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16 January 202514 January 2025

From CO2 to acetaldehyde: towards greener industrial chemistry

Scientists led by EPFL, the University of Copenhagen, and Shanghai University have developed a copper catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into acetaldehyde, a key chemical used in manufacturing. The breakthrough offers a green alternative to fossil-fuel-based processes

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Von CO2 zu Acetaldehyd: Auf dem Weg zu einer grüneren industriellen Chemie

Mit diesem Durchbruch werden zwei Umweltprobleme auf einmal angegangen

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24 July 202419 July 2024

Recycling cement paste – a cheap and efficient way to curb emissions

New study led by Imperial College London experts and scientists from Empa and EPFL, highlights that waste cement paste that has undergone CO2 mineralization is a cost effective way to reduce emissions from cement

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Zement-Recycling – ein günstiger und effizienter Weg zu tieferen Emissionen

Neue Studie unter Führung des Imperial College London, an der auch Forscher der Empa und der EPFL beteiligt sind, zeigt auf, dass die CO2-Mineralisierung von Zementabfällen eine kostengünstige Möglichkeit zur Verringerung der Zementemissionen darstellt

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22 March 202419 March 2024

Sustainable plastics from agricultural waste

EPFL scientists have developed a sustainable method to make high-performance plastics from agricultural leftovers, turning them into valuable materials

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Nachhaltige Kunststoffe aus landwirtschaftlichen Abfällen

Die Produktion dieser Materialien wird nun vom EPFL-Spin-off Bloom Biorenewables hochgefahren, um sie auf den Markt zu bringen

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23 February 202420 February 2024

JEC Composites Innovation Awards: Das sind die diesjährigen Gewinner

Seit mehr als 25 Jahren zeichnen die JEC Composites Innovation Awards wegweisende Gemeinschaftsprojekte der Verbundwerkstoffindustrie aus. So auch in diesem Jahr. Zu den Gewinnern gehören unter anderem Röchling, das DLR und Silbaerg

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JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2024: here are the 11 winners

Beyond being a ceremony, these awards serve as a platform to spotlight potentially undisclosed projects, offering inspiration and motivation to an expert audience eager to explore new frontiers

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10 July 20235 July 2023

EPFL spin-off closes the loop on PET recycling

EPFL spin-off DePoly has developed a method for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at ambient temperature, even when it’s dirty or mixed with other plastics. The firm confirmed the feasibility of its method with a pilot capable of processing 50 metric tons per year. Having recently raised CHF 12.3 million, DePoly is now building a pilot plant with 10 times that capacity

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21 April 202318 April 2023

Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis

Researchers are studying how more-sophisticated policies, smarter recycling and new materials could stem the tide of waste

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7 March 20232 March 2023

3D printing with bacteria-loaded ink produces bone-like composites

Researchers in the Soft Materials Laboratory in the School of Engineering pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii which produces calcium carbonate

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3D-Druck mit bakterienhaltiger Tinte erzeugt knochenähnliche Verbundwerkstoffe

Forscher des Soft Materials Laboratory in der School of Engineering des EPFL haben eine 3D-druckbare Tinte entwickelt, die Sporosarcina pasteurii enthält, welche Kalziumkarbonat produzieren

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16 January 202311 January 2023

A step towards solar fuels out of thin air

EPFL chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare

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Ein Schritt zu solaren Brennstoffen aus der Luft

Die auf Halbleitern basierende Technologie ist skalierbar und lässt sich leicht vorbereiten

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22 July 202218 July 2022

Jim Hurt commentary: Can Gov. Scott and VT Climate Council go around the court’s crazy EPA ruling?

The missing ingredient that Gov. Scott and Vermont utilities can bring to the table is a profitable plan for CO2 removal which can be reused to make synthetic fuels and other products

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8 July 20225 July 2022

New PET-like plastic made directly from waste biomass

EPFL scientists have developed a new, PET-like plastic that is easily made from the non-edible parts of plants. The plastic is tough, heat-resistant, and a good barrier to gases like oxygen, making it a promising candidate for food packaging. Due to its structure, the new plastic can also be chemically recycled and degrade back to harmless sugars in the environment

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Neuer PET-ähnlicher Kunststoff direkt aus Abfallbiomasse hergestellt

Wissenschaftler der EPFL haben einen neuen, PET-ähnlichen Kunststoff entwickelt, der einfach aus nicht essbaren Pflanzenteilen hergestellt werden kann

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3 March 20223 March 2022

Light-Blasting Bananas Could Prove to Be Renewable

The team of Swiss-based scientists explain that all of the products from their photo-thermal (light and heat based) technique can be captured, including CO2, making it economical and climate safe

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17 February 202211 February 2022

Getting hydrogen out of banana peels

EPFL-researchers found a new method for biomass photo-pyrolysis that produces not only valuable syngas, but also a biochar of solid carbon that can be repurposed in other applications

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29 November 202124 November 2021

The SHIKIFACTORY100 – Modular cell factories for the production of 100 compounds from the shikimate pathway

Cell metabolism includes hundreds of crosslinked metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the shikimate route

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4 February 20212 February 2021

A Swiss Hypercar mixing stunning performance and sustainable technology

Bcomp's natural fibre composites will be used for the external bodywork of the Morand Hypercar as well as throughout the interior

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14 September 202012 September 2020

Microbes working together multiply biomass conversion possibilities

With the race for renewable energy sources in full swing, plants offer one of the most promising candidates for replacing crude oil

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2 April 20209 September 2021

Decarbonize and store renewable power in the gas grid: Demonstrated by Electrochaea’s power-to-methane project

Power-to-methane project successfully completed by Electrochaea and Regio Energie Solothurn, demonstrated storing power from the electrical grid in renewable methane

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Stromspeicherung und Dekarbonisierung: Electrochaeas Power-to-Methane-Technologie überzeugt mit hervorragenden Projektergebnissen

Erfolgreicher Abschluss der mehrjährigen Test- und Projektphase bei dem technologisch führenden Power-to-Methane-Spezialisten Electrochaea und Regio Energie Solothurn

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11 March 20207 March 2020

Plastic from Wood

X-ray analysis points the way to lignin-based components made to measure

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Plastik aus Holz

Röntgenuntersuchung weist Weg zu maßgeschneiderten Bauteilen auf Lignin-Basis

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22 January 20209 September 2021

Electrochaea technology awarded the Swiss energy prize Watt d’Or

Power-to-gas demonstration facility is working with the biological methanation system developed by Electrochaea - a key technology for climate-neutral natural fuels  

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Electrochaea-Technologie mit Schweizer Energiepreis Watt d’Or ausgezeichnet

Power-to-Gas Referenzanlage wendet Electrochaeas biologische Methanisierung an - eine Schlüsseltechnologie zur Herstellung klimaneutraler Kraftstoffe

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14 January 20209 September 2021

Capturing CO2 from trucks and reducing their emissions by 90%

EPFL scientists have patented a new concept to convert trucks’ CO₂ emissions into a storable liquid, could theoretically work with all trucks, buses and even boats

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29 July 20199 September 2021

Erstmals in der Schweiz erneuerbares Methan mittels Urbakterien hergestellt

Die biologische Methanisierung ist ein wichtiger Baustein im sogenannten Power-to-Gas-Prozess, der in Zukunft für die saisonale Speicherung von überschüssigem erneuerbaren Strom von zentraler Bedeutung sein wird

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17 May 201916 May 2019

Record solar hydrogen production with concentrated sunlight

Their research has been taken to the next scale with a pilot facility installed on the EPFL campus

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15 February 20199 September 2021

STORE&GO-Anlage macht erneuerbare Energie speicherbar

Feierliche Eröffnung der Forschungsanlage für gesamteuropäisches Forschungsprojekt

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21 September 201819 September 2018

New method more than doubles sugar production from plants

EPFL chemists have developed a method that can significantly increase the yield of sugars from plants, improving the production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials

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17 July 201816 July 2018

Neues Bio-Material macht Kunststoff Konkurrenz

Forscher verbinden Pilz-Myzel und Hanffasern erfolgreich miteinander

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5 February 20181 February 2018

Calculating the CO2 emissions of biofuels is not enough

Biofuels and other biomass-derived products have become viable options for replacing fossil fuels

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20 November 201716 November 2017

Aus Holz wird Hightech

Aus Holz wertvolle chemische Verbindungen gewinnen, seine Eignung als Baumaterial verbessern und die Bewirtschaftung von Wäldern optimieren

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25 July 20179 September 2021

Nanomaterial hilft Sonnenenergie zu speichern: effizient und kostengünstig

Neues Katalysator-Material für Elektrolyseure bewährt sich im Praxistest

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10 January 201730 December 2016

Wasserstoff aus Sonnenlicht – aber im Dunkeln

Graphitisches Kohlenstoffnitrid kann für die künstliche Photosynthese Elektronen erzeugen, speichern und zeitverzögert wieder freisetzen

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Dark Photocatalysis: Storage of Solar Energy in Carbon Nitride for Time-Delayed Hydrogen Generation

New approach for storing sunlight as long-lived radicals provides the structural basis for designing photocatalysts with long-lived photo-induced states

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13 July 201612 July 2016

Chemikalien aus Holz statt Erdöl

Holz muss möglichst umfassend verwertet werden, damit es eine wirtschaftliche Alternative zu Petrochemikalien sein kann

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Replacing oil with wood for the production of chemicals

Wood as a replacement for petrochemicals must be used to the greatest extent possible to be viable

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17 June 201614 June 2016

Chemicals from wood waste

New study shows, biotechnological manufacture using wood waste is either significantly cheaper or considerably more eco-friendly than conventional methods based on oil

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Chemikalien aus Holzabfällen

Neue Studie zeigt auf, dass biotechnologische Herstellung von Bernsteinsäure aus Biomasse im Vergleich zur konventionellen aus Erdöl deutlich günstiger oder deutlich umweltfreundlicher ist

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30 October 201529 October 2015

Netanyahu announces 2015 alternative fuels prize

The fuels produced through Keasling’s technologies have already been used in both buses and airplanes, according to the Prime Minister’s Office

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21 August 201519 August 2015

Transforming farm residues into biofuels and more

Brazilian oil palm plantations can be used to produce bioethanol and two additional end products: furfural and lignin

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3 July 20152 July 2015

New method can make cheaper solar energy storage

The researchers focused on one of the best 2-D materials for solar water splitting, called “tungsten diselenide”

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26 June 201525 June 2015

Major advance in biorefinery development in Canada

API announces First Commercial Implementation of GreenBox+® Technology

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20 December 20149 September 2021

Synthetic Photosynthesis — Turning Carbon Dioxide into Raw Materials

Researchers at Siemens are developing a system that uses surplus energy from renewable sources to convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds for industry

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Künstliche Photosynthese – aus Kohlendioxid Rohstoffe gewinnen

Siemens-Wissenschaftler entwickeln eine Anlage, die mit Hilfe überschüssiger regenerativer Energie das Treibhausgas Kohlendioxid in für die Industrie wertvolle andere Kohlenstoffverbindungen umwandelt

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6 June 20149 September 2021

Transforming hydrogen into liquid fuel using atmospheric CO2

EPFL scientists have completed their solution for transforming hydrogen gas into a less flammable liquid fuel that can be safely stored and transported