Bio-Tech
Biofuel breakthrough announced – the hydrogen economy takes a giant leap forward
A new breakthrough has been announced in biofuel production that could mean cheap clean hydrogen energy is just around the corner. The new process has been able to produce hydrogen from simple plant sugars, something previously only theoretically possible. The new process is cheap and does not use polluting and energy intensive processes to do [...]
Harvesting Carbon from the air for biofuel production
There is a lot of concern about climate change due to the carbon being pumped into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. Could a solution to this problem be to not just capture the carbon during production but to convert the carbon to another fuel? Thanks to a bacteria that makes it home close to hydro-thermal vents [...]
Capturing electricity from wetlands
Wetlands and marshlands could soon be offering more than just flood prevention and water purification as part of their ecosystem services. A researcher in the Netherlands has been able to tap the electricity generated from plant soil interactions and the technology is soon to go global. Wageningen University researcher Marjolein Helder undertook the research as part of her Phd and she [...]
Restored wetlands are a shadow of their former self.
Wetlands have been involved in a losing battle ever since humans first started agriculture. Draining land for agriculture and development has gone on for hundreds of years but in recent times conservationists have been trying to turn things around with wetland restoration schemes. But it’s not just restoration of degraded wetlands that is now becoming common place. [...]
Nature cleaning up our most dangerous pollution
At a disused oil refinery site in Montreal, Canada, willow trees are growing in highly contaminated soil and deep in the roots the fungi are at work cleaning up the mess humans have left behind. The actions of the fungi are being studied by at team from the University in order to find which species [...]
Giant windmills to breath new life into Baltic Sea?
The Baltic Sea has a real problem. Despite the green and environmental credentials of many countries that border it, it is still one of the worlds most polluted seas. Swedish scientists are proposing to build giant windmills to power pumps to circulate the water and so tackle the main problem of phosphorus overload.
Microbes make mine water drinkable
Mine waste water can cause major health problems across the developing nations. When local water supply is polluted then the consequences can dire. However with a little help from bacteria it is possible to make mine water safe to drink. Research has shown that dissolved zinc can be turned into solid form with bacteria. Understanding [...]
Constructed Wetlands – Natural Water cleaners
Over the last decade or so there has been a substantial growth in the number of man-made wetlands being commissioned to treat wastewater. It’s easy to see why; cheap to build and operate, usually effective and good for nature. Is this one of those rare commodities, a win-win situation where both man and environment benefit? [...]