The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced $9 million in funding for research into the use of algae that occur naturally in seawater to produce a sustainable twofer: renewable algae biofuel and algae fodder for cattle, too. Hey, make that a threefer: studies have found that an algae diet can … [continued]
The University of Florida has come up with a new tool for property owners to make significant strides in water conservation: the peanut, or at least, a distant cousin called rhizoma perennial peanut. The colorful groundcover does not bear edible goobers, but it does have lush foliage and light orange … [continued]
The fire hydrant of the future will have a new mission in addition to fighting fires. Geared up with new data collection, storage and communication equipment, fire hydrants will play a key role in efforts to conserve water in the nation’s vast, complex water systems. [social_buttons] Compared to its record … [continued]
A scientist at the Florida Institute of Technology has come up with a new compound that disinfects and cleans polluted water without producing toxic byproducts. It’s based on ferrate, which is a revved-up form of iron. Through the school’s technology transfer office, chemistry professor Virender K. Sharma has teamed up … [continued]
Scott Banta, a chemical engineering professor at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, has won a federal grant to come up with a bacteria that can produce the biofuel butanol by growing on carbon dioxide and ammonia. The carbon dioxide will come from ambient air, not … [continued]
We are always on the lookout for sustainable new developments in the burgeoning field of wastewater recycling, so of course this item from New Zealand caught our attention. A PhD project by a Victoria University student is undergoing commercial development as a means of reclaiming water, high-pressure steam, fertilizer products, … [continued]
At the ExxonMobil’s annual shareholders meeting on May 26th, the San Francisco-based sustainable investors group As You Sow asked for a vote on forcing the company to assess the risks to drinking water, public health, and shareholder value associated with hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. [social_buttons] Representing the holders of … [continued]
In harsh and inhospitable environments, with hot days and cold nights, this invention creates a temperate and moist earthen nursery for protecting and nurturing seeds into trees with a self replenishing source of drip irrigation. It is a plant incubator that’s designed to cool faster than the night air, creating … [continued]
A team of scientists from Columbia University has found evidence that emissions of nitrous oxide from some wastewater treatment plants may be significantly higher than previous estimates. Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that is almost 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide. As for the good news, the team … [continued]
The U.S. Office of Naval Research has awarded a $400,000 grant to desalination tech leader NanoH2O, to develop a high efficiency desalination nanomembrane that is more resistant to fouling. The effort, part of the Navy’s Future Naval Capabilities program, is aimed at increasing energy efficiency and portability for shipboard use. … [continued]
