Fresh recipes for low-carbon concrete take out $20-million XPrize

A six-year competition to capture CO2 emissions from operational power plants and convert them into useful products has drawn to a close, and produced dual winners with technologies that promise to reduce the environmental footprint of concrete. The US… Continue reading Fresh recipes for low-carbon concrete take out $20-million XPrize

Wetting agent douses underground “zombie” fires with great efficiency

Raging fires are generally bad news, but smoldering peat fires can do more environmental damage and present unique challenges for those trying to extinguish them. Researchers in the UK have come up with a new formula for tackling these so-called “zombi… Continue reading Wetting agent douses underground “zombie” fires with great efficiency

New concrete recipe improves its carbon capture efficiency

Concrete is one of the world’s most commonly used materials, and unfortunately its production is a major source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Now, engineers at Purdue University have developed a new cement recipe that can absorb CO2 twice as fas… Continue reading New concrete recipe improves its carbon capture efficiency

Elon Musk throws $100 million at carbon removal in biggest XPrize yet

A new XPrize competition has been announced that takes aim at the problem of carbon pollution, with hopes of unearthing new technologies that can remove it from the atmosphere and ocean. The prize money is being put up by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk… Continue reading Elon Musk throws $100 million at carbon removal in biggest XPrize yet

2020 ties for hottest year on record

Comprehensive climate data has shown that globally, 2020 was the warmest year on record, tied with 2016. Worryingly, 2020’s record came in spite of a La Niña event, which has a cooling effect, while 2016’s record came off the back of a warming El Niño…. Continue reading 2020 ties for hottest year on record

Pressurized CO2 used to bacteria-proof dried almonds

While you might think that dried almonds are one of the “safer” foods, they’re actually prone to contamination by harmful bacteria. A simple new process could help keep that from happening, while also boosting their shelf life.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading Pressurized CO2 used to bacteria-proof dried almonds

Deep-diving robots to study carbon absorption of “marine snow” algae

As tiny carbon-hungry organisms, algae play an important role in removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and a first-of-a-kind research expedition is set to highlight just how important that role might be. With a fleet of advanced deep-diving robots, scienti… Continue reading Deep-diving robots to study carbon absorption of “marine snow” algae

Wireless “photosheets” turn CO2 and sunlight into clean fuel

A device that effectively mimics the natural process of photosynthesis would represent a massive breakthrough for energy researchers, and a team from the University of Cambridge has been at the cutting edge of this technologies for the better part of d… Continue reading Wireless “photosheets” turn CO2 and sunlight into clean fuel

New catalyst rearranges carbon dioxide and water into ethanol fuel

Researchers at the US Dept of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, working with Northern Illinois University, have discovered a new catalyst that can convert carbon dioxide and water into ethanol with “very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for… Continue reading New catalyst rearranges carbon dioxide and water into ethanol fuel