Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

'Instantly rechargeable' battery could change the future of electric and hybrid automobiles

A new technology could provide an 'instantly rechargeable' method that is safe, affordable and environmentally friendly for recharging electric and hybrid vehicle batteries through a quick and easy process similar to refueling a car at a gas station.

June 1, 2017 Read more

Drone vs. truck deliveries: Which create less carbon pollution?

Delivering packages with drones can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in certain circumstances as compared to truck deliveries, a new study by transportation engineers finds.

May 30, 2017 Read more

A more energy-efficient catalytic process to produce olefins

These investigations could influence potential applications in diverse technology areas from green energy and sustainable chemistry to materials engineering and catalysis.

May 30, 2017 Read more

'Heat island' effect could double climate change costs for world's cities

Overheated cities face climate change costs at least twice as big as the rest of the world because of the 'urban heat island' effect, new research shows.

May 29, 2017 Read more

The road that charges electric vehicles

A protoype aims to solve the EV charging problem with a completely innovative charging system: cars can be recharged while traveling on highways equipped with dedicated systems that allow battery charging while the vehicle is moving.

May 29, 2017 Read more

More efficient technology can reduce CO2 emissions by up to one quarter

The use of energy-efficient production technologies can reduce global CO2 emissions by eight gigatons per year - which is nearly twice as high as previously assumed. Achieving this requires, at the least, that already existing efficient technologies are made available and used worldwide.

May 29, 2017 Read more

Wind energy now on par with nuclear energy in Germany

Wind energy has become an integral part of the energy supply. A new milestone for the transformation of energy supply systems was reached last year with renewable energy now accounting for 29 percent of the gross energy consumption.

May 29, 2017 Read more

All roads to sustainable energy lead to the sun

Energy is the most important resource for humanity and solar energy is the ultimate energy source. The sun as a solar energy source has a number of advantages: it is abundant, it is essentially inexhaustible, and it doesn't discriminate but provides equal access to all users.

May 26, 2017 Read more

New catalyst paving the way for easier recycling of plastic waste

Researchers develop new highly efficient catalyst for breaking resistant chemical bonds, paving the way for easier recycling of plastic waste.

May 26, 2017 Read more

Scientists make vanadium into a useful catalyst for hydrogenation

In a new study, chemists boosted and analyzed the unprecedented catalytic activity of an element called vanadium for hydrogenation - a reaction that is used for making everything from vegetable oils to petrochemical products to vitamins.

May 26, 2017 Read more

Climate stabilization: Planting trees cannot replace cutting CO2 emissions

Growing plants and then storing the CO2 they have taken up from the atmosphere is no viable option to counteract unmitigated emissions from fossil fuel burning, a new study shows.

May 18, 2017 Read more

Microbial fuel cell converts methane to electricity

An international team of researchers has taken the first step in converting methane directly to electricity using bacteria, in a way that could be done near the drilling sites.

May 17, 2017 Read more

1000 km range thanks to a new battery concept

Scientists are stacking large cells on top of one another. This provides vehicles with more power. Initial tests in the laboratory have been positive.

May 17, 2017 Read more

'Switchable' smart windows reduce energy consumption significantly

Smart windows that act as blinds in the summer and let all the sunlight through in the winter. This new technology cuts the energy consumption for cooling and heating buildings by 12%.

May 15, 2017 Read more

Invention produces cleaner water with less energy and no filter

The same technology that adds fizz to soda can now be used to remove particles from dirty water. Researchers have found a technique for using carbon dioxide in a low-cost water treatment system that eliminates the need for costly and complex filters.

May 15, 2017 Read more

Photovoltaics and batteries: an expensive combination

Solar power can cover up to 40% of the electricity needs of a typical Belgian household. Going beyond that level becomes really expensive: using batteries coupled with solar panels would be twice as expensive as using the power grid.

May 15, 2017 Read more

New method can selectively remove micropollutants from water

Electrochemical method can remove even tiny amounts of contamination.

May 10, 2017 Read more

New breakthrough makes it easier to turn old coffee waste into cleaner biofuels

Future Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels.

May 10, 2017 Read more