Environment

Researchers Develop Recyclable, Healable Electronics

Between upgrades and breakdowns to cellphones, tablets, laptops, and appliances, so many electronic devices are getting tossed in the trash that they've taken on a name of their own:...

How a Startup Is Reducing Carbon from Building Operations with Drones

A new startup is paving the way for dramatic reductions in carbon from building operations. Lamarr.AI has perfected the process of using drones, thermal imaging, and artificial intelligence to diagnose the health of building exteriors and roofs. Read on to learn more.

Converting Waste Streams into Biofuel

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have developed a novel technology that creates a cost-competitive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that could reduce GHG emissions in the aviation industry by up to 70 percent. Read on to learn more.

Capturing Water from Thin Air

Engineers from Australia and China have invented a sponge-like device that captures water from thin air and then releases it in a cup using the sun’s energy, even in low humidity where other technologies such as fog harvesting and radiative cooling have struggled. Read on to learn more.

An Affordable, Sustainable New Battery Technology

Traditional Li-ion batteries rely on graphite as an anode material. However, the same graphite structure fails when it comes to sodium or potassium. But, by rethinking the shape of carbon at the microscopic level, researchers found a workaround.

New Liquid Hydrogen Storage and Delivery System Brings Us Closer to Zero-Emission Aviation

Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering have engineered a practical liquid hydrogen storage and delivery system that brings zero-emission aviation significantly closer to reality.

High-Performance Hybrid Solar Energy Converter

Researchers have developed a hybrid solar energy converter that generates electricity and steam with high efficiency and low cost. The hybrid converter utilizes an approach that more fully captures the whole spectrum of sunlight. Read on to learn more about it.

Using Chemistry Modeling Software to Detect Conditions for Microbial Life on Icy Worlds

Southwest Research Institute is working to expand software normally used to model electrolytes and predict corrosion and turn it into a tool that can help determine whether ice-covered worlds have the right conditions for microbial life. Read on to learn more.

New System for Turning Seawater into Hydrogen Fuel

Researchers have found a way to tease hydrogen out of the ocean by funneling seawater through a double-membrane system and electricity. The design successfully generated hydrogen gas without producing large amounts of harmful byproducts. Read on to learn more.

Harvesting Energy from Microbes in Soil

A Northwestern University-led team of researchers has developed a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in dirt. About the size of a standard paperback book, the completely soil-powered technology could fuel underground sensors used in precision agriculture and green infrastructure. Read on to learn more.

Making Transparent Solar Cells Manufacturable

In an important step toward bringing transparent solar cells to home windows, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a way to manufacture highly efficient and semitransparent solar cells. Read on to learn more about it.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: ControlAir LLC's Type CG330 and CG340 gas regulators. They are designed to deliver accurate pressure control while ensuring near-zero atmospheric leakage under dynamic or steady-state flow conditions.

Developing Advanced Recycling Technology to Restore Spent Battery Cathode Materials

A research team has developed a novel technology for directly recycling spent cathode materials from lithium-ion batteries through a simple process that addresses the limitations of conventional recycling methods. This innovative approach restores the spent cathode to its original state. Read on to learn more.

Exploring Earth Science with a New Navigational System

NASA and its partners recently tested an aircraft guidance system that could help planes maintain a precise course even while flying at high speeds up to 500 mph. The instrument is...

Fighting Fire with Electrically Assisted Wind

This device works to suppress flames using the power of conductive aerosols, small particles that can direct electricity.

Reducing Electronic Waste with Biodegradable and Recyclable Luminescent Polymers

Researchers have developed a strategy to design luminescent polymers with high light-emitting efficiencies from the start that are both biodegradable and recyclable. Read on to learn more.

Closed Ecological System Network Data Collection, Analysis, Control, and Optimization System

NASA Ames Research Center presents a novel, patent-pending adjustable-autonomous intelligent systems approach for developing sustainable, small-scale reproductions of subsets of the Earths biosphere that can be distributed both on and beyond Earth, for improving the quality of life for all life, expanding the diversity of life, studying and protecting life, as well as enabling life to permanently extend beyond Earth. Read on to learn more.

New Glass is More Damage Resistant, Greener

Worldwide, glass manufacturing produces at least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. A new type of glass aims to cut this carbon footprint in half. Read on to learn more about the invention: LionGlass, engineered at Penn State.

A New Home for Sustainability Robotics

The world is currently facing significant environmental challenges and complex demands related to infrastructure and natural ecosystems. To address these issues, viable solutions that are both...

How Much Do You Know About Solar Power?

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity. How much do you know about solar power? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Snail-Inspired Robot Could Scoop Ocean Microplastics

Inspired by a small and slow snail, scientists have developed a robot prototype that may one day scoop up microplastics from the surfaces of oceans, seas, and lakes.

Fungal-Rich Soil Could Improve Green Roofs

A Dartmouth-led research team set out to determine if managing green roof soil microbes could boost healthy urban soil development, a methodology that could be applied to support climate resilience in cities. The team created an experimental green roof in Chicago to test how enhancing soil with native prairie microbes would change the soil microbial community over time. Read on to learn more.

Improving How We Track Changes in Earth’s Structures

NASA has selected a team of University of Florida aerospace engineers to pursue a groundbreaking $12 million mission aimed at improving the way we track changes in Earth’s structures, such as tectonic plates and oceans. The mission, titled “GRATTIS” (Gravitational Reference Advanced Technology Test in Space), was the sole proposal selected in a national competition. Read on to learn more about it.