Environment

By Markus Buehler, McAfee Professor of Engineering at MIT When we talk about advances in materials science, the focus is typically on the materials themselves: how strong we can make this fabric, how light we can make the construction materials, how cheap we can manufacture better products than we have now. But the benefits of…

Last month, ABB hosted an exclusive virtual roundtable discussion to give members of the media an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about the energy efficiency movement being championed by the company. The event explored the practical benefits and data of integrating high-efficiency solutions into existing industrial and commercial infrastructure to affordably and immediately…

By Karen McNulty Walsh and Stephanie Kossman, Brookhaven National Laboratory Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory spans scales from the cosmic to subatomic, advancing our understanding of the world around and within us. Looking for discoveries that spark transformational technologies? Brookhaven has those, too! Here’s the 2021 recap of important…

By Greg Ducharme, Product Director  Laird Thermal Systems There are several factors to keep in mind when operating and managing modern laboratories: efficiency, cost management and future-proofing. Green labs provide the blueprint for equipment optimization and environmental compliance, which in turn minimize energy consumption, lower operating costs and set labs up for continued success. Thermal…

EnergyX has successfully deployed the first of three LiTAS pilot plants, a containerized direct lithium extraction (DLE) unit, for operation at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the largest lithium resource in the world. EnergyX first licensed its core technology from the University of Texas in May 2019, and only two years later has amassed a team…

Guest editorial from Permali, a material solutions company specializing in manufacture, design and qualification of composite and PU material solutions for the defense, aerospace, health, rail, automotive and many other engineering sectors that require compliance with complex regulatory frameworks. There is growing importance in the ways industries implement circular economy models at scale, not only…

Mitsubishi Chemical Methacrylates and partner, Agilyx Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilyx AS and a pioneer in the chemical recycling of post-use plastics, announced the successful results of a full-scale production trial for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA; commonly called acrylic) depolymerization at Agilyx’s facility in Tigard, Oregon. The full-scale trial, conducted in August 2021, returned…

BIG NET, developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ReactWell and Holocene Climate Corp., is a negative emission technology (NET) that captures carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through direct air capture. The technology involves a new class of absorbents called bis-imino-guanidines (BIGs) that absorb CO2 from air into aqueous solutions and convert it into crystalline…

AeroMINE (Motionless INtegrated Extraction), from Sandia National Laboratories, stationary wind harvesters provide safe, scalable, distributed electricity generation with no external moving parts. They easily integrate with buildings or operate stand-alone. They can complement rooftop solar providing safe, affordable and reliable power to warehouses, box stores, commercial buildings, military bases and remote locations, massively reducing greenhouse…

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Lab-on-a-Fish is a wireless, miniaturized underwater technology system that provides real-time monitoring of fish and small aquatic species in marine, freshwater and estuarine habitats. The PNNL technology is the first in the world to combine edge computing with wireless acoustic sensing to assess animal behavior (acceleration and gyration); physiology (electrocardiogram and…

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and executives from UMass Dartmouth celebrated the announcement of a new $739,936 award from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support the development of a new research and development laboratory in New Bedford to study biodegradable and ocean-safe plastics. The new Plastics Biodegradation Laboratory at UMass Dartmouth will enable efficient testing of…

Sofar Ocean, an ocean intelligence platform, announced it has secured a $39 million Series B syndicate round with Union Square Ventures (USV) and the Foundry Group. With this funding, Sofar will further scale its technology platform and grow its team across key regions worldwide. The funding will help the team in its mission of delivering…

By Mark Jones A century is how long it took for one bad chemistry choice to run its course. The end of August 2021 was the end of what can only be described as a sad century in the history of chemistry. At the end of August, headlines proclaimed the world finally stopped using leaded…

Argonne National Laboratory scientists will host Frontiers in Materials Manufacturing: Decarbonizing Industry Through Electrochemical Processing, 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. CST on Thursday, October 21, 2021 Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require new approaches to chemicals and materials manufacturing, whose two sources of emissions — direct emissions from fossil feedstocks used in the…

The launch of the world’s first net zero mass spectrometer (MS) will make it easier than ever for scientists working across geoscience, food and beverage, environmental science and forensics to practice science sustainably. The Thermo Scientific Delta Q Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) is a next generation gas IRMS designed to enable detailed analysis with…

From Brookhaven National Laboratory An international collaboration of scientists has taken a significant step toward the realization of a nearly “green” zero-net-carbon technology that will efficiently convert carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas and hydrogen into ethanol, which is useful as a fuel and has many other chemical applications. The study reports a “roadmap” for…

To help formulators develop high-performance, safer cosmetics and skin care products, AGC Chemicals Americas offers SOLESPHERE microsphere silica gels. When used in sunscreens, cosmetics and skincare formulations, the silica gels boost sun protection factor (SPF) and add performance properties. The silica gels can improve application smoothness, absorb oil and perspiration, give a matte appearance, minimize…

Creator and supplier of realistic artificial green walls, Vistafolia, has launched a collaboration with the University of Surrey to create a new base polymer, the material that their artificial plants are made from, using renewable sources, while maintaining the established safety and design standards of its original product. Co-funded by Innovate U.K., as part of…

In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to build the American economy back better, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide $37 million for small businesses pursuing climate and energy research and development (R&D) projects as well the development of advanced scientific instrumentation through a funding opportunity announcement (FOA). The projects…

By Yong Zhu and Matt Shipman, North Carolina State University Researchers at North Carolina State University demonstrated a low-cost technique for retrieving nanowires from electronic devices that have reached the end of their utility and then using those nanowires in new devices. The work is a step toward more sustainable electronics. “There is a lot…

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…