gas Archives - Good News!

Scientists Just Built a CO2-Eating Machine That Runs on Sunlight

Austin Tang — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:29:20 +0000

Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the power source. Credit: University of Cambridge

Scientists have developed a sunlight-powered reactor that directly captures CO₂ from the air and transforms it into sustainable fuel.

Unlike traditional carbon capture methods, this device requires no fossil-fuel energy, making it a game-changer for the climate crisis. By mimicking photosynthesis, it produces syngas, a crucial ingredient in fuel and pharmaceuticals, with plans to scale up for liquid fuel production.

Harnessing Sunlight for Sustainable Fuel

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a solar-powered reactor that captures carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel using sunlight.

This innovative reactor has the potential to produce fuel for cars and planes, as well as essential chemicals and pharmaceuticals. It could also provide a reliable energy source in remote or off-grid locations.

Unlike traditional carbon capture technologies, which require fossil fuel energy and involve transporting and storing CO₂, this reactor eliminates those steps. Instead, it directly converts atmospheric CO₂ into useful products using only sunlight. The research findings were published today (February 13) in Nature Energy.

The Limitations of Conventional Carbon Storage

While Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been promoted as a solution to the climate crisis—receiving £22 billion (~$27 billion) in UK government funding—it remains highly energy-intensive. Additionally, concerns persist over the long-term safety of storing pressurized CO₂ deep underground, though ongoing studies are assessing these risks.

“Aside from the expense and the energy intensity, CCS provides an excuse to carry on burning fossil fuels, which is what caused the climate crisis in the first place,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research. “CCS is also a non-circular process, since the pressurized CO₂ is, at best, stored underground indefinitely, where it’s of no use to anyone.”

Turning a Harmful Gas into Useful Chemicals

“What if instead of pumping the carbon dioxide underground, we made something useful from it?” said first author Dr Sayan Kar from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. “CO₂ is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it can also be turned into useful chemicals without contributing to global warming.”

The focus of Reisner’s research group is the development of devices that convert waste, water, and air into practical fuels and chemicals. These devices take their inspiration from photosynthesis: the process by which plants convert sunlight into food. The devices don’t use any outside power: no cables, no batteries – all they need is the power of the sun.

From Air to Syngas: The Key Breakthrough

The team’s newest system takes CO₂ directly from the air and converts it into syngas: a key intermediate in the production of many chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The researchers say their approach, which does not require any transportation or storage, is much easier to scale up than earlier solar-powered devices.

The device, a solar-powered flow reactor, uses specialized filters to grab CO₂ from the air at night, like how a sponge soaks up water. When the sun comes out, the sunlight heats up the captured CO₂, absorbing infrared radiation and a semiconductor powder absorbs the ultraviolet radiation to start a chemical reaction that converts the captured CO₂ into solar syngas. A mirror on the reactor concentrates the sunlight, making the process more efficient.

Towards Liquid Fuels and Scaled-Up Solutions

The researchers are currently working on converting solar syngas into liquid fuels, which could be used to power cars, planes, and more – without adding more CO₂ to the atmosphere.

“If we made these devices at scale, they could solve two problems at once: removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and creating a clean alternative to fossil fuels,” said Kar. “CO₂ is seen as a harmful waste product, but it is also an opportunity.”

A Future Without Fossil Fuels?

The researchers say that a particularly promising opportunity is in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, where syngas can be converted into many of the products we rely on every day, without contributing to climate change. They are building a larger scale version of the reactor and hope to begin tests in the spring.

If scaled up, the researchers say their reactor could be used in a decentralized way, so that individuals could theoretically generate their own fuel, which would be useful in remote or off-grid locations.

“Instead of continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have come to rely on, we can get all the CO₂ we need directly from the air and reuse it,” said Reisner. “We can build a circular, sustainable economy – if we have the political will to do it.”

Reference: “Direct air capture of CO₂ for solar fuel production in flow” by Sayan Kar, Dongseok Kim, Ariffin Bin Mohamad Annuar, Bidyut Bikash Sarma, Michael Stanton, Erwin Lam, Subhajit Bhattacharjee, Suvendu Karak, Heather F. Greer and Erwin Reisner, 13 February 2025, Nature Energy.
DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01714-y

The technology is being commercialized with the support of Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialization arm. The research was supported in part by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the European Research Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Cambridge Trust. Erwin Reisner is a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge.

The post Scientists Just Built a CO2-Eating Machine That Runs on Sunlight appeared first on Good News!.

Barbecues & Summertime Foods Triggering Belly Bloat?

Austin Tang — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:29:14 +0000

Listen to “Barbecues & Summertime Foods Triggering Belly Bloat?” on Spreaker.

Favorite summer foods like ice cream, watermelon and blackberries may tempt your taste buds, but they can also wreak havoc in your gut.

Many of these foods and others may have a tendency to cause bloating.

• The dairy lactose in ice cream can cause stomach discomfort even if you aren’t particularly intolerant of the sugar.
• While watermelon is sweet and refreshing, it’s also one of the sneakier foods that can gas and stomach bloat because it’s high in fructose, a naturally occurring sugar that’s often incompletely absorbed by our system.
• Blackberries are the perfect fruit to add to your morning cereal, but they’re packed with polyols, the main component in sugar substitutes – which are often blamed for abdominal distress. And the list goes on…

If your gastrointestinal tract doesn’t move certain foods through efficiently, gas can build up in the intestines triggering bloating, discomfort and even embarrassment.

Sometimes it may seem difficult to avoid the problems surrounding flatulence, but one doctor and his son have come up with answers to both the tummy trouble and the embarrassing odors that sometimes accompany those problems.

They’ve developed a type of underwear that blends activated carbon and organic bamboo that can control unwanted odors.

Doctor Robert White and his son Collin talk about this new adaptive clothing designed to help with this problem, along with doctor’s advice on what summer foods can cause belly bloat this summer and what to avoid.

WearTootles.com

#barbecues #summertimefoods #bellybloat #robertwhite #collinwhite #tastebuds #wreakhavoc #gut #lactose #odors #farts #passgas #flatulence #weartootles

The post Barbecues & Summertime Foods Triggering Belly Bloat? appeared first on Good News!.

WHY INNOHOME? Over half of all household fires start in the kitchen. Products that are great for Senior’s and drunk college students:)

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:04:35 +0000

Listen to “WHY INNOHOME? Over half of all household fires start in the kitchen.” on Spreaker.

Innohome combines Finnish safety thinking and intelligent technology
Innohome’s cooker safety products, developed in Finland, are based on patented technology that observes cooker use using sensors. The devices react to a risk situation before toxic gases are produced and before a fire starts by detecting cooker top temperature, its change, and cooker use.

Intelligent and self-learning safety
After installation, Innohome’s cooker safety products observe and study their environment. The devices’ heat sensor adjusts its sensitivity based on the users’ cooking style, allowing for exact hazard recognition. The cooker is always turned off in a risk situation. Additional protection is provided by an automatic timer based on cooker use, responding to external smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and the cooker knob Safety Lock.

Observing and reacting
Immediate detection and response to abnormal changes is at the core of Innohome’s technology. This enables awareness of causative factors before the ignition of a fire. Innohome concentrates on improving kitchen and cooker safety, but its technology can be applied to all electrical appliances.

Innohome’s innovations and technology have received several awards such as the CES 2016 Innovation Awards Honoree and IFSEC Active Fire Product Innovation Award.

See more about technology here.

Technology
EU cooker safety standard

Over half of all household fires start in the kitchen. A significant number of these could be prevented with high-quality cooker safety devices. Innohome’s Stove Guard and Stove Alarm – designed in Finland – represent state-of-the-art fire safety technology that can prevent most kitchen fires.
Alert before toxic gases and fire
Innohome’s Stove Guard and Stove Alarm are intelligent, self-learning fire safety devices with advanced, award-winning technology that is a result of years of dedicated research and development. The devices react in a risk situation before toxic gases can form and before a fire can start, turning the cooker off and activating additional alarms if needed.

A traditional smoke alarm is not always enough
Traditional smoke alarms only signal when a fire has already started. They are also not normally recommended in the kitchen because of cooking frequently triggering false alarms. Furthermore, a traditional smoke alarm is unable to help save lives if nobody is at home or if a person is unable to respond to the alarm.

Easy additional safety and support for independent living
The ease of use and installation of Innohome devices is among the best in the market. The Stove Alarm is also an excellent way to support independent living when the use of a cooker is risky due to old age, illness, or learning difficulties, among others.

Finnish market leader and test success
Innohome is a Finnish company founded in 2005. We are the global market leader in cooker safety products. Our products have been installed in over 150,000 locations worldwide.

Our products have passed all SINTEF tests for cooker safety devices, and they fulfil the EU standard 50615 requirements.

International development
International awareness of the potential of cooker safety devices is on the rise. In addition to the recent EU standard, Norway, for example, has passed a law that requires the installation of a cooker safety device in every new kitchen.

Fire departments in the UK work closely with Innohome, and some regions are offering Stove Alarms for high-risk groups free of charge.

https://www.innohome.com/us/

#innohome #combines #finnish #safety #thinking #intelligent #technology #tech #products #finland #sensors #cook #cooker #risk #toxic #gases #gas #temperature #change #self #learning #learn #observing #reacting #fire #kitchen #seniors #drunk

The post WHY INNOHOME? Over half of all household fires start in the kitchen. Products that are great for Senior’s and drunk college students:) appeared first on Good News!.

Manischewitz Today

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:15:34 +0000

In September 2008, the company changed it’s name from the R.A.B. Food Group to the Manischewitz Company, under which it operates today.

It all started with Rabbi Dov Behr

The B. Manischewitz Company, LLC traces its beginnings back to the spring of 1888, when Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz opened a small Matzo bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A humble beginning

It was largely from his spiritual concerns that he set out to make matzo or unleavened bread for Passover, first for his family and a few friends, but soon for many of the devout Jews of the city. His bakery soon evolved into a successful business, innovative and prosperous––though never inattentive to the spiritual needs of its customers.

From small bakery to booming business

By the end of the century, demand for his matzo had become so great that Rabbi Manischewitz turned to the use of gas-fired ovens, replacing the older coal stoves being used by other Jewish bakers. The newer ovens allowed for much more careful control of the baking speed, insuring a consistent and standard quality to the matzos.
He also introduced portable traveling-tunnel ovens, and was the first to package his matzos for shipment to places beyond the immediate neighborhood of his bakery. He even began shipping his matzos overseas, to such diverse places as England, Japan, France, Hungary, Egypt and New Zealand. His bright, clean bakery would become a model for future kosher bakeries, both in America and abroad.

Matzo on the move

In 1932, the company built a second factory. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, the plant quickly became the model for all new machine-made matzo bakeries worldwide. Closer to a much larger Jewish population than that of Cincinnati, the new factory also made distribution of the company’s product more efficient and quickly enlarged its customer base. The Manischewitz label was soon dominant in ethnic grocery stores and delicatessens in the larger East Coast cities. Thanks to the technology and efficiency of the New Jersey factory, Manischewitz was able to close down the Cincinnati facility altogether.

Same quality, more quantity

In 1940, Manischewitz produced its first Tam Tam cracker. It signaled the initial departure from its line of matzo products. About the same time, in a licensing arrangement, Manischewitz wines began to be sold throughout the country.
In 1954, the company purchased a processing plant located in Vineland, New Jersey. The Vineland facility, which has now ceased operations, manufactured all of the company’s canned and jarred products, including old familiar favorites like gefilte fish, chicken soup and borscht. The plant was primarily a hand-pack processing operation stressing careful attention to quality and flexibility. Workers there packed about 2,000,000 lbs. of fish and 1,000,000 lbs. of beets each year.

The post Manischewitz Today appeared first on Good News!.

Vid Son Doz

editor — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:43:54 +0000

Our resident artist Vid Son Doz speaks about Fracking and the organization Artists Against Fracking

What is Fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.

For the full story, go to http://goodnewsplanet.com/artists-against-fracking/

The post Vid Son Doz appeared first on Good News!.

Artists Against Fracking

editor — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:25:00 +0000

Our resident artist Vid Son Doz speaks about Fracking and the organization Artists Against Fracking

What is Fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.

ABOUT ARTISTS AGAINST FRACKING

“Right now, some people are trying to make easy money, and meanwhile ruin this country’s future, by a thing called ‘fracking.’” – Yoko Ono

Yoko and Sean were compelled into action by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that fracking might soon begin in New York – directly impacting their home in upstate New York. In less than 10 days, they gathered nearly 150 fellow artists to join them in the founding of Artists Against Fracking in August 2012.

Today, at nearly 200 members Artists Against Fracking works to expose and stop the harmful and contaminating practice of fracking for natural gas and oil through mass awareness and peaceful democratic action. At its core, we believe that fracking for shale gas is a danger to New Yorkers. Inevitably, the process leads to the release of toxic chemicals — many of which are unknown and unreported — into our air and water.

“Though my father died when I was 5, I have always felt lucky to live on land he loved dearly; land in an area that is now on the verge of being destroyed.” – Sean Ono Lennon

#DONTFRACKNY VIDEO CONTEST

Artists Against Fracking founders Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon are asking you to help convince New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban fracking in New York. Submit your 30-second ad or short video here. The winning ad will be used in the New York and Albany TV markets, and winners will have lunch with Yoko and Sean! Deadline for submission is January 20.

To submit a video, go to http://artistsagainstfracking.com/dontfrackny-video-contest/.

The post Artists Against Fracking appeared first on Good News!.