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RESEARCHERS at the University of Sheffield are working on solutions to ‘clean up’ sewage sludge, extracting toxic heavy metals to leave behind phosphate. This will help to address the imminent crisis the world is facing in the shortage of this non-renewable, finite resource. Fertiliser provides two major macronutrients for crop growth – phosphate and nitrogen. Phosphate use in fertilisers has quadrupled in...

A NEW study will identify the UK’s best sites and produce a road map for carbon storage to help the country reach its net zero targets. The gas fields of the southern North Sea are the focus of the Heriot-Watt University study, which has received funding from the Oil and Gas Technology Centre and support from the UK regulator, the...

The Welsh Government seeks views on its plans to make Wales the world’s top recycling nation and help us become 'a truly circular economy', at a series of Beyond Recycling Consultation Events across Wales. The Beyond Recycling strategy outlines how to make the circular economy a reality in Wales and sets out the next steps towards eliminating waste and addressing the climate...

AIRLINES could be forced to cut passenger numbers or fly to fewer destinations in future due to climate change, according to a new study led by Cranfield University. The research found that aircraft now need longer distances, on average, to take off - as global warming, with warm air and slow winds, makes it harder for planes to get off...

SOCIAL media users are more likely to eat fruit and veg – or snack on junk food – if they think their friends do the same, a new study has found. The research, by Aston University’s School of Life and Health Sciences, found that study participants ate an extra fifth of a portion of fruit and vegetables themselves for every portion...

THE DECISION about the Devon firm comes after months of problems related to unpaid bills to three separate water companies: Bristol Water, Wessex Water and South West Water. According to MOSL, the market operator for the water retail market in England, all customers in the affected wholesale area have been successfully transferred to Pennon Water Services. In May last year Ofwat...

SCIENTISTS at the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds have secured funding to investigate ways the UK steel industry can be decarbonised within 30 years. Steel manufacturing is a high carbon process, with figures from the World Steel Association showing that every tonne that is manufactured creates 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide. With the UK legally committed to be a net-zero emitter...

SELLING of coal and wet wood for domestic burning will be phased out in the next three years, the government announced today. Wood burning stoves and coal fires are the single largest source of the pollutant ‘PM2.5’, emitting twice the contribution of industrial combustion and three times the contribution of road transport. To help improve the air we breathe and ensure...

£90 MILLION funding towards cutting carbon emissions in industry and homes was announced by Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng earlier this week. £70 million of the funds will be towards two of Europe’s first-ever large scale, low carbon hydrogen production plants - the first on the banks of the Mersey, the second planned for near Aberdeen. A third project will develop technology...

GridBeyond, a leading intelligent energy and smart grid platform provider for Distributed Energy Resource Management, opens its first US office in Houston, Texas. This is a key element of GridBeyond’s global expansion plans over the coming months. Wayne Muncaster, Vice-President for North America operations, who leads on the US expansion, commented: “After months of research and preparation work with our investors...