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two workers with high-viz jackets and blue helmets are stood in a construction site looking at an I-pad

Getting it right: are hydrogen standards good enough?

Profile picture of Dr Chris Jones By Christopher Jones Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering Posted: February 11, 2025

Hydrogen has the potential to be an important industrial feedstock and fuel. There are, however, various ways to produce and use it, leading to diverse supply chains with different environmental implications. Two considerations for the role of hydrogen in a low carbon economy stand out – ensuring that hydrogen production and supply has sufficiently low […]

Tagged With: #OnHydrogen, carbon reduction, climate change, energy, Hydrogen, net zero, science & engineering, sustainability, Tyndall

Industrial chimney pluming out smoke surrounded by an urban landscape of buildings.

Advanced materials addressing health risks from exposure to benzene

Headshot of Martin Schröder.Headshot of Sihai Yang. By Martin Schröder and Sihai Yang Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban, Work Posted: December 2, 2024

Benzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) with widespread industrial applications, poses severe health risks to humans even at trace levels. Its genotoxic effects, which involve direct damage to cellular DNA and genetic material leading to mutations, are strongly linked to cancer and blood disorders, making its control a critical priority for workplace safety and environmental […]

Tagged With: advanced materials, air quality, cancer, CS-AdvancedMaterials, environment, Health & Safety, innovation, public health, science & engineering, technology, transport, urban

A housing construction site, surrounded by rural countryside

Belting up to deliver housing targets – are Grey Belts the answer?

Ian Mell By Ian Mell Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Urban Posted: November 27, 2024

To meet targets of building 1.5 million homes, the new government launched a consultation on the process for releasing Green Belt land. Proposals include creating a new designation of “Grey Belt” land. But given the contentious nature of Green Belts and the arguments made for and against development in these locations, the addition of this new […]

Tagged With: environment, housing, infrastructure, science & engineering, SEED, urban

Scientist with clipboard in a biotechnology lab.

Regional policy for biomanufacturing in the North-West chemical sector

Dr Neil Dixon By Neil Dixon Filed Under: Environment, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: October 3, 2024

There is an urgent need for the chemical manufacturing sector to transition to alternative, sustainable carbon-based feedstocks, moving away from reliance on petrochemical sources. Large urban areas, such as the north-west of England, generate substantial amounts of waste rich in carbon, which are processed for energy generation via direct incineration or biogas production. Here, Dr […]

Tagged With: biotechnology, CS-Biotechnology, infrastructure, innovation, MIB, science & engineering, sustainability, technology, waste

A scientist working with a bioreactor.

Building the bioeconomy

A profile picture of Professor Aline Miller By Aline Miller Filed Under: Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted: August 29, 2024

Current manufacturing processes across all industrial sectors rely on petrochemicals, either to power them, or as starting points for their product. This over reliance on finite fossil resources is having a detrimental impact on the health of the world and its population. Professor Aline Miller explains how industrial biotechnology can break this addiction to petrochemicals […]

Tagged With: biotechnology, CS-Biotechnology, economy, infrastructure, innovation, MIB, science & engineering, sustainability, technology, waste

Unjamming the (bio)printer: how can regulatory reform unleash new and advanced biomaterials?

By Marco Domingos Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 4, 2024

3D bioprinting technologies hold huge potential to transform patient care and treatment, delivering the next generation of personalised medicine. But current legislative boundaries are poorly defined, and the pathways to approval are unclear, creating unnecessary delays and costs in getting these new technologies to patients. Here, Dr Marco Domingos from the Bioprinting Technology Platform argues […]

Tagged With: advanced materials, biotechnology, Health & Social Care, innovation, Royce, science & engineering, technology

An Asian female agronomist works in a watermelon greenhouse

A silicon revolution for sustainable farming

Professor Bruce Grieve headshot By Bruce Grieve Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: February 1, 2024

An increasing population, political pressures, and severe weather events are all putting global food production at risk. The use of AI in agriculture could help farmers and agricultural decision makers to access more accurate data to improve productivity and sustainability. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Bruce Grieve explores the future of […]

Tagged With: infrastructure, science & engineering, sustainability, technology

Strengthening the UK’s energy resilience and security

Maria Sharmina By Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: November 13, 2023

Energy is a key resource enabling the functioning of modern societies. Arguably, the fast-paced technological advances in the past 200 years have been based on plentiful supply of cheap energy. But cheap and plentiful are no more. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper explore how to strengthen the […]

Tagged With: energy, environment, science & engineering

Game changers, a new approach to tackling sportswear garment waste

Headshot of AuthorAuthor photographAuthor Headshot By Lindsay Pressdee, Amy Benstead and Jo Conlon Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: October 16, 2023

The UK disposes of one million tonnes of textiles every year, 300,000 tonnes of which end up in landfill or incineration and figures suggest 10% of global CO2 emissions could come from the fashion industry. The football sector is a huge contributor to this – approximately 2.45 million Liverpool and 1.95 million Manchester United sports shirts […]

Tagged With: consumption, environment, fashion, science & engineering, sustainability

A critical question: what should we do with the UK’s plutonium stockpile?

By William Bodel Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: August 30, 2023

The UK is currently storing around 140 tonnes of plutonium, mostly arising from its civil nuclear programme over the past 60 years. What should we, as a nation, do with it? Should we use it as fuel for future reactors, or dispose of it as waste? The latest position paper from the Dalton Nuclear Institute […]

Tagged With: Business Energy & Industry, carbon reduction, Dalton, energy, environment, infrastructure, nuclear, science & engineering

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