Tokyo, Japan (SPX) May 04, 2026
Researchers at Kyushu University have reported a simple way to generate hydrogen gas by mixing methanol, sodium hydroxide, and iron ions, then exposing the solution to ultraviolet light. The team said the system reached catalytic activity comparable to some previously reported methods based on organometallic and heterogeneous catalysts. The study, published in Communications Chemistry, als

Paris, France (AFP) April 24, 2026
Heating with geothermal energy, lighting with solar panels, cooking with biodegradable waste: how can we live with less oil and gas? It's a long-burning question - but one that is catching fire as energy costs soar due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has strangled exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). With the global energy shock caused by the conflict expected

Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Apr 29, 2026
Researchers at Adelaide University are advancing a technology that uses sunlight to convert discarded plastics into hydrogen, syngas and other valuable industrial chemicals, offering a dual solution to plastic pollution and the global demand for clean energy. A new paper led by PhD candidate Xiao Lu explores how solar-powered photoreforming can break down waste plastics at relatively low t

Fukuoka, Japan (AFP) April 3, 2026
A Japanese water plant is harnessing the natural process of osmosis to generate renewable energy that could one day become a common power source. The possibility of generating power from osmosis - when water molecules pass from a less salty solution to a more salty one - has long been known. But actually generating energy from that has proved more complicated, in part due the difficult

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2026
A research team has reported a simple new preparation strategy that sharply improves the low temperature performance of carbon based catalysts used to remove nitrogen oxides from industrial exhaust. The work focuses on ammonia selective catalytic reduction, a widely used process that converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water, and demonstrates that replacing water with ethanol during catal

Copenhagen (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Denmark on Wednesday inaugurated its first domestic aviation route powered 40-percent by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), an alternative expected to cut CO2 emissions on the route by 3,000 tonnes a year, the airline said. A flight from low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle took off from Aalborg in northwestern Denmark at 3:29 pm (1429 GMT) headed for Copenhagen, using 40-percent SAF made fr

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Archaeologists have linked a humble but potent resource, seabird guano, to the rise of the Chincha Kingdom as a major coastal power in pre-Inca Peru. A new study led by University of Sydney digital archaeologist Dr Jacob Bongers argues that nutrient-rich bird droppings transformed maize production on the arid south coast and underpinned a far-reaching sociopolitical expansion. The research

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 04, 2026
As renewable energy deployment accelerates worldwide, managing heat when the sun is not shining or when demand fluctuates remains a core challenge for clean energy systems. Researchers reporting in the journal Biochar have now shown that agricultural waste in the form of discarded neem seeds can be transformed into a high performance and carbon negative thermal energy storage material. The

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 03, 2026
Plants grown for fuel crops hold significant untapped energy potential, but a large fraction of that chemical power has been difficult to harness using conventional methods. Researchers at the DOE-funded Center for Advanced Biofuel and Bioproduct Innovation at the University of Illinois have now demonstrated a pretreatment process that preserves the native structure of lignin while improving the

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 21, 2026
Tank trucks in Mannheim can now load customized blends of fossil and renewable fuels from a new pilot plant that documents greenhouse gas savings for every delivery. The inline blending facility, located at the tank farm of Exolum Mannheim GmbH, enables flexible mixing of electricity based or biogenic fuels with conventional products and provides immediate, digital verification of their climate

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 07, 2026
Turning green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics for use in medical products, car components, insulation and packaging is the aim of a new Junior Research Group at the University of Oldenburg in northwest Germany. The team, led by chemist Dr Melanie Walther, plans to combine environmentally focused and application-oriented methods to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 06, 2026
Researchers at University College London report that spent yeast from beer brewing can be converted into edible bacterial cellulose scaffolds for cultivated meat, offering a potential route to lower-cost production of cell-based meat. The study in Frontiers in Nutrition examines how bacterial cellulose grown from brewer's spent yeast can serve as a structure on which animal cells are cultu

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
Biochar can help convert agricultural residues such as corn straw into hydrogen rich gas while limiting carbon deposits on metal catalysts, according to a study in the journal Biochar. Researchers developed a two stage catalytic process in which corn straw vapors first pass through a biochar layer and then over nickel based catalysts, more than doubling hydrogen content in the product gas and sh

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 04, 2025
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Energy Research report a carbon monoxide driven process that forms metal thin films about 0.3 nanometers thick, enabling faster fabrication of core-shell fuel cell catalysts that reduce platinum usage while maintaining performance. The approach, called CO Adsorption-Induced Deposition, leverages the redox behavior and strong surface affinity of carbon monoxi

Singapore (AFP) Nov 24, 2025
Singapore will start issuing bunkering licences next year to companies supplying methanol as marine fuel, in an effort to help global shipping cut carbon emissions, officials said Monday. Three companies will kickstart methanol supply in the Port of Singapore from January 1, its Marine and Port Authority (MPA) said in a statement. Singapore is the world's top bunkering hub due to its str