Tag: Sustainability

Renewable energy can be stored as heat in sand. Silica, meanwhile, is making energy savings possible in the cold chain network. Certainly for the transportation of vaccinations, enzymes and even DNA. Knowing that biologically active molecules in medical substances are thermally unstable and prone to decomposition when temperatures fluctuate, a UK-based startup has developed a new solution: to encase...

Batteries made from paper can be an environmentally-friendly source of electricity. Now, a Swiss startup is aiming to replace batteries used in small devices entirely (a process that’s already begun in Sweden). Energy will come through perovskite solar cells previously developed in a research lab. Their properties and size can be tailored to customer requirements and device design. Manufacture...

Rare components in batteries can be sustainably recovered. Recycling long-life materials such as PTFE still represents a challenge. But a research team in Japan has found a way to convert PTFE into reusable, organic fluorine compounds. The team exposed the material to a 5 Mega Gray dose of electron beams in a heated environment of 370°C. Treatment that caused...

Cow dung has a lot to offer. Finnish research on the impact of penguins on the climate is no sailor’s yarn either. The flightless birds’ excrement secretes ammonia into the atmosphere, a fact confirmed by studies undertaken on a colony of 60,000 in the Antarctic. The concentration of ammonia was 1,000 times higher than it was without the birds....

Mini-robots could rid the ocean of microplastics. In Switzerland, a research team is turning to similar technology to analyse water quality, though the outer shell of its mini-robots is made from protein-rich, low-fat fish food. For movement, inspiration came from the so-called Marangoni effect: the robots move across the surface of the water by expelling gas. It is created internally...

Light can provide an energy-saving training method for smart IT systems. Now, a Minneapolis-based startup has shown how it can also cool high-performance data centres and AI systems. The team’s cold plate for processors contains layers of gallium arsenide. In pure and crystalline form, this semiconductor material cools down when stimulated by a laser-light pulse. More than that, the...

Folded cardboard paper protects objects during transit. Meanwhile, in Singapore a research team has taken its inspiration from the folds in elephants’ skin, features which prevent the endangered mammals from overheating. The idea? To use a similarly uneven surface to create sustainable, ‘cooling’ tiles. The team mixed mycelium with bamboo shavings, oats and water and shaped the mix into...

Yeast accelerates hydrogen production. Which could be of interest for a French startup and its newly designed business jet with fuel cell drive. The eight-person aircraft is equipped with two electric duct propellers, powered by six 400 kW fuel cells and should be able to cover up to 800 nautical miles from 2030. Meaning 80% of business flights in...