Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

The mass of human-made materials now equals the planet's biomass

We are doubling the mass of the human-made, 'anthropogenic' part of the world every twenty years and the curve is not flattening.

December 15, 2020 Read more

Harvesting the sun's energy for clean drinking water: Where we are, where we need to be

Scientists summarize the story of the development of new evaporation strategies, point out current deficiencies and challenges, and lay out future research directions to hasten the practical application of the direct solar steam generation purification technology.

December 12, 2020 Read more

Promoting sustainable development with advanced bio-based composites

A European project demonstrates the potential of sustainable bio-based composite applications in the aerospace, acoustics and automotive sectors.

December 10, 2020 Read more

Let the sunshine in: self-cleaning membrane under visible light treatment

Complete removal of microbial contaminant layer accumulated on the membrane surface by sunlight irradiation. Providing a foundation for the development of new membrane materials on the convergence between water treatment and photocatalyst technologies.

December 9, 2020 Read more

Engineers found new multitasking microbe for simpler, cheaper and greener wastewater treatment

The new strain of bacterium can remove both nitrogen and phosphorous from sewage.

December 9, 2020 Read more

What are the environmental impacts of artificial meat, delivery drones, blockchain and synthetic biology?

Assessing the environment's prospects in a fast-changing world requires the consideration of emerging trends. A series of joint European Environment Agency (EEA) and Eionet briefings, published today, explores the potential environmental and policy impacts from four emerging technological innovations.

November 21, 2020 Read more

Green hydrogen: buoyancy-driven convection in the electrolyte

Scientists have presented a method to visualise convection in the electrolyte and to reliably simulate it in advance with a multiphysics model. The results can support the design and scaling up of this technology.

November 20, 2020 Read more

Bioplastics no safer than other plastics

Bioplastic has some apparent advantages: it is usually made from recycled material or plant cellulose, it can be biodegradable - or both. But a new study shows that it is not non-toxic.

November 18, 2020 Read more

New strategy to 'buffer' climate change: developing cheaper, eco-friendly solar cells

New study develops a novel eco-friendly buffer for solar panels, which could tip the scale in the renewable energy transition.

November 11, 2020 Read more

An open-source, high-performance simulator for large-scale geological carbon dioxide storage

The GEOSX simulator will enable researchers around the world to build on the work of the three partners, providing an open framework to accelerate the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies. It also has application to a variety of other subsurface energy technologies.

November 10, 2020 Read more

Lignin instead of vanadium

Scientists are working on sustainable alternatives to metal materials in large power storage systems.

November 9, 2020 Read more

Researchers discover a new way to produce hydrogen using microwaves

Scientists have discovered a new method that makes it possible to transform electricity into hydrogen or chemical products solely using microwaves - without cables and without any type of contact with electrodes.

November 4, 2020 Read more

Solar cells of the future

Increases in organic solar cells' efficiency can be achieved using luminescent acceptor molecules.

November 2, 2020 Read more

Soil-powered fuel cell promises cheap, sustainable water purification

Soil microbial fuel cells proven to be capable of creating energy to filter a person's daily drinking water in Brazil test.

October 28, 2020 Read more

Closing the plastic loop

Researchers develop an efficient, low-energy method for upcycling polyethylene plastic waste into valuable molecules that can be repurposed for further use.

October 27, 2020 Read more

Designing batteries for easier recycling could avert a looming e-waste crisis

Despite overwhelming enthusiasm for cheaper, more powerful and energy-dense batteries, manufacturers have paid comparatively little attention to making these essential devices more sustainable.

October 27, 2020 Read more

This white paint could reduce the need for air conditioning by keeping surfaces cooler than surroundings

Engineers have created white paint that can keep surfaces up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings - almost like a refrigerator does, but without consuming energy.

October 23, 2020 Read more

Ecological power storage battery made of vanillin

Scientists have found a way to convert the aromatic substance vanillin into a redox-active electrolyte material for liquid batteries. The technology is an important step towards ecologically sustainable energy storage.

October 1, 2020 Read more