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New method to produce urea in a more sustainable, energy-efficient way

Urea is a critical element found in everything from fertilizers to skin care products. Large-scale production of urea, which is naturally a product of human urine, is a massive undertaking, making up about 2% of global energy use and emissions today.

15 Jul 2021

New iron-nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst could reduce harmful air pollutants

Our reliance on fossil fuels as a primary energy source has pushed air pollution to an all-time high, resulting in several environmental and health concerns. Among the major pollutants, nitrogen oxide (NOx) accumulation can cause severe respiratory diseases and imbalance in the Earth's nitrogen cycle. Reducing NOx accumulation is, therefore, an issue of utmost importance.

21 May 2021

Many do not recognise animal agriculture's link to infectious diseases

New research led by the University of Kent has found that people fail to recognize the role of factory farming in causing infectious diseases.

14 May 2021

New system filters wastewater while creating electricity

Whether wastewater is full of "waste" is a matter of perspective. "Why is it waste?" asked Zhen (Jason) He, professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

11 May 2021

Cell membranes can boost the production of protein-based vaccines

Synthetic biologists have cracked open a cellular membrane, identifying a new method to boost the production yields of protein-based vaccines by five times.

26 Apr 2021

Logical next steps to implement a community vision for the future of biodiversity collections

Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the crucial role played by biodiversity collections in enabling rapid responses to crises and in facilitating ongoing research across numerous fields. Despite the recognized value of this infrastructure, the community nevertheless has further opportunities to maximize its value to the scientific enterprise.

8 Apr 2021

Toxin in potatoes is a divergent of bitter-tasting compound in tomatoes

A multi-institutional collaboration has revealed that α-solanine, a toxic compound found in potato plants, is a divergent of the bitter-tasting α-tomatine, which is found in tomato plants.

26 Mar 2021

Simple buffers can prevent photoblueing effect in microscopy

Advances in fluorescence microscopy make it viable to image molecular complexes or individual molecules in cells with a spatial resolution of up to 20 nm.

1 Mar 2021

Defective catalyst can simplify generation of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen

Rice University researchers have created a "defective" catalyst that simplifies the generation of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen.

10 Feb 2021

Study shows how microbiomes may recover from biodiversity loss

For many years, researchers have fought with opposing theories to describe how inter-species interactions, including competition, affect biodiversity.

5 Feb 2021

Global collaboration aims to develop new technologies to produce green ammonia

A new global collaboration to examine new ways of producing green ammonia is to receive DKK 21 million from the EU framework program for research and innovation, Horizon 2020. The project is being headed by engineering researchers from Aarhus University.

25 Jan 2021

INRS research team paves the way towards production of green hydrogen

A research team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has joined forces with French researchers from the Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES), a CNRS-University of Strasbourg joint research lab, to pave the way towards the production of green hydrogen.

25 Jan 2021

New way to make 'green' ammonia from air, water, and renewable electricity

Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney have found a way to make 'green' ammonia from air, water and renewable electricity that does not require the high temperatures, high pressure and huge infrastructure currently needed to produce this essential compound.

22 Jan 2021

Researchers design effective material to speed up the production of hydrogen fuel

Hydrogen is a sustainable source of clean energy that avoids toxic emissions and can add value to multiple sectors in the economy including transportation, power generation, metals manufacturing, among others.

22 Dec 2020

New electrochemical technology helps produce ammonia-based fertilizer from urea

Self-sufficiency in waste management and food cultivation is very important from the perspective of upcoming societies, particularly in highly closed surroundings, like a space station. However, there is still a dearth of technology to realize this dream.

15 Dec 2020

Olefins formed by light-driven catalyst can help produce drugs, agrochemicals

Taking a cue from light-sensing bacteria that live close to hot oceanic vents, synthetic chemists from Rice University have identified a mild process to produce useful hydrocarbons, called alkenes, or olefins.

11 Dec 2020

Scientists develop effective solution to improve direct methanol fuel cell

Because of the many environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels, many scientists worldwide are focused on finding efficient alternatives.

7 Dec 2020

Pollution is partly linked to rapid proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S.

The United States may have set itself up for the spread of a pandemic without even knowing it.

16 Nov 2020

Scientists identify new way to turn energy-poor pathway products into biorenewable ones

The imminent environmental crisis calls for an urgent transition to a green economy. A team of scientists at Nagoya University, Japan, led by Professor Susumu Saito, has recently found an interesting way to make this happen -- by leveraging an important metabolic pathway in living cells.

16 Nov 2020

Discovering a new step in immune cell generation

In this interview, Dr. Shalin Naik speaks to AZoLifeSciences about his team's latest research that led to the discovery of a new step in the development of T and B cells that could help us to better understand leukemia.

12 Nov 2020