In Switzerland, EPFL chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare. A device that can harvest water from the air and provide hydrogen fuel—entirely […]
In the UK, research at the University of Sheffield and the University of Valladolid has found that pine needles from discarded Christmas trees or other sources could be turned into renewable fuels and new products. A new paper, published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal, found that pine needles could be used to produce […]
In Brazil, Equinor said it has signed a partnership with the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), to start research works for the production of bio-hydrocarbons such as green diesel and aviation biokerosene, from agroforestry residues. Equinor said that the objective of the initiative is to contribute to the refining of a […]
In Spain, converting biological waste into resources is one of the keys of the circular economy, and the main objective of the European WaysTUP! Project, financed by the Horizon H2020 programme, is working on different lines of research to establish new value chains for the use of urban biowaste. Within the framework of this project, […]
In Illinois, Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations has awarded a grant of $34 million to the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency project, an international research effort led by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In its 10-year history, RIPE has demonstrated large increases in crop productivity in replicated field trials on the university farm. […]
In Germany, at present, microbial fuel cells are mainly used in research laboratories to generate electricity. In order for industrial applications to be considered in the future, the fuel cells must be further developed so that they can produce consistently higher amounts of electricity than is currently the case. In a recent study published in […]
In Canada, ERS Genomics announced that its first Canadian patent, CA 2872241, with broad claims to compositions and methods of using CRISPR/Cas9 in humans, animals, plants, and microbes has been granted to the CVC group. CVC stands for University of California, University of Vienna, and Emmanuelle Charpentier and is the acronym used to describe the owners […]
In Japan, the University of Okayama said that a group of researchers have developed a novel mechanical compression method to squeeze maximum benefits from plant biomass for alternate fuel and anti-viral applications. “Biomass is readily available in nature and its organic composition makes it a top choice for an environment-friendly energy resource. However, plant biomass […]
In China, research team from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a novel method that enables efficient CO2 electroreduction to CO by virtue of low-coordination chloride ion adsorption on a silver hollow fiber electrode. The electrochemical conversion of CO2 into carbon-based fuels and valuable feedstocks by renewable electricity is an […]
In India, the Press Trust of India reports that researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati and the University of Lisbon, Portugal have made a breakthrough in breaking down woody matter for ethanol production by improving the efficacy of a specific bacterial enzyme to turn the lignocellulose into simple sugars. Researchers found that with RfGH5_4 […]
