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Environment

Bill Gates and Commissoner Carlos Moedas committed to establish a fund to get radical new clean energy technologies to market. Image credit - European Commission
environment | policy | open innovation
17 October 2018

Bill Gates and European Commission launch €100 million clean energy fund

Bill Gates and the European Commission have launched a €100 million investment fund designed to bring radical clean energy technologies more quickly to market in order to promote energy efficiency and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Trucks on Orkney carry hydrogen produced by wind- and tide-powered electrolysis in special lightweight high pressure cylinders, designed to adhere to the low weight limit of the island roads. Image credit: Colin Keldie for BIG HIT
energy | environment
17 October 2018

Hydrogen use doesn’t emit carbon but its production often does. That could soon change

Hydrogen can be used to power cars, supply electricity and heat homes, all with zero carbon emissions. The snag is that the vast majority of hydrogen itself is derived from fossil fuels – a fact that scientists are now hoping to change. They plan to clean up production to kickstart a dedicated economy – something that has already found small-scale success in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

A freesia's root architecture helps the plant store food to survive seasonal weather conditions. Image credit - Brian Atkinson
agriculture | environment
16 October 2018

Root architecture discoveries could help breed drought-resistant crops

We should breed new varieties of crops based on their root architecture rather than just focusing on the top half of the plant, according to scientists looking at how to cultivate plants that use water more efficiently and better withstand drought conditions.

Dr Keywan Riahi said the first step in limiting global warming should be curbing energy demand. Image credit - Dr Riahi
environment | energy
12 October 2018

Climate actions that lift people out of poverty are often most cost-effective

The most cost-effective climate change actions are also those that could help us achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as ending poverty and hunger, according to Dr Keywan Riahi, director of the energy program of the International Institute Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, who says the first step should be to cut our energy demand.

Researchers are using computer simulations to estimate how 11 different species of extinct archosaurs such as the batrachotomus might have moved. Image credit: John Hutchinson
environment | ict
09 October 2018

Models of dinosaur movement could help us build stronger robots and buildings

From about 245 to 66 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Although well-preserved skeletons give us a good idea of what they looked like, the way their limbs worked remains a bigger mystery. But computer simulations may soon provide a realistic glimpse into how some species moved and inform work in fields such as robotics, prosthetics and architecture.

The hardest part about recycling used nappies is opening them. Image credit - Wagga Wagga City Council 2010-2018
environment
08 October 2018

Scientists want to use dirty nappies as a source of raw materials

Thousands of soiled nappies that were destined to clog Italian landfill sites or incinerators are being redirected to a recycling plant that is turning them into streams of high quality raw materials, in a new process that it is hoped will be replicated around Europe.

The infrastructure for turning seaweed into a sustainable alternative for livestock feed, chemicals and energy is still in its infancy. Image credit - MacroFuels
environment | industry
05 October 2018

Seaweed-powered trucks - hope or hype?

Seaweed has long been touted for its potential as a sustainable ingredient for biofuels, green chemicals and biodegradable materials, but scaling up production to industrial levels in a way that maintains its environmental credentials is proving a real challenge for scientists.

Magnetic fields are among the techniques being developed to extract metal particles from slags (stony waste matter). Image credit - Slag heap at Rammelsberg / Goslar by B.Nunold is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
industry | environment
01 October 2018

Discarded waste could be a treasure trove of rare metals

Miners could soon be scouring mounds of industrial waste to extract rare metals that are needed for products such as electronics, pacemakers, aircraft parts and bicycle gears.

Agriculture should be a good example of a circular economy, but modern farming practices and international markets have changed that. Image credit - Hemmo/ Pixabay.
environment | agriculture
24 September 2018

Recharging soils with carbon could make farms more productive

Turning crop waste and discarded paper into a material called biochar could help to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil while also helping to enrich farmland.

Earthworms are being used to break down sewage sludge, which can otherwise clog treatment systems. Image credit - Earth worms by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
environment
20 September 2018

Worms, water fleas and bacteria could bring clean water to remote areas

Earthworms and tiny water fleas could help deliver clean water to billions of people living in remote areas of the world by eating up sewage and other pollution.

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