In the UK, Fuel Cells Works reported that the UK could store enough green hydrogen in depleted North Sea oil and gas fields to meet the country’s future electricity demands for 7 years, new research has shown. Geologists and engineers from Durham Energy Institute (University of Durham) have, for the first time, mapped different hydrogen […]
In Japan, some plants are thought to supplement their carbon needs by obtaining carbon through underground fungal networks connected to other plants. This symbiotic relationship is known as mycoheterotrophy. Researchers from Chiba University found evidence that Gentiana squarrosa, a Gentian family plant, can receive carbon through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks in addition to photosynthesis. The […]
In Germany, INNOVENT investigated in a joint research project with febana Feinmechanische Baugruppen GmbH how electromechanical assemblies with components made of plastic and metal can also be composed of bio- and recycled plastics. These electromechanical assemblies are used e.g. used as plug or sensor housings in part with safety relevance in industrial applications and contain […]
In Illinois, a team of researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) created a fast, user-friendly process to improve industrial enzymes. The researchers combined artificial intelligence (AI), synthetic biology, and a biofoundry. This combination allowed the scientists to overcome common issues with enzymes such as low efficiency and an enzyme’s inability […]
In Spain, a study led by the University of Barcelona has produced a biodegradable bioplastic of high industrial value — polyhydroxybutyrate or PHB — from unprocessed potato starch in a single 24-hour step, a strategic breakthrough that could help reduce dependence on oil and the volume of persistent plastic waste. The study thus establishes that […]
In South Africa, Engineering News reported that rsearchers from the JENano Group at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) are advancing South Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions through integrated research spanning computational materials design, advanced electrode fabrication, membrane-free electrolyzers, hydrogen storage and fuel-cell systems. Working with local and international partners, the group is developing technologies aimed at […]
In Spain, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has inaugurated with Her Majesty King Felipe VI the Center for Water and Energy Innovation of Canal de Isabel II, in the framework of the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the public company, which has the Honorary Presidency of the monarch. Both […]
In South Korea, the KIGAM team developed Flame Plasma Pyrolysis (FPP), a process that directly treats biomass containing approximately 55% moisture under atmospheric-pressure plasma conditions. The system generates plasma flames at temperatures of approximately 800–900°C through the combustion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed air. Unlike conventional pyrolysis technologies, the process eliminates the need […]
In Switzerland, dairy and tofu production generate large quantities of protein-containing solutions, only a small part of which is reprocessed in food production – the remainder goes to waste. From this waste, ETH Zurich researchers isolate proteins that they use to form long, threadlike chains known as amyloid fibrils. They then load these fibrils with […]
In California, to harness biological systems (plants and microbes) for next-generation energy production and advanced materials, researchers are looking to beneficial plant-microbe interactions. Because these are complex systems, it has proven difficult to reproducibly control exactly which microbes are present. Subtle differences in materials, methods, or even the hands of the researchers themselves can lead […]
