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Harnessing the power of the sun: Using solar energy to produce carbon-free liquid fuel

Harnessing the power of the sun: Using solar energy to produce carbon-free liquid fuel 

 

Solar energy has emerged as a critical solution in the global fight against climate change. While much progress has been made in the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, the production of chemical fuels from renewable sources remains a significant challenge. The Sun-To-X project is a consortium of nine partners that aims to use solar energy to produce non-toxic, energy-dense, carbon-free liquid fuel that can be used in transport and energy storage.  More…

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Innovations for sustainable development

Innovations for sustainable development

The 21st of April marks World Creativity and Innovation Day, a day to celebrate and promote creativity and innovation as drivers of positive change. This day is especially relevant in the context of sustainable development, where creative solutions are needed to address the complex challenges of promoting economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

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Unlocking the potential of Women and Girls in Science for a more sustainable future

Unlocking the potential of Women and Girls in Science for a more sustainable future

This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, taking place on 11th February 2023, will focus on the role women and girls can play to help the UN reach its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In doing so the UN aims to connect the International Community to Women and Girls in Science, strengthening the ties between science, policy, and society for strategies oriented towards the future. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution not only to economic development of the world, but to progress across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well. More…

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Innovations paving the way for wetland restoration

Innovations paving the way for wetland restoration

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on the 2nd of February to raise awareness about wetlands and the important role they play in our planet’s ecosystem. We are losing wetlands three times faster than forests, nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, with 35% of the world’s wetlands disappearing in the last 50 years. Wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies and more. Innovators worldwide are now finding ways to restore and protect key areas and reverse their rapid loss. More…

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Converting excess carbon dioxide into organic molecules

Converting excess carbon dioxide into organic molecules

 

Since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions have been consistently rising with analysts estimating that total global carbon dioxide emissions reached 40.6 billion tonnes in 2022. Scientists and engineers are not only looking for green alternatives to help reduce emissions, but also ways to utilise the excess carbon dioxide available. A team of researchers from Cornell University has used electrochemistry to convert carbon dioxide into a series of organic molecules that are vital to pharmaceutical development. More…

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The fight against electronic waste: Biodegradable circuit boards

The fight against electronic waste: Biodegradable circuit boards

With electronics being such an integral part of modern society, the problem of how to properly dispose of or recycle these needs to be addressed. E-waste often comprises of products with a battery or plug and features toxic substances such as mercury, posing severe risks to human and environmental health. Researchers have been exploring ways to make various electronics and their components more eco-friendly. One team of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation and published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, has innovated ground-breaking biodegradable circuit boards that hope to solve the growing problem of e-waste and pave the way for future, fully disposable electronics. More…

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Body heat: The latest source of renewable energy?

Body heat: The latest source of renewable energy?

 

The COP27 in Egypt is well underway bringing with it an important reminder of the growing necessity to reduce CO2 emissions to help tackle climate change. Renewable Energy isn’t a new topic; however, the energy crisis seems to have pushed people and businesses to think of more innovative ways to foster clean energy, move away from fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions. One music venue in Glasgow, SWG3, has recently switched on a system that creates renewable energy from the body heat of people on its dancefloor. Using body heat as an energy source isn’t a new concept but this is the first time it has been implemented to power a building using solely clean energy. More…

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Renewable battery from crustacean shells

Renewable battery from crustacean shells

 

As the world transitions towards deploying green energy solutions and electric vehicles, batteries are becoming a vital storage tool, necessary to facilitate the energy transition. However, the chemicals used in conventional batteries such as lithium-ion can take hundreds or thousands of years to break down and are often corrosive and flammable. Consumer gadget batteries have been known to catch fire on aircrafts or caused fires in waste and recycling sites. Moving away from fossil fuels isn’t enough, the batteries used for green technology also need to be eco-friendly. To solve this problem, a team of researchers from the University of Maryland’s Center for Materials Innovation, led by Liangbing Hu, have developed a renewable zinc battery that uses an electrolyte extracted from crustacean shells. More…

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Transparent solar panels: The future of solar energy?

Transparent solar panels: The future of solar energy?

Energy is the pulse of our day-to-day life and how we create and use it is changing rapidly. One thing is certain, to limit global warming we need to move away from fossil fuels altogether and embrace sustainable energy sources. Solar power technologies have been developing for decades, and modern solar power could now become a viable alternative to fossil fuels, but it doesn’t come without its flaws. Solar panels can only be placed at certain angles on buildings, significantly reducing the amount that can be installed in towns and cities. There are also concerns that solar farms can affect biodiversity and farmland and natural habitats need to be safeguarded. But what if these limitations in built up areas were removed? Scientists have been developing transparent solar panels that could be the answer to these issues...  More…