Sunlight turns CO2 and methane into valuable gases for fuel and industry

Taking a leaf out of the book of plants, scientists have used a photosynthesis blueprint to harness the power of sunlight and turn two of the most destructive greenhouse gases into useful, prized chemicals that can be then used for the production of fu… Continue reading Sunlight turns CO2 and methane into valuable gases for fuel and industry

Butter, and other delicious fats, are now being made out of thin air

Bill Gates has thrown his weight – and his money – behind a Californian startup that believes it can make a rich, fatty spread akin to butter, using just carbon dioxide and hydrogen. And ‘butter’ is just the start, with milk, ice-cream, cheese, meat an… Continue reading Butter, and other delicious fats, are now being made out of thin air

Solar catalyst captures methane to create pure hydrogen and carbon

Methane has a greenhouse effect 80 times worse than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and emissions are skyrocketing even as we start reducing CO2. That makes UCF’s new hydrocarbon-capturing, sunlight-powered catalyst a very compelling idea.Continu… Continue reading Solar catalyst captures methane to create pure hydrogen and carbon

Red alga added to cow poop slashes methane emissions by almost half

A particularly impressive red alga has already shown great promise in dramatically reducing the alarming levels of methane gas produced by a cow’s enteric digestive system. Now, a team of scientists has moved from the animal’s belches to its tail end, … Continue reading Red alga added to cow poop slashes methane emissions by almost half

LionGlass boasts 10x the strength of regular glass, greener production

Despite its many advantages, glass has one major Achilles’ heel – it’s brittle. Now, engineers at Penn State have developed LionGlass, a new type of the material that’s not only 10 times more damage resistant, but requires significantly less energy to … Continue reading LionGlass boasts 10x the strength of regular glass, greener production

Cheap, common kitty litter clay captures methane from the air

Carbon dioxide may hog the headlines as a climate change villain, but methane is actually a far more potent greenhouse gas. An MIT team has now demonstrated a new way to remove methane from the air, even at very low concentrations, with a common type o… Continue reading Cheap, common kitty litter clay captures methane from the air

“World Avoided” model charts climate cost if we’d ignored ozone hole

It’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of climate change, but it’s not too late to do something about it – after all, we’ve stepped up to similar challenges before. New modeling shows just how much worse the situation would be if CFCs hadn’t been banne… Continue reading “World Avoided” model charts climate cost if we’d ignored ozone hole

Seaweed supplements cut cattle methane emissions by up to 82%

Cattle are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to their methane-loaded burps. A detailed new study has found more evidence that feeding cows a small seaweed supplement can greatly reduce their methane emissions, without affecting the… Continue reading Seaweed supplements cut cattle methane emissions by up to 82%

Global emissions of heat-trapping methane hit record high

While a lot of our efforts to combat global warming center on limiting the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, methane also has a significant role to play. New analysis has revealed that emissions of this particularly potent greenhouse gas hav… Continue reading Global emissions of heat-trapping methane hit record high