Earth & Environment
The EUB SuperHub Online Platform: Towards a smart and sustainable construction future
Imagine how much easier life would be with an online repository containing all relevant information about a building over its lifecycle while also connecting all stakeholders, from developers and contractors to tenants and maintenance teams. Moving from imagination to reality, Ahmed Khoja, senior researcher at Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Dr Marina Malinovec Puček, lead consultant at the […]
Environmentally friendly ammonia-free preservation and stabilisation of natural rubber liquid latex
Natural latex is the raw material that supplies about half of the rubber production worldwide. Latex is a fragile liquid which quickly decomposes in air shortly after its extraction from trees. Traditional means to avoid decomposition involve the use of additives, including ammonia, that are harmful to the environment and the people handling the material. A team at AFLatex Technologies […]
New approaches to high-resolution geological simulations
Geological and reservoir modelling are critical for geological exploration, resource extraction, and geoengineering projects. Current workflows and datasets record geological variations on metre or decimetre scales. However, many relevant geological structures exist at sub-centimetre scales. Dr Achyut Mishra and Professor Ralf Haese at the University of Melbourne, Australia – part of the international research consortium GeoCquest – have developed a […]
The science of dishwashing: Changing habits for a greener world
By making small changes to our domestic habits, we can make a big difference to global energy use and resource consumption. That’s the message from a new review report, which shows how rethinking the everyday task of washing up can help private households to become significantly more resource efficient. Led by Dr Lotta Schencking and Professor Rainer Stamminger from the […]
Mechanochemistry: A new route to sustainable polymer recycling
Plastics and rubbers are some of the most important materials in advanced societies, and hundreds of millions of tonnes are produced every year. Devising efficient and cost-effective ways to recycle these materials has become a crucial environmental concern. Although degradable plastic-based materials can be produced, their practical use is limited by their vulnerability under environmental stress. Professor Junpeng Wang and […]
Sustainable building strategies to combat climate change in Africa
In response to climate change, we often resort to energy-intensive heating and cooling systems to maintain thermal comfort within buildings. However, passive solar systems (which harness solar radiation) and smart building designs (that create optimal indoor conditions) are now being adopted across Africa to reduce energy consumption. Building on previous investigations into passive solar systems and design, Michael Santos and […]
Multiple benefits of molasses nutrient blocks for cattle: Helping the fight against climate change
In Southeast Asia, with its burgeoning economies, smallholder livestock production is in a promising transition stage, yet overall remains inefficient. Dr Peter Windsor, Professor Emeritus at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Australia, and a team of researchers in Laos, have adapted the humble feed block into an effective multi-intervention livestock development strategy that could […]
Predicting and managing flood risks from extreme rain events in Japan
Japan has seen an increase in extreme rain events in recent years, resulting in catastrophic flooding with substantial loss of human life and destruction of property. As climate change is likely to increase the severity and frequency of flooding, governments and other organisations are rightly becoming more concerned. Research conducted by Shakti P.C. and colleagues at Japan’s National Research Institute […]
When less is more: Downscaling climate data for improved modelling
Accurate climate modelling requires long-term, high-resolution, and high-quality time series data. However, such datasets are often not available, especially in the Global South. Dr Andrew Fullhart (US Department of Agriculture) is utilising global climate datasets and machine learning to improve global coverage of gridded data. The results provide accurate monthly and daily time series for precipitation across Africa and South […]
Triharmony/Trilemma of Water Assets in tropical peatland
In tropical peatland, the three key elements Water, Carbon, and Nutrients are interrelated, interconnected, and interact. When these elements are in balance, a Triharmony state arises. Conversely, a Trilemma state occurs when these elements are out of balance. Here, we focus on Water Assets in the context of tropical peatland. To achieve Triharmony, scientists at Sumitomo Forestry Co, Ltd, and […]