Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have created a new type of paint that absorbs water from the air and splits it to generate hydrogen. Dubbed ‘solar paint’, the material contains synthetic molybdenum-sulphide, a newly developed compound that removes moi

Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels. Purpose-grown feedstocks (used to extract oils) for biodiesels are controversial because of their cost and the demand they pla

Blackburn-based The Furniture Recycling Group (TFRG) has announced that it recycled 58,000 used mattresses received from retailer John Lewis in 2016. TFRG said that the 2016 figures meant it had diverted about 1,500 tonnes of waste from landfill. John Lewis commented that TFRG has a s

Ground-breaking research into self-healing concrete has received over £4 million in new funding to help create innovative solutions to rising maintenance costs across the UK. The Cardiff University-led Resilient Materials 4 Life (RM4L) project has received the investment from the Engi

A chance discovery made by researchers at the University of Glasgow could dramatically reduce the cost of treating water for drinking. The team, working on an EPSRC-funded project in collaboration with the University of Michigan, analysing bacteria found in drinking water system in th

Bioengineers at The University of Nottingham are trialling how to use shrimp shells to make biodegradable shopping bags, as a ‘green’ alternative to oil-based plastic, and as a new food packaging material to extend product shelf life. The new material for these affordable ‘eco-friendl

Productivity is an economic measure defined as the ratio of GDP to hours worked in a given period. While this sounds a sensible measure, it is, of course, fraught with uncertainty. We know that all the economic data is constantly being revised and it must, in truth, be very difficult

One start-up company is about to use space technology to eliminate the issue of blind spots in lorries, buses and other large vehicles altogether. SeeCycle is developing a system that makes cyclists more visible to HGVs and buses by creating a ‘virtual protective field’ around the veh

A quick, cheap and highly efficient method for producing a water-purifying chemical has been developed by researchers at Cardiff University. The team, from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, Lehigh University and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA, have

Scientists have theoretically designed a new material that could help supply the world with clean energy by turning water into fuel, using just the power of the sun. Chemists at the University of Reading say a new catalyst, which mimics the way plants absorb energy from the sun, could