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Scientists use sunlight and modified sawdust to reversibly capture carbon dioxide

Researchers have found an innovative way to reversibly capture carbon dioxide (CO2) using sunlight and modified sawdust. In a proof-of-concept installation, they used solar energy to successfully drive the capture and release of CO2, with sawdust as the absorbent, creating a more sustainable pathway to CO2 carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Dec 8th, 2021

Are microgrids a key to grid resiliency?

New research shows that resilient, hyper-local microgrids provide economic value, if designed with the right mix of power sources. In a series of studies and a presentation, the team predicted the role that both large and small microgrids can play in the drive toward renewable and resilient power.

Dec 3rd, 2021

New computational approach predicts chemical reactions at high temperatures

Method combines quantum mechanics with machine learning to accurately predict oxide reactions at high temperatures when no experimental data is available; could be used to design clean carbon-neutral processes for steel production and metal recycling.

Dec 1st, 2021

Life cycle assessments reveal electric vehicle roll out hazards

A new report shows that electric vehicles must still overcome big environmental challenges, even as they reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Nov 30th, 2021

Efficient organic solar cells processed from green solvents

A small guest molecule in the right place makes it possible to produce energy-efficient organic solar cells using eco-friendly solvents. A record efficiency over 17% is demonstrated. In addition, solar cells with larger areas can be produced.

Nov 29th, 2021

Living walls can reduce heat lost from buildings by over 30%

Retrofitting an existing masonry cavity walled building with a green or living wall can reduce the amount of heat lost through its structure by more than 30%, according to new research.

Nov 24th, 2021

Before geoengineering, some fundamental chemistry

Scientists examine the chemistry of a proposal to curb climate change and finds that there's more work to do to pull off such a feat.

Nov 23rd, 2021

The reasons behind lithium-ion batteries' rapid cost decline

A new study finds that investments in research and development on materials and chemistry were key, while economies of scale contributed less.

Nov 22nd, 2021

Bacteria may be key to sustainably extracting earth elements for tech

A new study describes a proof of principle for engineering a bacterium, Gluconobacter oxydans, that takes a big first step towards meeting skyrocketing rare earth element demand in a way that matches the cost and efficiency of traditional thermochemical extraction and refinement methods and is clean enough to meet U.S. environmental standards.

Nov 18th, 2021

Powering up next-generation energy storage

International research team reveals more comprehensive understanding of beyond-lithium-ion batteries.

Nov 17th, 2021

New polymer detection method to turn the (pep)tide in the fight against water pollution

Scientists have developed a peptide sensor to detect water-soluble polymers in wastewater, a major contributor to pollution on par with microplastics. The new technique takes advantage of the bonding that occurs between peptides and different polymers to train a machine learning algorithm that can identify a large number of pollutants in a single solution.

Nov 16th, 2021

Make carbonate not carbon dioxide

Scientists have developed a technique to avoid CO2 in energy conversion processes with carbon-containing fuels.

Nov 15th, 2021

Electric vehicles could fully recharge in under 5 minutes with new charging station cable design

Using an alternative cooling method, engineers designed a charging cable that can deliver a current 4.6 times that of the fastest available EV chargers on the market today by removing up to 24.22 kilowatts of heat.

Nov 12th, 2021

Developing an efficient and cost-effective wind energy technology (w/video)

An international consortium has completed the design of a single-point mooring system platform for floating wind turbines.

Nov 12th, 2021

Time series study first to suggest that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods has environmental implications

A new study of 30-year changes in the Brazilian diet finds that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to worsened impacts on the environment, and echoes dietary changes in the UK.

Nov 12th, 2021

Life cycle assessment of carbon capture

Life cycle assessment of carbon capture at incineration plants shows that despite some drawbacks, the net result is a clear advantage for the climate.

Nov 9th, 2021

Using microbes to make carbon-neutral fuel

Scientists have discovered a new way to train microbes to make a readily usable biofuel.

Nov 3rd, 2021

Electric vehicles could be powered by hydrogen harvested from sewage

Wastewater treatment is vital to remove pathogens, but is incredibly energy intensive. The ability to treat it more sustainably is a challenge researchers have been able to achieve, using recycled carbon fibre mats to produce hydrogen from waste water.

Nov 2nd, 2021