Tyndall

Getting it right: are hydrogen standards good enough?

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 […]

Plastics policies are changing the game—but are SMEs being left behind?

By Adeyemi Adelekan and Maria Sharmina Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Renewables Posted: February 6, 2025

The UK plastics policy landscape is undergoing major changes. While consultations stress the importance of avoiding harm to SMEs, policies often lack concrete measures against such harm. Research by the University of Manchester indicates that current and forthcoming plastics policies, shaped by these consultations, would affect stakeholders across the plastic supply chain differently, with SMEs […]

Water reuse for sustainable practices in new housing infrastructure

By Claire Hoolohan, Alison Browne and Ella Foggitt Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Environment, Urban Posted: February 4, 2025

Demand for water will outstrip supply within the next 25 years in England. Changing patterns of water use – for example, as a result of increasing hygiene standards – are intersecting with long-standing infrastructural challenges of ageing water and sewerage networks. In this article, Dr Ella Foggitt, Dr Claire Hoolohan and Professor Alison Browne assess […]

Untangling the threads: addressing microfibre pollution

By Libby Allen, Claudia Henninger and Jingyi Li Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: April 29, 2024

As clothes are washed and worn, tiny fibres below 5mm in length are broken off or released from the fabric itself, which are called microfibres. With increasing concerns over the persistence of this pollution, Libby Allen, Dr Claudia Henninger and Jingyi Li are exploring preventative solutions to reduce pollution released from the laundering of clothes. […]

Electricity access vs toxic lead pollution: tackling waste from solar power in sub-Saharan Africa

By Christopher Kinally and Alejandro Gallego Schmid Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: April 25, 2024

Millions of short-lived solar energy devices are being sold to households across sub-Saharan Africa each year as a strategy to increase access to electricity. However, the current lack of infrastructure to safely manage the resulting toxic waste flow raises significant environmental, human health, and social justice concerns. Here, Dr Christopher Kinally and Dr Alejandro Gallego […]

Reimagining water consumption: challenges and opportunities to reduce domestic water demand in the UK

By Claire Hoolohan Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Urban Posted: April 5, 2022

Emissions related to domestic water use contribute 5-6% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing emissions from domestic water use is necessary for the UK to meet its ambitious target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. However, current policy instruments to reduce water-related emissions remain limited in scope. In this blog, Dr Claire Hoololan […]

Decarbonising domestic heating

By Claire Brown Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Urban Posted: March 17, 2022

Home is where the heart is, but with climate change the way our homes are built and required to function is shifting. Overheating is just one example that is being discussed at length within the academic and commercial sectors. Projections for UK homes in 2050 and 2080 show significant issues around overheating and sustained overheating […]

Indoor and outdoor wood burning needs a new way of thinking

By Amanda Lea-Langton Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Urban Posted: February 16, 2022

Biomass combustion, a significant contributor to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), has increased in urban areas due to the growing popularity of wood-burning stoves and biomass boilers. In this blog, Dr. Amanda Lea-Langton, Senior Lecturer in Bioenergy Engineering at The University of Manchester and member of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, outlines policy recommendations […]

Carbon Capture and Storage and Greenhouse Gas Removal – Essential ingredients for net zero

By Sarah Mander and Clair Gough Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: February 7, 2022

Our planet is heating up, and the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the world. We all know reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for our planet’s future. However, research shows that, given the scale and urgency of the challenge of reducing emissions across the entire economy, meeting climate change targets will […]

Is the shipping sector on a collision course on climate?

By Alice Larkin and Simon Bullock Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: November 1, 2021

In the run-up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has strongly criticised the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for not doing enough to cut carbon emissions from the shipping sector. He said the sector’s current commitments were consistent with global warming above 3 degrees, whereas the Paris Agreement sets […]