New Ultrafast Saltwater Purification Device
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a device that can desalinate water at least one thousand times faster than existing methods. A Membrane Made From Tiny Fluorine-Based Nanoscopic Rings Scientists at the Tokyo School of Engineering’s Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology constructed tiny fluorine-based nanoscopic rings that were coated with a hydrophobic surface […]
Renewable Cement Made Entirely From Waste Materials
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created renewable, sustainable ‘biocement’ made entirely from waste materials, making it a greener and more sustainable alternative to regular cement. How? The NTU scientists have used two common waste materials, industrial carbide sludge (the waste material from the production of acetylene gas) and urea (from the urine of […]
First Off-Grid, Self-Powering Phone Mast Switched-On
Vodafone has announced the switch-on of the UK’s first wind and solar-powered mobile phone mast in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Wind And Solar Power The mast, designed to provide 4G coverage to the community of Eglwyswrw (pronounced Egg-lis-oo-roo), incorporates a wind turbine, solar panels, and on-site battery storage. This makes the mast off-grid and self-powering and enables […]
Great to Meet Planet Cheltenham
Lovely to meet some of the people helping Planet Cheltenham. Now … time to see how we can help get things done … !
IT Industry’s Sustainability Action-Gap
A report by datacentre energy management company Schneider Electric has highlighted a sustainability action gap between the statements of intent and actions of IT companies. The Research The research for the report, carried out with Forrester and 451 Research, collected data from 3,000 global cloud and IT businesses, and comments about the IT industry’s lack […]
First U.S. Moratorium On Crypto-Mining Passed
New York state lawmakers have passed a two-year ban on energy-hungry ‘proof-of-work’ crypto mining that uses carbon-based fossil fuel power plants. Energy-Hungry Crypto-Mining One of the big environmental challenges of cryptocurrency mining is that it requires a large amount of power. For example, Bitcoin “mining” uses specialised Bitcoin computers that are constantly powered on and […]
Swappable Batteries
Rather than EV drivers waiting for 40 minutes to re-charge the car battery at a charging station, could the solution be stations where drivers can quickly swap their battery for a fully charged one? Swap Battery Rather Than Wait To Re-Charge Chinese electric carmaker, Nio, recently made the news with exactly this idea (which is […]
All At Sea For Carbon Capture
With container ships being bigger greenhouse gas producers that aeroplanes, London-based company ‘Seabound’ has developed technology that reduces up to 95 per cent of CO2 emissions per ship. The Problem The shipping industry is responsible for producing around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which equates to at least 2.5 per cent of the world’s total […]
Using Bubbles To Fight Plastic Pollution
A fast-growing Amsterdam-based start-up, The Great Bubble Barrier, has created a barrier (as the name suggests) that uses bubbles to stop plastic waste from entering waterways and to remove plastic from them. Most Plastic Travels Via Rivers And Canals Each year, up to 80 per cent of the 8 million tons of plastic reaching the […]
The Impact Of Lithium Mining
With our devices using lithium-ion batteries and with Electronic Vehicles (EVs) currently dependent on lithium for their rechargeable batteries, we look at the environmental impact of lithium mining, and what the possible alternatives could be. Lithium Lithium is a naturally occurring element found in ionic minerals like petalite, lepidolite, and spodumene, and is a soft, silvery-white […]
Switch Off ‘Vampire’ Devices And Save An Average Of £147 Per Year
New research by British Gas (Centrica) has revealed that UK households could save an average of £147 per year on their electricity bills by switching off their ‘vampire electronics’. What Are Vampire Devices? So-called ‘vampire devices’ are those household electronic devices, plugged into the mains, that continue to drain power even when left on standby. […]
Key ESG and Sustainability Business Trends
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and particularly sustainability are now key to many business spending decisions. Here we look at some of the current key trends. Ten Trends 1. Putting sustainability at the heart of the business. This is now much more than just an attractive concept. The need to tackle global warming, meet […]