Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Generating renewable hydrogen fuel from the sea

Researchers use membranes that remove salt from water to help 'split' sea water into fuel.

September 30, 2020 Read more

Green solutions to lower urban air pollution

Air pollution is a major risk factor for health in Europe. EUresearch is helping to find innovative, inexpensive and green solutions for improving air quality, particularly in urban environments.

September 28, 2020 Read more

Building walls that will make summer heat waves more bearable

A new way to reduce heat penetration through building walls. Application of a phase change material and bubble injections to building walls.

September 28, 2020 Read more

The true cost of food

What does food really cost? Answers were gained by calculating the ecological follow-up costs of various kinds of food.

September 18, 2020 Read more

The future of biofuels in the dark

Researchers embarked on a project to test whether they can grow algae for biofuels completely in the dark using solar-generated electricity.

September 15, 2020 Read more

How to harness the power of biosolids to make hydrogen

Researchers have used biosolids to produce hydrogen from wastewater, in new technology that supports the comprehensive recycling of one of humanity's unlimited resources - sewage.

September 14, 2020 Read more

Positive energy solutions for smart cities of the future

An EU initiative is making great strides in developing a decentralised and cost-efficient energy trading platform to create climate-friendly and sustainable urban environments.

September 11, 2020 Read more

Plastic can be sustainable

Sustainable plastics have the ability for self-healing, have intelligent properties and can be recycled if required.

September 8, 2020 Read more

IPCC: the dirty tricks climate scientists faced in three decades since first report

Thirty years ago, in a small Swedish city called Sundsvall, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its first major report. Even then, the major dilemmas facing those who sought rapid action were clear.

August 27, 2020 Read more

Scientists use fruit peel to turn old batteries into new

Scientists have developed a novel method of using fruit peel waste to extract and reuse precious metals from spent lithium-ion batteries in order to create new batteries.

August 26, 2020 Read more

Wireless device makes clean fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water

Researchers have developed a standalone device that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into a carbon-neutral fuel, without requiring any additional components or electricity.

August 25, 2020 Read more

Fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles are becoming longer lasting

Researchers succeeded in developing an electrocatalyst for hydrogen fuel cells which, in contrast to the catalysts commonly used today, does not require a carbon carrier and is therefore much more stable.

August 24, 2020 Read more

The traits of microbes matter in microbial carbon cycling and storage

A new study indicates that there is a strong connection between the makeup of a microbiome and the rate at which leaf litter can be decomposed to carbon dioxide or other products. It also identifies microbial traits linked to increased storage of carbon in soil.

August 21, 2020 Read more

Challenges in the development of sustainable electrocatalysts

Regenerative energy harvesting often generates more electricity than is directly needed. Although intensive research on the catalysts required for this has been going on for 20 years, progress is only being made in small steps.

August 20, 2020 Read more

Researchers design efficient low-cost system for producing power at night

Rooftop radiative cooling system could provide lighting power when solar energy is unavailable.

August 13, 2020 Read more

Incorporating solar harvesting into the side of buildings could enhance energy sustainability

If builders could incorporate solar harvesting into the siding of a building, the amount of energy from the grid that a structure would need may significantly decrease.

August 5, 2020 Read more

Surface clean-up technology won't solve ocean plastic problem

Researchers compared estimates of current and future plastic waste with the ability of floating clean-up devices to collect it and found the impact of such devices was 'very modest'.

August 4, 2020 Read more

Used COVID-19 PPE could be turned into biofuels instead of landing in landfill

Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can, and should, be transformed into renewable liquid fuels, according to researchers.

August 4, 2020 Read more