Solutions

submitted by Albert Gomez

waste-management-world.com - May 31,2012

A $48.6 million loan by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) supporting exports of equipment and services for the development of the Novo Gramacho biogas project in Brazil has generated 165 new jobs.

The transaction is Ex-Im Bank's first financing for biogas reclamation and development.

Among the beneficiaries is Newport Beach, California based renewable energy specialist, FirmGreen, which estimated that the project directly generated 165 new jobs at its facilities and at other companies in seven states.

Living Labs Global co-founder Sascha Haselmayer addresses the crowd in Rio de Janeiro

submitted by Albert Gomez

good.is - by Zak Stone - May 4, 2012

In a megapolis like Mexico City, any planning initiative that moves citizens from cars to busses will pay off in reductions to traffic and air pollution. A major deterrent to using public transportation in the city? Comfort, according to Dr. Julio Mendoza, director of Mexico City's Institute of Science and Technology. Many would rather drive than experience that particular breed of public transportation-pegged anxiety: waiting helplessly on the street corner for a bus that feels like it won't ever arrive.

After participating in the Living Labs Global Award program, a competition designed to help cities solve planning challenges, the Mexican capital may have found a fix. In February, Mexico City and 20 other LLGA participants around the world put out an open call to companies to pitch solutions to important but fixable problems.

The light-producing enzyme in the firefly is the key to rapid pathogen detection // Source: cri.cn

submitted by Luis Kun

Homeland Security News Wire - March 22, 2012

A new device, employing the same chemical which lights up fireflies, can easily detect food contamination; the researchers who developed the system hope it will soon be used to test for other diseases, including HIV-AIDS.

Food contamination can now be detected easily by a new device based on the chemical which lights up fireflies.

The Bioluminescent Assay in Real-Time (BART), jointly invented by Professor Jim Murray of the Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and Dr. Laurence Tisi of Lumora, allows users to test rapidly and simply for food poisoning bacteria. Professor Murray and his partners at technology company Lumora Ltd. hope to develop the system to test for other diseases, including HIV-AIDS.

Molecules cause radioactive waste to cluster, facilitating cleanup // Source: kokokuxhito.info

submitted by Luis Kun

Homeland Security News Wire - March 14, 2012

Scientists have produced a previously unseen uranium molecule in a move that could improve clean-up of nuclear waste.

The distinctive butterfly-shaped compound is similar to radioactive molecules that scientists had proposed to be key components of nuclear waste. These molecules, however, were thought too unstable to exist for long.

A University of Edinburgh release reports that researchers have shown the compound to be robust, which implies that molecules with a similar structure may be present in radioactive waste.

University of Edinburgh scientists, who carried out the study, say their findings suggest the molecule may play a role in forming clusters of radioactive material in waste.

These are difficult to separate during clean-up. Improving treatment processes for nuclear waste, including targeting this type of molecule, could help the nuclear industry move towards cleaner power generation.