Category: Research

Chinese scientists develop solar-powered catalyst to produce ethanol from methane

January 27, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In China, scientists have unveiled a sunlight-powered catalyst that transforms methane—the main component of natural gas—directly into ethanol, a high-value liquid fuel and chemical feedstock. The new material, described today in Frontiers in Energy, achieves an apparent quantum efficiency of 9.4%, a record for photocatalytic methane-to-ethanol conversion, while operating under near-ambient conditions. The breakthrough centers […]

Indonesian researcher debelop nyamplung oil and biogas as fuel for agricultural machinery

January 26, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Indonesia, IPB University Agricultural Machinery Engineering researcher has developed a renewable energy innovation based on local resources by utilizing nyamplung oil and biogas as fuel for agricultural machinery. This innovation is considered to have great potential to support energy independence in the national agricultural sector. The potential of nyamplung oil in Indonesia reaches around […]

Bottleneck in hydrogen distribution jeopardizes billions in clean energy, research finds

January 25, 2026 | Juan Pedro Tomas

In the UK, the Heriot-Watt University noted that hydrogen transport infrastructure is developing at half the pace of other clean technologies, creating a bottleneck that could put billions in clean energy investment at risk. A recent study from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University found that while hydrogen production, storage and fuel cell technologies are […]

German researchers produce formate and hydrogen from glycerol

January 22, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Germany, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a method which gives access to the valuable raw materials formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol. Formates are the salts of formic acid and are widely used in the chemical industry, while hydrogen can serve, for example, as an energy carrier to […]

Finnish researcher develops new CO2 capture method

January 21, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Finland, a new method to capture carbon dioxide from the air has been developed at the University of Helsinki’s chemistry department. The method is based on a compound of superbase and alcohol. Tests show that the compound appears promising: one gram of the compound can absorb 156 milligrams of carbon dioxide directly from untreated ambient […]

TNO convert CO₂ and green hydrogen into C1 chemicals and synthetic fuels

January 20, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In the Netherlands, through Photons-to-Chemicals (P2C), TNO develops photocatalytic processes that use sunlight as an energy source. These processes convert CO₂ and green hydrogen into C1 chemicals and synthetic fuels – essential building blocks for the chemical industry. Its technology is flexible and scalable, enabling the use of smaller CO₂ sources. This contributes to a […]

German researchers turn organic waste into fully biodegradable plastics

January 19, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Germany, turning green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics for use in medical products, car components, insulation and packaging is the goal of a new Junior Research Group at the University of Oldenburg. The team will combine eco-friendly and application-oriented approaches to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology for making innovative plastics based […]

Research project at SDU aims to make green hydrogen production PFAS-free and competitive

January 18, 2026 | Juan Pedro Tomas

In Denmark, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU)’s Department of Green Technology, in collaboration with European partners, will develop a new type of electrolyzer that can produce green hydrogen more cheaply, sustainably, more efficiently, and without the use of PFAS, which is currently used. Together with six partners, including both private companies and […]

Northwestern and Stanford University researchers create new artificial metabolism transforming CO2

January 15, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Illinois, Northwestern University and Stanford University synthetic biologists have created a new artificial metabolism that transforms waste carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful biological building blocks. In the new study, the team engineered a biological system that can convert formate — a simple liquid molecule easily made from CO2 — into acetyl-CoA, a universal metabolite […]

PerPlacsBio project launched to expand knowledge base of bio-based and biodegradable plastics

January 14, 2026 | Meghan Sapp

In Germany, the University of Münster, the University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg and the nova-Institute have launched the project PerPlacsBio – Prospects for bio-based and biodegradable plastics in agriculture and forestry. The project is funded by the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) under the programme “Sustainable Renewable Resources”. The nova-Institute will expand the existing […]

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