Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new way to transform polyethylene, one of the world’s most common plastics, into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels. Polyethylene is widely used in products such as shopping bags and white plastic cutting boards, and large amounts of it ultimately end up as waste. […]
Engineers have created a new type of concrete that is stronger than conventional concrete while also capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The findings, reported in Carbon Research, suggest that adding carefully selected natural materials could give concrete a second role beyond construction by helping remove CO2 from the surrounding air. Researchers at Mepco Schlenk […]
Coal ash, red mud, and mine tailings are usually treated as major waste problems. Yet these enormous waste streams also contain valuable materials, including silica, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals. A research team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a $3.3 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Growing Convergence Research […]
A team at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a new type of stainless steel that could overcome a major limitation of conventional stainless steel and potentially lower the cost of producing green hydrogen. Led by Professor Mingxin Huang of HKU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the researchers created stainless steel for hydrogen (SS-H2), […]
Spraying buildings with water collected from rooftops could help cities reduce the impact of heatwaves, a study has found. Using sprinklers in hot weather to distribute rainwater stored in water butts could cut air conditioning use and lower urban temperatures, according to research from the University of Manchester. Rising temperatures globally are putting pressure on […]
Europe’s tourist islands are facing severe water stress. Is tech that harvests water from dry air a solution? When wells on his Ibiza property ran dry, Hashem Arouzi experienced Europe’s water crisis first hand. The British entrepreneur set about to find a solution – not only for himself, but for the thousands of island-dwellers whose […]
Manhat, a UAE-based water technology start-up, is celebrating the conclusion of its first Young Water Innovators’ Programme. Fifteen pupils from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah made up the first cohort of the initiative, which sought to inspire UAE pupils to learn more about sustainability and water innovation projects. “Over the course of the […]
Experts say the nation is fast becoming a renewable pioneer for the region. Türkiye is making impressive strides in its energy transition as it prepares to host the COP31 climate change conference this November. The country is now home to one of the biggest solar facilities in the world as well as one of Europe’s […]
Researchers led by Northwestern University have developed a fuel cell that generates electricity using microbes naturally found in soil. The device, roughly the size of a paperback book, produces small amounts of power by capturing energy released as these microorganisms break down organic material in dirt. This soil-powered system is designed to run underground sensors […]
As cocoa production plunges, scientists have turned to a climate-resilient plant to save the chocolate industry. Chocolate is facing a “climate barometer” as extreme weather conditions threaten the future of global cocoa crops. The majority of cocoa (around 60 per cent) comes from West Africa, produced in humid countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where […]
