Category Environment/Geology

Multiple Colors Output on Voile through 3D Colloidal Crystals with Robust Mechanical Properties

“Fast fashion” might be cheap, but its high environmental cost from dyes polluting the water near factories has been well documented. To help stem the tide of dyes from entering streams and rivers, scientists report in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces a nonpolluting method to color textiles using 3D colloidal crystals.

Dyes and pigments are chemical colors that produce their visual effect by selectively absorbing and reflecting specific wavelengths of visible light. Structural or physical colors – such as those of opals, peacock feathers and butterfly wings – result from light-modifying micro- and nanostructures...

Graph showing the sources of methane from oil production since 1980. Click to enlarge. ©Höglund-Isaksson 2017

Global methane and ethane emissions from oil production from 1980 to 2012 were far higher than previous estimates show, according to a new study which for the first time takes into account different production management systems and geological conditions around the world. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, which scientists rank as the second-most important contributor to climate change after CO2. Yet while methane concentrations in the atmosphere can be easily measured, it is difficult to determine the contribution of different sources, whether human or natural.

“In an oil reservoir, there is a layer of gas above the oil which has a methane content of 50 to 85%...

From the top left corner, moving clockwise, the four images depict: University at Buffalo students performing an experiment, clean drinking water, water evaporating, and black carbon wrapped around plastic in water with evaporated vapor on top evaporated water. Credit: University at Buffalo.

You’ve seen Bear Grylls turn foul water into drinking water with little more than sunlight and plastic. Now, academics have added a third element—carbon-dipped paper—that may turn this survival tactic into a highly efficient and inexpensive way to turn saltwater and contaminated water into potable water. The idea could help address global drinking water shortages, especially in developing areas and regions affected by natural disasters.

“Using extremely low-cost materials, we have been able to crea...

MIT Media Lab spinout Changing Environments is the brains behind the solar-powered Soofa Bench, which is equipped with an embedded charging station for mobile devices that also connects to wireless networks. Recently, the startup released the solar-powered Soofa Sign, which displays public transit times, weather, and events, among other city information. Credit: Changing Environments

Equipped with high-tech versions of common city fixtures—namely, smart benches and digital information signs—and fueled by a “deploy or die” attitude, MIT Media Lab spinout Changing Environments is hoping to accelerate the development of “smart” cities that use technology to solve urban challenges...