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Researchers in Europe are trying to work out how record-breaking solar cells contacts can be mass-produced. BedZed Eco village. Image credit: Flickr- Bioregional International, licensed under CC.
energy | industry
21 November 2018

Record-breaking solar cells get ready for mass production

Sandwiching an oxygen-rich layer of silicon between a solar cell and its metal contact has allowed researchers in Europe to break performance records for the efficiency with which silicon solar cells convert sunlight into electricity. But the challenge now is how to make these so-called passivating contacts suitable for mass production.

The CRI plant sells around 4,000 tonnes of methanol produced from waste CO2 per year. Image Credit - Carbon Recycling International
environment | industry
19 November 2018

Waste CO2 to be turned into ingredients for fuel, plastics and even food

Scientists are ramping up efforts to turn waste CO2 from industry into chemicals such as methanol in a bid to reduce emissions and provide a new source of raw materials for use in fuel, cement and food production.

Games apps designed to promote kids’ social skills could also help them avoid social exclusion in later life. Image credit - Pixabay/ StockSnap, licensed under CCO
ict | open innovation | industry
14 November 2018

The video games that improve kids’ social skills

Video games that are specifically designed to test and improve children’s social and emotional skills could enable parents and teachers to spot issues and help children improve their behaviour and performance at school as well as in later life.

This new label mimics the product's decline in freshness by forming a bumpy surface. Image credit - Mimica
industry
13 November 2018

To reduce food waste, scientists are making labels that track produce as it spoils

A new type of use-by label for milk bottles that decomposes as the liquid inside goes sour could appear on UK supermarket shelves later this year. Labels such as these, capable of telling consumers exactly when fresh produce has gone bad, are being developed by scientists who want to stop food from being prematurely discarded. If successful, these indicators have the potential to reduce the millions of tonnes of valuable food thrown away each year.

The International Space Station air filter which expels CO2 has inspired scientists to try to create an Earth-based version. Image credit - NASA/Mark Garcia
environment | industry
12 November 2018

System to rid space station of astronaut exhalations inspires Earth-based CO2 removal

When astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) exhale carbon dioxide (CO2), it’s removed from the air and pumped into space. Could an Earth-based version help remove greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere?

Firms such as Novamont in Italy are using renewable resources to develop bioplastics and biochemicals, through the use of biorefineries. Image credit - Novamont
environment | industry
31 October 2018

Bioeconomies aim to become a beating heart of local communities, both rural and urban

As the EU aims to head towards a sustainable, low-carbon future, experts in bio-based industries at the forefront of this transition are turning food waste and waste-water sludge into bioplastics and converting decommissioned factories into new biorefineries by working with local populations.

Prototype air filtering stations placed in Paris, France, helped to keep the level of particulates below World Health Organization thresholds. Image credit - Pollution event in Paris by Tangopaso and Mariordo is licensed under CC0 1.0
industry | environment
30 October 2018

Ceramic honeycomb air filters could cut city pollution

A new type of outdoor filter that could cut city air pollution and is scheduled to be debuted at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been awarded the €3 million Horizon Prize on materials for clean air.

More than half of the total food waste in the EU, some 88 million tonnes in total per year, comes from households and the food service and retail industries. Image credit - Taz, licensed under CC BY 2.0
health | industry
29 October 2018

Food scraps to become dairy and meat substitutes

Finicky eating habits and wasteful processes have led to a system that discards millions of tonnes of food each year, but new approaches are salvaging the scraps we never see to make products that people will want to eat.

Recycling can be inefficient when parts such as dashboards from cars are too hard to dismantle, says Felipe Maya. Image credit - Felipe Maya
interview | industry
15 October 2018

In a zero-waste society, people will need to share and repair

Businesses and consumers need to stop thinking of products as things to own and move towards a culture of sharing and repairing if we are to fulfil the ambition of creating a circular economy, according to Felipe Maya, project and innovation manager at sustainable engineering firm Exergy, headquartered in Coventry, UK.

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.

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