Researchers at Monash University have demonstrated a way to manufacture bioplastic films with customisable properties, using natural polymers produced by soil-dwelling microbes. According to a statement from the university on Friday, researchers were able to produce films out of the bioplastic PHA “that behave like conventional plastics and can be molded into other shapes or…
New electrolyte research led by the University of Adelaide could improve the usefulness of rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries (AZB.) According to a statement from the university on Monday, AZBs could be an attractive alternative to lithium ion chemistries because of their non-flammability and the abundance of zinc as a resource, but are held back by…
Researchers have developed a new catalyst that Monash University says could bring zinc-air batteries “closer to real-world, grid-scale and transport uses”. According to a statement from the university on Monday, the catalyst is able to make the batteries oxygen reactions “much faster and more efficient”, and “[offer] more power, longer life and lower costs.” The…
A startup is aiming to commercialise a desktop-sized device invented at University of Queensland and able to make the “workhorse chemical” hydrogen peroxide from water and air. According to a statement from UQ on Tuesday, its commercialisation vehicle Uniquest has licenced the device to Evimien Energy, which hopes to change production for an industrial chemical…
A new water-based battery developed by Monash University research engineers could one day help households “store rooftop solar energy more safely, cheaply and efficiently”, according to the university. The new battery makes use of a “new membrane design [which] fixes the speed problem” normally attached to flow batteries, and which normally limits their use to…
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is turning up the heat on innovative, eco-friendly solutions with their latest project aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of fluorine-free firefighting foams (F3). As global efforts intensify to phase out PFAS-based foams—dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ for their environmental persistence—CDU’s initiative, supported by the United States Department of Defense, aims to create safer…
A novel electrified reactor developed by Monash University researchers could offer a lower-temperature, lower-cost and environmentally gentler alternative to chemical manufacturers using methane reforming to make syngas, according to the university. In a statement on Wednesday, Monash said the reactor for dry reforming of methane (DRM) could cut emissions by up to 60 per cent…
UNSW researchers have developed a new recycling method that can work on a variety of plastics and uses sunlight, air and a cheap, common chemical. According to a statement from the university, the process could break down seven different types of polymers by 90 per cent in under 30 minutes (and 97 per cent after…
By Tianyi Ma, RMIT University Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are vital tools to help us make cuts to the 36 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases we emit each year. But renewables alone can’t get us to net zero. Sectors such as cement, steel and chemical manufacturing produce significant carbon dioxide emissions…
Monash University researchers have developed a new family of materials claimed to be “relatively easily” and affordably made and able to capture excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. According to a statement from the university on Thursday, “meso-macroporous melamine formaldehyde (MF)” is a promising base for direct air capture (DAC) of CO2. MF is made…