layers interact with sunlight differently, creating a temperature gradient that generates electricity day and night.

June 29, 2021 Read more

Modeling a circular economy for electronic waste

Researchers have developed a framework to understand the choices a recycler has to make and the role that digital fraud prevention could have in preventing dishonest recycling practices.

June 22, 2021 Read more

Synthetic tree enhances solar steam generation for harvesting drinking water

Inspired by mangrove trees thriving along coastlines, researchers created a synthetic tree to replace the capillary action with transpiration, the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from leaves, stems, and flowers.

June 22, 2021 Read more

Solar energy from the deep repository

During the winter months, renewable energy is in short supply throughout Europe. An international project is now considering an unconventional solution: Renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide are pumped into the ground together, where naturally occurring microorganisms convert the two substances into methane, the main component of natural gas.

June 22, 2021 Read more

Producing hydrogen using less energy

The way in which a compound inspired by nature produces hydrogen has now been described in detail for the first time by an international research team. These findings are the foundation for the energy-efficient production of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source.

June 22, 2021 Read more

'Vegan spider silk' provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics

Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products.

June 10, 2021 Read more

Underground storage of carbon captured directly from air - green and economical

New study shows that geological storage of low-purity carbon dioxide mixed with oxygen and nitrogen from direct air capture is an environmentally friendly and economically viable approach to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

June 6, 2021 Read more

New 'Swiss Army knife' cleans up water pollution

First used to soak up oil in water, new sponge sequesters excess phosphate from water.

June 1, 2021 Read more

The price is right: Modeling economic growth in a zero-emission society

Researchers analyze whether it is possible to simultaneously grow the economy while not producing more pollution.

May 31, 2021 Read more

Scientists develop new method to better study micro- and nanoplastics in the ocean

Multistep technique uses small marine invertebrate to detect, count and characterize micro- and nanoplastics.

May 26, 2021 Read more

Holograms increase solar energy yield

A newly developed holographic light collector boosts solar panel efficiency for an energy conversion increase of approximately five percent over the course of a year.

May 25, 2021 Read more

Food scraps get a bold new life as robust construction materials

Researchers have demonstrated that food waste, such as fruit peels and vegetable leaves, can be processed into construction materials that are stronger than concrete but still edible and even tasty. Food scraps that produced weaker materials could be reinforced by adding another food-derived component.

May 25, 2021 Read more

Environmental exposure during travel

Environmental exposure during travel is an emerging research field with strong contribution potential to urban and transport planning. The new research field benefits from contemporary location-aware sensor technology that enables to collect data about both human mobility and environmental conditions.

May 24, 2021 Read more