Environment

Labs are one of the most resource-intensive spaces in any industry. Wherever possible scientists should aim to conserve resources, save energy and reduce emissions, thus, it comes as no surprise that there is a great opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of labs through smarter purchases. Miele and SelectScience are offering a webinar on Friday,…

Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) and NGK INSULATORS (NGK), both based in Nagoya, Japan, have established the NGK Environment Innovation Laboratory on the NITech campus. This collaboration between the private sector and academia will work on creating innovative next-generation products that contribute to a significant reduction of greenhouse gases, such as materials for next-generation power…

BVN Architecture and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia, have teamed up to design the world’s first robotically 3D-printed air-diffusion system, called ‘Systems Reef 2’ (SR2). SR2 reinvents air distribution: replacing steel with recycled plastic, square corners with aerodynamic curves and large vents with fine pores. The building sector is responsible for nearly 40%…

By Theresa Duque, Berkeley Laboratory For nearly half a century, astrophysicists and organic chemists have been on the hunt for the origins of C6H6, the benzene ring – an elegant, hexagonal molecule comprised of 6 carbon and 6 hydrogen atoms. Astrophysicists say that the benzene ring could be the fundamental building block of polycylic aromatic…

By Mollie Rappe, Sandia News Media What do tiny dust particles, 22-ft-wide red balloons and “concentrated” sunlight have in common? Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories recently used 22-ft-wide tethered balloons to collect samples of airborne dust particles to ensure the safety of an emerging solar-power technology. The study determined that the dust created by the…

 By Theresa Duque Despite our efforts to sort and recycle, less than 9% of plastic gets recycled in the U.S., and most ends up in landfill or the environment. Biodegradable plastic bags and containers could help, but if they’re not properly sorted, they can contaminate otherwise recyclable #1 and #2 plastics. What’s worse, most biodegradable…

By Laura Millsaps Scientists at the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP), an Energy Frontier Research Center led by Ames Laboratory, have discovered a chemical process that provides biodegradable, valuable chemicals, which are used as surfactants and detergents in a range of applications, from discarded plastics.  The process has the potential to create more…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $61.4 million for technologies that produce low-cost, low-carbon biofuels. Biofuels are derived from renewable resources and can power heavy-duty vehicles that are difficult to electrify with current technologies — including airplanes and ships — to help accelerate America’s path to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. “Biofuels are…

By Mike Williams This could be where the rubber truly hits the road. Rice University scientists have optimized a process to convert waste from rubber tires into graphene that can, in turn, be used to strengthen concrete. The environmental benefits of adding graphene to concrete are clear, chemist James Tour said. “Concrete is the most-produced…

Pluton Biosciences has signed a research agreement with global life sciences company Bayer AG to investigate the development of an all-natural, microbial-based carbon-capture soil amendment for growers. Collaborating with Bayer’s Climate Change Group, Pluton will use its Micromining Innovation Engine to identify and develop microbes currently found in soil that can store carbon and nitrogen.…

MilliporeSigma has launched an enhanced Design for Sustainability (DfS) framework, a unique approach to holistically integrate sustainability into products, systems and services. With the introduction of DfS, MilliporeSigma leads the life science industry in ensuring that sustainability is at the forefront of each stage of the product life cycle. This important strategic initiative supports the…

From the office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced plans to invest $25 mil in fundamental science to lay the groundwork for technology that finds reuses for plastic waste, makes strides toward addressing the global plastic waste crisis and reduces the climate impacts of plastic…

By Julie Chao Reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished by rebuilding U.S. energy infrastructure to run primarily on renewable energy, at a net cost of about $1 per person per day, according to new research published by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory…

By Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office   At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are a major source of air pollution and have been associated with asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disorders.…

Air Co.’s technology and integrated process helps to combat anthropogenic climate change by transforming carbon dioxide and water into ethanol and oxygen, driven solely by renewable electricity. Climate change is exacerbated by our reliance on burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Plants continue to sequester carbon dioxide via photosynthesis, but we…

By Chris Cogswell, customer consultant and Kane Gu, product manager Elsevier When it comes to the materials we use in industry and daily life, we’re facing a range of new challenges — from shortages to environmental issues, to the need for new materials to support technology innovation. On top of this, consumer awareness is on…

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Although most of the planet is covered by water, only a fraction of it is clean enough for humans to use. Therefore, it is important to recycle this resource whenever possible. Current purification techniques cannot adequately handle the very hot wastewater generated by some industries. But now, researchers reporting in…

New York State today announced the unveiling of a new energy storage project that uses an innovation in lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology. The success of this project will demonstrate the safety and use of commercial energy storage systems that could enable more integration of renewable energy resources into the grid. Located at the New York…

By Colleen MacPherson Many have dreamed of being able to turn straw into gold like the fabled Rumpelstiltskin. While this may not be possible in the literal sense, scientists are using sunlight to turn straw into something more valuable. With the aid of technology from the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan,…

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has worked for a long time to iron out all issues around the energy efficiency, durability, product yield rate and cost of dye-sensitized cells (DSC), a replacement for battery power sources in indoor applications. Their efforts have brought about a production facility capable of producing 2700 m2 (120,000 pieces) of…

 By Theresa Duque We rely on water to quench our thirst and to irrigate bountiful farmland. But what do you do when that once pristine water is polluted with wastewater from abandoned copper mines? A promising solution relies on materials that capture heavy metal atoms, such as copper ions, from wastewater through a separation process…

By Kimberly A Askey From soda bottles to car bumpers to piping, electronics and packaging, plastics have become a ubiquitous part of our lives. Advancements in materials have made plastics low cost, flexible, hygienic, lightweight, durable and readily available. While some plastics are recyclable, only a fraction — about 8.4% nationally in 2017, according to…

By Manette Fisher, [email protected] For responding with innovative solutions during the pandemic, developing solar cell and hydrogen research technology and creatively working with companies, Sandia National Laboratories won six prestigious regional 2020 Federal Laboratory Consortium awards. The awards for the Mid-Continent and Far West regions put a spotlight on Sandia successes in transferring technology, partnerships…

By Chris Adam, [email protected]  A Purdue University innovator and his team are among the quarterfinalists in a national solar desalination innovation contest. They received the recognition for a technology to use solar power to purify high salinity water, such as treating desalination brine or produced water from oil and gas extraction. The team includes two…

Dow (NYSE:DOW) announced the winners of the 2020 Packaging Innovation Awards recognizing breakthrough packaging achievements in design, technology, sustainability and user experience. The highest honor, the Diamond Award, went to Henkel’s  Social Plastic Ecosystem in collaboration with Plastic Bank. To create a new line of sustainable cosmetic packaging, Henkel conducted a pilot program that utilized recycled…