Turning Carbon Dioxide into Liquid Fuel

A new electrocatalyst efficiently converts carbon dioxide into ethanol.

Advanced Supercritical Water Oxidation Reactor

This technology has potential across many industries including water reclamation and treatment, and waste destruction in liquid waste streams.

Catalyst Efficiently Turns Carbon Dioxide into Useful Fuels and Chemicals

By converting CO2 into complex hydrocarbon products, a new catalyst could aid in large-scale efforts to recycle excess carbon dioxide.

Copolymer Removes Toxins from Water

Researchers have demonstrated that they can attract, capture, and destroy perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of federally regulated substances nicknamed “the forever...

Method Turns Fruit Peels into New Batteries

Orange peels are used to extract and reuse metals from lithium-ion batteries to create new batteries.

The Next Building Material for Mars: Fungi?

When astronauts arrive on the Moon, their habitat may be one made out of fungi.

Catalysis Approach Reduces Carbon Dioxide to Methane

This approach is a cost-effective way to convert carbon dioxide gas into methane.

Process Turns Sand and Plant Materials into a Water Filtration Tool

According to the United Nations, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and the majority live in developing nations. A process was...

5 Ws of PDK Recyclable Plastic

Who

Anyone who uses products made of plastic. The new recyclable plastic could be a good alternative to many nonrecyclable plastics in use today.

Innovators Recognized for "Creating the Future" 2018

The Create the Future Design Contest was launched in 2002 to help stimulate and reward engineering innovation. In the past 16 years, the annual contest has drawn more than 13,000...

Garbage!

In this episode of Here’s an Idea™, we talk with researchers who are finding small — and sometimes even fun — ways to take out all the trash.

Researchers Convert Plastic Bottles into Aerogels that Insulate and Absorb

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) are trying to solve the problem of plastic waste by converting it into something useful: Aerogels.

From Trash to Treasure: How to Convert ‘Fatberg’ Waste into Biofuel

Have you heard of "fatbergs?" Researcher Asha Srinivasan explains how her team is turning masses of fat, oil, and grease into biofuel.

Want to Reduce Paper Consumption? ‘Disappearing Ink’ is No Joke

Carl Yee invented a new kind of "Invisible Ink," so he could print paper without the guilt.

NASA at 60: From Space to Earth

The benefits of NASA's space exploration efforts are not limited to the cosmos. NASA technologies provide innovative solutions for people around the world. NASA missions have generated thousands of spinoffs...

Scientists Serve Up New Spins on Whiskey, Wine, and Beer

In this episode of “Here’s an Idea," we look at how vineyard owners, distillers, and brewers are finding small ways to innovate and make better beer, wine, and spirits.

A New Way to Replace Plastic Packaging: Crab Shells and Tree Fibers

Georgia Tech researchers have created a sustainable plastic packaging material, using two ingredients you might not expect in a snack machine: crab shells and tree fibers.

Crystallization Method for Carbon Capture from Ambient Air

A method to capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air offers a new option for carbon capture and storage strategies to combat global warming.

A New Approach to Solar-Powered Water Purification: Stay Cool

Researchers at the University of Buffalo have found a counter-intuitive way of improving the water-purification process: keeping things cool.

Reusable ‘Oleo’ Sponge Soaks Up Oil Spills

A reusable sponge from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory cleans up spills – not in the kitchen, but on the coast.

How to Control Vehicle Emissions: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)?

What's the best platform for controlling vehicle emissions? "It depends!" says one engine expert.

Products of Tomorrow

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.

Innovators Recognized for "Creating the Future" 2017

The Create the Future Design Contest has helped stimulate and reward engineering innovation over the past 16 years, drawing more than 14,000 product designs from engineers, students, and...

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA, has been operated by Battelle and its predecessors since the lab’s inception in 1965. For more than 50...

2017 Create the Future Design Contest: Grand Prize Winner

Hi-Light - Solar Thermal Chemical Reactor Technology for Converting CO₂ to Hydrocarbons Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, Jessica Akemi Cimada da Silva, David Erickson, and Tobias...