According to Yale University, biomass is widely considered a renewable alternative to fossil fuels and many experts say it could play a key role in the fight against climate change. Biomass stores carbon and can be converted into bio-based products and energy that can be used to improve soil, purify wastewater…
Hanze University of Applied Sciences and GasTerra have signed a cooperation agreement for the construction of a research facility for renewable gas and circular raw materials. Both parties want to give a strong boost to the development of sustainable energy supplies. The new facility, the so-called REMO lab, will be located on the grounds of the Center of Expertise Energy (EnTranCe) of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences,…
Almost everything around you is painted or has a coating. Water-based paint is increasingly the norm, but this paint is also not completely free of components made from oil. Hanneke Siebe, researcher at the University of Groningen, is working on a completely sustainable paint based on gum arabic. The State University reports this…
Researchers from Okayama University have discovered an effective mechanical compression system for drying plant biomass for energy generation without the need for thermal drying. This is important because plant biomass contains more than 50% moisture, requiring mechanical methods (or heating and natural seasonality) to reduce this to around 35% – to…
This winter, the Royal Dutch Society of Sciences and Humanities will organize an essay competition around the theme 'towards an optimal energy transition'. The Netherlands wants to make the switch to sustainable energy in the short term. The climate goals, but also the high energy costs, help to emphasize the urgency of this transition in society. But to make the transition quickly and…
European forests are increasingly affected by natural disturbances, a new observational study shows. An international team of forestry scientists from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the European Forest Institute (EFI) and 19 other research organizations from across Europe examined forest disturbances in Europe over the past 70 years and reported a statistically significant increasing trend…
German researchers at the University of Hohenheim see grass as a new protein source that can be used for pig and poultry farming. In the ProGrün project they are not only investigating how grass can be used to obtain high-quality proteins for feeding poultry and pigs, but also for a range of other high-quality materials. Grass contains…
Our ever-increasing use of plastics is leading to growing environmental concerns, especially regarding the use of fossil resources and greenhouse gas emissions. In his dissertation, Paul Stegmann from Copernicus shows that we need to drastically improve our recycling efforts and switch from fossil to biogenic raw materials if plastics want to fit into a…
More than 550 scientists have signed a letter to the European Commission warning of the deteriorating state of Europe's forests and calling for climate-smart forestry – including timber harvesting for bioenergy – to strengthen their resilience to global warming . Forests play an essential role in our…
How do we get through the winter with the impending gas crisis approaching? The European Commission wants European countries to use less gas as quickly as possible. Among other measures, it also looks at an all-time energy reserve available in rural areas of Europe: wood. There is currently an astonishingly large growing timber stock of 26…
