In Connecticut, Yale-led research team has developed the first standalone device that produces the liquid fuel methanol using only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide as the ingredients. The artificial “leaf,” like its namesake in nature, is a chemistry marvel. It brings the scientific mimicry of photosynthesis — the process of converting sunlight and water into […]
In South Korea, a research team led Korea University and Southeast University, China, conducted a comprehensive review and analyzed biomass chemical looping (BCL) as a sustainable pathway for energy and chemical production. Their study, titled “Biomass chemical looping: A sustainable pathway for energy and chemicals,” was published in the Journal of Energy Chemistry on June […]
In Belgium, EU-funded BioUPGRADE project integrated computational biology, genomics and material sciences to develop biotechnology’s potential in sustainable manufacturing, focusing on biocatalysts (enzymes) that convert renewable fibres into high-value products. BioUPGRADE’s advanced enzymes that tailor the natural structure of biomass to make it suitable for a wider range of uses, such as packaging materials, conductive […]
In Japan, photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methane offers a promising route for carbon recycling, but its low efficiency and unclear mechanisms limit its practical use. Researchers at the Chiba University have now examined how light-driven and heat-driven processes work together in Ru–Ni–ZrO2 catalysts, achieving record methane production rates. This work clarifies the reaction […]
In the UK, UK Aviation News reported that researchers from Swansea University have played a key role in a landmark aviation achievement after a modern aero engine was successfully operated on 100% hydrogen fuel at full take-off power for the first time. The milestone marks the culmination of a four-year international program led by Rolls-Royce […]
In the UK, a new study led by Queen Mary University of London researchers, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes a new integrated solar reactor in which engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) are grown directly inside the same liquid that converts CO₂ into a usable energy source using sunlight. In future, […]
In Indiana, converting aquaculture sludge with a natural microbial process into a viable renewable biofuel presents a mind-numbing chess match of biochemical variables. This process — anaerobic digestion — involves microbes operating in a no-oxygen environment. Purdue University researchers are steadily developing new strategies for controlling the complex variables of anaerobic digestion, a naturally occurring […]
In Massachusetts, earlier this year, the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) launched a major study to examine the sustainable fuel options for aviation, international shipping, long-haul trucking, and freight rail. More than one-tenth of the world’s climate-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to energy comes from these hard-to-decarbonize forms of transportation. And that fraction continues to […]
In South Korea, the idea that DNA is only a molecule that stores genetic information is being challenged. KAIST researchers have developed a technology that controls the chemical environment around catalysts at the nanometer scale by designing DNA sequences, the arrangement of A, T, G, and C that make up genetic information. The team has […]
In the UK, Airport Industry Review reported that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has opened applications for a new phase of its Hydrogen Challenge program, inviting organizations to participate in research and testing for the future use of hydrogen in aviation. The initiative forms part of the regulator’s Regulatory Sandbox program, which allows companies, […]
