Science and Enterprise

Tag: water

  • Real-Time Coastal Monitoring System in Development

    Researchers from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh are developing an electronic monitoring system to help advance understanding of coastal ecosystems by allowing users to track water-quality data from these waters in real time. The project was funded by National Science Foundation and National Security Agency. The NCSU team is working on the project…

  • Oxford University Spins Off Tidal Turbine Company

    A new enterprise, Kepler Energy Limited, has been formed in the U.K. to develop a tidal turbine, a result of research in Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science. Professors Guy Houlsby, Martin Oldfield, and Malcolm McCulloch developed the turbine (pictured right), which they say has the potential to harness tidal energy more efficiently and cheaply…

  • Study: Hydraulic Fracturing Can Release Uranium from Shale

    University at Buffalo (UB) researchers have found indications that the process called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” to release natural gas from Marcellus shale deposits can cause naturally trapped uranium inside the shale to be released. The findings add to the environmental concerns about the process, particularly chemical contamination of the groundwater in populated regions in…

  • NGOs: Technique Boosts Rice Production with Less Water

    International relief and development organizations Oxfam America, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and Africare reported an improved method of rice farming known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) that the groups say has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of millions of poor people around the world. The report released Wednesday is based on…

  • Finnish Companies to Build Brazil R&D Center

    VTT Technical Research Centre in Espoo, Finland and Kemira Oyj, a water-quality management company in Helsinki, are opening a new joint R&D center in São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on water chemistry and biomass. The center will open at the end of 2010. The São Paulo R&D center is expected to implement new water technology research…

  • Water Purification Technology Launched Based on Rare Earths

    Molycorp Minerals Inc., a producer of rare earths in Greenwood Village, Colorado, says it has launched of a new rare earth-based water purification technology called Xsorbx. Rare earths are a collection of mineral elements, such as cerium and lanthanum, used in advanced and strategic manufacturing products — e.g. electric car batteries, flat-screen TVs, and wind…

  • Solar Powered Water Purifier Developed for Disaster Relief

    Spectra Watermakers Inc. in San Rafael, California, in collaboration with Trunz Water Systems, a Swiss company, has developed a self-contained water purification unit that can meet the needs of disaster relief efforts, such as those now in action in Pakistan. The Solar Container, as the unit is called, is powered by renewable solar or wind…