Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a small, optical nano-sensor for pollution detection which can be mounted onto an ordinary streetlight. The technology is already in use in western Sweden, and researchers and other interested parties hope that the sensor could soon be used in many broad... Read more →

BP released the 68th annual edition of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy (BP Stats Review), a comprehensive collection and analysis of global energy data. This year’s edition highlights the growing divergence between demands for action on climate change and the actual pace of progress on reducing carbon emissions.... Read more →

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed nanobio-hybrid organisms capable of using airborne carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce a variety of plastics and fuels, a promising first step toward low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly manufacturing for chemicals. A paper on their work appears in the Journal of the American... Read more →

The Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA) released a report assessing market-ready technologies being commercialized by suppliers of emission control and efficiency components for heavy-duty diesel vehicles to meet lower intermediate standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by 2024 as a transition to final standards in 2027. The report presents... Read more →

Research led by Sandia National Laboratories has resulted in new insights about how to understand and ultimately to control the chemistry of ignition behavior and pollutant formation. The discovery eventually will lead to cleaner, more efficient internal combustion engines. The work, which focuses on the chemical science of low-pressure flame... Read more →

An in-house study by environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) has found that the luxury cruise brands owned by Carnival Corporation & PLC emitted in 2017 in European seas alone 10 times more SOx than all of Europe’s 260+ million passenger vehicles. Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Norway are the... Read more →

A new study finds that ethanol blends reduce particulate matter (PM) coming out of the tailpipe, which in turn reduces overall toxic emissions. The study was conducted by the University of California Riverside and the University of Wisconsin, Madison and commissioned by the Urban Air Initiative. It was published in... Read more →

Evidence that breathing in is linked to an increased volume of peripheral, smaller blood vessels in the lungs has been observed for the first time in new research published in the European Respiratory Journal. The study adds to the evidence that exposure to diesel pollutants at what are considered relatively... Read more →

Although there is ample evidence that air pollution—specifically airborne particulate matter—is associated with an increased risk of premature death, it is still not known which specific particles are responsible for this effect. A European study has used wild moss samples to estimate human exposure to airborne metal particles in order... Read more →

For travelers who visit cities with high levels of air pollution, even a short stay leads to breathing problems that can take at least a week from which to recove, a new study led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine finds. The study is the first of its kind,... Read more →

Long-term exposure to ambient ozone appears to accelerate arterial conditions that progress into cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to a new University at Buffalo study. The research is the first epidemiological study to provide evidence that ozone might advance subclinical arterial disease—injuries that occur to the artery walls prior to... Read more →

A new University at Buffalo (UB) study based on levels before, during and after the Beijing Olympics has shown how air pollution affects the human body at the level of metabolites. Metabolites are small molecules that are the end products of environmental exposures, such as air pollution, and body metabolism.... Read more →

New York City Clean Air Taxi rules are successful in cutting emissions and reducing air pollution, https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/clean-air-taxis-cut-pollution-new-york-city-study to a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Drexel University. Between 2009 and 2015, the legislation more than doubled the fuel efficiency of the fleet... Read more →

Total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) increased by 0.7% in 2017, according to latest official data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Less coal was used to produce heat and electricity but this was offset by higher industrial and transport emissions, the latter increasing for... Read more →

With nuclear power facing an uncertain future in many countries, the world risks a steep decline in its use in advanced economies that could result in billions of tonnes of additional carbon emissions, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. Nuclear is the second-largest low-carbon power source... Read more →

BASF researchers have developed a process to produce methanol without any greenhouse gas emissions. If it can be successfully implemented at an industrial scale, the entire production process – from syngas production to pure methanol – will no longer release any carbon dioxide emissions. Typically, methanol is made from syngas,... Read more →

Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark and Haldor Topsoe, with colleagues from the Danish Technological Institute and Sintex have developed a “disruptive approach to a fundamental process” by integrating an electrically heated catalytic structure directly into a steam-methane–reforming (SMR) reactor for hydrogen production. A paper describing their approach is... Read more →

A life-cycle assessment of emissions from domestic and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), and heavy-fuel oil (HFO) for marine shipping by a team from the University of British Columbia has found that only high-pressure dual-fuel (HPDF) engines robustly reduce well-to-wake GHG emissions by 10% compared with their HFO-fueled counterparts. Low... Read more →

In a study on the effect of exhaust particles from aircraft turbine engines on human lung cells, Swiss researchers have found that cells reacted most strongly to particles emitted during ground idling. The study also showed that the cytotoxic effect is only to some extent comparable to that of particles... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has developed an intelligent ‘Smart Air Purification system’ that monitors interior air quality automatically to filter the air inside a car. The innovation builds on the Group’s prior work to enhance in-car air quality by introducing a new automated monitoring system, which continually checks interior air quality... Read more →

In a paper presented at the 2019 Vienna Motor Symposium this week, Delphi Technologies will unveil a new 500+ bar GDi system that can reduce particulate emissions by up to 50% compared to state-of-the-art 350 bar system without expensive engine design modifications. Delphi 500+ bar GDi pump Reducing the number... Read more →

MAN Engines—a business unit of MAN Truck & Bus, itself a member of the Volkswagen Group—is now offering 12-cylinder, IMO Tier III emission standards engines for workboats, spanning a power range from 551 to 1,213 kW. The engines are immediately available. This is particularly relevant to customers in Canada and... Read more →

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has reached agreement with trucking firms to lease or purchase more than 250 new heavy-duty trucks, fueled by its Redeem RNG (renewable natural gas). (Earlier post.) Clean Energy’s Zero Now program makes the cost of leasing or purchasing a new natural gas heavy-duty truck equal to... Read more →

A study by a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory has found that methane emissions from oil and natural gas production in the United States may not be rising as quickly as had been feared. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas... Read more →

The processes that create ozone pollution in the summer can also trigger the formation of wintertime air pollution, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA, in partnership with the University of Utah. The team’s unexpected finding, published in the journal Geophysical Research... Read more →

ExxonMobil will invest up to $100 million over 10 years to research and to develop advanced lower-emissions technologies with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and National Energy Technology Laboratory. The agreement will foster research collaboration on projects that will advance potential scalable technologies that improve energy... Read more →

Researchers from Hebei University of Technology, CATARC (China Automotive Technology & Research Center) qnd Shandong University report that soot and CO emissions could be substantially reduced in direct-injected natural gas engines without penalties in NOx and thermal efficiency via the coordination of PNPI (proportion of natural gas pre-injection), NPSOI (injection... Read more →

A new review by an interdisciplinary research team from New York University (NYU) of studies on levels of urban exposure to airborne pollutants and their effects on human health suggests that advanced instrumentation and information technology will soon allow researchers and policymakers to gauge the health risks of air pollution... Read more →

On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti released his version of a Green New Deal (LAGND). The LA Green New Deal seeks to “zero out” Los Angeles’ main sources of harmful emissions: buildings, transportation, electricity, and trash. The ambitious plans includes accelerated goals and new targets such as: Building a... Read more →

As states take the lead in confronting climate change, a flagship policy is often Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). RPS programs, which require that a certain percentage of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources, currently cover 64 percent of the electricity sold in the United States. A new study analyzing... Read more →

BP, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), and the Port of Rotterdam will collaborate to explore the opportunity of making green hydrogen via water electrolysis for BP’s refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which has the potential for significant reductions in CO2 emissions. BP’s Rotterdam refinery. The refinery currently uses hydrogen made... Read more →

A new study carried out by University College Dublin (UCD) academics has found that under typical Irish commuting conditions, the Toyota Prius IV (fourth-generation) hybrid (earlier post) drives in zero emissions mode (ZEV) for significantly more than half (62%) of the time and more than 40% (40.4%) of the distance... Read more →

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) has enrolled all cars at its two Experience Centers—sand its fleet in the monthly subscription pilot, Porsche Passport—sin Porsche Impact. Impact is a new program from Porsche Digital that enables owners to calculate emissions individually per car and then offset them by supporting environmentally... Read more →

From 2011 to 2015, California experienced its worst drought on record, with a parching combination of high temperatures and low precipitation. Drought conditions can have complicated effects on ozone air quality, so to better understand the process, researchers have analyzed data from two ozone-polluted cities before, during and after the... Read more →

According to a new study published by the ifo Institue Center for Economic Studies (CESifo) in Germany, EVs will barely help cut CO2 emissions in the country over the coming years, as the introduction of electric vehicles does not necessarily lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions from road traffic... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board announced a settlement with Fiat Powertrain Technologies Industrial S.p.A for emissions-related violations affecting nearly 2,000 on-road and off-road diesel engines. The settlement includes a mandatory recall of affected vehicles and $6.4 million in penalties. The enforcement case began after the company informed CARB in 2015... Read more →

A new California-wide program will make it easier for communities to get funding for clean mobility projects to improve their sustainability and quality of life. The program enables smaller groups and communities of concern that may not have the resources available to access funds for clean transportation choices. The $17-million... Read more →

Researchers from Northwestern University and Princeton University have explored the impact on US air quality from an aggressive conversion of internal combustion vehicles to battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). In a paper published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, they report on the findings from a suite of scenarios designed to quantify... Read more →

Year-over-year, US greenhouse gas emissions were 0.5% lower in 2017 than the prior year (after accounting for sequestration from the land sector), and power sector emissions fell 4.2%, according to the 2019 edition of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This decrease was... Read more →

Air pollution from diesel engines may worsen allergy-induced lung impairment more when tiny particles are filtered from the exhaust than when they are not, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. This counter-intuitive result may be due to... Read more →

About 4 million children worldwide develop asthma each year because of inhaling nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution, according to an open-access study published in The Lancet Planetary Health by researchers at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH). The study, based on data from... Read more →

Carbon Recycling International has been awarded a €1.8-million (US$2.0-million) grant under the EU Horizon 2020 Research Programme to increase the scale of its CO2-to-methanol technology, marketed under the trademark Emissions-to-Liquids (ETL). The grant will allow CRI to accelerate efforts to commercialize large scale production plants, expanding the market for ETL... Read more →

A new study by a team from the University of New Mexico, University of Washington and the University of Minnesota examines the health and economic impacts of PM2.5 pollution (particulates and precursors) in the United States. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study estimates that... Read more →

The Health Effects Institute (HEI) has released the annual State of Global Air (SoGA) 2019 report and website. This year’s report includes the latest results on air pollution exposure and its health burden around the world based on the 2017 GBD (Global Burden of Disease) study. Among the findings of... Read more →

A study by a team from North Carolina State University, with colleagues from the Urban Air Initiative and 3DATX Corporation, has shown that non-FFVs (flexible-fuel vehicles) can adapt to a mid-level ethanol blend—specifically E27. The study was commissioned by the Urban Air Initiative. As reported in a paper in the... Read more →

In a survey of 2,000 adults across the UK, Nissan’s research found that only 1 in 3 were aware of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) going live on 8 April—yet almost half of all respondents support the daily charge’s introduction. The ULEZ now operates 24 hours a day, 7... Read more →

All but three European car manufacturers met their specific emission targets in 2017, based on current European vehicle test rules. Nevertheless, average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars sold in the European Union in 2017 rose by 0.4g of CO2 per km from 2016, according to final data published... Read more →

Most vehicles, including cars, vans, motorcycles and scooters, will need to meet new, tighter exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge to travel within the area of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which comes into effect today. Motorbike insurer Bikesure recently surveyed 1,000 commuters in London to find out... Read more →

A new study released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds greenhouse gas emissions from corn-based ethanol are about 39% lower than gasoline. The study also states that when ethanol is refined at natural gas-powered refineries, the greenhouse gas emissions are even lower—around 43% below gasoline. The study, led... Read more →

A new study finds that environmental damage caused by corn production results in 4,300 premature deaths annually in the United States, representing a monetized cost of $39 billion. The paper, published in Nature Sustainability, presents how researchers have estimated for the first time the health damages caused by corn production... Read more →