Category Archives: Engineering

Researchers make strong battery separator using nanomaterials made from seaweed

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Sodium-metal batteries (SMBs) are one of the most promising high-energy and low-cost energy storage systems for the next-generation of large-scale applications. However, one of the major impediments to the development of SMBs is uncontrolled dendrite growth, which penetrate the battery’s separator and result in short-circuiting. Building on previous work at the…

Ad-block this: Space advertisers ready to display commercials in the sky

Image. Artist’s impression of a space ad seen from the Skoltech campus. Credit: Shamil Biktimirov/Skoltech Researchers from Skoltech and MIPT have studied the economic feasibility of a space advertising mission that would launch a formation of satellites into orbit to reflect sunlight and display commercials in the sky above cities. Published in the journal Aerospace,…

Construction waste is costly: What’s causing it on South African building sites?

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The construction industry contributes significantly to a country’s economy through infrastructure development. The industry has expanded rapidly worldwide and further growth is expected. This has contributed to a great deal more construction waste being generated—which has been identified as one of the core problems in the construction industry across the world….

Digital signal processing for high-capacity indoor optical wireless communication systems

Credit: Liuyan Chen With our increased use of smartphones and need for real-time video, future indoor networks are expected to provide seamless wireless coverage while at the same time supporting higher connection density and higher capacity with high power efficiency. As a result, traditional radio-based wireless communication, in other words WiFi, will struggle to meet…

Land use matters as communities cut carbon emissions

This data visualization compares the land required for different kinds of power generation. Nuclear power, with its extremely energy-dense fuel, is the smallest by far. Credit: Good Energy Collective With no-wind-turbine signs on roadsides next to cornfields, it’s hardly surprising that land use is a thorny issue for renewables. But how much land do different…

Sustainable concrete cuts emissions and uses waste for better buildings

Flinders University sustainable construction materials lead researcher Dr Aliakbar Gholampour, right, and PhD civil engineering candidate Zakir Ikhasi who use natural fibers, lead slag (black sand) and waste glass sand materials in new-age concrete mixes. Credit: Flinders University An international research group is building a case for more sustainable concrete by replacing synthetic reinforcement materials…

Method to fabricate eco-friendly adsorbents for heavy metal ion removal by 3D printing

Credit: Environmental Science: Advances One of the leading causes of water pollution is heavy metal contamination which has profound adverse effects on human health and the environment. That’s why Clarkson University researchers have developed a cost-effective, 3D printing technology to create sustainable bio-based adsorbents that can effectively remove toxic heavy metal ions from contaminated environments….

Using machine learning to find an optimal mixture of metals to create a desired alloy

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A large team of researchers at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, working with colleagues from Technische Universität Darmstadt, Delft University of Technology and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, has found that it is possible to use machine learning to help metallurgists find the optimal mixture of metals to create a desired…

Crimean Bridge blast: Experts assess the damage

Kerch. Crimean Bridge. Credit: Alexxx1979/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Early on Saturday, local time, a massive blast shook the Crimean Bridge (also known as the Kerch Bridge). Shocking images of the burnt rail bridge and collapsed road bridge have been shown around the world. But Russia has moved quickly to return the bridge to operations, even…

Robust predictive speed control for surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor systems

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) systems have been widely used due to their high power density and high efficiency. Digital control systems have been applied to improve the performance of PMSM systems. Proportional integral control, as a straightforward and effective control method, has been implemented on the microprocessors to manipulate PMSM…