Group items tagged

Four mechanical engineering students from Nashik have invented a device which is an indicator for the vehicle driver about excessive pollutant levels, while driving. When the engine of the vehicle starts, the sensor fitted in the silencer will sense the exhaust particles and check the limit value. If it exceeds the prescribed limit then a red light will blink as the first indicator, for two hours. Even after the first warning, if there is no change in the limit then there are two more indicators that will blink within a gap of two hours after which the engine will automatically turn off. According to the four inventors, the device will help in tackling the pollution issue, especially in densely-populated and polluted areas.

As a punishing drought continues to grip California and other areas, scientists are exploring hardy succulents as a pathway to genetically engineer plants to use less water. Agave and other succulents such as the prickly pear, pineapple and vanilla have evolved to perform a different kind of photosynthesis that enable their survival in semiarid environments. These species absorb most of their carbon dioxide at night rather than during the day, as most plants do, meaning less water evaporates off the leaves through transpiration. 

Volvo Cars on Wednesday became the first mainstream automaker to sound the death knell of the internal combustion engine, saying that all the models it introduces starting in 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries.

Genetically manipulated food remains generally safe for humans and the environment, a high-powered science advisory board declared in a report on Tuesday. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine concluded that changing the genetics of what we eat does not produce the "Frankenfood" monster some opponents claim - but is not feeding the world with substantially increased yields, as proponents promised.

The EPA concluded that GHG emissions produced by jet engines are harmful to human health and welfare, as they contribute to climate change.

General Motors announced plans to make engine covers, coats for the homeless, and air filters out of the 2 million discarded water bottles it has collected from Flint, Michigan residents. The project is an extension of its ongoing "Do Your Part" recycling initiative, which converts discarded water bottles into fleece.

The Obama Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers officially denied the easement to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota after a many months-long campaign by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and allies against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Army Corps will undertake an environmental impact statement (EIS) to look at potential alternative routes for the pipeline.

The mayors of Paris, Mexico City, Madrid, and Athens pledged to phase out cars and trucks powered by diesel engines by 2025. The announcement was made during the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City.

Of all available air pollution control technologies, wet scrubbing remains the most cost effective and versatile, reports Pollution Engineering. Techniques for wet scrubbing typically remove more than 99 percent of air particulate matter and remove aerosols less than 3 µm, the industry publication reports.

Pet care products company Hartz Mountain has redesigned its pet shampoo bottles to save 220,000 pounds of polymer across 10 million bottles, the company's director of packaging engineering tells Packaging Digest.

Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farm, and over 200 other companies and organizations signed a letter urging President Obama to institute a national labeling system for genetically engineered foods.

Stricter regulations, the explosive growth of new hydraulic fracturing shale oil and gas wells and limited available water resources are driving the popularity of centralized wastewater management in North America, according to Pollution Engineering magazine

Organic food manufacturer Amy's Kitchen, Farm Aid, Clif Bar & Company, The Urban Farm, Organic Seed Alliance and the Center for Food Safety are among more than 150 farm organizations, millers, retailers, bakeries, seed businesses and food processors urging the US Department of Agriculture to improve its oversight of experimental trials of genetically engineered crops.

Many facilities are now implementing a number of programs to help reduce the amount of energy, water, fuel, and other resources that they use. If structural, mechanical, or similar changes must be made to decrease consumption, managers often turn to outside engineers and contractors to help with implementation.

Geoengineering technologies such as injecting sulfur into the atmosphere to offset carbon dioxide will begin to seem less like science fiction and more like a reasonable solution, argues David Keith of Harvard Kennedy School. Not everyone's convinced that's a good idea, though. "Solar climate engineering is a flawed idea seeking an illusory solution to the wrong problem," counters Mike Hulme of King's College London.

Renewable diesel fuel blend made from sugar did not impact ship engine performance or operation, according to a study by the Maritime Administration.

Thousands of researchers will descend on Boston this fall for an event billed as the world's largest gathering of synthetic biologists. The field is evolving so rapidly that even scientists working in it don't agree on a definition, but at its core synthetic biology involves bringing engineering principles to biotechnology.

Derive Systems, an automotive fleet engine software developer, announced today its partnership with Clean Fuels Ohio as part of the Midwest DRIVES Initiative.

Ford expanded the use of its near-dry machining technology to 6 additional manufacturing plants worldwide. When applied to engine production, Ford claims the technology uses 50% less water and 80% less oil than traditional methods.

Airplane engine-maker Pratt & Whitney is going green to attract and keep the best workers, says environmental chief Mary Anne Cannon. The company is aiming for 100% recycling of manufacturing waste, is holding its supply chain accountable for its actions and has curbed factory emissions by 28% since 2000. The company performs life-cycle assessments to measure the effects of its products, Cannon says