The green energy lab of the future
21 June, 2013 by Lauren DavisWhen Curtin University’s renewable energy research centre CRESTA closed in 2004, the university found itself lacking a facility devoted to renewable energy. So when Dr Sumedha Rajakaruna was asked to design and build a new lab, he made sure the full use of expensive renewable energy sources could be achieved.
Pig poo problem solved
20 May, 2013An Australian-led project to turn 1.4 million tonnes of Chinese pig poo into alternative energy and fertiliser has been hailed in a national science award.
The flight of the RoboBee
06 May, 2013In the very early hours of the morning, in a Harvard robotics laboratory, an insect called a RoboBee took flight achieving vertical take-off, hovering and steering. Half the size of a paperclip, weighing less than a tenth of a gram, it leapt a few inches, hovered for a moment on fragile, flapping wings and then sped along a pre-set route through the air.
‘Free’ self-cooling, thermoelectric system developed
15 April, 2013Researchers at the UPNA/NUP-Public University of Navarre have produced a prototype of a self-cooling thermoelectric device that achieves ‘free’ cooling of over 30°C in devices that give off heat. It is a piece of equipment that acts as a traditional cooler but which consumes no electricity because it obtains the energy it needs to function from the very heat that has to be dissipated.
Frequent mating key to male reproductive fitness
18 January, 2013Fertility tests frequently reveal that males have problems with the quality of their seed. The problems often relate to senescence, which is a reduction in quality with age.
Research collaboration to develop greener medical treatments
08 January, 2013Research into a cost-effective biomimetic that has the potential to treat many bone diseases such as osteoporosis will be pioneered through a joint venture between Cardia Bioplastics and the University of Sydney.
Stealing nature’s photosynthetic secrets
12 November, 2012The prospect of creating clean, renewable hydrogen fuel is closer than ever after a breakthrough in our understanding of photosynthesis.
Green chemistry helps promote sustainable manufacturing
31 October, 2012Greener manufacturing in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries has received a boost following the establishment of the $24.9 million Victorian Centre for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing (VCSCM).
Partnership boosts research on new-generation biofuels
09 October, 2012RMIT University has signed a multimillion-dollar partnership with World Wide Carbon Credits Australia to develop an algae-based biofuel at a commercial scale.
Algae bioreactors in pipes
03 October, 2012Engineers at GF Piping Systems have succeeded in finding the balance between light permeability and durability. They have developed a piping system made of transparent PVC, which allows sufficient light to pass through in the right wavelength for microalgae to be grown in the interior of the pipe.
Advances in decades-old dream of mining seawater for uranium
22 August, 2012Scientists have reported progress towards a 40-year-old dream of extracting uranium for nuclear power from seawater, which holds at least four billion tonnes of the precious material.
Build your own solar cells
18 May, 2012 by David L ChandlerPhotovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells, according to MIT researcher Andreas Mershin.
Scientific innovation in the ‘green world’
16 March, 2012 by Janette WoodhouseWe’ve all been brought up to believe that scientific innovation is ‘good’ - that it will ultimately result in a better, safer, happier world. But some are now considering that such innovation may not be the vanguard of a sustainable future.
Consortium converts water into chemical fuels
08 March, 2012University of Wollongong scientists are behind the establishment of a global consortium which is using sunlight to convert water into important chemical fuels such as hydrogen gas. The research promises a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by reducing CO2 from fossil fuel use.
Improving catalytic sustainability
14 February, 2012RIKEN researchers are leading the way with novel rare-earth metal catalysts that reduce waste and improve aromatic bond-forming reactions.
